Full notes on Dan’s talk can be found here.
To begin with, these are the two key points that I will be reflecting on from Dan’s talk:
Immediately, I was intrigued by Dan’s persona and background. He comes from humble beginnings and is a person of colour. Being an immigrant from the Philippines myself, I too had similar thoughts growing up about the lack of representation within the games industry for ethnic minorities. It’s rare to come across video games that capture culture and diversity in an appropriate and accurate way. This is largely because ‘you can’t tell diverse stories without diverse teams’, a relevant point highlighted by Dan during his talk. This urged me to consider who I am personally connected to, and whether I am surrounded by a healthy mixture of individuals with different backgrounds. I understand that this is not restricted to ethnicities, and the issue of under/misrepresentation affects numerous audiences. I decided to compose a list of people that I spend most of my time with and noted four of their unique qualities: race, religion, sexuality and age.
N.B: All individuals were happy to be featured in this list along with their personal information.
Following this, I gathered the most popular answers of each category and summarised them. I was mostly surprised by the lack of variation within the sexualities among my friends/family. There is a good mix of ethnicities and religions, however, there could be a wider selection of ages, as they all remain between 20-25.
| Category | Answer |
|---|---|
| Race: | Filipino |
| Religion: | Catholic |
| Sexuality: | Hetrosexual |
| Age: | 22 |
Completing this exercise has made me realise how diverse my connections currently are, as well as which types of groups and individuals I should try to become more acquainted with. Upon reviewing the data collected, it is likely that I would be equipped with appropriate knowledge to make a game with themes of Catholicism and/or the Philippines. In contrast, correctly portraying a queer-teenager or a 50-year-old pansexual, for example, would be extremely difficult for me.
In order to fully embrace and understand other cultures and lifestyles, which is important for me as I enter an industry currently struggling to do this successfully, I personally would like to get to know more people from the LGBTQ+ community. Recently, there has been a significant breakthrough of LGBTQ+ representation, with game favourites such as The Last of Us 2 and Hades, featuring protagonists that are lesbian and bisexual. Additionally, an older generation tends to have starkly contrasting views from a younger generation, so it would be beneficial for me to speak to a wider range of ages in order to grasp other perspectives.
To expand on this point, Dan also emphasised the importance of being proud of who you are and knowing your worth. It is necessary to remember to find companies that value you and your skills, not those that are concerned with your racial profile, sexuality, religion and other uncontrollable factors. Many studios will have hidden biases and reject you due to these underlying prejudices. Fortunately, there are also numerous workplaces that celebrate and strive for diverse team members, which often result in honest representation across themes and people within their games.
My second area of reflection, the stigma of games with social causes, is stimulated from Playtra’s new game, GRID Force. Females within the game industry have battled ongoing patriarchy that constantly seems to be swept under the rug. Unrealistic body standards, lack of clothing, and over-sexualisation (predominately designed by males) are just a few examples. Dan appreciates that the people who best understand women, and how women want to be represented, are women themselves. The entire team of GRID Force was led by females, from the writer to the animator to the concept artist. Additionally, the characters of the game are also all females. There is an emphasis that women come in all different sizes, colours, and overall appearances - this is done, in my opinion, very well.
GRID Force characters - Source: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1379960/Grid_Force__Mask_Of_The_Goddess/
As a firm believer that games are a powerful medium to spread awareness surrounding important issues, I’ve been interested in how they can be used to tackle the common stigma of mental health. Previously, I’ve focused on how mental illnesses - such as anxiety and depression - could be successfully represented within games, however, my interest has recently shifted to a more educational approach. How can people suffering from mental health problems be supported through play and gamification?
It is a common theme for people to keep their struggles and negative emotions to themselves for multiple reasons. A handful include fear of feeling like a burden to others, worry of being judged, and having difficulties expressing thoughts. I have hopes that my third-year project, a pet simulator designed with the integration of therapy techniques, will provide a safe space for players to understand how to better manage their mental health.
Dan’s talk reaffirmed my desire to produce games that aim to normalise topics typically looked down on by society. In the future, I would like to work for a company that is passionate about serious games and games for good.
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