EMPATHY AND INCLUSIVITY IN GAMES AND THE PROTEUS EFFECT

Ricarda Goetz-Preisner

Games have become more varied and inclusive. The hero and protagonist is not only a 30-something white heterosexual man anymore. Protagonists in games, often represented by playable avatars, look and behave differently nowadays. Women-avatars can be warriors, protagonists in games can represent different ethnicities or abilities, and avatars can have same-sex relationships and follow new narratives. “The Sims” is one game that has offered these possibilities for a long time. Players can create virtual characters with or without any physical attributes. This inclusive attitude toward the appearance of gender, visual identity traits and sexuality, once a rarity in video games, is becoming more common as games take on more diverse and weightier subject matters. There are different reasons for creating these sometimes called ‘serious games’ or ‘empathy games’. Many of the reasons can be linked to the Proteus effect. The Proteus effect proposed by Yee and Bailenson (2007) suggests that the human embodiment in digital avatars may influence the self-perception of the player both online and offline, based on their gaming avatar’s aesthetics or behaviors. Different studies (e.g. Fox et. al 2013) since then focused on how players can be influenced by their avatars. She found that women may be at risk for experiencing self-objectification when their avatars wore revealing clothing (ibd.) or that participants responded better to avatars modelled closely on their real appearances (Fox 2009). Future studies need to clarify the extent of these and show how different avatars can be created to elicit positive changes in attitudes, game play and self-image. This paper provides a literature review and different close readings of games within the concepts of inclusivity, diversity and the Proteus effect in and of games.

Keywords: Games, Inclusivity, Diverse Characters, Proteus Effect, Influence

EVOLUTION OF GAMES AND CHARACTERS

Video games have been in a constant state of evolution. From the early beginnings where pixilated graphics and simplistic story lines were the norm, the aesthetics of games have developed into crystal-clear high definition pictures with multi-varied narratives. One example where we can clearly see the development of games is a comparison of the graphics ofThe Legend of Zelda in 1986 and Zelda: Breath of the Wild in 2017. The later game provides 3D graphics with a detailed appearance of the main characterLink, and even though the game is a fantasy adventure game, it creates the illusion of really exploring imaginative forests and landscapes. The world and perspective that players find themselves now is utterly emerging with the 3rd person perspective and abilities one has, nothing close to the rudimentary graphics and bird pers