Power Plays

I had never really thought of “margins” as anything but the 1-inch space that I had to place on every essay. After this article, I have an entirely new definition on what the word “margin” can really mean. In this week’s article, Paul Kivel asserts that our society operates on a Culture of Power, stating that “whenever one group of people accumulate more power than another group, the more powerful group creates an environment that places its member at the cultural center and other groups at the margins” (1). Hmmm . . . there’s that word again: margins. We’ve all gone through it, and no one can deny it. Even in its most basic form: high school. The cliques, the clubs: everything. We’ve all been the outsiders looking in. But Kivel asserts it’s more than that, it’s our entire lives. If one is not a white Christian male, one is, whether one likes it or not, at the margins. Whether it is ethnicity, gender and/or sexual orientation, each individual is at one time or another in the culture of power or in the group marginalized. If one is in the more dominant group, it is hard to see out of it, but if one is on the outside, it is wholly apparent the difference. The important matter is that everyone, whether in or out of the group, can be the factor that brings in change. As the author states, everyone is powerful in some way, and “we each must push every group we are a part of to move from a culture of power to a culture of inclusion” (6).

Now, what does any of this have to do with video games? Personally, it is apparent in how video games are marketed to mostly males. When Lara Croft was first introduced, it was revolutionary in its usage of a lead female role. It is hard to find many video games, in comparison to male roles, in which the female is not in distress, being beat up, or is a hooker. Even then, it is also apparent that males are still in control, by the body type Lara exudes: big breasts, tiny waist, and little clothes. There is a distinct correlation between the Culture of Power and the way video games are produced.