Clash of Clans

          The video game I decided to analyze is Clash of Clans. I personally do not play this game but I have a lot of family and friends who play it, so I am very familiar with the game. In order to conduct this analysis, I watched videogame footage, downloaded that game myself to get a firsthand experience, and asked my friends what their experience with the game was (because they are more familiar with the game and probably have more ideas for how the game can be improved). I think this game is relevant in the conversation about diversity and inclusion because they have taken strides over the years to increase their diversity. For example, they have created new troops and characters with different genders, races, and disabilities in order to make the game more inclusive.

            The main point of diversity that I see in the game are the troops that you can train and use to attack other people’s bases. There are many different troops with all different genders, races, and disabilities. For example, the first thing I noticed is that there are many different female troops that can be used. This is something we do not see a lot of in combat video games. In many cases, like with the king and queen, the king (the Barbarian King) and the queen (the Archer Queen) are the two most powerful troops in the game. But the Archer Queen is actually the most powerful troop in the game. Making the woman the most powerful troop in the game is not something I have ever seen in this genre of videogame and a huge step forward for diversity and inclusion. Additionally, something else that I noticed is the fact that there are many different troops with different skin tones. It’s all too common for characters in videogames to all be white, but in this game, we see much more inclusion when it comes to race. Another thing that stood out to me was one characters in particular, the Healer (pictured at the end of the paragraph). This character is vital in Clash of Clans. Her role is to fly over and heal lost soldiers. Without her, the clan would not be nearly as powerful. Despite what some people might expect, the Healer is actually blind. I love that the creators made a game that included someone with a disability, and still made her one of the most important characters. In addition to the diversity of the characters, I think the creators have made a good effort to make their game inclusive for all players. For example, when there is someone speaking in the game, they provide subtitles to aid anyone who may have a hearing impairment. Additionally, there are many videogames where people have to talk through a microphone in order to communicate, however, in Clash of Clans people communicate through a chat where they can type out what they are trying to communicate. There are many ways in which Clash of Clans promotes diversity and inclusion, but there is also a lot of room for improvement.  

               One area that can be improved in terms of game play, and that has been suggested by players, is adding a colorblind mode. There is no colorblind mode in the current game, but this seems like an easy setting to add to make Clash of Clans that much more inclusive. Something else that could aid in making a more inclusive video game is adding voice controls. This could potentially aid someone who has trouble using their hands to play. This would make us easier for them to play and talk to their team using voice controls. Another thing that I noticed that could help their diversity and inclusion is changing how the women are dressed. I appreciate how the game gone as far as to add so many women troops in the game, however there is still a long way to go in this area. For example, one woman in the game, Valkyries is dressed in a mini tank and revealing skirts (pictured at the end of the paragraph), and the other women are all dresses in either skirts or dresses. It would be refreshing if for once a combat videogame showed a woman going to battle in something that is not a revealing outfit. I think something like a suit of armor would fit much better on a battlefield than a dress or bikini top. This is something we see so often in videogames, and I would love to see Clash of Clans be one of the first to change this.

            Overall, I think Clash of Clans has done a great job of diversifying their game and making it more inclusive for everyone to play. I think it is so important to make everyone feel like they have a place and feel included in video games. This is something Clash of Clans does very well, but of course there is always room for improvement. People not only feeling like they see themselves in the game, but also being able to play no matter their life situation is so important when creating a video game. Everyone being able to enjoy the game is key to making a great video game.