Mass Effect series - 18+ races - A beautiful example of different cultures/races co-existing in a video game. Of course the setting is space, which is much larger a singular planet like I will be doing! None the less, I'll be focusing on Citadel races. These are races that follow the Citadel Council. There are 9 races.
Of course, being under the "Citadel Council" umbrella term, does not mean they have much else in common. I find this to be a beautiful example of extreme different shapes, species, religion, biology, environment etc still being connected. More interesting, the Asari are found to be attractive by all the races (again, focusing on Citadel races). Some races first contacted one another, and have stranger bonds. Ideas of communication are different, as shown by the Elcor's inability to show emotion visually/verbally. There are plenty of examples
Humans are the most diverse physiologically, and are also the newest members to the Citadel Council. As there's nothing else to compare to, the viewer/gamer is found to believe human beings are the norm and compare other races as so.
But in Mass Effect, I'm impressed as how humans are not the "best" (or "worst") species. They're all balanced. This counters my research made into Elves and overly-powerful humans in MMO's.
I will most likely do a large study case on the interactions between different species' in the Mass Effect series for my Dissertation. So I will expand on what I have now more throughout Semester 2 :)
Final Fantasy X - 5 Races - Human, Guado, Al Bhed, Hypello, Ronso -
The game focuses on a common enemy, similar to ME, but that doesn't stop certain tensions and histories between the races. But I chose this game for the reason that no one race is completely isolated/evil. Even the Al Bhed, who are hated so much for their different views, are not "evil". The just work differently to the rest of the world. In Final Fantasy X-2, it's sequel it's addressed and are widely more accepted, as is their culture and way of working. Humans are dominant race, with some past tensions with the Guado. Ronso are an isolated and very visually and culturally different beings, but peaceful and seen with respect, until the happenings within the FF X story.
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Euro-centrism in video games
Euro-centrism Definition: is the practice of viewing the world from a European perspective.
As with elves in MMO's, it's fairly evident that theres a certain impression of what the 'best kind' of human looks like, and how simply put, the white male is the role, the majority of characters will have blue eyes, and the body shape and mannerisms matches those of the West. European impressions are noticable in many areas of media, but the study of euro centrism in video games is very recent, new, and does not have much supporting theory, but the evidence is over-whelming. From the stereotypical Final Fantasy characters created in Japan, to games created in America, the rest of Asia, and even Europe, why is there a set formula of white, blonde, blue eyes?
This blog by student Andrew Leeson (http://andrewleeson.wordpress.com/) is a short few-posts bank of Euro centrism evident in video games, and he covers things from racism to half-breed characters in games. A great bank of knowledge even if only afew posts long, and I plan to read his reference sources to gain my own insights into euro centrism.
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My studies into the psychological side of race perception is coming to an end. Soon, I plan to focus on visuals, such as symbols, clothes, and colours of cultures. I am almost 100% certain I'm going to start walking away from the words "race perception" and waddle towards "Social Interactions."
I hope to incorporate all the knowledge I've gained over race perception in real life and video-games and incorporate them into my final artifact. Time to get cracking!!
and Merry Christmas. :)
References and Websites with good information for later:
http://facts.randomhistory.com/facts-about-race.html
http://kotaku.com/5358562/minority-report-the-non%20white-gamers-experience
http://forums.lotro.com/showthread.php?419136-Avoiding-Eurocentrism-in-the-non-human-races-(and-fixing-Tom-Bombadil-s-skin-colour)/page2
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