IDM Journal Assignment 1 by Georgie Kerin

List of 80 Ideas

ggkerin — 2023-02-28 02:12:47 UTC

1. Puddle Jumpers charity
2. Local bands
3. A fictional band
4. A fictional artist's new exhibition
5. A fictional content creator
6. A new type of coffee
7. Westbourne Park netball club
8. Garville netball club
9. Goodwood saints football club
10. Cabra Volleyball
11. A new car model
12. Hairdresser friend's business
13. A fictional e-sports team
14. A new type of ukulele
15. Friend's clothing business
16. School strike for climate
17. Awareness of the normalisation of gambling
18. Awareness of toxicity within the video gaming community
19. Awareness of discrimination within the video gaming community
20. Awareness of the sexualisation of young girls in media
21. Awareness of gun violence in American schools
22. The importance of hobbies
23. Why internet friends are real friends
24. A music app where friends can recommend music
25. A shared calendar app with friends
26. A camera with prebuilt specialty camera filters
27. Reusable glowing party wristbands
28. How one conversation can save a life
29. A fictional perfume
30. A bag that can be unlocked with a watch app
31. An air-freshening candle
32. An air-freshening fan
33. A customisable online poster template
34. A scent-infused plush animal
35. A nail polish that changes colour like a mood ring
36. The importance of individuality in high school
37. A fictional scarf that is also a bag
38. The importance of local businesses
39. The importance of the Adelaide music scene
40. Why you should buy from op shops
41. A multi-port power adapter where you can label each port
42. A local tourism spot
43. SA uniting church netball association
44. Cabra Dominican College
45. Red Geranium Op Shop
46. Blackwood Football Club
47. Winston Music
48. Arch D Radio and Podcasting
49. A fictional clothing brand
50. A new style of sunglasses
51. Awareness of the glamourisation of eating disorders in media
52. Awareness of the effects of food wastage
52. Awareness of the impacts of being homeless
53. What living with mental disorders is like
54. Adelaide Museum
55. Adelaide Art Gallery
56. Adelaide Zoo
57. Monarto Zoo
58. Mitcham Library
59. Sugar & Spice Cakes
60. Centennial Florist and Gift Baskets
61. The Master of Bread
62. The Tribal Spiral Op Shop
63. Cyberhive Internet Cafe
64. Clay and Coal Indian Restaurant
65. Eckersly Arts and Crafts
66. Friend's crochet business
67. The importance of upcycling clothing
68. The Unley Outdoor Pool
69. The Adelaide Metro System
70. The importance of respecting metro workers
71. The importance of respecting fast-food workers
72. Awareness of the dangers of vaping
73. A custom phone case brand
74. Ugg boots you can wear outside
75. An AI-based music app to suit your taste
76. A blind dating app
77. A cord management tube
78. Awareness of the effects of deforestation
79. A new type of heeled shoe which is actually comfortable
80. Awareness of Sexism within video games

Initial Thoughts

ggkerin — 2023-02-28 02:20:23 UTC

I'm excited for this task since I love creating videos. I have previously done a few similar assignments including propaganda and documentaries, which have only expanded my love for creating.

Girl Gamers- Awareness Video

ggkerin — 2023-03-04 14:08:48 UTC

I think the way they used the video game itself to portray the message is extremely effective. It makes the video engaging and entertaining, while still enlightening the target audience about such an important topic. This video will be similar to mine in that that the viewer won't be sheltered from the misogynistic comments that women have to go through daily.

Digitalized Memories 2018, Girl Gamers - An Awareness Video, video, YouTube, 13 October, viewed 7 March 2023, .

Skit with similar theme

ggkerin — 2023-03-04 14:22:29 UTC

Even though this video is just a skit, it does an amazing job portraying the harrassment that girls experience in video games. The video focuses on how girls are treated so differently to men in this setting, including shock at even having a girl in the game, being asked what she is wearing, and being asked to be a random gamer's girlfriend. My video will be different because it will focus on the person behind the character who is being belittled.

Viva La Dirt League 2017, Being a girl in game chat - Girl, video, YouTube, 4 September, viewed 7 March 2023, .

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My Message

ggkerin — 2023-03-07 01:55:14 UTC

My message is awareness around sexism and misogyny within video games.

My Target Audience

ggkerin — 2023-03-07 02:00:37 UTC

For my promotional video, my target audience will be males around 15-25 who often play shooter video games. This group will be from primarily first-world countries where people have access to video games, however, they may be uneducated or ignorant of women's rights. This group also ranges from those who pass the occasional sexist comment to those who outwardly harass women in their video games. My target audience would primarily use twitch and youtube for media consumption, as video games and communication apps rarely show ads. They would also rather watch an engaging video with bright colours than an essay about the problems with sexism.

Annotated Bibliography

ggkerin — 2023-03-13 13:25:19 UTC

Graham, M & Dutton, WH 2019, Society and the Internet: How Networks of Information and Communication are Changing Our Lives, 2, Oxford University Press, New York, .

While larger numbers of women play video games, gaming is still seen as a boys' activity, which is disturbing due to scholars noting the extreme sexism and racism found in some video game storylines, although recently many popular and award-winning games are changing for the better, including body-positive, diverse characters. There has been backlash towards these changes, often being associated with the current right-wing in US politics. "As game developer and activist Zoe Quinn writes, the mistreatment of women, people of colour and queer players in gaming spaces is symptomatic of the internet's larger issues around harassment, trolling and online hatred."

Lorenz, T & Browning K 2020, 'Dozens of Women in Gaming Speak Out About
Sexism and Harassment', The New York Times, June 23, viewed 13 March 2023, .

More than 70 gamers, majority female, came out with stories of harassment in gaming settings within one weekend. The people affected who shared their stories were all competitive gamers or streamers. The actions included but were not limited to death threats and sexual harassment. Streamer Brooke Thorne said “When it’s one call-out, it’s a problem with a person. When there’s a ton of call-outs, it’s a problem with the industry.” In previous attempted movements, people in the game development industry have came out with accusations of sexual harassment from coworkers just to receive harsh backlash from the gaming community, perpetuating the hesitation for victims to expose their abusers.

Paul, CA, The Toxic Meritocracy of Video Games: Why Gaming Culture Is the Worst, University of Minnesota Press, .

This book was very interesting to me, with the author recognising how when growing up, he was always told not to play video games because they were unusual and not worth the time, but now he is ashamed of the gaming community because of their treatment of women, people of colour and queer communities. He mentions that there are problematic parts of most cultures, however, the technology and content involved with gaming allows and enables misogyny. Anonymity has allowed for people to harass women online without facing real repercussions apart from a temporary ban.

Reflection on Mind Map

ggkerin — 2023-03-21 01:50:10 UTC

From my mind map, I've decided I want to tell a story through my promotional video, going from a girl going into a game, being yelled at for not communicating with the team, then speaking and being yelled at for being female. The video will show her feelings and how she doesn't want to play after this, and hopefully provide some insight into why it's such a large issue.

Challenging your Assumptions- Different Perspectives

ggkerin — 2023-03-21 01:55:09 UTC

What do the parents of young boys who scream at girls online think when they hear the things their sons are saying?

Do the parents of girls being harassed online know that video games are the reason they are crying? Would they want her to still keep playing knowing that she is being discriminated against for being female?

What started this kind of behaviour from males?

Why are video games perceived as a boys activity?

What would it be like if video games were perceived as a girls activity? How would boys react if they were the ones being harassed for playing video games as a male?

Identify and Craft the Message

ggkerin — 2023-03-21 02:09:22 UTC

Attention: I will grab my viewers attention through interesting lighting (blue), a nicely set out first shot and near silence, where the girl will walk into the room and sit down at her computer.

Interest: My ad will interest my target audience within the first five seconds by showing a gaming setting. The silence will make it seem like the video is going to start promoting a game by playing upbeat music in the game, when in reality it'll be the opposite.

Desire: During the first few seconds of my video, the message won't be clear, but this will be how I capture the attention of my target audience, who are gamers who either are the problem or don't know this is happening.

Action: My video should make viewers feel upset about what is happening, and realise it is a real problem. I want this video to make my target audience stand up for women in gaming, or at the very least stop harassing them.

Treatment

ggkerin — 2023-03-27 13:14:42 UTC

The video starts with an 18 year old girl sitting down at a gaming chair, loading up a multiplayer shooter game on her computer. She puts on her headphones, and the viewer can now hear the sounds of the game. She selects her character and plays the game, until a teammate asks her "Hey *username*, we need comms." She looks conflicted and nervous, but proceeds to give call outs in the next round. As soon as she talks, the other members of her team make comments about her gender, ranging from "no wonder we're losing" to "please date me." A single tear falls down her cheek. She stands up and leaves the game, which has not yet finished.

Have A Word- Awareness Video

ggkerin — 2023-03-27 13:27:14 UTC

Have A Word is an extremely powerful awareness video round misogyny. The way they paired close-up shots with static noise to focus on the character's emotions was extremely effective, and is something I hope to use in my own video.

Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan 2022, Have A Word, video, YouTube, 14 March, viewed 26 March 2023, .

Colour Palette

ggkerin — 2023-03-28 02:13:57 UTC

I chose this colour palette because I wanted the dark navy and blues to contrast the light pink and purple colours, while still looking harmonious through being similar hues.

Mind Map

ggkerin — 2023-03-28 02:24:08 UTC

Font

ggkerin — 2023-03-28 02:49:54 UTC

I chose this font because it has a blocky, internet/gaming feel to it, with many letters often circular having a more square feel to them, such as the capital C and G, however it is still typical enough for it to be taken seriously.

Tone

ggkerin — 2023-03-28 02:57:13 UTC

In my promotional video, I want to make my primary tone reflect the feelings of my female character. The blue lighting will reflect this throughout, emphasising her sadness when she is harassed for doing what she loves. My other character's anger and rowdiness will contrast the quiet sadness she feels, and in turn make her silence more impactful.

De Bono's 6 Thinking Hats

ggkerin — 2023-03-28 23:41:50 UTC

Blue/Process: I need to plan whether to make this video as a publicly funded campaign type or as an awareness video from a smaller organisation. I also need to be aware of the settings for my videos beyond my room, since I want some shots of other people as well.
White/Facts: I need to find out how the males and perpetrators in this scenario act beyond just their voice.
Red/Feelings: I want my viewers to feel sadness and empathy at my video, and hopefully some realise they are the problem and feel shame in that.
Green/Creativity: I want my video to be creative through use of coloured-lighting and sound. There aren't many videos on this topic currently, so I believe that using a typical gaming setup but emphasising visuals will assist me in creating a stronger message.
Yellow/Benefits: I hope my video can raise both awareness that this is an issue and self-awareness of those that are the problem. Hopefully, it will un-normalise this issue.
Black/Cautions: Because of the nature of this topic, there will be people who don't take it seriously because it's about gaming or standing up to sexists. I would eliminate the side of these people who don't take it seriously since it's about video games by only sharing it on platforms where gamers take up the majority such as twitch and youtube.

Sexual Assault Commercial

ggkerin — 2023-03-29 04:21:59 UTC

This commercial does a great job at creating an uplifting mood through lighting and happy music and then using a scary, unsettling scene to emphasize the problem. I love the director's use of black cuts paired with low pitched booms which nearly resemble a fast-beating heart.

Nuha Elalem 2018, Sexual Assault Commercial, video, YouTube, 9 January, viewed 29 March 2023, .