A Peachy Diary Entry #3: White Hands
Playing video games is one of my most intense and passionate hobbies. I play multiple hours a day, and I like to think I have a pretty diverse library in terms of types and genres of games I enjoy playing. However, there’s that hair-sized crack in my relationship with video games, and it basically comes down to one thing:
I’m not white.
Growing up multi-racial, one is exposed to the supersaturation of white representation in the media.
Now, I should probably preface this: I’ve nothing against white characters in my cartoons, my comic books, and my video games; this is simply my perspective on fair representation of minorities in games, as well as how sometimes it affects my immersion while playing certain things.
I remember sitting in my dad’s computer chair when I was a kid, and opening up the Sims for the first time, finding out I was able to change my avatar to someone more my color. I was overjoyed and I was legitimately able to project myself onto that character for a more enjoyable experience.
In my adult life, say if I’m playing Call of Duty or something like that, I can feel like the most badass action hero charging through enemy lines, strafing through bullets, gunning down terrorists, but it all takes me down a little bit when I see a white pair of hands float up from “my” arms. Right.
Which is not to say I don’t enjoy my white protagonists. I’m a huge Metal Gear Solid fan, I love Geralt from the Witcher series, and it’s easy for me to assimilate into these roles and get immersed. It’s honestly easier for me to project myself onto any character if its in a third-person perspective, as I can get in the mood and roleplay according to this character’s relationship with the world.
However, there are these first-person experiences that advertise themselves as true personal affairs: play the way that you want to play! We accommodate for your playstyle! This is your experience.
But again, I see that white pair of hands, and I have to just remind myself that I’m playing as someone else. There’s still that sliver of disconnect that I have, but it isn’t enough for me to say, hate a game.
However, when I see a minority protagonist in a game, I get so excited. I have my list of favorites, be it Lee Everett from TellTale’s The Walking Dead, or Franklin from Grand Theft Auto 5, etc., but even while typing this out, it’s a legitimate struggle to think and conjure up memorable black, Hispanic or Asian characters in games. Usually, ethnic characters are pushed to the sidelines in supporting roles, and again, some are great, but some it’s “Here’s your stereotypical tough black supporting role that’ll probably die sometime down the story.”
The tough Hispanic guy.
The smart Asian character.
Come to think of it, when I think of East Indian representation, I can only think of Symmetra from Overwatch. I literally can’t think of any other Indian characters in games.
So, when I’m able to customize my character in an RPG, the skin tone always goes dark. Whenever given the option, I always go for the route that’s a little less white around the edges.
One of my idols in video game commentary, Colin Moriarty firmly doesn’t believe in diversity for diversity’s sake, but I’m one of those people that asks why not? Why not make this character a different race? Why not offer the vast majority of gamers a unique perspective?
This is one of the reasons I’m unbelievably excited for Mafia III to come out this fall, as it puts you in the role of Lincoln Clay, a Vietnam War vet, come home to New Orleans in the late 1960s. You can get police sent on you simply for entering white neighborhoods. These developers simply aren’t shying away from the actions of the times, and I think it’d give a nice, fresh perspective of racism to my white gaming friends.
Still, the world of video games is vast and unbelievably diverse; there’s something for everyone to play. All I’m saying is that I’d like to see a little more color.
