“Pixels, Politics, and Play”

Rafael Fajardo’s article, “Pixels, Politics, and Play: Digital Video Games as Social Commentary,” really made a wonderful example of how a video game such as described by him, can be both art and politically expressive.  It was funny at first to see that they made games that mimicked Frogger to inform the game player of issues in our real life.  To take issues that are going on now, and put them into game form was a wonderful idea and really does teach the gamer while you play the game and try to help the character run from Mexico to the U.S.A safely without being caught.  It brings our present issues to the surface in a very different manner.  Now they could be seen as making fun of the situation as you guide this pixelated character through dangerous situations, but it also puts the person playing, in the shoes of the character.  It’s a roll playing game that really does affect the player, and teaches something that wouldn’t normally be focused on in such a way.

I played the game “The Maria Sisters,” just to see how they went about showing these important issues and I found it to be very straight forward that the place that Maria is working at is very dangerous and she is definitely being taken advantage of.  You’re taken through the game where a worker is trying to figure out why she is ill all the time and realizes it may be the chemicals she’s working with.  So you have to help her collect information to find out if it’s true, all the while avoiding the people in charge that say such comments as; “Take an aspirin honey, and get back to work,” or “You have no proof of danger!”  It’s a learning experience that brings you right into the madness taking place and you can’t help but grow attached to the poor woman that finally realizes something needs to be done.  If you get caught too many times, you get fired, and then it’s game over. 

With subject matter that is based on what’s really going on, it makes you realize something really does need to be done and that there really is some very horrible situations for not only Mexian workers, but all minorities.  They’re always taken advantage of, and things do need to be changed.  These games may seem like a joke, but they’re everything but.  I feel this is a wonderful way to not only express an artform that is beyond creative, but to also bring up political and important issues that we all need to think about and help to make a difference, to make much needed change.

Link to the article:

http://www.intelligentagent.com/archive/Vol3_No2_gaming_fajardo.html

Game called “The Maria Sisters”:

http://www.globalarcade.org/sv/index.html