The design of video game characters and the way they perform can become problematic when they promote harmful gender and racial stereotypes, and unrealistic body modifications, an occurrence termed “virtual enfreakment”. The confluence of gaming and the design of the characters is critical to understand. Dr. Sercan Sengun, from the MIT Center for Advanced Virtuality, studied this phenomenon and concluded that this influence is dependent upon the cultural sensitivity of the designers in the industry. An approach to be more inclusive and even realistic and mindful of the repercussions can allow a more unique and respectful gaming experience. It will translate into the way that people interact with each other and explore parts of themselves in the virtual world. Implementing anti-biased design is the key.
The study, “Contours of Virtual Enfreakment in Fighting ” in “Technological Forecasting and Social Change”, focused primarily on fighting games. They were intrigued by the exaggerated character design found in them. Using the games Street Fighter V and Tekken 7, the research investigated the differences in character design across gender, national, and skin color lines. Dr. Sengun was able to participate in an interview with me.
Sampan: “What led to this study of video game character designs? Was there an instance or event that spurred the idea?”
Dr. Sengun: “As an active gamer myself, I am always interested in how games represent communities and cultures. My research trajectory has always dealt with how these representations were created and envisioned by the designers and received and negotiated by the players. I remember my interest in this issue being sparked by the game Street Fighter II in the early 90s. At the time, I was exposed to this game in arcade halls in Istanbul and was instantly hooked. The roster of characters coming from different cultures, coupled with their animated backgrounds, seemed so unfamiliar yet alluring to me. I especially remember the character Dhalsim from India and his colorful animated backgrounds. At a time when the Internet was not prevalent and TV broadcasts were limited, it was one of the few times I was exposed to a person from India both in real life and in the media. (Other than from the movie Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom which is problematic in its own aspect.) Of course, much later, I was exposed to discussions around how exoticized the design of the character was and how it perpetuated a very orientalist look at India and its people. On the one hand, some of these character designs are what most young individuals’ first exposure to certain cultures. On the other hand, if you are a member of an underrepresented community, seeing your likeness in a media form is always exciting. Even when these cases are misrepresented or poorly constructed, there is a certain degree of tolerance and welcome that the community will display.”
Sampan: “What are your thoughts on the exoticism expressed in the over-exaggerations in different races in video games and the reasoning behind it? Are the types of exaggerations strategic or dependent on the type of game or do they seem to be similar across the board?”
Dr Sengun: “Video game franchises, especially ones that employ a large roster of characters, have a commercial interest in creating easily distinguishable and memorable characters. This need results in their designers resorting to over-exaggerations, especially in visual designs with unrealistic body types, over-the-top clothing, and essentialist powers and characteristics. We package all of these approaches under the term enfreakment which points to a very purposeful and grotesque amplification of cultural, ethnic, or gender identity attributes for the consumption of others. It should also be noted that enfreakment does not only affect characters from underrepresented backgrounds but occasionally characters from overrepresented communities, too. For example, in our study, we found that the Japanese characters were the most positive representations of their ethnicity. This is not surprising since many of the companies that make these games originate in Japan. However, from time to time, a Japanese character would also be the subject of apparent enfreaked design decisions. I think gender is the most common–to the point of being banal–identity point that is enfreaked in video game characters. Unfortunately, this points to the gender imbalance in the industry and within the design teams that create these characters and games.”
Sampan: “In what ways have you witnessed the effect of the phenomenon known as virtual enfreakment on society and culture? Do you see any potential generational effects with its continuance?”
Dr Sengun: “In several studies, we pinpointed certain ways in which issues of representation affect the forming and communication of online communities as well as how gamers from underrepresented backgrounds cope with such issues. For example in our work “Africa and the Avatar Dream” with D. Fox Harrell and Danielle Olson, we look at how players who see their roots in Africa and African cultures approach representations of characters from Africa and deal with video games that forefront race, racism, slavery, and colonialism. We saw that these players employ strategies like sarcasm, irony, compromising, intersectionality, or comparisons that are informed by and inform back their racial and ethnic socialization in daily life. In another study called “Exploring the Relationship Between Game Content and Culture-based Toxicity: A Case Study of League of Legends and MENA Players,” we uncovered how the design of some in-game characters affects the ways that the community interacts with players from the Middle East, specifically with players from Arabic roots. This results in players from underrepresented communities obfuscating their identities or employing closed communities to prevent facing bias. As work, education, and other forms of socialization move more and more online, it becomes increasingly crucial that individuals from all backgrounds have the chance to exist and perform in spaces where they feel safe.”
Sampan: “Technology continues to grow and so does gaming and the communication of the gaming community. What does the future of virtual identities, interactive narratives, and cultural representation in video games look like to you? Where does it seem to be going? What do you hope for?”
Dr Sengun: “In online worlds, we build a balance between hiding and exposing ourselves wherein we want to have both options of building a robust likeness of ourselves as well as experimenting with different identities. On the one hand, much as we like to explore, present, and practice our heritage in daily life, online communities are no different. We are interested in seeing functionalities and cosmetic options stemming from various identities and cultural backgrounds. It becomes a problem when companies building these systems fail to deliver the most basic necessities. Imagine a multi-billion dollar game franchise like The Sims introducing non-Western hairstyles, Muslim clothing options, and a wider palette of skin colors properly only in its fourth installment. (This is what we discuss with my student Lauren Stipp in our work “The Sims Franchise, a Retrospective of Racial Representation and Skin Tones.”) On the other hand, we are interested in embodying and learning about different cultures through representations and narratives. The future I hope for is one where both of these interests are met in nuanced and well-thought-out ways.”
Sampan: “Some of your research that has been mentioned highlighted that self-perception is affected by the biases in stereotyped characters. What are some of the repercussions of being ‘taught’ how to perform race and identity in games? Also, with gender? Is there a difference between other media types?”
Dr Sengun: “I want to start by addressing the last point. Many would compare video games to other media forms from the lens of interactivity. Since games let you embody characters and make narrative choices, they create a more intense type of engagement as compared to other media. I am, however, more interested in the amount, frequency, and length of consumption. Games, games-related content, and gamer communities have become the primary outlet for media engagement, especially for younger audiences, where they learn, socialize, experiment, and perform their own identities, as well as the identities of others. Virtual worlds are perfect places where we can imagine, question, and speculate on social norms and the future of social interactions and structures. However, when they are built in ways that they simply regurgitate the existing biases and problematic social structures, this is a missed opportunity. In one of our works called “Azeroth Has a Workplace Gender Inequality Problem: Gendered Professions Bias in Virtual Worlds,” we looked at the very famous and popular universe of the game World of Warcraft. This is an online world where millions of players from all around the world spend long hours interacting and socializing. In this virtual world where player-created characters from different genders can fight monsters, dragons, and evil deities together, we wanted to see if the non-playable characters had the same gender-based opportunity to be anything they want. Surprisingly (or maybe unsurprisingly), we saw that in this fictional world, there were not a lot of women engineers, miners, archaeologists, or blacksmiths. Accordingly, professions like herbalism, tailoring, and jewel crafting were very women-oriented. Why was this speculative world–where magic, fantasy, and science fiction merged together–designed in a way that mirrors physical-world professions’ bias? Uncovering and discussing how video games embody and reinforce personal and cultural norms, paragons, stereotypes, and prejudices can result in virtual worlds where players can question and expand their own potential.”
Sampan: “A beneficial approach to game design mentioned was one in which staff of that specific race were consulted in the design. What other ways can sexism and racism be addressed in gaming?”
Dr Sengun: “For a brief period, there was an understanding of video games as being a masculine and juvenile pastime. However, recent data shows that this characterization of the consumer base was never factual. Video games have always attracted the attention of players from all races and genders. Unfortunately, this misrepresentation affected how the industry was formed and operated, as well as skewed the types and genres of games that could be funded and made. I am happy to see the recent push in the industry workforce to become more diverse which in turn can match and cater to the diverse player bases who are already out there. Different methods of funding (e.g., crowdfunding, indie games, etc.) and game creation software becoming more accessible also provided opportunities for designers from diverse backgrounds to imagine unique game experiences. The more voices there are in the gaming space, the more diverse and nuanced the games can become.”
