Blog Post 5

I will be examining Fable 3 through the lens of Henry Jenkin’s essay. Jenkins essay draws comparisons to the ways in which traditional “play space” and the virtual “play space” of video games socialize children and reinforce or break down traditional gender roles. I feel it is important for children to be exposed to different forms of play, and different ways to problem solve. Assigning expectations to how a child plays based on the sex of the child is stifling. I found the notion that video games offer a shared space where boys and girls can both enjoy similar activities and interact with each other, instead of forming separate, gender based groups in a common space very interesting.

            I chose one of my favorite games to investigate through this lens, as I am very hopeful that Jenkins’ essay was on to something. I was very interested to see if I could find a game that was equally appealing to both genders, as well offer different types of activities, without labeling those activities as being for boys or girls.

            The sheer expansiveness of Fable 3 made it a prime candidate to be analyzed for this project. As I discussed in my last blog post, Fable 3 offers a vast variety of activities, which appeal to what Jenkins describes as “boy” and “girl” activities. In order to complete the game, you must battle enemies, but also build relationships. You must explore, but also make promises and solve mysteries. My proposed thesis is that Fable 3 is one of the few games that has been able to create a virtual and gender-neutral space for children to play.

Blog Post 4- Fable 3

For our second project, I will be examining Fable 3. Fable 3 is a wildly expansive role-playing game that, I believe, blends the traditional “boy spaces” and “girl spaces” found in video games. Though Fable 3 contains elements definitely not intended for children, but a child playing this game would learn many lessons about society.

            The first thing that sets the game apart is that you choose the gender of your character. Most adventure-based games will have a male main character, and most “girl” games, such as Cooking Mama, will have a female main character or mentor. By letting the player choose the gender, Fable eliminates the subliminal gender roles that can be attached to the contents of the game.

            The second area where Fable 3 blends gender spaces is its activities. The world is expansive. There is a main plot to the game, but there are also many side goals that the player may choose. A traditional “girl” game would focus on finding secrets and creating interpersonal relationships. A traditional “boy” game would focus on adventure and battle. Fable 3 offers opportunities to do both types of activities. However, in order to complete the story arc of the game, a player has to complete both “boy” and “girl” tasks. By doing this, Fable 3 is exposing players of both genders to different types of activities, and taking away the rigid separation of “boy” and “girl” games.  Another way Fable blends traditionally gender-based activities is by making the completion of a single quest reliant on both skill sets. In order to find a secret, which Jenkins describes as an activity girls gravitate to, they must explore the world and encounter enemies to battle, which is described as a male activity.

            The third area where Fable helps socialize players is that it provides consequences for actions. Breaking a promise, being rude, killing a villager, and stealing all effect how the rest of the NPC characters interact with the player. Villagers will talk either negatively or positively about a player as they walk through town, and if a player breaks the law, soldiers will attempt to arrest the player. If townspeople hate the character, prices on goods will be higher. Jenkins writes of boys rejecting the maternal influence as an integral part to achieving manhood. Fable 3 allows for such rebellion, but it also shows the social consequences.

             Fable 3 is important because it exposes people to different types of gendered play space, but in the end, it allows to player to choose what sort of play space they prefer. Video games such as Fable 3 are offering equal “play space” opportunities for players.