As one of the most important media forms in modern civilization, with hundreds of millions of players worldwide, video games have come under intense scrutiny regarding diversity and representation, mirroring the wider world.

Fairness and equality, as seen in the actions of casinos via, for instance, the Ice Casino app granting a fair chance to users to access the casino page conveniently and win more, are very important. However, diversity and representation in gaming are also crucial. Games that comprise these features improve the whole playing experience and build a community where players will be actively participating and heard. Here, we aim to provide a detailed summary of the diversity in video games.

Why Are These Two Entities Crucial in the World of Gaming?

All media shape social attitudes and cultural narratives, and gamers can be especially affected by how racial categories, genders, and sexualities, and those of varying skill levels are depicted. Indeed, exposure to characters like themselves or others can help erode prejudice and encourage empathy — and having the feeling of ‘recognition’ in a game avatar can feel good, too.

Diversity is important for more than just social reasons; it’s also economically advantageous. Since games-oriented audiences are already varied, it can be advantageous to highlight this differentiation and utilize it to attract and maintain an even larger audience. Research shows that games with many different characters and types of stories do better financially because they can appeal to a wider user base.

The Effect of the Entities on Modern-Day Gaming

Fortunately, from a recent historical perspective, there is a trend of positive changes in the gaming business overall. After periods of technological advancement and increased awareness, many measures have been introduced recently to enhance accessibility in the gaming businesses. These include:

  • The Representation of Gender;
  • Diversity in Race and Ethnicity;
  • LGBTQ+ Inclusion;
  • Disability Inclusion.

The Representation of Gender

In this respect, one of the most progressive developments in video gaming of late has been in the representation of gender. The rise in female protagonists — from the reinvented, serious, and smart Lara Croft in the remake of Tomb Raider (2013) to lead characters such as Aloy in Horizon Zero Dawn (2017) and Ellie in The Last of Us (2013) — has radically improved on the trend of the past to portray women as flawed to the point of caricature.

Diversity in Race and Ethnicity

There is still a long way to go, but the diversity of racial and ethnic representation in video games has also grown. Titles such as Assassin’s Creed Origins (2017), situated in ancient Egypt with a North African protagonist, and Mafia III (2016), featuring a Black protagonist, have been releasing games that break new ground. The threat of tokenism and stereotyped depictions persists in the industry.

LGBTQ+ Inclusion

Usually, the first time LGBTQ+ characters appear in a gaming IP, they receive historically careful, considerate treatment — as in The Last of Us Part II (2020), Life Is Strange (2015), and Mass Effect (2007-12). These titles represent long-disenfranchised players to themselves and, in doing so, normalize LGBTQ+ identities for gamers.

Disability Inclusion

Although disability representation in games is still nascent, some encouraging developments have occurred. Titles such as Celeste and Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice sensitively and thoughtfully explore mental health issues, while others, such as The Last of Us Part II, include characters with disabilities. Accessibility features are becoming more standard in games, ensuring a wider range of players can enjoy experiences independently of their physical ability.

What the Future Holds

Some issues are easy to see already emerging from the growing conversation about diversity and representation in video games. With intersectionality, people are beginning to recognize that they can belong to several different underrepresented groups. The individual effects of multiple identities also have an impact on the way that one’s oppressed race in a video game, say, may interact with another marginalized trait such as gender, sexuality, or disability.

This recognition of intersectionality will surely continue to be an important issue. Developers also realize it’s a good idea to work with some representatives of underrepresented groups before prioritizing certain characters for inclusion and ensuring the accuracy and respect of these representations.

Exploring Representation and Inclusion in Modern Video Games

It’s clear that more needs to be done to make gaming a reflection of all human experience and that change towards a more diverse gaming community is happening. But it’s also clear from how the response to consumer demands attitudes towards gaming have shifted — from an industry that sees wisdom in the potential of gaming as a cultural medium to writing itself into world literature that might help heal the separation of this world’s many cultures.

The gaming business sees diversity and pledging to be more inclusive as a way to break down barriers and change perspectives. Diversity in the industry under consideration shows itself to be an industry that is also creative and nimble in a world that’s quickly changing, in addition to being the right thing to do.


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