Humanity Of Science Fiction : Humanity

The sociological interpretations of video games are almost as numerous as the games themselves, and like many aspects of our society can be harmful or beneficial depending on how they are utilized by an

Video games are progressively becoming a crucial medium today, despite the light connotation of its initial categorization. Today they are a business that produces billions of dollars and employs engineers and artists alike in an art form connecting interactive games, to virtual societies where millions of people dwell. However, like all human products, our same emotion, flaws and injustice show in the games, with the impression of hatred, racism and stereotypes that are our everyday background. What are the creators of these video games real intentions in the desire they produce in the human?

As video games become more and more popular, we will inevitably see an increase in amount of video games being produced. The growth in popularity of video games is facilitated by the creation of a website known as Twitch.com. This website allows gamers and content creators to stream themselves playing video games online and interact directly with a live audience via chat. This new platform makes gaming both more accessible and more acceptable. The social stigmas that accompany video games are diminishing; in fact there has been an increase in competitive electronic sports as well. Logically, the growing interest in video games encourages programmers to make more and more games. Melinda Burgess et al presents an interesting perspective about video games. She explores the prevalence of racial stereotypes and how their effects are detrimental to society as a whole. In Burgess’s essay, “Playing with Prejudice: The Prevalence and Consequences of Racial Stereotypes in Video Games”, she provides fantastic commentary on how top selling video games show “overt racial stereotyping” (Lunsford et al 551) and negatively affect how we think. By providing statistics and data about the videogames that she is critiquing, she effectively shows that there is may be a correlation between video games and how we think and interact with the world around us.

According to several sources around 42% of the American population plays video games, and around 1.2 billion people worldwide play video games today. Gaming has become an increasingly more popular hobby since its creation. As such the medium has obviously attracted a multitude of different people and groups, all consisting of diverse backgrounds, body types, sexes, races, nationalities and the like. However, contrary to the numerous demographics video games have come to attract, it is very evident the vast majority of them do not seem to be marketed toward many of them via game characters, and their importance, if any, in a game. Video games show an overwhelming amount of white male characters, despite the many demographics they reach. Of the characters that are not white, or male, that are represented, are often represented poorly. For example, many black characters represented in video games are often characterized as vulgar, and violent. Women represented in games are often characterized as support characters, or objects of sexual desire. Considering forms of sexism, racism, and other such types of prejudices are still prominent in modern society, and these representations obviously do not help how people see these marginalized groups. Ultimately, these representations, or lack thereof, affect people in society in a number of ways, by perpetuating prejudice and harmful stereotypes.

In modern day, there aren’t any slaves and Blacks receive the same treatment as everyone else. But hidden in plain sight, the stereotypes regarding to Blacks still linger and one of them includes video games. Leonard (2006) mention stereotypes based on the race and Blacks were listed “as are the violent and muscular Black athlete” (p. 85). Due to their structure and history, game developers viewed them as a perfect race for enemies within the game. Deskins (2013) gave an example from Devine’s research that each participant was primed with stereotypic words such as “hostile”, “gangster”, and “Black” (p. 2). Although game developers have no ill intent towards Blacks, it was simply because it’s “default” of the discourse in society. According

Two professionals, David Meeler and Eric Hill, wrote “Sharing Social Context: Is Community with the Posthuman Possible?”. Meeler and Hill’s in-depth dissection of posthumans in motion pictures is for an educated audience and those who are deeply interested in motion pictures, especially the science fiction genre. Throughout the piece, Meeler and Hill give examples by referencing classic science fiction films. Meeler and Hill’s purpose for this piece is to educate their audience on human and posthuman relationships, activities and sequences in films. Continually, Meeler and Hill analyze films with interpersonal relationships and activities between humans and posthumans. Also, Meeler and Hill said that in these films, the human traits are portrayed

To make an attempt at depicting the future it is necessary to first look at the present and in particular at the nature of humanity. The question of what is inherent in society and will last through time versus what is simply a trend must be addressed by those who wish to create a vision of a future world; the films A Clockwork Orange and Blade Runner take on the challenge of transferring the society of their day to a not so distant future to show the audience what appears to be a warning about the direction or even the nature of humanity.

Most like to imagine what it would be like to be in a science fiction story in real life. Everyone would also like to believe it would be easy to survive and to try and would like to believe fighting back would be the first answer. But what most don’t realize is that survival is going to be more difficult than one might think.

Movies can confine women in many ways, whether it is villainous psychotic role or representing as sex objects. Consider how “the impossibly busty body of Laura Croft, the female protagonist of Tomb Raider, can be viewed nude on certain websites. The notion behind this is that these harmful stereotyped representations can damage the overall image inside younger generations and change their perception of (Norris, 2004). Laura Croft is the result of the imagination of someone yet that doesn’t make her any less as an idol and is believed to be perfect in every sense. Young males consider her as someone with whom they want other girls to look the same. On the other hand, teenage females think it is very hard to achieve the similar figure and personality as of the protagonist. Unaware, both the genders are

Composers create a representation of the future by incorporating contextual beliefs, knowledge, and values to highlight the impact of humanity’s hubris. Despite a chronological disparity, Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein (1818) and Ridley Scott’s Blade Runner (1982) excoriate the cognitive estrangement of mankind’s attempts to usurp the role of God and our Technicism ideology; mankind’s obsession with transcendence will ironically result in the regression of human integrity. Similarly, Ursula Le Guin’s The Left Hand of Darkness (1969) and James Cameron’s Avatar (2009) augur the requirement for change, hence excoriating humanity’s ignorance and desensitised perception of sovereignty.

While playing MMORPGs players are exposed to Racism and Stereotyping from the game itself down to the gamers playing the game. Research concerning race and video games usually focus on games set in the real world such as games like the Grand Theft Auto franchise. It shows that minorities are rarely represented, and that when they do appear the characters are usually racial stereotypes (Burgess, Dill, Stermer, Burgess, & Brown, 2011). Thus meaning that while video games are supposed to take gamers out of the real world and

Video games have been a way to express the ideas and creativity of video game developers’ for year now. Recently they have taken a turn for the worst by incorporating racial, sexual and violent metaphors or scenarios. Two articles that talk about this important issues “Sex, violence and video games” by Mitch Krpata and “Not a Hater, Just Keepin' It Real: The Importance of Race- and Gender-Based Game Studies” by David J. Leonard. Leonard makes a crucial argument about the importance of balck, Hispanic and latino’s stereotypes in video games that are primarly played by white gamers. On the other hand, Krpata defends the critiques made about racism, violence and sex portrayed in video games by stanting that it is just fantasy. While both, Leonard

Over the years, videos have changed because more women and diverse race characters exist in games. In the past, videos games leading roles were predominantly white male characters and supporting roles for women. In fact, most of women characters’ roles were less important because women characteristics were based on stereotypes. Because of this, the exposure of video games and I will discuss about how video games such as Grand Theft Auto, Assassin’s Creed, and Lara Croft: Tomb Raider exert a media influence over the ages of 9 to 18 years affects their gender role.

Most “science fiction is rooted in the belief that through thinking human beings can indeed save the planet and the species” and that “progress is not only possible but probable through science” (Morse 293). Dealing with themes common to most science fiction, Kurt Vonnegut’s The Sirens of Titan “explores the question of purpose in a futuristic setting” (May 35). This novel, however, contests many presumptions upon which many science fiction foregrounds. Josh Simpson writes that by “[us]ing irony, satire, and black humor . . . Vonnegut forces his readers to consider what it means to be human in a chaotic, often absurd, and irrational universe (262). In fact, many scholars would agree that The Sirens of Titan is “Vonnegut’s most flamboyant novel, with its entire universe at the mercy of the outrageous fortune” (Wolfe 968). Seconding G. K. Wolfe’s idea, Lynn Buck notes that the world of Vonnegut is a “mixture of hilarity and futility, [and] illusion” (181).

“Video Games and Machine Dreams of Domination” by John Sanbonmatsu is an article that discusses video games and their impact on society. The main consumer and targeted audience of video games produced are white, heterosexual men (Sanbobmatsu). Just like comics, Sanbonmatsu notes, “The vast majority of game protagonists and heroes are male”. This makes sense due to the consumers the companies are trying to target. However, this sends a terrible message to women. The message tells women they do not belong in the world of video games and are not capable of being