Fran Bow

Representations in Video Games: The Tension Between Accuracy and Creativity

This document explores the inherent tension between documentary fidelity and creative freedom in media representations, particularly concerning marginalized groups like neuroatypical individuals and those with mental health conditions.

• A key empirical reference cited by the paper, Ferrari et al. (2019), reports that 97% of analyzed video games misrepresent mental health issues by associating them with insanity, danger, and violence.
• The authors argue that media representations actively construct social reality, so creators bear responsibility for the effects of stigmatizing portrayals of neurodivergence and psychiatric conditions.
• The paper contends that overly rigid demands for realism, which it calls the 'tyranny of realism' (Shaw), can constrain expressive and metaphorical storytelling in games.