While browsing through the various news websites I'm allowed to visit while at work I stubled across this very funny article. To sum up the article, there was a study done back in 2006 about diversity in video games. Basically, a group of scientists had some serious gamers play the top 150 games at the time for 30 minutes each and then studied the diversity that was represented in the games. They found that whites, males, and adults are grossly over-represented in today's video games and that blacks, females, children and the elderly are under-represented.
Hey, Look! A Woman In One Of The Most Popular Video Games Ever! (And She's Not The Only Woman In That Game.)
In the article they state that the video game industry is going to struggle if they don't start to diversify in their games, which to me, is just needless doomsaying. As important as diversity is, I'm pretty sure that most people, like me, don't choose what video games they play based on what race the main character or NPCs are, they choose the games they play based on gameplay, graphics, storyline, and the ever important "fun factor".
In my opinion, the study wasn't done properly, if they're really going to study the diversity level in the virtual world, they need to base the results off more than just the top 150 games. Women under-represented? I hardly think so. How many Barbie video games have been released? And, just so I'm not basing that statement off lame video games, what about Lara Croft? Or any Final Fantasy game? I'm pretty sure that there are plenty of women in video games throughout time, but if they are just going to go off the top 150 games of February 2006, then they probably won't be represented all that well. The same goes for children and elderly people in video games. Just because there aren't children in the top 150 games, doesn't mean that there are no children in other games. Think of all the Dora the Explorer games that have come out. Or any educational video game targeted at that age group. There's nothing but children in those games, but they're not likely to be games in the top 150.
I guess what I'm getting at is; if you're going to do a study about the entire video game world, then actually study the entire world, and not just a small sampling from one time period.
On a side note; I wonder if there were any Grand Theft Auto games played in this study, because they have more diversity in those games than any other game I've seen.
Hey, Look! A Woman In One Of The Most Popular Video Games Ever! (And She's Not The Only Woman In That Game.)In the article they state that the video game industry is going to struggle if they don't start to diversify in their games, which to me, is just needless doomsaying. As important as diversity is, I'm pretty sure that most people, like me, don't choose what video games they play based on what race the main character or NPCs are, they choose the games they play based on gameplay, graphics, storyline, and the ever important "fun factor".
In my opinion, the study wasn't done properly, if they're really going to study the diversity level in the virtual world, they need to base the results off more than just the top 150 games. Women under-represented? I hardly think so. How many Barbie video games have been released? And, just so I'm not basing that statement off lame video games, what about Lara Croft? Or any Final Fantasy game? I'm pretty sure that there are plenty of women in video games throughout time, but if they are just going to go off the top 150 games of February 2006, then they probably won't be represented all that well. The same goes for children and elderly people in video games. Just because there aren't children in the top 150 games, doesn't mean that there are no children in other games. Think of all the Dora the Explorer games that have come out. Or any educational video game targeted at that age group. There's nothing but children in those games, but they're not likely to be games in the top 150.
I guess what I'm getting at is; if you're going to do a study about the entire video game world, then actually study the entire world, and not just a small sampling from one time period.
On a side note; I wonder if there were any Grand Theft Auto games played in this study, because they have more diversity in those games than any other game I've seen.
Diversity in games? Last time there was an noticeable attempt at diversity, it was almost literally destroyed by the public eye. Do a search for "blacks in Resident Evil 5" in Google. You will see what I mean.
ReplyDeletePeople will complain about everything. Especially if it doesn't fit the norm. White people being shot in just about every war game in existence? No problem. Shooting girls or blacks in other games, even if shooting white males is also involved? Suddenly the game is marked as being pure evil, no exceptions.
Grand Theft Auto is an incredibly diverse game. It was marked. So is Mass Effect.
If video games need diversity to survive, then people need to get over all of their issues with trying to make the world an equal place but making it as difficult as possible to do so.
Funny thing is I've seen enough women, children, and even elderly people in video games that quite frankly, I'm surprised that even just taking those 150 games that it was that bad...... Not sure about blacks though. I do know that there are indeed plenty games out there with blacks in them, but at the same time it doesn't really surprise me if you just take those 150 that there weren't many.
ReplyDelete