Resident Evil 5 stirs concerns of racism

  • By Polybren, GameSpot
  • Posted Aug 1, 2007 1:24 pm PT

For all their focus on gore galore, zombie movies have traditionally been rife with social commentary and allegory. George Romero's Living Dead series of films have touched on terrorism, class warfare, rampant commercialism, and in the original Night of the Living Dead, race relations. The two...

For all their focus on gore galore, zombie movies have traditionally been rife with social commentary and allegory. George Romero's Living Dead series of films have touched on terrorism, class warfare, rampant commercialism, and in the original Night of the Living Dead, race relations.

The two subjects are intersecting again, as the recently released trailer for Resident Evil 5 has a number of commentators concerned about how the trailer portrays a white hero--the returning Chris Redfield--against hordes of black zombie foes in what could be an African village. In an editorial for The Village Voice's Runnin' Scared news blog, Bonnie Ruberg notes one forum-goer's concern that gunning down mobs of angry Africans could be "subtly racist." Ruberg herself says she finds the trailer "strangely disturbing."

"It's not just that these zombies are black, but that the uninfected black villagers are zombie-like too," Ruberg wrote. "See all those spooky shots of the villagers before they get infected? It's as if race itself were a disease. The white protagonist has to fight back or be infected."

She also notes that according to the zombie mythos, the barest contamination, a bite or a single drop of blood in an open wound, spells doom for a person. That could be a parallel to Africa's ongoing HIV and AIDS crisis, Ruberg wrote, or a reminder of the segregationists who used a "one drop rule" stating that black ancestry of any sort was justification enough to deny a person access to basic rights.

Ruberg is not the only commentator to blog on the issue. In a post titled "Blackface Goes HD?," Jason from Microscopiq takes issue not only with the race of the parties involved in the trailer, but also in the setting.

"With all the positive steps being taken of late to raise awareness of the good things happening in Africa as well as the urgent need in some parts of the continent, we really can't afford this kind of step back. We need to find ways to humanize Africans, not dehumanize them."

On Black Looks, a group blog focusing on African women and social concerns, Kym Platt briefly recaps the trailer, noting that it's apparently the white character's job to destroy the black people and save humanity.

"This is problematic on so many levels," Platt wrote, "including the depiction of Black people as inhuman savages, the killing of Black people by a white man in military clothing, and the fact that this video game is marketed to children and young adults. Start them young...fearing, hating, and destroying Black people."

Platt's blog--like the others--has spurred a number of responses, most overwhelmingly in defense of the game or against the original author. One response to the "Black Looks" post points out that the Resident Evil series has seen its share of zombies of European origin.

"According to the statistics of racial make-up in the world, I'd actually say that whites have been unfairly discriminated against in the series, if anything, since so many of them have been enemies in RE," said one commenter. "It only seems fair that Africans get treated equally, and with only one game full of primarily black enemies to six games full of primarily white, from a racial viewpoint I'd say that the Africans are getting off easy."

"There is plenty of real racism alive and well in the world today and words cannot describe how disgusting it can be," wrote another, "but it is garbage rants like this that take attention from real problems. It is absurd and insulting to everyone to suggest this game is in anyway being designed to teach anyone to hate black people."

A third poster merely commented, "That game looks so awesome."

Over on the Village Voice blog post, one commenter approached the issue from another direction, writing, "Many of these games, including [Resident Evil 5], are being made in ethnically homogenous Japan, where concepts of race are hugely different from those in America. On some level, I think Japanese developers simply don't understand how potentially flammable these kinds of scenarios could become, let alone some of the even more blatant stereotyping often found in Japanese games (think Barrett's penchant for Ebonics in [Final Fantasy 7], just for starters.)"

2674 Comments

  • xXBangomangoXx

    Posted Aug 9, 2009 5:38 pm PT

    I don't care what color the zombies are.
    If they're white, yellow (my skin color), or black, they're all still zombies,
    SO BLAST AWAY!

  • mmm424

    Posted Aug 5, 2009 11:09 pm PT

    People can seriously write anything for publicity.... how can anyone think the game is racist? SHEVA IS BLACK!!! how about the other 4 re games having 'white' zombies?
    and kids cant get influenced you m*r*n the game is rated 18!

  • LeonChrisNSheva

    Posted May 15, 2009 3:56 am PT

    Racist? LOL!!!
    First lemme point this out
    Sheva = African Chris = White

    Theres a point for ya, African killing africans? makes sense to me and why the F**K is it ok for every other resident evil game to kill white people and no1 give a toss about it.

    Another point is, Chris isnt trying to murder all black people for s**ts and giggles hes TRYING to SAVE THEM, hes not there for a massive f**k fest murdering any black person he sees hes trying to stop them becoming infected.

    It is rated 18 for a reason? Since when was 18 children? Im not a dumb ass so i understand 18 = adult in the UK, so yeahh this game is for children (obvious sarcasm).

    Another point is the fact that Shevas friend Josh is also black and nobody comments that its not just Chris (White) killing all these Africans, its also Josh and Sheva (African), is it just me or does nobody see that its not just a white guy unleashing lead into black people?

    Heres my final point:
    RE5 = Not Racist
    Anyong thinking it is need to FOAD quite literally ....

  • novak215

    Posted Apr 12, 2009 7:25 pm PT

    Anole7 thank you so much for the past re games they have killed white ppl im mean im white and im 14 so its in my concern that YOU ARE ALL STUPID if you think this game is racist because not only do you kill balck people you kill like 4 white people so suck it up or go DIE because you all need to play it to understand it ok and if you think im wrong then you are a da ok so go o and his assistant is a balck. And yall can whine about blacks getting killed but whites cant SHUT UP DANG!!

  • anole7

    Posted Apr 5, 2009 3:37 pm PT

    their in africa wat do u expect white ppl? retards

  • DrakeMcFee

    Posted Mar 20, 2009 11:00 pm PT

    First off, whoever haohmaru is he's either serious whic means hes not even worth wasting your time talking to or (more likely) he's just trying to yank ppls chains...and thus don't reply. That aside the fact that this game is racist in a white hates black sense is ridiculas. A big part of that would be that it was by japanese (asians in other words), so its kinda hard to find a conspiracy there. Its been stated before but here it is again, the game takes place in africa. Predominately you find black ppl in africa. I can't recall who said it but if you are playing this game so you can shoot virtual blacks..well you had an issue long before you turned the game on! I normally don't make the habit of naming posters directly but in orenkies case I'll make an exception. Seriously dude, your going off the map. This is a game, nothing more. Too many ppl are reading WAAAAAY too much into things and its ridiculas. Racism is not a good thing, but to try and use a game that has nothing to do with it as a soapbox to scream from is simply wrong.

  • aroland001

    Posted Mar 15, 2009 10:24 pm PT

    omg are you serious? hahah ..so what would make it better, them being in africa and killing all white people? they are in africa ..black people live in africa ..stop thinking that everything that any white person does in racist! get a life and get over it.

  • jjjjjj3jjjjjjjj

    Posted Mar 13, 2009 3:54 am PT

    haohmaru kid....you must honstly be the coolest kid ever in the whole eff'in world, right? have fun killing virtual black people, have fun being all tough on line, i bet u piss ur pants whenever you see a group of black people, even if its a group of black chicks. this game is not racist, ever form of media entertainment has to have a good guys and bad guys, movies, tv shows, books, and video games. the only difference with video games is that you control the actions of the character. This game the bad guys happen to be black, its not a big deal. you can make it a big deal if you are like the genius haohmaru and play the game like a racist killing every black person you see cause you hate black people or you can play the game it was intended to play and just kill the zombies (not because they are black but because they are zombie). peace dudes

  • HobN0b

    Posted Feb 11, 2009 8:49 am PT

    Is this article for real? The mind boggles with some people. There was obviously no other hidden agenda behind it when the thinktanks got together. It is a game, set in Africa, with Africans, get over it. To my recollection, in the intro of Res 5 Chris states that after fall of Umbrella the bioweapons fell into the hands of terrorists and it was a matter of time before they were used on 'developing' countries. Something to that affect anyway, do the people who are complaining know this? Also, Sheva, Chris' teammate, who helps kill the black African zombies, is black African!....Is she racist? I cannot believe articles like this make the news, obviously some people love it as it makes other people's blood boil, especially mine.

    Also Far Cry 2, I take it there are issues with that as well...pfft.

  • haohmaru11

    Posted Feb 4, 2009 7:58 pm PT

    if i cannot kill black ppl in real life , then i will f00king kill them all in that game ...all of theeeeeeeeeeeeeeem , aaaaaaaaall ,i am f00king tired of black f00king monkeys

  • haohmaru11

    Posted Feb 4, 2009 7:57 pm PT

    if i cannot kill black ppl in real life , then i will f00king kill them all in that game ...all of theeeeeeeeeeeeeeem , aaaaaaaaall ,i am f00king tired of back f00king monkeys

  • chuyerik

    Posted Jan 28, 2009 7:51 pm PT

    Capcom is not racist - they're just trying to make a great game, and guess what? It just happens to be in AFRICA THIS TIME AROUND, so there will be black people. Surprised? I'm not. I'll be surprised when I see white people and mexicans there... then I'll start asking questions.

    In my opinion, racism only becomes present when race IS EVEN NOTICED or REACTED TO, such as by these critics. The game is not racist, but perhaps these critics ARE, although I appreciate their good intentions (if I am perceiving them correctly). That is why they even pointed out race as being important in the first place - they are the ones that are saying "look at all the BLACK PEOPLE you're SHOOTING" while the average gamer is just saying "this is an awesome game!" When you see it this way, the source of the racism becomes obvious. Furthermore, it's these kinds of responses that keep racism alive - GIVING RACE ANY VALUE sets up the groundwork for racism to thrive. Unfortunately, you cannot blind people to race, but it can be their educated (or uneducated) decision to help it thrive or not by pointing out race at all. Also, I'm not saying that actual racism and unequal treatment shouldn't be pointed out, but that it should be handled delicately and pointed out with MUCH education and certainty in things that actually have more of an impact. This situation is akin to saying that there are too many black people living in X part of the world and something should be done about it because it's racist that there are so many there - it's the TERRITORY, and you DON'T judge the territory because that's just how it is. For example, we're all going to die at some point - it's not good or bad, it just IS, so you don't judge it. For racism to have an effect, it must be spread through weak minds. I would suggest educating our children and making their minds stronger rather than trying to eliminate any trace of race or racism out there - the latter is simply impossible and frankly naive, as it is infringing on others who are at no fault, in this case the gamers, fans, and makers of the Resident Evil series. It's like developing a strong immune system rather than getting rid of every possible germ and/or virus out there.

  • badboy69142000

    Posted Jan 25, 2009 11:48 am PT

    I hate it when blacks get offended by stuff they don't understand. Its their constant ranting thats keeping racism fresh on everyones mind. Im black, looked at the trailer and didnt think anything other than "Thats looks like a fun ass game." I've always been a fan of RE. Also for the ones saying most of RE games you are killing whites, your wrong. In most of the RE games you can't really tell, they have a classic zombie look. Decomposing, rotten flesh and torn clothes, just to be clear. All in all RE:5 looks like a great addition to the series, its gonna be a great game.

  • Molezzi

    Posted Nov 29, 2008 1:00 am PT

    What a ludicris statement!!! Get over your selves!! In all other Resident Evil Games.. AND 90 % of other violent games, its white ppl that are the enemy. All other resident evil games have featured WHITE ZOMBIES!!! Now because the developers want to change the setting of the game to make it more interesting, Black ppl get offended!!! ITS A GAME SET IN AFRICA!!!! GET OVER IT!!! 90% OF AFRICA IS BLACK... i know, cos i LIVE IN SOUTH AFRICA!!!!!!!! WHile we're on the issue... if you call black ppl who live in America ''African Americans'' Then whites in America should call themselves, "European Americans''. Im a white living in Africa... so i guess that makes me a ''European African''??? GET OVER RACE!!! Whether you're WHITE, BLACK, INDIAN...WHATEVER, get over racism... because ppl who are racist, are just insecure and idiots!!!! Nuf Said...

  • RaymeFights4RE

    Posted Nov 12, 2008 2:26 pm PT

    I am so angery that Resident Evil 5 is being made into a race issue. I have even posted a blog about it on my MySpace!! Please read and if you have an account please add me. http://www.myspace.com/xxumbrellagirl98xx or http://blog.myspace.com/xxumbrellagirl98xx

    African Americans need to get over the race issues! We now have an African American president! Resident Evil is an awesome game with a thought provoking story line. It has nothing to do with bashing African Americans! Who ever these people are that are complaining, SHAME ON THEM! I heard from Yahoo news that one of them is a CAPCOM producer. Do you know how many people including me would love to work as a Resident Evil producer for CAPCOM? What is going on! Spanish people didn't complain about Resident People 4 but when it involves African people watch out!! LOL!! Come on!!! Please read my blog. I am determined to put a stop to these complaints by setting these people straight. I hope they read this comment!!

    (excuse any misspelled words) Thank You!

  • maggotmeat

    Posted Nov 12, 2008 2:20 am PT

    just make a Caucasian version and a African American one. united negro collage fund, making whites sit at the back of the bus sense 1944.

  • CoolCheese6

    Posted Nov 9, 2008 9:33 am PT

    Who the f*** cares about da damn racism crap! people only buy it (including me) to pop some head off!

  • THSfootball60

    Posted Nov 8, 2008 8:30 pm PT

    I don't understand this, people like Jessee Jackson and others that act just like him souldn't be whining about everything being racist. I mean just because it has black zombies doesn't mean you should shoot blacks just like if there are white zombies you shouldn't shoot whites. This country is so racist against white people really just look at the presidential election. If 92% of the white people had voted for McCain then some black people would be saying this country is racist. Yet it's not racist to only vote for the African-American candidate because of his race.

  • blazed2k8

    Posted Aug 22, 2008 11:30 am PT

    WTF ! ! ! ! are these people stupid??? ITS F****N GAME FOR GOD SAKES. In RE4 the spanish didn't complain about racisim, But now These f****n People have the nerve to step up and complain about a game??? They should try the game out before the come out and start talking about racisim. SHIIIT, I can assure you that if they made a RE about portuguese, chinese, any race....they would try the game out before exposing themselves and complaining about racism.

    I HONESTLY DON'T CARE IM GETTING THIS GAME ANYWAYS WHETHER ITS RACIST OR NOT, IMMA KILL SOME ZOMBIES, BLACK, WHITE, OR SPANISH.

  • James_Milamber

    Posted Aug 13, 2008 4:49 am PT

    To quote:

    "This is problematic on so many levels," Platt wrote, "including the depiction of Black people as inhuman savages, the killing of Black people by a white man in military clothing, and the fact that this video game is marketed to children and young adults. Start them young...fearing, hating, and destroying Black people."

    Last time I checked, pretty much every RE game ever released has had at least an 'M' rating, if not 'MA15+' - which for those non-Aussies out there, means restricted to 15 years and over. So how is this game marketed to children in any way?

    In regards to racism, I can see both sides, but the fact of the matter is, we've had the majority of RE games set in the USA, and at least one set in Europe (not entirely sure where the first island in RE:CVX is...). In order to keep the games fresh, new settings must be found, and that usually means a new continent. Who's to say RE6 won't be set in Asia somewhere? Of course, we'll have the same problem then. Can't have Asian zombies/Ganados/whatever, that would be racist. Perfectly fine for an American agent to completely depopulate a Spanish village, though.

    Here's a thought - in RE0, Billy Coen was originally sentenced to be executed for killing 23 Africans.

    This game is not intended to be a racial slur - it's nothing more than a new setting that allows the game franchise to move in a new direction. I for one am greatly looking forward to the release, and I don't give a damn WHAT continent it's set on, or who I have to shoot. Set it on the streets of Sydney, and I'll still quite happily buy it. Because at the end of the day...

    IT'S JUST A GAME. (Although granted, one that looks totally awesome in every way...)

  • keyoga

    Posted Aug 2, 2008 1:33 am PT

    you know i read this and it comes back to an arguement ive made before. i understand that racism sucks, im white and i havnt gotten it bad. but there are alot of WHITE people who suffer from racism just as much if not MORE so then black people. what I dont understand, maybe soembody can explain it to me, is why when a white person makes a black joke hes a racist. but when i black person calls a white person a "cracker" or sometign like it, no body does anything. you wanna complain about racism, and i understand why you would feel singled out. but if yoru gonna B**** then maybe you should take a look and see how every race is racist. peopel tend to belive that racismt is getting better, and for those people, the game is not racist, it just happens to be black people, it could be white people (ex. resident evil 4) and it would still be the same, the point is when you buy a resident evil game you get it based on teh assumption that your gonna kill some zombies, you dont think "im gonna go kill some Black zombies, or White zombies" hell it could be friggin PURPLE zombies and we wouldnt are, as long as their heads exploded. we might comment on the fact that there purple, and say its kinda like a kiddy movie, but other then that we wouldnt care. so i think all yall need to stop yoru B****in and complaining, and just enjoy the game for what it is, a Zombie killing game where Zombies get their heads shot off.

  • orenkie

    Posted Jul 25, 2008 7:20 am PT

    Let me try to explain this to people as simply as I can because uuhhh I don't know whether yall are blind or just kinda slow to understand.

    SPAN-ISH, SPAN-IARD peoples aaaarreee CAUCASIAN. They are not mexican, they are not native Americans. Neither are the Portuguese.

    That is why "no one complained" Also partly for the reason there was no black protagonist killing said white villagers or any white people who have a problem with being the only thing seen in a video game.

    When you see these darker skinned people (none of which were in RE4 besides the giant) you probably rest assured they were Native Americans or African mixed breed.

    As we know the Spanish didnt just come here have intercourse with the natives and leave all the babies here.

    Now, that we've gotten that out of the way and you understand that spanish, aka europeans are white people let me make my next point.

    How many times do we complain about games like Tekken, Monster Hunter, Street Fighter, MGS, Unlimited Saga, etc. ?
    We NEVER do because they have people of color fighting with everybody (with and against) equally.

    Plus it's not the first time they were introduced in a number greater than 1. It's the reason lots of african peoples love sports games you can be "black" in them. And that's one of the main points of a video game, being relative. Sorry, but we can count on one hand how many relative games there are to us. That aint a good thing when we one of the largest demographics that buy games.

    Just by the fact alone that most game companies produce games for geared toward the western audience, people of color are not equated into that audience by many companies at all. This brings us to why CAPCOM isnt meaning to be racists, but by their own japanese folly are; They generally put a number of black people in their games. Believe it or not CAPCOM is a well known name in the black community (in the case of video games).

    All you have to say is, "The guys who made street fighter" and it's sold.
    However, the immediate truth is japan is racially insensitive. They still use racist depictions of black people and think it's cute, still rub a black person's skin and hold their nose when they see them, still never put black persons in their games but have no qualms at all with putting a "western" character in a game.

    In custom creation games they never let you choose black skin tone or black hair styles (or facial features for that matter).

    Then when time comes around for a massive amount of African peoples to be in a game they're all zombies ready to be shot up.

    So now the gaming community(mostly white kids) doesn't want any one to say anything about it like we all live in this fair, peachy-keen world where African people don't have it hard and we all eat in the same kitchen.

    I think these gaming kids forget that there are African peoples all throughout the world (African for instance, Brasil for seconds, Fiji, Jamaica, Australia, Russia, Thailand, the "Middle East") who are still going through bad times.

    In fact, little African children are dying in mines to mine out ore to make your F'in game systems so you can shoot them in the face in Resident Evil and YOU want ME to shut up about how racists and unfair the game is?

    You switch places with our world's conditions and I might think about it.
    Until then you should be quiet. You shouldn't speak on anything to do with racism. You should not have a voice to speak on it when you think it's ok for one race to continually have the bad end of a deal.

  • Dbad101

    Posted Jul 16, 2008 6:59 pm PT

    i don't understand they didn't make a big deal with RE4, you know killing Spaniards but no one cared(that i knew off) so when its black people its racist. man that sucks

  • lonewolf1044

    Posted Jul 15, 2008 2:54 pm PT

    I believe I saw some white zombies in the trailer as well. I don't see no problems in having Black zombies in the game as long as I don't hear the N-word The game shows the infection has spread to other continents as well. Looks like those things that pop in the place of the head has returned as well. Hated those monsters in RE4. Can't wait for it to come out.

  • 1992warrior

    Posted Jul 15, 2008 2:18 pm PT

    A third poster merely commented, "That game looks so awesome." That guy is a legend! All this racism crap talk about a game and you still have the cool ass gamer! Woo hi 5!

  • bochap76

    Posted Jul 15, 2008 11:34 am PT

    I guess if Delta Force: Black Hawk down, hadn't been based on histoical events, then it would have been a racists game. Perhaps, Kunta Kinte should have been played by a white actor since a white man beating a black man is too sensitive to young viewers. Roots is almost a mandantory curricullum in some schools, especially during black history month. Face it, Germans have been villanized by the gaming industry more than anyone, and I don't hear them complaining like they have sand in their vagina

  • Shalafein

    Posted Jul 15, 2008 5:42 am PT

    Then I Am Legend is racist a black guy was shooting white infected people! i didnt hear any white people say " thats racist"
    ( I Am Legend is still a good movie.)

  • Shattermage

    Posted Jul 14, 2008 7:15 pm PT

    Being marketed to "children and young adults"? Sounds like some people are still living in the beginning of last decade. Ms. Platt: You ma'am, are the living definition of "moron".

  • alstevens83

    Posted Jul 14, 2008 5:42 pm PT

    It's ironic actually if you watch the latest of the dead film romero actually say that the is people who write blogs who are more right wing as ever.

    Has the people who wrote this blog actually looked up the history of the zombie myth. The origins of the Zombie world comes from Voodoo and the whole area of jamica and the west indies. RE 5 looks like its combining the Sci world which this game is clearly based and combining it with the ideas of the film "Zombie Flesh Eater".

    In the end of the day it's a god damn game. If those people honestly believe that it will promote Racism then they should ask the question when it was a white character killing a white (well white and grey in a state of rigamortis) character it was ok, however when a game which is about a creature which has the origins within the world of Voodoo and all that, it deemed to be Racist.

    Personally i call BS on this however if this post could get posted to the blog posters i will say the same thing again.

  • blank2_12

    Posted Jul 14, 2008 5:14 pm PT

    Wow more deranged ranting from some pseudo-moralists... yay.

    We have now learned, kids, that it's only ok to kill white people in games.

  • sleepyj327

    Posted Jul 14, 2008 5:09 pm PT

    i dont think i can bite the nerve to call this game racist. If we take a look at the history of Resident Evil, most of the zombies have been white as well as the protagonists. Now (for whatever reason.. doesnt really make a difference) the game is set in Africa and now there are black zombies (mostly) with a few white zombies sprinkled around. That sounds realistic to me. I have even seen the trailer which shows the appearance of a black young lady as a secondary protagonist to quiet all of the talk about racism in the game. See, now everyone is happy =)

  • Shalafein

    Posted Jul 14, 2008 2:44 pm PT

    Its Just A GAME!

  • motionxsickness

    Posted Jul 3, 2008 12:50 pm PT

    OBVIOUSLY RACIST!!!!Rr1 ashdfhahahahahaha

  • motionxsickness

    Posted Jun 28, 2008 8:11 pm PT

    OMG SO RACIST!!

  • AbyssSoul posted Jun 25, 2008 1:18 pm PT (does not meet display criteria. sign in to show)

    AbyssSoul

    Posted Jun 25, 2008 1:18 pm PT (hide)

    I don't if this game is not racist . RE still suck. No matter whar race the zobies are. and thats a fact.

  • metroidprimer

    Posted Jun 23, 2008 11:27 am PT

    this kym platt sounds like the new jack thompson.
    ".... and the fact that this game is marketed to children and young adults"
    yeah, i'm gonna have to call a big fat BS on that one.
    So what if there are immature racist idiots in this world. This game is not for them, and that's why it's got that huge M on the box

  • engelbert1

    Posted Jun 20, 2008 8:46 pm PT

    Seriously, I just hate it when some people use th the term racist without knowing the concept of "RACE" in the first place.

    I just can't stand it when to maricans call each other racist. I mean my gosh! Their both americans for goodness sake. It's like to m&ms fighting at each other.

  • pixiefied

    Posted Jun 11, 2008 10:09 pm PT

    sorry ruberg, you're not a dude, i apologise but that's not the point

    adding on, im sure there are game developers who are african americans as well, if they make a game like re5, who's to say they arent mature enough to know that its just entertainment and live with it?

    i mean, arent i right? who's with me

  • pixiefied

    Posted Jun 11, 2008 10:06 pm PT

    ruberg dude.... we're just gamers, we only care if the game is great. plus, if you really want to bring up issues on the media, you dont see americans, chinese, japanese, african americans in Bollywood films do you. means they are RACIST! RIGHT?!

    WRONG YOU IDIOT, THEY JUST WANT TO MAKE MOVIES FOR THEIR COUNTRY"S OWN ENTERTAINMENT, AS DO JAPAN! Take a look at Bruce Lee's films, he has an american student named chuck norris (and pls dont start the chuck norris joke) and people can go around saying chuck norris could owned bruce with a finger, tell me guys.... is that even logical? i would say its racist THEN, but does anybody mind? (maybe a few hardcore bruce lee fans who CAN STILL BE AMERICANS, AFRICANS OR PEOPLE FROM ANY COUNTRY)

    might i point out again, this is a game, something one would call entertainment. (pls read up ruberg)

  • Razor182

    Posted Jun 3, 2008 12:58 pm PT

    Seriously, peope who are playing these games arn't five years old, they're going to be people who already have a grip on racist issues around the world. They are not going to base their entire opinion of plack people off a video game. I mean seriosly its just a video game not a hate tool.

  • dyer85

    Posted Jun 3, 2008 4:25 am PT

    So we should begin to stifle game developer creativity on the basis of race now? I would be more offended if the gaming industry were merely meeting some forced quota of having black protagonists. Honestly, I would like to see a black protagonist or an equally interesting antagonist (in my opinion, the villains are often more interesting than the heroes). If that's what the developers were going for, that's cool.

    The bottom line is that when I play games like LoZ WW, TP, RE, etc., I see an epic struggle, not stereotypes. It's an escape into interesting fantasy that talented developers put hard work and time into delivering. They just want us to have fun (and make some coin; nothing wrong with making loot at what you love ;-). I just don't think developers should be limited because they're afraid of what people might think, to an extent. I'm not suggesting that directly racist games are cool.

    There's nothing wrong with voicing your opinion, this just happens to be mine, and I definitely respect the other side of the argument here.

  • thegreatiandi

    Posted May 31, 2008 3:01 pm PT

    Well speena_b, 1st off, it was Ice Cube in xxx, not T. And as far as not many white people living in Africa.. are you serious about that one? Naw.. you can't be. As im sure you know your history of South Africa. And the 4 actors you named are all well and good... but thats just the problem with that. There about it. IS it thats all we have? Or that those are some of the few that get a chance. It's obvious that you wouldn't be able to understand where im comming from here... and thats not a bad thing. Its just life i guess. And kickassmunk...the only real issue here is that we want to be everything in games... just like in movies. Period. Now can you tell why that hasn't happened? No you can't. I am African American ( mother ), and Black foot ( father ).... not that it should mater, but i know racism. 1st hand. So please don't try and come off with your comments about " maybe we should treat blacks different than any1 else " like its funny. Cause its not. If you truly knew your self, and history of yourself, you would see the arrogance in your words only show no knowledge of self. I mean come on... i assume if you are what you say you are... (Mexican, Native American (Blackfoot), and German ), then you would know that Mexicans are a created race. Spaniard , and American Indian is the genetic makeup that creates Mexican. But i'm sure you didn't know that until i just said it. Mexicans are not indigenous to America buddy...or what you call now Mexico. Ive said already in my previous post about the treatment of Mexicans, women, Asian's, ect... so read up first before you make comments. Bottom line is good/ bad guys for all. Not just the same old formula. The new generation of gamers won't... and shouldn't stand for it. The worlds changing... why the hell shouldn't the gaming industry that we made rich... do the same thing.

  • Kickassmunk

    Posted May 27, 2008 9:45 pm PT

    this looks like its a pretty old thread, but.....
    i noticed one person mention about black people in movies where they either die first or as a hero to 'make black people feel better' about it. and this whole deal with the zombies being black is kinda ridiculous. so, is it that black people dont wanna be depicted as zombies, or is it that they dont want to be killed by a white person? wasnt there protest over the bad depictions of the black community in GTA:San Andreas? seems to me like it isnt so much that black people dont want to be depicted in a bad light as they dont seem to want to be depicted at all. you want the equal card to be played, yet your already being depicted just as equally as anyone else. if anything the asian (Chinese and Japanese) should be the ones angry at the video game industry. they are always, and i mean always, depicted as all being martial arts experts with budhist beliefs or in a Yakuza gang. yeah, there were black zombies in RE5, but you realize that had they thrown one white zombie among the, what 5 different models of zombies, that would just look kinda stupid and would have been an obvious attempt to conform to standards and practices( which ultimately means: not entertaining). the black community in US might as well start their own censorship board to tell everyone exactly how they are supposed to be properly depicted. they must be treated special, as opposed to they way Americans treat Mexican, Asians, and most Europeans. and dont even start about the lack of concern for depicting Canada in a good light. sounds like you just want special privilages. if you want it to be equal, then allow it to be equal. everyone should be allowed to make fun of everyone or noone. if you want equality, then push for equality, not African awareness.
    i know that if anyone still reads this thread they will probably have a few ill words about me being racist or whatever. im not, i believe in equality, and treat everyone equally. i am part Mexican, Native American (Blackfoot), and German. i cannot think of any single form of media expression that has ever shown a Mexican in a good light. hell, Cheech and Chong pretty much said that it was ok to make fun of Mexicans. even the Mexican TV channel i get makes fun of Mexicans. i dont get mad or offended about it, because its all in fun. your only going to see racism if you have racism in your heart. if you already have a chip on your shoulder about it, then of course, RE5 is gonna look racist, but so is GTA:SA, FF7, horror movies, and any white person that even looks at you. i personally didnt like RE5, but that had nothing to do with the color of the zombies. i didnt even take into consideration that any of them were black. hell, once they are zombies, they arent even people anymore....

  • Mr_Armageddon17

    Posted May 26, 2008 2:29 pm PT

    I have a question for some of the people commenting here. Would you prefer that the protagonist be black or would you prefer that the game not take place in Africa? This is not an argument simply something I was thinking about.

  • spenna_b

    Posted May 26, 2008 6:28 am PT

    i think you lot need to get a grip,the games set in africa,no offence but not many white people actually live there ,and as for the main character being white,the main guy has been in it all the way through so ya cant really blame them that he is still white,maybe in future there should be more non-white leads in games and film but ya have to remember will smith ,martin lawrence,denzil washington and others when ya think of big movie stars,even ice t in xxx, maybe the real people with the issues are yourselves for always looking for the negative side,,colour isnt important to me,white black grey green ,were all the same, a person is a person , its up to you if wou want to look for the 'white man killing black people' in this game,i think that those people are the real people with the racism problems, and you can have a go at me all ya like ,cause at the end of the day i dont distinguish between colour or race so im not a racist and never will be

  • TwinTiger

    Posted May 25, 2008 4:04 pm PT

    @thegreatiandi

    Exactly. The main problem goes beyond killing black zombies. It's that the RE series went from having no black people (Kenneth J. Sullivan doesn't count since he was D.O.A. by the time the game started), to showing black people in a negative light. It gives the impression that the developers of the series think very little of us.

    Caucasian males make up a small percentage of the world's population, yet about 80% of the protagonists in video games are caucasian males. There was a recent poll that showed that african-americans spend more money on video games than anyone else. Clearly, the gaming industry as a whole could use some adjusting.

  • Donnyp

    Posted May 25, 2008 3:30 pm PT

    Stop Classifying them as a color and not a people cause thats racist.
    Plus They're zombies and i havent heard a single statement that its racist against Zombies. Zombies are people to. And killing them is taking thier rights. How would you like it i dug up your grandparents and shot them?

  • spaceball3

    Posted May 25, 2008 2:39 pm PT

    why don't you people just watch the interview with the developers, they explain why it's set in africa

  • thegreatiandi

    Posted May 25, 2008 1:52 pm PT

    I took a little break from this comment board, just to see where the talk was going to be headed. And i still think that the real point is being missed here. Most everyone keeps putting out there that u have had a white guy ( hero.. as always. Gezz.. if thats not silly.. i don't know what is ) killing bad guys for 4 games now. And no one has had a problem with it because with the exception of r4, the baddies were white. Thats super guys. I'm glad we all have done our homework on this. However the point here is still variety. The powers that be gave us Jill and Clair. The reason for this? Variety. Because you have women who play these games to.. and would like to have a representation of them self in mainstream media that they enjoy every bit as much as males. And they didn't see fit to put the ladies in skimpy shorts, with big breast jumping up and down acting like an airhead. Why? Because it would be wrong. Period. If instead of the " racist " issue ( and i have to point out.. that i don't truly think its racist as much as inconsiderate ) that were talking about right now, what if there were no female representation in the games? It would would be sexist correct? And if women had a problem with it... they should say something correct? So now we have another Resident evil with more of the same white good guys... killing zombies. Everyone is happy to see Chris is back...as am i. However.... after countless games now... black people still haven't got a representation. And now that we get to finally turn on a resident evil game.. and see our faces... its as bug-eyed zombies.. getting killed by what else? The white hero. Like i said b4... had there been a few African American ( or just African. Or maybe Asian or Hispanic ) good guys, there would be no issue here. I could guarantee the world would never have a game where theres a black guy killing off nothing but whites. Even if it was in a predominantly white area of the world. Noway would that ever make it on to store shelves. LOL. EVER! But most of you could never understand the point being made here. Because you get to turn on the tv.. and see some1 who resembles you, or go to see a movie.. and some one resembles you everyday. You cant understand that no mater what we do in media, how much money we also put in to entertainment ( video games, movies ect... ), we still wont get the same respect. Countless " blockbuster movies are coming out this summer guys. How many of them have more than one black person in them.. if any at all? Exactly the point. We can't have a movie like Lord of the rings with any black people as a main character? O wait.. theres Terence Howard in Iron Man. Yay. We got to see him on the screen about 5 times. Cool! Not cool guys. What about The Hulk? Nope. Humm... how about The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian? Well.. theres one out of a cast of 1000's. Its old to us. How about a supporting character? Hollywood's good for doing that sometimes right? We don't have the luxury that Caucasians get. Unless we turn to the one channel ( the stooopidest crap ever...B.E.T ), or go and see a " Black Film " made by black directors. Video Games? Well theres always a few crappy GTA knock offs where 50cent or snoop stars in it. Horrible. Or we can still be the wise cracking, " jive " talking black guy from gears of war. Like i said.. most of you wouldn't get it. And i don't expect you to. But like i said b4... Dead Rising had every kind of zombie in it. And it was an awesome game. Thats all we have wanted b4. And never got. Now that we get to see Africans...it just sucks that this is how we get to do it.

    P.S
    Some one pointed out the racism in GTA. Its so true. So when some1 brings it up... boy he should watch out. Because by the looks of things... as long as the games dosen't offend the white majority... then theres nothing wrong with it. Period. So shut your mouth about it. Don't bring it up. Don't dare have an opinion about something that affects you. Or else these message board tuff guys will get cha.

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