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Tag Archives: gaming
The Music of League of Legends, and Much more!
Taken from YouTube “Paperblossom” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SBankmY_qNk
Welcome back to Lyfe in Pixels, I apologize for being a bit distant over the last few months. Along with my return comes the news of League of Legends music!
Riot Games, owner of the famous League of Legends MOBA, has recently published Volume 1 of “The Music of League of Legends.” Who wouldn’t listen to music about our favorite sad mummy, Amumu? Because, hey! It’s catchy!
There are a total of 15 tracks downloadable on iTunes and Google Play. You can also download it for free directly from Riot.
I have listened to all the tracks and think it is a brilliant idea on behalf of Riot. League of Legends is a huge subculture with a shocking 27 million daily players and 67 million players monthly. With this type of fan base, it is only crucial to continuously feed into the subculture of League fans. From what I can hear, they have put a great deal of work into writing and developing their music. My personal favorite song is: Get Jinxed, staring our favorite little psychopath, Jinx.
I feel as though this is only the first installment in a monopoly of Riot media, what’s next?
Curse Tour
‘IWillDominate’ takes us on a tour of the Curse house. I hope you enjoy! I know that I loved seeing how these professional gamers live. My favorite part was the “gaming room,” I would kill for that set up!
Just Another Feminist Problem
Grand theft auto V v1 by HarryBana: http://harrybana.deviantart.com/art/Grand-Theft-Auto-V-v1-341935402
As some of you may or may not have heard, Target Australia has removed all copies of GTA 5 from their their shelves within the country. This move was petitioned by 48,000 users on change.org: a site where users can write petitions.
Grand Theft Auto 5 was removed from the shelf for displays of excessive violence against women. For example, there is a chance encounter in the game that features a scene where a young woman is being attacked and held down by two men on the side of the road. As a player, you can choose to rescue the woman or watch the scene play out in front of you. According to Anita Sarkeesian of the Feminist Frequency series, these “chance encounters” are not major plot points and therefore the ones that feature violence against women can be seen as a piece to articulate the atmosphere of crime and chaos.
Pcgamer.com, says that the game “encourages players to murder women for entertainment,” and is “grooming yet another generation of boys to tolerate violence against women.” However, that’s not entirely true. According to Christina Hoff Sommers host and resident scholar for the American Enterprise Institute, “there is no evidence that these games are making males racist, misogynist, or homophobic. In fact, all the data we have suggests that millennial males—born and raised in video game nation—are far less prone to these prejudices than previous generations.”
As with most games, this isn’t a new concept. Violence and contempt for women are displayed in most games as a response to the primarily male market of gamers. Sex sells. Banning the game from Australian shelves will not immediately help us in America, but maybe it’ll give us the right idea.
Lastly, according to the blog God This is Gonna Go Wrong, it is in our nature to oppose certain things. He says “What kind of world would this be if people didn’t get offended?” My answer: nonexistent. But that doesn’t change the fact that this might just be another feminist plea for attention.
Guest Contributor: “The Misuse of Live Streaming on Twitch”
Check out what my guest contributor buddhistwriter92 has to say about “Community Ethics and Twitch Revised Rules of Conduct Part 2”
Now of course I would normally have no problem writing about gaming considering the wide variety of video games that I play everyday. However, since my blog is about feminism, the post “Community Ethics and Twitch Revised Rules of Conduct Part 2” struck home. This post discussed how certain streamers on “Twitch” have become quite popular not because of their talent as gamers, but unfortunately because of their sex appeal. The post discussed the case of one particular streamer known as “Kristiplays” who has gained popularity on the site due to her grotesquely large breasts.
Now of course, Kristiplays isn’t violating any of the rules of conduct created by Twitch. She’s fully clothed and certainly isn’t wearing anything that can be deemed sexually promiscuous. But does this mean she considers herself a true, authentic gamer? No.
After doing a bit of research on “Kristiplays” (which also revealed the information that she is a known porn star under the name Kristi Lovett), I felt that I had further evidence to back up my point.
As I watched the Youtube video of her playing League of Legends on Twitch, I saw a number of very sexually explicit comments being made towards her… which I’d like to think any other female gamer on Twitch would object to, I saw that she clearly had no objection to the sexually explicit comments being made to her whatsoever. Furthermore, as I watched a few of the videos on her Youtube channel that included several titles with sexual innuendoes in them (such as “Check out these HUGE “dunes”) it seemed as though her Twitch stream and even some her videos on Youtube seem to be just one big advertisement for her porn career.
Here’s why I take offense to this and I believe others should as well: While I have no problem with anyone choosing a career as a porn star, I do have a problem with porn stars that use other types of media to advertise their porn careers, including people on Twitch.
Let’s keep gaming videos about gaming, and not about the careers of porn stars.
“It’s over NINE THOUSAAAAAAAND!” Well, not quite.
“It’s over NINE THOUSAAAAAAAND!” Well, not quite. My blog has recently reached 500 views, which is an overwhelming amount. Here is a short recount on the journey we’ve been on, and where we’re going from here.
Learning
I’m constantly learning about my readers and how to accomplish new blogging techniques. Prior to this blog, I was unfamiliar with blogging etiquette. However, now, I am constantly learning about my audience. I have since began to browse sites like gamespot and pcgamer to gather more information on what is happening in the industry. I have read numerous game reviews in addition to news. For example, you can read my article surrounding Twitch’s revised rules of conduct or World of Warcraft’s donations to Ebola research. Nevertheless, I am always learning about new things I want to share with my readers, and about my readers themselves. What do you like to read?
The Risks
Moving forward, I’d like to be able to write my own content which doesn’t pertain to feature articles. I want to write about my opinions and feelings regarding gaming, not simply the facts or recaps on news articles. However, I am afraid that these posts won’t get as much attention. Thoughts like: “Who cares what that girl has to say,” have crossed my mind. I am afraid to expose myself fully to my readers. I hope that this will change soon as I grow more confident in my blogging abilities.
“Firsts”
Although WordPress likes to notify me of my milestones, I will include a comprehensive list of the milestones I have accomplished thus far.
- I have published 20 posts.
- I have received 20 followers
- I have received 10 likes.
- I have reached 500 views.
Memorable Event
By far, I felt the most successful, out of the above, when I reached 500 views (which is what this post is celebrating). I began to realize that people are actually reading the stuff I am writing, and that is a huge confident boost for me. As an English major, it is my dream to touch people through writing, and I have started to do it here by writing to a niche audience of gamers. Additionally, I’d like to include a shout out to my readers from outside the United States.
My Favorite Place
Although I know this is quite cliche, the most important place to me is my bedroom. Now, you’re probably thinking “What does this have to do with her blog.” Well, it’s where the magic happens. In my bedroom, I am allowed to be whoever I want. I like to sing loudly and Skype with friends, laughing until I can’t catch my breath. My bedroom is where my computer is and my computer is where I am assume my online identity as “Phantomess.” Lastly, my bedroom is where I draft all my blog posts for you all to read.
Thanks for reading, and I can’t wait to watch my blog grow alongside my readers!
As Season 4 comes to a close, and on preparing to climb in Season 5
Image by AliciaGA http://aliciaga.deviantart.com/art/Cartel-Torneo-League-of-Legends-UCA-WIP-266787768
November 11, 2014 marked the end of the Season 4 Ranked for League of Legends. This may be familiar to some, but unfamiliar to others. When I came across the article “What I have learned after a year of league” on http://nonsensicalover.com, this article struck home because I have been playing league for around the same amount of time. This is the end of my first season as a league of legends player.
According to Miguel there are several things that make you successful at league. Applying these things allow you to climb the “elo ladder.” Here is a list of Miguel’s 5 points, and my thoughts about them.
1. You won’t be good at this game no matter how many times you tell yourself that you are.
Chances are: You belong in the elo you are in. If for some chance, you are better than your team, it is not good enough to be better, you need to help your team progress. Roam the map and help give your laners kills. If you take all the kills, you are responsible for carrying. Remember this.
There is a difference between playing safe and playing too safe. Remember, you cannot expect to progress if you are not willing to potentially get yourself killed in the process. In a team fight, throw down everything you have before you die and don’t run away from the fight without using anything because you are scared of dying. Chances are, you will help your team more by using your kit in a team fight.
2. You are playing with real, human people; think about what you say before you end up saying it.
Playing with other people boils down to one thing: be courteous. A teammate is not going to do better by getting told they are “a piece of shit” or that “they should go kill themselves,” simply because they are bad at a game. Everyone has bad games, and I’m sure everyone has raged at some point. However, what may help them is by listening to their concerns and offering helpful suggestions. For example, “It’s ok” or “Hug the tower.” And of course, you can always gank their lanes if they are struggling. It is not only the jungler’s job to gank. Remember that human beings thrive off of praise, so compliment someone when they do well.
3. Help out your teammates because this is a team game and you win as a team.
Again, you need to roam the map. You win as a team. After laning phase is over you need to fight and rotate as a team. If you cannot fight because you are clearly weaker, you need to communicate with your team. Tell them your plan. If you are going to split push a lane, you need to give them clear instructions telling them not to engage. In the end, all 5 players of a designated team will receive points for winning. Do not throw a game simply because you do not think a certain player deserves a win. Chances are, they did something beneficial during the course of the game.
Just like it is not only the jungler’s job to gank, it is not only the support’s job to ward. Ward your map. Giving your team vision, provides a huge advantage over the enemy team.
4. Mechanics is not the reason professional gamers are better at League than you.
I enjoy watching professional streamers play league, because you can learn a lot. Although, you have to be willing to learn from your mistakes. In the end, you can only fix what you did wrong. According to Michael “Imaqtpie” Santana, losing a solo que game is never your team’s fault. Clearly there is a reason why YOU lost. Santana says “Even if I’m 20/0/0 and I lose, it’s my fault for not being able to carry from that position.”
5. The reason you see people talking, writing and producing content as to how to play this game is to better the community.
All league of legends players want to be part of a better community. After all, we are all here to have fun; even the pros. So let’s put aside our feelings about one game and think about the game on a grander scale. League is a way to connect and have fun with your friends, not to get bitched at or get down on yourself for losing a game.
Lastly, I have only played this game for a little under a year and I still have a lot to learn. So, if there is something you’d like to add: feel free to comment or add me on league @Phantom3ss.
Problems in #Gamergate and Hyper-Masculinity
Kratos by Deviantart user Ninjatic: http://fav.me/d35j3vd
Although I originally had no idea what this blog would focus on, I have spent a lot of time writing about women in the industry. Seeing as though the #Gamergate controversy began in August 2014, it has been a wide topic of discussion. #Gamergate concerns the misogyny and harassment of women in video game culture. Last weekend, I read an article in the Boston Globe which talked about how game developer Brianna Wu was forced to flee her home because of rape and death threats she received as a female developer in the industry. Brianna Wu, a software engineer and founder of Giant Spacekat, a company which makes games with female protagonists says:
“I won’t let women be bullied out of one of the best fields on the entire planet.”
However, it is important to remember that although #Gamergate is targeting female game critics and developers, like Wu, the movement is also telling us that females are the only ones manipulated in video games. We tend to forget that men are also idealized in the gaming industry as well.
We are comfortable acknowledging the manipulation of women, but we rarely examine how men’s bodies are represented and commodified. This is clearly evident in the gaming world. In the above image, the hyper-masculine character, Kratos, from the God of War series is featured with his signature “Blades of Athena” and “golden fleece.” Pay close attention to his chiseled, shirtless, body.
In accordance with this, we can determine that both men and women are represented as stereotypes in the gaming world. The male body can be seen as chiseled, shirtless, and buff; their muscles bulging out of their sleeves.
So what is the hype over the sexualization of women in the gaming industry? Men get it too.
Who are your favorite hyper-masculinized characters?
Hello Readers
Detailed Watercolor World Map by jkwchui: http://fav.me/d2pu6yd
After roughly 40 days of blogging, I am pleased to see my audience growing. In the past several days, I have received views from multiple countries each day, and that is thrilling for me!
In an effort to keep my blog relevant to everyone, I am asking for your opinions regarding certain aspects of the video gaming world.
As the end of my semester approaches, I have begun working on my final projects. Namely, critical writing. My topic: Feminism in Video Games.
I am looking for sources related, but not limited to:
- Sexualized Women in Games
- Gender Stereotypes/Roles
- Childhood Gender Stereotypes, Boys versus Girls
- Problems of Gender in Gaming
- Feminism
- Gamergate Controversy
- Neurosexism
Additionally, I’d like to know your thoughts on these various topics. If you’re not a gamer, what do you not about the above? If anything?
This paper is intended to be roughly 20 pages and approach gaming from a critical lens. I am hoping to use this paper as a future writing sample for careers and graduate school.
Twitch cracks down on topless and ‘sexually suggestive’ streamers
Kaceytron is popular League of Legends streamer. Although she has several thousands followers, she can always be seen showing massive amounts of cleavage. Her description reads “My name is Kacey and I am a female gamer, i’m not looking for attention.” Think again.
Streamers, like Kaceytron, often depend on their bodily assets in order to receive donations for their stream. However, the popular streaming site “Twitch” has recently released a statement saying that they will start holding their streamers to a “dress code.”
More specifically, the update is located in the “rules of conduct” and now includes a section banning “sexually suggestive clothing.” The section reads:
“Dress…appropriately Nerds are sexy, and you’re all magnificent, beautiful creatures, but let’s try and keep this about the games, shall we? Wearing no clothing or sexually suggestive clothing – including lingerie, swimsuits, pasties, and undergarments — is prohibited, as well as any full nude torsos, which applies to both male and female broadcasters.”
Will this change the way some streams are viewed? What will this mean for the future of Twitch?
Lyfe in Pixels 