One concept that Everett talks about a lot is "presence." Now that game developers are reaching a level of photorealism that is difficult to surpass, they no longer are spending as much time with the graphics of the game as the feel of the in game environment. They are looking to create more "authentic" worlds. Whereas in older videogames, it was not really possible to create immersive worlds that attempt to mimic a part of our planet's culture, now we find developers drawing from the urban/street stereotypes. As these sorts of neighborhoods in many US cities are populated with Latino and black families. There is also a stigma that a lot of illegal activity occurs in these areas. These are two key points that developers have incorporated into their games, to try to bring this space into the game.
While these game worlds may be inspired by real worlds, are they accurate? And more importantly, what do children take out of the game's portrayal of life in an urban neighborhood? Everett says the urban world is portrayed as "ultraviolent, hypersexual, exotic, and a repository of dangerous and illegal activity."
Do you think this is true about games? Is the way that these urban/street games show minorities disrespectful?
No comments:
Post a Comment