Africa and the Avatar Dream “Mapping the Impacts of

Videogame Representations of Africa”

Presented To: Dr. Amna Umer Cheema

Presented By: Mahnoor
M.Phil Replica

Course Title: Digital Humanities

University Of Punjab
 History of Mapping of Africa:

• Back in the 1800s, maps were made by the Europeans

• To made them find their way

• Also a portrayal of Africa as a mysterious place

• After colonization, making maps to control over the

people

• Mapping for power and conquest

 Visual Maps:

• Not real maps, but exist in video games

• Characters in the games are mostly white

• Makers and players are from different

backgrounds

• No reflection of their diversities

• Lack of representation of people of color

 Avatar:
• Virtual version of ourselves- What we want to be in a
game

• Mixture of real world and virtual identities

• Real world - race, ethnicity, gender, how we look, and

what we believe in

• For Example: Playing the role of soldier in a game – Your

avatar becomes mixture (who you are in real world and
what you want to be in game
 Impacts on the Players:

• Some may feel connection with heritage

• Some may not

• 3 step method:

> Looking at the variety of video games, representing Africa

> In-depth analysis of 5 Video games

> Coping strategies

6 Varieties of Games

• Safari and hunting simulations (Violation and Adventure)

• Sports (e.g., soccer and cricket)

• Exploration and “dark continent” narratives (Africa as a mysterious place)

• Pan-African fantasy (Mythological concepts)

• Transatlantic slavery (inhuman slavery)

• Military conflict
Safari and Hunting Simulation:
 Pan-African Fantasy

• Example:
Enzo Kori-Odan, a prince of the fictional land of
Zama
• https://store.steampowered.com/app/368080/Auri
on_Legacy_of_the_KoriOdan
/
 Transatlantic slavery

• Description:
Apologies to people who was
offended by us using game mechanics
to underline the point of how
inhumane slavery was…

• Example:
Slave Tetris
 Military Conflicts:

• https://store.steampowered.com/app/
1012110/Military_Conflict_Vietnam/