Good point, Sami. One of the things I’ve been discussing for the potential future iteration of Ludogogy is the possibility of giving out awards. Maybe that would be a way of recognising games which do show respect and empathy. Fancy being on an awards committee? Watch this space.

Absolutely, it should also be worth noting that we need to celebrate the mediums that DO portray minorities in a respectful and empathetic way. Too many times, they go by unnoticed and BIPOC creators are left feeling unheard.

Thanks, Sami. Definitely agree that all mediums have a long way to go, and any progress there may be can only be separated out from the lazy tropes with diligent sifting.

Gosh, that’s hard to say. While there has been more exposure as far as Chinese characters go, western media still has an incredibly long way to go. For example, for this article I looked up Chinese video game characters on Google just to see what the difference is now and was met with a slew of scantily dressed women or old Sifu type men in fighting games, toting the “Chinese martial arts” trope. Not to say martial arts isn’t an important aspect of my culture, but it definitely isn’t the sole defining feature.

There’s also the huge hornet nest that is the sexualisation of female characters as a whole. “Exotic” characters that are fetishised for their otherness. Mei from Overwatch is a good example. With female Chinese characters, there tends to be two holes it all falls down. Stern, Asian Dragon Lady and demure, subservient woman.

I’d like to think there is hope for games, but unless companies start consulting and including BIPOC voices, we’re just going to keep recycling the old tropes over and over again.

Do you feel the same? And either way, did this their any light on the future for games?