During the game’s planning, game developer Everaldo Neto says Araní’s willpower made her the obvious choice for the protagonist. “Everything happened in a very organic manner—it was almost like she picked us, and not the other way around,” he says. “We knew we needed a strong woman who was small considering the scale of her challenges, but huge in her deeds.”
The gaming scene in Brazil’s Indigenous communities is surging too. For example, during 2020, in the middle of the pandemic, atournament named the Indigenous Villages Cup saw 288 “guilds,” each made up of Indigenous gamers, participate. Among the ethnicities were Guaraní, Karajá, Xakriabá, Kalapalo, Kaigang, Kaiowá, Amondawa, and Xokleng peoples, just to name a few.
WIRED spoke to three female Indigenous gamers to learn more about their experiences in Brazil's gaming communities, and all three explained that some players considered their presence unusual, while others even doubted their Indigenous origins or heritage. Walela Soeikigh “Kin” Suruí, a 21-year-old medical student, come from the Suruí Pater people in Rondônia state. She says, “There is a lot of prejudice to this day, and it becomes heavier when it has to do with electronics, as many people think that by being Indigenous, we can’t have mobiles, computers, or even gaming consoles. Hence, it is important to show that we can be where we want and do whatever we want without losing our culture and link to nature.
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