Starfield and the rise of Indian Aesthetics in Video Gaming

 

My Character, Helena, wearing a Saree in the game.

Starfield and the Rise of the Indian Science Fiction Aesthetic

According to the quote by Amit Kalantri, an Indian author, you can't essentially take the family out of the Indian. In a highly individualistic nation such as the United States, such advice should be taken more as we are fraying between too many factions and agendas.

One of the greatest strengths of Starfield is also its biggest weakness. It has a breathtaking amount of detail while some players complain that it lacks intimacy. I can understand this criticism quite well. Many of the Elder Scrolls games were smaller in scale, allowing for greater amounts of time to be put towards characters and the ability to empathize with the characters in the game. This is not to say that the game is shallow as a puddle; Starfield has some deep and sophisticated skills systems. According to one player on YouTube, the player would need to get to somewhere in level 300s in order to get all the skills unlocked. That's how deep it really is. 

It has flaws but no game is truly without its warts. 

However, that is not really what I want to talk about with regards to this article. What I really want to discuss is the inclusion of the Saree in Starfield and what it means for the future of the inclusion of cultures in video games and internet culture in general more broadly. 

As of right now, most of the internet pretends to be international but in reality, it is divided into several ghettos based on language. The language barrier has not been broken by translation tools. Many people around the world often speak in their own language online and do not interact with the English-speaking world very often. Those that do, tend to be western-oriented people, giving skewed views to Westerners about that particular country. 

Not all peoples who speak English in these countries outside the Western sphere of influence believe in the whole package of what the West offers. There is no country that better represents this than the great country of India, a realm of some 1.4 billion souls and growing stronger, alongside China to replace the West. 

India is a country that has a long history of achievements and glory. Often times seen as playing second fiddle to the Chinese, the Indian people are some of the hardest working and patriotic people I have ever encountered on this planet. The Indian people, while not a perfect people, are ambassadors of a glorious culture that is the envy of many westerners. Many in the West, especially in America and Canada, tend to have their cultures revolve around what corporations make. They lack a genuine culture that isn't connected to some boardroom with suits making decisions. Indian culture is unique and very diverse. There are tons of languages and dialects in India and there are many cinematic traditions. Unlike in America, where the radio helped to smooth out regional differences between the states, India has retained its cultural identity. This is a remarkable achievement by the Indian people. 

Consider that the Hindu Indians, who have survived many invasions by Muslims and the British, have managed to keep their cultural integrity. The American people in comparison were until recently considered to have been a monoculture and are still strongly considered to be a people whose culture focuses on conformity and an almost McDonaldization of culture. There are some differences, which exist in the states of Texas and California, but the American culture tends to be the same. It is not surprising that Americans, tend to be attracted to the culture of the Indians and other people across Asia. 

Indian Woman wearing a Saree

In spite of Americans and Westerners being attracted to the cultures of other countries, they are often ignorant of other people's ideologies and philosophies. They think that everything has to follow a Western way of thinking. This is quite a big issue that I see online, especially on video sites.

YouTube is dominated by English-speaking people. Go and look up information about Starfield right now and you'll see that it is dominated by people that speak English. There are some people who speak European languages but there is very little crossover between those who have differing languages. Many of the English-speaking YouTubers tend to be rather ignorant of the history of other nations on the planet. They often make blanket statements about the course of history without understanding the different societies across the planet. Indian history isn't the same as that of the American or Western culture. 

India has gone through many phases of its history since the time of the Indus Valley civilization. There is no universal human rights agenda in the history of the human race and the Indian people show that clearly. They have their unique way of doing things and science-fiction fails to represent this properly. 

Video games that are set in the future often have this same problem. Often times they are entirely focused and reliant on a Western view of things. However, Starfield provides us with a tantalizing view of how video games could change things with regards to representation in video games. 

Enter the Saree., which is one of the most beautiful pieces of clothing known to man. 

The Saree is a traditional Indian dress for women. It is generally considered to be the national costume for the Indian woman. While Indians have turned the saree into a symbol of Indian pride and honor, it is only seen in the West as an exotic clothing item. However, Starfield is doing something with the Saree that generally not seen in video games. 

Another Indian woman wearing a Saree, this one a bit more ornamental than the previous one.

The idea of the Saree being used as clothing in the 24th Century is a testament to Bethesda making sure that this game was more representative of humanity than other games. Even though humans have been uprooted from their home planet, they are still able to hold onto their tradition and culture. While I am not a person who loves political correctness, Starfield's depiction of Indian culture is an important step forward towards making this type of genre more appealing to other audiences across the globe.

Indian culture isn't as politically correct or stuck up as American culture is right now. I love the sight of a Saree on an Indian woman and I believe that the inclusion of this clothing item, while it may seem insignificant represents something important in the design of this game.  The game represents a diverse future, but not just one that is built on western lines. It is multipolar future, one where a variety of cultures are represented in business, art and politics. Science fiction always made the mistake of being too reliant on Western ideology for its depiction of the future. This is a great way to remedy the situation and make science fiction more interesting.

Starfield shows a culturally diverse humanity rather than relying on the old trope of it being one culture throughout the entire universe. India wouldn't just become American and talk like Americans. They would continue to be their own people. While they may like American culture from time to time, they are still a sovereign people with their own hopes and dreams. They are not going to be just Americans living in India. They will be Indians living in a multipolar world. 

In Starfield, humanity has been uprooted from its home and establishing a presence across the cosmos. The first character you interact with, Supervisor Lin is a Chinese character. There is no Western emphasis in Starfield, every culture is represented, and this is truly a remarkable achievement by Bethesda Softworks. While players may complain about loading screens, Starfield's diversity is remarkable, and I am not talking about what neo-liberals call it. This is true diversity with all the warts and all. New Atlantis is like the New Rome, a city filled with peoples from across the spectrum of humanity. This is truly a great achievement for science-fiction in the way it depicts humanity.

We have countless examples of how Starfield is expanding the range of science fiction beyond what we have seen. Characters go against stereotypes and the political organizations are not archetypes but realistic depictions of outer space politics. 

Sarees in Starfield don't really add any gameplay benefit beyond persuasion buffs but they are an important step towards making this game more inclusive of other culture. While science-fiction remains a heavily Caucasian oriented genre, Starfield provides me with hope that Science Fiction will become more diverse in its worldviews that it propagates.