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[Y2Kev]

This might just open an interesting dialogue, there is no right and wrong here. You aren't wrong if you don't see racism in the RE5 trailer, as i said i personally don't see it directly, but people might see it aren't stupid either and i don't understand why so many people are just dismissive of N'Gai's opinion.

I think 50% of people are legitimately surprised that someone could see it as racist and the other 50% are pissed off somebody's gonna PUT THEIR HOBBY ON FOX NEWS AGAIN AND MAKE THEM FEEL BAD

 

[harSon]

This is the part that he's not getting. He talks about how the trailer has connotations of Black Hawk Down and its perceived racism but then views the RE series as if its in a vacuum (i.e. doesn't consider how the previous games portrayed antagonists). Huge double standard in that regard.

You'd have a point if the Spanish had a history of being portrayed in that fashion, fortunately, they don't.

 

[AmMortal]

http://i27.tinypic.com/35lb7ds.jpg[IMG]

This is where the game is set, in either Ethiopia, or Somalia. This is where humanity was born.[/QUOTE]


yaaaaaaaaaaaaaayyy

I'm Somalian, BOW DOWN TO YOUR FATHER GAF!

 

[jett]

It's Portuguese afaik

No, it's spanish. The developers didn't bother to research the language either, as they don't speak with a spaniard accent, but with a latin american one. LULZ TEH RACIST ALL LATINO PEOPLE ARE THE SAME

 

[Doubledex]

I can't wait to design a game where emaciated naked Jews are being shot down and killed by some white guy because they are "diseased" and now mad. Because that imagery could never be taken out of context for people who haven't yet played the game....

 

[joshcryer]

Damn this is completely unexpected. Damn damn damn. Would've never thought N'Gai would have this rather narrow minded perspective.

edit: BTW, if you go back to the big ass epic thread when the trailer was released some of the *first comments* would be about how it would be seen as racist.

 

[Anasui Kishibe]

and N'Gai gloriously enters the already chok-full chart of asswipes

funny thing is that some of you are actually trying to justify his bullshit.


shooting Spanish people is ok because they don't have the same history. This is probably the fucking crappiest piece of bullshit I've read in months

 

[Kosma]

I'd personally like to see a complection that is not between oil and midnight.

So now YOU decide which color black people should be in the game? Every shade of black has to be represented or what?

Does every shade of white get represented in games?

You'd have a point if the Spanish had a history of being portrayed in that fashion, fortunately, they don't.

Except you dont know anything about Spanish history do you?

I could come up with 5 historic things because of which spanish people could be offended by RE4.

 

[Tobor]

Bingo. I think this is the big problem some people are having, N'gai included.

It's not our responsibility as an audience to do that.

 

[123rl]

What do the "RE5 has racist imagery" proponents suggest as a solution? I mean, I can understand why N'Gai and others would feel the way they do about the trailer imagery (even if I don't have those same feelings). But what, specifically, do they actually want to happen? N'Gai mentioned he wanted the trailer changed. How? He mentioned he didn't want censorship...but then what does he want? If it's just a discussion about the race issues that the game brings up, sure, that's cool. If it's a substantive change of the game's content, then that is basically censorship, isn't it?

In the interests of guaranteeing no offense to anybody, how about these changes:

They should:

add one black person who is happy, friendly, and tries to help
add black children playing in the street at the beginning of the game
add another who saves the day when Chris is in trouble
The real baddie should actually be white because it's racist to show a black person as evil
Change Chris to a black person, and just cover in the plot holes that this would create. But he can't shoot a gun (that's racist)...maybe he can talk the zombies out of trying to kill him?

 

[keanerie]

No, it's spanish. The developers didn't bother to research the language either, as they don't speak with a spaniard accent, but with a latin american one. LULZ TEH RACIST ALL LATINO PEOPLE ARE THE SAME

Basically this. Accidental racism via cultural ignorance.

Hey anyone notice in the 1up Show segment about The World Ends With You that there was a store called

MEXICAN HOT DOGS

in the game?

 

[VeritasVierge]

I'm pretty sure it's set in Haiti.

No, it's not. Kotaku covered this days ago.

http://kotaku.com/378841/resident-evil-5-interview-confirms-africa-setting-explains-why

 

[saelz8]

I'm pretty sure it's set in Haiti.

It's not.

This is what Jun Takeuchi says, in a recent interview.

"We settled on the fact that we really wanted to show the origins of the virus. So for the setting we thought, how about the place where humankind was born?" Takeuchi told Famitsu.

"Well, I'm not a scientist, so I don't know how things might change in the future, but we thought we would use Africa, which is now called the birthplace of humanity, as the model."

So the intent of their decision in location is largely influenced by human origin, as we know it.

It's where everyones ancestors started walking on their feet, upright to cross plains, and gather food. This land area hosted the genesis to the classification of every single person posting on this forum.

Humanity's Birthplace Was Ethiopia, DNA Tests Show

 

[LCGeek]

There's no solution to this problem that capcom could do. Canceling the game is the best option but you piss off a lot of gamers and they are out cash for a huge next gen product with nothing in the pipeline to make up for it. All they can realistically do is have the dev explain more of the situation and let people form their own opinions if it's racist or not. To do nothing isn't a good N'Gai is the least of their worries as I can easily see actual race hustlers making an issue of this when the game comes out.

 

[Y2Kev]

It was never Haiti. I never understood why people thought that. The July trailer was like obviously going for a certain feeling with the music.

 

[Doc Evils]

Wollan don't spoil the thread.

 

[sprsk]

I don't know what we are arguing.

We lack any sort of evidence to call the game racist. It's pretty obvious the guys who made it didn't know that this would offend Americans. They may know that they are angry, but they have no idea why.

Bleh, I hate this topic. Why can't we move on?

 

[Htown]

Nothing wrong with the PSP "white is coming" ads either, right guys?

You know what? I give up. You guys are right. Anyone suggesting there's anything racially insensitive in any game trailer, or hell, any form of entertainment is just a damn retard.

 

[harSon]

Did they change it due to the backlash from Haiti? Because the setting looks exactly like Haiti.

 

[guise]

You know, foreign = scary. What's unknown is unsettling. That's what Capcom's trying to play at, they're just using the strange as the scary - no agenda here, only accidental racist overtones that our American ears are sensitive too.

From the dev interview they said the reason for the africa setting was they're trying to show the origins of the virus, so they set the game in africa, the cradle of civilisation, the fact that its not a western environment just adds to the alien nature of the situation.

The whole racist imagery argument is just fuel for historical apologists i think

 

[Ceb]

So it's settled then? You can't make games set in the African countryside, or Haitian countryside for that matter? So the villagers are poor and some of them look at Chris like he's strange - wow, that's really racist...

What would've made the setup better? Chris arrives on site and is instantly revered as a half-god and gets a huge party thrown to his tribute by the friendly villagers?

Chris clearly doesn't hold any ill will towards the villagers and doesn't act the way the good guys do in the vast majority of all WWII or contemporary first-person shooters.

I'd love to hear N'Gai's thoughts on Blood Diamond if he feels this way about RE5...

 

[keanerie]

Solution-wise, I think maybe N'Gai was just trying to stir up discussion, which he's clearing doing by picking on such a high-profile title - the fact that we're talking about this at all is better than just sitting around an picking at gaffes in screenshots is an upgrade in itself.

PS: Anyone got a link to Totilo's take on this whole situation? I want to see what N'Gai's BFF thinks.

 

[RevenantKioku]

I don't' think "I've been blowing up White/Spanish zombies in past games" is a good excuse. This Generations graphics show much more realism and detail than last. They looked more like zombies in past iterations than a specific group of people. It was very disturbing watching a white "cop" bust a cap in a black woman in that trailer who looks like the typical black mother wearing a scarf(at least it looked like what my mother wears around the house). White people, you will never understand black pain on these issues because contrary to your belief, racism is still VERY much alive. So instead of making up different reasons why it's not racist, understand that it is and maybe Capcom will do something about it. Whether or not Capcom knew what they where doing is not the point, it's there and it needs to change.

It's the difference between a white man shooting a "typical black mother wearing a scarf" because she's black and because she's a zombie/whateverthefuck.

 

[MisterHero]

So how do we make it more racially sensitive?

Maybe Chris Redfield finds his way to a village that has yet to be infected and they help him as he has to protect the village?

Maybe the game does that, maybe it doesn't. I think the point is that we haven't played the game to know enough to make a well-supported reason to question Capcom's intent.

 

[sprsk]

It was never Haiti. I never understood why people thought that. The July trailer was like obviously going for a certain feeling with the music.

If i remember correctly, in the Famitsu DVD he said the city was modeled to look like somewhere from Africa, no actual place was ever mentioned. I don't know where this Haiti stuff came from.

 

[AmMortal]

The game should have 2 main characters, one black and on white.

Because with spaniards, it was just white against white, they should have made the main character black.. lo..l then it would have been black on black ..lol..

 

[Deleted member 20415]

...shooting Spanish people is ok because they don't have the same history. This is probably the fucking crappiest piece of bullshit I've read in months

That was the point I was trying to make in an earlier post (this thread is moving VERY quickly). This is the same mentality people use to claim "reverse racism." That supposes that racism only happens by a set type of people and only to a set type of people. There's no such thing as reverse racism - there's just racism.

This is the point where N'Gai's argument just goes bust. You can't have your cake and eat it too. Racism doesn't happen to one type of people.

 

[Tiduz]

I don't' think "I've been blowing up White/Spanish zombies in past games" is a good excuse. This Generations graphics show much more realism and detail than last. They looked more like zombies in past iterations than a specific group of people. It was very disturbing watching a white "cop" bust a cap in a black woman in that trailer who looks like the typical black mother wearing a scarf(at least it looked like what my mother wears around the house). White people, you will never understand black pain on these issues because contrary to your belief, racism is still VERY much alive. So instead of making up different reasons why it's not racist, understand that it is and maybe Capcom will do something about it. Whether or not Capcom knew what they where doing is not the point, it's there and it needs to change.

Really? Isnt the game supposed to be set in the world of today in afrika, Why would they change it? I know racism is still alive but i dont see racism in this game, its not like he's saying OH SHES BLACK LETS KILL HER! There is a virus in that country and its kill or be killed, no matter what the colour of peoples skin is, people are making a huge deal out of this, but the fact is its realistic in a sense that it looks like african american people, but that doesnt make it racist. Its not like they are wearing rich suits in Afrika and stuff, id rather have it realistic, and who knows maybe not all the black people in the game will be bad guys, but there will be people you can save too, will it still be racist then? Im trying to understand what people mean but i just cant, and im not a racist.

 

[123rl]

Nothing wrong with the PSP "white is coming" ads either, right guys?

You know what? I give up. You guys are right. Anyone suggesting there's anything racially insensitive in any game trailer, or hell, any form of entertainment is just a damn retard.

You're a retard (see, I can throw around insults as well). And maybe it's different in your country, but retard is a really offensive word for most countries - oh, the irony

The "White Is Coming" adverts were blatantly racist. It's a totally different situation though

 

[MC Safety]

I disagree that N'Gai is the deepest thinker and best writer covering video games.

 

[jett]

So now YOU decide which color black people should be in the game? Every shade of black has to be represented or what?

Does every shade of white get represented in games?

Someone needs to tell those somalians they're bieng racist.

 

[krzyspc]

I think N'gai is off base here because it sounds like he has never been to a third world country slum. Personally I think the depiction was great at showing sad and miserable the people are. You even see some sort of protest before the zombie riot.

Now if he thinks that look is racist or being insensitive or strictly a "black look" then he needs to STFU.

I still like seeing him on the bonus round though.

 

[Dina]

There's no solution to this problem that capcom could do. Canceling the game is the best option but you piss off a lot of gamers and they are out cash for a huge next gen product with nothing in the pipeline to make up for it. All they can realistically do is have the dev explain more of the situation and let people form their own opinions if it's racist or not. To do nothing isn't a good N'Gai is the least of their worries as I can easily see actual race hustlers making an issue of this when the game comes out.

There is one, just make it and release it and milk it. Criticasters have no argument anyhow.

 

[VeritasVierge]

I don't know what we are arguing.

We lack any sort of evidence to call the game racist. It's pretty obvious the guys who made it didn't know that this would offend Americans. They may know that they are angry, but they have no idea why.

Bleh, I hate this topic. Why can't we move on?

Because people are ignorant on both sides. These topics are seriously interesting for me considering I'm a black Haitian American female who can't, for the life of me, figure out why people never even bothered to read and try to understand what N'Gai (and countless others) said before posting their trash.

 

[Death_Born]

Because that imagery could never be taken out of context for people who haven't yet played the game....

Ugh....it's not like this game has you killing slaves or something. These are perfectly healthy modern people who have been infected by a virus. Saying that imagery of a white person shooting black people is bad in a fantasy setting is utter bullcrap. Just because of slavery/gang violence/etc means that this is less acceptable than shooting Spaniards.

 

[diunxx]

I'd personally like to see a complection that is not between oil and midnight.

have you ever been to Haiti? I live in Dominican republic and I can tell you that most haitians have very dark skins.

 

[Virtua Ben]

I don't' think "I've been blowing up White/Spanish zombies in past games" is a good excuse. This Generations graphics show much more realism and detail than last. They looked more like zombies in past iterations than a specific group of people. It was very disturbing watching a white "cop" bust a cap in a black woman in that trailer who looks like the typical black mother wearing a scarf(at least it looked like what my mother wears around the house). White people, you will never understand black pain on these issues because contrary to your belief, racism is still VERY much alive. So instead of making up different reasons why it's not racist, understand that it is and maybe Capcom will do something about it. Whether or not Capcom knew what they where doing is not the point, it's there and it needs to change.

Who's being racially insensitive now? White people? What a way to generalize. I don't think you'll win the hearts and minds of GAF with this ignorant writing.

And, in addition, your argument makes no sense. You're saying that the reasons we find the game for not being racist are "made up," and we should just accept your point of view? That's bullshit. I could say the same thing to you: "Stop making up your racist claims and just accept the fact that it isn't racist."

Someone needs to help you get back to reality.

 

[harSon]

I don't know what we are arguing.

We lack any sort of evidence to call the game racist. It's pretty obvious the guys who made it didn't know that this would offend Americans. They may know that they are angry, but they have no idea why.

Bleh, I hate this topic. Why can't we move on?

He didn't call the game racist, he said it had racially insensitive elements that he (As a Black Haitian himself) found offensive.

 

[Aggelos]

Racism has always been a sensitive-touchy issue.

However the screeplay of Biohazard 5 is justifiable through the plot. The caucasian protagonist went to Africa to gather info. Suddenly a group of black people attack him and he defends himself. In accordance to the plot Chris defends himself, he didn't visit Africa to kill black people just for sport!
If Biohazard 5's theme was "black-people-killing-safari", then it should have been banned.
Since when has "defending myself" become similar to "murder"? The caucasian protagonist is defending himself from a group of insane people.
However the truth is that it is up to the gamer/user/player to make Biohazard 5 a game of "black-people-killing-safari", it is up to the player to make it a game of "massive premeditated murders against black people".
I repeat the game's theme is not "black-people-killing-safari", but it can be easily turned into that. And that is the true problem. It's what makes Biohazard 5 racially insensitive IMO....

 

[Kosma]

It's the difference between a white man shooting a "typical black mother wearing a scarf" because she's black and because she's a zombie/whateverthefuck.

Shooting black zombies is just racist I guess.

Someone needs to tell those somalians they're bieng racist.

:lol

OMG dont those tards know they are reinforcing stereotypes by being themselves? WTF!

 

[Jacobi]

There's no solution to this problem that capcom could do. Canceling the game is the best option but you piss off a lot of gamers and they are out cash for a huge next gen product with nothing in the pipeline to make up for it. All they can realistically do is have the dev explain more of the situation and let people form their own opinions if it's racist or not. To do nothing isn't a good N'Gai is the least of their worries as I can easily see actual race hustlers making an issue of this when the game comes out.

Just make a US-exclusive special political correct version with a main black character, so the other regions don't have to suffer

 

[VeritasVierge]

Yeah, I'm sure the point has completely gone over you head.

 

[AmMortal]

Someone needs to tell those somalians they're bieng racist.

Am I racist?

lol

 

[keanerie]

If i remember correctly, in the Famitsu DVD he said the city was modeled to look like somewhere from Africa, no actual place was ever mentioned. I don't know where this Haiti stuff came from.

Haiti has a history with zombies, it's a big part of folk religions there - I think, correct me if I'm wrong. Maybe people were giving Capcom more credit than they deserved.

 

[cvxfreak]

I'm going to quote the syllabus of a Waseda University class on African politics. The professor is Japanese.

Africa is often perceived by the average Japanese as a continent of conflict and contagion, as the "dark continent," chaotic and mysterious, or as a continent with wild animals and plants living through out. In other words, Africa is a continent very far from Japan and Asia, both geographically and psychologically.

And then we have RE5. sp0rsk is right.

Now, I agree that shooting Spaniards in RE4 and white people in 95% of games out there isn't inherently less or more racist than shooting black people. However, the nerves that are struck vary across different groups of people, justified or not, and it's undeniable the tensions RE5 will raise with some black people. In that sense, even if those people are right or wrong, I think the game is treading into dangerous territory on the PR front.

I think Capcom, despite being Japanese, will surprise us with this game.

 

[alr1ght]

The game should have 2 main characters, one black and on white.

Because with spaniards, it was just white against white, they should have made the main character black.. lo..l then it would have been black on black ..lol..

black on black crime is wrong.

 

[DCharlie]

Please Capcom, make 'em white and stop the debate. Thank you.

The hilarity here is that if they do make them white and they do keep the game set in africa we'll get similarly loud shouts of "RACISM!" because "this is set in Africa... where are all the black people?"

 

[sullyj]

My small town made the news this last week because a middle school here decided to have a "Wacky Week". Kids dressed differently each day according to to different themes, one day the theme was dress as the opposite sex day. The entire state freaked out because they thought the public schools were turning 8 year olds into gay cross dressing non typical non christian devil worshipers. The only conclusion I could come up with is that some people have way to much fucking free time and it would appear that this is a similar situation. Chill out, grow up and complain about something that makes sense.

 

[harSon]

have you ever been to Haiti? I live in Dominican republic and I can tell you that most haitians have very dark skins.

I have

 

[VeritasVierge]

Haiti has a history with zombies, it's a big part of folk religions there - I think, correct me if I'm wrong. Maybe people were giving Capcom more credit than they deserved.

Partly but it originated in western Africa. Where the slaves are from. Capcom doesn't deserve shit here. Most of Haiti's religious following is Roman Catholic.