Gaming’s Diversity Problem Video games are a prime example of international, modern day media. Gaming has become a major source of entertainment for the world, many people come into contact with video games whether they recognize it or not. Whether it’s outreach extends to books or to big budget movies, video games have cemented their place in the entertainment world as an interactive form of storytelling. Video games have come a long way from simple Mario side scrollers and PacMan arcade games. Modern day mainstream gaming strives to have an immersive experience with impressive graphics and gameplay. The platform has made advancements in quality, so why are video games so lacking in diversity? The state of diversity in gaming is due
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There are plenty of other races scattered throughout games, so it is not like there are none to be found. The issue here lies in the roles that many minorities play in video games. Representation in gaming is there, but it’s not a good kind of representation. The roles that minorities are made to play feeds into stereotypes that other forms of media have already established.
Many mainstream action games take place in urban environments, a prime example of this would be a game such as Watch Dogs. Another urban based game is Grand Theft Auto, which showcases black characters as playable characters, which would be well off if it weren’t for the crime focus of the game. Now, this is not to say that games like Grand Theft Auto can’t have minorities in it, to say that would be unfair. The issue is that the minority characters in games like these don’t have other games to counteract the stereotypes being perpetuated about …show more content…
Dmitri Williams, a professor at University of Southern California, did a sample study on 150 games over a variety of genres, ratings, and platforms. During William’s study he found “fewer than 3 percent of video game characters were recognizably Hispanic and none were playable. Native Americans and biracial characters were non-existent. African Americans enjoyed a rate of 10.74 percent, with a big caveat; they were mostly athletes and gangsters”(Pack). The diversity of race in gaming is problematic. Currently, there are some races that haven’t even gotten so much as a nod from the gaming world such as people of Indian, Biracial, or Native American descent. If a white male protagonist's story allows, the lesser represented races might be shown as targets to shoot at while the player character visits their country for the plot of their adventure. Resident Evil 5 is known well for it’s controversy over showcasing africans as bloodthirsty zombies as they were being blown away by the white male protagonist. In response to the backlash, Capcom altered the racial dynamics of the enemies and introduced a mixed raced woman named Sheeva as a sidekick. This wouldn’t have been done at all were it not for the
There are plenty of other races scattered throughout games, so it is not like there are none to be found. The issue here lies in the roles that many minorities play in video games. Representation in gaming is there, but it’s not a good kind of representation. The roles that minorities are made to play feeds into stereotypes that other forms of media have already established.
Many mainstream action games take place in urban environments, a prime example of this would be a game such as Watch Dogs. Another urban based game is Grand Theft Auto, which showcases black characters as playable characters, which would be well off if it weren’t for the crime focus of the game. Now, this is not to say that games like Grand Theft Auto can’t have minorities in it, to say that would be unfair. The issue is that the minority characters in games like these don’t have other games to counteract the stereotypes being perpetuated about …show more content…
Dmitri Williams, a professor at University of Southern California, did a sample study on 150 games over a variety of genres, ratings, and platforms. During William’s study he found “fewer than 3 percent of video game characters were recognizably Hispanic and none were playable. Native Americans and biracial characters were non-existent. African Americans enjoyed a rate of 10.74 percent, with a big caveat; they were mostly athletes and gangsters”(Pack). The diversity of race in gaming is problematic. Currently, there are some races that haven’t even gotten so much as a nod from the gaming world such as people of Indian, Biracial, or Native American descent. If a white male protagonist's story allows, the lesser represented races might be shown as targets to shoot at while the player character visits their country for the plot of their adventure. Resident Evil 5 is known well for it’s controversy over showcasing africans as bloodthirsty zombies as they were being blown away by the white male protagonist. In response to the backlash, Capcom altered the racial dynamics of the enemies and introduced a mixed raced woman named Sheeva as a sidekick. This wouldn’t have been done at all were it not for the