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White by Default: An Examination of Race Portrayed by Character Creation Systems in Video Games

Oakley, Samuel
http://orcid.org/0000-0001-6916-8432
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ucin1563874480029597

Abstract Details

2019, MA, University of Cincinnati, Arts and Sciences: Sociology.
Video games are utilized as a form of escapism by millions, thousands of hours are put in by multiple players every week. However, the opportunity to escape, and free oneself from societal scrutiny and biases like racism is limited within video games. Color-blind development and reaffirmation of gaming as a white male space limits the ability of players with marginalized identities to escape and enjoy games. A sample of character creation focused video games were analyzed to better understand if there was an impact of the White by Default character occurrence on the overall narrative, ludic (gameplay mechanics) and limitations or bonuses that could affect a player’s agency within a video game. This analysis includes The Sims 3 (freeform life simulator), Skyrim (fantasy roleplaying game), XCOM 2 (tactical science fiction), Tyranny (tactical fantasy), and South Park: The Fractured but Whole (science fiction roleplaying game) all of which allow character creations. My findings suggest that character creation did not limit a player’s agency through the usage of race in character creation, but instead offered a chance for players to self-insert or correct negative stereotypes of color-blind racism in the games narrative. Despite the agency offered to players, both narrative and ludic elements in character creation relied on whiteness as a raceless or default status, establishing a binary of white and Black through sliders, and reliance of “xenoface” to represent non-white races. I argue that unlike other visual media, video games provide players agency to rewrite stories around themselves, however due to an oversaturation of white male developers and their color-blind or blatantly racist perspectives, more steps must be taken to create more inclusive character creation systems.
Littisha Bates, Ph.D. (Committee Chair)
Annulla Linders, Ph.D. (Committee Member)
44 p.
Sociology
Race; Video Games; Game Design; Character Creation; Color-Blind Racism; Inclusive design

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Oakley, S. (2019). White by Default: An Examination of Race Portrayed by Character Creation Systems in Video Games [Master's thesis, University of Cincinnati]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ucin1563874480029597

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Oakley, Samuel. White by Default: An Examination of Race Portrayed by Character Creation Systems in Video Games. 2019. University of Cincinnati, Master's thesis. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ucin1563874480029597.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Oakley, Samuel. "White by Default: An Examination of Race Portrayed by Character Creation Systems in Video Games." Master's thesis, University of Cincinnati, 2019. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ucin1563874480029597

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

ucin1563874480029597
792
© 2019, some rights reserved.Creative Commons License White by Default: An Examination of Race Portrayed by Character Creation Systems in Video Games by Samuel Oakley is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License. Based on a work at etd.ohiolink.edu.
This open access ETD is published by University of Cincinnati and OhioLINK.