The Colorful World of Apex Legends: Why Diversity Matters
Diversity matters. In the wake of a shocking tragedy in Buffalo, New York. We're reminded not only does hate still exist, but it's active in our communities. According to the Anti-Defamation League, over the past decade, among the murders connected to political extremism, 55% are associated with White supremacy.
It reminds us that it's not enough to sit idly by. One must actively combat this fear of "the other" in all aspects. Images in the media can be vital in showing representation and giving a voice to underrepresented communities. This is why it’s so meaningful that the Apex Legends franchise succeeds in being diverse and breaking down stereotypes through its wide array of characters in the process.
Newly released to iOS and Android, Apex Legends Mobile offers ten playable legends. The cast list includes people of color, women, gender nonbinary, gay, and disabled characters. What Apex Legends Mobile does so well is normalizing these characters. From the tutorial, you start off as Bloodhound, a gender nonbinary technical tracker you might assume was male through the get-up and armor. Although discussed more recently, the nonbinary community is often left out of the conversation entirely, with much of the public's vitriol (and support) focused on homosexual and non-White characters. The fact that Bloodhound uses they/their as pronouns proves Apex Legends Mobile isn't afraid to break boundaries through a broader representation of this community as soon as you start the game.
When looking to include diversity in media, a common problem that occurs is what's known as the burden of representation. That is to say, there's always an underlying pressure from the producers, publishers, and audiences that a character has to have all characteristics present of the community they represent. In many ways, this impulse reinforces stereotypes, as characters are no longer multifaceted pieces in a story but symbols.
While playing Apex Legends Mobile, I really appreciated how Gibraltar, the "shielded fortress" mountain defensive legend and person of color, is homosexual, but there are no tells. I had no reason to believe this 6’5” behemoth was gay. In fact, I didn't know until looking closely into the lore of Apex Legends. It would've been easy for developer Respawn Entertainment to slap on a rainbow flag and shout, “Look what we did!” Instead, Gibraltar is a real representation of who gay people can be—regular, everyday people you might pass in the streets...minus the full armor, massive shield, and participation in a winner-take-all bloodbath, of course. These underrepresented communities become more than symbols through the proliferation of these diverse characters in Apex Legends Mobile. They become normalized.
Apex Legends also successfully depicts characters from a variety of regions. With the release of Apex Legends Mobile comes the introduction of a new exclusive character: Fade, the "Phasing Punisher," an offense-type legend who's joined the Apex Games to avenge his family. His real name is Ignacio Humani, and with the inclusion of non-anglicized names, we not only see diversity when it comes to race, gender, and sexuality but also regional representation within the global community.
Although not yet available in the mobile version, fan favorite Seer emulates real-life LGBT+ icon Lil Nas X. Octane, a daredevil who lost his legs in an accident, proves that the disabled have a voice in the gaming world. The combat medic Lifeline encourages young Black women by providing powerful images of a female fighter with expertise in professional fields. Apex Legends’s ever-expanding roster is teeming with examples of characters from all walks of life.
Some will undoubtedly ask why we are bringing real-world issues into Apex Legends? It's just a video game, right?! Well, according to the Diamond Lobby, a group that studies diversity in video games, 79% of protagonists in video games are male, 54% are White, and just 8% of female protagonists in video games are of non-White ethnicities. You don’t need to be obsessed with identity politics to recognize that gaming could benefit from a lot more variety in the way its heroes and villains look, walk, talk, and live. The mere fact that Apex Legends has a user base of millions of people across different ethnicities, religions, geographic locations, and sexual orientation show how video games are a tool to break barriers and unite us.
Through its legends, Apex Legends Mobile successfully gives voices to the underrepresented and, more importantly, normalizes these groups. It's a case of art reflecting life and, in my opinion, has vastly contributed to the success of the franchise. As traditionally marginalized groups get more representation in the gaming world, we see new hostilities arise. The Last of Us Part II cast and creators received death threats after adding a trans character into the series. At the same time, companies like Blizzard have been criticized for their frat boy environment. In times like these, it's even more important than ever that development studios and the games they produce step up and depict the entire spectrum of people playing their games. Not just for downloads, and not just for approval, but to play a fundamental part in familiarizing people with their fellow humans—in all the beautiful, diverse forms they exist in. Apex Legends has clearly made this a priority.
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