Playing With Prejudice: The Prevalence and Consequences of Racial Stereotypes in Video Games |
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| Authors: | Melinda C. R. Burgess Karen E. Dill S. Paul Stermer Stephen R. Burgess Brian P. Brown |
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| Affiliation: | 1. Department of Psychology , College of Graduate and Professional Studies, Southwestern Oklahoma State University , Weatherford, Oklahoma, USA;2. School of Psychology, Fielding Graduate University , Santa Barbara, California, USA;3. College of Arts and Sciences, Oklahoma State University , Stillwater, Oklahoma, USA;4. College of Arts and Sciences, University of North Carolina–Wilmington , Wilmington, North Carolina, USA |
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| Abstract: | A content analysis of top-selling video game magazines (Study 1) and of 149 video game covers (Study 2) demonstrated the commonality of overt racial stereotyping. Both studies revealed that minority females are virtually absent in game representations. Study 1 revealed that, in video game magazines, minority males, underrepresented generally, were more likely to be portrayed as athletes or as aggressive, and less likely to be depicted in military combat or using technology, than White males. Study 2 also showed evidence of the “dangerous” minority male stereotype in video game covers. Again, underrepresented overall, minority males were overrepresented as thugs, using extreme guns, and also as athletes. Study 3, an experiment, exposed players to both violent and nonviolent games with both White and Black characters. Participants were faster at classifying violent stimuli following games with Black characters and at classifying nonviolent stimuli following games with White characters, indicating that images of popular video game characters evoke racial stereotypes. |
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