One of the things that have stood out to me the most this week was this idea of the mythical norm. This term is brought up in “Age, Race, Class, and Sex: Women Redefining Difference” by Audre Lorde. Lorde describes the mythical norm, in America, as the person who is “white, thin, young, heterosexual, Christian, and financially secure” (Lorde, 116). She also says that the mythical norm is something that “each one of us within our hearts knows ‘that is not me’” (Lorde 116). This concept struck my attention because it is something that isn’t real and yet it is the one thing that is highly represented within the games we play. Instead of gaming industries gearing their characters more toward representing the people who make up the population, it is an over representation of the very thing that no one ever really is. In a way, we all stand united in the fact that we never truly see ourselves in the protagonist we play within the games we hold close to our hearts. Honestly, I never really noticed how much this mystical norm is presents within my gaming career. An example would be Halo. I love most of the Halo franchise (especially the classics made by Bungie), but I can’t deny that Master Chief is a clear representation of this mythical norm. He is this strong, white, heterosexual, male who is this super soldier. It is funny how a young girl like myself in the past loved playing this character who was almost everything I wasn’t, and yet I loved playing him so much. In a way, it is nice to be able to be immersed into a character who is different from yourself. I just find that not being given an option of who to become, or what kind of character to be immersed with is the problem. The Last of Us, Dead Space, and so many other games (whether great or not) are examples of games that limit their protagonist to represent this one false idea of what is powerful and ideal. Many people who play games start playing them at a very young age, and I believe that is the perfect time to open up their horizons to different kinds of heroes and characters.
Works Cited
“Age, Race, Class, and Sex: Women Redefining Difference.” Sister Outsider Essays and Speeches, by Audre Lorde, Ten Speed Press, 2016, pp. 114–123.
It’s funny how we don’t notice the norm when it is directly in front of us. Although the mystical norm hinders us from more diverse experiences, at least the games can still allow us to be fully immersed even without a character that fits our own description. What do you think about this? If a main character is written and is originally a male, how much of a difference is there, really, if the character’s gender, race, or other visual characteristics are swapped?
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I want to comment on what Samantha commented on whether the experience of a game would change should the character’s gender, race, or visual characteristics should change. Many times I feel if the game is not a complete narrative with backstory on our characters (Geralt being the only obvious one off the top of my head) many a times the character can be changed. Dragon Age, Elder Scrolls, Fallout, and CSGO are examples of games with interchangable or customizable characters with no real impact on the narratives. Even games without interchangable/custimizable characters (Apex Legends, Rainbow Six Siege, Vindictus, or Borderlands) have character development and stories hidden away from view or simple has a biography, meaning there is no characterization within the game story, therefore the character really has no impact on the gameplay should their design physically change.
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