Representation of games

1. Representation
of race in
games
BY TYRONE SIBANDA

2. The three games that I am
going to be focusing on is
the GTA Series

3. How is my choice of
representation used?
 Throughout the whole GTA Series, Race is represented in
many different ways. In all of the characters in the GTA
series, they all have a specific background either because
of the colour of there skin or there ethnic background.
Things in the game that could show how race has been
used in the wrong way could be how people live, speak
and how they would normally socialise. For example, in
GTA V, I am going to compare the living of Michael and
Franklin. In the beginning of the game it shows how
Michael is living, he lives in a big mansion in the hills of
Vinewood with his wife and two kids. If you look at his
picture on the right it shows him holding money
somewhere in the hills which is the richest town the game.
Elsewhere, the way that franklin is portrayed as a typical
black guy who lives in the ‘hood’, works for an Italian man
who owns a car dealership but sells his car illegally, means
that when he sells a car to someone and then sends
franklin to go and get the car back. That is a typical
stereotype, especially in the picture it shows him holding a
gun in a corrupted area

4. What do the
representations connote?
 The representations of Michael and Franklin shows how people
look at there skin colour, they way they talk could be seen
differently to other people. It also shows that if people from a
rough background, automatically they are going think that
they do bad things, everyone from that background are going
to be seen in that way. In all of the games which I have
displayed all have different stereotypes depending on there
background. Franklin is seen as an ex gang banger who is
trying to leave the hood life but keeps on getting caught up in
it, his very first mission in the game is stealing two cars with his
friend so that they can take it back to the dealership. The way
he talks is very informal on the game suggesting he didn’t
have proper education.

5. My opinions and what I
would do differently?
 Because I am a very big fan of the GTA franchise, although that it is very
entertaining there are a lot of stereotypes in this game which some people
thought that it was a little bit too much. This game could’ve been made in a
way were they are good guys who are trying to fight crime but they made every
single one promoting crime ultimately leading to real life people being killed
because of the influence. They could of represented African Black Americans as
good people, they could’ve represented all of the white people in this game not
all being rich and living in massive mansions. But in the end, the game was really
successful, money wise because people had to wait years for this one to come
out so there were more concerned about the missions rather than what the real
issue about the game was.

6. My opinions and what I
would do differently?
 Because I am a very big fan of the GTA franchise, although that it is very
entertaining there are a lot of stereotypes in this game which some people
thought that it was a little bit too much. This game could’ve been made in a
way were they are good guys who are trying to fight crime but they made every
single one promoting crime ultimately leading to real life people being killed
because of the influence. They could of represented African Black Americans as
good people, they could’ve represented all of the white people in this game not
all being rich and living in massive mansions. But in the end, the game was really
successful, money wise because people had to wait years for this one to come
out so there were more concerned about the missions rather than what the real
issue about the game was.