Video Games: Assassin’s Creed III: Liberation GapFill

Historically, the majority of video games have been targeted towards young men and  teenage boys8–12-year-oldsaspirersmen over 35 as they were thought to be the demographics most interested in the medium. However,  infantsyoung womenelderly womenmiddle-aged men have proven themselves to have just as much interest in gaming to the extent that developers now target both male and female audiences equally.

Assassin’s Creed III: Liberation is significant for being the first entry in a highly popular franchise to have a  non-British protagonistfemale protagonistfemale antagonistgay protagonist. More specifically, the game follows a woman of colour who is born from an African  slaveslave killerassassinexplorer and a French plantation owner. Motivated by the injustice of slavery and colonialism, Aveline de Grandpré is recruited as an assassin to defend African-American slaves and fight for their freedom. The choice of character and setting is fairly bold for two reasons. Firstly, the representation of women in video games has been extremely limited as they have historically functioned as under-represented side characters or  assistantsfeministsdamsels in distressscream queens that need saving by the male protagonist. Furthermore, the video game industry has an uncomfortable history of objectifying women and depicting violence against them. Secondly, the game’s narrative and setting arguably put it alongside a series of modern  fascistpostmodernsexistpostcolonial media texts that invoke frank discussions about racial hierarchies and oppression in America. Notably, another set product you have studied is also set in New Orleans and features cultural references to the plantation houses of eighteenth-century America that are depicted in Assassin’s Creed III: Liberation. This set product is the  Daily Mirror newspaperfilm Black PantherFormation music videofilm Straight Outta Compton, a media text that was highly controversial for the manner in which it discussed race.

The representation of race and gender in the game makes it open to multiple readings. These can be explored using Stuart Hall’s  media effectsreceptionfeminist'end of audience' theory. A preferred reading of the game might come from young women who are made to feel a part of the gaming community because they can position themselves as a female heroine. This position can be anchored by the representation of Aveline through her appearance and skills.   A biasedA negativeAn unbiasedAn oppositional reading might come from players who feel the game is adhering too much to political correctness, male players who struggle to identify with a female protagonist, or from audiences who think the franchise is too violent. Audiences who take   an impartiala preferredan uneducateda negotiated reading may feel that the game has taken positive steps towards greater inclusivity but that the main character is still sexualised or badly designed to some extent.

Aveline goes against the  David GauntlettStuart HallPaul Gilroybell hooks notions of how black women and women of colour are portrayed in the media. She puts forward that black women are portrayed as a sexualised other to   a black malea white malean upper-class femalean elderly male spectator. However, Liberation places the player as a woman of colour and focuses the narrative on her development and her ability as an assassin rather than simply displaying her as an exotic sexual object. She also goes against van Zoonen’s notions of the female body as  hiddenunappealingspectaclesuperior. While Aveline does have a disguise of a 'lady' that emphasises her femininity, her prowess and intelligence as an assassin are always prioritised over her physical appearance.