Diverse Players: Representation in the modern age of games

 In this blog post, I will be looking at game representation through the lens of diversity.

Gamer: Whats in a name.

Oxford Reference defines "gamer" in a straightforward, uncontroversial manner: "A person who regularly plays videogames. Gamers can be casual or hardcore depending upon the degree of commitment they exhibit." However, the stereotypical depiction of "gamer", is generally that of a white male. "Although recent research indicates that most people do not believe in the “isolated, pale-skinned” image any-more (Kowert et al. 2014), the gamer image seems to remain strongly associated with being male (Shaw 2010)" (Paaßen, Morgenroth and Stratemeyer, 2016, p. 1).

Diversity in games.

There have been recent strides in the past couple of years towards more diverse gaming spaces, that do not fit the gamer stereotype. From a non-binary character in Battlefield 2042, to Senua, a woman character from Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice. (Rogers, R. 2022), (Webb, Davis and Jessop, 2023).

From my personal experience, I have noticed more characters in games that don't fit the descriptions of the white male. One of the studios I've noticed that has put in effort to increase diversity in their titles is Finnish developer Remedy Entertainment. The studios 2019 game Control features Jesse, a woman, as the game's main protagonist. In 2023, the studio released Alan Wake 2, a sequel to the 2010 game, Alan Wake, which features Saga Anderson as one of the playable protagonists in the game, is Remedy's first black protagonist. As creative director Sam Lake states, "We do take our characters and stories very seriously, all in all, but a lot of thought and dedication especially went into Saga" (Fillari, A. 2023).

Diversity in games, which includes steering away from the old stereotype of gamers, increases representation. A larger audience can start to see people like themselves in the games. As Stuart (2017) states, "...there are more voices, more points of view and more opportunities to see heroes like you being available and controllable on screen."

However, there are still issues relating to diversity in video games. As Webb, J., Davis, R. and Jessop, V. eds., (2023) states, "Gaming is changing: that much is clear. With a more diverse customer base than ever before, games are no longer being made purely by – or for – white men. However, there is still more to be done." The article gives examples from Hogwarts Legacy and Respawn's Jedi: Fallen Order.

"Consider as well, characters like Cal Kestis from Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, who are seemingly considered the norm. Respawn could have meaningfully designed Kestis as literally anything other than just one more white male protagonist – and indeed, explained that they thought about having an alien or female protagonist – but Kestis was ultimately used because they didn't want to “alienate” the player." (Webb, J., Davis, R. and Jessop, V. eds., 2023).

Diversity in the games industry is also not in a good position, and needs improving if it wants more voices to be heard. "In a survey published Monday, the International Game Developers Association (IGDA) surveyed 963 people working in the games industry and data from respondents found that when it comes to diversity, 74% of workers are cis males, 61% are white/caucasian/European, and 81% are heterosexual, despite the majority of respondents claiming diversity in game development to be "very important" or "somewhat important" to them." (Beck, K. 2018).

Conclusion.

Diversity in games is improving, and I have noticed this, but it's not where it needs to be, and the industry will ultimately need to employ more people which don't fit the gamer stereotype.

References.

Beck, K. (2018). Diversity in the video game industry is (surprise) not good. [online] Mashable. Available at: https://mashable.com/article/video-game-diversity [Accessed 10 Dec. 2023].

Fillari, A. (2023). Why Remedy Entertainment went all in on Saga Anderson in Alan Wake 2. [online] Game Developer. Available at: https://www.gamedeveloper.com/design/why-remedy-entertainment-went-all-in-on-saga-anderson-in-i-alan-wake-2-i- [Accessed 10 Dec. 2023].

Oxford University Press (no date) Gamer - Oxford Reference. https://www.oxfordreference.com/display/10.1093/oi/authority.20110803095841895?rskey=nbihjp&result=13 (Accessed: December 7, 2023).

Paaßen, B., Morgenroth, T. and Stratemeyer, M. (2016). What is a True Gamer? The Male Gamer Stereotype and the Marginalization of Women in Video Game Culture. Sex Roles, [online] 76(7-8), pp.421–435. doi:https://doi.org/10.1007/s11199-016-0678-y.

Rogers, R. (2022). How Electronic Arts Tries to Make Diverse Video Games. [online] Wired. Available at: https://www.wired.com/story/electronic-arts-inclusive-diverse-video-games/ [Accessed 9 Dec. 2023].

Stuart, K. (2017). The eight best advances in gaming during the last decade | Keith Stuart. [online] the Guardian. Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2017/oct/06/gaming-advances-decade-guardian-games-editor-keith-stuart [Accessed 9 Dec. 2023].

Webb, J., Davis, R. and Jessop, V. eds., (2023). Diversity in games: the best (and worst) examples of representation. [online] Evening Standard. Available at: https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/gaming/video-game-diversity-representation-a4461266.html#:~:text=Gaming%20is%20changing%3A%20that%20much [Accessed 9 Dec. 2023].

Wen, A. (2023). Three considerations for improving diverse game narratives and characters. [online] GamesIndustry.biz. Available at: https://www.gamesindustry.biz/three-considerations-for-improving-diverse-game-narratives-and-characters [Accessed 10 Dec. 2023].