XBOX
ONE, PS4, & GRAND THEFT AUTO
There are many stereotypes that are involved with the
Xbox, PS4, and video games but in particular Grand Theft Auto. According to Ray
B. Browne, “Stereotypes are the generalities of life cut down to a fine point
concerning a particular subject and directed usually toward a special goal.
Their purpose can be toward either the good or the ill of a particular people
or group, and although they can be intended to favor or disfavor a particular
group, more likely than not they will be used for negative purposes” (Browne,
2005, p. 102). To begin, video game consoles such as Xbox One and PS4 have the
stereotype that people are well off or wealthy if they have a game console.
This stereotype does have some sort of merit though, the PS4 is $400 and the
Xbox One is $500 and that does not include games or the online gaming package
you have to have for the Xbox One. Each new unopened game for the Xbox One runs
around $60. There are also accessories that gamers like to get like Turtle
Beaches which are headphones that have a mic and they allow you to hear
everything around you and help you react quicker. These headphones can cost
anywhere from $50 used to $400 brand new. After buying everything you need for
the consoles you would think only people that make a lot of money are gamers.
This however is not the case, gamers do spend a lot of money on games and
consoles but in the end a lot of people have to pawn or sell their consoles to
get money.
Another stereotype involving video games and video game
consoles are that the people that play them are uneducated, lazy men that are
loners and have no life outside of playing video games. People also believe that
gamers have no responsibilities and are able to spend so much money on consoles
and video games. Now, a lot of the people that play on these consoles are men
and there are a lot that are extremely disrespectful and sexist. They feel that
women should not play video games and that women have no chance of being good
at video games. As a female gamer I have encountered very nasty people on the
consoles and have been disrespected several times. On top of the sexist
comments there are way too many people throwing around racial slurs such as
nigger, towel head, and etc. African Americans are specifically targeted on
Xbox and there isn’t a game I have played were someone hasn’t called an African
American man a bad name. People seem to think that the African American men
that play Xbox and the PS4 are on welfare and go nowhere in life and just have
time for video games. I have seen gamers stay on Xbox One for two or three days
straight, they do not take breaks and most of them honestly are older white
men. There are people that do not understand that video games and consoles are
an outlet for stress and anger. I use video games to release stress and kill
people to relieve my anger as well.
When you play video games such as Grand Theft Auto, you
have a ritual and you must follow that ritual to gain advancement in the game.
Actually, you use more Rites than rituals because you are doing something to
advance and strengthen actions. Grand Theft Auto is one of the most controversial
games out for the Xbox One and PS4. This game involves violence, theft, murder,
and assault. One stereotype that people have created for this game is that the
company is stereotyping African Americans. In this game, the neighborhoods
where you play are rundown slums and the characters are African American. The
image this game has created depicts that every African American lives in slums,
have foul language, and are gang members. According to Cicchirillo, “Grand
Theft Auto: San Andreas was deemed to be laden with stereotypical images of
African-Americans and therefore might influence outcomes related to
stereotyping more than a condition with a lack of racial-representations”
(Cicchirillo, 2009).
I do not believe in stereotyping gamers. There is such a
wide variety of people playing video games and buying consoles including young
children, men, women, and people in older generations. The Xbox One, PS4, and
video games like Grand Theft Auto are available to everyone and people should drop
the pettiness and just have a good time playing. Now that I have focused on
stereotypes I can try not to be involved in them. There have been times I have
gotten involved in arguments during games and said things to people I shouldn’t
have. I have told people they have no life or that they are uneducated because
of the way they speak and that is just putting fuel on the fire. I believe that
some of these stereotypes against people and games have started from the way
the companies are developing these products. If gaming companies and video game
developers would make products that suit everyone, these problems may not
occur.
References
Browne,
B.R. (2005). Profiles of Popular Culture: A Reader. The University of Wisconsin
Press.
Cicchirillo,
V. (2009). The effects of priming racial stereotypes through violent video
games. (Electronic Thesis or Dissertation). Retrieved from https://etd.ohiolink.edu/
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