The precious subject of race representation in videogames seems to be, much like that in the offline world, a whole bundle of combustible issues. However, I would like to raise a point of discussion to something that might somewhat go a stray in various areas of academia. Firstly I would like to begin to describe my stance on this topic as coming from a foundation of love for all human beings no matter what creed, colour or gender. Yet, I cannot hold tongue any longer on the questions that arise from racial constraints.
Video games, in my world, represents a virtual arena of connected entertainment within a huge assortment of various platforms and environments which fulfil the basic human instincts of play, challenge and satisfaction. To play, in my own created layman's terms, means to enjoy and fulfil that want of enjoyment. Now please anyone correct me if they feel I am wrong in this matter, but wasn't that where videogames were born, from within the desire to play. Too often are serious issues and health warnings voiced by the older generations that we too feel obligated to acquiesce to their requests.
Why is it that racial classes and minorities are described as problematic in representation when pasty white skinned freckled thin boys are not represented in games. Where are all the short women with hairy arm pits and moustaches in video culture? Further more, I believe it comes on the topic of hand outs. To often are people ready to jump aboard the "criticism train" and critique the material of others before making a solution themselves. Tall poppy syndrome as we reffer to it in New Zealand. Instead of criticism and hate why not do something about it and voice your opinion through game development yourself. Oh that's right you don't know how to programme games, well guess what the people that made it obviously do, so why don't you let them just do what ever the hell they want and enjoy the game.
Case 1: Grand Theft Auto San Andreas
As a New Zealand middle class white boy, I did not think for a second how wrong it was that my virtual personae in the game was a black man. Mainly for the fact that I had immersed in the want to play a game. I had given my self over to the game developers. ITS A GAME!!!
Now one may argue yes that is exactly the whole point. A point of representation. Ethnicity's are not supported and if the are, they are in ludicrous cyber/stereotype which brings the rebuttal.
Case 2: Online Resource article <http://www.education.com/reference/article/gender-race-screen>
Research has found that women of color are almost completely absent from videogames and men of color are often presented in very stereotypical ways.
Black men are presented as street criminals, as aggressive, strong thugs.
Asian men are often portrayed as martial artists.
Therefore Whites and Asians are more likely than Blacks to be shown using computers or high technology.
This kind of representation suggests that Blacks are inferior to Whites and Asians in professional and technical pursuits.
So, what are the consequences of these racial portrayals?
In one study, we found that people associated Black, male videogame characters more readily with violence than White, male videogame characters.
In another study, While young adults who saw stereotypical Black, male videogame characters preferred a White political candidate to a Black political candidate with the same credentials.
However, after viewing positive images of Black men, (including Martin Luther King Jr. and Barack Obama), White young adults preferred the Black candidate to the White candidate with the same credentials. Not only did they say the Black candidate was more likable and capable, but they said they’d be more likely to vote for him, given the chance. This indicates that positive video game images of minority characters can have positive and/or repairing effects on previously viewed negative racial portrayals.
So there seems to be trends in the recovery of minorities identity within the videogame culture. Yet I still produce the question of does it even matter?
It's a game. It's not real. Does the world of scholars truly think that the world of gamers are so naive to believe that all blacks are their represented selves in videogames? Well this for me is where the floor is open. Please someone enlighten me on how the ignorant world of future digital biggots are fairing in the physical present. Are we not in an age where children a growing up with more culture diversity than ever before and exposed to more opposing cultures, religion and entertainment. What does it matter that races and genders are incorrectly portrayed, again, ITS NOT REAL!!! It is only a game.
Sincerely,
Dane Dawson
Though I agree with you that these cybertypes are shallow and should not reflect on reality, it is the same with representation on screen. If all young blonde women are portrayed in games or in cinema as skanky bimbos, how would that reflect upon a young blonde woman in reality? Common perception would focus on what she looks like and not what's in her head (when she's actually a Microbiology major). A young asian woman would be seen as a Hello Kitty lover and not as the Criminal Lawyer she has worked so hard to be. We are living in a multicultural world, but these perceptions continue to haunt us.
ReplyDeleteDane, in my view to claim that a text and the representations it involves are "not real" is very problematic. Texts are more often than not expressions of culture, something that I think you'd agree to be very "real". You've used examples above that describe the 'flattening' of groups, in which a great deal of cases seem to provide the same tired stereotypes while denying diverse expressions of a group. The issue with race or gender in media generally is that some groups get to unquestionably occupy a vast array of representations while others are limited to a select few which are normalised over time.
ReplyDeleteIn my opinion, perhaps we are more aware than ever before of racial sterotyping, but being aware of it doesn't change the subtle, often subconscious effects that it has on the way we perceive and react to the world. For example, I'm sure quite a few people would feel more suspicious if they encountered a dark skinned person in a dodgy situation than a white person. This may be despite the fact they feel uncomfortable admitting it, know that it is prejudiced/wrong or would not "choose" to feel that way. The media is a key driver in these subconscious effects. Just because we might not explicitly think "oh I'm playing a black character doing these things, that must mean black people do these things in real life" when playing the game, this doesn't dispel the subconscious influence it can have on reinforcing some very damaging perceptions. Games have the power to change these perceptions, so why can't they go beyond just creating a game and also contribute towards changing social attitudes?
ReplyDeleteNicola, you raise a very interesting point and I would love for the gaming industry and gamers to create a world were social attitudes were being changed for the better. I definatly agree with the idea that "we are what we eat" and that we are consuming the racial sterotyping throughout the medium of videogames and becoming the subjects of those prejudices portrayed by the designers. One might say that through this discussion and with the help of a bit of eye opening research I have been enlightened to this pressure in modern society. I also cannot help but voice problem of scapegoating that these social minorities are faced with. I feel that it is an unfair representation that these minorities are given in the media. Helping to spell out the case below is a FBI data table of all the arrested crime statistics associated with race in 2010. Please have a read. Very interesting results.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.fbi.gov/about-us/cjis/ucr/crime-in-the-u.s/2010/crime-in-the-u.s.-2010/tables/table-43/10tbl43a.xls