Thesis Visual Component(3)

Here's my first attempt at the 3D model of Joshua Davis:







I know there's still a lot of problems with the model but I'm putting the finishing touches on my paper and then I'll be free to put all my energy into the 3D character model.

Stereotypes in Advertising

Ok I know this has nothing to do with video games, but I just had to share with you this advertising board that's close to my house. It displays a perfect example of how stereotypes are used even in advertising. This advertising is for bail bonding with the target audience being, I'm guessing, men. Now what does a blonde woman have to do with bail bonding? In jail men think about two things: (1)getting out of jail and (2)having lots of sex with a woman. This ad uses the "Blonde Bimbo" stereotype, which in this case, exemplifies feminine beauty. The ad wants you to remember the sexy blonde with huge breasts so when you get put in jail you can call them for a "quick release." It seems more like an ad for a phone sex line rather than a bail bonding service.

Positive Relatable Video Game Characters(6)

Billy Candle from Call of Juarez (2006) breaks the stereotypes of the bandido and the Latin male baffoon. Billy is a wanderer trying to make his way back to his home town and see his mom. She is Mexican and Billy’s real father is Caucasian but he does not know who he is. Because he was raised by his stepfather who is also a Caucasian, Billy speaks great English. However because of his Mexican descent, he endures a lot of prejudice and racial remarks. When Billy finds his mother and stepfather dead he runs for his life armed with his wits and his whip. Despite all the hardship Billy goes through, he perseveres through it all and is a positive influence for Latinos and other minorities.





El Blaze from Virtua Fighter 5 (2006) is a wrestler from Mexico who fights with Lucha Libre style. Focusing more on lightning quick aerial maneuvers rather than powerful attacks is what make El Blaze a great fighter. He works very hard to maintain his speed and ability and loves to say so in perfect English. El Blaze shatters the lazy Latino stereotype.

Positive Relatable Video Game Characters(5)

Robert Richards (Bob) from Tekken 6 (2007) is a martial arts legend in America. Bob becomes obese in order to increase his strength and defeat larger opponents. He still maintains his speed, accuracy, and discipline. Because he has become so obese many of his fans lose their faith in him, but he enters the Iron Fist Tournament to show the world that he is still a great fighter. He is a great example to people who do not fit into the so called "ideal body size".






Leo Kliesen from Tekken 6 (2007) still has Tekken fans puzzled about the character’s gender and sexual orientation. Leo’s father was a world famous spelunker and Leo’s mother was an executive at the G Corporation. Sadly Leo’s father goes missing during an expedition and Leo’s mother gets killed by an unknown assassin. Leo soon realizes that the G Corporation is behind it and enters the Iron Fists Tournament to face the man in charge of the corporation and get revenge. The designers of the game purposefully left the gender and sexual orientation of the character unclear. Is this like Samus from Metroid (1986), to show that is does not matter what someone’s gender or sexual orientation is as long as they are a great character? Were they afraid that the character might not be well received if players knew the sexual orientation of the character? Well it doesn't matter to me. Leo is a great character and one heck of a fighter. I have destroyed many opponents online with Leo.

Positive Relatable Video Game Characters(4)

A video game character who breaks the stereotypes of the unaccultured Asian, china doll, and dragon lady is Aya Brea from Parasite Eve (1998). Aya is an Asian American who was born in the United States and has been determined to be a detective ever since her mother died in an accident when she was a child. Her personality is strong willed and determined. Aya holds her own in the NYPD’s 17th Precinct which is filled with men. She is not luring men with an exotic personality, she is beating up and shooting down monsters just like any man would. She is a good role model for all women.





Jade from Beyond Good and Evil(2003) is another positive heroine for women. She is not armed with knives or swords. Her weapons of choice are a staff and her trusty camera. She is a photo journalist who is put right in the middle of a disaster that threatens her world. Her mission is to rescue the orphans she was taking care of and expose the government's corruption. The game developer Ubisoft had the intention of creating a character who resembled a real person rather than a "sexy action woman." It has been established that because Jade was not from Earth, she had no real ethnicity. But I think we can all agree she is a positive role model for all women of Earth.

Sexual Orientation Stereotypes(2)

While doing research on Caucasian Racial Stereotypes I came across this story by Richard Dyer inside his book "White". It explains the kinship he shares with a black boy who comes into his class when he was in nursery school.

"I seem from a very early age to have had a feeling for non-white people, a feeling something like kinship; yet there were moments when, for some reason or other, I suddenly realized that I really was not kin, and it was thus that I really realized I was white. I was brought up in a suburb of London, in a period (the late 1940s and early 1950s) in which there were relatively few non-white people in Britain. I went to a nursery school. On day a black boy came to class and was teased unmercifully by the other children. I, however, took his side. I knew that I was regarded as a funny little boy, chiefly because I preferred playing with dolls and flowers to guns and cars. Perhaps I felt an affinity between myself and another boy who was funny because, albeit for a different reason, he too was not like the other boys." (Dyer: 1997: 5)

Richard Dyer also talks about his kinship to a Jewish boy named Danny Marker.

"I used to visit him and his family in Golders Green, a Jewish neighborhood of London. I knew by then that I was a homosexual and I envied Danny and his family- they too were an oppressed minority, whom, like queers, you could not always spot; but, unlike us, they had this wonderful, warm community and culture and the wrongfulness of their oppression was socially recognized." (ibid)

After reading Richard Dyer's book "White", I have gained a wealth of knowledge on the white culture and I have the utmost respect for him. Not only because of his bravery in openly admitting his sexual orientation, but also sharing his point of view of whiteness.

"The point of looking at whiteness is to dislodge it from its centrality and authority, not to reinstate it (and much less, to make a show of reinstating it, when, like male power, it doesn't actually need reinstating)." (Dyer: 1997: 10)

Sexual Orientation Stereotypes

I must admit I didn't know my research on this part of my thesis would be so difficult. It has been a great challenge to gather information from many people inside the gay community because of the ignorant hate crimes and horrible scrutiny of gay people. Lets be honest when compared to other social groups homosexuals are still among the most stigmatized groups in the nation. This fear of being exposed and hated caused many people not to be as open and honest in my survey questions. As a result I made sure to put a disclaimer at the very top in bold letters that the survey is for thesis research only and your identity will not be made public and your answers will not be published or directly quoted. I'm hoping this will help get me more feedback. It's a shame that this ignorance reaches even as far as The White House where gay public officials even vote against the interests of the gay community because they're afraid to come out of their own closets and lose their position of power. Take a look at this trailer for the HBO documentary "Outrage" that I saw last year.



I myself being a heterosexual African American male, have not gone through hate crimes on the level that a homosexual male has. But there is a kinship between us because this sort of behavior was endured by the African American community not so long ago. But unlike the African American community, the gay lifestyle is still seen as taboo. Gay men and lesbians are still banned from serving openly in the US military service. Child custody decisions still frequently view gay and lesbian people as unfit parents. Gay and lesbian adolescents are often taunted and humiliated in their school settings. Many professional people and employees in all occupations are still fearful of identifying as gay or lesbians in their work settings. Gay relationships are not widely recognized in any legal way.

These hate crimes are evident even in the video game community. Take a look at this video where an openly gay gamer is continuously taunted with ignorant hateful remarks.



This is why many people will not openly admit their sexual orientation!

Positive Relatable Video Game Characters(3)

This week I want to take a look John Marston, the main protagonist from "Red Dead Redemption" (2010) by Rockstar Games. Ok now I wouldn't go as far as saying he's a positive role model for kids but his story is extremely relatable for all gamers. The word that I want to focus on is redemption. Here's a guy who was an outlaw and gets betrayed by his former gang and left for dead. Realizing his past mistakes and old lifestyle, he sets out to make things right and hunt down his three former gang members and bring them to justice. Everyone can relate to this because we all have done things in our past that we're not proud of and seek to make things right. We all hope for redemption.





Heather, the main protagonist of "Silent Hill 3" (2003), does a great job of representing an average teenage girl. Her hair is not nice and neat all the time and her face is filled with freckles. Sato Takayoshi, character artist for the survival horror game Silent Hill (1999), explains his thought process for designing characters with emotion and ambiguity. He explains:
If you are attracted to a woman, she is not perfect. You love her because she is human and has character. That character has bad points as well as good points.

Thesis Visual Component(2)

These are my character concept sketches illustrating how the difference in someone's character traits can dramatically change their outward appearance.








This is an early concept of J Dirty. I changed his design a lot because he wasn't thugish enough.

Name: Joshua Davis Jr. III, but he likes to go by “J Dirty”

Josh has always had the best in life. He was born and raised in Los Angeles, California. Josh being an only child, his parents always gave him whatever he wanted without question. Growing up in his great big mansion, Josh has always loved hardcore gangster rap music. He loves NWA, 50 Cent, The Ying Yang Twins, Little John, and many other hip hop artists. Although he has never left his parents home he’s always wondered what it would be like growing up in the “hood” or “ghetto”. He’s always wanted to live the life of a hardcore thug. Growing up Josh was always a straight “A” student, but he also sold drugs on the side. He called it getting his street creds up. After Josh graduated from high school with very high honors, his parents wanted him to go off to college and become a doctor or lawyer, but all Josh can think about is becoming the next big hip hop artist. Josh has a crew of friends that he hangs out with and they smoke weed and play video games all day. He secretly likes baking cookies and cakes when no one is watching.

Quote 1: “Let me pimp or let me die”

Quote 2: “I was born a hustla, I’m gonna die a hustla, and whether you like it or hate it I’m the fool yo mama warned you about.”








Name: Joshua Davis

Joshua’s life is one of constant struggle. He’s the younger of two boys and his mother left them in the care of their grandmother when they were babies. Since she was addicted to cocaine she knew she wouldn’t be able to take care of them. Joshua found out that she died when he was 12 and he’s been going downhill ever since. Not knowing who his father is didn’t help at all either. He was constantly getting into fights at school because they would tease him about his mother dying and saying his father must be Saddam Hussein or something because of the way he looks. They would call him terrorist among other hurtful things, so Joshua joined a local neighborhood gang so that he could feel safe. His older brother Jason thought this was a stupid idea and that he didn’t want Joshua to throw is life away. Jason would always tell Joshua, “All we have are each other in this world Joshua, and no matter what happens I’ll always take care of you little brother.” Joshua always looked up to his big brother Jason. When Jason graduates high school he decides to join the military. He says it’s the only way he can make money and one day take care of him and Joshua. He goes over seas and leaves Joshua in the care of their grandmother. At the age of 17 Joshua and his grandmother get a letter about Jason from the military, and it says, “Soldier Jason Davis on medical discharge because of schizophrenia.” Joshua had never heard that word before. “What does it mean?” he asks. Joshua was just glad his brother was coming back home, but when Jason got back he wasn’t the same. He was talking and acting differently and most of what he said didn’t make since. After Joshua and his grandmother found out from the doctor what schizophrenia was he knew things would never be the same but he had hope. Joshua knew that he would have to find out more about it and maybe there was a cure out there somewhere. He knew that it wouldn’t be easy but he had to do better in school so that he could go to college and become a doctor. Now Joshua attends medical school where he hopes to get a great education and travel the world studying medicine.

Quote 1: “I have to be strong for my brother.”

Quote 2: “Now it’s my turn to take care of you big brother.”

Quote 3: “All we have are each other in this world Jason, and no matter what happens I’ll always take care of you big brother.”

Thesis Visual Component(1)

The visual component for my thesis will contain two video game characters. The characters will be one negative stereotypical video game character and one positive version of that video game character. Based on my research I have created a list of stereotypical character traits which will be applied to the negative stereotypical character. From that list I have created a positive list of character traits which will help me in designing the positive video game character. These characters are meant to show that anyone in this world can be of great good or great evil depending on the choices they make. Anyone can be negative stereotypical person or a positive person. It is important to give the player a choice of which personality they can best identify with. My two characters are actually just one character, but they live in two totally different worlds with two totally different personalities. They have different backgrounds, beliefs, and different views on life.

My major source of inspiration comes from the two female characters inside the game Silent Hill 2. This is a survival horror game made by Konami in 2001. The characters are Mary and Maria. The thing is that they are actually the same character, but with two different personality traits. In the game you follow the main character James, who gets a letter from his dead wife Mary, who passed away 2 years ago.



Mary is the average sweet, loving, kind, and devoted house wife. While searching for Mary in the town of Silent Hill, James meets Maria, who looks exactly like his wife Mary, but does not act anything like her.



Maria is a sex crazed woman who loves to show off her body and throw herself at men.

You see the same character with two totally different backgrounds and character traits. The character model is actually the same but when you change the clothing to match their character traits, they become two totally different characters. The character models have subtle changes based on each character’s personality traits as well.

Positive Relatable Video Game Characters(2)

I have yet to play Left 4 Dead (2008) and Left 4 Dead 2 (2009) because I don't own an XBox 360 but I already had Louis and Rochelle picked as positive relatable video game characters. Their outward appearance alone separates them from the mold of the stereotypical African American male and female. When I read up their background information and character traits I was full of joy.



Louis is a Junior Systems Analyst in the IT department for Franklin Brothers in Philadelphia before the zombie outbreak in Left 4 Dead. His attire is like the average business man. He wears a button down shirt, tie, and slacks. Also even though he is stuck in this horrible situation where zombies are trying to eat him alive, when he speaks you can tell he is a well educated man.




Rochelle is a minor associate producer for a news station with a high reputation. She was in Savannah producing a segment about the evacuation center when the area became overrun with zombies in Left 4 Dead 2. She is fully dress and doesn't have an attitude all the time. She doesn't fit the "Angry Black Woman" stereotype and is actually very caring towards her fellow survivors.

Positive Relatable Video Game Characters(1)

I finally took some time for myself and played Uncharted: Drake's Fortune (2007) in December 2010. I was blown away by the compelling story and over the top action. The thing that caught my eye the most were the relatable characters in the game. My first entry of positive relatable video game characters have to be Nathan Drake and Elena Fisher.



Nathan Drake is very relatable to the audience because he represents the everyday average man. Throughout the game players are exposed to Nate’s fears and feelings of self doubt. He is not a huge body builder and is even saved numerous times by his female companion Elena Fisher. Naughty Dog’s major selling point for this game is “One ordinary man, one extraordinary adventure.”



Elena Fisher has a much more believable body type than most female protagonist in video games. She is not supermodel thin, she does not have breast bigger than her head, and her clothing is normal yet still sexy.

A Positive Solution

If the video game industry is to continue to grow it needs to reach a wider audience. Many different cultures, races, and body types must be recognized and represented with dignity and class. Leo Hartas explains in his book "The Art of Game Characters",
Don’t fall into the assumption trap. Consider the player’s age range, gender, and interests when designing a character for a specific audience, but don’t assume that just because they have bought dozens of games starring big men with guns, for example, that is all they will identify with. (Hartas: 2005: 50)

Stereotypes are a way of making representations, portrayals or depictions. An Encyclopedia of Dictionaries defines a representation as the act of representing or state of being represented. To represent something means to depict or portray it in a certain way. It can be either good or bad.

I know this change maybe hard to understand and difficult to achieve but like a wise man once said,
"If there is no struggle, there is no progress. Those who profess to favor freedom, and deprecate agitation, are men who want crops without plowing up the ground, they want rain without thunder and lightning." (Frederick Douglass)



We can all learn a lot from each other if we look outside ourselves beyond our own background and beliefs and beyond what we've always assumed about other people. Another great man said,
"Without one's own questions one cannot creatively understand anything other or foreign. Such a dialogic encounter of two cultures does not result in merging or mixing. Each retains its own unity and open totality, but they are mutually enriched."
(Mikhail Mikhailovich Bakhtin)

I'm Not Alone

Others have spoken out on stereotypes in video games as well. The Media Awareness Network explains that while people of many cultures play video games, that diversity is not usually reflected in the games themselves. White male characters dominate in the majority of popular games, while non-white characters often play the traditional supporting roles of sidekick or villain or else are confined to a narrow range of genres. (Media Awareness Network: 2010)
http://www.media-awareness.ca/english/parents/video_games/concerns/race_videogames.cfm/

A 2009 study by Karen E Dill, "Playing with Prejudice: The Prevalence and Consequences of Racial Stereotypes in Videogames, also made some discoveries on racial stereotypes in video games. Her study found black and Latino men were more likely to be portrayed as athletes or aggressors. Black men were less likely to wear protective armor or use technology than whites. Asians were often portrayed as intellectually superior but physically inferior… (Dill: 2009)

A study by Dmitri Williams, a social psychologist and assistant professor at the University of Southern California (USC), found that women, Native Americans, children and the elderly also were underrepresented in video games. Fewer than 3 percent of video game characters were recognizably Hispanic, and all of them were non-playable, background characters. (Williams: 2009)
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090729140931.htm

An article by students Barlett and Harris explains how they did research on stereotyped bodies found within video games and how playing them for long periods of time can affect our own body satisfaction. Results showed that participants in both studies had significantly lower body esteem after video game play. “This suggests that video games can also have a negative influence on the body-image of players.” (Barlett and Harris: 2008)
http://vgresearcher.wordpress.com/2008/10/17/gendered-ty/

Poor representation of a video game character’s sexual orientation has been noticed by players as well. In some cases gays, lesbians, or bisexuals are not even mentioned at all. An abstract submitted to Gameology by Evan Lauteria states, while gender and race studies have been done on video games (even if very few and far between), the issue of representation of sexual orientation in video games has largely been overlooked academically. Within gaming culture, there seems to be a certain level of accepted homophobia , probably due to the lack of cultural diversity that is associated with “gaming culture.” (Lauteria: 2006)
http://www.gameology.org/essays/sexuality_and_sexual_orientation_in_computer_and_console_games

A New Beginning

After speaking with many friends and professors this past year, all of them being from different, backgrounds, beliefs, and cultures, I found myself being too limited in my topic and research. There are so many stereotypes in the world that are used in designing video game characters. There are so many other cultures and races that are poorly represented or not represented at all in video games. I found this discovery shocking yet exciting and a relief because I did not feel alone anymore. This thesis can act as I voice to those who are afraid to say what they have been feeling for many years.

THESIS ABSTRACT

For years video games have been a source of entertainment and inspiration mainly because of the characters. Character development plays an important role when drawing the audience into the video game world. If a player can relate to a video game character it makes the experience of the game much more enjoyable. What happens when a player can not find a single character in a game that he/she can relate to? One reason is because many video game characters are extremely stereotypical in their appearance and their behavior. Where does the stereotypical inspiration for a character design come from?

The media has always served as our main source of entertainment, and whether we know it or not, it has also played a major role in defining what we eat, drink, how we dress, and how we live our lives. It has also been our main source for information. Most people assume how other cultures or races act from watching television. The research gathered in this study does not just touch on racial stereotypes because that is just one small part. It touches on gender based stereotypes, body weight stereotypes, and sexual orientation stereotypes as well. This study discusses the natural assumptions we all make about a person, place, or thing, based on our own background and beliefs. This study examines the media’s influence of these stereotypes and observes how we use these stereotypes to interact with people and even how we view ourselves.

The Long Journey Back..........continued...

Spring Quarter 2010 was very challenging. I was a teaching assistant(TA)intern, teaching 2 classes, taking 2 classes on the side, and a part-time job on weekends. But I got through it as always, passing all my classes. The summer classes were coming up and a week before classes start I finally get the definite answer that my house was being foreclosed and my roommates and I had a week to relocate so we could get a $1,000 check from the Realtor. I spend the first 3 weeks of my Summer Quarter classes trying to find a place where someone needed a new roommate. Every place I went had the same reaction. When they would hear me on the phone and know that my name was Brad Madison, they seemed so excited to see me. When they'd see me get out my car their faces would all drop. I guess a well spoken, big black guy named Brad Madison wasn't what they were expecting. One guy wouldn't even take me seriously and tell me about the place until I told him that I was a student at the Savannah College of Art and Design. The place wasn't even all that nice. Lucky a good friend of mine let me sleep on his couch until I found a place of my own.

I decided to just live by myself for now since I couldn't get a roommate. It seemed like the best thing was to have a peaceful place to come home to and work on my thesis. However, I wasn't prepared for what was going to happen next. As I'm sealing the deal to get my first apartment all to myself, the apartment sales associate looks up my background information and says, "Mr. Madison, what's this I see on your record?" I knew exactly what she was talking about and my face dropped in embarrassment. As I explained the situation to her I saw the look of prejudgment set in, but she kindly responded by saying that I could come back tomorrow with the proof of the case so she could show her boss. Luckily her boss carefully looked at the evidence and approved me for the apartment.

After I left the building I became enraged thinking how could this thing not be off my record yet. All the evidence is right their proving my innocence. The fingerprints don't match up and the faces definitely don't match up. I tried not to let this completely consume my time because I had some serious catching up to do on my assignments for class. I figured I would divide my time between classwork. Every bit of free time I had, which was minimal,would go into trying to get this charge off my record. Every time I called down to the Identity Theft Unit in Fort Lauderdale the guy in charge would say, "Call back next week and we should have some work done on your case." This was if he even answered the phone at all and when he did answer the phone he would keep me on hold for long periods without a reply. I began to realize the truth, they just stuck my file in the back of a long list of files never to be thought of again. Identity Theft is a common thing in America. Too common.

Many weeks went by with no visible signs of progress. I wondered if I would ever get these charges off my record. I couldn't focus all of my time on solving the problem because I still had a ton of work to do in my classes and I couldn't fully focus on my classwork because of the charges brought against me. I felt like maybe I was wasting my time in school. How am I supposed to get a job in the video game or animation industry when I couldn't even get a job at McDonald's with my record. In this horrible economy employers are looking for any reason to turn away an application and I had 2 big FAT reasons to get my application turned down. All my life I have tried to stay away from the stereotypical black male image. I always wanted to be remembered as a very talented, hard working, intelligent young man. Now it seemed to society I would be known as Brad Madison, the lazy drug dealer. How could I even write a paper on stereotypes when I've become one?

I considered many times to just quit school for now and focus on getting my record clear. But thanks to the support of my mother, my brother, and my forever inspiring professors at SCAD I had to continue on. Not only for me but to show my little cousins that you can overcome any obstacle no matter how bad it looks. After passing my summer classes I put all my focus on contacting the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. They handled my case on a state level and in time after much patience and persistence in November 2010 they cleared me and closed my case. It was a long hard road back to my thesis. This was a very humbling experience that taught me how to be a man and stand strong against all odds. Now I look to my thesis with all the hope, strength, and determination to finish.

The Long Journey Back..........

I know it's been a long time since I've posted to my Thesis blog. It's been over a year to be exact. Some people might say I'm being a slacker and wasting time but I thought before I post any new research that I've done, I should take the time to tell you about the Long Hard Journey Back to my Thesis. Fall quarter, October 2009, I passed my 45 hour Review feeling on top of the world. This is the professors giving me the right to further develop my thesis research. After the Winter quarter, March 2010 ends and I pass through the week of finals, I get a very strange call from my mom. She tells me that I have to come home to take care of some very important business. When I get back home to Fort Lauderdale, Florida my mom hands me a letter saying that I am no longer eligible to be a registered voter due to my arrest on April 2009 for possession of cocaine and marijuana. I laugh at first thinking this is just an April fools joke, but my mom tells me this is serious and we have to go down to the court house tomorrow to see what it's all about.

My mom and my uncle go with me to the Fort Lauderdale court house as supporters. I've never been arrested before so I didn't even know where to go and who to talk to about my situation. My uncle leads me to the Identity Theft unit there. This was the longest and most awkward walk I've ever taken. Every time I passed by a cop I felt they were gonna throw me to the ground and read me my rights. I felt more embarrassed for my mom than anything because I've never wanted my mom to have to go through the stress of seeing her son as a criminal. My mom, being a single parent, worked long hard nights to make sure my older brother and I had everything we needed. I never wanted to add any extra stress to her. When we get to the Identity Theft Unit, we ask to pull up the case number so I can see who stole my identity and did the crime. It's my COUSIN on my dad's side of the family.

Just a little background information about my cousin, He's been in trouble with the law ever since we were little kids. Always in and out of court and jail, high school drop out, and staying with different baby mommas. He fits the Stereotypical Black Male in every way. As I look down at the mugshot with his face on it. The information at the bottom says Brad Madison and has my date of birth on it. Another funny thing I forgot to mention is that we were born on the exact same month, day, and year. I was born at 1am and he was born at 2am, or something like that. We are technically twins and like they always say there's a good one and a bad one. He's the bad one. Even with this piece of information I wondered how the cops could get it so wrong and not know that he wasn't me. As the cops tell me when they arrested him and brought him in he didn't have any identification on him, so he told them my name and gave them our date of birth. I guess since I've never been arrested before I wasn't in the system and they took him at his word. But I thought why wouldn't they just have someone come in and identify who he was before they put it in the system. I thought they didn't care as long as they had another black man behind bars. They didn't care about an investigation. And as far as my cousin being behind bars, since it was technically my first offense, he only did 45 days in jail. How's that for justice. My cousin gets out early and I'm stuck with a felony charge for LIFE.

Next, I go through the motions of identifying exactly who he is to the police and take fingerprints of my own so that I may be put into the system. I was so scared getting my fingerprints taken my hands kept shaking and the lady kept saying, "just relax." I would say, "I'm sorry it's my first time." I take my fingerprints back to the Identity Theft Unit and they give me a paper saying I'm a victim of Identity Theft and they are working on the case. So I try and enjoy what's left of my Spring Break and breathe a little relief. I try and shake it off as I go back to SCAD for Spring Quarter 2010 classes.