Dee Jay, Leroy, Gaming Representation and Why It Matters
The following is a script of a video essay I sadly don't have the time to edit and publish before the end of Black History Month. So, as part of my American Studies degree, I’ve been researching ICE; its methods, goals and especially the propaganda around it and the immigrants it is targeting. The language surrounding immigrants in the US (and my home country of Germany too, frankly) is vile, disgusting, intentionally dehumanizing and meant to enable the numerous breaches of law and decency on ICE’s part. Of course, that kind of propaganda hasn’t worked on everyone, but that it worked on anyone at all has made me think a lot about influence. Like, where do we get our ideas about ourselves and each other from? What infers our impression of people we don’t have much direct contact with? What are the potential consequences of lacking that exposure? And what does all this have to do with two fighting game characters? Let me explain: Part 1: Fighting Games and “inherent re...