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[junow-honours]

Workbook page

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[junow-honours]

Workbook page

Typology: Archetypes and Stereotypes.

I’m interested in utilizing the stereotypical roles of men and women to use in my games, emphasizing ‘stereotype’. A question that has been raised multiple times is if I would like to use my characters in a way that stereotypes certain personalities, or pushes against these stereotypes- am I critiquing or embracing this?

After some thought, I’m more interested in embracing these stereotypes and exaggerating them to a comical, almost absurd level. A stereotype on steroids, embracing the toxicity that comes with this. 

Of course, boardgames and gaming culture in general already has a history of stereotyping both genders. Women are portrayed as both the damsels in distress, as well as the femme fatales. Men are portrayed as the leaders and heroes, or the psychotic villains. These stereotypes are something that I want to use as a tool to create a tense gaming environment, rather than creating a boardgame that defies stereotypes and is inclusive, I would rather create an environment that forces the players to engage in excessively exaggerated character roles. This might be something that I end up changing later, but for now this is the path to go down.

Men:

I’m interested in exploring the stereotypical roles of men within my games. Of course, my three current characters are men. I’m interested in how men have been sexualised and objectified on the internet, specifically within our popular entertainment culture. Social media is dominated by the rise of anime and the kpop industry. Both cultures have attracted a collective obsessive mass of ‘fangirls’ (and boys). These fandoms/ communities are almost cult-like in the sense that they worship these idols and dedicate a large amount time into celebrating them, and spending their money on idol merchandise. 

Male kpop idols are glorified and objectified, and male anime characters are sexualised and idolized (entirely fictional characters). On the other end of the spectrum, male serial killers and offenders (specifically the ones that are conventionally attractive) are worshipped- why. Surprisingly, it is natural for women to be attracted to men that possess personality traits present in the Dark Triad (Machiavellianism, psychopathy, and narcissism). Relationship between seduction and danger. Relationship between idol and fan.

Stereotypes of men in media:

Violence, danger, impulsive tendencies, perversions, negative personality traits are more associated as ‘masculine’ traits

Providers and protectors- fathers

Dominance, strong, powerful, competitive- less emotional and affectionate

Toxic masculinity

Common stereotypes of men in media

Stereotypes of women in media:

Sexualised, objectified, eroticization

Associations with cuteness, in a negative way (infantilization) and; cuteness as a means of deception, manipulation, fakery, and underlying danger. Depiction of girls in anime- massive topic.

Femme fatales: seductive, deceptive, devious, conniving (negative traits)

Maternal role: mothers 

Submissive, helpless, weak, emotional

Media portrayal of Women and Girls

[junow-honours]

Workbook page from the past week:

Thinking about my character archetypes; The Victim, The Watcher, and The Aggressor, and expanding on what these archetypes are, and what they represent.

Having the heads as visual representations for these archetypes are throwing me off a little, they are meant to only be ‘vessels’ to represent human drives and human activity. I want to make it clear that they aren’t just ‘boxed in’ character designs, they actually represent more general personality types. However, in saying that, the actual design of the characters themselves are important in relation to the archetype they represent. They have important roles within the habitat of the game, but outside of the game what they represent is more abstract than specific. 

What the character archetypes represent:

The Victim (as a vessel to discuss/ think about the following topics):

Relating to human’s primal fears of being eaten, mutilated, molested, or abused

Psychological affects of fear and pain, and the physical body- fear around inflictions of violence on the body, and how much the body can tolerate

Submission, feelings of anxiety or helplessness

Concepts of karma, revenge’

The Watcher (as a vessel to discuss/ think about the following topics):

Morbid curiosity, where curiosity can become dangerous

Momento mori: reminders of death and awareness of danger

Collective anxieties and fear

Illusion of safety and protection- finding shelter behind a screen (desensitization to violence through media depictions of violence)

Complicity in crimes- the bystander effect

The internet: accessibility to illegal content

Fetishization. Seeking entertainment and pleasure (pleasure-principle)

The Aggressor (as a vessel to discuss/ think about the following topics):

Death-drives: primal desire to commit acts of violence

Drive towards destruction

The Dark Triad- Machiavellianism, psychopathy, narcissism

Negative influence of external stimulus: drugs and alcohol

Dictatorship, dominance. Desire for control, power, authority

Toxic masculinity