Cultural diversity in games

[Giuglea]

Aren`t you guys bored of playing of playing as the american soldier ? or defending the usa..of course for americans its cool i guess..u can be all like "hey i`m shooting nazis in my home town"..but i think games are overdoing it..you are always the american good guy..with minor exceptions of being english or even rusian(that is when you are against the ultimate evil of the third reich)(stalker doesn`t count,its sci-fi).. I think game designers could bring more culture to their games just by switching sides..or playing as an norwegian or bulgarian or australian or indian from india or whatever..in my opinion it would be a nice change of scenery..the designers can tap into the nations culture..history..landscape etc..I think designers are missing a great opportunity here..because there are lots of cultures and nations not even mentioned in games..and this whole world is full of history..

making a game that is full of action is easy..but in the end if that action is meaningless it tends to be forgotten really fast..a good game must be able to make you feel the conflicts within it..and if i can say that i`ve learned something by playing the game or that i think differently about anything that is even better.

what do you guys think?

[i think the guys from extra credits are better at this, but i do my best]

 

[Fiz_The_Toaster]

This is partially why I don't play shooters were you play as Americans, it gets really old listening to them with 'my country tis of thee' attitudes. I would love it if game designers made games where you play as someone else from some country. I know the Sabotuer did that with an Irish protagonist and I thought that it was great for trying it.

Adventure games do try to be more diverse, but then again most of the time you play as an American or British character. I agree about a game being full of action, again with most shooters that's all they are, action oriented and easily forgotten. The Assassin's Creed series has set pieces that when I'm done doing them I had to think about what I just did and the actions actually mean something, and I wish games were more like that. But then again, I wouldn't mind playing a game where it's mindless and I don't have to think too hard.

There is that Nazi dinosaurs game coming out, so there's that.

 

[Giuglea]

Out of the last 20 games I've played, only 2 had me as an American soldier.

Your point is lost to me.

EDIT: After a moments thought, it's way more than 20.

i`m talking mostly about shooters..because i`m sick of MW clones and homefront really was the nail in the coffin and compelled me to start the thread..and if lets say there are a lot of games that i missed..please can you recommend them to me?

 

[Bobic]

I don't understand. America is by far the best country, why would you want to play as anyone else?

 

[BENZOOKA]

I don't mind playing as an American or Russian or British or Japanese or as any of the nationalities most commonly represented in games. Being a native to a country that doesn't make these kind of games or even movies, it's more of a rule to play as an American for example. In fact native games like Remedy's Max Payne and Alan Wake are very American. As are the Flat-Out games, although you're not an American driver, it's quite as American as it gets.

If there were games where I could play as a Finn, or Nordic, or at the least even as an European; I'd be somewhat more excited. And I'm talking about the protagonists nationality in a more influential way than in Far Cry 2, for example, where you just pick a name from the list and it makes practically no difference at all, gameplay-wise.

 

[migo]

Maybe I got tired a long time ago. I don't play games like that.

Think though, the US is a country that gives games an R rating for sexual content but will rate a game T for violence, while Australia and Germany will ban a game for violence but not sexual content. You've got a few European countries where violent games can still be sold, but for the most part America is where violent games can be sold, so it makes sense to be making games which Americans can relate to.

 

[Giuglea]

Out of the last 20 games I've played, only 2 had me as an American soldier.

Your point is lost to me.

EDIT: After a moments thought, it's way more than 20.

i`m talking mostly about shooters..because i`m sick of MW clones and homefront really was the nail in the coffin and compelled me to start the thread..and if lets say there are a lot of games that i missed..please can you recommend them to me?

I play other games besides just FPS ones. But since you asked nicely...

How bout Bioshock? Metro 2033?

none of them have to much to do with that nations culture history or anything at all related with their national heritage..metro 2033 taps a bit into the stalker mood..but that is all..and that is because both of them are pure fantasy games...and they are brilliant games no doubt about that..i loved both of them..

 

[Giuglea]

Maybe I got tired a long time ago. I don't play games like that.

Think though, the US is a country that gives games an R rating for sexual content but will rate a game T for violence, while Australia and Germany will ban a game for violence but not sexual content. You've got a few European countries where violent games can still be sold, but for the most part America is where violent games can be sold, so it makes sense to be making games which Americans can relate to.

violence has nothing to do with the subject

 

[Giuglea]

I don't understand. America is by far the best country, why would you want to play as anyone else?

you my friend are brain-washed..no offence

 

[Kegsen]

Why anyone would ever want to represent the nation that outlawed skateboards is beyond me, but apart from that, yeah you have a valid question here

The old "I R us supersoldier / SAS-bloke" have gotten a bit stale. At least in the FPS-world. And seeing as the hammer of political correctness and touchy-touchy slams down on the gaming world as soon as the gamers can play anything currently wanting to end the life of american soldiers (pretty much half the world some might say...) the possibilities are somewhat narrowed down.
But again, this goes for the FPS-world I guess, but reading your post makes me wonder if this is the scenario you limit yourself to. Cause there are other games, where M16-toting helmethead makes no appearance whatsoever.

One example, Shogun - Total War. One more? Shogun - Total War 2...nah, just kidding
But what about Bioshock? Fallout? Or even good old Wonderboy?

To keep with the FPS-thought, I think the reason why the US/UK tend to be the main characters in a lot of games - is because a) they have been involved in pretty much every armed squabble for the last 100 years and b) they tend to be a cultural superpower as well, so the rest of europe follow the UK and the US in (most of) their music/film/games etc. A.k.a...we want to be like them/you...but not too much...or something along those lines.
Plus, I for one can`t see myself running down a corridor with an Ag3 shouting "nå skal du piskadausen få solide mengder pryl din humlepung!!" (You are about to get thoroughly pummeled you bumblebee`s scrotum). Face it, as much as we want to talk up our own nations culture, the sad fact (I think) is that we still relate more to the US / UK because of...well, history. Ever since Elvis, The Beatles etc.

(Yes, could write even more about how videogaming really became popular thanks to the innovations of the old playingcard company N....but nah - I`m guessing that will come sooner or later anyway)

 

[Calcium]

I think it's in part that America is the largest nation when it comes to buying videogames, and developers worry that if their characters arn't American then Americans won't be able to "connect" as easily.

 

[Bobic]

I don't understand. America is by far the best country, why would you want to play as anyone else?

you my friend are brain-washed..no offence

You my friend need an irony detector..no offence.

 

[migo]

Maybe I got tired a long time ago. I don't play games like that.

Think though, the US is a country that gives games an R rating for sexual content but will rate a game T for violence, while Australia and Germany will ban a game for violence but not sexual content. You've got a few European countries where violent games can still be sold, but for the most part America is where violent games can be sold, so it makes sense to be making games which Americans can relate to.

violence has nothing to do with the subject

You should read your own post better. It has everything to do with why you often play as an American in a shooter.

 

[The Harkinator]

I think in shooters the focus is on the US. In game that are not set on planet earth you don't play as an American.

There are plenty of opportunities but remember that many games are developed in the US, they draw from their own experiences and use their preferred settings. An American developer isn't going to do a game on the US revolution from the point of view of French or Brits (also there seems to be a problem sometimes distinguishing between Scottish and British).

I would love to play an RPG featuring Medieval Europe, maybe playing as a travelling knight competing at jousts and duels. You could come from anywhere in Europe, experience a huge variety of environments. Deal with hostility and suspicion, gather an entourage, all that stuff.

I'm saying that there are loads of brilliant sources of inspiration but the biggest audience is the American, why have a game in a setting they may not understand when something like Homefront (I'm not saying it will be bad) or MW2's US levels comes along. Specifically designed to tug at the hearts of Americans it just doesn't have the same effect on me. Being British, I don't love white picket fences or the american dream. MW2 was either American Suburbs with high-calibre weapons or a stop-tour of US landmarks which are on fire.

I would have loved to see a Fallout game set in the ruins of London, Amsterdam or Venice. The Capital Wasteland was full of American stuff and New Vegas had an unbearable Cowboy Culture, too many cowboy hats in that game.

 

[Giuglea]

I don't understand. America is by far the best country, why would you want to play as anyone else?

you my friend are brain-washed..no offence

You my friend need an irony detector..no offence.

that is because i`ve seen people stating that exact same line and no irony included

 

[Bobic]

I don't understand. America is by far the best country, why would you want to play as anyone else?

you my friend are brain-washed..no offence

You my friend need an irony detector..no offence.

that is because i`ve seen people stating that exact same line and no irony included

Have you considered that maybe it is you who is brainwashed and America is in fact the best country?

 

[Giuglea]

with minor exceptions of being english or even rusian(that is when you are against the ultimate evil of the third reich)(stalker doesn`t count,its sci-fi)

By saying STALKER is sci-fi and excluding it, you throw out nearly every shooter ever made. If you are focusing solely on the supposedly-realistic Battlefield's and Call of Duty's of the world, then there really aren't a whole lot. It should be noted that you spend most of CoD 2, MW1, and MW2 as a person of different nationality.

Most shooters aren't Americans waving their dicks. Look around, there are plenty that aren't. Now, if you're talking about the big-talking badass who talks with a North American accent, then yes, there are plenty of those. The explanation is that particular sort of protagonist is popular.

but why is he popular..?? ok taking out stalker was a bad idea..i thought of it while eating..i was actually watching an cernobil documentary and was like"man some things look just like in the game" and even pripyat looked like in reality..why are meatheads so popular?