The Changing Face of Gaming: BIPOC in the Metaverse
What does being a POC in gaming look like? Whether you think about people playing video games or actually being in the game, they're usually misrepresented in video game history. Whether it’s a stereotypical character or just the outright racism that some characters have experienced like Lee from the Walking Dead video game. Do you ever wonder why the default skin tone for most games is white or fair-skinned? When you go to customize characters in video games are there usually a lot of options that actually look like you [BIPOC]? Chances are probably not especially in franchises like 2K.
“Do you ever wonder why the default skin tone for most games is white or fair-skinned?”
It's boggling to open up a brand new video game, and when you try to create yourself, most of the options seem like white people with dark skin. This issue is only amplified when you try to create a Black female character in most games, the options just aren't there. Hopefully this changes in the future as women of color are becoming more visible in the gaming community as there are several social media pages and increasing content highlighting Black women in gaming.
“25% of gamers associate the stereotypes that they see in video games with the race of the character they see them in.”
Most Black characters are depicted as aggressive and loud. Clearly this is an issue as recent studies have shown that roughly 25% of gamers associate the stereotypes that they see in video games with the race of the character they see them in. Most minorities in video games either have stereotypical dialects, use slang, or come from stereotypical backgrounds. On the other hand, a lot of Black gamers are excited about Mile Morales in the Spiderman franchise as the video game treats him like a normal person not a stereotypical Black kid – and not some forced perception of minorities either. They just treat him like the other spider-people.
Over the past few years, the industry has taken a slight turn with more video games coming out with Black leads and voice actors such as Death Loop, the first person shooter from Arkane Lyon. You also see a lot more gamers of color, especially Black and Asian gamers at conventions, tournaments and in the general gaming community. With this number going up, it should be interesting to see entertainment studios adapt to this changing demographic.
“..with the introduction of mobile games such as Fortnite and Madden Mobile which allows kids who don’t own a video game system to play on a mobile device.”
Video games have become more accessible with mobile features, being able to play games such as Minecraft on your phone, meaning more kids have access to them. There are mixed reviews about who makes up the majority of child gamers but a 2015 study reported that 73% of child gamers are white while the other 27% are non-white. Surely this number has changed since then with the introduction of mobile games such as Fortnite and Madden Mobile which allows kids who don't own a video game system to play on a mobile device. Playing on a mobile device also allows you to play almost any free time you have, anywhere you have phone service which you can't say the same about the stationary Xbox or Playstation. The Nintendo Switch partially solved that problem, but for most families a $300 game system just isn't always affordable.
“The perspective on gamers and why they game matters because it goes into their overall decision of which games to play, who they play them with, and how much they play.”
During the 2020 pandemic lockdown, there was common ground amongst most gamers as their reasons for playing were to stay connected to their friends and the outside world. That changed the way people played video games as well as what games they played with games such as Call of Duty, Apex Legends, and the resurgence of Fortnite. The perspective on gamers and why they game matters because it goes into their overall decision of which games to play, who they play them with, and how much they play. For example, during the lockdowns a popular game among the people we interviewed was either Call of Duty, War Zone or NBA 2K, due to being able to grind those games with your friends for hours at a time. Another route the gaming community has taken was streaming with Black streamers such as KSI being ranked number 2 on the Top 100 UK influencers recently. This has attracted more gamers of color to start making gameplay videos, walkthroughs on how to complete the games, or just game commentary. This allows people who don't game to still be involved in the gaming community just by watching and interacting with their favorite streamers.
Surely, we can see the gaming world become more diverse everyday, but if that change isn’t reflected in the representation/treatment of minorities in gaming then brands are overlooking an opportunity to reach a strong and growing passionate community.
The Takeaway
As video game diversity increases for both BIPOC and women, the issue or representation remains. Many video games don’t include BIPOC and female characters, and if they do they’re stereotypical and caricature-like. Brands who acknowledge and represent the changing face of gaming will be rewarded with appreciation and loyalty from a growing, soon-to-be majority, segment of gamers.
