DTC #8

As I understand it, "identity tourism" is the concept of taking on an identity different from one's own and trying it on for size without fully experiencing that identity. The term being similar to how we might tour Detroit (not sure why) and experience Detroit for a little while, but we won't be living there to be fully affected by the poverty or the harsh winters or the constant losing of the Lions; we're just tourists. In the case of identity tourism, we are touring the identity of a race or a gender, rather than a run-down Midwest city.

Nakamura says that identity tourism allows us "to indulge in a dream of crossing over racial boundaries temporarily and recreationally" (299). She even compares the activity of surfing in cyberspace as similar to the activity of touring. She later cautions that "one of the dangers of identity tourism" is that it can reduce unfamiliar identities to us (in my case white male) to "part of a costume or masquerade. . . a 'passing' fancy" (302).

When it comes to race, Nakamura coined the term "cybertype" to describe how the race and racism are conveyed on the Internet. She describes, "cybertyping is the process by which computer/human interfaces, the dynamics and economics of access, and the means by which users are able to express themselves online interacts with the 'cultural layer' or ideologies regarding race that they bring with them into cyberspace" (3).

Cybertyping in Street Fighter 2 takes place in the form of how the various races are represented in the game. Chun-li fits the stereotype of an Asian woman appealing to a male populace of gamers. She's definitely Asian, with her dress and hair and name, though her features are just caucasian enough to remain attractive to someone who doesn't want to go all the way Asian with his tastes. At the same time that she kicks but with her Chinese cries of "yah" and "hya," she remains gorgeous with an hourglass figure and ample top half. And when she wins, she jumps up and down in a cute, innocent way with giggles and waves. She just beat a person senseless!

Other characters, of course, are cybertyped as well. A blog post is too short to go in to all of them, but Dahlsim fits a stereotype of India, looking like a Ghandi-esque mystic with skinny, stretchable limbs. He fights in a place with a vague elephant religious symbol in the background and plenty of elephants in the background. It doesn't matter than the elephants look more African than Indian because we are cybertyping here. We're creating an image of the races being represented that the user can relate to, not an image meant to be accurate.

Identity tourism is present in both gender and racial terms. Again, playing as Chun-li, I have the opportunity to experiment with playing as a woman. I don't have to take on sexism or any other number of problems that face women when I play as Chun-li. I also don't have to deal with the reality that a woman would probably face an uphill battle in a competitive fighting ring with men. I am able to tour the role of fighting girl and then step out and be myself whenever I'm ready. I'm not yet sure what Blanca says about Brazilians. . .

The same, obviously, goes for race and culture. Not only do I get to play as Chun-li (or whoever else) without facing racism that would come with being Chinese, but I get to tour representations of the various fighters' locales. As mentioned, there's "India" for Dahlsim. Chun-li fights in an overcrowded land of street vendors and bike riders. We get to tour these locals without exposure to accuracy or real dangers, and also without exposure to beauties.

Works Cited

1. Nakamura, Lisa. Cybertypes: Race, Ethnicity and Identity on the Internet. New York, NY: Routledge, 2002. Print. Oct. 19, 2010.
   
2. Nakamura, Lisa. "Race in/for Cyberspace: Idenity Tourism and Racial Passing on the Internet." The Cybercultures Reader. Ed. David Bell and Barbara M. Kennedy. New York, NY: Routledge, 2007. Print.