A Study of the Representation of Ethnic and Cultural Minorities in Video Games
Diverse Gaming Insights
Overview
What Categories Make Up Representation?
Overall, representation of any given group, be it minority or otherwise, can be classified into five major groups: tokenism, stereotyping, genuine, educational, and virtual. This page will elaborate on each, as well as describing pros and cons of each method of representation.
Tokenism
One of the most common forms of representation in general media, tokenism is described as the representation of individuals or communities by simply having them exist within the context of the given story or world. ​
Tokenism is also sometimes known as "box-checking," as this kind of representation is often used with the intention of "checking the diversity box" when it comes to having inclusion inside a video game or fictional world.
Pros and Cons of Tokenism
Pro
A More Nuanced Approach
Tokenism often takes a very nuanced approach to the topic of representation, glossing over making minorities represented by this kind of representation actual characters. These minorities are often relegated to background characters and lack depth, but some prefer this kind of representation. Tokenism serves to make minorities part of a larger fictional world while imitating the real-life fact that not everyone has to be a hero or interesting character with a complex backstory. Some point to tokenism as the prime example of representation that depicts minorities as normal people, a feat which can only be achieved primarily through this kind of representation.
Con
A Cheap Excuse for Representation
Despite some appreciating the more nuanced approach of tokenism, others see it as a cheap way to include minorities in a story without actually highlighting their struggles and problems. Characters under the tokenism category often lack depth, personality, and compelling stories, leading to hollow-feeling characters which do not really feel like people. Some point out that representation in this manner avoids actually acknowledging the existence of these minority communities, and instead simply uses them to make their world appear to imitate the diversity of the real world,
Stereotyping
Thought to be the other most common type of representation, stereotyping is defined as ideas or practices applied to a large group of people with the assumption that every individual in that group applies to those ideas or practices.
Despite the negative connotations, not all stereotypical representations of minority communities are necessarily bad or offensive.
Pros and Cons of Stereotyping
Pro
Important Stories Should be Depicted Multiple Times to Bring Awareness
While stereotyping often refers to physical characteristics or practices, representation of this kind can also refer to the same kind of story being told repeatedly in relation to an ethnic group or community. While the repeated telling of these same stories of an ethnic group can lead to stereotypes, some argue that there is usually a reason for highlighting these kinds of stories again and again. Without stereotyping, a story showcasing the struggles of a group may only be told once, while other stories can muddy the waters and create confusion as to what the major problems the group faces actually are.
Con
Lack of Originality When Telling the Same Stories Over Again
While some support the retelling of the same stories, others dismiss them as an unoriginal way to include minorities in a video game. With the same stories being told over and over again, people will get the impression that every member of an ethnic community is the same and experiences the same things. In addition, it enforces the idea that members of this ethnic minority can only be one thing, leading to potential dismissal of any member of the given community who does not fit this predetermined idea of the community.
Con
Stereotyping of Ethnic Communities Often Results in Racist Depictions
Unfortunately, the most common use of stereotypical representation of ethnic and cultural minorities in video games is racist depictions and caricatures. These kinds of depictions are known to be harmful to the people being represented, those who view them, and those who create them in the first place. The existence of this kind of representation as it relates to racial caricatures leads to increased prejudice and hate against the affected group, achieving the opposite effect of what representation should be.
Genuine
Genuine representation is defined as a kind of representation which seriously includes and highlights the stories of minority groups in an attempt to improve the representation of these communities.
Genuine representation is a wide category and is unable to be encompassed by a single character or story. Rather, it is the accumulation of multiple stories and characters all well researched with the intention of bringing light to these communities.
Pros and Cons of Genuine
Pro
Well-Researched and Respectful Representation Benefits the Affected Community
Genuine representation is the ideal when it comes to the representation of any given community or group. When people are well-researched and depicted in a respectful and inoffensive way, it benefits the group being showcased as well as showing the developers to be inclusive and accepting.
Con
Genuine Representation as a Category is Too Broad
Because of the nature of representation, many different people have many different opinions on what makes for good and bad representation. Genuine representation is an incredibly subjective category as anyone can interpret any kind of representation as genuine no matter how offensive or lazy it may be. Ultimately, what matters when it comes to genuine representation is the intention behind the representation of the given community or group, and how the character or story being shown is ultimately executed.
Educational
Educational representation is similar to genuine representation, but different enough to merit its own category. Educational representation is defined as representation with the sole purpose of educating an audience.
Educational representation often applies to whole games as opposed to singular character storylines.
Pros and Cons of Educational
Pro
Educational Representation Educates People
As the name implies, the primary purpose of educational representation is to educate an audience. Most games that feature this kind of representation do achieve this end, and often will provide links to resources such as charities, extra information, and other pages which can help featured communities. These games bring awareness to common problems faced by the featured minority groups, and often are able to bring about change and educate people through the medium of video games.
Con
Less of a "Game," and More of a "Story"
While there are some educational games which are praised for their game-like nature, most follow a format which reads more like a slightly more complicated story as opposed to an actual game. Oftentimes, educational representation-based games will take the form of "choose your own adventure" games, with player choice supposedly effecting the story. This, however, is not the case for most educational games, leading some to ridicule these games as not being actual "games" as choices made by the player do not effect the final outcome of the story.
Virtual
Virtual representation is a type of representation which involves the presence or aspects of a culture or practice.
Virtual representation is similar to tokenism, but applies more to objects and symbols rather than people. This kind of representation can often be seen when it comes to inspiration for in-universe or in-game cultures or groups, or simply as a reflection of real-world cultures and groups in games.
Pros and Cons of Virtual
Pro
Celebration of Culture and Practices can Lead to Increased Knowledge
Virtual representation often features aspects of a culture or practice as the main way of representing a community. This celebration of culture and practices can lead to increased knowledge about these minority groups as interested persons can delve deeper into the intricacies of the culture as they see fit. In addition, this inclusion of culture and practices can serve as a good inspirational point for game developers, and make members of the featured minority communities feel more connected to the game, story, or environment.
Con
Inclusion of Practices and Symbols and Not People can Erase the Community Behind the Featured Culture
Since virtual representation primarily applies to symbols and objects rather than people, a common criticism of this kind of representation is that it ignores the community behind the featured culture in lieu of simply using the interesting aspects of the community's history. Some have even said that this kind of representation implies that every aspect of a community is beautiful except for the people themselves. This, in turn, can separate the featured community from their own culture, leading to only the appreciation of the object associated with the group as opposed to the people themselves.