Comments on: Assignment #7:

By: Ms. Information's beau, John Bolles

Ms. Information's beau, John Bolles — Sat, 21 Apr 2007 08:52:12 +0000

Maybe I would be giving the human race too much credit if I were to say that kids were smarter than what they are given credit for…but after evaluating the generation/s directly underneath me (double entendre intended) I recant ever thinking that thought. Kids are smart though…how many kids do you know that have full-time jobs or kids of their own?

As to whether or not I agree with Parks’ assessment, well…outside of the fact that we are all bias to believe what we want to believe, I have my doubts that Parks even played San Andreas & solely based most of his information on commercials. He neglected to mention that it is opened with the main character being released from prison before being picked up by at least two corrupt police officers, one white (big shock) and one black…oops, apparently our “hero” icons are anything but.

I find myself simultaneously agreeing and disagreeing with this assessment, just due to the fact that humanity is in a post era and the information we are bombarded with is something of what can be considered to be of a hyper-real nature. There are definitely sociological ramifications as to what Parks wrote; from the concept of how a society views not only its own components, but how the individual views the society – the whole is to the part as the part is to the whole. However there are no sociological issues due to the fact that it is just a game. Then again, I personally believe that life itself is a game…

On a more humorous note, I would like to know what Parks’ assessment of PacMan’s predicament is…

An example that would defy video game profiling: “True Crime: Streets of LA”, both the protagonist and antagonist in this game are of the Asian persuasion. And if I remember correctly, the lead role in “BloodRayne” is a woman…true she is a half-human/half-vampire, but she is still a woman just slightly undead.

As to any other instances of racial, ethnic, classicist, gender and/or sexual stereotyping in video games…well, if art reflects life and video games are now being respected as art then it would be only natural assume that uhm, yeah…I think we can all see where I am going here.

And concerning whether these images inform or reflect one’s sense of identity, culture, and power, I agree with Machiavelli concerning power that “absolute power corrupts absolutely” and that we do not possess such burdens; culture is exactly like bacteria being that it either grows or dies; as for identity I find myself quoting the CIA manual: “A person’s sense of identity depends upon the continuity in his surroundings, habits, appearance, relations with others, etc.” Other than that, an “enlightened mind” (for lack of a better term) has no issues as to whether or not the images either inform or reflect, for they can draw the line that distinguishes betwixt what they witness on a monitor (que ironico!) and “real” life, i.e. in an ideal society generalizations about another individual of another race/creed should not reflect upon that race/creed, just upon the individual in question…then again, this is not an ideal society.

“I’m not racist – I hate everyone equally.”

On a personal note, I have been known to be a voracious information junkie. I am drawn to video games of the automotive nature, but every so often a first-person shooter game enters the fray. I play the prior because of the rate at which the information is transmitted and to see how quick I am with a decision. I play the latter because sometimes I honestly want to kill something. Maybe it is a deep-seeded one or zero in my psyche that is even more disgusted with people than I consciously am and want to know what it would be like [to exist] in a world free of consequences (for the most part)…or maybe it is not that at all, after all one can only escape so far.

But seeing as I play games with the frequency rivaled by that of the Amish, I can almost say that I do not care and wrote this review whilst listening to NWA…Straight Outta Compton & shit.

By: Javier Romero

Javier Romero — Thu, 19 Apr 2007 21:55:57 +0000

Question: Do you agree with Parks’ assessment of video games? Why or why not?

I agree with his point of view on video games. Its sad to say but the way that video games are portrayed today’s age are mostly based on stereotypes that people have of other people in the real world. Most fighting games have majority of hispanics or blacks as main characters. Rarely do you see a white or asian portraying these charachters. I agree with Rikki on the sports game situation where since they are actual people children want to imulate them because of who they are and what they do. But then again with race being portrayed about what people are not its sending the wrong message to kids who do not understand exactly about how other races are. The main reason why games are coming out like this is for sales. Violence and fighting games are what most children want in thier consoles. If they were to switch the roles of the characters just for one game and see how the reactions towards the races would be. These games is what helps grow the stereotypes that people haev about other people. Will this ever stop or will it just continue to grow?

By: Mark Sellers

Mark Sellers — Thu, 12 Apr 2007 21:03:17 +0000

Well where do I begin? I would be lying if I said that no videogame has ever perpetuated a racial stereotype. I would also be lying if I said that film and television were not guilty of the same thing. The examples that are given in this article are poor ones. I can’t say that 50 Cent is a positive role model for anyone let alone a character in a videogame. That leaves us with GTA: SA. Yes the game is violent, and yes the main character is black. Much like the previous GTA game, Vice City was influenced by films such as Scarface and Carlito’s Way. San Andreas is homage to films like Boyz n the Hood and Menace II Society. Are the black filmmakers and actors that made these works of fiction guilty of stereotyping themselves? Or do they give a glimpse of a way of life that does exist in some parts of America? The reason these films (and games) exist is to take us into a world that few of us know about, much less visit. Is there gang violence and drugs in South Central L.A.? Yes there is. But most people know that the violence that goes on there does not equate to the majority of African American communities across the country. If you do not know this, then you probably should not be playing the game. There is also a huge problem if “those suburban kids grow up playing video games without those positive images of black people”. Games like GTA are not meant for children. They have a rating equal to that of an “R” for films. A game like Halo 2 also has an M rating. According to the Electronic Software Association the age of the average gamer is 35. Because of this demographic more and more games are made for adults. Adult games contain such things as violence, language and sexual themes. Much like an R rated film these games are to be kept out of children’s hands. Weather or not a child is going to have a negative image of Italian Americans from playing Super Mario Bros. has yet to be decided.

But there are plenty of positive examples of various genders and ethnic backgrounds in videogames. Strong female characters can be found all over. Samus the lead character from Metroid would be a prime example, a woman that takes it upon herself to save the galaxy. Jade from the game Beyond Good & Evil is a photojournalist caught up in an alien attack on her planet. Dr. Eli Vance from Half-Life 2 is an African American scientist that is the first to make peace with a new alien life from. His daughter Alyx is half-back half-asian, also a scientist who helps the (faceless) main character along his quest. There are also examples of diverse sexuality in videogames. The game Bully (from the makers of GTA) is a high school simulator. Jimmy, the main character is capable of making friends with (and making out with) various boys and girls at school. The RPG Jade Empire allows romance regardless of sex. Sure there will always be the female videogame character that has tits bigger than her head and resorts to mindless violence to solve any situation. Or the token black character that is there to utter foul language and kill people. I would like to think that as the demographic widens that these stereotypes begin to fade away. The examples that I have given are just some of the ways that the industry is starting to change for the better.

By: kristy lueshen

kristy lueshen — Thu, 12 Apr 2007 02:49:05 +0000

andrew parks makes some very strong points — the stereotype of the gang-driven, money-thirsty black man using violence as his cultural ladder into another realm of neighborhood social status is frequent not only in video games and other media forms but (more alarming still) also in the backs of our minds. we’ve reformed this idea of the ‘primitive, wild, unhinged darkness’ since the beginning of the slave trade and told the story so many times that it’s almost a stereotype to hear a complaint about the stereotype (i.e., “of course they would complain about that…”). i definitely agree that video games should at least attempt to recognize their actions and prevent such blatant racism through a ‘more accurate portrayal,’ but what exactly do we want this ‘new portrayal’ to be?
the point to which blacks have been stomped upon and ripped apart is (hopefully) understood. it has been acknowledged. i feel as if the subject has been opened, placed on the table and offered up; now, we are all left to peck and nibble on our past and attempt to construct some sort of viable future. the problem that i feel andrew parks (along with the majority) neglects is exactly what ‘portrayal’ is being sought after. the obvious answer here is “the truth!” but where can that be found? if we look for a historical truth, it’s evident that it is buried somewhere deep, deep beneath a mile of dust and dirt; and besides, whose truth are we searching for? and at what beginning do we return? do we change the portrayal in the media or the conflict of class status (the inability of the United States to openly acknowledge it as a social label)? or do we focus on the stereotypes themselves, instilled in the most fundamental of thoughts? do we change the educational system to better equip the grade-school youth in understanding such heavy topics?
are we telling this ‘historical truth’ from the perspective of the lower-, middle-, or upper-class black man? is he ’successful’ in upper-class white male American terms, or African black man terms? are we ignoring the fact that many black males are engaged in gang-related events, do tote a 9mm, and walk around looking for hos? (the ’stereotype’ as an organic item always has a beginning rooted in truth, whether it applies to one human being or one million.) by placing black men in “our” idea of success (giving him a house, a family, a “good” job), are we still attaching some sort of “white dream” stereotype to someone who doesn’t necessarily accept it? and why are we even ‘placing’ these men into categories? who are we to judge their personal realities?
these questions point to a major problem: it seems that canceling one stereotype ignites another, which fuels a larger fire, which engulfs history, which destroys our pre-conceived notions of identity…, ad infinitum. the problem is much larger than changing the voice-over of a hero character in a video game. creating heroes is not that simple. we must understand not only what “hero” incorporates, but also what it entails: what consequences will result, who will be affected, and how. i, like everyone else, have no idea what the solution may be. however, through everything, i know we must change our approach.
i feel like white academics are sitting in business meetings toying with the black race as if it’s some sort of marketing feed that went wrong. there is no truth to be found in that. we keep drawing masks on a face that doesn’t deserve to be hidden. beyond video games, beyond movies, beyond any form of media, social constructions, sociological, political, or psychological tools — beyond basically everything, we (as individuals) must come to terms with the fact that every person on this planet is of the same species and thus the same race. ‘race’ as we know it is a non-reality. we created it. can we not destroy it?

p.s. and let’s not forget about the oppression and disgusting portrayal of women in video games!

By: Rikki Knutti

Rikki Knutti — Wed, 11 Apr 2007 20:58:16 +0000

I agree with Jonathon Binder about sports games like Madden being more influential to children regarding their role models than games like San Andreas. Perhaps this is because the characters on Madden are REAL people, and really do play the sport. Kids get to become their own real life hero by playing video games, and for many children, it is a black man who they respect.
I don’t think it’s right that black men on games such as San Andreas are portrayed so violently. However, I don’t think it is just black men that have been discriminated against. What’s the ratio of men and women portrayed in video games? Sure, there’s Tomb Raider, where a hyper sexualized woman kicks some ass, but where is the portrayal of a regular woman? This game was definitely marketed towards men, despite the female main character. Other females I’ve seen on video games are the hookers in Grand Theft Auto. That’s a really nice portrayal of women, you get to have sex with her, kill her, and take your money back. There’s a great way for junior high boys to spend their time.
Obviously there’s a problem, and it’s not strictly racially or sexually motivated. Because this is the type of game that sells, this is what is marketed toward the public. Why is this the type of game that sells? I couldn’t tell you, because I think it’s weird to want to kill people in such a realistic way. I much prefer the sporting and guitar hero type games that are coming out recently. I hope more of these games come out to direct some of America’s children toward something less violent.
The author has the same argument as people who advocate that violence is perpetrated through video games. He is saying that stereotype is perpetrated through video games. Officials have claimed that the increase of violence in schools is due to the popularity of violent games. In essence their argument is the same- that children who play the games cannot think for themselves to decide what is right and what is wrong. Instead they use the morals learned from video games.
I have a little more faith in children to think that they are brainwashed drones. Especially through good parenting, children should learn their values from places other than games. If they don’t, I don’t necessarily think it’s the games fault, but a lack of guidance from the real authority figures.
Games that show that type of violence and stereotyping aren’t right, but I don’t think they are going to cause a phobia of African Americans.

By: Jonathan Binder

Jonathan Binder — Thu, 05 Apr 2007 20:26:07 +0000

Jonathan Binder

I remember freshmen year of college when my roommate could not wait for GTA: San Andreas to come out. I did not really know what it was all about until I came home after to class to find him sitting wide-eyed on the futon playing away.

It was a shocking game to me. I do enjoy the occasional video game, mostly sports games (which I will talk about momentarily). But this game just rubbed me the wrong way as I saw my white roommate play and joke about the game and it’s characters. It wasn’t my roommate that I was worried about. He had not lived a sheltered life by any means; he had a good head on his shoulders.

However, I immediately thought of the children in the small farm town of Hampshire, IL where I grew up and everyone else living in suburbia. Parks was right on in this aspect. These white children from the burbs are playing these games with no other real portrayal of black people than mainstream rap and video games. Parks was right that movies and TV are improving, so that helps. But it is a real sad truth that some of these children and even teenagers have possibly never come face to face to a person of another race. I don’t know how these children are affected mentally, but I can’t see how it is a positive result.

I mentioned earlier my attraction to sports games; I just like playing sports whether on the field or the screen. But I think in the video game industry, sport games show black people in a good light. These are real life heroes; professional athletes and NCAA athletes are looked up to by people of all ages. Children for sure love to become their favorite sports players in a video game, I know I did (who am I kidding, I still do). Blacks from professional sports and even NCAA are idolized through video games. I can’t even remember when there was a white guy on the cover of an edition of Madden.

This was something that was missed by Parks. I feel that a game like Madden has a much more powerful impact on children that San Andreas as far as their portrayal of the black community. These are real people that play a big role in society, and for the most part are positively represented in society and the video game industry.

Thinking about how realistic these games are today, I am actually glad, number one got out of Hampshire, and number 2 grew out video games for the most part (and number 3, I don’t have money to waste on video games).

By: Shannon Frey

Shannon Frey — Thu, 05 Apr 2007 19:35:11 +0000

Can I point to other instances of racial, ethnic, class, gender and/or sexual stereotyping in video games? I’m having trouble finding one that doesn’t. Yes it’s sad that video games perpetuate social myths & stigmas, however, they are not creating new ways to stereotype. Am I swayed about black culture by playing GTA? Well, since I’ve played GTA since it was a computer game that hackers sent to other hackers online & the main character was a 20something white guy ripping people off, I can’t say that I see much difference between putting any other race into that game. Look at the Final Fantasy empire. These are japanese gamers, designers, & art directors who every year create a top selling game whose characters don’t seem very asian to me. Does this happen because the market they are trying to reach is vastly caucasian? Well since the games aren’t released in the US for almost 6 months after being released in Japan, I’d guess they’re hitting their target market first. Furthermore, whose 12 year old is getting to play GTA in the first place? Maybe the focus of concern should be on the parents who allow impressionable youth access to such paraphenilia. It is sad that people view the world the way that they do. Are these myths being perpetuated by video game players. Possibly. However, the age restriction ratings on said games are in place for a very specific reason. Children are impressionable. I know this firsthand, which is why I choose age appropriate toys and games for my son. And when it comes time for him to go over to play at Tommy’s house, you better believe I will be the parent that asks Tommy’s parents to respect my wishes that my children do not play with certian things. I’ll also be asking Tommy’s parents if they keep firearms in the house, locked up or otherwise. I’ll ask Tommy’s parents these questions if they are black, white, orange, or purple. I’ll ask them whether we live in Beverly or Harvey. I do this because I love my baby and want him to grow up in a certian environment. When it comes time for him to decide his own environment, I like to think that he will have a positive foundation to make an educated & enlightened decision. But I shape my child & am responsible for his outcome. So a good way to end these stereotypes is to not perpetuate them in front of children, in any way. Tell Uncle Larry he can’t use certian words around baby, you’ll hurt Uncle Larry’s feelings maybe, but Uncle Larry is old & going to die soon anyway. The world does not need more Uncle Larry’s becuase we don’t want to hurt his feelings or are concerned with if we will look like crazy overbearing parents. I am a crazy overbearing parent. I yell at pregnant women who I see smoking and suggest to them that they are free to kill themselves after the baby is born. I am trying to shape the world around my baby because I feel like I didn’t do enough before he was born and now he’s here and time’s up. Do people think I’m crazy? Yep. Do I get called a bitch? Yep. And the world needs more crazy bitches.

By: JONathan GARDA

JONathan GARDA — Thu, 05 Apr 2007 18:23:13 +0000

When I tried to bring my father’s Wii up to my apartment, every single one of my roommates said the same thing—its finals week…don’t do it.
Its hard to tell from the written words here..so i’ll just tell you; they said it with little to know sarcasm. With the Wii 45 minutes away at my parents house their conscience was able to speak louder and with more maturity than the 14 year old boys inside of them. That shows just how much they knew the consequences of the Wii coming to play for the week.

After finals week, my room mates and I made a trip out to my parents house for a night to relax with a little Wii Sports (tennis, bowling, golf, boxing)… we weren’t really interested in any other type of game. but before we could play—we each had to create a Mii…

My Mii looks like Me.. But Ben, my roomate’s, Mii looks ridiculously like him.

And like Denielle, this was one of my first thoughts when dealing with human representations in video games.We are entering a generation where the best games—the most fun, most popular games are ONE community based (party games) and TWO games where the player chooses how they are visually represented on screen.

YOU get to represent YOU.

Now I know its always going to be enjoyable to take on roles of criminals, hero’s, and hobbits… its fun to step in the virtual shoes of a killer or of an Archetype—but now there is an alternative to any pre-produced representation of who you are or who White, Black, Yellow, Orange or Green people are.

You do it…You choose what represents You.

Now you don’t have to play as your self… guests that come over and play Wii with me often choose Adolph Hitler—a Mii that I created. But even if you think Hitler best represents who you are when you spitefully spike the ball across tennis when your tennis partner has nothing but LOVE.

So if you’re a racist dictator that’s fine… your Mii will reflect that. But if you’re not a stereotype your character doesn’t have to be either.

By: Ben Price

Ben Price — Thu, 05 Apr 2007 18:16:43 +0000

The last time I seriously played a videogame was in elementary school, so I’m not completely up to date when it comes to contemporary videogames. I try to stay away from screens in general. I don’t like the feeling of coming back to reality, I prefer to stay in reality… well, at least when it comes to videogames and TV. But based on the ultra-violent commercials and advertisements I have seen, I feel it’s safe to say that the videogame culture is in dire need of some moral revamping, especially considering the audience involved.

I was surprised that he didn’t bring up the videogame industry’s portrayal of women. The majority of video gamers are young males, hormones raging, too busy to socialize with real females because they have their own personal hard-bodied blondes at the push of a button. It’s scary. I still remember the racing game at the local pizza place in my hometown. When you got to the finish line there was a line of skinny women in sexy bathing suits waiting for you, as if to say that at the end of any arduous mission lays a cavalry of babes… just for you. The only videogame I can reference is Grand Theft Auto. Set in a city ridden with gang violence, prostitutes, and drug dealings, this game is quite the adrenalin rush for pimply teens across the globe. Safe and sound in their parent’s living rooms, the players of this game are free to commit what ever reckless acts of violence and crime they desire; with no penalties, no consequences, and better yet, no fear. It’s piece of mind. Why should these kids explore the real-world, which might lead to real consequences good or bad, when they can keep things how they are, while at the same time feel the “beginning and end” resolution all humans need. If I stayed inside all-day and stared at the wall, I’d feel pretty worthless after a few days. But if I raised an army, conquered a civilization, and got to use a sweet sword all in one day, I’d feel pretty good about myself. For some people out there, videogames replace real-life, bottom line.

SO, it makes sense that Andrew Parks is so concerned about young people playing these delusional games, which I agree with him in that a large portion of the youth population will consequently go on to lead delusional lives. Think about it, so many gamers live in sheltered suburban bubbles, with parents who fail to educate them in the ways of the world, which means the videogame designer ends up playing a key role in raising that child! Eek.

So it all starts with this fool of a videogame designer, whose viewpoint of woman and black culture is evident in the games Parks described in his essay. The ideology of the maker goes on to influence the audience (the impressionable youth) AKA millions of teenagers. Sooooo scary…. This is a prefect example of the responsibility every artist should consider when it comes to the effects their art will have on others. Its hard to say who really is making decisions regarding the content of videogames. When you take into account how much money is involved in the videogame industry, and how many people are behind each game, blaming the designers for the content is one thing, but what about the consumer, who in the end is the one fueling the fire. PARENTS, PARENTS, PARENTS!

By: danielle kothe

danielle kothe — Thu, 05 Apr 2007 17:31:13 +0000

Do you agree with Parks’ assessment of video games? Why or why not?

I’m torn with on my decision about what Parks wrote. He seems to be angry about the fact that black people are only in video games negatively…but when I think about video games I kind of think about it as a suburban white kid thing. Although I do have black friends who sit around and play video games, and I’ve sat around with them while they have done this, I never heard them complain that they were a white guy trying to run around and kill aliens or anything.

There are a number of video games that you don’t even have a character that you are playing. For example, a game where you are driving a race car, all you see is where your going and thats all. What about the video games where you are some made up monster, or a furry animal? I don’t think any animals are getting offended over this. Also as of recently there are many games where you can make up your own avatar. I know that the nintendo wii you can make up your own person and look exactly like yourself, and your person gets saved into the system so it’s always there.

I never thought about the fact that white people are always he hero and there is no black hero. And I wouldn’t think that anyone would ever intentionally single out a black person to do just the bad things in any given video game. The whole story seems a little exaggerated.

Danielle Kothe