By Santee Ross, University of Montana

I’m pretty sure the creator gave us thumbs to play video games. Every mother would argue against it but how else can you explain the ability to hold down R1, toggle left while hitting the X and O button all at the same time?

About 72 percent of Americans know what I’m talking about since that’s the percent of households that play video games according to Entertainment Software Association.

Now to be honest I’m a girl so being a true gamer is not really my scene. Sure I like to play but not for eight or some odd hours straight--guys I will never understand this.

Being a girl also means I steer clear of Modern Warfare type games. My estrogen just doesn’t see the fun of shooting in first person for long periods of time.

However I love story-based games like Bioshock, Prince of Persia and now a new story based game that has definitely caught my interest.

Assassin’s Creed 3, which will be released in October, is the latest chapter in the historical fiction series but has added a Native American character.

Oh yea, this is going on my I-don’t-really-need-it-but-I-have-to-have-it list.

The game is set in colonial America during the Revolutionary War. Ratohnhake:ton or Connor is the newest assassin who is half Native American and half English.

I remember playing the first Assassin’s Creed and loving that I could live out my imagined sense of awesomeness through Desmond. Now I can do the same thing with Connor except it will be 10 times better because he’s Native.

Not that Desmond wasn’t cool but I’m Native and Connor is Native. It just makes sense that I and probably my fellow Native gamers are excited for the chance to play a Native American character.

Just like when you play Mortal Kombat and you usually pick a character based on your gender. Same thing here.

Getting the chance to play Connor is just one reason I’m excited for this game. I’m also excited that Native Americans are being featured in video games beyond the stereotypical western setting.

Yes we all know the Cowboys and Indians angle but let’s try and progress beyond those stereotypes. I would like to see something new, fresh, yet accurate.

I believe the character Connor may be a step in that direction.

From the trailer it seems like Connor is going to be nothing short of unbelievably bada**.

He’s taking out redcoats, free-running the crap out of the woods and basically being the inner Native in all of us, yee.

Santee Ross (Hopi/Lakota) is from Lander, Wyo.