Racial Representation in Games
Would expanding the diversity of real world races positively represented in games increase the game playing market?
A 2015 research estimated that Black-American boys are more likely to play video games than other demographics. While video games have become an essential part of global culture, offering immersive experiences and rich narratives, the representation of people of color in gaming remains limited.
This lack of diversity is not just an issue of appearance or aesthetics; it has profound implications for identity, inclusion, and cultural validation in the gaming community. A gamer in Full Sail Armada stated that one of his favorite characters in Halo is Sergeant Johnson because he’s the only African American in the game.
He restarts the game every time Sergeant Johnson dies since he doesn’t want to lose the character representing him. This shows a need for racially diverse games.
A History of Underrepresentation
For decades, videos have mostly displayed white, male protagonists, reflecting the culture and demographics of their creators. Racial representation was given little thought at the beginning since the focus was on heroism, exploration, and competition. In many games, people of color were portrayed through over-the-top or negative stereotypical lenses, if they appeared at all.
For example, early representations of Black characters often cast them as criminals, sidekicks, or villains. Asian characters were sometimes depicted as “exotic,” contributing to a narrow and problematic portrayal of non-white cultures. This pattern created a gaming environment where players of color often saw little or no depiction of themselves and their experience.
The Challenges and Barriers
One of the issues on the path to an increase in racial representation in games is the lack of diverse voices within the development process. Many video game studios are still predominantly white and male, which can result in a narrow perspective on the development of characters, stories, and settings. This
lack of diversity in creative teams often results in a misrepresented and overlooked portrayal of people of color in video games.
Another challenge comes with the fear of taking economic risks by implementing a person of color as a complex leading role. Some developers are concerned about losing sales and getting backlash in certain regions since they aren’t used to playing non-white characters.
Finally, there is an issue of tokenism. In some cases, game developers introduce characters of color simply to tick a diversity box. These characters wind up not being fully fleshed out or are a supporting role for the white protagonist’s journey. This undermines the potential for meaningful racial representation.
The Road Ahead
On the bright side, the conversation around racial representation in games has brought attention to the topic. There’s now a demand for a more diverse cast in games that contain characters of color with depth. Independent game developers, who can operate with greater creative freedom, have been at the forefront of challenging the traditional tropes of video game characters.
The growing success of games with racially diverse characters proves there’s a market for more inclusive content. Studios don’t have to worry about the idea of losing sales because they introduce a person of color as a protagonist as much.
Conclusion
Racial representation in video games is not just a matter of equality, it also provides more tools for a richer story. Diverse characters can present different perspectives and make more complex and engaging narratives.
The ongoing issue of the lack of racial representation won’t be fixed in a day. However, progress has been made in this regard, and by purchasing content with people of various races, we can contribute to this cause.
Guest Contributor:
Sun Santamaria
Sun is pursuing a BFA in Creative Writing at Full Sail University and plans to use his newly acquired skills to tell a story on every platform possible. He worked at Muse Literary as an editorial intern, evaluating the narrative of multiple manuscripts. He adores a wide range of writing projects. He can enjoy a call to action in a coupon as much as cleaning a script.
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