Even when these cases are misrepresented or poorly constructed, there is a certain degree of tolerance and welcome that the community will display.” On the other hand, if you are a member of an underrepresented community, seeing your likeness in a media form is always exciting. On the one hand, some of these character designs are what most young individuals’ first exposure to certain cultures. (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.
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. I especially remember the character Dhalsim from India and his colorful animated backgrounds. The roster of characters coming from different cultures, coupled with their animated backgrounds, seemed so unfamiliar yet alluring to me. At the time, I was exposed to this game in arcade halls in Istanbul and was instantly hooked. I remember my interest in this issue being sparked by the game Street Fighter II in the early 90s. My research trajectory has always dealt with how these representations were created and envisioned by the designers and received and negotiated by the players. Sengun: “As an active gamer myself, I am always interested in how games represent communities and cultures. Sampan: “What led to this study of video game character designs? Was there an instance or event that spurred the idea?”ĭr. Sengun was able to participate in an interview with me. Using the games Street Fighter V and Tekken 7, the research investigated the differences in character design across gender, national, and skin color lines. They were intrigued by the exaggerated character design found in them. The study, “Contours of Virtual Enfreakment in Fighting ” in “Technological Forecasting and Social Change”, focused primarily on fighting games. Implementing anti-biased design is the key. It will translate into the way that people interact with each other and explore parts of themselves in the virtual world. An approach to be more inclusive and even realistic and mindful of the repercussions can allow a more unique and respectful gaming experience.
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. The confluence of gaming and the design of the characters is critical to understand. 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”.
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