Representation in Video Games:
Stereotypes:
Video Games in general have been surrounded by controversy in regards to how certain groups have been portrayed. Women have notably been portrayed in a negative light within the games industry, with notable exceptions, such as Lara Croft and Samus Aran.
One notable controversial topic towards women in games, was when Gamespot reviewer, Carolyn Petit reviewed Grand Theft Auto V and gave it a 9 opposed to a 10, the reason being that women were portrayed as vain and amoral, constantly grasping for wealth and power behind the backs of men.
This was received a negative reaction from the gaming community and Carolyn was subject to abuse such as death threats, insults regarding her sexuality and even a petition was made calling for Gamespot to fire her. Disgusted by the outpour of hate, due to her having a perfectly reasonable opinion which was validated on multiple occasions, they refused to fire her.
Women are generally portrayed as weak and cowardly, with the only well known exceptions being Lara Croft and Samus Aran. If they are not being portrayed as inconsequential side characters, they are shown as love interests with no personality.
Another minority presented negatively in gaming are Homosexuals. Games make an issue out of pointing out Homosexual characters based on sexuality opposed to personality. An example of this is Gay Tony from the GTA IV Expansion Pack The Ballad of Gay Tony. His sexuality is constantly referenced and even the title makes sure the player knows Tony is gay.
Characterization:
Another prominent misuse of representation in Video Games is characterization. Certain Groups and Ethnicity's are added into the story on purpose, so that the group or ethnicity can be represented. However, in most cases. the characters are written and animated to act like a stereotype. A prominent example of this is in Gears of War 3, with the Character referred too as the Cole Train , being pointed out for adhering to stereotype's of Afro-Americans. Morgan Gray, a senior producer at Crystal Dynamics said "Cole Train is basically like every other 'effin black character in a video game. Like here comes the Urban Stereotype. Where is this 1990's - not even 2000 - black slang, where does this fit in this futuristic world that doesn't even take place on earth?"
Protagonists
In Video Game narratives, there almost always is a hero. These are the driving force for the game and are the main character. They consistently display qualities such as bravery and kindness, and are shown to be capable of great feats both metally and physically.
A well known example of a video game hero is The Master Chief in the Halo Series. He is a Spartan II super soldier that works for the UNSC (United Nations Space Command) and is portrayed to be an unstoppable bad-ass, with a knack of winning most if not all combat situations he is in. He viewed in universe, as a hero, that had a large part in victory over mankind's nemesis, the Covenant. He is viewed as a messiah like figure by Humanity, and his mere presence on the field of battle is shown to vastly improve the spirit of the rest of the UNSC there. He is the stereotypical hero. He is brave, strong both mentally and physically, and is shown to posses incredibly strong combat skills, significantly better than his peers in the UNSC and Spartan program. He is generally portrayed as emotionless, and is only shown to be capable of emotion in later games.
Another example of a video game hero is Altaïr Ibn La-'Ahad. He also is the stereotypical hero, and is shown to be highly intelligent, capable of working out any situuation or scenario, and is known in universe to be a great philosopher who looks really deeply into life itself. This is especially apparent in his later years. He also possess great combat skills and is implied by the assassin's in the present day that no one in the order since has reached his level of skill in combat. He is also shown as somewhat cold and stoic. however he shows emotion towards his loved ones such as his wife Maria and his son Darim.
Antagonists
In Video Game narratives, there are also antagonists. They are the main bad guys in a narrative and push the plot and story, in most cases because the hero wants to defeat or even kill them.
A well known example of an antagonist in video game's is Vaa's. He is well known for being a psychopath who's unpredictable nature pushes forward the narrative at certain points. He is full of emotion and is visibly unafraid to kill at a whim. He is implied to have become psychotic due to the savage and unforgiving nature of Rook Island. He is similar to other villains due to his status of being the games narrative force and the main goal of the game.
Another example of a well known Video Game antagonist is Handsome Jack. He is the main antagonist of Borderlands 2. He is portrayed as being a psychopath who is capable of being incredibly violent at one minute and charming albeit sarcastic at another. He has a vast company at his disposal with a large army at his back. He is shown to lack combat skill, but makes up for it in his leadership skills and tactical genius.
Side Kicks:
In Video Game narratives, there are sometimes side kicks. These are characters who are lesser than the hero in most cases, but are shown to be brains rather than brawn and sometimes can be the opposite. They are occasionally animals such as Riley from Call of Duty Ghosts which can help them connect with the player, due to the overall fondness of animals in society.
A notable example of a side kick in Video Games, as mentioned above is Riley from Call of Duty Ghosts. He is shown in a negative light, in this case, the Walker family. He aids the Walker brothers Hesh and Logan and is at time in the narrative, temporarily controlled by the player.
Another well known example of a side kick in Video Games is Kazooie from Banjo - Kazooie. She lives with Banjo, and helps him on his adventures. She provides comic relief in the games due to her obnoxious behavior.
Collectables:
In Video Games, there are also 'collectible' Characters. These are characters who in game can form 'Brotherhoods' as such and can be charming and helpful.
A prominent example of collectible characters are the Pokemon's from the Pokemon series. They are 'Pocket Monsters' that are caught by the players and are then trained by the players and used against other trainers.
Well known Pokemon include Pikachu, Squirtle, Mudkip, Girantina and Torchick.
The Pokemon form in-game teams when caught by the player and are used against other Pokemon trainers in and around the regions the games are set in. In game they lack personality, which is expanded separately in other types of media such as TV and film.
 |
| http://www.blastr.com/2016-4-28/new-tomb-raider-movie-has-found-its-lara-croft |
 |
| http://metroid.wikia.com/wiki/Samus_Aran |
One notable controversial topic towards women in games, was when Gamespot reviewer, Carolyn Petit reviewed Grand Theft Auto V and gave it a 9 opposed to a 10, the reason being that women were portrayed as vain and amoral, constantly grasping for wealth and power behind the backs of men.
This was received a negative reaction from the gaming community and Carolyn was subject to abuse such as death threats, insults regarding her sexuality and even a petition was made calling for Gamespot to fire her. Disgusted by the outpour of hate, due to her having a perfectly reasonable opinion which was validated on multiple occasions, they refused to fire her.
Women are generally portrayed as weak and cowardly, with the only well known exceptions being Lara Croft and Samus Aran. If they are not being portrayed as inconsequential side characters, they are shown as love interests with no personality.
Another minority presented negatively in gaming are Homosexuals. Games make an issue out of pointing out Homosexual characters based on sexuality opposed to personality. An example of this is Gay Tony from the GTA IV Expansion Pack The Ballad of Gay Tony. His sexuality is constantly referenced and even the title makes sure the player knows Tony is gay.
 |
| http://www.gta4.net/ballad-of-gay-tony/characters.php |
Characterization:
Another prominent misuse of representation in Video Games is characterization. Certain Groups and Ethnicity's are added into the story on purpose, so that the group or ethnicity can be represented. However, in most cases. the characters are written and animated to act like a stereotype. A prominent example of this is in Gears of War 3, with the Character referred too as the Cole Train , being pointed out for adhering to stereotype's of Afro-Americans. Morgan Gray, a senior producer at Crystal Dynamics said "Cole Train is basically like every other 'effin black character in a video game. Like here comes the Urban Stereotype. Where is this 1990's - not even 2000 - black slang, where does this fit in this futuristic world that doesn't even take place on earth?"
 |
| http://gearsofwar.wikia.com/wiki/Augustus_Cole |
Protagonists
In Video Game narratives, there almost always is a hero. These are the driving force for the game and are the main character. They consistently display qualities such as bravery and kindness, and are shown to be capable of great feats both metally and physically.
A well known example of a video game hero is The Master Chief in the Halo Series. He is a Spartan II super soldier that works for the UNSC (United Nations Space Command) and is portrayed to be an unstoppable bad-ass, with a knack of winning most if not all combat situations he is in. He viewed in universe, as a hero, that had a large part in victory over mankind's nemesis, the Covenant. He is viewed as a messiah like figure by Humanity, and his mere presence on the field of battle is shown to vastly improve the spirit of the rest of the UNSC there. He is the stereotypical hero. He is brave, strong both mentally and physically, and is shown to posses incredibly strong combat skills, significantly better than his peers in the UNSC and Spartan program. He is generally portrayed as emotionless, and is only shown to be capable of emotion in later games.
 |
| http://comicvine.gamespot.com/master-chief/4005-44581/ |
Another example of a video game hero is Altaïr Ibn La-'Ahad. He also is the stereotypical hero, and is shown to be highly intelligent, capable of working out any situuation or scenario, and is known in universe to be a great philosopher who looks really deeply into life itself. This is especially apparent in his later years. He also possess great combat skills and is implied by the assassin's in the present day that no one in the order since has reached his level of skill in combat. He is also shown as somewhat cold and stoic. however he shows emotion towards his loved ones such as his wife Maria and his son Darim.
 |
| http://www.giantbomb.com/altair-ibn-laahad/3005-48/ |
Antagonists
In Video Game narratives, there are also antagonists. They are the main bad guys in a narrative and push the plot and story, in most cases because the hero wants to defeat or even kill them.
A well known example of an antagonist in video game's is Vaa's. He is well known for being a psychopath who's unpredictable nature pushes forward the narrative at certain points. He is full of emotion and is visibly unafraid to kill at a whim. He is implied to have become psychotic due to the savage and unforgiving nature of Rook Island. He is similar to other villains due to his status of being the games narrative force and the main goal of the game.
 |
| http://gamerfront.net/2012/12/review-far-cry-3-pc/25927/vaas |
 |
| http://www.ew.com/article/2015/06/26/dameon-clarke-handsome-jack-tales-from-the-borderlands |
Side Kicks:
In Video Game narratives, there are sometimes side kicks. These are characters who are lesser than the hero in most cases, but are shown to be brains rather than brawn and sometimes can be the opposite. They are occasionally animals such as Riley from Call of Duty Ghosts which can help them connect with the player, due to the overall fondness of animals in society.
A notable example of a side kick in Video Games, as mentioned above is Riley from Call of Duty Ghosts. He is shown in a negative light, in this case, the Walker family. He aids the Walker brothers Hesh and Logan and is at time in the narrative, temporarily controlled by the player.
 |
| http://callofduty.wikia.com/wiki/Riley_(Ghosts) |
Another well known example of a side kick in Video Games is Kazooie from Banjo - Kazooie. She lives with Banjo, and helps him on his adventures. She provides comic relief in the games due to her obnoxious behavior.
 |
| http://banjokazooie.wikia.com/wiki/Kazooie |
Collectables:
In Video Games, there are also 'collectible' Characters. These are characters who in game can form 'Brotherhoods' as such and can be charming and helpful.
A prominent example of collectible characters are the Pokemon's from the Pokemon series. They are 'Pocket Monsters' that are caught by the players and are then trained by the players and used against other trainers.
Well known Pokemon include Pikachu, Squirtle, Mudkip, Girantina and Torchick.
The Pokemon form in-game teams when caught by the player and are used against other Pokemon trainers in and around the regions the games are set in. In game they lack personality, which is expanded separately in other types of media such as TV and film.
 |
| http://pokemon.wikia.com/wiki/Pikachu |
 |
| http://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Squirtle_(Pok%C3%A9mon) |
ReplyDeleteThank you very much for your kind words, Adrienne. I appreciate all the support and knowledge you have given me as well! You are an amazing friend and blogger and I’m lucky to have met you in the blogging world!
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