Written by Aliesha Pallant (Liessshy)
Why does representation matter in video games?
As someone who is not of Indian culture, I wanted a perspective on why this game is offering a new sense of cultural representation. What better way to do this than by speaking to my fellow Quest Daily writer, and dear friend, Dhayana Sena (MissDeusGeek) who is Sri Lankan, specifically Tamilian.
As a member of Tamilian culture, what does it mean to you to see your culture being represented in a video game?
Seeing my Tamilian culture represented in a video game that is globally available means a great deal. It shows that the culture in which I was raised and come from, matters, even beyond South Indian borders. It allows for people like me to see ourselves depicted in stories that we can truly identify with and allows us to feel seen and heard. For many years, particularly in Western and mainstream media, dark skinned/South Asians were often depicted as villains, comedic side-kicks or victims. These depictions have often acted as confirmation that we were “less than” and never “equals”.
To see a game about South Asian / Tamilian culture being centered around food and cooking, is an even bigger deal given that back in the day, people often made snide remarks about Indian food, calling it disgusting and smelly etc. To now see our food actively being enjoyed by so many outside of our culture and also play a big role in a game, is game-changing.
What role does food play in connecting you to your culture and family?
Food has always been a staple in connecting me to my family and culture. Tamilians (and the wider South Asian community) are feeders. We show love and friendship through food. When visiting one another, even if it’s for a short period, there’s always a gift of food that’s brought over (which results in a short visit turning into a long lunch or dinner). Old aunties/grandmothers are especially all about food, insisting on feeding every single person in the home even if they aren’t hungry.
I’d never met my maternal grandmother, but everyone I know who knew her had always spoken and told stories about how she always had an open door policy for anyone and everyone and would cook hearty meals for them all whenever they stopped by my Mum’s family home. She’d feed my Mum’s friends and her four brothers’ friends as well.
Not only that but food is also often seen as an important offering to deities and loved ones who’d passed. Once again reinforcing that food is our way of showing love, devotion and looking out for one another.
Mind you, when I speak of food above, it’s ALL ‘home made from scratch’ kind of food and all hearty, comforting South Indian homemade meals that restaurants and takeaways just can’t hold a candle to
What would you say to Venba players who aren’t Tamilian, Indian, or of South Asian descent?
To players of Venba who aren’t part of or familiar with South Asian or Tamilian culture, I’d ask them to keep an open mind and to find the ways in which the game depicts similarities between cultures.
Family & food may play a large and important part of Tamil culture but it’s also a big part in many other cultures, they just have different variations. Embrace what you are experiencing on screen and understand that while there may be instances that feel foreign, it’s all essentially the same, which then teaches us that as humans we have similar shared experiences and thus we should be more open to treating one another with respect, love and kindness.
