Guess where the default black skin character models are from? Minmatar – as are some of the more seemingly bi-racial character models – designs that would invoke bi-racial and multiracial individuals. Finally, we have the Minmatar empire: the former slaves. Guertin will encourage you to look deeper into. This raises many interesting questions about the choices that the game’s designers made about the avatars that might be worth exploring and that I’m sure Dr. The lore of their “race” – what we would call nationality – is that they are a pro-slavery theocracy. The Amarr, however, are depicted as having a darker shade of skin, with their features resembling real world middle-eastern features. While not the most expansive in terms of territory, these two groups are framed as the most successful, the ones that stand for western values of justice and fairness and freedom (Gallente) and for free market economies (Caldari). Now think about the lore of the Gallente and the Caldari. Two of their default models depict what we would call white-European-inspired character models, with the third models on both accounts depicting westernized or bi-racial Asian-inspired character models. What do I mean by this?īoth the Gallente and the Caldari have three bloodlines. If not that, then at least they do tell the player something about the perceived hierarchies of power in the EVE universe based by race and how they might be a reflection of real world spaces. Even though you, as the player, can modify how your avatar looks, the default models do tell us something of what the EVE designers might have had in mind when creating these different countries and their people, perhaps showing them as a reflection of the designers’ perceptions of real world identities. In EVE, each “race” has three sub-categories of “bloodlines” – and here is where things get interesting. And to EVE, what we deem as race they deem as bloodlines. When I read these descriptions of race, I kept thinking “aren’t these more like nationalities?” When we think in the real world about someone being an American, for example, or being from Germany or Canada, we think in terms of nationality, in terms of : “where are you from?” Race, to us, is a bit more complex than nationality. If these descriptions don’t make you invoke the idea of “race,” you are not alone. The Caldari are described as “a state build on corporate capitalism” – think of it as an odd convergence between the corporate oligarchy and libertarianism – while the Gallante are described as “liberals” and “defenders of the world.” Lastly, the Minmatar are supposed to be a formerly downtrodden slave colony that is now a thriving empire. The Amarr are described as “the largest empire” – a theocracy ruled by ideas of faith and apostasy. Let’s consider some of the characteristics of these four groups. In EVE, the player is given the choice to create an avatar that is one of four so-called “races”: the Amarr, the Caldari, the Galente, and the Minmatar. I’d like to illustrate them by drawing parallels to the real world. Still, the EVE creator uses certain language and aesthetics that I find interesting. The only ones that have a more thorough system are, perhaps, ESO and Black Desert Online, and both of those are pay to play. Guertin is one of the most insightful thinkers and influential theorists when it comes to games and gaming, and I’m not sure that I’ll be able to add much to her discussions, but I do have some thoughts on EVE – not just the character maker – that I would like to share with you.ĮVE has one of the most robust character creation platforms in any MMO. Guertin asked me to speak to you briefly about EVE Online while focusing on the character creator. I also worked with LNF Translations during the late 90s and early 2000s on patches for Tenchi Muyo and Magic Knight Rayearth. I have The Rime of the Ancient Mariner, a short game based on the poem of the same name, and The Generica Chronicles, a game that makes fun of the traditional role playing game tropes. I’ve also put out a few video games – mostly inspired by JRPGs. I have published a number of chapters and articles on gaming theory, games and education, and the rhetoric of games, and I have an upcoming book on the rhetoric and composition of video games through McFarland. EVE Online’s Character Creation Tool and Race – A virtual talk given via Skype to graduate students at the University of Ontario Institute of Technology on November 6th, 2017.
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