“Damn, Do Any of You Guys Ever Get Any Sun?”:

Hyperwhiteness and White Guilt at LAN Parties

Bryan-Mitchell Youngpopularculturegaming.com

Whiteness at IU and Indiana

74%

26%

Indiana University Race

WhiteNon-White

84%

16%

State of Indiana

WhiteNon-White

• Like Dyer I am using “white” and “non-white” because there isn’t anything better

–“people of color” “reiterates the notion that some people have colour and others, whites, do not”

–“black” leaves out those “who are neither white nor black” (Dyer 11).

How White Gamers Talk About Race

Unwritten Rules of Talking About Race1. If someone is white, their race does not need to

be remarked on unless, as in the case of the picture of the entire group and then whiteness is only mentioned in aggregate and not individually.

2. If someone is not white, but they are well known to the community, it is ok to make an indirect mention of their race such as comparing him to a celebrity

3. But if someone is not white but are not well known to the community then race is an acceptable way to identify that person.

Bringin’ Da NoyesIn the article, “Group,” Dorothy Noyes writes: "We know that kid. […. ]We go to school together, he works in the market with us, he's a friend. But this Chinese guy […] just came out of nowhere. This is an Italian festival, an Italian should get it. He's got his own festival to win at” (Noyes 450).

Interview quotes• “and as far as the minorities go, I don’t

know exactly what – I mean, you know, other people play games too. I mean everyone plays games, but…”

I’ve given this a bit of thought [….] It’s hard to reach out to all these different cultures and communities within IU and beyond. [3 second pause] I’m not really sure how to address this issue but, uh…, you’re right. The predominant, um…, percentage of, uh, people that attend the LAN War are males and they are white, but uh I’ve definitely made it a goal of mine to reach out to different communities like I’ve emailed the Asian Cultural Center and asked them to inform their members of our events. I’ve talked to the Black Cultural Center and etc. etc. My sister actually is an unofficial officer of the club and she’s really helped garner support from the female community, you know, in the community. […] But I’m really trying to get those numbers up.

Fear is the mind-killer• White gamers can’t talk about race in

person but can joke about it online• Fear prevents them from talking

about it–That fear also means that they have

not developed the skills to talk about race articulately or in a nuanced way