Research
Proposal
My research topic is over the lack
of diversity in video games and how it effects the community as a whole. As
video games become more and more popular with the new advancements, such as
virtual reality and the use of the Oculus Rift that completely immerses gamers
into a 3D world, the need for diversity continues to grow. Diversity is need in
all aspects and forms of media because of how varied our own, real life world
can be, whether it is in our workplaces or in school. The way we perceive the
norm of everyday life can be drastically changed through the media we consume
on a daily basis. We must address the issue of the lack of diversity throughout
media, especially in a form of media that the younger generation uses
consistently.
What
I Have Learned Thus Far
Through my preliminary research, I have found that although many gamers are upset with the lack of diversity, they do not have the willpower to go and change it themselves or to bring it to a higher up, in this case a production team. Others find that speaking to a community (such as Reddit) and posting online in forums can be effective as many production members often read these posts. Reddit user “rakkanoth” wrote in the NoMansSkyTheGame subreddit, “If Hello Games is clever they will listen to community feedback as to what could enrich the gaming experience and let it inform their content additions. Every game I've played in the past that listened to the community only got improved over time.”[1] Many take to forums to have their voices heard when it comes to changing the way games are portrayed. They also feel that if gaming companies listened to gamers, not only will gamers have a better experience, but the companies will earn a better profit. Unfortunately, the lack of diversity continues to persist, even as games are being introduced this year, thus many gamers continue to complain. The logical conclusion companies could be making is if they made what gamers want, the greater their profit will be.
The lack of diversity comes in many forms
in this medium of media. Whether it is the lack of females, LGBTQ characters,
Hispanics, African Americans, Asians, or even just the way characters are portrayed,
the video game industry continuously misses the mark. Reddit user “oneLguy”
posted a thread in the subreddit, “Negareddit” that simply said, “Video gaming
culture has a legitimate problem with sexualizing women in games.” Another
user, “Zone_boy” replied with, “I agree but I think
problem lays in lack of diversity. There is nothing inherently wrong with
having sexual characters, except when that's only kind of women characters
shown. Just look at the street fighter series. Men come in so many different
favors. They can be smart, badass, ugly, weird, fat, evil, good, and sexy.
Women just get sexy. :|”[2] Countless users agreed
with this statement. It can be backed by the example of numerous games out
there, including the Mortal Kombat series in which all women in the games are
portrayed as skinny, voluptuous women who wear very meagre clothing. As
compared to the men, the clothing they wear are not appropriate for a
“fighting” style game.
I also have spoken to several players in the mass
multiplayer online role playing game (MMORPG) Star Wars the Old Republic (SWTOR). Males and females alike find
that the in game clothing is too sexualized for women supposedly in a position
of combat. SWTOR user Ashes_Arizona wrote in the forums, “Listen… I’m a man,
I’m an extremely married man, had my fill of women over my life and I’m also an
artist. Its not that you’re visually offensive because it might be viewed as
sexy, its that its literally crude and adolescent… So basically you have all
these little crudely sexualized characters running around and BioWare profiting
off the juvenile need to sexualize anything that can be sexualized. Its not
just disrespectful to women…its disrespectful to art.”[3] He referenced to an outfit
that users can put on their online characters called “Exquisite Dancer”, which
in essences is a Star Wars exotic dancer outfit.
However, female characters being
sexualized is not the only lack of diversity, it is the lack of racially
diverse characters that gamers are allowed to play. The thread, “Do video game
protagonists lack racial diversity?” on ComicVine is an example of mixed
feelings, as compared to many other threads whom most everyone agreed on the
answer was simply, “Yes.” However, numerous replies to this thread state that
it doesn’t matter, as long as the game was good or the story was engaging. Yet,
one user wrote a reply that made me look twice. User “McNultySonofDarkseid”
wrote, “I get the feeling like all the people saying “it’s all about writing
and story” would be thinking differently if every single character (or the
overwhelming majority) was suddenly NOT white." [4] This is something to think
about in the video gaming world. Minority children often feel inferior because
the hero who saves the world is generally a middle aged white male. I myself
felt a sense of gratitude and elation when the game Sleeping Dogs was released in 2012 simply because it was a game set
in a place I am familiar with, Hong Kong. The characters even spoke Cantonese,
instead of the general “Hollywood gibberish” that is supposed to portray
Chinese. I felt this way because it was a language, a culture that I could
relate to. Minority children do not get this opportunity often because the
video game industry does not see it as a priority, to make games relatable to
multiple races and ethnicities.
Further
Investigation
As I continue my investigations on
the portrayal of diversity in video games, I want to compile multiple reasons
as to why this is a problem. It’s a problem for children, teenagers and adults
alike. Being able to relate to characters on screen builds confidence in
everyone and allows them to explore their possibilities. Maybe they can’t all
be treasure hunters or street fighters, but they can do something as simple as
inventing and creating something that will change the world for the better.
Video game characters are given the freedom to do that, but many gamers often
feel inferior and do not believe they can do it simply because the one who did
it in the game is a heterosexual, white, middle-aged male. I want to find out
how I can do my part in changing this mindset, but I must find the reasoning
why companies choose this route when designing characters. I must find not only
a reasoning, but also why consistently putting out the same character design is
a flaw in the system and because of this, I can improve on it.
I know I will encounter many
different people with many ideologies and perceptions on this subject. I know
that many will oppose me or agree with me, but it is important that I
understand this topic because it is one that I am deeply affected by. I must
make sure I’m reasonable and open-minded so that I can remain in these
communities to continue gathering data for this research paper.
Preliminary
Sources
“Brown Skins, White Avatars.”
Edmond Chang, from KCSB News.
February 2016,
https://soundcloud.com/kcsb-news-1/brown-skins-white-avatars
Htoon, Sonia May. “Professor
Discusses Lack of Diversity in Video Games.” Daily Nexus. 28
January
2016. Accessed 26 September 2016. http://dailynexus.com/2016-01-28/professor-discusses-lack-of-diversity-in-video-games/
Saleem, Muniba. Effects of stereotypic video game portrayals
on implicit and explicit attitudes.
Iowa State
University, 2008.
Stout, Christopher Ryan. White Habitus and Video Games.
University of Wyoming, 2015.
Valentine, Keri Duncan and Lucas
John Jensen. Examining the Evolution of
Gaming and Its
Impact on Social, Cultural, and Political Perspectives. IGI Global,
2016.
[1] rakkanoth, “Why a lack of
diversity is probably a non-issue long term anyway.” July 2016. Reddit. Accessed 25 September 2016.
https://www.reddit.com/r/NoMansSkyTheGame/comments/4rnwuy/why_a_lack_of_diversity_is_probably_a_nonissue/
[2] oneLguy, “Video gaming culture has
a legitimate problem with sexualizing women in games.” May 2016. Accessed 25
September 2016. https://www.reddit.com/r/Negareddit/comments/4keimp/video_gaming_culture_has_a_legitimate_problem/
[3] Ashes_arizona, “I wish there was a
“Generic Armor” checkbox in the client options.” 18 May 2015. Accessed 25
September 2016. http://www.swtor.com/community/showthread.php?t=813198&page=3
[4] McNultySonofDarkseid, “Do video
game protagonists lack racial diversity?” January 2015. Accessed 25 September
2016.
http://comicvine.gamespot.com/forums/off-topic-5/do-video-game-protagonists-lack-racial-diversity-1632568/
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