#LevelUpDiversity: Day 7

Written By: The Social Justice Gamer

CWs: Bigotry (Racism, Ableism, Sexism, Queerphobia)

People Involved: Pytyvo Gaming (Host) (https://pytyvogaming.wordpress.com/)

Synopsis:  It’s #LevelUpDiversity week, in which we (along with many others) promote ethnic diversity in video games!  This event is hosted by Pytyvo Gaming.  They encourage video game designers to include ethnic and cultural diversity within their video games.  Today’s post is about the “fear of diversity” many game developers seem to have.

Article: Once again, I’m writing from class.  Probably not the best habit.  Don’t expect images in this post for a while.  Sorry!  But hey, after tonight’s midterm, I might have time.  Probably not.

Anyways, welcome to the last day of #LevelUpDiversity!  It’s been a crazy week, but it’s been great.  We need to focus on promoting ethnic and cultural diversity more often!

For this last post of the event, I decided to switch today’s and Friday’s post, since today’s post was supposed to require a bit more work but I’m extremely busy.  Hopefully I can show you what I wanted to show today on Friday!

So, finally, to the point: today I’ll be talking about the “fear of diversity” game developers seem to have.  While there is going to be a main focus on racial / cultural diversity, I’ll be talking about other forms of representation, too.

I’ve already done a similar post on why we should include people of disabilities in video games (https://socialjusticegamer.wordpress.com/2015/08/27/representing-people-with-disabilities/), and this will be in a similar format.

These past few days, I’ve been saying it’s obvious that we should be promoting ethnic and cultural diversity in video games.  Yet, it’s also clear that this really isn’t happening.  Well, admittedly, I think it’s starting to happen a lot more now compared to before, but that doesn’t excuse people from including diverse people in their games (“but other people are already doing it!”).  Here, I’ll focus on some excuses I feel like game developers could / do make, and my responses to them.

“But other people are already including different forms of representation!  Why should I?”  Give me one good reason why you should not.  Wrong time period for a certain race / ethnicity?  Well, don’t tell me your world has magic or mythical creatures, then, because if it’s the wrong time period, then it’s also the wrong place for those things to be.  Indeed, you can also include people with disabilities.  Wrong place, and you need people of one culture or ethnicity only, as well as able-bodied people?  Don’t tell me your world has no queer people!  Your world may be limited, but that doesn’t mean diversity doesn’t exist.

“It isn’t important to my game / story!”  But it’s important to your audience.  Representation is always important to the audience.  You don’t have to explicitly state where someone is from or what cultural background they grew up with.  Just showing different types of people is already enough.  Got a character who constantly gives the protagonist information?  Make them a queer woman!  Got a character who’s the protagonist’s best friend?  Make them a PoC with a disability!  Got a game?  Include a diverse set of characters!

“But who cares?”  Some people have no idea how many people care or just how much they care. But you must understand the impact of simple representation.  When people see themselves in media, it makes them feel included and normal.  Not that being “normal” is always good, but in this case, I mean that “normal” in the West is often seen as being white, cis, male, able-bodied, and straight.  By defying any of those “norms”, people start to feel like they belong.  People who can relate to your games are more likely to enjoy them.  So: the audience cares, and you should, too.

“But isn’t it okay for all of my characters to be white?  Is there anything wrong with that?”  Being white is fine; only showing white people in media is not okay.  There are more people of colour in North America than there are white people, and there are more people of colour in the world than there are white people.  To constantly insist on only having white characters is harmful.  For example, many people of African descent feel ostracized because they don’t experience the same things white people do; for example, they see that a “beautiful” or “sexy” person is a thin, white female, and feel they cannot be beautiful or sexy since they are not white.  I often see Asian people trying to copy Western culture because that’s what they see, often hating their own bodies or the “generic black hair” we have.  It’s harmful to only have white characters unless you have an extremely limited setting and plot where it makes sense.  You can justify many stories as such, which is why I say that you should include other types of diversity.  Not everyone is cis, straight, or able-bodied.

“I don’t mind including people of colour, but I don’t want to incorporate everyone’s culture every single time.”  It’s not necessary, though it’s a nice touch.  Westernizing people of colour can be harmful, but if you do it correctly, it can be very inclusive.  Representing everyone as equals, with their own unique personalities and contributions, is extremely important if you don’t want to incorporate everyone’s culture.  For example, you can have a Hispanic character without having to randomly incorporate Spanish phrases or culture throughout the game so long as you still represent them as a person, not just some character you input for diversity.  White characters often get diverse personalities; refuse to reduce PoC to their stereotypes.

I hope this was a good read, despite the rush.  I hope people enjoyed reading it and want to share it with others.  While I focus on video games, this really goes for any sort of creation–a story, a show, an advertisement, etc.  It’s important to have diversity no matter what you create.  I hope this convinced you of that if you didn’t think that before.

And with this, #LevelUpDiversity comes to a close.  I hope it went well!  Make sure to check out Pytyvo Gaming, as well.  They’re really awesome.  Look out for another post on Friday!

Signing off,
SJG

#LevelUpDiversity: Day 6

Written By: The Social Justice Gamer

CWs: Bigotry (Racism)

People Involved: Pytyvo Gaming (Host) (https://pytyvogaming.wordpress.com/)

Synopsis:  It’s #LevelUpDiversity week, in which we (along with many others) promote ethnic diversity in video games!  This event is hosted by Pytyvo Gaming.  They encourage video game designers to include ethnic and cultural diversity within their video games.  Today’s post is about using settings that are influenced by different cultures and ethnicities.

Article: Once again, forgive me for quick, unedited writing and no pictures.  Though I’m done with two midterms, I’ve got one left for tomorrow, and it’s gone to the point where I’m writing these in classes.  I know tomorrow’s the last day for #LevelUpDiversity, but I wanted to do something amazing for it.  I guess that may come the day after, as a bonus.

Anyways, let’s go to the topic: settings.  Now, there are a variety of settings one can have, but let’s use the elementary definition of setting:

Setting – The time and place where an event or story takes place.

Seems like 2nd grade stuff, right?  But often times, I notice that video games take place in settings influenced by Western culture or Japanese culture (because many games are made in Japan or heavily influenced by Japanese-style games).  Not many games take place in Africa, the Middle East, South Asia, etc. while utilizing their culture (for example, war games focus on the violence in these areas, rather than the culture).  What I’m trying to argue is that we should be making video games influenced by different cultures and parts of the world.  We should be celebrating cultural diversity, not making the same games in the same settings over and over again.

Let’s take Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch, for example.  I love the game because it has so many different cultural influences and settings.  It’s pretty diverse!  For example, you’ve got Al Mamoon, which is influenced by Middle Eastern clothing and culture.  Many of the names used are also Arabic names (or influenced by Arabic).  There’s also the Vault of Tears, which is influenced by ancient Egyptian culture.  Perdida is based on Incan culture (or at least, architecture) and clothing.  There’s a few other places that I can think of but forget the names of, but you understand where I’m going with this.  It’s extremely diverse, but it doesn’t explicitly always refer to a culture, which is nice.

Allowing your games to take place in a different setting and draw elements from those cultures can go a long way for representation.  Treating it as something cool or familiar is much better than treating it perpetually as the “other” or something mysterious / potentially dangerous.  By getting rid of the idea of the “other”, we can invest ourselves in other cultures and diversity.  You don’t have to explicitly state what your setting is influenced by; simply showing it is enough to show diversity.  Furthermore, you don’t have to show places from all over the world, as Ni no Kuni did; just having a different setting, one not completely Western, is wonderful and extremely powerful on its own.  Right now, it’s unique, as well.

Our elementary definition of “setting” also looks at time.  This could mean a variety of things.  The most obvious could be the sort of Assassin’s Creed approach: use a historical event of a certain place and incorporate elements of the culture(s) surrounding that event.  There’s also the approach Ni no Kuni took, in which they took different cultural influences from different time periods (for example, they used ancient Egyptian mythology and culture, but they also used a pre-Industrial Middle Eastern setting).  It doesn’t have to be uniform.  Like I said, representation goes a long way.  There’s also the idea of utilizing modern elements of a culture and using it in a future setting; for example, one can have South Asian designs for mechanical armour or lightsabers in the design of swords or knives from Africa.  I just came up with that, but oh my goodness, how cool would that be?!  Lightsabers should totally come in all different shapes and sizes that reflect different cultural influences.

ANYWAYS.  Back on topic.

So as you see, there’s a number of ways cultural and ethical diversity could be represented in video games.  There’s no reason to stick to Western settings and trying to make yours “different” when there’s a whole myriad of opportunities rarely, if at all, explored.  Perhaps your story is a mystery; don’t set it in an old mansion somewhere in America or Europe, but rather, try having it be in an old South Asian fortress using South Asian history (which is fascinating, by the way) or in a Mayan village.  Include little nods to the cultures you’re setting your story in.  Establish your setting as something that is fun to explore, not something scary and “other”.

Of course, I must use my usual warning: do your research.  To avoid offending people via cultural appropriation or hinting that this culture is very “other”, do your research and incorporate it into your game.  Perhaps you can have characters wear clothing from that culture.  You can have a little menu that offers little bits of information as you explore, so that the player can have fun while they’re learning about a new culture.  You can incorporate it into your story, even if it’s a small background thing.  Little respectful nods to the culture you’re setting your game in makes a huge difference, and it shows you’ve researched well.

Oh, honestly.  I’d love to have so many games set in different place.  I want a game based in the Philippines using different aspects of Filipino mythology and culture as part of the storyline.  I want a game that incorporates Native American culture into the main storyline that doesn’t completely disappoint the fans of a certain franchise despite the great cultural influence.  I want a game that uses lightsabers that are influenced by different weapons from all over the world.  I want diversity, that’s what I’m saying.

I hope this post has a compelling argument as to why you should use different cultural and ethical settings.  You should definitely include cultural representation as a main part of your game.  You should also definitely include those lightsabers I mentioned and then suggest the game to me.  I will pay to have that.

…Anyways.

Signing off,
SJG

#LevelUpDiversity: Day 5

Written By: The Social Justice Gamer

CWs: Bigotry (Racism)

People Involved: Pytyvo Gaming (Host) (https://pytyvogaming.wordpress.com/)

Synopsis:  It’s #LevelUpDiversity week, in which we (along with many others) promote ethnic diversity in video games!  This event is hosted by Pytyvo Gaming.  They encourage video game designers to include ethnic and cultural diversity within their video games.  Today’s post is about appropriation vs. appreciation.

Article:  As I’ve got a midterm today, tomorrow, and Wednesday, I don’t know if I can keep up this one post a day thing, but I’ll try until #LevelUpDiversity is over, because it’s a project I wholeheartedly agree with.  Just forgive me if most of these posts are rushed, unedited, and without images at first.

There’s this huge issue about cultural appropriation vs. appreciation.  I’m going to do this in terms of white people, but I’m also going to say that this is aimed towards people who are not of a particular culture using that culture for their own purposes.

So, what is cultural appropriation?  Cultural appropriation is when you are of a certain group or culture and take certain elements of another group’s culture in a way that is harmful or insulting to them.  This includes dressing up as calaveras / sugar skulls for Halloween, when it’s a special tradition for Aztecs / Mexicans for the Day of the Dead; wearing a bindi (a red dot on the forehead, in between / close to the eyebrows) if you’re not South Asian, since it’s a sacred symbol; wearing a Native American war bonnet when you are not of Native American descent and have not earned it; blackface (or in general, changing your skin colour to resemble someone of a different race); and more.

But I really like things like that!  It’s unique.  Why can’t I use them just as symbols?  If I understand what they mean, isn’t that okay?  NO!  Yes, it’s unique.  Yes, they’re all great things with great meanings, but simply understanding the meaning doesn’t mean you’re allowed to wear or use such things.  Let’s take the war bonnet, for example.  Many Native American tribes (mostly Plains tribes) still use the war bonnet today to signify people who are great warriors / soldiers on the battlefield–that is to say, they are awarded to Native Americans who join the armed forces.  They are honourable and must be earned.  To don these feathered war bonnets as a costume or because they look cool is highly offensive.

What I don’t get is how it’s offensive.  Shouldn’t people be happy that we’re accepting their culture?  But that’s the thing.  Cultural oppression (namely oppression by white people) was and still is so dominant that most people who are actually of that culture are discriminated against for things people appropriate.  For example, while it’s usually acceptable for a non-Mexican person to celebrate the Day of the Dead (I know it’s celebrated all around the world in many different ways, but I’m talking about Día de los Muertos), it’s not okay to dress up as a “sugar skull” or as a stereotypical Mexican for Halloween.  You need to understand the significance behind the calavera before you dress up as one, but even then, it’s still normally viewed as being appropriative.  People are more than happy to share their culture, but we should be respectful of each other’s culture.

I’m a white person and I’m offended.  You made me feel bad for using these things as costumes before.  Well, I’m not about to apologize.  But you understand that you shouldn’t be appropriating other cultures now, right?  You can do your part in lessening cultural oppression by understanding and respecting other cultures instead of using them for your own purposes.  That’s a great thing!  It’s okay to make mistakes if you didn’t realize it before, but going forward, keep in mind that you should always do your research on something culturally significant.

But I have a friend from that culture and they say it’s totally okay!  The opinion of one person can mean a lot, but it doesn’t mean everyone in that culture agrees.  For example, there’s the debate over whether wearing the South Asian bindi is culturally appropriative.  Many people see it as offensive when it’s worn as decoration, but many others see it as a gesture of the acceptance of South Asian culture.  Once again, just do your research.  The word of a friend may be all and well, but keep in mind that it’s also very possible that your friend may be lying to you to avoid explaining things or uncomfortable situations.  Most people of colour have experienced this kind of situation before.  Doing your research on the subject and looking up what is and isn’t appropriative is a huge step towards ending cultural oppression.

What does this have to do with gaming?  A lot, actually!  By doing your research, you can avoid harmful or negative impacts on different groups of people.  For example, if you’re a character designer, don’t just add feathers into the hair of a Native American person to signify that they’re Native American.  Do your research on the significance of those feathers.  If you’re a writer, don’t include the use of harmful or appropriative images into your story.  If you’re a developer, ensure that the messages you’re sending are ones of appreciation, not appropriation.  Don’t let your characters do things that are culturally appropriative.

What’s the difference between appropriation and appreciation, then?  To put it simply, appropriation is using aspects of a certain culture or group in such a way that negatively impacts said culture or group.  This negative impact ranges from using sacred religious symbols incorrectly to making fun of someone’s race or ethnicity, and so much more.  Appreciation is doing proper research and using these aspects in the appropriate manner or not at all if it perpetuates a harmful image.  You can appreciate a culture, that’s fine; but don’t use that as an excuse to oppress it.

Hopefully this cleared up things for people who don’t really understand the difference between appropriation and appreciation.  In addition, hopefully developers understand the significance of doing research when they implement characters of colour from different backgrounds.  If you were offended by this, you probably need to do a lot more research on appropriation.  Instead of being offended, work on fixing what you’ve done wrong before.

Signing off,
SJG

#LevelUpDiversity: Day 4

Written By: The Social Justice Gamer

CWs: Bigotry (Racism)

People Involved: Pytyvo Gaming (Host) (https://pytyvogaming.wordpress.com/)

Synopsis:  It’s #LevelUpDiversity week, in which we (along with many others) promote ethnic diversity in video games!  This event is hosted by Pytyvo Gaming.  They encourage video game designers to include ethnic and cultural diversity within their video games.  Today’s post is about creating diverse characters.

Article:  I think it’s pretty obvious that most people are fighting to have more diversity in video games, but many game developers seem to be at a loss as to how to do that.  For example, I met a game dev a few months ago who showed me their designs for RPG characters.  I noticed they were all white and asked if there would be variations in skin colour.  They said there would be–ah, yes, skin could be blue, purple, green, or something else unique!  But I asked about having brown-skinned characters, characters that didn’t look like they were white or of European descent.  The game dev quietly said that these characters were from a different world and were not of European descent, so it didn’t matter.  I argued that it did, because excluding people of colour was harmful and unjustifiable in this case.  They argued that having “unique” skin colours covers all the bases, so it doesn’t matter.  I asked if they would include different cultural influences, at the very least.  That game dev hasn’t spoken to me since; however, I still receive updates from them, and am glad to say that they have started to incorporate characters of colour into their game.

Image Description: This is Sazh Katzroy from Final Fantasy XIII. He has an afro and is wearing a green jacket with a grown inside and many buttons. He wears a black glove and is smiling. He’s an example of good representation, where he does what he does for his son and though he’s one for banter, he’s still very intelligent and mature. Image taken from http://www.behindthevoiceactors.com and can be taken off this post by request.

Since then, I’ve realized that it’s not so much that people don’t want to include people of colour, but that many don’t know how.  A lot of people don’t want to offend, so they stick to what they already know, which is mostly Western / European people and culture.  Other people don’t know where to start with the research.  Yet others are scared about what their audience will think.

Here, I’ve compiled a list of tips you can use to help create diverse characters.  Tomorrow, I’ll talk about the difference between appropriation and appreciation, so you can avoid offending people with your portrayal of characters of colour.  Hopefully this is helpful!

Country of Origin / Ethnicity
Most people just start by going, “Oh, this person is from Africa” or “This person is Native American” without specifying their culture.  Yes, you can have a character that is a character of colour without having to explain where they are from, but you should at least have an idea.  For example, Inuit people are different from the Cherokee in terms of living, experience, and culture.  As a designer or a writer, you should do adequate research on where you want your character to be from, even if it’s never explicitly stated in the game.  If your character is from the West (as in, they grew up with Western culture and identify with it, such as an Asian-American), it’s still important to pinpoint where your character is from and design a background that fits in with what they might’ve grown up with.  For example, an African-American person may not have huge influences from the continent of Africa, but their experiences of racism in America can be a huge part of their background.

Names
Names are pretty important.  They can help define where someone is from and their background.  For example, Manuel “Manny” Calavera from Grim Fandago has roots in Mexican / Incan culture.  Meanwhile, Faith Connors from Mirror’s Edge is interracial and grew up in the West, where her name is more fitting.  Names don’t always have to be incorporated, but it’s always a cool little nod to one’s background.

Image Description: This is Connor Kenway from Assassin’s Creed III. He is interracial (half Native American, half Caucasian) and is wearing what looks like heavy white clothing. He also has a bow and a quiver with a single arrow. While I didn’t really enjoy III, I loved Connor and his background. Image taken from forums.ubi.com and can be taken off post by request.

Stereotypes
Stereotypes are the one thing game designers should avoid.  Many action FPS games tend to have aggressive and muscular African-American men who are leaders.  They tend to get killed off or have that attitude of “we have to move on”.  This characterizes African-American men as violent, hard-headed, potentially unfeeling, and disposable.  I’ve seen this trope way too many times.  There’s also the example of the Asian ninja, which is used much too often.  I’ve heard many people state that you should try to create a character without looking at race or ethnicity first, then add that aspect later.  This could work, but race and ethnicity could really factor into a character’s background.  The only real advice is to create a variety of complex characters of different ethnicities and backgrounds.  Research stereotypes and work to defy them, or at least, refuse to adhere to them.

Image Description: This is Chell from Portal and Portal 2. She is running with an orange jumpsuit, though they only serve as her pants; the rest is tied around her waist. She has a white tanktop on that says “APERTURE SCIENCE”. She holds a Portal Gun. In the background, there is the outline of a blue portal. Though her ethnic background is ambiguous, she is supposed to be partially Japanese. In addition, she is modeled off of Alésia Glidewell, who is Brazilian and Japanese. Image taken from http://www.giantbomb.com and can be taken off this post by request.

Appearance
Remember that a character’s appearance also says a lot about them.  The main example I like to use is that when game developers do show African-American males, they tend to have extremely short hair or have a shaved head.  We rarely see them with dreadlocks or afros, which are often associated with being a “thug”.  This association is dangerous and wrong.  We should be representing people of all different ethnicities a number of ways that is not harmful to them.  Yet another example is that I often see Indigenous people represented in video games with few clothes and war paint on acting aggressively (or, in colonization terms, “in an uncivilized manner”).  This is also a harmful form of representation.  Indigenous people can be represented in many different kinds of ways that aren’t inherently harmful to their image.  Middle Eastern people are rarely even shown–how amazing would it be to have a protagonist that wears a hijab or a niqab?  Make sure to not only create a variety of complex characters of different ethnicities and backgrounds, but to also show a diverse group of characters in manner and appearance.  We need to see more African businessmen, Native American college students, Hispanic teachers, etc.  Representation is important, and in media, appearance is a huge factor.

I know it’s not much, and a lot of this can be pretty vague.  But admittedly, the issue of representation can be pretty open.  In fact, it’s good to represent people of colour in many different ways, which is why it’s so open-ended!  Yet most people don’t implement characters of colour in their video games.  Hopefully this post encourages you to!

Signing off,
SJG

#LevelUpDiversity: Day 3

Written By: The Social Justice Gamer

CWs:  Fire (mention), Abuse (mention),

People Involved: Pytyvo Gaming (Host) (https://pytyvogaming.wordpress.com/)

Synopsis:  It’s #LevelUpDiversity week, in which we (along with many others) promote ethnic diversity in video games!  This event is hosted by Pytyvo Gaming.  They encourage video game designers to include ethnic and cultural diversity within their video games.  Today’s second post showcases some of my own characters that I have created.

Article:  Writing stories, creating worlds, imagining characters… it’s always been a passion of mine.  Sure, I’m taking Computer Science courses to fulfill a major, but I’m not the best programmer.  But I want to create video games–I want to write, I want to design.  Now that’d be a dream come true.

I’ve already created so many worlds and written a few novels.  Of course, I’ve also come up with video game ideas, my favourite of which I refuse to talk about, since I want to personally see it come to life.  But here, I’ll share some of my characters that I’ve created.  They’re all PoC from different ethical and cultural backgrounds, and I hope to put them into a game I create (or help create) someday.

All of the names of these characters are temporary.  Nothing is set in stone yet.  I know I’m not the best artist, but hopefully I’m able to improve before they go into any game.  In addition, some of these are digitally done, while others were done with pencil.  I’m sorry about the quality of some of these pictures.

Image Description: A woman with a headband and dreadlocks is shown with a slight smile on her face. Drawn by SJG.

This is Ijeoma, a Nigerian woman who is a great fighter.  She specializes in defense and doesn’t like to start fights, but she isn’t afraid to rush into battle to ensure others are safe.

A bisexual woman who has anxiety, she works in harmony with her partner, Laarni, shown below.

She used to live in a small village with her parents and sisters before it was burned down by some people from a neighboring tribe.  She fled to another village and lived with her aunt and uncle.  When she discovered her sisters being abused, they all fled.  Unfortunately, they were separated.  She has been searching for them since.

Image Description: There is a person with half a shaved head and messy hair on the other side. Drawn by SJG.

This is Laarni, Ijeoma’s partner of Vietnamese descent.  They also know how to fight very well with a machete.  They’re a bit impulsive and love joking around, but they’re extremely caring (especially when it comes to Ijeoma).

A genderfluid person who uses the pronouns “they/them”, Laarni is an amputee who has a replacement for their right arm.

They used to live in a town by the jungle, and they often helped her parents with their work: fishing, farming, and crafting.  When a great flood destroyed everything she knew, she joined a group of pirates and eventually became their captain.  Though she has passed leadership onto another, she still keeps in touch with the crew.  As she was a pirate, she cut her hair and shaved half her head, a sign of exile from society (and from everything she knew before).

Image Description: A woman wearing a hijab wields knives. She is wearing traditional Pakistani clothing. Drawn by SJG.

This is Saira, a woman from Pakistan.  She specializes in knives and daggers and is an excellent fighter.

A lesbian woman who is hard of hearing, Saira has honed her other senses to be a great fighter.

When she was a child, her parents abandoned her.  From there, she became a thief, growing on the streets of a town that never willingly took her in.  She joined a group of children in similar situations, eventually leading them.  One night, there was a terrible sandstorm.  Not all of the children were able to hide, and Saira found two of them suffocated on the streets.  She realized that the men within a nearby building refused to let them in, leaving them to die.  She nearly killed the men when she realized that murder would not solve anything.  That day, she left the town and sought to change her lifestyle.  Her goal now is to help children who are in situations similar to hers so that they do not end up suffering as she did.  She makes an honest living now.

Image Description: A woman with traditional Incan clothing looks off to the left. Her hands are over her chest. Drawn by SJG.

This is Aclia, a trans woman of Incan descent.  She has more mystical powers and works with potions.  She is able to control bodies (think bloodbending) and hates using her power.

She is visually impaired, but is able to use echolocation to her advantage.

Aclia comes from the mountains.  She focused heavily on her education, and her knowledge of herbs and magic comes from her parents.  They were simple farmers, and she would often read when she sat with grazing sheep.  One day, she returned to find her village destroyed by an avalanche.  Devastated, she barely had any choice but to go around to different villages to work as a Healer in hopes of getting enough money to eat and live.  Eventually, she is taken under the wing of a kind mentor, Pachamama, a goddess in disguise.  Upon seeing Aclia’s kindness and strength, she teaches Aclia many things, including how to better control her powers and how to sense magic.

Image Description: A man is shown with shoulder-length hair and a small smile. Drawn by SJG.

This is Dustu, a man of Cherokee descent.  He is skilled with a bow and arrow. Originally a greedy and envious young boy, he eventually grows into a bright and open-minded young man.

He has bipolar disorder and is pansexual.

The first son of the Chief, Dustu has always dreamed of leading his tribe.  Yet, he always felt threatened by his brother, who was by far a much better hunter.  It was decided that whoever defeated the Uktena (a snake monster) and got the Ulun’suti (a gem on its head) would lead the tribe.  An outsider was able to get it, and Dustu was very envious, as this outsider relinquished it to his brother.  The outsider, however, taught Dustu many lessons in humility, kindness, and selflessness.  As a result, Dustu joined the outsider and decided to continue his growth as a person before returning back to his tribe.

While I wanted to show more characters, I decided that this was a pretty good limit.  It’s true that the majority of the characters I design are female or non-gender-binary, but that’s because I believe they need more representation.  Anyways, I hope you enjoyed reading about my characters and liked my designs.  It’s totally fine if you didn’t.

Signing off,
SJG

#LevelUpDiversity: Day 2

Written By: The Social Justice Gamer

CWs:  Death (mention), Supernatural (Zombies – mention), Military (mention)

People Involved: Pytyvo Gaming (Host) (https://pytyvogaming.wordpress.com/)

Synopsis:  It’s #LevelUpDiversity week, in which we (along with many others) promote ethnic diversity in video games!  This event is hosted by Pytyvo Gaming.  They encourage video game designers to include ethnic and cultural diversity within their video games.  Today’s post is going to be about some of our favourite video games characters of colour.

Article:  I’ve always been a huge fan of representation, and the story behind that is pretty strange.  I grew up in a community mostly surrounded by white people.  My culture / ethnicity was never pointed out to me until I was about 6; until then, I thought I was white, since I had lighter skin.  I had only ever been taught about African American people before, but my skin wasn’t very dark, so I had to be white, right?  It sounds silly, doesn’t it?  But that’s why I think representation is so important: because we need to see ourselves in media.  We need to represent a diverse group of people, and not just their stereotypes.  Representation matters because we need diversity.  This includes racial and ethnic diversity.  I only started watching TV seriously when I was about 8, and that’s when I started seeing myself on the screen, but it wasn’t enough.  I’m Chinese / Filipino, but where would one see that in American television?  Or in video games that I played, such as Pokemon, Super Mario Bros., Disney-related games, or American history games?

That’s why today’s first post is on some of my favourite characters of colour in video games.  There aren’t many, but they’re all very important to me.

Image Description: This is Daisy Fitzroy. She is wearing a red scarf, suspenders, a white button-down shirt with a ripped sleeve, and brown pants. Image taken from http://bioshock.wikia.com/ and can be taken off this post by request.

Daisy Fitzroy from BioShock Infinite
Oh man.  Daisy Fitzroy.  LET ME TELL YOU ABOUT DAISY FITZROY.  Daisy Fitzroy, an African-American woman, was originally a servant to the Comstock family in Columbia, the city in the sky.  When she was framed for Lady Comstock’s murder, she rebelled and created a group and movement called the Vox Populi.  They’re a group of people–mostly African-American–who are against the oppression of the Comstocks and the Founders, who are all white.  She’s strong, caring, sensible, and brutal.  She knows her goals and will do whatever she can to free the people from oppression.  Unfortunately, like most other characters of colour in these kinds of video games, she is killed.  Even so, she’s definitely my favourite character of colour from a video game.  An African-American woman leading a movement against white oppression from as early as 1912 (possibly earlier)?  Yes please!

Altaïr Ibn-La’Ahad from Assassin’s Creed

Okay.  Let’s be honest.  Assassin’s Creed has never actually been known for its diversity.  But Altaïr is a pretty great character.  A Syrian man born from a Christian mother and a Muslim father, he goes on to be a character who became a great leader of the Brotherhood.  There are a few faults, however: his face is almost never seen and he speaks with an American accent.  Honestly, I can’t say much on Altaïr except that I love the Middle Eastern influence.  Even so, it wasn’t much, and as much as I love him, he isn’t exactly the most outstanding character ever.  Still, Altaïr is great, and I’m happy to see Middle Eastern representation in such a huge franchise (even if that representation faltered later on).  (No picture of him because I honestly can’t find a decent one with his face.)

Image Description: This is Riley Abel, an African-American girl opposed to military oppression. She wears a denim jacket and a dirty pink backpack. Image taken from http://www.gamepur.com and can be taken off this post by request.

Riley Abel from The Last of Us: Left Behind
Sadly, Riley is another African-American girl who dies, but the representation is there.  I also love her character, as well as her relationship with Ellie, a main protagonist of the base The Last of Us game.  Left Behind is only a DLC, but it’s extremely important.  Riley’s another rebel: she doesn’t like the military that keeps people “safe” but trapped and destitute.  She favours the Fireflies, a group of people who want to fight military oppression and restore a bureaucratic government as well as find a cure to the Infected.  She’s a great character and I absolutely love her, even if the way she’s represented isn’t exactly the greatest way to be represented.  After all, all of the characters of colour in The Last of Us seem to be killed off somehow.

Image Description: This is Faith Connors, a Runner. She has a tattoo under her right eye with two spikes coming down and a tattoo on her right arm that resembles circuitry. She has black hair styled in a bob and is wearing a black tank top. Image taken from http://mirrorsedge.wikia.com/ and can be taken off post by request.

Faith Connors from Mirror’s Edge
Faith Connors, an interracial (Caucasian / Asian) woman, is the main protagonist of the game Mirror’s Edge.  She’s a Runner, or a person who transfers information outside of the strict surveillance of the city she lives in (the City of Glass).  She uses her skills with parkour and fighting to do her work, get information, and save her sister.  She’s a great character, as she is very determined, strong, intelligent, and resilient.  I love the idea of having interracial characters, since they’re represented even less so than people of one ethnicity.  I also love Faith in general.  She’s great, and her relationship with her sister, Kate, is noteworthy. The Runners themselves are also pretty diverse, coming from a number of ethnical backgrounds. Talk about diverse characters!

Eva Rosalene from To the Moon
Eva Rosalene is a great character, and I absolutely love her (and her sister).  She’s of African American descent is a bright person who works for Sigmund Corp., a company that “grants people’s dying wishes”.  Intelligent, caring, resolute, and so much more, Eva aims to get the job done and please clients with her partner, Neil Watts.  No matter how frustrating the job gets, she always ensures that the people around her are taken care of.  Though she doesn’t show it directly too often, she cares a lot about others.  Hard-working but not without a sense of humour, Eva’s a great character overall.  (No picture of her since she’s really just a few pixels.  But I still love her.)

Hm.  Maybe I’m biased, maybe I simply play games with more women of colour, but it seems that these characters are predominantly female.  I often find that I can’t like men of colour in video games, because they’re either stereotyped (for example, an Asian ninja) or not well represented (my example of most characters of colour being killed off before the game ends).  While women–and women of colour–are represented even less, it’s a gem when you do come across a well-written and well-represented one.

Let’s keep encouraging diversity in our video games!  Goodness knows we need it.

Signing off,
SJG

#LevelUpDiversity: Day 1

Written By: The Social Justice Gamer

CWs:  Supernatural (Spirits, Legendary Creatures, Living Skeletons, Demons, Ghosts), Death,

People Involved: Pytyvo Gaming (Host) (https://pytyvogaming.wordpress.com/)

Synopsis:  It’s #LevelUpDiversity week, in which we (along with many others) promote ethnic diversity in video games!  This event is hosted by Pytyvo Gaming.  They encourage video game designers to include ethnic and cultural diversity within their video games.  Today’s post is going to be about some of our favourite video games that feature ethnic and cultural diversity.

Article:  Ah, here we go!  Our second post of the day, and our first post promoting #LevelUpDiversity.  The details are above, but if you want to see more, read their post about it here (https://pytyvogaming.wordpress.com/2015/10/12/join-us-to-levelupdiversity-oct-22nd-28th/).  Due to midterm season, we missed yesterday, but we’re going to cover both Day 2 and 3 tomorrow.

Let’s get into our post, shall we?  Here are some of our favourite video games that encourage ethnic and cultural diversity.  Sadly, only two of these games actually draw influence from a non-White culture, but the fact that they include a diverse cast is still great.

Image Description: There is a little girl with traditional Iñupiaq clothing consisting of fur and animal skins. She is pulling on a rope and dragging something, as well as holding onto a stick with a small red cloth on the top. The background is dark and blurry. Image taken from http://neveralonegame.com/ and can be taken off this post by request.

Never Alone by Upper One Games
An absolutely beautiful game and great story, Never Alone (Kisima Inŋitchuŋa) is based around Iñupiaq indigenous folklore and culture.  The player plays as a little Iñupiaq girl, Nuna, and her Arctic fox, who set out to find the source of an eternal blizzard that may destroy everything around them.  With the help of spirits and the guiding forces of nature, this puzzle platformer allows the player to have fun whilst learning about Iñupiaq culture.  It is narrated in the Iñupiaq spoken language, as well.  Many people of Iñupiaq descent contributed to the making of this game and provided much of the content that went into it.

Image Description: A calaca / skeletal man in a suit is standing in a dimly lit hallway with a door to the right. The hallway has some lamps, red carpet, and teal and brown walls. Image taken from http://www.grimremastered.com/ and can be taken off this post by request.

Grim Fandango by LucasArts
A strange yet fun game filled with puzzles that’ll make your head spin, Grim Fandango combines Aztec and Mexican culture with modern “Western” culture.  The game takes place on Día de Muertos, or the Day of the Dead (albeit on different years) in the Land of the Dead.  It combines some Spanish phrases, aspects of a Film Noir, Aztec folklore, and Mexican culture into a great game.  You play as Manny Calavera, a man who has died long ago and simply wants to go to the Ninth Underworld, the final destination for a soul.  Before he can, though, he must work as a grim reaper and save Meche Colomar, a virtuous soul who must undertake a long journey to the Ninth Underworld.  The character designs are based off of calaca, or skeletal figures.  With its amazing ethnic influence and fun humour (not to mention the frustrating puzzles), Grim Fandango is absolutely brilliant.

Image Description: A young woman, wearing a short-sleeved white collared shirt and skin, holds what seems to be a long stick. She is holding it up as if she’d be ready to hit anything that came. She carries a red bag with her, and is in a dark setting. Image taken from http://dreadout.com/ and can be taken off this post by request.

DreadOut by DigitalHappiness
I guess I can’t leave our horror games when it’s October, can I?  DreadOut is a great game that takes heavy influences from Indonesian folklore and culture.  All of the characters are Indonesian.  The ghosts and spirits in this game are all from Indonesian folklore, and there is even a guide that explains the stories behind them.  I’m a huge fan of horror stories from other countries, since they’re inspired by their local environment and experiences.  You play as a young high school student named Linda, who must take pictures of these ghosts and spirits to gain information on them and defeat them.  It’s very much like the Fatal Frame series, but I believe (yet I’m not sure) that DreadOut has much more cultural influence than the Fatal Frame series does, though that doesn’t mean Fatal Frame has none at all.  In fact, it does draw quite a few stories and elements from Japanese culture.  I decided to focus on DreadOut instead because in comparison, Indonesian culture is barely shown in video games.

I haven’t played the next game yet, but I am super excited to do so.  I first heard about it back in March, and I hope to play it soon!

Image Description: An African man with what seems to be golden armour with red stones and a red cape seems to be ready to fight something. In the background are stairs and a bright scene with a few trees and bushes. Image taken from iq.intel.com and can be taken off this post by request.

Aurion: Legacy of Kori-Odan by Kiro’o Games
You guys have NO IDEA how excited I am for this game.  I can tell it’s going to be a good one.  Influenced by many different African cultures, myths, and lore, Aurion: Legacy of Kori-Odan is a 2D African Fantasy Action-RPG.  Of course, there’s no one African culture, but it draws from many different influences throughout Africa.  Developed in Cameroon, this game is sure to be tons of fun.  It draws heavy inspiration from Japanese Action-RPGs and seems to only include characters of colour.  I sincerely hope that’s the case!  It seems to be diverse in terms of gender, as well.  I can’t wait to see and play this game.  I’ve always wanted an African RPG, where different regions are based off of different African cultures and countries.  While I’m not quite sure if that’s the case, it seems that it may be something similar.  The art is beautiful and the gameplay is so nostalgic.  I believe the best description of the game, if you’d like to check it out yourself, can be found here (https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/plugindigitallabel/aurion-legacy-of-the-kori-odan/description).

While we only listed four games, we sincerely hope the list expands quickly soon.  Hopefully, you check out these games if you haven’t already, and participate in #LevelUpDiversity with us!  Thanks for reading!

Signing Off,
SJG