Racial Stereotyping in Games

[leunas]

Writer Richard O. Jones has a lengthy article up at Black Voice News, where he discusses the dangers of racial stereotyping in video games. Citing examples like Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, he contends that young Black and Latino children who constantly see themselves portrayed as thieves and killers are more likely to emulate them.

"If Blacks and Latinos are always portrayed as the villains, or as the victims who get killed often and easily, that is code for powerlessness," said Kansas State University psychologist John Murray, who's studied violence and stereotypes in the media for the past 30 years. "These image persist because too few minorities are in the industry."

It is a very good point he makes. The US video game industry is 80% Caucasian, and let's face it, white people tend to program white characters, mainly because it's what they are familiar with, but I suspect also out of a fear that if they portray a Black character they'll get it wrong, or offend someone. Just look at Barret from FFVII.

Jones goes on to suggest that the solution lies in more young Black and Latino children stop playing the games and start making them, and I agree completely. Not only would it help with their own self-image, it could help everyone understand each other a little bit better. Michael Fahey

The Bad News and Good News of Obsessive Video Games Part 1 [Black Voice News via GamePolitics]

Article:
www.kotaku.com/gaming/race/racial-stereotyping-in-video-games-237379.php

[leunas]

Race: 'Negative' Game Characters Critiqued

An article in Black Voice News has been published, offering a highly critical view of the videogame industry’s portrayal of minorities.



Penned by Richard Jones, the article begins, “Negative video games reinforce poor self-images in Black youth.” It points out the overwhelming majority of games-makers are white, while surveys suggest that African American and some other minority games players spend more times with consoles than white players.

Kansas State University psychologist John Murray is quoted, "If Blacks and Latinos are always portrayed as the villains, or as the victims who get killed often and easily, that is code for powerlessness. These image persist because too few minorities are in the industry. Roughly 80% of video game programmers are White.”

The author, who criticizes the Grand Theft Auto series (pictured) adds, “The video game industry is all about money. No one really cares about your skin color or gender if you are a well-trained video game designer or illustrator. The problem is that our youth and adult players see themselves as players and not designers or illustrators. Therefore unless they're motivated to get on the business end versus the player end of the video game phenomenon they will continue to be portrayed in a negative light and also miss out on a ten billion dollar a year industry.”


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