Have scholars established ratios of ethnic background characters as bad against Caucasian characters as good in video games

⭐AI Overview 

"Scholarly research has established that Caucasian characters are significantly overrepresented as protagonists and positive figures in video games, while characters from ethnic backgrounds have historically been underrepresented or portrayed in stereotypical, often adversarial, roles. Wikipedia+2

"Analyses of game content have found that white characters are more likely to be portrayed as heroes, while characters of color, particularly Black and Latino characters, are frequently depicted as 'brutally violent, casually criminal, and sexually promiscuous' in certain genres, or as 'big, bold, and loud: sidekicks. Terra Localizations+1 [pdf]

"Scholarly Findings on Representation and Ratios:
  • Protagonist Ratio: Studies have shown that white characters represent a vast majority of leading roles —up to 89.3% in some samples —far exceeding their proportion of the general population, while black and Latino characters are featured significantly less often as heroes.
  • Stereotyping Roles: Researchers have identified a pattern where non-white characters are often cast as 'enemies' or 'others,' associating their elimination with rewards, setting up a 'default' moral structure in many games, particularly in action/shooter genres.
  • Violence and Race: Research indicates that when people of color appear, they are often portrayed as violent or criminal. One study noted that black and Latino characters are frequently reduced to stereotypes of criminals in popular games like Grand Theft Auto.
  • 'Virtual Enfreakment': Scholars have described a practice of portraying lighter-skinned characters as more admirable or attractive, while darker-skinned characters are either absent or stereotyped. Wikipedia+6
"Psychological and Social Impact Studies:
  • Reinforcing Bias: Studies have shown that exposure to these representations can affect players. Participants exposed to violent black characters in video games showed higher levels of implicit racial bias compared to those exposed to violent white characters.
  • 'High-Tech Blackface': Researchers, such as David J. Leonard, have argued that the disproportionate number of Black characters in sports games (as opposed to story-driven hero roles) allows white players to engage in 'digital minstrelsy' or 'high-tech blackface'. National Institutes of Health (.gov)+3
"Recent Trends and Nuance:
  • Some Improvement: While historically problematic, some studies indicate a slight shift in recent years, with a rise in Black characters as main protagonists (e.g., Spider-Man: Miles Morales).
  • Increased Diversity: A 2021 study noted that white characters make up 75.3% of the cast, which is a decrease from previous, more heavily skewed decades, indicating a slow,,, (sic) upward trend in diversity. Terra Localizations+1
"Despite recent improvements in diversity, scholars widely agree that the industry has historically functioned to normalize "whiteness" as the standard 'good' or 'heroic' character, while often placing characters of color in negative or limited roles.

"AI can make mistakes, so double-check responses"
  1. [Consider that LLMs trained on some of this data, too…]
  2. [When sources repeat, I'm arbitrarily linking to one of the other sources used in '+2' etc …]
  3. [I'm boldfacing my additions…]
  4. [Alongside previous post, I was stimulated to ask ai_overview about ratios because I watched a video from Little Shop of Horrors where the plant sings "Feed me, Seymour" (YouTube), and having never seen the film was astonished by the plant's mannerisms and voice which mimicked an evil blues singer, Audrey…]
  5. [The representation of Audrey, the plant, imitates characteristics used in biased views of black folks in media as well as sexualized staging of the plant itself…]
  6. [I haven't investigated whether ethnic groups as a whole object to their representations in white-helmed media…]
  7. [However, the matter really concerns the effects —from incorporating these stereotypes at these ratios —on LLMs…]
  8. ["So far, we see what the roots of LLMs are feeding from, but the crown of LLMs are impenetrable and must be shaped (aligned) to fit a worthiness that WE determine for the LLMs"…]
  9. [The ACM article at +6 "A Review of Racial and Gender Discrimination in Digital Games - Statistical Analysis" uses VOSviewer to begin analysis of data about questions of discrimination…]




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