Societal progress has pointed towards positive change when it comes to representation and the acceptance of communities and individuals who ‘differ’ from the established norms, but can the same be said for video games? Video games, in actuality, serve as a large influence in both culture and behavior, so why aren’t these growingly accepted communities represented? The classic macho-masculine, superhero strength six-pack physique, heterosexual male character ever-present in video games still remains dominant. Where are differing races? Where are the females, both feminine and masculine? Where are the lesbian, bisexual, transgender and queer representational characters? Why aren’t they given the same storylines and popularity that the heterosexual, white males are?

As we analyzed in class, the game, The Last of Us, has become a Playstation hit for its storyline, violence and usage of graphics. The game is undeniably one of the best due to its developed narrative and intricate gameplay, but does it promote the repression of undermined and underrepresented groups? The narrative, after all, follows the journey of Joel, who is put in charge to protect Ellie from all the potential dangers they may encounter while exploring a post-apocalyptic United States. Who’s to say that Ellie is unable to protect herself? Why is the male character, yet again, placed in the dominant role while the female figure is expected to be submissive?

Along with the lack of female character representation, the article, “Where Is the Queerness in Games? Types of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer Content in Digital Games” written by Adrienne Shaw and Elizaveta Friesem, attempts to analyze an archive of LGBTQ characters present in games. The article states, “The common sentiment in the existing literature is that games are rarely able to subvert normative gender and sexuality, but if improved, they might be able to do a better job. The structure of the game industry and process of commercial game design tends to reproduce more problematic or marginalizing forms of representation” (3878). By this statement, the article further emphasizes the lack of queer representation in video game culture despite the continuous cycle of video game production.

The examples the article discusses, which made up the authors’ collected archive of LGBTQ representative games included, Gabriel Knight: The Beast Within, and Carol and Greta: Fallout 3, which are, thus, considered homosexual and ambiguous due to reliance on suggestive narratives. The characters themselves are never explicitly revealed to be homosexual. The text states that the historian mentions that Gabriel’s character in The Beast Within identifies with King Ludwig II who is known to be gay. It is only suggested that this character is a part of this community and his gameplay as a homosexual is repressed. Carol and Great, throughout Fallout 3 are represented through their actions and behavior as a homosexual couple, but again, it is never explicitly revealed to the player. The text emphasizes, “In general, women’s homosexuality seems to be more often marked through relationships to other women and men’s homosexuality appears to be marked more often through stereotypical signifiers” (3881).

In conclusion, it is evident that narratives and popularized video games are not doing such a good job in ensuring the representation of these repressed communities. I believe that these communities deserve the right to experience gameplay with characters in which they can identify with and relate to. As a heterosexual female, even I, struggle to find characters in which I feel powerful and empowered playing as. It is time for a change.

I think it is certainly the perfect progressive climate for a wider range of representation and the elimination of repression in video game culture.

Sources used:

Shaw, A., & Friesem, E. (2016). Where Is the Queerness in Games? Types of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer Content in Digital Games. International Journal of Communication, 3877–3889.

Walkthrough – The Last of Us Wiki Guide. (2014, December 9). Retrieved February 19, 2020, from https://www.ign.com/wikis/the-last-of-us/Walkthrough