Livin’ Da Dream? Playing Black, Illusions of Meritocracy, and Narrative Constraints in Sports Video Game Story Modes
This article discusses sports video game story modes in Fight Night Champion (EA Canada, 2011), a boxing game, NBA 2K16 (Visual Concepts, 2015), a basketball game, and the story that stretches across Madden NFL 18 (EA Tiburon, 2017) and Madden NFL 19 (EA Tiburon, 2018), EA Sports’ annual football se...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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European Association for American Studies
2021-09-01
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| Series: | European Journal of American Studies |
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| Online Access: | https://journals.openedition.org/ejas/17368 |
| _version_ | 1826899823181168640 |
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| author | Michael Fuchs |
| author_facet | Michael Fuchs |
| author_sort | Michael Fuchs |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | This article discusses sports video game story modes in Fight Night Champion (EA Canada, 2011), a boxing game, NBA 2K16 (Visual Concepts, 2015), a basketball game, and the story that stretches across Madden NFL 18 (EA Tiburon, 2017) and Madden NFL 19 (EA Tiburon, 2018), EA Sports’ annual football series. Focusing on African American athletes, the stories tap into the utopianism of sports and suggest that anyone, irrespective of skin color, can make it in America. This article explores the racial politics of these games, in particular as experienced by a white player such as the author. Primarily focusing on narrative and gameplay, the article discusses how a white player’s control over black bodies confronts them with their racial normativity. |
| first_indexed | 2025-02-17T06:59:15Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-a685718bdecc4a35a1601f53459a42d5 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1991-9336 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2025-02-17T06:59:15Z |
| publishDate | 2021-09-01 |
| publisher | European Association for American Studies |
| record_format | Article |
| series | European Journal of American Studies |
| spelling | doaj.art-a685718bdecc4a35a1601f53459a42d52025-01-06T09:08:41ZengEuropean Association for American StudiesEuropean Journal of American Studies1991-93362021-09-0116310.4000/ejas.17368Livin’ Da Dream? Playing Black, Illusions of Meritocracy, and Narrative Constraints in Sports Video Game Story ModesMichael FuchsThis article discusses sports video game story modes in Fight Night Champion (EA Canada, 2011), a boxing game, NBA 2K16 (Visual Concepts, 2015), a basketball game, and the story that stretches across Madden NFL 18 (EA Tiburon, 2017) and Madden NFL 19 (EA Tiburon, 2018), EA Sports’ annual football series. Focusing on African American athletes, the stories tap into the utopianism of sports and suggest that anyone, irrespective of skin color, can make it in America. This article explores the racial politics of these games, in particular as experienced by a white player such as the author. Primarily focusing on narrative and gameplay, the article discusses how a white player’s control over black bodies confronts them with their racial normativity.https://journals.openedition.org/ejas/17368whitenessblacknessnarrativevideo gamessportssports games |
| spellingShingle | Michael Fuchs Livin’ Da Dream? Playing Black, Illusions of Meritocracy, and Narrative Constraints in Sports Video Game Story Modes European Journal of American Studies whiteness blackness narrative video games sports sports games |
| title | Livin’ Da Dream? Playing Black, Illusions of Meritocracy, and Narrative Constraints in Sports Video Game Story Modes |
| title_full | Livin’ Da Dream? Playing Black, Illusions of Meritocracy, and Narrative Constraints in Sports Video Game Story Modes |
| title_fullStr | Livin’ Da Dream? Playing Black, Illusions of Meritocracy, and Narrative Constraints in Sports Video Game Story Modes |
| title_full_unstemmed | Livin’ Da Dream? Playing Black, Illusions of Meritocracy, and Narrative Constraints in Sports Video Game Story Modes |
| title_short | Livin’ Da Dream? Playing Black, Illusions of Meritocracy, and Narrative Constraints in Sports Video Game Story Modes |
| title_sort | livin da dream playing black illusions of meritocracy and narrative constraints in sports video game story modes |
| topic | whiteness blackness narrative video games sports sports games |
| url | https://journals.openedition.org/ejas/17368 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT michaelfuchs livindadreamplayingblackillusionsofmeritocracyandnarrativeconstraintsinsportsvideogamestorymodes |