Having more positive and accurate representation of different people in video games starts with the people in charge of making the games.  The thing that caught my attention the most this week was the “FeministWhorePurna” incident.  It is upsetting that it is even an incident at all, and even more upsetting that it is undoubtably not the only one of its kind.  First, I am just confused as to how something like that slips through the cracks of an entire company.  But I am glad that it didn’t because it shows the kinds of people who are employed to make such games and it gives clarity as to why games can misrepresent people so much.  I agree with the statement Robert Yang makes in the article “On ‘FeministWhorePurna’ and the Ludo-material Politics of Gendered Damage Power-ups in Open-World RPG Video Games” that, “FeministWhorePurna is not just a rogue prank by a sole misogynist commercial game developer: it is a useful lens to articulate wider systemic problems of gender representation in video game culture” (98).  If there are video games being made by people who believe in gender stereotypes or gender inequality, then those things will leak through into the games that are being made.  Video games can be seen as a direct reflection of those who are making them.

The game Dead Island, which was talked about within the article, is a clear reflection of how the mindset of the people making the game can leak into the game itself.  Two female characters within the game (Purna and Xian Mei) are the embodiment of stereotypes for their race.  This is a reflection of the mindset and beliefs of those who created these characters.  Not only do gender stereotypes play a role in the development and appearance of characters in a video game, but also the abilities that are associated with a character too.  There are many video games where the female character is the stealth character, or that the female character at some point would have to be a distraction for a group of male enemies so that the protagonist can save the day.  In many cases, women in video games are boiled down to fragile, objectifiable, side characters in a male driven world. This can only be attributed to the mindset and beliefs of those who are developing the games.

In recent years there have been many cases where there are strong female protagonists who break the mold of what had been mainstream in the gaming industry for so long.  Games like Life is Strange, Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice, and Gears of War 5 all have strong female protagonist that prove the depth and complexity of humanity beyond that of gender, race, or stereotypes. Not only is it important to represent gender in a more realistic and complex way, but also things like age, culture, sexuality, disability, etc.  These are all things that deserve to be represented in an accurate way, but the only possibility for that is if those who choose to represent these things actual take the time to understand and appreciate them first.

Works Cited

Yang, Robert. “On ‘FeministWhorePurna’ and the Ludo-Material Politics of Gendered Damage Power-Ups in Open-World RPG Video Games.”