Question 5

5) Discuss the following Flash game in terms of ideology and hegemony. Define each term, and then explain them through the game (100-150 words).
http://gamescene.com/The_Urinal_Game.html

In the Urinal Game, you are forced to make a hegemonic decision about the ideology of the dominant (aka the men’s bathroom etiquette). Ideology is the study of common sense, or what appears to us as common sense considering that it is a social construction that conditions the way we look at things. Hegemony is how that ideology is constructed and maintained over time. When it comes to hegemony you can have one of three views: the Dominant/Hegemonic, the negotiated, or the oppositional. By even making the choice to play the game you are taking an initial negotiated view, weighing the pros and cons of each urinal choice. If you choose “correctly,” you are choosing the dominant or hegemonic view. If you choose “incorrectly,” then you are choosing an oppositional view.