Mortal Kombat: Media Analysis

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Media Analysis Essay 3
In a recent observation of the video game Mortal Kombat, it became obvious that the game, players and setting all contribute to how media messages can affect the game experience and affect individuals. Three undergraduate and one graduate student with limited Mortal Kombat experience were observed playing four-player, tag team Mortal Kombat on PlayStation 3 for ninety minutes. The players displayed media effects outlined by the two step flow and cultural studies perspectives, and some of the magic bullet perspective. It has become increasingly important to gain more understanding of the effects of media messages on players, particularly as more and more acts of crime and violence are blamed on video games (DePasquale, …show more content…

A study of personal influence questions whether personal or media influence is more important in the effects of media messages. The two step flow model asserts that opinions are not individual – they are social and arise from group interaction (Wells, 2015b). In the same way, it is arguable that the media effects of players can be influenced by others, both within and outside of the game. From observations and interviews after the game, all players expressed behaviour and emotions that were contingent on the opinions, expressions and actions of fellow players. When asked what about the experience was the most fun, all players answered the group interaction was more enjoyable that the game itself, and that the game acted more as a catalyst for conversation than as the source of entertainment. Although Jesús had some responses that were slightly different from those of the others, it could be because he is older and has some differing points of view.
The two step flow model also suggests that mass communication is not direct or uniform; it does not operate directly on each individual, unlike the “magic bullet” perspective (Wells, 2015a). This is further exemplified in the differing responses of the players; Alice and Benito felt displeased with the sexualisation of female characters in the game and the ‘cultural appropriation’ of some characters, while Jesús and Natasha felt that the way in which characters were portrayed in a video game was expected and understand it is not

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