Tomorrow will mark one of the most challenging and important days of the semester. We are discussing race, gender, values and representation in new media. One of the first reactions that tends to happen during this particular class is that the white men in the room feel personally attacked and silenced by the topic. Often this is because they individualize the concept of racism, instead of moving the problem of racism to a larger macro-level. In the same sense, non-white students can be harmed severely by the conversation, and asked to speak for their race, or experience (which I would never do). This is the symptom of a dominant culture not understanding the experiences of people who are not part of the dominating group.
Racism and sexism are systemic problems which are echoed and reinforced in a multitude of ways. In more concrete terms, the inequalities attached to race are clear in our justice system. According to Mauer & King, "African Americans are incarcerated (5.6) nearly 6 times the rate of whites, and hispanics are incarcerated at (1.6) double that rate" (2007) These numbers are grossly out of proportion with the demographics. Possible causes identified by The Innocence project are eyewitness misidentification, jury makeup, and unjust detective work. The higher rates of incarceration cannot be linked to just one individual instance - but rates of conviction, incarceration, and levels of punishment are systems within systems that continue to reinforce one another.
Mediated representations of race and gender create and sustain stereotypes which can and do have a vital role in how people are percieved and treated. Though the idea of each person being judged on their own merits sounds good - the reality is that there are far to many institutionalized inequalities at play to pin blame on individual actions. The act of doing so is derived from a privileged position - where systemic inequity serves those in power to continue to blame circumstances on individuals as opposed to looking at the systems that serve to disenfranchise and underscore achievement. Inequality manifests itself in many ways and representation reinforces what is acceptable and normal and what is not.
The idea of systemic racism can be more clearly understood and seen when boiled down to the unacknowledged privileges white skin enables. Peggy McIntosh's "White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack" looks to deconstruct the way white privilege reconstitutes and centers itself by making a list of privileges that she is endowed by her skin color. It is by understanding race in this way - as a system of privilege and oppression that it can be more clearly understood - and white guilt (hopefully) avoided.
Selections from McIntosh's list of invisible white privilege:
5. I can turn on the television or open to the front page of the paper and see people of my race widely represented
7. I can be sure that my children will be given curricular materials that testify to the existence of their race
14. I can do well in a challenging situation without being called a credit to my race.
15. I am never asked to speak for all the people of my racial group
22. I can take a job with an affirmative action employer without having coworkers on the job suspect that I got it because of my race.
26. I can choose blemish cover or bandages in "flesh" cover and have them more or less match my skin.
My own addition: I can walk into any department store and get makeup in my skin tone
Tomorrow we will be discussing the ways race and gender are represented through video games. Gendered stratification means that not only women are portrayed in unequal ways - but the hyper-masculine male is another image that penetrates and centers what it means to be man. Representation victimizes everyone. There are several layers to this.
First, is understanding the argument in regard to colorblind vs. color-conscious ideology. This is directly related to whiteness - white is a color and often by not referring to white as a color, it is centered as normative, and people who are not white - Othered. Second - the idea that gender is problematized only by the way women are represented. Gender is not just about women!
Another layer to this article is the relevance and impact of video game representation vs. other mediated forms and those possible reprocussions. Video games are interactive virtual realities. As such, should we have a more or less heightened response to representation since it enables interaction, in a lot of circumstances - violent/gratuitous interaction? What is the difference between playing games and watching a movie? Who has the privilege to say that "it's just a game" and who gets hurt by these representations? How are systems of subordination and domination naturalized - and ultimately, the biggest question is "WHY ARE WE SO OK WITH THESE REPRESENTATIONS?"
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The New PostSecret Book
10 years ago
As I got done reading the article, I was blown away with how little thought I have given the statistics towards the racism in video games. I think that it is only natural for the stereotypes that children who are, say, 10-12yrs old, subconsciously inherit through these games will be carried on throughout their lives. It is scary to think that because of a video game and it's influence a child can think that "racism, sexism, and poverty are an inevitable part of life".
ReplyDeleteThe difference in playing a video game and watching a movie are simply choices. When we watch a film, we have no control over what will happen next, or where the story goes. By playing an inter-active game, the player can choose to create an unappealing situation for themselves. That player consciously chooses to form a gang, break into a store, and possibly rape a woman (who is likely being misrepresented) with her chest hanging out (Grand Theft Auto). Watching an action and taking part in an action are two very different things, and ultimately, two very different feelings.
It is still a great question whose right it is to say what is "just a game" or what is truly detrimental to our society and younger generations. As of now, I believe it is up to parental control to monitor what children play and what they learn to perceive as "real life". All races get hurt by representation, no matter what. It may not be the same kind of pain or misunderstandings, but we all suffer due to lack of tolerance and equality within mankind. No person deserves to be judged by the masses, no race deserves to be incriminated by a video game.
As to why we are okay with these representations, in my opinion, has a lot to do with the question, "What can we do about it?" I am not a video programmer, I personally don't know anyone who is. I can not buy the game, put up a protest that way, but there are so many that do purchase these games, what good would that do? Even if we did make a rash movement, who would listen? All in all, I am not "okay" with the representations, but I guess I can not blame anyone but myself for allowing them to go on and do nothing about it. It is a shame that most of us rely on so few to make a difference in this situation, when so many are impacted and affected by it.
This article got me thinking of what causes such kinds of racism. A few interesting thing to note are that a few of the games mentioned in the article (such as Tenchu: Wrath of Heaven and Dynasty Warriors to name a few) is that they are developed and made over seas in Japan where video games play a much more major role culturally than they do hear in the states. When those games are determined that they'd sell well in the U.S then they're obviously translated and so forth.
ReplyDeleteMy point is that when we look at this topic we should keep in mind that many of the video games we play and many that were mentioned in the article and in class today are made by Japanese who have their own views on modern U.S culture and their own stereotypes.
Another fact according to a survey put out by the International Game Developers Association is that roughly 80% of all games developers are white males.
I'll be talking more about this in my blog post come Friday but I figured these couple things are a few things that deserve to be mulled over and should be taken into account when analyzing this topic.
While reading this blog, and thinking about the questions we were asked at the end of class today I started to think more about the consequences for saying "It's just a game." Before class today I had never realized how many people do actually spend a lot of their free time in a virtual world playing some sort of game whether it be online or on a video console. When I thought about it a little more in depth I began to think of some of my own past experiences playing video games, and how it was so easy to get involved with it and not want to leave. That is until your eyes start watering because you haven't blinked in an hour. But I do not think anyone has the right to say to another person that it is just a game, because in so many situations not only in virtual games, but also in real life sport situations, people are being entertained by these games. The same question could be applied to an angry sports fan after his team has just lost, and he might go on to fight an opposing fan. Although, the sport may be just a game it obviously did cause him to start a violent situation. The same thing is being argued about video games and violence. I think that we cannot just dismiss it as just a game since we can see the effects of something closely related in the real world.
ReplyDeleteI think that the major differences between a video game and media are mostly at the interaction level. Because of this difference I think it is why people can confuse virtual reality and reality. In a video game the player has the opportunity to choose who they are, and what they do within the game. While watching a movie you are already being controlled by what emotion the writer is trying to convey from you. I think that the real question people should be asking themselves is does what we see in media promote more violence than playing video games? I think it does because you have the opportunity to see something from so many different viewpoints and receive so many different opinions. Sometimes people think that this also is reality, but it has definitely been stretched. I think that is why our culture has seemed to mature faster at younger ages. It is almost scary to think about how Tv shows, movies,video games, commercials, and online ads are influencing how we think of others and perceive ourselves. If they didn't exist how would our perceptions be different?
As I read the readings before our class on Wednesday I was suprised about how little I thought about the representations in video games. We hear about all the representations in movies, magazines, advertisements, and all other sorts of media but not much about video games.
ReplyDeleteI do not play video games very often at all so it is hard for me to really pay attention to them. Although I don't play them much I know there are so many people out there who do play them a great amount.
I feel that people who do play video games everyday do loose a sense of reality and that is why representation matters.
In the article they talked about how Asians are always in the fighting games and black people are always in the sports game. When I read this part of the article it made me realize how true that really is.
The representaions can become a reality to some people and that is why this is an important topic. Once the representations become reality than they will begin to reflect in their lives. It will shape how they view the world and how they treat other people.
While reading this article, I was very surprised about how people of different races and genders are depicted in video games. I never would have thought that a 50% of the players in the game are white males.
ReplyDeleteAfer going to class and listening to other's comments it occured to me that in video games this article is right on. It was very interesting to see how women are depicted in video games, most women in the video games have little waists, big chests, and are waiting for someone to come and rescue them.
Personally, I dont play a lot of video games, but I do know people who do. It is so interesting and in a way bizzare to me to see people become so intertwinned with video games, and how easily this is reality for them.
After discussing this topic, how gender and race are shown in video games is more apparent to me then before. I never would have thought that it would be an issue in a game.