In all of my previous blog posts I have been talking about how the video game companies and communities have always portrayed negative stereotypes about aboriginal peoples. In this particular blog post, I wanted to talk about a specific video game that goes against the norms of the stereotypical aboriginal video game ideal. I personally did not know about this game till a close friend had mentioned it to me. When he told me about this game I was interested and thought it could be a potential great blog post, so I decided to get the game and try it myself.

                Prey, is a game that was developed in 2006 and I find it to be one of the only games that I have played that shows some potential truth about aboriginal heritage and culture in a more modern culture. The game is premised around a main character named Tommy who is identified to be a Cherokee. Tommy was also identified as a  US soldier, Tommy currently lives on  an Reservation and makes it quite evident to the player that he dislikes his life and wants to leave and start a new one. The introduction on this game that depict all of this is more informative of the lifestyle of aboriginals than any other game I have played. Prey properly depicts the feeling and emotions of both the positives and negatives of being a Cherokee on reservation land. Tommy wants to leave and start a new life while the girl he loves tells him she will not leave because she is bonded to this land and that it is sacred. Although the game revolves around trying to provide proper ideals of native Americans, there are still some Native American spiritual power myths. These powers are not used to stereotype the native American culture but try to further the players ability within the game. I find the game to be of importance to aboriginal culture because the main character, Tommy, at first did not want to have anything to do with his Cherokee culture. While he progresses through the game he finds the value and importance of what and who he is. Also, unlike many of the other games I have blogged about, Tommy’s attire is nothing like any of the other games. He is not depicted with feathers in his hair or faces painted. The creators of the game tried to create an appropriate and accurate portrayal of an aboriginal person within modern society.

            Class Relevance: This blog post was inspired by a number of readings. Impressions of an Indian Childhood by G Bonnin and Unfolding the Lessons of Colonization by Post-colonialism edited by Cynthia Sugars. Bonnin touches upon the childhood of Native American people on the reserves and their opinion on how much they dislike the way they are being ruled and watched Over. Similarly, Sugars talks about what it was like during the colonization and how aboriginal people death with their experiences. Th reason that I chose to do the game Prey is because I though it fit well with these readings. The game shows what it was like for Tommy,. an aboriginal living on the reserve and how he wanted to change his life., while at the same time ending up realizing who he is and being proud of it.

  Out of all the games I have played that involve aboriginal people, I believe that Prey is the only game that accurately portrays an aboriginal person. Along with this accurate portrayal of aboriginal people I also believe that this game incorporates proper aboriginal morals and ideals.

Here is a Link to the Introduction of Prey to give you an idea of how Tommy sees himself originally being a Cherokee: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tph1FX1fBQg

This is a picture of Tommy:

tommy

Anthony Maglietta