Video Games

Border Patrol Game: made in 2002 
What interpretations can come across from this game?
The Jewish star is a sign of anti-semitism. It could show that Jews run the US, or show symbolism from the genocide in WW2. It might be symbolic of what we are doing to the Mexicans coming across the border.
How does this depict migrant workers?
That they are not good enough. People can make jokes of this game, they think that this is a great way to let off stress. That they are not worthy enough to be in our country.
What if the setting and people changed?
I think that the reactions would be the same same, most people feel like they are sensitive to the way the characters looked. If it were African American people there would be much more of an uproar. So many people brush immigration under the rug and find it a problem so they decide that its not a big deal. The people this game do not have that much of a voice but if it were a different group of people they would have a lot bigger of a voice. It could be related to demographic area, such as people in Texas will like this game more than people in Michigan. There is a game made by a neo-nazi clan called ethnic cleansing, made in 2002. This is a PC game that people would buy. This is not okay. All you do is shoot other races. This game was known as the most racist game in history. This game did not get popular! This game portrays that ethnic people are not wanted, students can see these while in school.
Bioshock: 2007

They try to make it okay to kill the children. They say that the little sisters if you save them your weakness is your heart. This is a sexualized child, they make the little girls okay to kill. So many people saw them as an unlimited resource. You can either lead people to a better life or you can kill them and ruin the world. Similar to the jungle because you can fire everyone who makes the money for the family. Little sisters and big daddy... gender stereotypes, sounds like a pimp with big daddy, like a pimp and their hookers. The good ending, all the little girls they end up killing the main boss. You find the submarine, you take the little sisters and you get married and they are your children. You see all the little sisters at your funeral and are happy. Negative ending: the little sisters help you, you kill all of them. It is a little kid and yet it graphically shows us killing them. You rip out the part of her that holds the atom. They go on a rampage and kill everyone in the bad ending. Was the number 1 game in 2007.
South park game: Stick of truth 2014 -- March
Makes fun of child obesity. You are the new kid on the block, all of your power ups are junk food. The only healthy thing in the game in water. It shows that this is what the children use to fuel themselves. You can buy all of these things at vending machines if you need to. The whole game is full of it so you do not need to use it right away. Shows how fatty food can be pushed onto our children. They make taco bell the root of all evil and they put a taco bell to cover up the alien. They are portraying that hey its a fast food place but safe to eat even off the ground. You can see all the sexual things, and there is nothing that is private. This is a game that you buy for 60 dollars. The game is rated M. Yet parents are the ones that buy video games. You can see everything on youtube. So many people can watch the whole game on there. These videos have had over 1 million views a day. The game was censored in Europe, middle east, africa, russia. The windows version has not been censored. The German game hides anything of the Nazi party. On one side south park is a satire. On the other hand how far can this mocking go?
Grand Theft Auto: First release October 1997
Majority of the class has played or heard of it. Not much popularity until Grand Theft auto 3 series. very loosely follows the godfather, set in vice city florida. 3 different games. This game is based loosely off of real places. There was not a "white" character until grand theft auto 4. Focused mainly on xenophobia, and food in grand theft auto four. Very detailed game worlds. They parody american culture. Cluckin' Bell. Mainly based on Taco Bell and KFC. They talk about enhanced meats.... they talk about how it was taken to court about how bad the meat was. They play advertisements for this in the games. The games are meant to make average people feel empowered. They say screw you to all the people who would protest these places. What is the quality of the food that we get from places where we can get food for a dollar? This is questioning what we do and how we all actually eat. This can relate to the show that is man VS. food. They have you eat huge burgers and people can die from eating all this food. It can address the fact that we DO NOT have portion control in America. We love gluttony. We don't know how to control how much we eat. In the game it shows how much the food at these places cost. In the game the healthy option is the most expensive food ideal. There is an attractiveness rating in them, they say the slim ones are the ones that are attractive in the game. Borders a distopian society. They have something called the statue of happiness. It is surprising because there is so much of this stuff on our TV now, and we don't even pay attention to them.  There is awareness of the failure of our culture but no one chooses to do anything. What is the idea of the American dream? Niko came from a european country to have lots of money and women and this is not what happens.

Matilda: eating sweets and sinful nature, pleasure from powers. TV dinner and the culture of that.
Cheaper by the Dozen: Breakfast scene where they do the assembly line

Blog post options: 

1. Look at Burger shot commercial and clucking bell commercial and analyze them. Go deeper than it's making fun of America. Find the "Why" it is taking this approach. Propose one question. 
2. Find a satirical approach to food/food problems (something not presented in class) and analyze it. Find the "why" not just the "what"