So I missed class again. My foot is still sore but I moved yesterday (Sunday 8th March). If i had to miss class again I can at least keep up with this. Now onto the show.
Cultural Appropriation In Video Games
So this is a bit of a touchy topic but we can all agree it is something that needs to be constantly addressed. I will put it out in the open now. I don’t have any Indigenous/Native heritage as far as I know. I’m a white Australian with a little bit of Italian in me. So I don’t really have a lot experience in this field. Alas this is still an issue that must be addressed. Just please remember when reading this I am talking about games I have played as well as articles about the subject online. I don’t wish or want any issues to be bought up from my lonesome post that I have to write for uni. I’m here to address why cultural appropriation is not intentional 99% of the time but also how game developers could go about it respectfully.
Getting right into it, lets talk about some games that have received attention due to cultural appropriation. To list a few we have Overwatch, Horizon Zero Dawn and Far Cry 3. But the main one we will be talking about is Horizon Zero Dawn.
During this post I will be heavily referring to
“What We Talk About, When We Don’t Talk About Natives” by Dia Garcia (Feb 28 2017)
So I highly suggest reading through this before reading through this. Its a quick read that brings up crucial points in this topic.
Horizon Zero Dawn is an action RPG released on 28 Feb 2017 by Guerilla Games. I myself have only just started the game. So far its nothing game changing but still exciting and fun. I’ve already found myself compelled by the story and interested in most of the characters. The enemy designs that i have encountered so far are just astounding and one of mt favourite things in the game. All this however doesn’t mean the game is without flaws.
The game was fairly highly praised and received a lot of positive reviews on release, Dia does bring up some very crucial points on the games vocabulary and character design. In this article she does criticize players for not picking up on the use of certain words in particular as well as the games developers for using said words (Quote below)
“In the past week leading up to the launch of Guerrilla Game’s Horizon: Zero Dawn, I’ve read several thousand words about it. And now on the eve of its launch, I’ve read several thousand more.
Most of those words repeat, but none so glaringly as these:
Tribal.
Primitive.
Braves.
Savage.
But in all those thousands of words, those dozens of instances of that particular list, no one calls them into question. Not a single review makes mention of the historical usage of those words, or the tropes reflected in Horizon that caused the writers to use them without hesitancy. And that’s a problem”
While Dia does bring up solid points in her article and this quote in particular, I’m sure Guerilla Games never meant any offense to anyone’s culture or background. However they definitely could have handle it better.
During an interview with Mike Diver (Article Writer for Vice) John Gonzales (narrative Director for Horizon Zero Dawn) said “Our decision was based on ‘brave’ not being a ‘hot button’ term.” Now of course this wasn’t the only quote from him but it is one that brings up a fair bit of controversy.
However the full quote was
“The vocabulary was certainly discussed during the creative process, in terms of wanting to make sure we were sensitive to the cultural concerns of our audience,” he told me. “We weren’t looking for inspiration from one particular group, and we cast the net widely to look at cultures, tribal cultures, around the world, and also throughout history. That’s why a lot of the people talk about the Nora as being like Vikings, or why there are visual elements reminiscent of Celtic pictographs. So, inspiration came from a lot of different places.“
“Talking about the term ‘brave’—with that in particular, our research into it was that it was not a term that would seem to be offensive. We were trying to find a term that would combine the capabilities of a warrior and the capabilities of a hunter. It was a term that [we felt] was not derogatory, as we came across some terms that were definitely slurs against Native Americans and other groups throughout history. And so, our decision was based on ‘brave’ not being a ‘hot button’ term.”
These quotes can be found in Mike Divers Article “Horizon Zero Dawn Writer Responds to Criticism of Native American Appropriation” – 4th Feb
Now before everyone flames Dia or Guerilla Games, neither party ever wanted an argument out of this. Dia states directly that her article isn’t a call out just more a plea. “This is not a call-out. It’s a plea to try just a little harder. Because I know you can do it.” Both parties in this aren’t necessarily doing anything wrong intentionally. I’m sure Guerilla didn’t mean any offense and Dia has every right to bring up her points being Native American herself but also just as a human being.
Even with all this Horizon Zero Dawn so far is an amazing game and i would highly recommend you all try it. Topics like this shouldn’t turn everyone off a game.
Before I finish this week I just want to talk about one of my favourite people and personal idol in the gaming industry is John Romero. I was only properly introduced to him recently bu he is the co-founder of id software. The studio that bought us Doom, Wolfenstein and Quake. He is of Mexican, Yaqui and Cherokee heritage so that was just an excuse to jam in a little fun fact about him in my blog.
Thanks again
-T.Styles
The Studies & Reviews of a Game Development Student 