A Study of the Representation of Ethnic and Cultural Minorities in Video Games
Diverse Gaming Insights
Overview
How Does Representation Actually Effect the Real World?
Though the origin of a fictional video game character may seem like an insignificant thing in the real world, multiple studies have been done which point to representation (both good and bad) having observable effects on the real world.
Effects on Crime and Violence
What Effect Does Representation Have?
Popular media often finds itself revolving around crimes and injustices because of the drama and content these kinds of events present. However, research has shown that an overrepresentation of both perpetrators and victims can lead to more crimes being committed, negative consequences, and harmful stereotypes, while positive representations of minority communities can lead to larger acceptance.
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Example #1: Mohamed Salah is an Egyptian Muslim soccer player for the Liverpool Football Club. After his debut, a study was conducted among British people which saw anti-Muslim hate crimes and general sentiments decrease after Salah rose to popularity.
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Example #2: Asian women have historically been fetishized in media, especially western media. 2021 saw Asian hate-crime rate at an all time high due to Covid-19, ideas encouraged by the media and negative portrayals of Asians.
Effects on Prejudice
What Effect Does Representation Have?
Overall, studies show that, when shown positive depictions of groups, prejudice goes down. When shown negative depictions of groups, prejudice goes up, and when shown no depictions of groups, prejudice remains the same.
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Example #1: Longitudal studies show that exposure to LGBTQ indivdals in shows, movies, etc. leads to an increased acceptance rate and decreased prejudice, especially if the depictions are positive.
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Example #2: Surveys have found violent game exposure to be related to ethnocentrism, and studies have shown that depictions of violence, especially against perceived "other" groups, can perpetuate prejudice and violence.
Effects on Politics and Law
What Effect Does Representation Have?
Relating back to effects on crime and violence, representation also often effects politics and law. The presence of underrepresented groups in politics can encourage these underrepresented groups to get more involved. At the same time, however, the perpetuation of stereotypes or negative depictions can lead to harsher sentences and laws being made for minority communities.
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Example #1: A longitudinal study conducted on Democrat girls aged 15-18 in 2016, 2017, and 2018 showed a positive increase in the faith of democracy as more women were represented in politics.
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Example #2: French studies have found that judges were more likely to give harsher sentences after spikes in reports of crime, but more lenient ones after reportings of a judicial error. Availability and representation of different crimes can also lead to laws and stances being taken that are not proportional to the amount of crime actually being committed by groups.
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Effects on Young Girls and Boys
What Effect Does Representation Have?
In general, gendered stereotypes can lead to gendered views of the world. There is currently a major push to show more women and girls doing "unladylike" things to attempt to shatter these gendered views, showing the effect that representation can have on the world.
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Example #1: “The Scully Effect” - an experiment done shows women who enjoy the X-Files are much more likely to pursue careers in STEM as inspired by Scully. TV shows in general are able to show women in jobs outside of the ordinary, encouraging them to go out and pursue these kinds of careers.
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Example #2: Studies conducted show that beliefs in outdated masculine beliefs as often shown in media leads to increased violence, negative feelings, and poorer mental health. Studies conducted on the main characters of children’s programing also shows male characters’ tendencies to not show any emotion, take risks, and be perpetrators and victims of violence. Additionally, non-human characters are more likely to be male. Finally, mixed messages for girls and what makes a woman “successful” (Jennifer Lopez and Kim Kardashian as opposed to Katherine Johnson and Malala, for example), can lead to confusion as girls think they can only choose one to be.
Effects on Mentality and Health
What Effect Does Representation Have?
Authentic portrayals of groups can lead to better academic achievement, sense of self, and improved confidence and mental health, while negative portrayals can lead to the opposite.
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Example #1: There’s been positive correlation between certain media usage and body image and senses of self. Overall, mentality has also been shown to improve when groups are validated in media.
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Example #2: Lack of representation of groups can lead to health problems being overlooked or ignored because they’re not seen. Black women, for example, have been passed over or ignored for eating disorders because of the lack of “skinny black girls” seen in media such as magazines or movies.
Effects on Identity
What Effect Does Representation Have?
Representation of groups in media can lead to more openness and more membership in these kinds of groups overall as more people become comfortable with themselves.
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Example #1: In recent years, the world have become more accepting of those who are different from the norm, something that most scholars attribute to the rise of inclusion in media. Ethnic and cultural identities are much easier to be proud of when they are positively represented in media.
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Example #2: Negative representation can lead to decreased membership among communities, stereotypes can lead to whole groups or identities being labeled as “bad” or “trouble,” and the availability of the media can lead to dehumanization and potential increased exploitation among these groups.
Effects on Economics and Jobs
What Effect Does Representation Have?
Overall, more representation and diversity often leads to more jobs and more money.
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Example #1: Gold House is a movie company which works to boost the work of Asian actors, directors, writers, etc. in order to see those stories represented. Movies with more diverse casts also make up some of the top movie releases in recent years, and merchandise related to underrepresented groups sell well (Ghostbuster figurines, Miles Morales and Black Panther action figures, etc.). Underrepresented communities are also more likely to watch things they’re represented in (Barbie, Black Panther, etc.).
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Example #2: Again, negative representations can lead to the perpetuation of stereotypes and, if done wrong, attempted representation can lead to more backlash.
