I'd like to share my opinion on diversity in games, especially concerning the protagonist and what I feel is a flawed approach. In short, I think changing the gender or ethnicity of the protagonist from the dreaded white male is band-aid approach to a deeper issue with games. Rather than protagonists, the problem lies with the stories being told.
I would like to argue that there are three levels which are addressed to varies degrees to create a more diverse environment. The first, and most shallow, is the protagonist himself. The second is setting. The final is the story.
I'll explain. If you make a war shooter set in the US military, it makes sense to make a male, often white, lead. Changing the character to female makes little sense, and doesn't fit. It's possible, but it creates a certain dissonance in the audience (It should be noted that it can be used for dramatic effect, as in the case of the original Metroid.) While the player might not reason out the why they feel that disconnection, it's that deliberate change that sticks out. I think it's this hang up that people often times mistake for misogyny, homophobia, or racism. I don't believe it is a sign of any such thing, but, rather, a natural reaction to an unfamiliar variable into a familiar setting without any apparent explanation.
When you start to approach setting, you see a more natural introduction of diverse characters. Take the recently released Gaucamelee. Set in Mexico, the choice of protagonist as a Mexican luchador is one that's not only fun but makes sense as well. Having a white American as the lead would create a bizarre and shocking situation.
That brings us now to story. When you create a story, you create the traits which the protagonist must have. It allows for wiggle room, but there are times where the story locks certain traits in. For this, I would like to use the story of Silent Hill 3 as an example. A large part of the story's subtext was about the fear of birth and pregnancy. This was a uniquely female experience which required a female lead in the form of Heather, a highly praised female character. The story called for her, and so she was made. It flowed naturally because there was no need to insert any artificial diversity.
This diversity of story is the major problem in games in terms of diversity. The stories being told are too familiar. I don't believe the blame rests with any one source, the writers may be too limited by their comfort zone, the expectations and interests of their own team, or the publishers concerned about marketing their product. Whatever the case, I think we need to rethink our expectations of what makes up a game's story if we want to see a truer expansion in diversity in games.
I would like to argue that there are three levels which are addressed to varies degrees to create a more diverse environment. The first, and most shallow, is the protagonist himself. The second is setting. The final is the story.
I'll explain. If you make a war shooter set in the US military, it makes sense to make a male, often white, lead. Changing the character to female makes little sense, and doesn't fit. It's possible, but it creates a certain dissonance in the audience (It should be noted that it can be used for dramatic effect, as in the case of the original Metroid.) While the player might not reason out the why they feel that disconnection, it's that deliberate change that sticks out. I think it's this hang up that people often times mistake for misogyny, homophobia, or racism. I don't believe it is a sign of any such thing, but, rather, a natural reaction to an unfamiliar variable into a familiar setting without any apparent explanation.
When you start to approach setting, you see a more natural introduction of diverse characters. Take the recently released Gaucamelee. Set in Mexico, the choice of protagonist as a Mexican luchador is one that's not only fun but makes sense as well. Having a white American as the lead would create a bizarre and shocking situation.
That brings us now to story. When you create a story, you create the traits which the protagonist must have. It allows for wiggle room, but there are times where the story locks certain traits in. For this, I would like to use the story of Silent Hill 3 as an example. A large part of the story's subtext was about the fear of birth and pregnancy. This was a uniquely female experience which required a female lead in the form of Heather, a highly praised female character. The story called for her, and so she was made. It flowed naturally because there was no need to insert any artificial diversity.
This diversity of story is the major problem in games in terms of diversity. The stories being told are too familiar. I don't believe the blame rests with any one source, the writers may be too limited by their comfort zone, the expectations and interests of their own team, or the publishers concerned about marketing their product. Whatever the case, I think we need to rethink our expectations of what makes up a game's story if we want to see a truer expansion in diversity in games.
