With Great Power Comes Great Responsibility: Studying the Impact of Positive Racial and Ethnic Representation in Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales for the PlayStation 5

Abstract

Video games, like many other forms of entertainment media, have been historically complicit in perpetuating negative racial and ethnic stereotypes that reinforce hierarchies in racialized societies. However, video gaming has recently become a new frontier for addressing systematic racial and ethnic inequality. Despite its global reach as a leisure activity, little academic attention has been paid to the effects that deliberate positive racial and ethnic representation has on the player experience. This thesis advances the literature of video gaming as a tool for social justice by studying the racialized emotions experienced through Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales for the PlayStation 5, as well as the gaming digital divide created by the game as part of the next generation of gaming. Through logistic regression analysis utilizing survey data and in-depth interviews, the study finds that Black players are significantly more likely to attribute positive representation as a reason for the enjoyment of the game, while White players are significantly less likely to attribute for that same reason. Black and Hispanic/Latino players also praise the celebration of culture, Afro-Latino visibility, and the narrative of Miles Morales as a hyper-intelligent teenager as reasons for enjoying the game. Additionally, the study finds evidence suggesting that there is a gaming digital divide created by the price and exclusivity of the PlayStation 5.