Battleship is a commonly known game throughout the world. A strategic guessing-game, it was first introduced as a pen-and-paper activity where a player plots imaginary ships on a grid, and then take turns with the other player at guessing the positions of the ships of his or her opponent. While Battleship has had many different designs and title arts over the years, the 1967 version stands out as particularly significant. Along with the obvious “Battleship is fun” message, Milton Bradley attempted to sneakily convey a few subtle and not-always-wholesome messages through its choice in box design.
The first thing that one notices when looking at this image is two people appearing to have a good time playing the board game known as Battleship. Both players are smiling and making animated gestures; the older player even appears to enjoy losing. This superficial analysis probably resulted in many impulse buys and a large profit for Messrs. Milton and Bradley. For many people, the implications stop there: “Battleship is fun. You should buy Battleship.”
While delving deeper into the seas of analysis, close attention paid to the players depicted will reveal a bit of insight into a more subtle marketing scheme: This game is fun, yes, but it is also simple. It is so simple, in fact, that even a child can attain a level of mastery sufficient to overcome a far older, more experienced player. A young man—most likely older than eight, as eight is the minimum age stated not-so-subtly to the left—sits opposite an older man. It is probably a safe assumption that the two are related, as they have similar hair and facial features. This assumption will prove to be useful later.
Anyone who is familiar with the rules of the game quickl...
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... product which he saw as an affirmation of his superiority than one which contested it.
The image of women presented on this box is one of subservience, inferiority, and compliance: all of the qualities that Milton Bradley obviously feel are associated the lesser sex.
While it can be said with relative certainty that not all men in the 1960s were male-chauvinists, Milton Bradley designed an artistic cover for their board game which suited what they saw as the social norms of the time. In an attempt to market to the masses, they employed subtle advertising tactics meant to subconsciously gain approval from the greatest number of potential buyers: white, middle-class males. Even though this image does not necessarily reflect how the designers and marketing experts at Milton Bradley felt about women, it does reflect their feelings regarding the buyers themselves.
invention that he wanted nothing more than to share it with his people. He felt that it
...s a combination show the unfathomable broadness of this cultural value as well as portraying the submissiveness of women as something that they are destined to become. This value in particular may also associate with racial and class stereotypes and operates in the same manner.
Steffen’s article, “Gender Stereotypes Stem From the Distribution of Women and Men Into Social Roles”. In this article, they discuss the root of gender stereotypes being derived from the unequal distribution of roles for men and women in society. They believe too many women are left to be “homemakers” while men become professionals. This is evident in Survivors as the show chooses to have Abby take on this maternal role. This unequal distribution of roles then, in turn, leads to men and women being labeled with certain qualities. According to Steffen and Eagly, women are believed to have communal qualities, or “manifested by selflessness, concern with others, and a desire to be at one with others”, and men agentic qualities or, “self-assertion, self-expansion, and the urge to master” (Eagly, Steffen 736). Abby epitomizes this desire to help others and selfness, while the surrounding men are less likely to trust others by questioning the actions of other men in the
People have used women in print media to sell their products since the mid-19th century. The women in the ads were portrayed with thin waists, large breasts and stylish clothing. As the roaring 1920’s moved in, American women scored voting rights and birth control. Due to World War I, it became necessary for women to work. The print world began to portray women in a boyish, sexy fashion. Hemlines rose for sex appeal. Breasts were bound so women didn’t appear too feminine in the work-place. Hair was cut shorter for convenience and the flapper-girl was born.
John’s “Metrosexuals Come Out”, referring to the commercialism that has reached the idea of being metrosexual and entirely redefining it. Metrosexuals were once deemed embarrassing or strange, but when the fashion industry began to embrace it, a large number of men did as well. The idea of sensitivity or even femininity in regards to a man was seen as strange, until metrosexuals began to be more desirable, thanks to the fashion industry, who used the angle of these stylish men to make more sales and even go so far as to change the idea that men cannot and should not be feminine. The movement to accept metrosexuals went so far that “[w]ithin a few years, the term was picked up by British advertisers and newspapers”. (175) Art and advertisement changed in this way, allowing for men and marketing to enjoy something
Prominent curving lines support the coloring's implied connection between enjoyment and the product. The foreground woman's curvaceous waist, chest, shoulders, hair, and cheeks give the scene a fun and lively feeling. Further in the background, the other women's similarly curved bodies also emphasize the cigarette's fun. Even the arching beach umbrellas portray such a feeling. Finally, the small boat's billowing sails, pushed by the wind, show excitement and pleasure, an appeal directly to the intended audience.
The game's rules were designed by Catherine L. Coghlan and Denise W. Huggin. The purpose of the game is to change a familiar game like Monopoly that most students know into a teaching tool to teach students how real society functions. (*See the end of the post for links to their study and directions for playing the game.*)
stay within those boxes. Everywhere we turn we see gender messages: on the TV, in
Breazeale claims that society’s view of women has everything to do with how consumerism has been viewed primarily as a feminine attribute, and describes how men believe women are just poor consumers. Additionally, Breazeale describes how showing women in erotic, sexual ways made men feel that women were solely objects of their desire and nothing more. Breazeale effectively convinces the audience that society’s perception of women today has been significantly swayed by their constant portrayal as consumers through an in-depth look at Esquire Magazine and how it not only portrayed women as lavish, silly spenders, but simply as objects of the male
Based on McKenzie Wark’s game theory written in his article called “Agony (On the Cave)”. Games, like our society, have its own rules that everyone should follow without questioning. Everyone is treated equally and can’t escape from these rules’ controlling power. The relationship between rules and games is also revealing in the film Wreck-it Ralph. The film talks about the main character, Ralph, leaving his own game, escaping to the “Sugar Rush” game, fighting with Turbo, and finally solving a big threat to the whole game world. In this scene, Turbo, the antagonist, disturbs the “Road Blaster” game because he envies its taking over his place and ultimately moving out from the arcade. In this essay, I will use Wark’s theory as the lens to discuss
Gilman, Charlotte Perkins. "The Yellow Wallpaper." Images of Woman in American Popular Culture. Ed. Angela G. Dorenkamp, et al. Port Worth: Harcourt Brace, 1995. 78-89.
This phenomenon suggests that all women are required to remain loyal wives and stay at home mothers who aspire to achieve perfection. In “Mirrors of Masculinity: Representation and Identity in Advertising Images,” Jonathon E. Schroeder and Detlev Zwick claim that “highly abstract connections are made between the models, a lifestyle, and the brand” resulting in a need to associate these products with a specific way of living (25). Instead of simply displaying these luxurious bracelets and handbags, the ad creates an elegant environment through the incorporation of sophisticated items. The women are dressed elegantly in dresses and blouses, adding a conservative element to the ad. The ad presents a rather stereotypical image of the very successful heads-of-household type mothers who have brunch with other elite women in an exclusive circle. Everything from the merchandise they sport to the champagne glasses down to the neatly manicured fingernails provides insight into the class of women presented in this ad. The body language of the women strips the image of the reality element and instead appears to be staged or frozen in time. This directly contributes to the concept of the gendered American dream that urges women to put up a picture-perfect image for the world to see. Instead of embracing individual struggle and realities, the American dream encourages women to live out a fabricated
The content of the article revealed products from numerous countries, such as the United States, Germany and from the author Tahlia Pritchard’s home country of Australia. The globalization of gender based consumer products expands to a wide range of industries. The industries providing these constant reminders that men and women are different are primarily the food, health and fitness industries, but also oddly include the home organization and tool industries. I have had exposure to some of these products as a consumer and observer of what gender specific products others seem to buy. Companies making these various products capitalize on consumers who wouldn’t dare to bu...
"Games: Improving the Economy." Entertainment Software Association. Entertainment Software Association. Web. 25 Oct 2013. .
The video game industry frequently connotes and restricts itself to the hotbed of console gaming. However, this segment, while quite large, fails to accurately represent the gaming industry’s economic, social, and interactive structure. And the game (or gaming) industry refers all to often to gambling rings. Thus, the “industry of games,” as a collection of interactive media, provides a more robust, inclusive notion of play that transcends platforms, roots of origin, and digital versus non-digital spaces. Analyzing the industry of games from past to future, with significant consideration given to present challenges faced therein, requires a holistic view of history and a critical evaluation of scholars’ and developers’ commentary on games as a whole.