3. Discrimination Is Still Rampant
Here in the United States, we have elected our first African-American president, and have a set of powerful key women in the upper echelons of our highest political offices. You would think that would mean we have finally reached a level of equality and respect between the genders and the races. Yet, if you take one look at how our games are designed, you will see its not the case. These are the faces of some of the largest titles in the gaming industry. Excluding games like Skyrim, which allow you to create your own character, the "everyman" is still a heterosexual white male. There are a few exceptions to this rule, and we are seeing a swing towards more diverse characters, but we are still light years behind where we should be. Why is it this way? Because that's what sells. As bad as it might sound, the white dude archetype is the hero that people are paying to play. There is no super-secret pro-white group that is controlling the video game market. Heroes are researched, conceptualized, focus grouped, and then sold based on performance. Which leads me to my next lesson...