Blog Post #2

When it comes to video games, an argument can be made that they do not require characters in order for the game to be successful. Or that video games require the presence of character/s in order to be successful. In this article, we will be diving into the wonderful mind of Bogost as we analyze and critique his article titled “Video games are better without characters”

Bogost shares a statistic in his article “ less than 40 percent of high-school boys preferred to play as male characters, while 60 percent of girls preferred female ones.” (para, 18)

I found these numbers to be quite interesting when I began thinking about what they might mean. I came to the conclusion that in the gaming industry where most mainstream games such as Grand Theft Auto, Call of Duty, Halo, and Assassins Creed are solely based on male protagonists, I have always found it refreshing when I am given the option to play as a female character.

That being said, I believe that these game developers need to take these numbers into account when drafting new game ideas because the demand for females in substantial roles in video games should no longer go unheard.

Towards the end of Bogost’s lengthy article, he posed a question to the readers “ What if games’ role in representation and identity lies not in offering familiar characters for us to embody, but in helping wrest us from the temptation of personal identification entirely?” (para, 23)

I can’t say I agree with Bogost in this statement. Personally, when I play video games I generally use them for one of two things. Either I’m playing a video game in search of short-term entertainment in order to pass the time. Or I am playing video games to unwind after a stressful day. Not once have I played video games in order to stop me from doing something that would be considered “temptation of personal identification.”

Bogost is certainly a fascinating character. Unfortunately, one can only talk about him so long before winding up with a headache. That being said, I will move on to analyzing an article by Kat Brewster titled “The Pitfalls of Trying to Tell Stories Outside Your Own Experience”

In the beginning of Kat’s article, she describes the narratives told in present day games as “stories and narratives from the point of view of the marginalized people who were so often reduced to stereotypes or ignored entirely.”(para, 5)

After reading the previous statement, I instantly began liking Kat more then Bogost. This is because I cannot agree more with Kat regarding the current state of the of the gaming industry when it comes to the generic “cookie-cutter” narratives that are constantly being told.

Take Rock-star games’ best-selling franchise, Grand Theft Auto. Sure the franchise is critically acclaimed and generates a lot of revenue but the stereotypes that are packed into those games are enough to make you cringe. This could prove to be a problem.

The problem lies in the message the game is sending through the stereotypes portrayed in them. Particularly, in the younger audience that plays the game. These stereotypes can cause the younger gamer to form unfair opinions on a race gender, or class of people solely on the way they talk look or where they live. I believe this alone is a recipe for disaster.