Traditional Underrepresented gr=
oups
in Video game
Diamond
Beverly, Dr. Jason LaTouche
College
of Liberal and Fine Arts, Tarleton State University
Abstract
Video games are a 100-Billion-dollar industry whose
narrative content has wide reaching global influence. Modern video games are
often highly plot driven and contain significant representations of social
norms, roles and structures. As such they have a strong cultural influence =
and
impact in our society. Past research has shown that underrepresented groups=
in
video games are often oversexualized and stigmatized by negative stereotypes
and tropes. This study examines representations of characters’ race, gender,
and sexual orientation in the top ten grossing mass market video games and =
top ten
indie video games of 2016. It was hypothesized that indie video games would
offer more numerical diversity and more balanced representation of these
underrepresented groups because indie video games often have less standardi=
zed
corporate structures and more creator diversity. Results show that Indie ga=
mes
are more likely to feature traditionally underrepresented groups and more
likely to show these groups exhibiting complex character structure and
integration into the main plot of the video game. Comparatively, top grossi=
ng
mass market video games that have more strict editorial guidelines and less
diverse corporate structures tend to have less numerical and more stereotyp=
ical
representation of underrepresented groups.
Literary review
Video
games are a 100-Billion-dollar industry whose narrative content has wide
reaching global influence. According to the data report compiled by NewZoo =
on
the Global Games Market in 2016 including the Report Premium, the global ga=
me
market was worth $99.6 Billion in 2016 and will likely increases by at least
$6.9 Billion by the end of 2017. And from this extensive data it is broken =
down
further with console games contribution to 29% of the revenue closely follo=
wed
by both PC and Mobile games with 27%. And lastly tablet, handheld, and casu=
al
web games make up the final 17%. From this data it is confirmed that the vi=
deo
game industry while once consider a small recreational activity in the
beginning stages, is now in fact a driving force in world economic. Video g=
ames
have an expansive reach that can has the power to influence and effect real
life world decisions. The video game industry is continuing to grow, force,=
and
influential abilities. According to the entertainment software association =
data
report, the top video game states are California with 63,718 workers in the
game industry, Texas with 17,878 workers, Washington with 12,833 workers, a=
nd
New York with, 8,137 and Massachusetts with 4,174 workers in the game indus=
try.
Massachusetts. It is estimated by New=
Zoo in
the 2015 -2019 global Games Market forecast that by the year 2020 the global
games market will be worth $118.6 Billion. Research from NewZoo research ce=
nter
displays that Video games have become a driving economic force not only in =
the
United States of America but in world economics. According to the NewZoo da=
ta
the top twenty countries Generated $89.4 Billion or 89.8% of total global g=
ame
revenues, the united states in comparison rank second out of all countries
listed countries with china obtaining the first slot for highest revenue. N=
ot
only do video game contribute to world economics they also add to regional
finance and businesses.The reach of video games has expanded with the
increasing accessibility to new technology. Video games are more common in
modern day America that expected 5o years ago. According to a research
conducted by the research software association 65% of American households a=
re
home to someone who plays video games regularly, and 67 % of American
households own a device used to play video games.
It is found from studies such as a st=
udy
conducted by Denis McQuail over the influence and effects of Mass Media whi=
ch
researches the effects of mass media through media situation such as the
definition of social reality and social norms, institutional change and cha=
nges
in culture. And a book that explores the relationship between culture, soci=
ety
and the media edited by Michael Gureitch, Tony Benet =
James
Curran and Janet Woollacott which discusses the introduction of a new media
source essential a new power group outside of the traditional power groups =
that
challenge and influence the close integration between the hierarchy of power
and control over communications. The book further explores the power media =
has
and uses to manipulate information. The overarching themes connecting these
articles are similar in the way that they state how Mass Media can influence
people Ideas, values, and opinions regarding different social economic and
racial groups. Video games of different genres have become a subject of res=
earch
based on aesthetics, moral and sociocultural representations and technical
aspects (Jahn-Sudmann & Stockmann, 2008). And this is due to the
accessibility and diverse gaming experience for everyone. Because every
individual does not have the exact same moral values, socio-economic status=
and
cultural experience in life different stories and characters connect with
different player. This leads in to one of the key problems faced in video g=
ames
and their companies’ today diverse representation of traditional
underrepresented groups.
What makes video ga=
mes
so influential?
As stated previously The Inherent val=
ue of
video games is deeply rooted in accessibility and is one of the key factors
regarding the economic value of the video game industry drastic increase ov=
er
the last two decades. Many of the people who grew up with the first marketa=
ble
video games consoles such as Atari Pong in the first generation of video ga=
mes
consoles and the Sega genesis in the fifth Generation of video game console=
s.
The individuals who played on those revolutionary systems have continued to=
be
avid gamers today and with the release of mobile and personal computers vid=
eo
games the demographic for the average Gamer has expanded exponential about
race, gender and age. According to new zoos research 2017 Sales, Demographic
and usage Data the average gamer is 35. Specifically, women age 18 or older
represent a significantly greater portion of the gaming population than men
under 18, male identifying person that play video games are on average 33 y=
ears
old. 65% of households own a device used for playing video games. Video gam=
es
much like other art forms in the entertainment industry such as television
series and movies, can transport the viewer into certain situations and att=
empt
to convey a grand story or overarching moral theme. However, video game dif=
ferssuch
that instead of being a passive viewer in relation to the characters and the
story, the viewer controls what happens as well as play a key role in choos=
ing
the moral narrative and lesson in the main plot of the story. The experienc=
e of
playing and exploring the world of a video game, the pull of the deep narra=
tive
which often seeks to connects on a personnel level with the player, and the
emotional connection built with characters throughout the story creates real
emotional responses and real possibility for social awareness. Due to the f=
act
that Video game companies are starting to create video games that last no d=
ays
but years modern video games are becoming more like places to travel outsid=
e of
everyday life that are not accessible in the real world and they stop becom=
ing
a passive viewing of a fantasy world and instead a place to live explore th=
rive
and learn. The possibility for social change and advancement can have lasti=
ng
impacts in or society today.
The historical prob=
lem
of race gender in society?
In theory society
controls mass media and mass media controls Society and if this fact were t=
rue
then we would see more representation and diversity in movies, television, =
games
and other media outlets Media outlets when introduced are responsible for
cultural shifts as seen with the introduction of radios and then the
television(Lotz,A). Up until recent
years Mass Media has been traditional dominated by white males. In the 1950s
and 1960s, early days of Radio and Television, the viewers who were often at
least middle class two parent families dictated the content and influence w=
hat
was considered acceptable.In 2015 Xeniya Kondrat studied the representation=
of
women in Video games in the Journal of comparative research in anthropology=
and
sociology Volume 6 and the results showed that in the past and today women
still are portrayed negatively and stereotypically. And this is often
reinforced in video games movies and television when inaccurate representat=
ion
of specific genders is continuously shown.
The Technology field is often male domin=
ated
and in general suffers from a lack of women and diversity, so comparatively=
the
gender inequality is similar in the video game industry due to higher job
opportunities being held almost solely by white heterosexual males. But gam=
es
have an additional layer of gender complexity, such that by employing diver=
se
members of underrepresented group in theory the product they will portray a
more accurate representation of the audience created by the products
themselves. And this is where strict editorial guidelines and less diverse
corporate structures dictate the representation the payers are exposed too.
Within a Video game company female developer are often highly underrepresen=
ted.
Because of the profound unequal representation across genders the smaller
margins of traditionally underrepresented groups within a video game company
often experience scrutiny of both work attire, performance excellence and
assimilating into the majority culture of a specific video game company.
According to the Women’s Media Center’s the Status of Women in the U.S. Med=
ia
in 2013, 88% of developers are men. Which highlight the over representation=
and
disproportional lack of representation across the specified genders, and it=
is
important to note that this did not include the numerous other gender
expressions. These guidelines and restriction in theory vary in strictness =
and
creative control depending on the structure of the company such as smaller
indie companies and are AAA video game companies.
In a study conducte=
d by
Julie Prescott, Jan Bogg titled: The Gendered Identity of Women in the Games
Industry. The authors referenced WWW-ICT report, according to the report:
'there is a 'masculine culture' of computing work consisting of language,
images, working methods and working relationships, which women are both exc=
luded
from and find off-putting' (p.40).While not surprising due to the lack of
diverse genders in the STEM filed companies often claim to offer a
Gender-Neutral working environment. However, this leads to gender inequalit=
ies
not being recognized and dealt with accordingly. Gender roles has been are
rising problem in all faucets of society especially in male dominated
industries
Historical
representation of race and gender
The Mass media is a powerful force th=
at
promotes communication and contributes to present-day culture. The moods and
attitudes of our society are influenced by messages delivered through mass
media channels. Because of the rise in accessibility to not only mass media=
but
social media as well individuals from almost every faucet of life has been
highly saturated by the availability of information and ability to communic=
ate.
Mass media is responsible for setting a society’s values and perception of
traditional gender roles what equates to beauty, as well as the general
perception of specific cultural and ethnic groups.
Diversity in video game while not being=
an
entirely new problem has grown in exposure due to the development of new mo=
re
accessible technology and the wide-reaching impacts of the content and less=
on
video games display. In the process of preparing to study this subject area=
I
referred to academically reputable sources to gain in depth understanding of
the problem regarding representation in traditionally underrepresented grou=
ps
particularly but not limited in the focus areas of Gender, Race, sexual
orientation, integration within the video game plot and look back on past research to formu=
late a
hypothesis comparing Indie Video games and AAA video games and their
representation of traditionally underrepresented groups.
In a study titled :=
The
virtual census: representations of gender, race and age in video games it stated that a majority of adults age=
18
and older (53%) play video games and approximately one in five adults (21%)
play every day or almost every day (Lenhart et al., 2008). Video games have=
in
fact surpass television in terms of time spent among some populations (Sher=
ry
et al., 2006). The outcome further in the study display a disproportional
systematic over-representation of white, adult, males which shows the ethnic
and racial stratification of underrepresented groups. And when these result=
s were
compared to traditionally underrepresented groups such as females, Hispanic=
s,
Native Americans, children and the elderly there was a great deal of system=
atic
under-representation of these groups. The study results displayed overall
difference of 85.23/14.77 percent of male to female character is games and =
the
data contrast largely with the 50.9/49.1 percent distribution in the actual
population. Furthermore, the female characters were found to be more likely=
to
be placed in secondary, subordinate roles while male characters were more
likely to be the main primary characters. Regarding race the study found th=
at
whites are 6.59 percent and Asians are 25.75 percent over-represented. All
others are under-represented: blacks by 12.68 percent, Hispanics by 78.32
percent, biracial by 42.08 percent and Native Americans by 90 percent. Rowan Kraiser an Editorial critic for v=
ideo
games, the video game industries problem of diversity and pop culture noted
that:
“The problem faced =
by
woman and minority-starring video games is largely the same as the problem
facing traditionally underrepresented groups across all forms of
representation: their failures are treated as definitive, and their success=
es
are ignored.” (Rowan Kaiser, writing for Indiewire). Traditionally
underrepresented groups are often outnumbered in the workplace seen in the
study by IGDA regarding gamer developer satisfaction where 76 % of the
developers who make impactful decision on the product being produced in Mass
Market games are white heterosexual males. 22% Identifies as women and 2% a=
re
Transgender or Androgynous.
Video games have the
power to cause real cultural shift and change because they can reach a wide=
r range
of audience than pervious Mass Media outlets. When a consumer by a game and
bring in into the household it isn’t just the player who is exposed to the
content every member of the household will at some point encounter the game.
Video games have a broad and expanse reach that crosses cultural and social
boundaries and can be used as a mechanism for social political and cultural
change.
Rise of Indie games=
In previous Research content numer=
ous
studies were conducted to study the significance and effects of violence an=
d if
there was a correlation to real world violence. Diverse characters are often
seen as too hard to make and this could be attributed to a variety of reason
such as a lack of exposure to specific social, ethnic and racial groups as =
well
as a general lack of diversity within in video game companies. Craig Watkins, (professor of Radio,
Television and Film at the University of Texas at Austin), when asked about
Diversity and Under-represented groups in video games in an interview with =
Monica
Anderson, a research associate focusing on internet, science and technology=
at
the Pew Research Center, stated that:
“Unlike journalism,
television and film, the video game industry has not faced the same level of
scrutiny or seen the type of advocacy around diversity issues. He said this
lack of publicity could explain why a typical video game player might not t=
hink
of these issues when thinking of video games.” (Watkins). As Watkin’s stated
over the years there have been more and more stipulation and pushes for div=
erse
representation in the entertainment industry to appeal to a diverse audienc=
e.
And while the Video game has been around for nearly 3 decades it is still a
young industry in, he terms of the entertainment industry and arguably ion
comparisons to indie game developer major companies lack the drive and will=
ing
ness to question the status quo.
Over the last few decades indie video ga=
mes
have been rising in popularity and power competing with Traditional big vid=
eo
game companies such as Bethesda and Nintendo. Big blockbuster games such as
Halo and Mario have reign supreme and while this is good for sales it also =
led
to increasing lack of diversity in the genre and types of games introduced =
each
year. AAA video game companies often get stuck in the loop of creating simi=
lar
popular games when they peak. This represses creative control and stifles i=
nnovated
ideas because of the many levels and chains of commands it must go through =
to
be published. This is where indie and small game companies come in to play.
Major Game companies often are apprehensive when taking creative risks argu=
ably
this is what has made indie companies flourish. While they may not have the
same amount of resources or manpower the ingenuity show in the creative pro=
cess
of making a video games has been shown throughout the last twenty years to
compete and sometimes even beat AAA Video game companies because of their
willingness to push boundaries and introduce. Indie video game companies la=
ck
commercial demands and the rigorous approval process common in major game
development companies. Radical concepts tend to be embraced and used to push
social political and ethical boundaries.
Hypothesis
This study seeks to establish through
analyzing data collected in the study if compared to Mass Market video game=
s,
indie games will have more numeric diversity of characters based on race,
gender, and sexual orientation. Indie games are more likely to feature
traditionally underrepresented groups and more likely to show these groups
exhibiting complex character structure as well as integration into the main
plot of the video game. Compared to Mass Market video games, in Indie Video
Games traditionally underrepresented groups based on race, gender, and sexu=
al
orientation will have more central and more positive narratives. Also, the
study seeks to see comparatively, if top grossing mass market video games t=
hat
have more strict editorial guidelines and less diverse corporate structures
tend to have less numerical and more stereotypical representation of
underrepresented groups.
Analysis (Methodolo=
gy)
In this Study I took the Top 13 Mass =
Market
Video Games as well as the top 13 Indie games to compare the characters
interactions and correlation to the main story narrative through cut
scenes. Mass Market video games us=
ually
equates to large corporations and businesses that usually generate large
revenue and viewership traditionally in the video game industry. An example=
of
a Mass Market Corporations includes Rockstar who partners with other compan=
ies
to make the Grand Theft Auto Franchise. Indie games by comparisons has less
workers, corporate structures, restrictions, guidelines and are less likely=
to
be known by the general public.
The games used in t=
he
study were specifically chosen because they were ranked in the top of gross
income and revenue for 2016. To find the highest gross income of these games
the sites Steam, IGN and Forbes was cross referenced and compared to accura=
te
articulate the true most bought games. The research methodology required
gathering varies amounts of past data from reputable and accountable past
studies. Compiling and understanding previous research conclusions is criti=
cal
in order to analyses the material is vital in arriving at a concise
understanding of the social and long-lasting impacts of traditionally
underrepresented groups.
I hope to display t=
he
disproportionate representation of these groups as well as document the imp=
acts
and negative stereotypes reinforce within the diverse audiences. This is do=
ne
through selecting pivotal cut scenes within the main plot of the selected
video. In this study over 141 cut scenes for the 26 video games were examin=
ed a
cut scene is an in-game cinematic that serves to further the plot or point =
the
player toward a specific narrative influenced by the interaction of other
characters and the surroundings. The cut scene where selected from watching=
the
full game play and choosing a critical point in the beginning middle and en=
d of
the game. Often during cut scene drive the narrative and interaction in a g=
ame,
they introduce vital information or ideas that influence the player decision
later in the games. The top 13 grossing 13 Mass Market games and the top 13
grossing indie games. For each character in the video game their perceived
characteristic roles race ethnicity gender orientation and morality was
documented. Multiple review was conducted to provide an in-depth documentat=
ion
and commentary by doing this it provided for a more detailed and introspect=
ive
view of the character’s view experiences, reactions, morality, characterist=
ics,
beliefs, and ideas as well as their roles in the game.
![](3D"ASH_Research_Deliverable_Final_files/image002.png")
![](3D"ASH_Research_Deliverable_Final_files/image004.png")
Results
Above
I have included a visual aid encompassing two of the main categories from m=
y study.
The result of the study showed that indie video Games did have more widespr=
ead
representation for marginalized populations. However, there is still an
imbalance of representation in subsection of groups. Overall video games ha=
ve a
while to go before accurate representation in more widespread.
The prediction for this study was th=
at
Indie games are more likely to feature traditionally underrepresented groups
and more likely to show these groups exhibiting complex character structure=
and
integration into the main plot of the video game. And comparatively, top
grossing mass market video games that have more strict editorial guidelines=
and
less diverse corporate structures tend to have less numerical and more
stereotypical representation of underrepresented groups.
In accordance with =
my
research data presented above I found that among indie video game companies=
in
comparison to mass market game development companies, the widespread
representation of traditionally marginalized populations had a more signifi=
cant
increase among indie video game development companies in the categories of
gender and race.
Video games have the
power to cause real cultural shift and change because they can reach a wider
range of audience than pervious Mass Media outlets. In today Society the
prevalence of video games and their content are widely influential consciou=
sly
or subconsciously by people in modern society. When a consumer by a game and
bring in into the household it isn’t just the player who is exposed to the
content every member of the household will at some point meet the game. Vid=
eo
games have a broad and expanse reach that crosses cultural and social
boundaries and can be used as a mechanism for social political and cultural
change.
Esports
With the introducti=
on
of esports the Diaspora surrounding the race and gender of gamers in
traditionally underrepresented group’s has begun to take a main stage. Rece=
nt
studies have begun to delve deeper into the intersections of these ideas wi=
th
esports as the central focus. From the above study I hypothesis that esports
will feature less diverse characters represented from traditional
underrepresented population due to esports being dominated by mass market g=
ame
companies in recent years. . Indie games are more likely to feature
traditionally underrepresented groups and more likely to show these groups
exhibiting complex character structure as well as integration into the main
plot of the video game.
Next
steps
Regarding the outli=
ned
problem in recent years there have been may communities and research
collectives’ founder with the mission of tackling representational issues s=
uch
as race and gender. As a game developer I have been consciously considering=
race
gender and sexual orientation into the projects and games I Conceptualize a=
nd
produce On such project is my current project the affirmation game in which
players are asked to confront their negative thoughts and combat them with
positive affirmations and instances of self-care. The main character is mod=
el
after me however in future iterations their will be a built-in character
created in which the player can customize their charter and voice used in t=
he
game.
One-way developers =
have
begun to challenge the over representation of white males in video games has
been to build in a character created section in games. While this is more
popular in RPG, role playing games, mainly games outside of this category h=
ave begun
to implement this change to allow players the freedom to create and play
characters who look and represent themselves. This is one way to address the
problem, however the core problem, a lack of representation for traditional=
lyunderrepresented
groups, must be directly faced outside of sub genres. Racially diverse
characters and characters who do not adhere to heteronormative stereotypes =
must
be included in both independent games and mass market games as playable mai=
n characters
and supportive characters to the main plot with a complex back ground
narrative, while avoiding negative stereotypes and tropes that continue to =
cast
a negative stereotypes on to already underrepresented populations.
Works Citied
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Moe, H., Poell, T.,
Dijck, J. Rearticulating Audience Engagement: Social Media and Television
Television & New Media (2016), Vol. 17(2) 99–107
Kaiser, R. (2014, J=
uly
20). The Curse of the Scruffy White Male: Why Representation Matters in Vid=
eo
Games. Retrieved October 29, 2017, from
http://www.indiewire.com/2014/07/the-curse-of-the-scruffy-white-male-why-re=
presentation-matters-in-video-games-23990/
Anderson, M. (2015,
December 17). Views on gaming differ by race, ethnicity. Retrieved October =
29,
2017, from http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2015/12/17/views-on-gaming-=
differ-by-race-ethnicity/
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he
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