In the game Everquest, just like in any other video game, the player has to pick an avatar to play the game. In the below video, at time marker 1:05s you can hear the youtube user say “ All races cant be any class” The following video shows the professional gamer explain the setup and use of this game.
Depending on which avatar you pick, your powers and function within the game are preset. In Everquest, the first two options you get while building your avatar is Race and Class. Now, they might not have races in the game that exactly mimic the real world, but they do have barbarians, trolls, warriors and princes in the game. Depending on which race you pick, y our class is determined. In other words if the user uses a warrior of a certain race, he or she cannot be a member of a certain class. This concept is seen in the real world where in order for us to be a part of a certain group, you have to be born in and raised in a certain class. Being a part of these classes will give you or deny you access to certain jobs, social and political roles. Another similarity between video games and real life is that gender roles have begun to be more fluid. men now stay at home and watch kids and women can be the breadwinner. Videogames can be similar, because a man or woman in the real world can choose opposite or neutral genders in the realm of video games.
You can witness this shift as described by Nakamura “Chosen identities enabled by technology, such as online avatars, cosmetic and transgender surgery and body modifications, and other cyberprostheses are not breaking the mold of unitary identity but rather shifting identity into the realm of the “virtual,” a place not without its own laws and hierarchies. Supposedly “fluid” selves are no less subject to cultural hegen1onies, rules of conduct, and regulating cultural norms than are “solid. ”
- Have you played an online game? If yes, have you picked a gender that is different from your real life gender and why?