Positive and Negative Uses of Race in Video Games

There has long been interest among academics in examining things along racial and gender lines. For one thing, race and gender are easy to code: 0 for male, 1 for female or vice versa. The racial characteristics of subjects can likewise be easily coded. Coding leads to data crunching. Once subject characteristics are coded, relationships with other data become more readily apparent.

Much video gaming research we’ve looked at recently has at least given lip service to the differences in gaming habits of boys and girls; such easily coded research will no doubt continue to be published. Social scientists will continue to be interested in investigating race as well as gender, and the relationships both groupings have with media and consumers of media.

Now, The Escapist magazine has an interesting article detailing the history of race in video games. And by race, we don’t mean elf, dwarf, orc, or human; we mean what non-gamers think of when discussing race. Andy Chalk writes a brief history of gaming’s darker side, with a look back at patently offensive games brimming with racial epithets and put-downs. He examines the following games: Prey, Daikatana, Shadow Warrior, and the infamous 1982 title for Atari, Custer’s Revenge.

Chalk ends by pointing out the positive ways many current titles have dealt with race, mostly by presenting minorities in positive roles. The titles he brings up include F.E.A.R., Half Life 2, Deus Ex, and Grand Theft Auto (though some might argue that although the GTA series do show minorities in leading roles, the violent nature of the games do not lend themselves to positive portrayals).

Chalk’s article may be good for academics looking for a primer on race history in video games, as well as a good reference to both good and bad racial presentations within popular games. Foul language alert for those more sensitive to swear words. Chalk also has a brief history of game ratings here.

References
Chalk, A. (2007, August 16). A short history of race in games. The Escapist. [Online.] Available: http://www.escapistmagazine.com/articles/view/editorials/
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