Games Fail To Portray Gender and Ethnic Diversity

eldavojohn writes "A new study has found that game characters tend not to reflect cultural diversity. According to the paper from researchers across four universities (PDF): 'A large-scale content analysis of characters in video games was employed to answer questions about their representations of gender, race and age in comparison to the US population. The sample included 150 games from a year across nine platforms, with the results weighted according to game sales. ... The results show a systematic over-representation of males, white and adults and a systematic under-representation of females, Hispanics, Native Americans, children and the elderly.' The researchers also note that games 'function as crucial gatekeepers for interest in science, technology, engineering and math,' and that without these groups represented properly, 'it may place underrepresented groups behind the curve.'"

Comments

Pyro is a female!

[Shikaku]

Mmmrhmhmhmrhrmhmrmhm!

Well yeah

[davidwr]

Normal humans without special powers and skills are so underrepresented in those games. As a normal human whose only special power is the random temporary ability to cast ./ mod spells, I feel left out.

When the mages and sorcerers get into MIT and I don't, I guess I can blame the games.

Someone please think of the boobies

[PhantomHarlock]

Good thing they did not try to compare breast size and hip to waist ratios as compared to real world...

Elderly Representation

[Anonymous Coward]

Somehow I don't think that the average person wants a game where they play a senior.

No one wants to bend down to get the Amulet of Yendor and not be able to stand up again.

Re:I have my doubts.

[Anonymous Coward]

Sorry, but... where have all the fat people gone, in american games ?

That'll Be an Interesting Chart

[RobotRunAmok]

I bet it shows an unusually high percentage of Dark Elves and Orcs, as well as Caucasians. What should we be inferring from that?

Oblig. Chasing Amy

[mfnickster]

Hooper: "Always some white boy gotta invoke the holy trilogy. Bust this: Those movies are about how the white man keeps the brother man down, even in a galaxy far, far away. Check this shit: You got cracker farm boy Luke Skywalker, Nazi poster boy, blond hair, blue eyes. And then you got Darth Vader, the blackest brother in the galaxy, Nubian god!"

Banky: "What's a Nubian?"

Hooper: "Shut the fuck up! Now... Vader, he's a spiritual brother, y'know, down with the force and all that good shit. Then this cracker, Skywalker, gets his hands on a light saber and the boy decides he's gonna run the fuckin' universe - gets a whole klan of whites together. And they go and bust up Vader's hood, the Death Star. Now what the fuck do you call that?"

Banky: "Intergalactic civil war?"

Hooper: "Gentrification! They gonna drive out the black element to make the galaxy quote-unquote, 'safe' for white folks. And Jedi's the most insulting installment! Because Vader's beautiful black visage is sullied when he pulls off his mask to reveal a feeble, crusty, old white man! They tryin' to tell us that deep inside, we all wants to be white!"

Banky: "...but isn't that true??"