The importance of portraying different kinds of individual identities in pieces of media—along with proper representation of those identities—is an increasingly discussed topic in today’s world. The topic has been talked about primarily in terms of books, t.v., and movies. In the How to Play Video Games chapter on LGBTQ Representation, Adriane Shaw writes, “Compared to other media, little academic attention has been paid to the history of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) content in digital games.” (p 110) In time, this has become less true. Particularly, the importance of representation in video games has been given a bigger spotlight as games have been taken more seriously and looked at in further depth. This, however, is not a black and white phenomenon. The “one size fits all” mentality has also been present to unfortunate degrees. Too often, people have immovable/ignorant ideas about what it is to be Black or Asian or trans or otherwise different from the typical norm and therefore do not treat certain characters with the detailed depth they deserve. In talking about portraying different identities, it is important to talk about the diversity which exists both in and between different ethnicities, genders and sexualities. In this way, there isn’t just one way to include “proper” representation of people. Inevitably, people within different groups—despite possibly similar traits—are not mirror images of one another. This is why individuality is especially imperative. It is not only beneficial to include different kinds of people, it is beneficial to portray them as unique and distinct as opposed to identically one-dimensional. It is one thing to include people of color and those who are part of the LGBTQ+ community when building narratives. It is another to give them traits which go beyond these things in order to present them as genuinely three-dimension human beings with their own thoughts and desires.

This isn’t to say that games across the board are bad with their inclusion of representation and identity. There are plenty of titles which do this incredibly well, presenting individual difference as positive and existing in tandem with differences in behavior and ideas as they correlate to the game’s plot. Furthermore, presenting a game’s universe diversely tends to increase player immersion. To be a part of a place in a video game which is at all recognizable in terms of who occupies it transforms that place from just a digital one inside a t.v. to something you can personally imagine or be impacted by. This isn’t the only thing which increases immersion, though. Whether the game is in first or third person can also dictate how you will personally experience it. Then there is the game’s writing, dialogue and pacing to think about. Essentially, all of these things work together to usefully influence how each player will be impacted. Inclusion of different identities is just the first step in creating diverse, interestingly built digital worlds which can truly impact those playing in them—even years down the line when other games have taken their place in the discussion.

Works Cited

Huntmann, Nina B. and Payne, Matthew Thomas. How to Play Video Games. New York, NY, New York University Press, 2019.