'It's definitely appropriation': Use of tā moko in Cyberpunk 2077 video game
Thursday, 17 December 2020
The inclusion of tā moko in Cyberpunk 2077 has left a gamer and design consultant “shocked” by the hyped dystopian video game.
“As a gamer, it doesn’t ruin the entire game, but it … casts a shadow on it for me as an indigenous person,” said Morgana Watson, the creative director of MW Consultancy and 4Phase Games.
“I can’t in good conscience play a game when I know that they’ve just taken something sacred from our people just because it looks cool.
“I know it looks cool, but that’s not any reason at all to just steal it.”
**READ MORE:
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* Photographer captures Tā Moko though different lenses
**
Before the game's global release at the beginning of December, a leaked screen grab of a character with a moko kauae, a traditional tattoo worn by females, was circulated online.
“I was super shocked; I was so shocked,” Watson said after seeing the image.
“Cultural appropriation is rife in the gaming industry.”
Game producer Ian Ramsay echoed that sentiment. “Appropriating imagery is endemic in the industry and is not limited to Māori art.”
The role-playing video game, developed by Polish company CD Projekt Red, doesn’t appear to have any other reference to Māori culture or feature te reo Māori.
Watson, who has been a gamer for more than 30 years, saw a sneak preview of the game at a festival last year, and was excited by the first look, which featured no customisations, until she saw the leaked image.
“I was really disappointed with it because I really wanted to play it, but I’m not going to give them my money after they appropriated my culture,” she said.
“It’s definitely appropriation.”
News reporter Oriini Kaipara described it as “absolute ignorance”.
“In the day and age of Google, that’s just absolute stupidity.”
Māori and Polynesian cultural designs have been appropriated in games before. Ramsay highlighted the customisations in Tony Hawk and H1Z1 games. H1Z1 removed its game skin, inspired by demigod Mauī, after concerns were raised.
This is what CD Projekt Red should do, Watson believes.
“Take that off, for starters. Let’s have a conversation, let's work on something better, let’s do better,” she said.
The inclusion of Māori cultural elements would be relevant if it was thematically tied to the culture and the universe of the game, Ramsay explained.
“Say, if the reward for saving a Māori tattoo artist from peril was an offer of a kirituhi piece [a non-traditional tattoo], that would be a great moment to educate the world on Māori culture in a fun and modern way.”
“Education is key,” added Kaipara, who had her image and moko kauae replicated by an artist, although both later resolved the matter when the women met face to face.
“There is a fine line between appreciation and appropriation, and when it becomes appropriation then we have a huge problem.”
Kōrero between the parties also needs to take place, she said. Kaipara encouraged developers and others who want to feature Māori culture in entertainment and advertising to reach out to experts.
“You’ve got to go to the right people. Just because you’re Māori doesn’t make you the right person to consult,” Kaipara said.
“Don’t just rely on the one word, the one person.”
Watson works as a cultural consultant and recently worked on a game being developed in Canada.
“I knew that I could serve my people by being part of that process.”
This procedure, Watson said, should be replicated across the entire entertainment industry – film-making, advertising, marketing, magazines – to protect all cultures.
Developers for Age of Empires III: Definitive Edition, released in October, enlisted the help of cultural consultant Anthony Brave – who is Sicangu Oyate and Chippewa-Cree. He worked to ensure depictions of Native American and indigenous peoples in the game were accurate.
His review resulted in developers changing certain aspects of the game, flagged by Brave.
Ramsay said the game ended up being an authentic experience that was still entertaining and enjoyable.
This kind of proactive consultation doesn’t always happen though, she said. Some content creators take the time and care to consult with artists and seek appropriate legal rights, paying fairly for its use.
Others don’t, explained Ramsay, who has produced a variety of games in the United States, New Zealand and Australia.
There needs to be a reason for the tā moko or other Māori cultural elements being included in a game, Kaipara said. It shouldn’t just be slapped on a character.
“It belongs to the wearer through their whakapapa – it’s more than just an image,” she said.
Watson and a handful of Māori game developers are in the pre-production stage of a game centred on a Māori female warrior set in the fantastical world of Māori mythology. Tā moko will be included in the unnamed project.
Cyberpunk 2077’s inclusion of the tā moko customisation is yet to be addressed by the developer, which has been contacted for comment by Stuff.