The document discusses three first-person shooter games - Overwatch, Team Fortress 2, and Borderlands 2. It analyzes how each game represents different social groups and follows or breaks from FPS gaming stereotypes. For each game, it examines the classes and characters, maps, and other key elements, noting similarities and differences between the games and how they approach diversity and representation.

1. Cara Taylor
CRITICAL ANALYSIS

2. What I am choosing to look at is different fps (First Person Shooter.) video games,
seeing how this genre of games appears to represent certain social groups and
people along with how they are presented as a whole and if they follow any gaming
stereotypes. Along with seeing if all of the games follow certain themes within the
FPS category, such as having a range of classes and showing how they are
represented in each game.
The reason that I have chosen to choose FPS shooter games is because they can
have a large variety, but also posses similarities throughout the games and its
series, it game holds a unique experience yet follows certain characteristics to keep
the games in the FPS genre.
CHOSEN TOPIC

3. CHOSEN GAMES
The games that I have chosen to look at are Overwatch, Team Fortress 2 and Borderlands 2. The
reason that I have chosen to look at these games is because they are all different FPS games that
have released over a span of a few years, each games hold some similarities and differences to
eachother and the FPS genre as a whole.

4. The three games that I have chosen to look at are Overwatch, Team Fortress 2
and Borderlands 2, each are FPS games that have released over a span of a few
years each game follows different themes although have some similar subjects
throughout the games although differ with the use of having story, campaigns
and multiplayer. E.c.t
Overwatch: is a team-based online multiplayer first-person shooter video
game developed and published by Blizzard Entertainment. It was released in
May 2016 for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One.
Team Fortress 2: is a team-based multiplayer first-person shooter video game
developed and published by Valve Corporation. It is the sequel to the 1996
mod Team Fortress for Quake and its 1999 remake. (Released on 9th October
2009)
Borderlands 2: Bois an action role-playing first-person shooter video game
developed by Gearbox Software and published by 2K Games. It is the second
game in the Borderlands series. It was released on September 18th, 2012.
GAMES

5. Overwatch is a popular FPS game that was released back in 2016, the game follows generic FPS characteristics
however holds some differences within the game, the generic FPS traits that this game firstly follows is that the
game is played in first person mode, which overall makes it an FPS game as it follows the main trait to be one, if it
was not in first person the game would not class as FPS game. The game also has many different classes such as
Offence, Defense, Tank and Support characters. These are the 4 different classes for the game which give off its
overall ground for gameplay as players will chose a class best suited to their ability and gameplay style. Although
there are only 4 classes there are many more characters which divide up into the different class system.
One trait that makes this game different from some games is that it has an Ultimate which is a special move players
can use during the game to help turn the tides, this could be something such as Tracers ULT which can be used in
game, however in a game such as TF2 there is no such thing as an ULT, which helps to give Overwatch a slight bit of
individuality.
One similarity that this game has to other FPS games such as TF2 and Borderlands is that different characters will
have a certain move set or one move that is specific to that character meaning it can make the gameplay more
interesting and different each time depending on which classes are played.
The game also has variety of different skins and weapons that can be unlocked through either gameplay or winning
loot boxes along with being able to trade with other players, being able to unlock skins and other weapons is similar
to TF2 where players are able to do those things to unlock skins and weapons to further their gameplay.
Like most FPS games where the player take upon a character, there is a wide selection of characters with there now
being a choice of up to 24 different characters for people to play as, which is a wide selection of characters as in a
game such as TF2 there isn’t such a wide choice, this helps to separate this game slightly from the rest as it gives the
player a wider variety of choice.
This game also includes several different game modes that players are able to choose from, these modes are, casual,
Custom, Arcade and competitive modes. This is a range that the player is able to choose from and can play what is
most suited to them, unlike most FPS games Overwatch chooses to include an Arcade mode, which most FPS games
do not, this gives the game slightly more individuality as it has a unique game mode that is changing frequently and
does not become repetitive for the player.
OVERWATCH

6. MAPS & CHARACTERS

7. Overwatch has a large variety of characters and maps that can be played
throughout the game the game has a mixture of both male and female
characters that can be played within the game, each character is from a
different background and up bringing which makes each character in the game
unique. There are currently a total of 11 playable characters and currently 13
playable male characters. Although this isn’t an even amount of characters of
each gender with there being 2 more males than there are females, this shows
us that the game does not take gender stereo types as it portrays both men
and women within the game. Typically female characters would not be
featured in a FPS game as a playable character and would often be an NPC that
the players needs to defend or save. Each of the female characters have a
different build and design and none of them look alike, some of them are of
different backgrounds and designs. This beats the typical gaming stereotype of
having small women who can’t fend for themselves.
OVERWATCH
(CHARACTERS & MAPS)

8. EXAMPLES OF FEMALE CHARACTERS
This is an example of some of the games playable female characters, no two characters in
the game look alike and each of them have individual and unique designs, they are also
portrayed in different ways with their shape, size, ethnicity e.c.t which helps to give each of
the characters more of a personality and helps to make the game more diverse with its
characters.

9. Borderlands 2 is another popular FPS game that has come out as a squeal to the
game Borderlands, it came out in 2016 and was released on PC and console, the
game has increased with popularity since it was released. The game follows many
common traits in the FPS genre, the main theme of this is the player of the game
playing the game within a first person perspective, which is what overall makes it
an FPS game as it is played in first person shooting mode.
At the start of the game a player will pick a class to play as, this ranges from an
assassin, siren, technomancer and many more. However once a player has chosen
their class for the playthrough they are unable to change characters unless they
are wanting to start the game anew for a new play through. This game can either
be played solo or multi-player depending on the players personal choice, unlike
TF2 and Overwatch this game does not have any game modes but instead has a
campaign/story mode that players can play through with their friends/own their
own. The solo mode can be played offline where as the multiplayer version will
have to be played online, although there is an option for both multiplayer and
single player this does not change the story of the game but may change the
overall experience that a player gains from the game.
BORDERLANDS 2

10. CHARACTERS AND MAPS

11. This game has a large variety of different map settings along with characters, however
with this game it is more of an open world FPS rather than a closed world, as players are
able to explore the area of the game more freely without being made to follow a set
pathway depending on the situation, although the map of this game is open world it will
often guide the players in the right direction to make sure that the game modes story is
completed. There are many different areas within the whole map in Borderlands 2,
these areas can range from deserts, to ice biomes, villages and ships which players can
explore as well as play through to progress the games story. Each of the areas are
individually designed but follow the same cell shading style as each other, although
have some high contrast with bright and vibrant colours in areas than having areas with
cold and dark colours. This provides the players with a new experience with each
location that they go to throughout their time in the game. Within the game there are
also many diverse characters, both male and female that are playable along with non-
playable. Breaking away from typical FPS stereo types by allowing players to chose
either a male or female character to be for their play through. Each of the characters
within the game are individually designed in different ways, giving each player a
different experience with the game when they chose to play as a different time as each
character will posses new abilities compared to that of the others along with having
different weapons that a player can use to enhance their experience.
CHARACTERS AND MAPS

12. Tf2 is a popular free online FPS game that is often played online on PC, it was released on steam on October 10th 2007.
Since then it has been gaining popularity and is still played by many people to this day. This game follows many classic FS
game traits, this is that the game is played in first person mode and mainly consists of players fighting via the use of guns
and other long range weapons, like many other FPS games allow, however each player is allowed a melee weapon along
with having a long range weapon to attack with to help change up gameplay and to give all players a fair chance. Some
weapons can only be used with certain classes at times and even contains exclusive event weapons which characters can
have. Although there are many different weapons within the game it primary consists of guns or weapons very similar to
guns to help keep it along the lines of an FPS game.
The game consists of different classes that a player can choose to be, however all of the characters have a different class
they come from. Although they may overlap into the types such as offence, defense and support as an overall class
(Which will overlap characters) the actual characters are an individual class, such as Medic, Pyro, Scout, Demo e.c.t which
a player can choose to play as. Each class in the game is individual and will often have a certain skill that they can use th at
another player can’t an example of this would be the Scout having a boost in speed throughout the game where as the
Medic would have an uber charge once powered up enough, this can then help change the course of the game depending
on the player and how they choose to use it.
These skills are put into the game to make it more interesting and to help make each time playing the game unique so it
does not become repetitive. Within the game there are also several game modes that a player can choose to play, this
includes modes such as king of the hill, capture the flag, payload , objective and seasonal events that are sometimes
added into the games on occasions such as holidays which can sometimes temporarily change how players will play the
game for a whole new experience.
Due to the nature of the game only being several mini-game styled playthroughs in different game modes there is no main
story mode for the game and can sometimes be up to the player to figure out the story of the game. Often parts of the
story can be found out through dialogue some of the characters will say throughout the games or the animated mini-
shorts and comics that the company will occasionally release to help give new content for the game and to help further
develop its story.
In many FPS games it is often common for players to be able to unlock new skins or dances for their characters in the
game. In TF2 players are able to unlock taunts and dance emotes that can happen throughout the game, however in TF2
players do not unlock skins, instead they unlock hats. Which can be put on their characters as a cosmetic item, although
they do not change gameplay in any way they are an item which players can collect throughout their time playing and can
trade with other players to collect new items.
TEAM FORTRESS 2

13. CHARACTERS AND MAPS

14. The game has a rather large variety of playable characters, with up to 9
playable characters in the game. Although all of the playable characters
in this game are male rather than having an option to play as both male
and female characters. Although there are no playable female characters
within in the game they appear as NPC’s and even as some of the main
voice over characters for the game and some of the missions within the
game. These characters also appear within the comics and animated
shorts that relate to the game and the story, where they appear to play a
more important role than they do in the game. The reason that the
females are not put in as playable characters would either be to do with
the target audience of the game or since the developers are unable to
figure out how to incorporate the characters in the gameplay. Within the
game the playable characters are diverse with different designs, each
character is defined by their looks. No two characters within the game
look alike, unlike some popular FPS games,
CHARACTERS AND MAPS

15. GAME COVERS
Each of these games has a different design on its cover, all of their styles are unique and
individual to the game and the games art style. Some of the similarities with the box art for
these games is that each of them include the title of the page, its age rating and also include
images of the games most iconic characters on the front of the page, on the art for Overwatch
and Borderlands the main character is in the center of the page however for TF2 the main
characters are to the side of the image which allows more room for the other characters to
appear on the page.
They all feature something related to the game, such as the characters and weapons on the
front cover, such as over FPS games do, the cover will often help to link back to the genre of

16. All three of the games have a different art style to it overall some of the themes
seen within the art for the game appear to be following classical FPS tropes, with
having certain themes for maps where players are able to go out into the open as
well as hiding in well covered areas for their own defense and to ambush other
enemies and players within the game if doing so is needed by the player.
Each games art style will help make the game more noticeable or give it a certain
feeling depending on the style that the game is. For example Borderlands 2’s art
style is one that heavily involves shell shading, where as Overwatch and TF2 both
have a more cartoon like style which gives the games a softer look and helps add a
more colorful vibe to it. However with the cell shading in Borderlands it gives the
game a sharper feeling and gives it a different vibe compared to Overwatch and
TF2 due to the way that it has been styled. Some FPS games such as COD may go
for a more realistic style to the games, however these are games that have gone
with a more cartoon like style which has helped make each game noticeable
through its style.
STYLE

17. Each game has a different gameplay style along with different controls to the
game, which helps to make gameplay either easier or more difficult depending
on the games setting. Due to all of the games being available for PC or console,
all of the games can be played with either a controller or a mouse and
keyboard. The choice of how it is played is down to the players own preference
for the game and its gameplay, this can either lead to a smooth or more
difficult gameplay depending on the players choice.
Each game also holds different game modes that a player can play through,
Borderlands holds a story/campain modes that the players can play either solo
or along side their friends. However TF2 and Overwatch both hold different
gameplay modes which is competitive, payload, capture the flag e.c.t where
players can either play the game casually or in a more competitive manner.
This is different from Borderlands as both of these games allow for several
different game modes however Borderlands does not. Which means that the
gameplay will be entirely different experiences for the player depending on the
game that they chose to play.
GAMEPLAY

18. Much like many games the FPS games face controversy, with some people
believing the games are nothing but harmless fun that people can play to relax,
unwind and have a bit of fun with when they have time on their hands. However
some people believe that these types of games can cause people to be violent
along with it being the main cause of anti-social behavior and crimes. As some
people believe that people try to copy what they see within the games which is
what leads people to become violent and to start acting in a way that may be
seen as negative or anti-social. Sometimes people may think that these games
encourage people to start harming others are they are exposed to a more
‘violent’ type of media compared to a media game that is more PG and has no age
rating. However this genre of game often comes with an age rating and a warning
that informs people that will be included within the game along with informing
people about the people who should be playing the game due to the age rating
that is shown and also helps to inform people on the target audience of the game
too.
CONTROVERSY'S

19. FPS games often have an older target audience of people from 18+ due to the content within the
game and the themes that the games may be portraying, due to the games containing themes of
violence or for having graphic content within the game that may be deemed as inappropriate for a
younger audience. Often these games are targeted towards both male and female characters due
to the Varity of characters that are available to play, as having female characters within these
games may help to draw in females that may want to consume the game due to characters they
may have seen. The usage of including female characters within these games may be to help draw
in the attention of a female target audience or to include a wider variety of characters for players
to chose when they play the game.
Most times FPS games will have a main target of a male audience due to what the game Is, the
style of the game and the games themes as an overall. However these games have seemingly
broken this generic target for males and has expanded to targeting both male and females to be
part of their audience. This way a game is reaching a wider audience by targeting both males and
females along with having more creative freedom as they target both genders. However majority
of these games such as COD and Halo may have them targeted mainly towards men, with females
being a sub demographic that they have reached without intending to.
Along with targeting both males and females for this category of games they would be targeting
people who fit within the E-C1 category, as these are they types of people who would be more
likely to enjoy a classic FPS game, although it these games will be targeted towards this
demographic others may take interest in this style of game which could change the demographic
over time.
TARGET AUDIENCE AND DEMOGRAPHICS