Identity Game
maqi0912
identityAssignment.docxAssignment:
First, please watch the following movie:
Then, read the following articles in the “Identity” content folder (including a podcast):
• Fearon1999: “What is Identity?” (skim)
• Selections from Social Identity by Robert Jenkins (4th ed.)
o JenkinsCh1: “Identity Matters”
o JenkinsCh2: “Similarity and Difference”
o JenkinsCh9: “Groups and Categories”
• Episode 36: Apartheid on 15 Minute History (listen to podcast or read transcript)
• Campell2016: “Deus Ex: Mankind Divided and the problem of ‘mechanical apartheid’”
• Herman2015: “Humanity and the alien ‘other’ in District 9”
Please answer the following three questions (and address ALL underlined sub-questions)
Game link I choose: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0aoHlwS0i0I (you can watch other people play it) Name: (Dettoit:Become human)
(1) Identity and the conflict that arises from it are two of the most salient themes in these series of games. What is the main identity struggle that the protagonist(s) face in the game? Explain what the struggle is, how it is handled by the protagonist and side characters, whether or not it is resolved, and if yes, how the resolution process occurred. After answering these questions for
your game, answer the same questions for District 9. Make sure to reference the readings in your answer.
(2) The identity conflicts in these games all occur in semi-imagined worlds, with the sci-fi Deus Ex and Detroit, and the fantasy Fire Emblem Echoes. Using help from your game and the readings, how do you think the struggles here compare to real life identity struggles, for example, from what you have read about Apartheid? What are parallels you can draw? Can you think of anyother real-life comparisons? Discuss at least two examples in detail, plus another example from District 9 (three total examples).
(3) First, think about how your experience with personal and social identity have impacted your worldview or life experience. What is an instance in which you felt your identity has caused conflict? Second, think about what you have learned about identity since completing this module. Do you believe video games are a good medium to tell stories of identity? Do you think movies or books do a comparable job (for example, as compared to District 9)? Make sure to reference the readings in your answer.
