Dylan Emerson

Dr. Dana Wortman

GDD 2100
October 24, 2019
Racism and Sexism in Game Characters
The past 10 years alone have been the most progressive years for the gaming industry. It wasn’t uncommon
for games in the 1980s and 1990s to portray strong white men saving a damsel in distress, encountering racist
depictions of minorities along the way. As the gaming industry grew, developers have come to realize there is a
much bigger market to tap into when they make their characters more relatable to a much larger demographic, which
is why modern games began to present black, hispanic, and female characters in a positive, equitable light.
When The Walking Dead first aired, it blew up around the nation, quickly becoming one of the most
popular television shows on the air. This lead to a partnership with Telltale Games and one of the most eye-opening
black protagonists in gaming: Lee Everett. Although Lee was first introduced as a convict, wanted for murdering a
state senator, he broke down many racial stereotypes as his character developed. What’s great about Lee is that “his
facial expressions are emotionally transparent - hopelessness, pain, fatigue, concern, confusion, shame, anger. He is
an everyman” (Campbell). Most black characters from the retro age are brash, loud and funky, but Lee is much more
conservative and emotional. This change of pace gives much more depth to black characters, because they’re
relatable, they’re people with emotions, not just overconfident and loud.
Black characters in games were often portrayed as being reckless and confident, commonly used as an
archetype just for the sake of having a black character, but developers have shifted so that “...the black characters are
neither used as a cultural fit for the environment the story takes place in, nor does their ethnicity fulfil any role. They
simply exist” (Hetfeld). Jax Briggs from the Mortal Kombat series was initially introduced as a black stereotype in
Mortal Kombat 2, but as the story progressed and evolved, he became his own person that was clear-headed and
cared about the wellbeing of his friends and family. In Mortal Kombat 11, he isn’t a brash black character, he is a
family man, and his race isn’t important to his character.
This shift towards relatable black characters with emotions is important to how the player relates to the
character, because “the depiction of racial representations within a video game may negatively impact individuals
experiencing positive affect of playing that game because of sensitivity to stereotypical representations” (Cicchirillo
and Appiah, 16). Stereotyping black characters in games can actually inhibit a black player’s ability to identify with
the character. Developers are making their black characters more relatable and more equitable to help the player
identify with character, creating a more positive experience. Aveline de Grandpré from Assassin’s Creed: Liberation
is an example of a black character who breaks the stereotype to create a more positive experience for the player.
She’s an advocate for freedom and justice, empowering players and giving them a cause they can relate to.
Although black characters are underrepresented in gaming, hispanic characters are almost unheard of. Like
with black characters, there is a shift to add more hispanic characters and show them in a more positive manner. One
of the most recognizable hispanic characters in gaming is Dominic Santiago from the Gears of War franchise, who
“represents Hispanic culture and does a damn fine job. He often outshines the series main character because of his
whit, and characteristics. He is a much deeper and often times more relatable character” (Hawes). Dom is a hispanic
character with a lot of depth who makes the ultimate sacrifice, killing himself to save his team. Most depictions of
hispanics involve crime and drug cartels, but Dom is selfless and a hero.
Oftentimes, hispanic characters are portrayed as the bad guys that lose their temper and kill people. Rico
from Just Cause, though he still kills people, is a much calmer example of a hispanic protagonist that’s put in a
positive light. Although his personality changes slightly throughout the series, Rico is generally a level-headed,
witty, and friendly, especially in Just Cause 4. He works for the CIA, which is the opposite of the stereotype of
Mexicans being gangsters in drug cartels. This shows how modern games are shifting to a more equitable portrayal
of hispanic characters.
Making these minority characters more equitable in games not only makes them more relatable, but it also
gives them more depth. Isabela Keyes from the Dead Rising series is “a great representation of a morally ambiguous
Hispanic woman in a zombie Apocalypse” (Bonilla). She starts off as the antagonist in the original game, but
becomes a companion by Dead Rising 3. Her main goal of Dead Rising 3 is to find a cure for zombification to save
mankind. Despite her negative start as a character, her new goal makes her a positive hispanic character people can
relate to and stand with.
Not only is Isabela a strong hispanic character, but a strong female character as well. Lately, developers
have begun to steer away from a damsel-in-distress archetype, to setting women up as the main protagonists. As
Jansz and Martis found in their 2007 journal, “[w]omen and men were distributed equally in the class of leading
characters (six women and six men) and women occupied a dominant position as often as men did.” With more
dominant female characters taking the lead, games can relate to and empower a broader female audience. Cassie
Cage from Mortal Kombat X is an example of a female character that is a strong-willed leader that empowers female
gamers. She is the main protagonist of the game, leading her and her companions to help save Earthrealm. This is an
important shift in putting women in a positive light. Cassie is a strong and balanced fighter as well, making her just
as good of a pick as Mortal Kombat icons Scorpion and Sub-Zero.
Putting females in the lead in a dominant role is the most important way to bring female characters into a
more positive, equitable light, which the industry has been improving on significantly. Emily Kaldwin is the main
protagonist of Dishonored 2, seeking to reclaim the throne after being wrongfully deposed. She is very strong-willed
and clear-headed, able to look past all of the ways people have wronged her and strategically think through tough
situations to get past her obstacles. This shows how women are able to think much clearer in stressful situations,
which empowers female gamers and helps them relate to Emily.
A new Gears of War game recently game out that features a female lead, Kate Diaz. She’s a strong woman
who’s enlisted in the military, killing armies of mutants. Kate also stands up for herself and what she believes in,
such as when she defies an order to learn about her past connections to the Locust, the mutants she’s killing. Kate
Diaz is arguably one of the most empowering protagonists for females on this list, because she’s physically and
mentally strong, level-headed and persistent. Putting female characters in dominant lead roles like Kate’s is what the
industry needs to welcome more female gamers to the scene and empower them.
Overall, the gaming industry is slowly becoming much more diverse and is opening up the doors for
positive, equitable characters. As time goes on and more games are produced, there is a common trend of racist
character portrayals being replaced with depictions that put different ethnicities and females in a positive light.
These positive portrayals of minorities and women not only help the players relate to the characters better, but also
help to eliminate modern day stereotypes and empower our gamers.

References
Bonilla, Angelina. “Top 5 Hispanic Characters In Video Games.” Game Skinny, Game Skinny, 11 Aug. 2017,
https://www.gameskinny.com/45yhg/top-5-hispanic-characters-in-video-games.
Campbell, Colin. “The Walking Dead: Why Lee Everett Really Matters.” IGN, IGN, 4 Sept. 2019,
https://www.ign.com/articles/2012/05/09/the-walking-dead-why-lee-everett-really-matters.
Cicchirillo, Vincent and Osei Appiah. “The impact of racial representations in video game contexts: Identification
with Gaming Characters.” (2014).
Hawes, Jordan. “Celebrating Hispanic Culture In Gaming.” WayTooManyGames, WayTooManyGames, 14 Jan.
2019, https://waytoomany.games/2018/05/05/the-history-of-mexico-in-gaming/.
Hetfeld, Malindy. “The State of Blackness in Games.” Eurogamer, Eurogamer, 3 Oct. 2018,
https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2018-10-03-the-state-of-blackness-in-games.
Jansz, J. & Martis, R.G. Sex Roles (2007) 56: 141. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11199-006-9158-0