Marginalised Narratives and Mythologies in Games

What is a marginalised tale and how do these narratives permeate the gaming industry?

Defining who and what marginalised stories are in gaming can be extremely difficult depending on our personal perspectives, so it may be easier to understand what it is not. Marginalised gaming stories are essentially not those that centre white cis-hetero normative experiences exclusively. Titles like Assassin's Creed 3, TellTales, The Walking Dead series, and Life is Strange: True Colours can all step in as examples of marginalised tales in gaming, but only in terms of representation, not authorship.  

When speaking of ‘marginalised’ stories and players in gaming, these include those who are generally at high risk in our society. Class is one major factor, but ethnic and racial identification, gender, nationality, and disabilities are all things that should be considered when invoking this phrase as well. We also must understand that these stories are not told and experienced in the same way across the board, which means that Indigenous tales in digital storytelling are also different from locality to locality.

Is the gaming industry actually broken when it comes to marginalised identities, inclusion, their representation, and telling their stories? 

Attempting to define a marginalised experience is the first part of the challenge, but what proof is there of a “broken” gaming industry that does not accommodate these tales and realities of the outsider? Are these just broad generalisations that people make due to the pretense of living within an inherently inadequate world that values white cis-hetero normative experiences over all others? These questions are not new by any means but are constantly impacting the way marginalised stories are told, played, and received in the triple-billion-dollar industry of gaming.

An Inadequate Online Gaming Culture

GamerGates in 2015 acts as a modern example of the inherent structural inequities in gaming culture based on gender discrimination. This was an online attack that targeted women in gaming journalism and development. This moment also focused on ‘woke’ gaming culture as a whole, meaning any type of so-called inclusion was also targeted. Following this, in 2020, all three major video game console hardware companies (Microsoft, Sony, and Nintendo) spoke out about racial injustices in response to the George Floyd killing which sparked a global protest centered around racial injustice and inequality. This was mostly done through social media blasts or by updating their website’s ‘about’ sections. Sony, for instance, even delayed its PS5 console unveiling, which incited heated reactions on all sides of the debate, and frustrations from certain parties that were hesitant to bring racial politics into the conversation of gaming. Some even tweeted: “What do games have to do with race?” and “Remember when games were for escapism...”. These are real instances, but do they truly represent the entire industry as a whole? 

Several studies indicate a toxic, volatile, and discriminatory culture in online gaming spaces. 

One study “surveyed 1,409 people who play video games regularly to understand their experience” and found that over 90% across several platforms have witnessed bullying online and around 60% percent have engaged in bullying themselves. In a 2021 study, which focused more so on minority experiences in shared online gaming spaces; it was found that “time spent in online gaming predicted greater exposure to online racism, which in turn was linked to higher psychological distress”. The two aforementioned studies excluded the factors of trans, disabled, and Indigenous experiences online, leading to an even greater oversight of who is most vulnerable in these shared digital realities. These are, however, the players’ experiences, but for us to truly answer the initial questions the developers and the storytellers must be integrated as well.  

The International Game Developers Association (IGDA) releases a Developer Satisfaction Survey which provides insight into who makes a large amount of gaming experiences and levels of satisfaction within one’s workplace in terms of crunch culture and diversity. “Three-quarters of respondents identify as White/Caucasian or European'', which is down from 2019. 30% identified as women (up from 2019), and 29% of respondents identified as having one or more disabilities, pointing to a slightly more diversified make-up in terms of gender identity. Racial and ethnic data, however, were not prioritised in this report.  Overall, it can then be understood that the stories and experiences offered are still being crafted and controlled by a predominantly white, cis, male culture. This then makes it difficult for narratives for and by marginalised people to be created. Narratives such as New World: The Tupis which explores the indigenous Tupis people of modern day Brazil and their fight against Portuguese colonisation, or Never Alone which focus on tales of the Iñupiat people in modern day Alaska, or other games that include experience outside the dominant lens.

This isn't just an assumption, marginalised identities and narratives in the arena of gaming are not accommodated properly. So, what’s the answer to this? 

Starting with the conversation is the first step. In Tales Unlocked, we explore marginalised identities in gaming and culture, but also seek to illuminate digital experiences that many may have never talked about or even heard of. From Indigenous representation in gaming to sustainability in development, our show relies on a spectrum of gaming narratives to champion a more diverse and inclusive online gaming culture. These conversations are one part, but action needs to eventually take place. This can come in the form of supporting indie developers like Twin Drums who is creating the first Afrofantasy MMORPG titled The Wagadu Chronicles. Or, supporting initiatives like Games for Good which works with marginalised communities to give them exposure to game development and the industry. We do not have to simply accept that the gaming industry is broken in the end, when we have an opportunity to dramatically influence a younger generation of game players and creators that can make sure that marginalised narratives are both told and celebrated in the industry for years to come.