Horror fans are surely rejoicing a ton of new games being announced and confirmed. Horror is a genre where games are either classically beloved or profoundly disliked, with huge spells of time between new installments or franchise revivals, so any news about the number of horror games being released in the future is promising. Recently, Twitter user MajorDcps shared an image cataloging several upcoming horror games, including Alan Wake 2, The Callisto Protocol, Resident Evil 4, Dead Space, and Silent Hill 2.
This infographic is a great depiction of horror’s most highly anticipated titles, whether each game is a remake, sequel, or new IP. However, the list portrays each game’s protagonist, and has consequently pointed out a pattern that is not uncommon for the industry. Twitter user JRpotential and more have since responded to this post, remarking on the point of contention that each game’s protagonist is a white male character, suggesting the modern horror genre has a problem with representation to address.
Upcoming Horror Games are Saturated with White Male Protagonists
The aforementioned list alone points out that Alan Wake 2’s titular protagonist, The Callisto Protocol’s Jacob Lee, Resident Evil 4’s Leon S. Kennedy, Dead Space’s Isaac Clarke, and Silent Hill 2’s James Sunderland all fit the same demographic. Of course, a character does not need to be representative in order to be well-written or engrossing, but the saturation of white male protagonists has been ubiquitous and diminishes each individual game’s potential for diversity.
This is true of Star Wars’ lack of representation as much as it is in horror or any other genre, but because horror is having a renaissance with remakes and other modern interpretations, it is going to be unmistakable when a game lacks representation. To be fair, all but two games on the original post’s list are remakes, and thus include their original protagonists. It would make less sense to feature different protagonists in a remake modernizing some original game. Further, it is difficult to imagine an Alan Wake sequel not featuring its eponymous protagonist, who the original game revolves around entirely.
Representation in Horror Games May Rest on New IPs
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Rather, a sequel idea could have considered the same thing happening to another character, but that might be perceived as pandering, or representation for representation’s sake. The amount of white protagonists in upcoming horror games is stark, but much of that leans on what games have been chosen for remakes. Resident Evil 3 featured a white female protagonist, for example, and if Capcom decides to remake Resident Evil Code: Veronica it could feature another one. This is by no means a wholesale solution, and more games should certainly feature diverse characters to embrace representation in the genre.
That is one of the advantages that new IP has; it can feature whomever the developer would like as its protagonist. The Callisto Protocol defaulted with another blank canvas of a white male, though his character could still be intriguing. It is unfortunate nonetheless that Karen Fukuhara, who plays The Callisto Protocol’s Dani Nakamura, was not given a playable protagonist role instead.
There are horror games such as The Mortuary Assistant, Scorn, Silent Hill 3, Tormented Souls, or Ghostwire: Tokyo where diversity in protagonist choice is a little more evident. But there is still a long way to go before different peoples are represented appropriately, especially in horror media.