Arya Hanumara/President/Social Effects Head/Co-Editor-In Chief
The sale of personal computer games has been well over one billion dollars per year. Online games continue to exhibit their popularity, making the industry accumulate even more wealth than the American film industry. With the widespread popularity of the online gaming industry, especially with its strong appeal to younger demographics, questions of how race and gender are depicted in these games are raised.
Racism is a material structure, meaning that issues pertaining to the social phenomenon are most prevalent in the dominant culture or ethnicity, which is most familiar or relatable to the general public. Social systems preserve white privilege, creating a layer of defensiveness, oftentimes dubbed “White fragility.” This idea of white privilege is assumed to be the most significant factor in developing storyboards and plots for the majority of online games. Many online games are structured to appease white minds, carefully avoiding white fragility and therefore losing much-needed diversity. This can manifest itself in the lack of characters who are people of color or even cause a game to feed off racist stereotypes most commonly utilized when describing minority groups. This is morally wrong for any audience; however, children tend to be the biggest victims of online systemic racism. Children are taught to believe these stereotypes and associate them with actual people in their lives, impeding the cycle of each generation’s increasingly progressive beliefs. Furthermore, this leaves out children of color, looking to see themselves as heroes in their video games, but having to live with being depicted as a villain, or even worse, a nuisance, to their fantastical worlds.
Red Dead Redemption 2, developed by Rockstar Games, is an online videogame that appeals to players because of its adrenaline-inducing challenges and addictive nature. Although extremely popular amongst various audiences, the game’s premise is not just problematic, it’s dangerous. The online sensation features KKK inspired clans and racial targeting, commonly seen in characters who are slave catchers. Even more frightening is the game’s chatroom, a feature that is notably regarded as one of the most copious examples of racially-motivated online brainwashing. Members of the KKK have allegedly preyed upon players who were obviously under 18, subtly pushing the group’s ideas and beliefs. Quotes from various supporters of the game have stated the following:
“White Boys on Red Dead Redemption Online really be calling Black People Darkies, and all though it is racist, it’s still kind of funny … Red Dead got these white boys on some throwback racist s**t.”
“Played Red Dead Online for an hour today and already ran into two n****s role-playing as ‘runaway slave catchers’ ... & of course my character is black so y’all can tell how that went lmaooo f*** this man.”
Unfortunately, the several warnings that come with the game have been rendered useless. The game was one of the most asked-for items by pre-teenagers across the country in 2015.
Gender is another concept that is often a significant issue in online games. Many large companies make female characters “take care of the male protagonists,” and even utilize traditional, domestic ways of living as a basis for game development. On the other hand, female characters are also often hyper-sexualized. This hyper-sexualization is seen in the character’s physical appearance and their role in the game’s plot. Usually, female characters are seen wearing revealing items of clothing, and more often than not, put down for their “risque” appearance.
Female characters are also typically seen as a distraction to the men, and are even referred to as “...useless pieces of arm candy.” Game developers use marketing as an excuse when confronted for their depictions of females, oftentimes stating that their games mainly appeal to men, and therefore, need content that will attract men and keep them invested for an extended period of time. Not only is depicting females in these degrading ways teaching young boys to disrespect women but they also negatively impact young girls’ confidence and development. Girls that participate in online gaming are already critiqued as a result of society’s development of strict gender roles. They are also taught by their games that they must portray and mimic this old-fashioned and vulnerable role of a woman.
Gaming is oftentimes a parent’s worst nightmare, especially when they have to watch their kids waste hours at a time staring at a ridiculously bright screen. Although challenging to restrict, especially as the media and technology as a whole are already playing such a significant role in a child’s development, parents must continue to monitor their children’s internet activity. The last thing any parent wants is for their children to grow up without the ability to feel compassion and exhibit kindness, all as a result of online gaming’s destructive nature.
SOURCES
Comments