Decoding Dragons

Browsing the archives for the Social Activism category.

[MMOs] Social Ills in Games: Narcotics in our MMOs?

While Massively has not been my MMO news outlet of choice for a while, today it has posed an interesting question. Do narcotics belong in MMOs? The article in question compares the inclusion or exclusion of narcotics to violence, gore, sex and thievery, but I think there is a more interesting question at the heart of this issue.

If not narcotics

As someone with a bit of a bent for so-called ‘Social Justice blogging’, I regularly call out things that I feel are problematic. This might be detailed analysis of the way a company handles being called out over a particular turn of phrase  (a’la Blizzard and Geek Chic Cosmetics), or it might be a more textual analysis of gender roles within a game. So for me the parallel in this phrase comes from those sources. Whenever players like me cry out about the heteronormativity of things like the Goblin Starter Quest, or even when companies like Bioware start introducing Gay and Lesbian romance options; there is invariably someone ready to say ‘why do I have to deal with these real world issues in my game, I just want to have fun’.

I may have paraphrased with that, but essentially it’s another version of the ‘It’s fine as long as it’s not in my face.’ The SF&F world has long prided itself on being more progressive and open-minded than the mainstream. While shows like Star Trek look dated and sexist these days, back in the day they were somewhat revolutionary. Yet the all pervasiveness of the erasure fantasy is going strong.  Not only drugs are supposedly erased from the MMO market, but so are addicts and the associated social problems. Representation of poverty is sanitised, made clean.

Sanitised Narcotics

The Massively article makes mention of Spice in Star Wars Galaxies, and pipeweed in LOTRO. As I understand it, Eve: Online has an actual drugs trade as part of it massive economy, although I am not familiar with the in game mechanics (is it just a commodity, or can you actually take the drug?) In World of Warcraft players are able to buy alcohol, and will experience short lived ‘drunk effects’ – drunkenness is often played for a laugh in game. Blood Elves are known for their addiction to magic, and addiction to magic is a fairly common trope in the SFF world.

Downer Effects

I’ll venture to say that ‘temporary drunk effects’ are probably the most a player will see of withdrawal symptoms, or what the presence of drug addiction can do to a person and their community. While there are great SFF books based around drug addicted protagonists (hello Sherlock), I’m not really certain how that could translate into a playable, fun game for users. I’ve talked about immersion and absorption as goals for world building before, is this one of those cases where things get too real?

However, that, for me, segues back into the discussion of NPCs with disabilities generally not being in games. You might hear of a character in a wheelchair (Oracle springs to mind) but for the most part physical disability is erased from the fantasy/sf world, except in cases where physical deformity is used as a manifestation of mental weakness (i.e. drug-induced madness.)

Presentation of poverty

I haven’t been able to do a lot of research for this post, so please excuse the brevity of the references. In Warcraft the only addicts we actually see represented are the Wretched. In many ways they are remarkably similar to the Broken, who are pretty classic post-apocalyse-survivor types. Their bodies are physical manifestations of their addiction, in the same way that we might associate looking pale, thin and sickly with drug addiction. One crucial point here is that the addiction is accompanied by madness. Representations of mental illness in SFF are generally beyond the pale, so I’m not going to focus on that in this post, but the characterisation of these addicts as being beyond help and something to eradicate is important to note. Sympathy for addicts and recovering addicts is often in short supply in the real world, so it’s not surprising that beings who succumb to their addiction are shunned almost without thought in fantasy. Blood Elf players are shown this attitude to addiction in their starting area.

In many ways this approach is also rife with classism, as it is in the real world. A rich addict can get support and help – in effect they can afford their addiction. A poor person, already marginalised by the education system, jobs, and other factors becomes an outcast even amongst their peers. In a world of limited resources, the only way to cope with someone in this position is to de-humanise them.  In Blood Elf society, we know that Blood Thistle Addicts are looked down on as well, so this disdain for what is seen as weak behaviour is inherent even in an entire race of elves that continues to struggle on a racial level with issues of addiction.

Yes, I know I’m muttering about de-humanising an elf.

In contrast the consumption of alcohol is often played for laughs, or even celebrated because it is much more socially acceptable and not viewed in the same class as narcotics. This is probably due to the ability of millions to partake in moderation, where ‘moderate’ use of any kind of narcotic is pretty much invisible due to it’s illegal nature. Thus when poverty is presented in a game like Warcraft, which is very cartoony, it is often in the form of refugees and bandits (see the current version of Westfall in particular.)

One of the things that struck me about Star Wars: The Old Republic was it’s willingness to show the down side of life – a product both of Bioware being more aware of social issues and one of the original protagonists of the Star Wars movies being a smuggler. It’s hard to be all neutral and all about the contraband if the contraband and it’s consumers aren’t actually in the universe.  I’ve not played SW:TOR for a few months so I cannot easily research exactly how this is presented, but I do seem to recall that drugs and smuggling were definitely something associated with the ‘underdog’ aliens that suffered other economic and social opressions.

Plus, you know, the dark side often seems very much about addiction to power when you first take a look at it. And a second look. And possibly a third look. The fate of Darth Vader is very much tied up in what addiction can do to a person, although poverty certainly doesn’t impact on his life.

Lore and world appropriate

The original Massively article makes a point about game makers sanitising narcotics for the sake of censors and other such things, which in some ways simply baits the reader for a response of ‘well they let all those violent naked chicks through, why does a little drugs hurt’? And in many ways I agree with them. It certainly isn’t appropriate to touch on heroin use in Hello Kitty Online, but seeing as addiction is actually referred to in many more adult MMOs perhaps it is time for developers to think a bit more about how drugs and alcohol are handled in game. A society’s attitudes to alcohol and narcotics is a large part of world building, as it will touch on everything from social traditions and ceremonies, to social entertainment. Attitudes towards substance abuse inform class-stratification, and add depth to the world you’re trying to create.

This is one of the reasons I’m hemming and hawwing about getting an a copy of The Secret World. As an ‘alternate universe’ game set in the real world, it’s approach to sexuality, gender, race, class and disability may well be thrown more into the spotlight than in a game like EvE: Online where you almost may as well not have a humanoid avatar at all. (I have taken to imagining all EvE players to be like the Pilot from Farscape.)

[MMOs] Social Ills in Games: Narcotics in our MMOs? was published on May 31st, 2012, with the tags , , , , , , , , under the Game Development, Games, Social Activism, Star Wars: The Old Republic, The Secret World, Warcraft category. There are currently 6 comments on this article so far.

[TW] Way to miss the point, Geek Chic Cosmetics (updated)

Approximately 8 hours after I post this article originally, and following lengthy discussions on twitter, Geek Chic Cosmetics have posted this apology. Hopefully they will continue to learn from this experience!

On the continued theme of make-up and geeks, a few of my friends on twitter noticed that Geek Chic Cosmetics had a lip gloss with a ‘charming’ name, and emailed in to protest about the propagation of rape culture. Some engaged with the company over twitter, and then also sent emails in. They decided to respond in a very snide and dismissive manner. I am even less impressed with this response than I was with finding out the original name. I’ve not ordered anything from the company, as me wearing makeup is a pretty rare event.

Plus I don’t really see the point in wearing make-up that is pretty much the same as any other vegan make up out there, just with some ‘geek’ names and themes and extra costs through customs. However I am a talkative geek who happens to be a woman on the internets, and is otherwise relatively feminine in my tastes so seeing a company that aligns itself with ‘geek’ and ‘women’ behave this way is very much a facepalm moment.

Trying to please everyone

So what is a tiny 3 person operation to do? The same thing we do every night, Pinky. Try to please as many people as we can, as often as we can. It’s entirely possible that we have lost more potential happy customers to this accidental offense. While we don’t share the displeasure reported over the name of the item, we don’t have to in order to be sensitive and adjust, if it’s called for.

I’d like to point out that removing references to ‘joke rape’ from products marketed mainly to women is not about ‘pleasing everyone’. Leaving the reference in is hurtful to women. In some cases it might be an out and out trigger (which is not the same as finding a topic distasteful, so please don’t accuse people of pearl clutching.) Taking the bad pun out hurts no one. Leaving it in is somewhat alienating and dismissive. Disappointing a few customers who like a pun is not the same as being respectful of your customer base at large and the issues that face women everywhere.

Understanding rape culture

Finally, like we have to say it, the assertion that we condone rape or belong to the “rape culture” is absolutely untrue. We can’t address an issue that you don’t voice. Geek Chic Cosmetics is not a faceless, nameless, corporate entity. It’s a small business run by those three very human beings above. To reiterate our open door policy, email us first, give us a day before you unleash the hounds on us. We’re here for you.

You’re not faceless, but you’re reacting in a way that completely misunderstands the criticisms and issues surrounding rape culture.  By keeping such a name in the product line, Geek Chic Cosmetics is participating in rape culture – even though of course the individuals involved wouldn’t condone the trivialisation of rape. That casual parody and normalisation of rape is exactly what ‘rape culture’ is, just as beauty standards in the media make idealised bodies the new ‘normal’.

A lot of this stuff is internalised. I really wish companies would not underestimate this.

The privilege of politeness and professionalism

As a professional I am not obliged to put up with abuse from companies, but when a customer (potential or otherwise) is legitimately angry about something I’d probably be expected to suck it up and handle it as professional as possible at my end of things. If a contact is that angry about something, I’m not allow to be snarky or anything back.  We’d all appreciate it if all contact with us was civil manner, but asking for professionalism from non-professionals is a bit snide in a retail environment.

In an ideal world we wouldn’t react to things that matter to us with strong emotions. Oh wait. Rape and discussion of rape culture is likely to invoke strong emotions. Think about how it feels to be ‘accused’ of participating in rape culture; it shouldn’t be hard to extrapolate a little empathy for the feelings of your critics from that, should it? Casting a customer (potential or otherwise) who has a strong reaction to the marketing of one of your products as the straw-woman Angry Feminist Mob is a silencing tactic, plain and simple.

Plus, when it’s only one tweet, and not from the original tweeter/person who raised the query, it looks a little facetious ask for professionalism as part of a general public post that is supposedly addressing the concerns raised. You’re trivialising those who are made uncomfortable by the product name from the outset.

Don’t patronise your customers

Explaining the source of hentai and the original pun to your geek customers is just going to make you look like you’re patronising. If you want to engage with your customers, a little more research than a quote from cosplaydeviants would be good for starters. While I completely agree that equating the virtual and the real is not right, saying that the virtual exists in a vacuum is a little naive.

I’m well aware what the pun refers to, of the historical context. The context doesn’t obscure or render it neutral and harmless. Removing the name hurts no one – it’s not like the Geek Chic website will lose it’s multitude of fun, geeky, snarky comments that help to give the brand it’s personality by removing one name. And if it makes even 1 woman less uncomfortable, then that’s a good thing.

In conclusion

Marketing your geek products should be as much about managing your brand as ‘pleasing’ individual customers. Right now the picture is of an independent company that lacks sensitivity when dealing with complaints that touch on issues important to a core customer base. Reacting defensively to angry customers is inevitably a misstep, and kinda, yanno, looks like you’re defending your participation in rape culture out of ignorance. It is possible to respond better.

And inviting a vote with unmoderated comments? Oh dear. Some of the casual misogyny going on in that thread, in a space condoned by Geek Chic Cosmetics, is just as bad. So. Um. Trigger warning for the comments there. Internalised misogyny, how does it work.

Related links

Update

As of the evening of 9th April, GCC added the following edit to their original public response.

Edit: Hey guys! I just wanted to thank you all for your input. We are taking this issue very seriously, and considering all feedback. We’ve made mistakes, and we will learn from this in the future. We’re an ever-evolving company that deeply cares about the opinion of our customer. There is no way to please all people, but we’re taking it all in and figuring out where to go from here. Just remember – be excellent to each other. Lots of differing opinions on this subject, we welcome all views. We are listening.

 

 

[TW] Way to miss the point, Geek Chic Cosmetics (updated) was published on April 10th, 2012, with the tags , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , under the Analysis, Geek Life, Social Activism category. There are currently 12 comments on this article so far.

[Warcraft] From Pygmy to Sherpa

This is a difficult post. Not because it’s personal for me, but I feel like someone should say something. The casual cultural appropriation that Blizzard continues to practise is tiring, dated, and makes me very uneasy about Mists of Pandaria. I am western european and I am white. I don’t feel comfortable pointing this out, as it is not my culture that Mists of Pandaria is appropriating in a disneyfied orientalist fashion.

Think back to the pygmies

In Cataclysm we saw the introduction of the Pygmy model. A brown-skinned race depicted as savage – supposedly based on heavy metal characters, but in actuality echoing the colonialist stereotype of the peoples of North Africa. The very name taken from real cultures in Africa. During the course of questing through Uldum, players would kill and cage the pygmies, hit them with mallots etc. WoW Insider did a great post-mortem of Cataclysm, and I’m going to quote from them here

The things that disgusted me about Uldum don’t end there, either. Uldum is what, to me, solidified the pygmy race is a racist caricature. I didn’t mind them in the goblin starting area. They were a little weird, but they fit exactly what Blizzard described them as; they’re modeled after classic rock roadies. Their tribe is even called the Oomlot Tribe, which if you haven’t figured it out, is a nod to the umlaut. They fit that in the goblin starting zone. In Uldum, that goes out the window. Blizzard took this thing that was already racially charged and, instead of taking the high road and doing something cool with them, stayed right down there with everybody’s worst expectations and made them a really insensitive thing.

Now considering that the orcs, trolls, goblins and tauren are codified as people of colour (as opposed to the very westernised cultures of the humans and dwarves particularly) Blizzard’s track record on sensitivity to racial issues and cultural appropriation is already bad. I’ve seen posts on various forums from Native Americans lamenting and wincing at the broad strokes used to define the Tauren. Sadly I’ve not seen any Chinese (or asian) reactions to Mists of Pandaria, only ‘my friend is ____’ type comments from westerners.

That said – it is Warcraft and I’m not surprised or rending my clothes over the continued lack of subtlety on the grand scale of things. Pandaria fits in with Thunderbluff. There are many talented artists, animators and writers working at Blizzard and they continue to do grand work within the schemes laid out for them by the needs of the game, the theme and the overarching story. Much of the artwork for Mists is breathtaking, and I do think they’ll tell some interesting stories.

From Pygmies to Sherpa

Well, now. Sherpa. One of the latest updates at WoWhead has included a character model codenamed ‘sherpa’. Take a look at him on wowhead, or just click the image below for a bigger one.

 

Well. First of all there are the Sherpa People, of the Kingdom of Nepal. The stereotypes surrounding this group of people in general are relatively benign – they have some renown for physical superiority. The term ‘sherpa’ is also often applied to local mountain/climbing guides of other ethnicities. The image of the western holiday-maker or explorer surrounded by locals carrying their belongings is the image that the above model invokes. As the model uses the pygmy model, this makes me distinctly uncomfortable and I’m not at all of the mind that this was in any way appropriate for Blizzard to include. Please note that I’m not certain if ‘Sherpa’ is simply a code name or the actual model name, we’ll have to wait until later to find out.

They have made an efford to make the model less humanoid via the skin texture and fingers, but I’m really not convinced that it’s enough. They could easily have done something different to fill this NPC niche. It makes me wonder if we’ll see more development of the in-game pygmy race in lore, or if they will forever remain a one-off joke, based on colonialist views of people that are ‘other’ to the western experience. Including non-western cultures in a nuanced, imaginative and sensitive fashion is a good thing, but I don’t think Blizzard have managed that here.

This isn’t about racial slurs

I’m not saying that ‘pygmy’ or ‘sherpa’ are offensive terms in and of themselves. They are perfectly legitimate, correct terms for two peoples. Blizzard hasn’t been offensive by using those terms, but in the way they are applied and the characters depicted. With regards to the Sherpa ‘model’, perhaps this is just temporary name and the NPC will appear with a more appropriate name. I hope so, but the ‘sherpa’ model is not ranked with humanoids which suggests that, like the pygmies, they’ll be seen as sub-human and subservient, echoing those colonialist attitudes that took the Oomlot tribe of the Lost Isles from heavy metal to racially charged by placing the npcs in an environment that invokes the stereotypes. I have no idea if any of the Sherpa people play Warcraft, or even care about stereotypes in a video game, but it’s indicative of a larger problem within world building.

Benign but ignorant

It’s all packaged up as entertainment, but it’s a bit like reducing the British to tea, crumpets, the Queen and Sherlock Holmes. Except it isn’t at all. This is mostly western entertainment, devised for westerners. Occidentalism, that is the negative stereotypes of westerners, doesn’t really have the same power in games developed by westerners for westerners. I really think Blizzard needs to sit down and think about it’s continued use of cultural shorthand in world building and culture creation.  Non-western (and non-white coded) cultures and NPCs don’t have to be the sole province of anthropromorphic races or secondary NPCs, or even enemies. They don’t have to be coded as exotic, or other.

 

 

[Warcraft] From Pygmy to Sherpa was published on March 26th, 2012, with the tags , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , under the Analysis, Social Activism, Warcraft category. There are currently 18 comments on this article so far.