Negative Stereotypes In Video Games

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.

Researchers regularly research the media’s influence on race perception, but rarely examine one specific form: video games. Unlike formats such as television and newspapers, video games provide an interactive platform for users to live in an alternative world and perform acts considered socially wrong in real societies (Burgess et al). This form of virtual simulation can reinforce how one perceives stereotypes at higher rates. Not only do the majority of these games feature white protagonists, but also task them to defeat ethnically-ambiguous enemies. Currently, the most popular genre is shooter games set in the Middle East, where the

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

Racism has been a vital subject throughout our countries history, and, to no surprise, it is still a relevant subject for the public to talk about. To make matters worse, now racism can come in many forms, whether if is is shown on television, public figures, video games, and school mascots, racism is there. Melinda C.R Burgees, is an author and teacher at Oklahoma state University, who sheds light to the idea of offensive characteristics and the use of minorities in video games. Also, she talks about how our mind is impacted by the imagery of minorities in video games. Furthermore, not only is offensive imagery in video games, but in schools all over the United States as well. Amy Stretten, who is a Native American, bilingual, author, and a member of the Chickahomy tribe in Virginia, brings attention to the offensive usage of Native American mascots in schools. Overall, Burgees’s argument is more impactful, due to her points and her strong usage of information to back her up, rather then Stretten, who relies, mostly, on her self experience and little usage of solid evidence.

Contrary to the stereotypes, most gamers are not a socially isolated. So many of today’s games that your kids play are multiplayer games that require talking and strategizing with other people. According to research by Xbox, “70% of players play their games with a friend, either cooperatively or competitively”. Meaning that not only are they talking to people but they are meeting new people because of the random lobby system that multiplayer games use. The system also put’s you in a “match lobby” Meaning you get put with players who are at or near the same skill level as

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

Thus, we can observed that the ‘gamer identity’ has greatly evolved according to these mentioned factors. The influences of social categorisation, social identification and social comparison can be seen at play as well. As far as being described, the core notion of being a gamer is relatively unchanged. Though, the exclusivity of the straight male gamer has been lost. With the ever incremental progress of technology and increased liberal social views associated with time. We cannot deny that the notion of being ‘a gamer’ will always stay the way it

Through the history of video games women have always been represented poorly. The main characters of video games tend to be white males and they do deserve representation but they are not the only ones who deserve it. Popular video games like Call of Duty, Watchdogs, and Assassin’s Creed all have similar main characters throughout the series; tall, muscular, and powerful men. Though the video game industry has done a poor job of representing women, men are also subject to the pressure of video games and media. Halo and Mortal Kombat are long running video game series and the physical appearances of their characters has been studied through their history. Female characters have become more slender with larger breasts and wear less clothing. Male characters have become more muscular and aggressive. These traits which are also popular in the media can affect the way people think of society. It influences what people think they should be or look like instead of being themselves. Society is begging to see a

This paper tries to express how sexism/chauvinism ideas have infected the virtual-world of video games, and resulted in a male dominated video-gaming industry. Now, being that 49% of U.S. households own a dedicated gaming console (E.S.A. 2012), it is imperative that we address this issue. Gender disparity in the gaming business is exceedingly one-sided. Female employees constitute less than 10% of the gaming industry, and even though that shortcoming females have contributed to the video gaming franchise. A small number of females have indeed contributed to the gaming franchise as a result of the industries no-girls-allowed mentality which strongly suggest that old saying boys-only. In

The portrayal of men and women in video games, as in other media, is a subject of research in gender studies. This topics is discuss in terms of sexism in video gaming. Especially, women are underrepresented or use as objectification in mainstream games. Women in video games are generally, as a rule of thumb, killed, raped, abused or rescued by the male heroes. This is extremely sad to see because the role of women in society is changing compare to ten years ago. Women has been proven themselves to be stronger and tough in different fields such as sports, politics, education but the representation hasn’t change.

A fact that contributes to the objectification and stereotyping of women is that as of 2011, 56% of video game players are male, and the other 44% are female (“Essential Facts” 4). This discrepancy caused video game industries to create games that will sell to the majority-- the male players. However, the 44% of female players are still considered a large consumer group (Shanley 11). Despite the 12% discrepancy between male and female players, industries that have chosen to focus solely on their male consumers can be seen as patriarchal. This patriarchy has caused video game industries to create games that would appeal to male gamers only (“Gender

According to a 2014 study done by the Entertainment Software Association, 59% of Americans play video games, and 51% own at least one dedicated game console. 48% of gamers identify as female, and 39% of all gamers are over the age of 36 (Entertainment Software Association, 2014, p.3). This goes against the perceived audience of young, heterosexual males; however, console companies insist on marketing their products to this imagined audience through the use of sexualised advertisements.

It is agreeable to say that there are video games that are good in mental processing for the brain. It is an entertaining hobby to play. Not many video gamers would pay attention to characters such as their role or development because of the enjoyment of playing computerize gaming consoles like Nintendo and PlayStation. One offensive pattern that has been cycling through in gaming is how women characters are presented. Females in video gaming are sexualized across the gaming media and are used as a key factor of a selling success in the market. Women are objectified as objects, rewards and as sexual entertainment.