Aliens and zombies
(Posted by Sunny Kalsi )
As a racial type that will pretty much never show up in a video game, I’ve always seen video games as pure escapism. I truly do not relate to anyone or anything in video games. Reading this makes me wonder if this guy really knows what he’s asking for.
I’m saying this as an Australian too — I think Aussie movies aren’t very popular because just hearing an Aussie accent would be too close to home, and you couldn’t really suspend your disbelief. In an American movie, you can happily pretend these fictional characters are in this fictional world in a fictional location of New York. An Australian accent could locate them in Newtown or Fairfield.
Or “Leaukemba”.
I fully understand that video games (and indeed film and television, and I suspect books also) disproportionately contain all-white characters. But they also contain aliens and zombies and who knows what else. Sure, every other race fits some stereotype, but so do white guys — They’re the blank slate hero, the guy the player pretends to be.
So yeah, it kind of sucks that there isn’t more cultural (or indeed sexual) diversity in games. It would clearly make things a whole lot more interesting. I think that for people who don’t fit the stereotype, they get a more even experience. They’re not involved in that world, and as far as escapism goes, it’s best when you get to be the soulless white guy.
Which gets me to the question: How the hell do white guys play these games? I mean, there’s certainly a huge difference between heroes in games and real people — I can imagine even muscly white dudes look at Markus Fenix and say “yeah I do not empathise with that thing”, but I’m sure there’s a bunch of ordinary looking white guys in games that would give white male (American) players some pause.
Anyone got any thoughts?
Steve H said {{count}} days later:
..generally that’s the case. I guess most cinematic-based games go by demographic to ensure ‘maximum exposure to their intended demographic’, although there will always be exceptions.
Chain-smoking old guys with moustaches? (re: MGS4)
Goatee wearing scientist that lost the ability to vocalise? (re: Half-life)
Build-your-own-character in Saints Row 2 (very excellent. Ranges from male/female, Spanish, White American, African American, Asian voices ..plus the ability to make whatever visual design you wish. Grandpa with ‘pimp limp’ wearing a leotard with pink hair? sure!)
In the end, it’s not so much the character’s physical appearance/ ethnic background as much as the story in which the character is involved which makes you care.
On the ‘escapist’ point, I think it’s more important to empathise with the character than be the character. Like with any film, if the film is good, I don’t care who the protagonist is. The story/game is the escape, with any interaction just facilitating the end point.
I think the only time where you truly care about who the person is is in the case of an MMO/RPG or sandbox-style game.
MMO/RPG’s are easy, as generally, you’re not following reality when it comes to being an Elf or a Mage.
Sandboxes are different as most are focussed on replicating a city environment which, outside of Saints Row 2 and Vice City (great story, great music, great game), no other sandbox has satisfied. The problems with the ‘other’ ones is that the protagonists have been people I don’t care for (CJ from San Andreas / Niko from GTA4). Let’s face it, CJ was an idiot and the story was so hashed together that I didn’t care one iota during the game. Niko for similar reason. Bulgarian (or whatever) mono-browed whining fool that has an annoying cousin? Give me a break.