Essay Theme Notes

In my last post I mentioned 3 pieces of media I had an interest in, which were children’s books, video games and animation, which includes cartoons and films. Here I would like to elaborate in more detail the possible themes for my essay topic.

Below are 3 areas along with issues in these areas that take an interest to me:

Feminism and Children’s Books

• This continues on the topic of my essay from level 5 where I discussed stereotypical behaviour in children’s books, there are some areas within this topic I can explore further.

• I could look into how the ideology has shaped contemporary stories and characters compared to the examples and criticisms of classic stories.

• Or I could analyse examples of mothers from children’s books much like I did for my level 5 essay, either comparing classic and contemporary character examples or look into why the role of motherhood is viewed as restrictive in children’s books, as that is a topic that came up in my research for last essay.

AI Art Generator

• This is a topic that’s emerged recently which has sparked some debate in the art community where artificial intelligence software like Mid Journey is able to generate art pieces just from someone typing in a few words.

• I believe there are issues in this topic that are worth discussing such as dividing opinions on it, there are some that claim the software is just a tool much like a wacom tablet is for drawing directly on computers but others see it as the software doing all the work based on information (artwork) within it’s database and the “artist” has very little input.

• I feel very strongly on this subject where I’m heavily against using AI to make art so maybe the essay would become very biased if I were to discuss this topic.

Video Games

• Video games are a hobby I enjoy very much for both the interactivity and appreciating the visual design that goes into the end product; it would also be relevant to my practice as it would help inform me of the production of concept design.

• I feel there are also many areas within this topic to explore such as comparing original classic games to their modern remakes and how they have changed to suit modern audiences.

• Or it would be interesting to look into the semiotics of certain games like Silent Hill 2 that delve into the psychological torment of the main character James Sunderland.