An About Face

Having skin in the game: How players purchase representation in games

“…Although Passmore et al (2018) and Passmore and Mandryk (Passmore and Mandryk, 2018) do not examine microtransactions or skin purchasing, our methodology and framing are closely aligned with their research. Passmore et al explore players’ attitudes toward representation and diversity in games in a broad sense (Passmore et al, 2018), while Passmore and Mandryk more specifically examine the role of customization and skin tone (Passmore and Mandryk, 2018). Our paper similarly focuses on player attitudes and outlooks on diversity and representation, with a focus on skins as purchasable representation.…”

“…They argue there is ‘a social and moral demand’ for more diverse racial and ethnic in-game representation and discuss implications for market demand relative to their observations on these findings (Passmore et al, 2018: 10). They and others have stressed the increasing buying power among players of color and the increase in people of color who identify as gamers, (Duggan, 2015; Lehnert, 2015; Passmore et al, 2017, 2018; Passmore and Mandryk, 2018). Passmore et al argue the games industry has not adequately responded to this clear market demand, creating a growing disparity between those who play video games – their representation and demands – and the characters who tend to be represented in games.…”

“…Shaw describes the ‘acceptance’ of her participants of the poor state of representation in games (Shaw, 2014), or what Passmore and Mandryk later describe as a ‘learned neutrality’ (Passmore and Mandryk, 2018), in the face of a lack of self-representational options. Both Shaw and Passmore and Mandryk argue that players of color must adopt this position if they wish to play games at all.…”

“…In An About Face: Diverse Representation in Games , Passmore and Mandryk further explore the positions of players on character customization and skin tone specifically (Passmore and Mandryk, 2018). They conclude, ‘Players largely wish to self-represent in games, making their ethnic identities key to their experiences.…”

“…They conclude, ‘Players largely wish to self-represent in games, making their ethnic identities key to their experiences. These identities inform the kinds of characters they play (or wish to play) in digital games, their needs in terms of features from these characters, and how these needs differ by ethnicity’ (Passmore and Mandryk, 2018). We rely on these findings and expand their application to contexts where self-representing may come at a price.…”