AQA GCSE Media Studies Student Book

179 Also consider what they do have in common, for example: • being good at what they do • their focus on reaching a specified goal • consolidating their popularity by combining a variety of different media, especially social media • taking on stereotypes and displaying traits that are often regarded as binary opposites, for example assertive behaviour and sex appeal (for Kim and Lara) or glamour and a down-to-earth approach (for Zoella). Consider whether they could be regarded as good role models, when they are so closely associated with stereotypically female visual elements such as a desirable body shape, fashion and makeup. At the end of 2017, Google Play produced a white paper about diversity in the mobile gaming market (Google Play, 2017). It ended with a checklist for game developers to use to make their games more inclusive for women. It asks developers to: • know their audience • build more inclusive games • use more diverse teams • maximise the opportunities presented by having more female players. Find the white paper on the internet and take a look at the details in the checklist, identifying any changes or additions you would make to ensure more gender diversity. Activity 5.10 White paper A document intended to start a discussion that will lead to change. Key term Carry out research among female gameplayers. Find out: • why they play games • when and how they play games • which games they choose to play. Also find out what they would like to see in a female protagonist in a role-playing video game. Use your findings to make recommendations for a future female character. Activity 5.11 Studying newspapers Overview Newspapers have been around for a very long time in the UK. In fact, the first daily newspaper, the Daily Courant , was published in 1702. It can safely be said that of all the media forms, newspapers were the first to establish themselves as a truly mass medium. Despite warnings and predictions about the decline or even death of the newspaper industry, the press has continued to have a powerful influence on society, culture and politics for over 300 years. This is not to say that the industry has remained unchanged for all this time, far from it. Individual newspapers – such as the Daily Courant – have come and gone, print technology has constantly evolved and fashions have changed. In recent years the development of digital technology and the internet has had a massive impact on the newspaper industry as it has had to face the challenge of the ‘online revolution’. Britain’s first daily newspaper consisted of one page of news with advertisements on the back. Closestudyproductsandmediaforms 5 Close study pro ucts and media for