tejanaculturalstudiesmoranlugo

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Screenshot of Latinx In Gaming homepage website, December 2023.

Latinx in Gaming is an organization co-founded by a group of Latino/a/x/e gamers who strive to connect Latinx across the gaming industry to promote cultural appreciation and representation in games and content and provide a platform for Latinx community members to elevate each other and themselves. This organization is significant to Hispanic and Latino/a/x/e gamers because they have built bridges within the community to ensure they receive the resources and support needed to succeed in the industry. Something that can be challenging to find in other kind of gaming organizations.

#video games #tejana #mexican american #latinx #hispanic

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Screenshot of Discord chat for Latinx in Gaming, November 28th, 2023.

On November 13th, 2023, the social media and community manager for Latinx in Gaming, Joseph Magallanes, sent an announcement on Discord chat to encourage members to support and uplift Latinx communities impacted by the misinformation about immigration and also highlighted two Latinx gaming Twitch streamers who have been publicly vocal about the issues. This screenshots show how far Latinx in Gaming is willing to go to show their support for the Latinx community while also using a gaming platform to do so.

#mexican american #latinx #video games #immigration #discord

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The History of Latine Characters in Games, published by Game Developers Conference on Youtube June, 5th 2023.

 In a YouTube documentary on The History of Latinx Game Characters and Representations, Joe Tirado, a Latinx in Gaming member, discusses ways the gaming industry has failed to represent the Latinx community through video game characters and steps of improvement the industry has currently taken.

#Youtube #latinx #video games #diversity #inclusivity #gaming industry

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"Mexican Woman in Video Games Starter Pack" Reddit meme posted in 2021.

A common theme that is often noted about Mexican women characters in video games is that developers often write them as “one-dimensional,” “reductive,” and with “racist caricatures" through their villainous roles and questionable moralities.

#mexican american #video games #tejana

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Aztech: Forgotten Gods, Official Trailer, Released on Youtube April 14th, 2021.

Aztech: Forgotten Gods is a “cyber-stone action-adventure” game that takes place in an alternative future where the Aztec empire was never conquered, and the heroine in the game, Achtli, battles the colossal Forgotten Gods and uncovers the truth behind her city. Although the main character in this video game is not a Mexican-American protagonist, the video game still does well in embracing the Aztec and indigenous roots that most Mexican-American women have. The producers of this video game took the right steps to represent the rich history of Mexican culture while also creating a heroine playable character.

#Youtube #mexican woman #aztec #video games

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Shattered // Episode 5: Dimension, VALORANT Animated Short, released on YouTube on June 20th, 2022.

Shattered // Episode 5: Dimension is an animated short for the game Valorant, where Reyna, a Mexican female character, would be first introduced to the public. In Valorant, Reyna is a Valorant agent who can dominate rounds by converting kills into granting herself buffs, heals, and invisibility. While Reyna is a highly favored character among the Latinx community, her character design still leans towards the hypersexualization and villainization of Latina women.

#Youtube #reyna valorant #mexican woman #video games #valorant

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Infiltration, Overwatch Animated Short, released on YouTube on November 4th, 2016.

Infiltration is an animated short produced by Overwatch where Sombra, a Mexican female character, would be first introduced to the public. In Overwatch, Sombra is one of the world's most notorious hackers. She uses the information to manipulate those in power. As she works to uncover the truth behind a shadowy global conspiracy, Sombra has joined the ranks of Talon, exploiting their resources for her own ends.

Sombra's character design and introduction was a huge deal among the Latina/x community because she would be the first AAA playable Mexican female character not designed in a hypersexualized and stereotypical way.

#Youtube #overwatch #mexican woman #sombra

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Youtube video of all Valeria scenes from Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II.

Valeria Garza, also known as "El Sin Nombre," is a playable character introduced in 2022 and featured in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II. Valeria serves as the quaternary antagonist. She is a Mexican drug baroness, the leader of the Las Almas Cartel, and a former soldier of the Mexican Special Forces.

While Valeria's depictions in the game yield the stereotypes people have of Mexicans as being in cartels, there hasn't been an AAA game where a gaming company has made a female the leader of an antagonistic group.

#Youtube #valeria mw2 #mexican woman #video games

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Ángel, a Character in The King of Fighters series, was first introduced in 2001.

Ángel is a Mexican female character for The King of Fighters game series. In her game description, she is described as a "lighthearted, flirtatious and playful individual who behaves like a cat, in spite of her working status as an assassin for NESTS prior to the organization's disbandment" and is "quite violent and sadistic."

Ángel's character design and description perpetuate harmful stereotypes of Mexican women by hypersexualizing the character and relying on common biases that people already have on Mexican women.

#mexican american #video games #angel #the king of fighters #misrepresentation

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(TW: Blood, Violence, Offensive to some viewers)

Screenshot of a gameplay from the game Border Patrol. The screenshot shows the player killing two pregnant Mexican mothers and their children.

Border Patrol (2010) was an online, racist flash game uploaded to the NerdNirvana website. In the game, the player takes the role of a border patrol officer, and their mission is to shoot down illegal immigrants seen crossing the border, which are also depicted in stereotypical imagery and referred to as "wetbacks." This game is an example of the path some game developers take in misrepresenting, stereotyping, and dehumanizing Mexican men, women, and children.

#video games #racisim #misrepresentation #mexican american #tejana

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Samantha Ivonne Ortiz (she/her) is a Tejana Puerto Rican woman from Houston, Texas, who is a creative director, designer, and writer. As featured in this, she wrote Comunicacion, Tamales: Con Familia, and Chaotic Fiesta. She loves writing stories that pay homage to her culture and family.

Samantha Ortiz's Resume as of now.

Samantha Ortiz's resume shows that she's a narrative designer and writer with three years of experience focused on developing compelling stories with lively, diverse characters. She's currently a lead narrative designer for Studio Pixanoh. One of her tasks was to serve as a primary consultant and researcher for the mindful implementation of Latin American representation in games. Ortiz's contributions to writing games allows non-Tejanas to better understand the experiences of Tejanas while also shaping a gaming community that is inclusive for everyone

#mexican american #tejana #puerto rican #video games

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Game-play of Chaotic Fiesta.

Chaotic Fiesta is an interactive game written by a Tejana narrative designer, Samantha Ivonne Ortiz. The game was made for Unidos 2022 Game Jam with the theme: Supporting Others!

Challenges faced in this game: Spanglish and Chaos

You, as the character, are helping your family members set up for a birthday party. Some of the activities you do as a family include helping your cousins decorate the living room, helping grandma in the kitchen, and helping your mom get your uncle in his costume. Ortiz wrote this game as a way to re-experience the chaotic nature of helping your family get ready for parties.

#tejana #fiesta #mexican american #family #video games

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Elementary kids lined up outside Blackwell School, Marfa, Texas. The date of the picture taken is unknown, but it might've been taken anytime between 1909-1965.

Blackwell School is the former de facto segregated school for Mexican-American children in Marfa, Texas, that operated from 1909 until 1966. Although some alumni of Blackwell positively remember their experiences, some students recall being humiliated and discriminated against for their identity and punished for speaking Spanish anywhere in the school.

#mexican american #tejana #video games #culture #blackwell school

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Game-play of Comunicación.

Comunicación is an interactive game made in 2021 and written by a Tejana narrative designer, Samantha Ivonne Ortiz.

In the game, you play as a young female character going to a family gathering with your mom. The challenges the player faces in this game are language barriers, grief, and death. Ortiz wrote this game to reflect on her experience of struggling to speak Spanish with her grandmother but always stumbled with her words.

#tejana #mexican american #video games #chicana #family

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Game-play of Tamales: Con Familia.

Tamales: Con Familia is an experimental interactive game made in 2020 and written by a Tejana narrative designer, Samantha Ivonne Ortiz.

The game is meant to be calm, repetitive, and relaxing, where you play as a young, shy child preparing tamales with your family as you overhear their conversations with your mother, her sisters, and grandmother. This game touches on topics such as loss, change, unsolved family drama, and reminiscence of Mexico. Ortiz wrote this game to reflect on what it is like preparing meals with your family while conversing about topics that matter to them.

#tejana #mexican american #tamales #family #video games