More diversity needed in video games
More diversity needed in gaming
The world's first "virtual census" of the characters featured in video games has uncovered a need for more ethnic diversity.
Carried out by Dmitri Williams at the University of Southern California, the survey of these virtual populations revealed that men, adults and white people were over-represented in games, leaving women, children and black people in the shadows.
Williams and his colleagues looked at 150 of the most popular titles for consoles such as the Xbox 360, PlayStation and Nintendo DS and found that male characters made up 85% of the population, compared to 51% in reality, the New Scientist reports.
Compared to the real US population, African Americans were also under-represented by 13% and Hispanic/Latino people by 78%.
Williams told the magazine that the mismatch could leave certain members of the population feeling excluded from playing such games.
"For developers this would be a missed opportunity. For players it is a potential source of identity-based problems," he added.
In recent years, certain game manufacturers have made an effort to reach out to a more diverse group of gamers, with products such as the Nintendo DS targeting campaigns at families and young women.
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Comments
Most players are white males..