EXP Podcast #446: Players Behaving Badly

"Nerf Toxic D.Va Skin. Bliz Plz."

This week on the EXP Podcast, we wrestle with the dark underbelly of online gaming - its own players. With toxicity causing trouble in Overwatch, Steam's failure to address racist community groups, Campo Santo striking back against PewDiePie, the topic is on our mind. Even Bungie is reeling from a piece of armor that looks uncomfortably similar to a white supremacist logo. How should developers and publishers police their own communities? Should they?

This is a touchy subject this week folks. We're sending our positive thoughts your way. Keep up the good fight!

- Here's the show's stand-alone feed
- Listen to the podcast in your browser by clicking here, right-click and select "save as link" to download the show in MP3 format, or click play below.

Show Notes:

- Runtime: 29 mins
- "Why I Deleted My Steam Account," by Brendan Sinclair via gamesindustry.biz
- Music by Brad Sucks

Personalizing Race in Dragon Age: Inquisition

Side note: The art of Dragon Age: Inquisition is gorgeous

My latest PopMatters article is up on race, and sort of why being an elf is the best way to play Dragon Age: Inquisition.

Not really. The game is probably great as a Dwarf or Qunari too. This article largely speaks to the game from my own perspective and experiences, but I suspect Bioware has included enough diversity in their game for nearly anyone to relate to some significant game narrative. For example, I hear playing as a mage is interesting in that the war between Templar and Apostate is that much more personally significant. The mage/Templar conflict, especially as it touches the Chantry and other organizations in Thedas, is fascinating and delivers some genuine heartfelt story beats.

For those not playing an elf or who cannot related to that side of the story, I can see why some of the characters tied to that narrative are uninteresting. Like many others, I too though Solas boring and Sera annoying at first. As the game continued, each revealed unexpected aspects of themselves. Solas now appears more measured and calculating than before. He's not just some elven history fanatic. Likewise, Sera's at times silly and aggressive attitude has become, to me, an understandable hostility towards all the elements of society that attempt to conform her into a mold. She's a "wild card" because she is rebelling against being a one-note character. I find that refreshing in games.

Having a stake in these characters and the lore behind their lot in life also enriches some of the smaller elements of the game. Yesterday I found myself in lands that one belonged to the Dalish and have since been ruined by warfare and demonic rifts. More than in any other environment, I took my time exploring and reading the historical texts dotting the landscape. I was taking lessons from my own life, the fictional life of the Inquisitor, and the perspectives of her companion. It was easy to see the tragedy written across the ancient battlefield, but I also knew the elves survived and transformed like any other peoples. I thought of that great quote from Drink Cultura: "Mexico never left the Southwest, it just learned English."

I know how talking about this kind of stuff can sound flippant, but I do find something special about Bioware's handling of these personal themes.

Race in Rapture: Black Characters in BioShock 2 and Minerva's Den

My latest post at PopMatters is up. It’s about the black characters in last year’s excellent contributions to the Rapture saga: BioShock 2 and Minerva’s Den.

The article examines the portrayals of Grace Holloway and Charles Porter and traces their connection to larger historical and cultural themes in U.S. society. It was a pleasure to write, as it required a combination of historical, artistic, and game design analysis. Though it may seem outrageous, many aspects of Rapture’s world are only slight embellishments on our own. Though it is disturbing, I highly recommend reading about Jonestown or listening to the final “audio log” from the doomed utopia.

In my opinion, the piece’s argument is not very controversial: the explicit acknowledgement of Holloway and Porter’s race strengthens the game without turning the two characters into “token blacks.” Holloway and Porter possess distinct stories and personalities, but their experiences are also shaped by their society’s prejudices.

Some of the essay’s underlying assumptions and implications might be more controversial: In a medium whose most celebrated characters are white, games that even have black characters, let alone important ones, are unfortunately rare. Artists should be free to create whatever they want; I do not strive, nor do I wish, to favor certain stories and suppress others. However, I do think it is important to realize that “blank slate” characters are rarely empty vessels. Every choice, whether it be a character’s gender, race, hair color, or stature both provide and eliminate certain creative possibilities. Had Holloway and Porter not been black, or if the game had ignored the concept of race entirely, BioShock 2’s cultural relevance would have suffered. Rapture would be a less nuanced place, and the game would have joined many others in turning a blind eye towards the impact of diversity or by implicitly endorsing a version of “normalcy” biased towards whiteness.

Additionally, concepts such as colonialism, institutional racism, the Uncle Tom archetype, and the image of the noble protector/savage brute remain contentious. Such topics can often be uncomfortable to address, but I use them here not to establish guilt or place blame; they are integral in demonstrating how race and racism manifests itself in cultural artifacts.

In Rapture, as in our society, race matters. BioShock 2 and Minerva’s Den acknowledge this. Because of this, the games must be examined in the context of other historical and artistic works that explore black people’s experiences and their representations in popular culture.