Walking Dead Offers Rare Glimpse of Diversity in Gaming

Ever since Tim Cook took the reins as Apple's CEO, "diversity" has been the company buzzword. We've seen it manifest in all sorts of ways, from Cook drawing attention to LGBT issues to shining a spotlight on the principles of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. to placing a Cuban American, a woman, and a reformed "gangsta rap" star in top executive positions. In the process, Cook has continued to place a great emphasis on the importance of honoring diversity and respecting one another's differences.

One of the trickle-down effects I've observed from this has been the increased conversation in the tech sector of not just diversity, but equal and non-stereotypical representation of women and minorities in the world of video games. But for all the talk, we have yet to see a noticeable change in the iOS gaming landscape.

Considering the wide spectrum of people of all ethnicities, genders, races, and orientations playing mobile games, you would think we would be seeing a greater pool of diverse lead characters represented in video games. But the conversation has not resulted in dramatic changes. The world of video game characters is still populated by white males, which isn't an accurate representation of the world we live in, or even the gamer demographic. Woman still have minimal representation on the iOS gaming platform, and when they are represented, they are often over-sexualized and relegated to supporting roles to a male lead. But women at least see some presence in the iOS game scene; minorities, not so much.

Figures from the Entertainment Software Rating Board paint an interesting picture of the modern gamer; for instance, almost half of the people that play video games are in fact women. Not only that, but these days, especially when it comes to the mobile platform, more active video gamers are between the ages of 30 and 50 than ever before. This trend is only expected to continue to grow as people who were children in the '70s (when the Atari 2600 first hit shelves) continue to age, and a generation of even more passionate gamers age right behind them.

Of course, there are notable exceptions. One of the most memorable examples of a minority getting a starring role in a major franchise is the character of Lee in the successful choose-your-own-adventure mobile game from Telltale Games: The Walking Dead Season 1. This is one of those roles that calls for a talented actor, period. It could have been anybody of any race, so the fact that it was a black character voiced by a black actor is significant. Interestingly enough, Telltale chose to follow up by putting an ethnically ambiguous character in the lead role of Clementine in The Walking Dead Season 2.

Telltale has also revealed that the star of the next iteration of The Walking Dead game series will be none other than Michonne, the dark-skinned, dreadlocked, sword-wielding super heroine who is already familiar to anyone who watches the TV show. In the instance of The Walking Dead games, they are staying true to the original comic book content by Robert Kirkman, which has garnered much praise for being extremely diverse in terms of featuring a strong cast of minorities (and women.) But what about other games on the iOS platform? Some popular titles have stepped up their game in terms of presenting a more fairly balanced palette of characters to choose from. Games like the simulated reality RPG Sims FreePlay, the post-apocalyptic community manager Fallout Shelter, and the psychedelic action/adventure Infinite Skater all feature playable characters that include a noteworthy and commendable balance of both non-hypersexualized women and non-stereotypical people of color. But this is still just a small handful of games.

The fact remains that there simply aren't many examples of diverse, strong characters in iOS games. Women are rarely the lead or on equal footing with male leads. Minorities are often a small role or worse—a role that perpetuates racial stereotypes.

When I think of games that feature black actors or minorities, one of the first that comes to mind and also one of the highest grossing premium games in the App Store, is the highly controversial, bloody, open-world adventure that is GTA: San Andreas. If you aren't already familiar with this game, it's notorious for capitalizing off of the culture of drugs and violence that was South Central LA in the early '90s, coincidentally the same environment that bred the now Apple exec, Dr. Dre.

Some other popular games that feature little to no diversity of playable characters include the bloody military FPS, Modern Combat 5, with its predominantly white male cast, and the tactical strategy game, Boom Beach, which pits you against the evil enemy alliance named "The Black Guard."

I'd have to say that despite the best efforts of a great many people, the tech world, and the gaming world in particular, doesn't present a very diverse palette of skin colors. It isn’t fair to say that most games feature white males because they’re the only ones playing games. Everyone plays games on iOS; black and white, young and old, male and female. These underrepresented groups might genuinely appreciate a more concerted effort from the developers of their favorite games, to incorporate more people of color and varied ethnicities, and more strong female roles.

Greater diversity in gaming stands to be not just a respectful gesture but also a profitable one. As more people around the globe pick up gaming on their mobile devices, they will undoubtedly appreciate seeing and playing characters that look and sound like them, or that at least represent greater variety. Really, it is a win-win situation for game developers and gaming fans. It's almost surprising that the industry hasn't embraced greater character diversity already. Almost.