Garrett Hawke
Member
but what is "white" about the other inklings?
giant pointy ears?
huge eyes?
tiny noses?
sharp teeth?
-
Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.
Inkling Boy & Girl are the first black non-Mii characters in Mario Kart
- Thread starter Garrett Hawke
- Start date
- Status
giant pointy ears?
huge eyes?
tiny noses?
sharp teeth?
King Gilga
Member
The Spoony Hou
Member
Ok, fine. If being black means having a dark skin, ok then. Nothing to argue.
I definitely think diversity exists to a small extent in Mario Kart, but if you're going to use the logic that black inklings and white inklings are representative of black and white humans then imo black and white yoshis did it first. Neither inkling or yoshis are "people" in the sense that they're some derivative of humanity(isn't one an evolved squid and the other an evolved dinosaur)?
She looks like a coal-colored Miqote to me. In the sense that Miqote are people then yes she looks like a black person to me, just not a black human.
As I was saying above, if you consider a yoshi a person in that they have self interest and conscious thought, a black yoshi would be considered a black person as well. Just not a black human.
Garrett Hawke
Member
but that's what i mean - why can they not be black? inklings may not have the same level of facial diversity that real life humans do, but they clearly have diversity in skin tone.
Inklings are clearly humanoid with human-esque skin tones. Comparing that to yoshi is ridiculous, when he is a green dinosaur. Another false equivalent when inklings are meant to represent kids with skin tones as the Splatoon game actually says.
"the black race"?
It's really, really not about that at all. A black person made this thread , OC, about being happy with the inclusion.
I don't even know much about Splatoon but the wiki says they evolved from squids, meaning they're only humanoid in design. They don't have ancestral roots in the races of modern humanity. If they're as contextually human as yoshis are then my point still stands. Yoshis have many skin tones dating back as far as Super Mario World, so they aren't just green dinosaurs.
So imo there are black and white "people" in Mario Kart, but there are not yet black and white "humans" in Mario Kart(not counting Miis). This is just my opinion though and I'm being pretty technical. I'd definitely like to see some real human-racial diversity when it comes to Nintendo characters in the future though.
King Gilga
Member
I mean they could be anything, they're left incredibly ambiguous for that reason. But going straight to the label of 'black' on something that vague is basically telling every other non white skin tone 'fuck off it's ours'. When it's nobodies and could be for every non pale skinned being.
Forgive me for asking, but what do you think "black" means?
What am I reading?
They are a darker toned version of the species. That's the same as what we get with humans. You know we all descended from the same human, right?
Shadow Broker
Banned
What happened to this thread?
When I first saw this thread I thought it'll be 2 or 3 pages long then die off. I read the last couple of pages and yeah...
For some of us it's simple.
I am Latino. I have brown skin. Back when inkling's were first revealed and I notice a tanned (brownish) skin tone version I told myself that I'll main that character.
Whether in Splatoon or Pokémon or in this case Mario Kart 8 Deluxe I appreciate the option of using a character with a skin tone similar to my own especially since there aren't many Latino playable characters in games today. It's mainly white characters with some black characters sprinkled in.
(I know inkling's aren't Latino)
Maybe because the industry for the most part uses the same skin tone for the majority of games that when options for something different from the norm is released it feels like a breath of fresh air for people of that race.
It's also weird that this conversation is happening over Mario Kart 8 Deluxe which feature cartoony creatures racing each other. Props to Nintendo for including the option.
When I first saw this thread I thought it'll be 2 or 3 pages long then die off. I read the last couple of pages and yeah...
For some of us it's simple.
I am Latino. I have brown skin. Back when inkling's were first revealed and I notice a tanned (brownish) skin tone version I told myself that I'll main that character.
Whether in Splatoon or Pokémon or in this case Mario Kart 8 Deluxe I appreciate the option of using a character with a skin tone similar to my own especially since there aren't many Latino playable characters in games today. It's mainly white characters with some black characters sprinkled in.
(I know inkling's aren't Latino)
Maybe because the industry for the most part uses the same skin tone for the majority of games that when options for something different from the norm is released it feels like a breath of fresh air for people of that race.
It's also weird that this conversation is happening over Mario Kart 8 Deluxe which feature cartoony creatures racing each other. Props to Nintendo for including the option.
I agree with this, I'm not sure where you're getting that I don't.
When you're making a splatoon character the menu literally says pick a skin tone. They have skin. They want kids to pick what represents them. It's not a far leap to say they are humaneqsue avatars.
Sure you can say they're not form earth or our reality but they are offering diversity for people in our own reality to identify with.
I am sure The Spoony Hou think's she is just a "tanned" Japanese woman.
I agree, probably modelled of this Japanese girl.
She is also not from the US and that's the only place black people exist so strike two.
People are so vehemently opposed to having black people in their video games the come up with this "tanned" nonsense.
King Gilga
Member
Thats... Not something I could really narrow down.
You said they don't have the ancestral root as humans.
The inklings, by our understanding of evolution, would have required the same conditions as humans to be different from each other.
Separation for generations in a different environment but not for long enough for mutation to make them a different species.
The Spoony Hou
Member
Lol
Ok, man, go on with your race wars. Whatever makes you happy.
I'd rather have a meaningful discussion, so I'm out.
They aren't derived from humanity, they're derived from squids. Whether or not they end up with similar features to mankind they are still genetically squids. That's why I'm comfortable calling white inklings, "white people", but not "white humans".
This true as long as this part from the Splatoon Wiki is true:
Spring-Loaded
Member
Don't let the door hit you in the ink sac on the way out
So are you going to explain what you think a black person should look like?
And "race wars" really?
Edit:
You think anything you've posted thus far was meaningful?
Well, how you define it will colour your argument. It's semantics by this point. Other people consider black to be a certain shade, whereas others like to think of it as relatively recent heritage.
Say, an Albino African native is still black to some, and not to others.
What may be confusing is when people have it both ways. But that's another discussion.
Oh okay... I see you are really just being super technical with the language, haha.
Damnit, why won't you take the bait.
I'm seriously not sure if some people in this thread know that Black people can come in relatively lighter skin tones too? There are a few people in here that talk in a way hat make me not so sure.
CHRIST. Do you seriously not understand how Inklings are avatars and relateable and humanoid in ways Yoshis are not? This is a terrible and dumb comparison.
I don't know you well enough and I hesitate to jump to conclusions but literally the ONLY people in the world I've EVER seen use the term "race wars" unironically are.........not very good people (and I'm being euphemistic here). You may want to take some time to reflect on what you are saying here as well as better listen to what some other people have been saying.
CHRIST. Do you seriously not understand how Inklings are avatars and relateable and humanoid in ways Yoshis are not? This is a terrible and dumb comparison.
I don't know you well enough and I hesitate to jump to conclusions but literally the ONLY people in the world I've EVER seen use the term "race wars" unironically are.........not very good people (and I'm being euphemistic here). You may want to take some time to reflect on what you are saying here as well as better listen to what some other people have been saying.
I mean again this is arguing semantics to distract from a very simple concept: there are now skin tone options that might help kids feel more represented.
"But are they really equivalent to the human race?" is a pointless runaround.
Smiles and Cries
Member
I agree, probably modelled of this Japanese girl.
<3 this young lady
In a just world she would become Nintendo's new Princess
Yeah, I clearly don't mean to offend, and like I said I'd love to see Nintendo make some actual human characters that are more racially diverse.
The point I was making is that I see white and black yoshis as white and black people(as much as white/black inklings are people), but Nintendo has yet to include any black human characters in really anything they've made(as far as I know). It's just semantics but I was taking issue with the idea that Nintendo has actually decided to include true black representation and not just "vaguely multiracial fantasy humanoid" representation.
What if I relate to yoshis more than inklings, who are you to say I don't?
These topics always do. It's just impressive how people out themselves so obviously while thinking they aren't. hahaha
🚑🚑🚑
And then follow it up with "how dare you assume anything about me???"
MisterGrey3000
Member
Everything doesn't need to be the damn burger king kids club, man.
Super Mario Bros./Mario Kart are the lowest on the list of game/book/TV/etc. IPs that I'm looking for representation or diversity in.
I honestly wouldn't mind if the human/near-human cast stayed mostly homogeneous so long as there is still stuff like turtle dragons, gorillas, the undead, princesses, and dinosaurs to play as.
But at the end of the day, if people are happy and excited about inclusion that's cool.
No skin off my nose, really.
Super Mario Bros./Mario Kart are the lowest on the list of game/book/TV/etc. IPs that I'm looking for representation or diversity in.
I honestly wouldn't mind if the human/near-human cast stayed mostly homogeneous so long as there is still stuff like turtle dragons, gorillas, the undead, princesses, and dinosaurs to play as.
But at the end of the day, if people are happy and excited about inclusion that's cool.
No skin off my nose, really.
Spring-Loaded
Member
He thinks people respond to him and others like him for the fun of it, rather than to call out ridiculousness for the sake of their own mental well-being.
He doesn't have any frame of reference for feeling compelled to argue against racist/ignorant rhetoric because the alternative is feeling dehumanized and feeling like a coward, letting that ignorance persist uninterrupted. The only thing he understands is arguing because you must enjoy it
I think most people are on this mind set, which is why all this "nu-uh, you can't be happy about it because REASONS!" some people have been going about with the whole "they're just tanned" argument is just very...weird and kinda unsettling.
The number of people who actually feel this way in the world can be counted on one hand. There is a reason you can dress your Inkling up with sweet clothes, choose from a variety of skin tones (most of kind of realistic), hairstyle options seem expanded in Splatoon 2, etc. Is it the best thing in the world Nintendo could have done? No. Is it still an obviously positive step and something appreciated by many PoC? Yes.I don't know what your angle here is aside from being a jerk.
Spring-Loaded
Member
Imagine what you could learn if you were intellectually honest and understanding of others in this discussion.
My angle is exactly what you said here. I agree with this completely lol. More representation is good but it doesn't do enough for a company that makes exclusively white human characters.
I don't understand where you're going with this, I'm for more representation. This is a good step but it's not enough imo. Breath of the Wild had a lot of diversity for characters that are clearly better human analogs than inklings, but they'll never take center stage.
Smiles and Cries
Member
I would like to introduce you all to this age's new Claudette Colvin
I hope that face is loved by all, I am going to use that one online to kick all yo asses XD
look her up
I hope that face is loved by all, I am going to use that one online to kick all yo asses XD
I mean at this point you're just being contrarian because there's not much else to say. There's no possible argument to say which one looks more human. You can be someone that affiliates with dragons or dinosaurs but that's not what this discussion is about.
King Gilga
Member
Not all of Africa is black...
You can't just narrow down being black to just either skin tone, heritage or culture. It means different things in different places to different people.
And none of that really has anything with what I was saying. It has nothing to do with what black is or isn't, but with what these squids could be.
You can't just avatar quote yourself.
Spring-Loaded
Member
That squid is black
So I'm guessing you missed the entire discussion that happened around New Leaf where darker skinned players did indeed spend actual real life hours tanning their characters daily just so their character's skin tone could match their own? It's even come up a few times in this thread.
As a counter point... The human characters are hardly proportioned in the sort of way that creates a mental divide between say, Mario and an Inkling.
Like, Rugrats are talking babies, they can't possible be human (extreme).
I think most, at least, understand the subtopic that they're not Homo sapien, but the inclusion, regardless of if they were or not, has the same affect. That's the more common perception, I can assume.
I think its fine to feel like the dark skinned inklings appeal to you. Mine is brown, since I am brown myself. Its not something I really care about, but its a nice option to have.
I am ok with Nintendo and the Mario franchise lack of diversity, since its just a symptom of Japanese culture in general.
I am ok with Nintendo and the Mario franchise lack of diversity, since its just a symptom of Japanese culture in general.
King Gilga
Member
That squid has ambiguously brown skin and could be anything.
But Mario is, for some reason, an italian man. I think if you label a character with an actual earth nationality then anyone from that franchise suddenly represents humans from reality. There's zero excuse for the Mario universe to have only one skin tone at this point.
- Status
Similar threads
- Poll