Real Gamer (2021) is the project I created for my Intro to Media Studies class at the University of Virginia. We were tasked to create an animation at least two minutes in length, responding to a critical topic or narrative of our choice. Over quarantine, I grew a passion for The Sims, and learned about the misogyny and white supremacist ideals in games and gaming communities. It was with this stemming issue that inspired me to create this project. 

In my animation, I use an 8-bit retro gaming aesthetic to simulate a game world that privileges BIPOC and women. In the beginning, Mario runs and is smashed by a giant pink female symbol. The scene transitions to a floating pink egg in the sky, an homage to Tamagotchi. The egg cracks and a baby appear. The baby floats down to a room, where she cries and feed from a bottle. She grows into an adult and transports to a wardrobe stylistically like the online Barbie dress up games from the 2000s. She tries on several outfits before picking hers and heading off to town. While she is walking around the neighborhood, she feeds a baby cow. This is an homage to the pet-care mechanics in Nintendogs. After, she runs into a boy and the two fall in love. They hold hands into the sunset and the credits roll. 

This video was inspired off many online/video games I've played throughout my life, such Barbie Let's Babysit Baby Krissy, Tamagotchi, Animal Crossing, Nintendogs, and The Sims.