Stereotypes In The Gaming World

According to Wright the majority of a child's lifetime is spent exploring own imaginary worlds and become engage like a game. Games have been played through generations and played differently compared to today. Wright claims that gaming have evolved and generations today play games with an automatic push to a button, without an instructional manual only observing the

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?

Video games have been around since 1950s and have gone a long way from what they are today. They are in no doubt a big part of our society and with doing so they have been criticized by many. Video games come in different categories which include: action, racing, adventure, role-playing, simulation, strategy, and sports. The purpose of these games can be casual, serious, art, Christian, and educational. You can play these games on different types of platforms as well to make it the gamers preference. In today’s society, it is common for one to play video games. Some people play causally and some play professional to make money. Even though, video games are now mainstream, they are still being stigmatized and it has been like that since the creation of them. Some people see video games as a waste of time and that they are unproductive, but after being studied thoroughly by researchers that is not true; video games are known to have benefits. It can help children with development and it can help adults perform better at their job. It can also help people with different disorders. Video games should not be stigmatized because of the advantages ranging from cognitive to social benefits for children, people with disabilities, and adults.

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.

Now that technological companies all over the world have set most of the seven billion individuals in the world with a computer, smartphone or tablet, it is time for better software to use with them. This is where games come in. Electronic Arts CEO John Riccitiello stated in a recent interview that PC gaming is the ‘fastest growing platform’. This shows the growing interest in gaming bearing in mind that gamers also have the means to play on. The term ‘gamer’ refers to an individual that plays a game or games, typically a participant in a computer or role playing game. The gaming community has grown so wide in the last few years because of the shift from single player games to multiplayer games on the internet

Meet Shrek. Shrek is an ordinary guy who has a job, a girlfriend, and a house. He often plays video games in his free time and tells his colleagues about his experiences in gaming. But his colleagues call him a loser and a dweeb for playing games. This is because when the word gamer is said, images of fat, unemployed, basement dwellers who have nothing better to do than play games come to mind.

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.

The gaming industry has attracted over a billion customers and has made around hundreds of billions dollars so far. So therefore i am going to persuade you that video games are incredibly beneficial. Some of the most valuable and necessary skills, video games give us include: Social advantages, Mental Advantages and Skills that will secure jobs. I am doing this because i am sick and tired of the common stereotype that gamers and lazy, stupid, unemployed and a particular age. I am here to give the drastic advantages and put a rest to this urban myth.

Dungeons and Dragons is a role playing game that requires time, patience, and a relatively good imagination. Society has grown up with this game for several decades and yet the majority has no knowledge of its works and rules other than the misconceptions of stereotypes and confused explanations. When asked about the game, certain social groups are targeted as the player when, in truth, the quantity is much larger than previously thought. Dungeons and Dragons is a game that is more than a game. It is a bonding experience with many personal properties, overcomes the stereotypes, and that everyone can try or witness at least once in their life.

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

“Male characters are largely unemotional unless those emotions are anger or vengefulness… [they are] characters who put their lives at risk to accomplish ‘the mission. ’”1 The previously mentioned quote is from an article on the stereotypes of males in video games, it is not the only article which states that males in video games are nothing more than muscle bound idiots with anger issues. These common male tropes, which emphasize aggressive behaviors in males, can be seen in many of the most popular video games, like God of War III and Resident Evil 4. However, the idea that males are emotionless and put their lives on the line for the “mission” is not exclusive to video games, it can also be seen in the social norms of the US.

Introduction As per the findings of the general social survey, administered by Statistics Canada (2010), video game usage has more than doubled in the last 20 years. Most researchers seem to agree that the stereotypical video game player is a young, white, heterosexual male (e.g. Shaw, 2012; Williams, Consalvo, Caplan, & Yee, 2009). In considering the topic of gender and gaming, one of the first questions to consider is whether or not this stereotypical view of video game players is accurate. The Entertainment Software Association (ESA) publishes a report containing statistics on video game player demographics each year.

When stressing the issue of prejudice and stereotypes in gaming, the authors note that video games are highly associated with specific and caricatured negative image. The stereotyping has permeated collective consciousness as online video gamers have become regular caricatures in the media. Of much concern is the racial stereotyping where minorities both male and female are underrepresented in video game magazines. In this study, white males were found to have more ‘vivid’ roles such as in military combat and conversant with the use of technology as compared to minority males who had minor roles. Additionally, the stereotypes that minority males are associated with crime was evident with their representation of being ‘dangerous’ or overrepresentation

Since the Early 70’s video games have been giving a bad name. Parents state that video games rot the minds of children and are influencing them do be violent. These accusations are far from the truth. In my research I found that there are many positive effects of gaming. Some of these effects are increased skills, creativity, general knowledge, and also help those in need. Parents can also take proper precautions and look into a game before buying it to see if it meets the criteria discussed in this paper.

Gaming has been such a huge part of nearly everyone’s life growing up as a kid and it’s only getting bigger and bigger every day. Growing up as a kid, online gaming wasn’t as popular as it is today. I started off with a Gameboy and Dreamcast console that later shifted to better consoles like the PlayStation, Xbox, Wii, and Nintendo. Nowadays, almost everyone, including myself, have shifted to the more popular gaming platforms in mobile games and online PC games. More specifically, certain types of online gaming styles like FPS, MOBA, and MMO are distinctly more popular than many others. Not only has the popularity for online gaming platforms evolved but the importance and relevance of