Race and Racism In Video Games

SlappingOysters writes "Racism in video games has been a key topic of discussion in the game industry this year, thanks in large part to the controversy surrounding the Resident Evil 5 launch trailer. In this article, GamePlayer speaks to developers, publishers, activists and journalists about the issue to get various perspectives and insights into how the video game industry is moving forward on the topic of racism. A related piece also has interviews with Sue Clark from the UK's Classification Board and Dr. Griseldis Kirsch, a lecturer in Contemporary Japanese Studies, about how racism in video games is viewed by the BBFC and Japan respectively."

Re:Remember kids

[MightyYar]

Best... pedant... ever.

Re:Remember kids

[Shados]

That's because elves live for a thousand years and dwarves have darkvision.

So-called "races" don't have intrinsic differences.

Are you sure about that? Look at the percentage of south africans and chinese who are lactose intolerant, and asians who are near sighted.

So well...

Race: Caucasian
No stat bonus or penalty
Racial ability at level 1: Able to see more than 3 feets away without contacts.
Racial ability at level 3: can digest milk even after reaching level 4

The caucasian also has -1 * Charisma modifier to the "Humility" skill.

I have a dream

[LtGordon]

that one day on the red hills of Silicon Valley, the sons of former Pac-Men and the sons of Blinky, Pinky, Inky, and Clyde will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood. I have a dream that my four little children will one day play a game where they will not be judged by the color of their avatar, but by the content of their player stats.

Re:Remember kids

[ozphx]

The thing that struck me most about Farcry 2, being set in Africa, was the lack of black dudes. To be frank I found it hilarious that someone had decided that they needed an even mix of races to avoid the game "being about shooting black guys".

I mean seriously, is everyone really that jacked up about all these perceived slights on their race?

Re:It could have been worse

[giantweevil]

It doesn't matter, we still can't stop there.

Worse than bat country, goddamn.

Re:Remember kids

[eosp]

Elrond doesn't have a pretty face. QED.

Re:Game categories...

[cgenman]

I wouldn't be at all surprised to find that there are more Mac users than racists.

Why do you think they're only available in white?

(I kid, I kid)

Re:First

[fireman sam]

As an escaped convict, I take offense to your generalizations that escaped convicts like to ass rape people.

Re:My education

[pizzach]

Games that defined my view of the races in my youth: Mike Tyson's Punch-Out Street Fighter series As a side note - my first American television show was Dukes of Hazzard. Followed, I think, by a re-run of Jeopardy. I was confused.

The irony about this post? Both games mentioned have a character modeled to look like Mike Tyson. Not a great example of how either stereotype black people. In the Japanese version of Street Fighter, Mike is actually called Mike to boot [yahoo.com].

I hope that helped you, Liu Kang HungWeiLo.

Polycausality is so difficult... so difficult...

[hessian]

Things have multiple traits.

You can be members of the following groups:

* Genders
* Races
* Ethnicities
* Classes
* Sexual Orientations

and many more! Even better, you can be members of multiple groups at the same time.

I thought they taught this stuff in introductory science classes.

Re:Game categories...

[mike2R]

Well you can get black ones - pretty much the same as the white version but they've got a bigger... you know... hard drive.

Re:Remember kids

[VShael]

The caucasian also has -1 * Charisma modifier to the "Humility" skill.

And the African American gets a +3 to Thief skill
And the Asian gets a +3 intelligence modifier

What? We're only allowed to be racist against Caucasians now?

Re:Perhaps...

[elrous0]

As a racist myself, I really resent the way the term is tossed around in this modern day politically-correct world. When I was younger, you had to EARN your racist moniker. I had to actually burn crosses on people's lawns, threaten them if they voted, burn down their barn if they got all uppity, etc. That was fucking WORK, man. The KKK doesn't just let anyone in, you have to go to the meetings and buy robes and shit (not to mention raise money with those damned candy sales once a year). Nowadays, any old innocent yahoo who tells a joke or makes a movie or TV show that shows blacks/latinos/etc. in anything less than the most positive light gets labeled a racist. That's such bullshit!

It's just damned unfair to call someone a "racist" for portraying Africans or Haitians as poor, largely uneducated, slum dwellers--as opposed to opulent, college-educated, people living in vast mansions on piles of money and dignity. It's damned unfair to *ME*! I worked hard at becoming a racist and now I have to share the same footing with some lazy dipshit whose only racism was a crime of *omission* as opposed to my actual *commission*?!?!?

Now, if you'll excuse me I have to go spraypaint "Nigger, get out!" on someone's front door. That's the kind of thing those of us who actually *EARNED IT* have to do to be called a racist.

Re:Remember kids

[denzacar]

Actually, if you have blue eyes. You can get hurt by the sun more.

And of course, white skin... = sun burn.

So, blue eyes are -1 to perception during day, but they give added bonus to speech and leadership skills.
And white skin increases the damage received for first 5 levels, and adds a 2% chance increase for a critical hit to turn into skin cancer.

Black skin on the other hand offers natural nocturnal camouflage.

Asians get 13% higher life expectancy and receive 31% more gold than whiteys [wikipedia.org], and 5% intelligence bonus. [wikipedia.org]