Indigenous people in video games explained

Indigenous people have created and collaborated on video games, such as John Romero,[1] co-designer of Doom, and Allen Turner,[2] [3] who has worked as a designer on a wide range of titles including Stubbs the Zombie in Rebel Without a Pulse. Indigenous people have also conveyed their cultures through games, such as Never Alone and Thunderbird Strike.[4] [5] [6]

While many early video games and their iterations which depict Indigenous people misrepresent them and perpetuate negative stereotypes,[7] [8] video games created by Indigenous people enable self-determination.[9] [10] Increasingly, there has been a growth in community organizing around Indigenous games worldwide.[11] [12] Indigenous developers and their video games have been featured in exhibitions including the DIGITAL MEDIA ART+CADE as part of imagineNATIVE,[13] Memories of the Future/Souvenirs du futur at SAW Video Media Art Centre,[14] and REGENERATION: Breaking Time with Indigenous Video Games at the Western Front.[15]

Games where Indigenous people represent themselves

Indigenous people have been involved in a range of video game projects where they have the opportunity to depict themselves. These games range in the style, from collaboration that involves consulting with a limited Indigenous people (including Assassin's Creed III) to games that are entirely developed and designed by Indigenous people, such as Never Alone and Thunderbird Strike.

Games including Indigenous languages

There are also numerous video games which include or have been fully translated into Indigenous languages. MoniGarr produces many Indigenous language games for multiple platforms.[53] Both of the video games made by kānaka maoli participants of the Skins Video Game workshops held in Hawai'i, He Ao Hou [2017] and Wao Kanaka: Realm of the People [2018], were designed so that the player can play in ‘Ōlelo Hawai‘i as well as in English. Similarly, Karihonniennihtshera (Teachings) by Kahentawaks Tiewishaw can be played in English, wherein it teaches the player how to identify flora and fauna in the Kanien’kéha language, or played entirely in Kanien’kéha.

Adventure game Skábma - Snowfall was translated and voice-acted in endangered Norther Sámi language. The game was awarded as a Nordic Game of The Year and The Best Art awards in Nordic Game and The Best Creative Achievement of the Year 2022 in Finnish Game Award 2023. Northern Sámi language option is also included to Raanaa - The Shaman Girl game.

Full immersion is a design preference for some Indigenous game developers. Honour Water [2016][54] is a singing game entirely in Anishinaabemowin, much like the virtual reality game Along the River of Spacetime [2020].[55] Carl Petersen emphasizes full immersion in his games, which include Lakota instructions.[56]

In addition, there are games that have been localized to Indigenous languages. For example, Pinnguaq localized Osmos and Ittle Dew to Inuktitut[57] and Mushroom 11 [2015] is available in Inuktitut and Algonquin.

Obsidian's expansion for, Honest Hearts, features tribals living in Zion National Park who have developed a language that is a fusion of English, German, and Navajo.

Academic studies

Research of Indigenous video games, ranging from representations to design and development, are on the rise. In 2017, Indigenous Studies journal Transmotion devoted a special issue to such research.[58]

Scholars vary in their fields, methods, and topics. Dean Mahuta (Māori)[59] studies games in which Māori represent themselves. Outi Laiti (Sámi) does similar work for Sámi representations while also participating in game jams as interventions.[60] Researchers including Deborah Madsen[61] [62] and Michelle Lee Brown[63] have analyzed design in Indigenous games from an Indigenous lens. Elizabeth LaPensée looks at design and development processes as a designer,[64] [65] [66] [67] [68] reinforced by work by Gabriel de los Angeles, Jeanette Bushnell, Jonathan Tomhave,[69] and Maize Longboat.[70]

Player-oriented research seeks to understand how Indigenous games are received,[71] both by wider audiences[72] as well as Indigenous players. Related, Jakub Majewski's research examines how Australian Aboriginal gamers portray themselves through role-playing games,[73] [74] while Naithan Lagace studies how Indigenous representations in commercial games affect Indigenous players.[75]

Further research discusses copyright, protection of Indigenous knowledge, and appropriate portrayal of Indigenous cultures in regards to video games.[76] [77]

See also

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Machkovech. Sam. 6 June 2015. The post-apocalyptic dimensional space of Native video game design. Ars Technica.
  2. Web site: Chicago Game Designer Brings an Indigenous Twist to the Fantasy Genre. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20150223160449/http://nativenewsonline.net/currents/chicago-game-designer-brings-an-indigenous-twist-to-the-fantasy-genre. 2015-02-23.
  3. Web site: Wawro. Alex. 11 November 2019. Video: Insights from the GDC 2019 Narrative Innovation Showcase.
  4. A Tribe Called Geek's third podcast called "Indigenous Gaming" Web site: video games – A Tribe Called Geek. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20151222132427/http://atribecalledgeek.com/tag/video-games/. 2015-12-22.
  5. Web site: Matheson. Jesse. 2015-01-15. The Rise of Indigenous Storytelling in Games. 2021-12-28. IGN. en.
  6. Web site: Hughes. Art. April 15, 2019. Native video game developers change the narrative. Native America Calling.
  7. Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine: "What Not to Do With Native Americans In Games" - [06/13/2014] ]. YouTube.
  8. News: Wheeler. Kim. 2014-11-26. Indigenous video game designer takes stand against Custer's Revenge. CBC.
  9. Web site: Survivance as an indigenously determined game LaPensée AlterNative: An International Journal of Indigenous Peoples. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20150114092033/http://www.content.alternative.ac.nz/index.php/alternative/article/view/274. 2015-01-14.
  10. Web site: Video games encourage Indigenous cultural expression. Elizabeth. LaPensée. The Conversation. 22 March 2017 .
  11. Web site: UC Santa Cruz to host Natives in Game Dev Gathering | Games and Playable Media.
  12. Web site: NAISA-events3 - Māori and Indigenous Studies: University of Waikato. www.waikato.ac.nz.
  13. Web site: Digital Media Art+Cade | imagineNATIVE . 2015-12-20 . https://web.archive.org/web/20150927051603/http://www.imaginenative.org/home/node/4546 . 2015-09-27 . dead .
  14. Web site: SAW Video. www.sawvideo.com.
  15. Web site: REGENERATION: Breaking Time with Indigenous Video Games - Western Front.
  16. Web site: Aboriginal media lab to be used to challenge stereotypes.
  17. Web site: Moulder. Victoria A.. 2017. Transcoding Place Through Digital Media.
  18. Web site: LaPensée. Elizabeth. Moulder. Vicki. 2017. Walking and wiring the land: Indigenous art practice in games | ACM Interactions.
  19. Web site: Skins: Designing Games with First Nations Youth | Journal of Game Design and Development Education.
  20. Web site: Award Winners: 2010 imagineNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival – mediaINDIGENA. 25 October 2010 .
  21. News: Sterritt. Angela. 2014-01-04. Aboriginal communities in cyberspace. CBC.
  22. Web site: 302 Found.
  23. Web site: 'He Ao Hou' Teaches Hawaiian Traditions with a Galactic Journey. 15 October 2018.
  24. Web site: Martens. Todd. 17 October 2019. Games offer an alternate, nuanced way to approach the climate crisis. Los Angeles Times.
  25. News: Johnson. Rhiannon. 2017-10-14. 'Indigenous cybernoir': Video game designers crafting futuristic detective story. CBC.
  26. Web site: Sinclair. Brendan. 2020-03-31. Making Indigenous games won't limit their appeal. 2021-12-28. GamesIndustry.biz. en.
  27. Web site: te(a)ch: Teaching code for youth empowerment and wellness. 2021-12-28. Northern Public Affairs. en-US.
  28. Web site: The First Mile: On the Path of The Elders. 2021-12-28. meeting.knet.ca.
  29. Web site: Kunzelman. Cameron. 2018-09-14. '1870' Reclaims a Cyberpunk Future from Colonial Wreckage. 2021-12-28. Vice. en.
  30. Web site: Kunzelman. Cameron. 2019-06-04. 'Don't Wake the Night' Tackles Morality Better Than Any AAA Game. 2021-12-28. www.vice.com. en.
  31. Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine: Loretta Todd: Indigenous Storytelling In Cyberspace, Green College Leading Scholars' Series . YouTube.
  32. Web site: 2015-07-23. Celebrating Indigenous Gaming and Comics. 2021-12-28. Pinnguaq.
  33. Web site: Dupere. Katie. 2016-03-07. Indigenous tribe in Brazil creates video game to help preserve culture. 2021-12-28. Mashable. en.
  34. News: 2016-03-02. Indigenous people in Brazil help create computer game. en-GB. BBC News. 2021-12-28.
  35. Web site: Yanes. Nicholas. 2019-02-25. Maru Nihoniho discusses Māori culture, New Zealand's gaming industry, Metia Interactive and her latest game "Guardian Maia". 2021-12-28. SciFiPulse.Net. en-US.
  36. Web site: Newman. Heather. 2018-12-12. How The Award-Winning Creator Of Cube And Tākaro Is Bringing Māori Culture To Video Games. 2021-12-28. Forbes. en.
  37. Web site: 2018-09-05. Newest te reo Māori game app Māori Pā Wars launches. 2021-12-28. Māori Television. en.
  38. Web site: Greenwood. Michael. 2018-09-18. North Country at Work: Akwesasne's Monica Peters designs virtual worlds. 2021-12-28. NCPR.
  39. Web site: Lakota game developer Carl Petersen makes international debut of Tipi Kaga | KIPI Radio | 93.5 FM . 12 November 2019 .
  40. News: Dadigan. Marc. Learning a Native Language? Ojibway Programmer Has an App For That. 2021-12-28. Ict News. en.
  41. Web site: 2012-05-16. Ogoki Learning Systems Inc. – The Ojibway Language App – FirstMile. 2021-12-28. en-CA.
  42. Web site: The Voice of the Taino People Online: November 2012.
  43. News: Wheeler. Kim. 2015-02-07. Music Mogul designed to teach indigenous students business skills. CBC.
  44. Web site: 2018-02-06. Neofeud - A Dystopic Cyberpunk adventure - REVIEW. 2021-12-28. Indie Game Buzz. en-CA.
  45. News: Muzyka. Kyle. Telling the story of first contact ... with a futuristic video game. CBC.
  46. Web site: 2019-11-13. Concordia graduating student's Indigenous video game wins a major prize - Terra Nova invites players to experience first contact between settlers and Indigenous people in the future. 2021-12-28. Education News Canada. en.
  47. Web site: Hannah Jane. Parkinson. 2014-09-29. Alaska's indigenous game Never Alone teaches co-operation through stories. 2021-12-28. The Guardian. en.
  48. Web site: Lewis. Celia. 2020-05-31. The Umurangi Generation is Asking You To Care. 2021-12-28. Vista Magazine. en.
  49. News: Morris. Nathan. 2018-09-18. Using new tech to preserve an ancient culture. en-AU. ABC News. 2021-12-28.
  50. https://lakemactoday.com.au/2018/07/10/taking-a-journey-back-in-time/
  51. Web site: LaPensée. Elizabeth. 2013. Survivance: An Indigenous Game for Change.
  52. Web site: Matheson. Jesse. 2021-11-01. The Rise of Indigenous Storytelling in Games. 2021-12-28. IGN. en.
  53. Web site: Beer. Molly C.. 2020-02-25. The next chapter of Indigenous representation in video games. 2021-12-28. Polygon. en-US.
  54. LaPensée. Elizabeth. 2018-09-01. Honour water: Gameplay as a pathway to Anishinaabeg water teachings. Decolonization: Indigeneity, Education & Society. en. 7. 1. 115–130. 1929-8692.
  55. Web site: Richards. Sierra. 2018-04-23. Professor LaPensée Wins Guggenheim Fellowship Award. 2021-12-28. College of Arts & Letters. en-US.
  56. Web site: Carl Petersen Develops a Lakota Video Game to Revitalize Language | Running Strong. indianyouth.org.
  57. Web site: Apps. Pinnguaq.
  58. Transmotion 3:1 (2017) Web site: Vol 3 No 1 (2017): Indigenous Gaming - guest edited by Elizabeth LaPensée Transmotion.
  59. Māori in video games - A digital identity. Dean. Mahuta. January 25, 2012. Te Kaharoa. 5. 1. ojs.aut.ac.nz. 10.24135/tekaharoa.v5i1.101. free.
  60. Social Aspects of Learning: Sámi People in the Circumpolar North. Outi Kaarina. Laiti. Satu-Maarit. Frangou. March 4, 2019. International Journal of Multicultural Education. 21. 1. 5–21. ijme-journal.org. 10.18251/ijme.v21i1.1728. free.
  61. The Mechanics of Survivance in Indigenously-Determined Video-Games: Invaders and Never Alone. Deborah Lea. Madsen. April 25, 2017. Transmotion. 3. 2. 79. archive-ouverte.unige.ch.
  62. Web site: Playing with Form: Elizabeth La Pensée's Indigenously-Determined Video-Games. Deborah Lea. Madsen. April 25, 2018. archive-ouverte.unige.ch.
  63. Never Alone: (Re)Coding the Comic Holotrope of Survivance. Michelle Lee. Brown. July 31, 2017. Transmotion. 3. 1. 22. journals.kent.ac.uk.
  64. Web site: Indigenous Board Game Design in The Gift of Food | Analog Game Studies.
  65. Transformations and Remembrances in the Digital Game We Sing for Healing. Elizabeth A.. LaPensee. July 31, 2017. Transmotion. 3. 1. 89. journals.kent.ac.uk.
  66. Relationality in Indigenous Food and Medicine Games. Elizabeth. LaPensée. September 13, 2017. Resilience: A Journal of the Environmental Humanities. 4. 2. 191–200. 10.5250/resilience.4.2-3.0191. 148910578. Project MUSE.
  67. Honour water. Elizabeth. LaPensée. September 1, 2018. Decolonization: Indigeneity, Education & Society. 7. 1. 115–130. jps.library.utoronto.ca.
  68. When Rivers Were Trails: cultural expression in an indigenous video game. Elizabeth. LaPensée. March 29, 2020. International Journal of Heritage Studies. 27. 3. 281–295. 10.1080/13527258.2020.1746919. 1352-7258 . 216196579.
  69. How do you say watermelon?. Jonathan. Tomhave. Jeanette. Bushnell. Tylor. Prather. July 31, 2017. Transmotion. 3. 1. 45. journals.kent.ac.uk.
  70. Terra Nova: Enacting Videogame Development through Indigenous-Led Creation. Maize. Longboat. August 25, 2019. Concordia University. masters. spectrum.library.concordia.ca.
  71. Web site: Vol 7 No 2 (2020): Oil and Media, Oil as Media: Mediating Petrocultures Then and Now | MediaTropes. mediatropes.com.
  72. "Indigenizing Education with the Game When Rivers Were Trails." Amerikastudien / American Studies. 64.1 (2019): 75-93. Print.. Nichlas. Emmons. Elizabeth. LaPensée. Amerikastudien / American Studies. January 2019. 64. 1. 75. 10.33675/AMST/2019/1/8. 231212050. www.academia.edu. free.
  73. Transmitting and preserving cultural knowledge through open-world role-playing games. Jakub. Majewski. April 25, 2014. Role of Higher Education Institutions in Society: Challenges, Tendencies and Perspectives. 1. 3. 130–136. research.bond.edu.au.
  74. The Potential for Modding Communities in Cultural Heritage. Jakub. Majewski. The Interactive Past: Archaeology, Heritage, and Video Games. January 2017. www.academia.edu.
  75. Web site: Indigenous Representations and the Impacts of Video Games Media on Indigenous Identity. 2018. Lagace. Naithan.
  76. Book: Ariese. Csilla E.. The Interactive Past: Archaeology, Heritage & Video Games. Politopoulos. Aris. Mol. Angus.
  77. Oldest Culture, Newest Medium: What Emerges from the Clash?. Jakub. Majewski. 17 November 2016. www.academia.edu.

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Indigenous people in video games".

Except where otherwise indicated, Everything.Explained.Today is © Copyright 2009-2024, A B Cryer, All Rights Reserved. Cookie policy.