Editor's Note: This article contains racist and homophobic language and themes detailing the writer's experiences that some readers may find offensive. When was your first time? I remember it like it was yesterday. It was the first Gears of War, original 360, Team Deathmatch, four vs. four, and at the time my Gamertag was vRic0v. By first joining the match as a spectator, I prepared myself to join the three-player team that had lost. Chat came out of my headphones once the game was over: curses, insults, and laughter were exchanged. Then a player yells, "No Mexicans allowed, I don't mind getting out of my room and mowing the lawn." Then my screen went black before the words "You've been kicked out of the room" appeared. Now, I had been called a "queer" and a "nigger/a" many times before; both in a derogatory and endearing way (amongst other queer black gamers). But what entered my youthful psyche at this time of racial-xenophobic targeting online was 1) ``Rico'' probably refers to a Puerto Rican name, not a Mexican one and 2) I was not Hispanic/Latino, my name is only Rico. It was a demanding drive-by; This person's judgment and action was so swift that it caught me off guard, and I couldn't even report the Gamertag because I wasn't sure who said it, this was in 2006. But who can really "escape"? And why shouldn't we be able to connect and disconnect from the real world? Outside of my own experience, from that time to today, gamers' discussions of their experiences in this harsh climate can be found all over the web, such as in this 2019 Reddit titled Racism While Playing Video Games. . Today the world of online console gaming is different. I can confidently say that I have experienced the wild and lawless digital landscape known as online console gaming before any major attempts to address discrimination. But has the Far-Far-West been fully tamed today? Not by a sniper.
Who can really escape?
In 2020, when it comes to the ongoing global phenomenon, white people are realizing that racism is still a reality, from the police killing of George Floyd in the United States to the controversy over a supermarket Christmas ad. in the U.S. UK, and countless other examples, many companies are on a mission to condemn and denounce racism and other forms of structural oppression, including by the big names in the video game industry. The top three video game hardware companies (Microsoft, Sony, and Nintendo) took their views earlier this year on racial injustices, mostly through blasts on social media or by updating how-to sections 'For About'. '' from your website. Sony even delayed its PS5 announcement, prompting strong reactions from all sides of the debate, including tweets expressing views like, "What do games have to do with race?" and "Remember when games were about escaping...". But who can really "escape"? And why shouldn't we be able to connect and disconnect from the real world? I didn't know it at the time, but in 2006 I began to realize that, in the view of many people, escaping is a privilege attributed to those of racial and sexual class. and mainstream economics, and that my ticket to pixelated paradise came with restrictions that no cheat code could allow me to bypass. Don't get me wrong: I'm grateful for the limited refuge the world of digital gaming gave me in my youth. This safe haven took the form of online camaraderie and friendship, which is the same for many other games who, like me, feel left out. I even had my first queer experience with one of my Xbox Live friends. The online gaming world, for me and others, once offered an escape and a place to form humanoid community bonds that have endured to this day. But for some of us things have gotten worse, and for me online gaming presents anxieties and fears more than a safe space to play, which prompted me to play more titles. only.
Notification and response systems
Reporting systems can help reduce some of these problems online, but they are not perfect solutions. Even by today's standards, the various reporting systems for online console games offer limited options when it comes to reporting racism and other forms of discrimination. The ability to attach files and the ability to select categories dedicated to specific forms of discrimination when filing a report is a good start, but in the realm of online live console gaming it is sometimes still very important. Difficult to distinguish the culprit. This 'in-game abuse' and the 'sensitive' nature of reporting it was highlighted in a 2019 Washington Post article where famous streamers like KittyPlays talk about examples of live sexist abuse. and even slam threats (where fake calls are made with the police in an attempt to incite an armed response at a person's home). In terms of false reporting, take PSN for example: if a user's account is suspended, that user cannot report another user while suspended, and cannot appeal the decision once suspended. was taken. Gamer Kenneth Curmi delves into this issue, and the flawed nature of PSN's reporting system, in an article for Metro UK.
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Blizzard's approval system is designed to reduce disruptive behavior in online matches. (Image credit: Blizzard) However, in the world of competitive gaming, it seems like more is being done to address the issue. Big players like Blizzard have introduced forum systems in addition to scoring systems such as the Group Finder feature and approval rating systems to help players find, team up, and rate people for their purposes. good” behavior, rather than relying on random matches, in games like Overwatch. The company reported in 2018 that systems like this reduced abusive chat rates by between 15% and 30%, and claimed in 2019 that the numbers showed a 40% reduction in matches with disruptive behavior. While this is a possible solution to the problem, the game's forums and rating systems are just garnish for a deep-seated and insidious problem. In general, game systems like these that fight against discrimination are not satisfying resolutions: they deal with the symptoms and manifestations of oppressive game systems, not the root causes. So how do we start to truly address the problem of discrimination in online gaming? I think the answer lies in the heart, which is the corporate structure of the companies involved and the lack of diversity in their leadership.
Go ahead with actions
Power belongs both to the players and to the game structures in which we operate. To potentially reform online gaming spaces, we must first reform the organizations that create and facilitate these spaces, and this means we need greater minority participation and contribution within the gaming structure. 'business.
In 2019, the International Game Developers Association (IGDA) found that 81% of game developers identify as White/Caucasian/European, while 7% identify as Hispanic/Latino and 2% identify as black. / African Americans / Africans / Afro-Caribbeans.
This imbalance in the development levels of mainstream games could very easily facilitate a climate that excludes minority players, as well as sexual and gender minorities, and that is something we can change.
If minorities have a greater interest in leadership and development... they can potentially influence how software is developed for that hardware, helping to create a more inclusive culture.
For starters, transparency is necessary. It's great that companies like Microsoft are releasing data on the racial and gender composition of their organization, which shows overall positive hiring metrics (for example, Black and Hispanic/Latino representation in businesses increased from 2016 to 2019).
While minorities have a greater stake in the leadership and development of these hardware games companies, they can potentially influence how the software for that hardware is developed, thereby helping to create a more inclusive culture.
Microsoft's diverse corporate makeup may explain the spike in diversity in next-gen games like As Dusk Falls, Everwild, Far Cry 6, Outriders, and other titles. This increase in diverse representation could lead to a greater cultural understanding within the games themselves that discriminatory behavior is non-negotiable.
In theory, while hardware manufacturers, software developers, and gamers come to understand that some discriminatory practices are simply not tolerable, the burden on reporting systems in terms of holding players accountable in racist, homophobic, and responsible. prejudices would ease. .
Parallel to this theory, in an academic study focused on leadership diversification as a pathway to structural reform, these actions are described as 'a starting point', paving the way for adopting new perspectives to make leadership more effective. . aware of “racism, discrimination and hidden paths to formal progression”.
A combination of greater diversity with corporate leadership and the developer community, along with stronger reporting systems, could prove to be a powerful solution. Obviously, this is not a foolproof strategy, since the structural reform of any industry should not be limited to or be the sole responsibility of those who run it.
Meaningful and lasting reform can only happen if it comes from both the top and the bottom, which means we need to empower everyone from the company board to the individual player to play.
An equal game world
We minorities, as well as all stakeholders, need to own the way our communities and the industry as a whole are organized and run. Discrimination issues in the realm of online home consoles are just as urgent as issues like cheating, mods, and online fraud, and our feedback will drive change. We are past the point of having to highlight the trauma of the white majority and trying to justify why white kids calling me 'black' in GTA Online is not an expected or acceptable story to swallow. As long as minorities play and occupy gaming spaces online, issues of race, gender, gender, and class identification will be inherent in the game and will not go away. It is a privilege to be able to connect and disconnect from the outside world when it is none of your business, but the reality is that there is no disconnection or disengagement from being black and queer and it is not something I want or have to escape. of.