PAPER 2 Section B
Q1 – 2 marks
What is meant by participatory media?
Increasingly, people are playing a role in creating and sharing media content. Blogs, wikis, video channels, podcasts and vlogs etc. are all examples of people developing and sharing material for public consumption.
Q2 – 20 marks
To what extent can the Kim Kardashian and the Lara Croft concepts be considered positive female role models?
Do these video games conform to ideas of female identity or do they subvert them?
Lara Croft Go is a video game that is part of the Tomb Raider franchise.
It was launched in 1996 and has enjoyed enormous success both in terms of sales, and also for its content.
Lara Croft go could be considered as a pioneer in the video game industry in that it positioned female character as the main protagonist/heroine figure.
Prior to this (and in many ways since) the video game industry has been firmly rooted in a male-dominated market place with very few globally established female lead characters.
Against this, some critics have offered a negative reading of the image and iconography, seeing it as an overtly sexist and potentially demeaning representation of women.
To that extent, there is a debate as to whether or not the concept of Lara Croft is empowering or instead simply pandering to traditional male stereotypes of the perception of attractive female form.
Some critics posit that much of the game’s early coverage and thus exposure to wider audiences was due to this stereotypically sexualised characterisation.
The image of Lara Croft has always been controversial. Its initial public image has undoubtedly been modified over the years. The original 1993 concept offered disproportionate chest, unfeasibly narrow waist, low cut vest and tiny shorts.
It could be…
