Girl in the Machine - This guy are sick.

Monday, July 28, 2008

Diversity and Mass Effect

I've recently been replaying Mass Effect, Bioware's 2007 action RPG, and I'm totally in love. Though there's plenty of things I could babble on about, I want to discuss the first thing I noticed when I brought the game home back during the holidays.

Women and people of color. They aren't invisible . . . in fact, in this game, they're all over the place! Just like, you know, real life! Way too often, sci fi falls into the trap of showing us a universe where PoC and women have been sucked into a black hole or something and no longer exist. Mass Effect introduces a galaxy that's truly diverse, an experience we don't often get in video games.

An interesting facet of Mass Effect's immense cultural salad is the absence of racial tension among humans. Humanity's discovery of advanced Prothean artifacts is only quite recent; their technology jumps two hundred years, and thus all contact and interaction with alien races is relatively sudden. These aliens all look down on the human race and treat them as lesser beings. As the first human member of an elite agency called Spectre, the protagonist Shepard must combat prejudice and bigotry as well as your typical monsters and other foes.

Mass Effect pitches humanity into a situation where all racial tensions seem to vanish in order to unite against the prejudice of the alien races. Now, I realize that Bioware did not craft this game for the purpose of social commentary, so I don't blame it for not directly addressing human racial interaction along with the new problems presented by alien prejudice. It's a fascinating thought, though: could humanity put internal racism aside when all of us, collectively, face the same from an outside source?

Mass Effect's major hub of human-alien interaction is the Citadel, a massive space station in the Serpent Nebula. As Shepard, you're let loose there after the game's prologue, free to collect sidequests or continue the main storyline. Sidequests have always been my favorite part of role-playing games, and so I was thrilled to see the sheer variety of characters that seek your help. There's eldery crime boss Helena Blake, who sends you off to take out her competition. A mourning widower named Samesh Bhatia pleads you to retrieve the body of his wife, a marine who dies during the prologue. Reporter Emily Wong needs you to dig up some dirt on an organized crime syndicate. And there's many, many more.

So we have some pretty great diversity going on in this game -- with the special bonus of none it feeling forced or patronizing -- along with a springboard for racial discussion due to alien prejudice. However, Mass Effect takes things a step further.

It would have been easy to treat prejudice in a two-dimensional fashion with snarling, discriminative aliens and cowering humans, but many alien characters find such prejudice deplorable and many human characters despise aliens as a whole. Notably, two human members of Shepard's squad deal with their own race issues.

Ashley Williams begins the game with a deep mistrust of all alien races and often confesses to Shepard that she doesn't think the nonhuman squad members should go unsupervised. As Shepard, you can bring two squad members with you on your quests, and if you pick Ashley and a nonhuman member, such as Tali the quarian, they have some interesting conversations during the game's many elevator rides. In Tali's case, Ashley points out that the quarian's strange dress makes many humans think of the evil geth, and admits that she shares this opinion. As Tali answers her questions, Ashley displays a growing understanding of alien differences and slowly overcomes her prejudices.

Kaiden Alenko is a biotic (Mass Effect's "mage" class) who was subjected to Biotic Acclimation and Temperance Training, or "Brain Camp," as a child to temper his powers. He describes the experience as particularly brutal, staffed only by aliens since humanity had yet to fully understand biotics. Kaiden had a violent run-in with one of his instructors, an ex-military turian named Vyrnnus who loathed humans. After tragedy strikes and all is said and done, Kaiden points out that Vyrnnus, though terrible, was just one turian, and not representative of an entire race. Despite his traumatizing experiences at the hands of this instructor, Kaiden does not allow them to slant his own views of an entire race.

Over all, Mass Effect does an exceptional job on many accounts. Women and people of color share important roles and characters tangle with race issues that are relevant to us in the real world. Though the game is far from perfect (expect a post about the asari Consort in the future), it's a solid effort from Bioware and addresses many topics that most games won't even touch.

Labels: BomberGirl, Getting it Right, Mass Effect, Race Issues, RPG

Posted by BomberGirl
10:11 AM + Link to this post
5 comments

Monday, July 21, 2008

Expectations: Sheva Alomar

There's been a veritable dry spell in survival horror games as of late, and I've definitely been suffering. Dementium: The Ward for the Nintendo DS was a huge disappointment, and Silent Hill: Origins left me with only a cynical apprehension for September's Homecoming. This year's E3 provided a smattering of goodies for gamers to ooh and aah over, and we were fortunate enough to get a preview of some sorely-needed survival horror titles. Probably the most notorious is Capcom's Resident Evil 5.

I enjoyed RE4, although I'm more of a Creep Around And Get Scared Oh Shit What Was That? kind of gal, as opposed to Mow Down Hundreds Of Zombies And Jump Through Windows action-star wannabe, so it wasn't entirely my cup of tea. It was a wonderful game regardless of my personal preferences, so Capcom is clearly sticking close to that formula for its sequel. Also part of the formula is the good old survival horror hallmark, the secondary character, this time in the form of a woman named Sheva Alomar.

I'm as shocked as anybody that not only is one of the main characters a person of color, but a woman of color, to boot. Sheva comes to protagonist Chris Redfield's aid as a member of the West African BSAA, or Bioterrorism Security Assessment Alliance. In another shocking twist, she's not a squealing, floundering idiot a la RE4's Ashley, but a competent, well-trained agent who does her share of the combat. Be still, my heart!

I have talked before about the differences between your average male and female survival horror protagonists, and while Leon and Ashley fit my observations quite snugly, Sheva appears to defy most of them. All I can do is speculate, of course, but look how badass she is with that gun! A woman? In a survival horror game? Who's got everything under control? Is well-equipped for the job and knows what she's doing? Now that's some shock and awe, and I'm very pleased.

I'm hoping Sheva is a step up from the ridiculous Ada Wong, whose exoticized Femme Fatale nature stands in entirely for personality. Every one of her scenes in RE4 had me rolling my eyes. Trussed up in an unwieldly Chinese dress, four-inch heels, and a fucking garter for a gun holster, she's just as easy to take seriously as squealy Ashley. Ada is simple pinup material, a Hot Asian Chick flourishing a gun, and with any luck Sheva will make me forget all about her.

Now, this game won't even be out until March 2009, so perhaps it's a bit early to celebrate too much. However, in the world of female video game characters, it's quite nice to have something positive on the horizon. Sheva's existence does not cancel out the ugly racism depicted in the RE5 trailer, and I am quite interested in seeing what the overall story and gameplay offer when I actually get the chance to play it.

The Resident Evil series has been around for a good twelve years now, and it's an obvious fact that its cast of playable characters is totally whitewashed. As diverse as the US's population is, every Umbrella-opposing RE protagonist has been sparkling white. It's unfortunate that it took a change of scenery to an African country for any people of color to share the spotlight -- and even then, it's Chris who's prominently featured in the trailers, screenshots, and previews, while Sheva takes up the support role. However, it looks like a step in the right direction, no matter how small, and I'll be sure to report back to you as soon as I get my hands on this game in early 2009.

(Go check out some more kickass pictures of Sheva at Gaygamer.net's E3 '08: Hands On With Resident Evil 5.)

Labels: BomberGirl, Getting it Right, Race Issues, Resident Evil, Survival Horror

Posted by BomberGirl
10:00 AM + Link to this post
5 comments

Friday, June 27, 2008

Colonization: Fun 'n Games

Sid Meier's Civilization series comprises of turn-based strategy games with a focus on growing a budding nation. Begun in 1991, the games take place in a variety of eras--you can build an empire as far back as 4000 BCE and nurture it long enough to witness World War II. The series has proven to be very popular over the years, gaining a loyal fanbase and even winning a few awards along the way. In 1994, Sid Meier released a game called Colonization: Create a New Nation. Players choose from four European nations--England, France, Spain, and the Netherlands--and set sail for the Americas (or "The New World," as the game calls it). The object of the game is to foster a colony and eventually gain independence from its mother country. Sid Meier is preparing to rerelease this game in the form of a Civilization IV standalone expansion sometime in 2008.

I was a bit taken aback at the sight of a game about colonization, although I probably shouldn't have been surprised. The idea of a game about conquering other civilizations and stealing their land is pretty tasteless to me, but unfortunately many Americans don't view colonization that way. I found that most people tend to see it through an Elementary School History Lens--you know, when you were taught how the plucky, pure future Americans who could do no wrong went on a journey for freedom and were buddy-buddies with the Native Americans?

The original Colonization game handles Native Americans in a very interesting way. Players can choose to either befriend the natives (who in turn teach them skills and help defend the colony) or wipe them out entirely. Unlike other Civilization games, Colonization focuses on trade and community interaction rather than more militant aspects. If the player defeats a native community, they gain treasure and land; however, it also severely affects their final score. Players can also send peacemakers such as Ben Franklin or Pocahontas to native communities to further improve relations or gain recruits. Unfortunately, this recruiting typically involves converting said recruits to Christianity.

Each European country has different skills when it comes to interacting with the natives. For instance, France generates tension with native communities at a lower rate, while the Spanish have a 50% military bonus against them. The Spanish military bonus in particular is rooted in history: Spain's military was sent to colonize the Americas after the Reconquista, which left an eager military rearing for action. This ultimately lead to the destruction of many legendary Native American tribes.

Sid Meier helps to raise the issues with colonization by punishing the act of attacking native communities; however, there is an issue with being able to avoid doing this. By providing the option of being completely peaceful with the Native Americans, Colonization risks perpetuating the Elementary School History Syndrome associated with the colonising America--that we were all just good buddies with the natives. It conveniently sidesteps the cruelty and abuse Native Americans received at the hands of the colonists. The remake can and should address this issue, along with some sort of penalization to demonstrate the impact colonization had on Native Americans.

The Civilization series has been repeatedly criticized for its elitist nature. Historian and anthropologist Matthew Kappell published an essay entitled "Civilization and its Discontents: American Monomythic Structure as Historical Simulacrum" that spearheads this issue. In the essay, Kappel explains how the series uses American myths concerning colonization and domination of the Americas (such as the conquering of the frontier) as a foundation for its premise. Other critics have pointed out how Colonization in particular skirts the issues of slavery, particularly the Spanish hacienda system which forced many native tribes into slavery. Removing these aspects of the colonists further paints them with a monochrome coat of goodness and innocence.

It is reprehensible that colonists are so often portrayed as brave heroes earning what land is rightfully theirs--games such as Colonization only perpetuate this myth so common among Americans and Europeans. How about a game about colonization from the natives' perspective? Battle against an army of white folk claiming the land you've lived on for centuries to be theirs--now that's a game I'd play.

For another opinion on this game, check out The Cutscene--but avoid the comments if you want to stay in a good mood.

Labels: Civilization, PlasmaRit, Race Issues, RTS

Posted by PlasmaRit
8:47 PM + Link to this post
0 comments

Friday, June 20, 2008

Prince of Persia: The Alabaster Sands of Time

There are certain words and phrases we hear every now and then that immediately put us on alert--things like "fire" in a building, or "bomb" at the airport. I think we can all agree that "video game movie" is another one of these phrases. We learned the hard way with the Super Mario Bros. movie, but now we've come to expect the side of cheese that comes with our favorite video games adapted for the big screen. And thanks to directors like Uwe Boll, video game movies are pretty much expected to bomb in the box office.

Even now, I think back on some of those movies and shiver. Mario Bros.? Even as a young child, I regarded it with a mixture of fascination and horror. Final Fantasy? Pretty but hollow. Alone in the Dark? Horrifyingly bad. The Silent Hill movie stands head and shoulders over the rest in my book--a veritable best of the worst. Overall a long history ranging from meh to brain-snappingly horrible.

And now we've got a Prince of Persia movie coming along; scheduled to be released in 2009, it's currently being filmed in Morocco. When I first heard about Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time being in production, several thoughts flashed through my mind. First, of course, was whether or not ol' Uwe had gotten his hands on it. A quick Google search relieved my fears: Mike Newell is in the hotseat this time. Sure, he directed my least favorite Harry Potter movie, but anyone besides Uwe is a major step forward. Next came that little red flag that goes up whenever any video game movie comes out; that feeling that I shouldn't get too excited since it's more than likely going to suck.

Then I started thinking about it a little more, and I realized that Prince of Persia may be the first video game movie in the United States to feature a person of color as the main character (let me know in the comments if I'm mistaken). In an industry that features mostly white characters, I was happy to see Prince of Persia selected for its own movie. So, I went on my naive little way, looking forward to seeing the end product of this movie--until I got a load of who will be the leading actors.

First, let's take a look at these characters straight from the source, Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time for the Playstation 2:

That would be Prince Dastan, the noted Prince of Persia, and Princess Farah, the daughter of the Maharajah. Now let's see who will be playing them in the movie adaptation. First up is--

. . . lily-white actor Jake Gyllenhaal playing Prince Dastan. Okay, my bitter side is trying to reason that casting wanted a familiar face for the lead role, so the more minor role of the renamed Tarmina must at least look Indian--

--oh. It's lily-white actress Gemma Arterton. What the hell, movie?

Prince of Persia is a miss right from the get-go. They take one of the maybe two games in existence with a majority cast of people of color and they whitewash them until they're practically blinding us with their whiteness. I don't have anything against Gyllenhaal or Arterton, but the idea that these two are playing a Persian man and an Indian woman respectively makes me laugh and cry at the same time. There is waaay to much history behind white people playing people of color in movies for me to be okay with this decision. Get it together, people! Minority actors don't bite, and it's not going to kill you to find a lesser-known actor. This movie was a great chance to shine the spotlight on more actors of color, and I'm incredibly disappointed Disney didn't take the opportunity. Only time will tell if Prince of Persia can pull video games out of their crappy history, but it definitely hasn't pulled the movie history out of theirs.

Labels: PlasmaRit, Prince of Persia, Race Issues, Video Game Movies

Posted by PlasmaRit
3:08 PM + Link to this post
6 comments

Friday, May 16, 2008

I’m Sure You’ve Got Plenty to Say

Natan: …

(Sorry for the late post. I was experiencing some difficulties acquiring an internet connection this week)

Remember the good ol’ days after the first world war when European vampires still embarked on sabbaticals to the American south-west, cat-people ran Hollywood from behind the scenes, and cheeky teenage detectives could break into high-security compounds like Alcatraz without consequences?

Oh wait—that’s not real life. It’s Shadow Hearts: From the New World (thank goodness).

There’s something about this irreverent series that I find incredibly appealing, but sometimes it leaves me scratching my head. The way the developers choose to represent characters can be a little disingenuous. In particular, minority characters have their differences from the mainstream magnified one hundredfold. Whether it’s the swishy Magimel tailors or the so-Mexican-it-hurts mariachi singer Ricardo, everything is so overblown that it’s difficult to take it seriously.

While discussing the game with BomberGirl and PlasmaRit, we became interested in the “strong and silent” Native American character Natan. We wondered how much he actually had to say throughout the course of the game, and I honestly couldn’t recall. It’s been a while since I’ve played it.

To investigate our suspicions, I combed through one hundred and ten pages of the Shadow Hearts: From the New World script. From beginning to end, the script is 30,324 words long.

Natan says 768 words. Let’s break that down further.

Of those 768 words, about 573 of them are related to the storyline. The other 195 words are spoken during dungeon exploration when Natan offers suggestions on how to complete the puzzles.

Throughout the entire game, Natan is represented through a mere 2.5% of the dialogue. This number isn’t fully accurate, though, because the script I used doesn’t include the short snippets of conversation shared with party members during side quests, including Natan’s UMA side quests.

That doesn’t make it any less problematic in my eyes. Natan first appears when Shania is explaining the Malice to Johnny within the first hour of the game. He watches their entire conversation, including their decision to travel to Arkham University together, before introducing himself with a simple, “I am Natan. It is my honor.” We move through another two or three hours of gaming before he says, “We're wasting time. Let us go,” during Frank’s introduction scene.

This pattern continues all way through the entire game, with Natan’s voice entirely absent from a few chapters. On the one occasion that he speaks up and explains the source of Shania’s blind desire for revenge (eighty-eight words, or 11.4% of his total—the most he speaks at any one time in the game), she puts a cap on him with, “Well, aren't we in a talkative mood today...”

The treatment his character receives perpetuates the strong, silent Native American stereotype. At the very least, he’s not quite Tanto from The Lone Ranger. He rarely speaks, but he uses good grammar throughout the game, with one strange exception. After the party has been captured in the Caribbean, Natan lifts the gate from its hinges and says, “Long time no use... so gate was warped.”

The only quality of the Shadow Hearts series that makes this passably acceptable to me is that no one is safe. The developers must have had a Big Book of Stereotypes when they were drafting the characters. As I’m sure I’ve mentioned before, it’s not a game to take seriously.

Still, while there’s certainly nothing wrong with being quiet, I feel like a character who has been present for the whole game would have more to say.

I wanted to get some more insight into other Native American characters in video games, but I’m currently without reliable internet access. I invite all of our readers to comment and share their thoughts. Who are some of the other Native American faces and voices out there? How do they compare to one another?

Labels: Calabar, Race Issues, RPG, Shadow Hearts, Stereotypes

Posted by Anonymous
7:26 PM + Link to this post
1 comments

Friday, February 29, 2008

I Can End Discrimination

Browsing through GamePolitics, I read an article about a unique PC game called ICED, or "I Can End Deportation." Created by the human rights organization Breakthrough, the game is meant to "spark dialogue and create awareness of unfair U.S. immigration laws on detention and deportation." In the game, players follow the life of one of five teenage immigrants as they are pursued by U.S. immigration officers. The object of the game is to avoid being deported and become a full citizen of the United States.

I read through Dennis's post excited to see that such a game had been created; even better, it's available for free download on the Breathrough website. Aimed at high school and college students, ICED is providing a valuable source of information for those who may not be aware of the problems immigrants face in America. ICED has already faced scathing attacks in the media, such as on the website InfoWars:

"An Indian woman, Mallika Dutt, has released a video game that essentially trains illegal aliens how to sneak across the border and avoid border patrol agents and cops…

As the average Mexican or Latin American does not have access to a video game console, let alone a television, the game is more practically geared toward an effort to inculcate middle class Americans into the belief that illegal immigration is a human rights issue, never mind open borders and the influx of third world people is a globalist plot to turn the United States, soon to become part of a North American Union, into a feudal slave labor gulag based on the China model. It has absolutely nothing to do with human rights."

The paranoia, the stereotyping, the viciousness of the post is staggering. Even more alarming, several comments on GamePolitics's post about ICED are not much better:

"I’ll consider this once the immigration officers are playable. Immigrant youth need savage beatings."

"That sounds like a very stupid game If you’re not a citizen of the US, come here legally and wait 7 years and then you can become a citizen, it’s not that hard. If you come here illegally, then you should be beaten or deported immediately."

“Whats next a game where u play as an al-qaeda member in america and u can kill americans? "

It's obvious what all of these people have in common: they simply can't read. ICED is not about illegal immigrants, and the game has nothing to do with sneaking across the border. The focus of the game is how fucked-up immigration laws can kick an immigrant out of the country for practically no reason, illegally here or not. Playing the game or even reading the post completely would tell you that.

Comments like the ones above prove how important a game like this is in our judgmental society--the very word "immigrant" can send the masses foaming at the mouth in hatred, and the vitriol practically spills out of the computer screen. Access to information is vital if we can make any kind of change, and I think this game is a very important step in that direction. Immigrants (especially illegal ones) have nearly no voice, and they deserve to be heard.

Read GamePolitics' follow up article for Dutt's amazing response to InfoWars.

Labels: Getting it Right, In the News, PlasmaRit, Race Issues, Stereotypes