Games and Storytelling 2006-2007

Multiculturalism in Games - both an Opportunity and a Challenge

As digital games have evolved in aesthetics and technology, also new audiences have taken them as their own. Nevertheless, it is still common to view game players through certain (white-teenage-boy) stereotypes, even when the reality of games and players is much more diverse today.

The theme for the third year of Games and Storytelling (2006 - 2007) series is multiculturalism. Games and Storytelling is a joint project of University of Art and Design Helsinki, University of Tampere, Nokia and Veikkaus, designed to bring leading international experts together in a three-year-long lecture and workshop series, highlighting some important and topical developments in the culture, research and design of games. Particular emphasis during this final year is on the current tensions and transformations of culture, identity and storytelling as interactive media emerges as both artistically important new medium, as a globally powerful creative industry, and as a new kind of domain for human interactions.

One way to approach multiculturalism in relation to games is to look at the interesting dialogue that has been going on in the history of games design between Asia, particularly Japan, and the West, where distinctively different visual and gameplay styles have been developed. Multiculturalism is also visible in how some game genres have become wildly popular in some country, while staying almost negligent in others. There are also more street-level aspects of multiculturalism, as the contexts of game playing vary, from the popular "PC Bang" cybercafés of the East to the videogame arcades and wired living rooms of the Western players.

The cultural position of games is different in different parts of the world, while there are also some commonalities: in many countries games are currently viewed by concern or even hostility within the media and public debate while the popularity of game playing simultaneously is gaining new ground among both adult and elder, female and male players alike. The existing offerings in the shelves of game stores often fail to link with the interests of these gamers. Similarly, one can easily point out how much potential multiculturalism still holds that games industry has not succeeded in linking with: the rich cultural heritage, myths and legends of the various nations of the world are still mostly underutilized. The milieu, characters or themes of mainstream commercial games rarely offer enough alternatives for those not interested in stereotypes, and there is also much to be improved in how the different play styles and preferences of non-hardcore gamer audiences are supported.

Thus, multiculturalism is both a great opportunity and a challenge to the games culture, research and development alike.