My first idea was; have video games got easier and why?
Looking at how the history of video games being a niche market where companies actually had the confidence to make video games challenging, to present day where video games have become a part of everyday home life to most of the population, resulting in companies throwing out easy-peasy games to make as much money as possible. For an avid video game fan, it has been near torturous to see how some of my favourite series have gone down the pan in terms of quality game play.
Example of hard games when I was younger: Donkey Kong Country on SNES was difficult, I had to team up with my dad to beat it at the end. Tomb Raider, finding all the artifacts and puzzles were hard. Even the 2008 Tomb raider still had difficulty. Heart racing games when close to dieing.
New versions of these games, Donkey Kong Country Returns is hard just like the classic however Tomb Raider released n 2013, every tomb was optional, reboot yes but not a Tomb Raider game and was left disappointed, entire genre of game changed and become very easy.
Review of Tomb Raider I agree with:
When exactly did this happen, what game are still hard? Demon Souls: has the mechanics of an old game, you die, you go back to the start of the level.
How are games made difficult today? Most games make enemies bullet sponges by giving them more health, not really much of a challenge.
Why have games become easier, to make sure they sell games and people give up to easily.
http://whatculture.com/gaming/10-modern-trends-make-gaming-easy.php
http://www.gengame.net/2013/07/if-you-think-video-games-are-getting-too-easy-miyamoto-says-japan-is-to-blame/
http://www.screwattack.com/news/bs-are-video-games-too-easy-now
http://www.smh.com.au/digital-life/games/why-video-games-are-becoming-too-easy-20120621-20psc.html
http://masonicgamer.com/are-video-games-too-easy-these-days/
http://www.giantbomb.com/profile/ttocs/blog/are-video-games-becomming-too-easy/34061/
http://whatculture.com/gaming/are-games-getting-too-easy.php
http://www.examiner.com/article/are-games-too-easy-now
Second Idea: Age ratings with games and how they enforced.
If your parents were naive or laid back then at some point you must have persuaded them to buy you game you were not old enough to buy or play.
Kids rely on their parents naivety of what content is actually in games.
My experience of working in GAME in 2011, with if I knew that an 18 game was being bought for a child I was legally obliged to tell the parent what was in the game. Customer got angry when I didn't accept the money from her child.
Examples of 5 year olds playing GTA, their parents thing it was a driving game.
Night trap caused American age rating system to be implemented. However this gave developers full rein to develop games targeted at adults ie carmageddon.
More education is needed for parents about games, but do games affect children negatively if they play under age? Does it depend on them game?
http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2009/03/09/should-gaming-age-ratings-be-enforced/
http://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/gaming/2013/03/26/ftc-video-game-age-ratings/2020719/
http://www.esrb.org/ratings/faq.jsp
http://www.gamepolitics.com/2012/08/15/poll-should-video-game-ratings-be-legally-enforced-retail#.UptKyOLd5pM
http://www.tomshardware.com/news/UK-PEGI-Video-Game-Ratings-Law,16586.html
http://beta.congress.gov/bill/113th/house-bill/287
Third Idea - Are women over sexualised and stereotyped in games?
Women in games are very much sexualised but to what extreme? Either a damsel in distress or has to use how sexy she is to empower her to beat her enemies,
Damsels - Princess Peach, Dinosaur planet -Crystal turned into a damsel for starfox adventures.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X6p5AZp7r_Q&list=FLESlQLUsi5fJEri835i2h1w&index=5
Over sexualised - Ivy soul calibur, Bayonetta, Felicia from darkstalkers etc.
Contradictions to theses stereo types: Tomb raider 2013, Elena and Cloe from Uncharted, Skyrim able to create a female warrior, Portal.
Why does this happen, sex sells. In games , films, TV, all media sex sells. All women involved though aren't sexualised against their will, they do it because they want to. You can either choose to be offended by how women are sexualised in games and think about how it could affect men growing up and their ideas of women, or you can just see that it is what sells and games are made to make money.
Look at my Extended project.
http://rizeupgaming.com/objectification-sexualized-avatars-video-games
http://www.verylemonade.com/2012/05/07/why-females-are-oversexualized-in-video-games-an-original-perspective-from-a-dude/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gender_representation_in_video_games
http://www.trredskies.com/sexualization-in-video-games/
http://n4g.com/user/blogpost/zerocrossing/523577
http://healthland.time.com/2013/10/14/how-using-sexy-female-avatars-in-video-games-changes-women/
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