Othering in games via hair & stand ins for POC
As usual this begins with a tweet…
I’d be happier if this rhino didn’t have locs. Stop giving non-humans black hairstyles ok? This makes me so angry. So sick of not being able to have natural hair in games. Yet non-humans get our hairstyles as default!?
That’s coding non-humans as POC y’all. Really bad look for games to still do this. It’s why I get angry at people reading non humans as such. Like Iron Bull, people often include him when they discuss POC characters. He’s not human, so no not the same.
Yes, Qunari and Vashoth can have brown skin tones in DAI but it doesn’t make them POC. Same with non-human races in Guild Wars 2. Non-human races get afros, Afro puffs, locs, braids but not humans. Again, not a good look when this happens. Why is this bad? It’s because you reinforce the idea that black hairstyles & POC are exotic others and not human.
It’s a harmful trope that needs to stop. Especially when the non-human character gets additional coding as a POC stereotype. A big rhino, that is designed to make you think of Jamaicans has done this. [apparently they were explicitly coded as Jamaican in the first Beyond Good and Evil YT link via TrippliKit on twitter] Bias already exists, this character reinforces it visually. If this character is a villain or enemy, it’s adding another layer of negative bias that players will receive & take in subconsciously. It’s aggravating to see game companies continue to do this. It’s reinforcing negative tropes & biases.
Hell I told A-Net about the non-humans in Guild Wars 2 having black coded hairstyles when I spoke at their studio last year. Yes it’s a fantasy MMO, but your players are here and tired of not getting those styles for their characters while seeing them on non-humans.
So if you make games and follow me, I need y’all to think about these things. Media doesn’t exist in its own little vortex. You’ve got people who see these tropes repeatedly & it sends a message. Games aren’t for people like me. I don’t get to be here. Unless it’s as a joke, a trope or a half assed stand in via non humans & a tepid version of issues I face in the world.
Reminder, games market isn’t the same demographics of 5,10, even 15 years ago! Know your audience. In the case of Beyond Good & Evil 2, revisiting a tired trope in the sequel makes it worse. Here’s a chance to do better. Take it!
