by Vincent Teneriello
Abstract
Despite ostensibly appearing to be universalist in scope, video games have unfortunately become conflated with particular groups and negative stereotypes, such as gamers consisting solely of white, adolescent, males. Utilizing a historical lens, this project examines how video games came to be associated with whiteness between the medium’s recent inception during the mid-1960s to the present day. As such, this project will analyze the racialization of video games through a close investigation of commercial marketing, the in-game depictions of racial and ethnic minorities, and instances of targeted online harassment against minority players. Although numerous books and academic articles have investigated gaming’s relationship to gender, little attention has been devoted to understanding gaming’s association with whiteness. Given the colossal and increasing size of the video game industry, issues surrounding the exclusion of racial and ethnic minorities from the medium can no longer go unnoticed or understudied. To this end, this project hopes to elucidate the arbitrary nature of the stereotypes that surround gaming and assist in the ongoing efforts of academics and activists in creating a more inclusive medium.