Many gamers have trouble identifying with video game characters, according to a recent study that reveals 80% of young people surveyed wish to see characters who look like them, but more than half of total respondents say it’s very difficult to find them.
Whether it’s gender, ethnicity or sexual orientation, gamers want more representation in the games they play. This is the conclusion of research coming out of the Center for Scholars and Storytellers at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), conducted among 1,644 people aged 10-24 across the US.
Some 50.6% of those surveyed complained about the difficulty of finding video games with characters that look like them. Adolescents from ethnic minorities (55.5%) and the LGBTQIA+ community (58.5%) are particularly concerned by this issue.
A 22-year-old non-binary player expressed their desire to see LGBTQIA+ characters authentically portrayed in video games, as did an 11-year-old Black gamer. “I want to see original stories starring Black characters, not Black hand-me-down versions of white characters. Please stop,” the latter said.
“I want to see a queer individual like myself presented accurately in the gaming content I have seen. I feel like the things that have hit aspects of my identity are never anything that truly encapsulates me,” the non-binary white gamer added.
A spokesperson for the Center for Scholars and Storytellers – a self-described Gen-Z gamer – said the younger generation wants to engage with entertainment that reflects their lived experiences, “including the complex parts of our unique, diverse identities”.
“The best way to start representing us better? Give us a seat at the table. Talk to us,” he added.
Despite this, 39.2% of those surveyed prefer to play video games rather than watch TV shows or films (33.3%) or even consult social media (27.5%). This popularity of the format can be explained by the fact that teenagers who enjoy gaming find them more rewarding and enjoy interacting with their friends.
Indeed, the world of gaming is a bonding experience: 68.4% of teens surveyed claim to find a sense of community through video games.
This feeling is shared even more sharply by players who suffer from attention deficit disorder with or ADHD (74.1%), as well as those with autism (79.8%).
According to the study, multiplayer battle games (32.4%), sandbox games (27.3%) and first-person shooters (17%) are the most conducive to building community ties.