In every game I play, I usually create loads of alts. I've cross gendered by creating male characters. But the more interesting experiences occur when I play as a character of another race.
Does racism exist in virtual worlds? Well, all any player needs to do is consciously be aware of how many players appear as ethnic avatars. In my experience not many at all to the point of non-existant. Some games do not even give players a chance to even choose a darker skin color. What they give as a sop to ethnicity is a kind of tan color. Warcraft and Warhammer are games in the latter category. Their argument could be that they are fantasy games. Which is just bunch of crap. There is absolutely no reason why an avatar can't be black in a fantasy game.
The child's game Wizard 101 has admirably included black avatars for their game base. My character on the top of the page is just such an example. Why did I create her? Well, it was spur of the moment when I decided to roll another alt. But also I wanted an avatar that represented another race. Despite being offered, only very few of the players in Wizard 101 play as anything other than caucasian. Her class in the game is a tank based school which means she is strong and primarily protects other players. As soon as I got out of the orientation phase of the game, I ran into another player. This player barked at my character, I suppose to convey the opinion that he/she thought my avatar was dog ugly. Since Wizard 101 only offers about 10 different facial expressions (all of which look about the same), I could only deduce that this barking player found my avatar's skin color unattractive. I suppose in the minds of some online bigots, mmorpgs are all white people or we should present ourselves as white.
In Second Life there is a different problem posed that causes me discomfort. Because the game can be as photorealistic as possible, representing another race leads to the question of cultural authenticity. Second Life is a visual feast and the players inside it are continually seeking beauty. That beauty leads many to use avatars that can be any race as long as they are lovely to behold. While being black in SL is to stand out, it won't cause troglodytes to bark at you. At least, I've never experienced hostility from other players. But that isn't to say that it doesn't exist in SL. Racism is alive and well wherever human beings bring their personal failures. Using a black avatar leads me to this disturbing concept...is representing myself as a black a kind of blackface? Is it another form of racism? In my quest for beauty (see the above photorealistic avatar) am I fetishizing other races?
To approach the problem another way I think of my own race...Native American. How do I feel when my race is represented. On the surface, it doesn't bother me. But it certainly upsets me if I think about the context in which my race is represented. If the person behind the avatar is using my race as a joke, as a stereotype or as a kind of role play slave then it certainly does upset me. Sometimes there are well-meaning but delusional people who think they are emulating or re-enacting real events. They reside in historical SL sims that copy the days of manifest destiny. A time when my race had no civil rights, had no voice, were marginalized at every turn and murdered if it wouldn't raise any eyebrows. Role playing this in a VR is not healthy. It helps no one. It does not lead to new insights. It just perpetuates racism. When I think of someone impersonating my race in that fashion, it is upsetting. So is representing myself as black the same thing?
In many ways, yes, it is. I make no claim to know the what it is like to grow up black in the US. Although I have experienced many kinds of racism growing up due to being a native, I will never know the kind that black people experience in their lives. I will never know the legacy of being the descendants of slavery. I cannot even speak with authority on racism in virtuality since I've only seen glimpses. When I think of this, I feel that it is not my place to use a black avatar. But then I equally notice how very few or non-existant black avatars there are in these worlds. They are marginalized and without voice. There nonexistence impresses the subtle notion in gamers minds that an all/ or only white world is "normal". And that anyone with shades of skin darker than pale are abnormal. When I think of this, then I obstinately do wear Black avatars and all other non-white avatars to break that cycle.
Because VR is a learning place. And what we are learning, or in fact re-indoctrinating ourselves with the notion, that dehumanization is normal. It is right. And when someone barks at a black avatar in a child's mmo, it is okay because players should not be anything other than white.
