Ok folks, it’s time I get angry once and put a little hot sauce on the face of the video game industry. As a passionate buyer who loves to dive deep into story lines of many respected game titles, I want to feel the character; where they’re coming from and how they’ll handle situations. Well most of us kind of do, as we are controller of their destiny. I’m a big fan of 1st and 3rd person perspective game titles that includes fighting games, espionage, shooters, general action, and even drama. With these kinds of stories, it is important that a player identifies or grows accustomed to the main character under control. Lately, how can I?!
Let’s cut to the chase, i’m not interested in writing hair raising articles on racial topics and nationality issues, but I am interested in alerting an undetected virus well known to people that don’t know what to make of it. We all know that where ever you go ignorance is inevitable and little can be done to help, although many are willing to try. This situation here is slightly different. I’m starting to believe that I am seeing the same characters over and over again, only with different names under different game titles.
In titles like Prototype, inFamous, Splinter Cell, Assassin’s Creed, Alan Wake, Alpha Protocol, Cipher Complex, Borderlands… (I could go on), I see the same thing over and over again with different hair styles. A white guy! There, I said it. As a black United States citizen, it’s a bit hard to identify with the particular characters in many of these games, and a crap ton of other titles alike. The character in Assassin’s Creed isn’t even supposed to BE white but he practically is. Well actually, Altaïr Ibn La-Ahad (the main character), was an inspired design from model Francisco Randez who is actually Spanish (coincidentally with very caucasian features).
Why would this be of concern to anyone? Could I be jealous? Maybe just a bit, I mean from the way things are, it comes in the territory! Maybe I can’t mirror much of myself into these characters as most others in this country can. Although I do have the choice not to get these games, if I acted upon that and only got games with black main characters, all I’d be left with is Afro Samurai, MGS, that zombie game no one buys, and The Crackdown. WOW! This article will explain the unintentionally formed extremist undertones of type casting – society’s fixed image of the main attraction we unwillingly know as the white hero. Bigotry and foul play in the industry? I think not… just not enough imagination.
As a huge video game enthusiast, writer, and soon to be employee I have many emotions about entering the industry. It is much easier to complain than it is to praise, yet without the necessary evil (that is complaining) the bad things wouldn’t be dealt with over time. I design game documents, character models, as well as write full stories and develop character personality traits. I don’t have trouble understanding majorities and minorities, being that i’m considered part of the latter. I have trouble understanding why it is that game developers continue to dish out the same characters in every game. I guess ‘if it ain’t broke don’t fix it’, but there’s a kink that everyone’s not seeing. I do!
It could be quite possible, which I believe, that game designers world-wide are all innocently putting out what they know best – which is pretty much everything they’ve seen working before them. Before a character can be relatable, they must first be identified. White directors casted white actors in truth to likeness of themselves, which is quite rationally understandable to the idea of a character being identifiable. The same has happened for most films that followed along, eventually creating a traditional formula of the generic character, or white male character. When the ladies got angry, they pushed for more self-reliant feminine characters that were sexy and intriguing, it worked. Latinos, blacks, and asians followed suit as more movies became colorful and ethnic. Black directors make the same judgment when creating characters with likeness to themselves for relatable reasons. It’s all quite understandable, but i’m not satisfied.
That same pattern happened in the comic book industry and it is happening now in video games. It is safer to create a character upon likeness to oneself, thus it is the easiest step to forming character traits that can be relatable to the ‘common audience’, otherwise known as the majority. Work with what you know: it’s the perfect formula to getting something done, especially if you’re white and the objective is selling to majority. For argument sake, even if it weren’t all about maximizing profit, where is the imagination? What I am asking here, would be like asking China to start casting more Spanish characters on their movie screens, or Puerto Rico to start casting more Australian Aborigines in their television soap operas. It is simply challenging the designers to create a story centered on an atypical character that can still be embraced and loved like the others. As a buyer I, along with many other aggravated spenders, have the right to voice these requests.
I don’t necessarily care to see more black characters than I do wish to see a more diverse imagination, although more black or asian protagonists would be nice. I challenge everyone to list 20 black characters in Marvel Comics without google searching it? How about in video games? How about ten, atleast 10, oriental heroes in Marvel Comics …in video games? Seriously!
As my bitching subsides, I will exit with a sinister laugh informing each of you that this isn’t the last you’ll see of my efforts to get more diversity into video games. You could join the sides of bigots, remain indifferent, or help me simply by acknowledging the truth. Only then will it be easier to sell my product to you when they’re on the shelves. Muahahahahahahahaaaaaa!
~Z
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7 comments so far
Nice article, Ryan. I wonder if at least part of the problem is that the game design industry still seeks to mimic what they see coming out of the film industry, which has a long history of exhibiting this problem.
July 4th, 2009 at 2:21 am
It gives perfect reference to the figurative title ‘Generic Race’. After all, with exception to UPN and BET, the majority of people on television shows are white. Many didn’t like the idea of an all-black television station, yet were indifferent or non-objective to all latino television station(s), which have been on the screen some time back.
If there were any notion of segregation of race on television, the pointed finger should correctly be faced in the direction of the casting crews of millions of shows that have passed in the past few decades. I wouldn’t want an all black game development company with all black games: all, over type-casted and afro-centric …but at least put some emphasis on reality. Not everyone is white.
July 5th, 2009 at 10:02 pm
If I had to guess why the ‘default’ character is white, I’d say it’s demographics. I don’t know what race represents the largest demographic of gamers in America, but if I had to guess I would say white. So with that in mind, they are just trying to target the largest amount of buyers – in the end, the only color that matters to developers is green.
July 6th, 2009 at 9:59 am
Perfect summary of my article ‘Black’wings. Seeing ‘green’ is what separates them from the racism pool, yet doesn’t grant them much access in the inventive one. I feel, these kinds of issues work themselves out in due time.
Demographics changed to shock value when appealing to mainstream sales on film. Films got more color coordinated when all that led was what bled. I’ll confess tho, that i’m not dying without being a part of it when it happens on games. In this country, ‘green’ is the medium in which we all meet in the end, materialistically or organically.
July 7th, 2009 at 2:19 am
Don’t get me wrong, I love diversity in games. It’s one of my big draws to MMO titles is that most allow extensive character customization. I love variety.
In story driven titles is where you have diversification issues for sure. Even the titles (that I’ve played) that try to have a more diverse main character(s) seem to stereotype them. Who’s tired of the super-powered, futuristic, white hero dude? The unlikely hero white guy? The stereotyped ‘gangsta’ black guy? Let’s get some original thought in here!
You need to crank out some games Z – I think your battle to diversify can only be one from the inside!
July 7th, 2009 at 8:40 am
Oh – almost forgot, the ‘Black’wings has nothing to do with skin color.
The entire name is a reference to USMC VMFA 314 – “The Black Knights”.
July 7th, 2009 at 8:41 am
No, lol, I wasn’t attacking you when I highlighted ‘black’ in blackwings just referencing color as a joke. I’m not a sarcastic kind of guy, lol. I know where you stand and where the name comes from…
I agree with you on MMOs as well, especially because of the application of different races and/or species incorporated as a feature of the game(s).
I definitely appreciate the support though. It’ll definitely be a great experience for when my ideas are available to households everywhere. I can assure you that the genre won’t be some kind of affirmative video game action, lol.
I want to incorporate diversity in a deeper respect. I’m glad to have met people like you to help me jog these thoughts and paste them somewhere for others to see. Thanks ‘black’wings =)
July 9th, 2009 at 11:39 am
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