I'm saying the overall effect of a game can be racist even the characters are not explicitly racist.
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The Resident Evil 6 Race Representation Discussion Thread
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jim-jam bongs
Member
Bish, I have to be honest and say that while I agree with you that there needs to be some thought applied to how representative the characters in entertainment are, this particular instance is not a good battle to pick.
At Christmas I was watching TV with my family and an ad came on for a new Aussie drama -series about a family and their inner-circle. My brother quite rightly pointed out that every single person in the show was white, the family themselves as well as all of their acquaintances. That made the show seem like something from, if not another planet, at the very least a very different time. On Christmas eve we had people over as we usually do, and the house was filled with people of all races and religions, as it usually is at those times. It actually feels really weird typing that because it's just how it is for me, so explicitly saying it feels really awkward. The point I'm getting at is that, as a White Anglo-Celtic Catholic person living in Australia my experience of the world is by no means that it is a predominately white place, so equal representation makes complete sense to me.
However.
In this particular instance it's a long-running series with an established cast of characters. The characters have particular significance to the fans, something Capcom understand totally considering the big fuss they made about being able to play both Leon and Chris in the same game FOR THE FIRST TIME EVAR, which honestly just made me think of Malibu Stacy's new hat but that's a topic for another thread. In that context, though, I can understand why adding new major characters for the sake of more accurately representing the racially diverse world we inhabit wouldn't have necessarily occurred to Capcom, or wouldn't have seemed appropriate.
Lastly, I'd be extremely surprised given what I recall from RE5 if there weren't a number of Chinese characters in the game who play major roles. It might be unfortunate that we can only choose between playing as a mildly effeminate or steroid-abusing white male, but progress takes time.
At Christmas I was watching TV with my family and an ad came on for a new Aussie drama -series about a family and their inner-circle. My brother quite rightly pointed out that every single person in the show was white, the family themselves as well as all of their acquaintances. That made the show seem like something from, if not another planet, at the very least a very different time. On Christmas eve we had people over as we usually do, and the house was filled with people of all races and religions, as it usually is at those times. It actually feels really weird typing that because it's just how it is for me, so explicitly saying it feels really awkward. The point I'm getting at is that, as a White Anglo-Celtic Catholic person living in Australia my experience of the world is by no means that it is a predominately white place, so equal representation makes complete sense to me.
However.
In this particular instance it's a long-running series with an established cast of characters. The characters have particular significance to the fans, something Capcom understand totally considering the big fuss they made about being able to play both Leon and Chris in the same game FOR THE FIRST TIME EVAR, which honestly just made me think of Malibu Stacy's new hat but that's a topic for another thread. In that context, though, I can understand why adding new major characters for the sake of more accurately representing the racially diverse world we inhabit wouldn't have necessarily occurred to Capcom, or wouldn't have seemed appropriate.
Lastly, I'd be extremely surprised given what I recall from RE5 if there weren't a number of Chinese characters in the game who play major roles. It might be unfortunate that we can only choose between playing as a mildly effeminate or steroid-abusing white male, but progress takes time.
If you want equality give ethnic different people the oppurtunity to be the bad guys. Because you know, they are people too. And certainly don't need your nursing.
I gotta say though: It could be seen as historically difficult that a japanese company is making a game where you shoot on chinese civilians. But I didn't actually saw that happening in the trailer.
I gotta say though: It could be seen as historically difficult that a japanese company is making a game where you shoot on chinese civilians. But I didn't actually saw that happening in the trailer.
Right now we only know that no one from the 6 main characters shown is of any Asian descent. There can be plenty of supporting characters though.
Small Mailman
Member
Why does this matter? They AREN'T REAL PEOPLE. Besides we only have a reveal trailer to go off of so everyone should keep their pants on.
Black_Stride
do not tempt fate do not contrain Wonder Woman's thighs do not do not
Classic Cole wears White armor in Gears of War 3
Konami must have anticipated the possibility of this response in MGS4, because they decided simply not to introduce a single new character in that game except for the bosses. Nobody could say that they had a Caucasian character who should have been Arabic as a result. Capcom should have followed their lead.
More seriously, I have nothing against increasing diversity in how people are represented in games, and chances are it'd be more interesting and sensible from a narrative perspective for Chris to have a Chinese partner during his time in China. And I know better than to trust Capcom to have a super-compelling narrative reason for giving Chris an American partner. But this seems like a weird fight to pick, because we really don't have a good sense of the context of the story at this point, or what will actually happen over the course of the game.
More seriously, I have nothing against increasing diversity in how people are represented in games, and chances are it'd be more interesting and sensible from a narrative perspective for Chris to have a Chinese partner during his time in China. And I know better than to trust Capcom to have a super-compelling narrative reason for giving Chris an American partner. But this seems like a weird fight to pick, because we really don't have a good sense of the context of the story at this point, or what will actually happen over the course of the game.
Sho_Nuff82
Member
Does anyone actually care? I'm black, and I don't go out of my way to play as Cole Train and Sheva in Gears and RE, respectively. They're shallow, forgettable characters in series full of shallow, forgettable characters. Good for a laugh here and there but not a shining beacon of racial understanding in the medium. I don't see why RE of all franchises has been at the heart of this issue in gaming, just because it decided to take the franchise international from RE4 - 6.
Take all my money.
Omegasquash
Member
Oh, this again.
And, to the above: thisisneogafdude.gif
And, to the above: thisisneogafdude.gif
FlappyHands
Neo Member
Not every one I don't think, but it is something people are going to be looking for from now on. I think there's a big difference between a game being actively racist and people interpreting certain decisions and whatnot as being racist.
Did RE4 go through this as well? I don't recall it, which is funny in retrospect. Poor spaniards, your plight wasn't important enough.
legacyzero
Banned
Why did I click this thread?
I seriously knew what i was going to read. But yet, I did it anyway. :/
I seriously knew what i was going to read. But yet, I did it anyway. :/
RE1: Chris, Jill
RE2: Leon, Claire
RE3: Jill, Carlos
RE4: Leon
RE5: Chris, Sheva
And counting other characters not playable in the main campaign: Josh, Ada
Seems like a fairly diverse cast.
Slappers Only
Junior Member
I would love to see the people who get worked up about race representation in games take their insipid preoccupation to a new level and start inflicting it on people in real-life situations.
Stepping into an elevator, for instance:
Now wait a minute are you kidding me? I walk into the first floor elevator at the Holiday Inn Express only to see three black folks and one Guatemalan? This is Detroit, okay. We have a lot of white people here, okay. What are all the white people too busy to show up at the elevator? I cant believe you people. Hotel reservation cancelled.
Stepping into an elevator, for instance:
Now wait a minute are you kidding me? I walk into the first floor elevator at the Holiday Inn Express only to see three black folks and one Guatemalan? This is Detroit, okay. We have a lot of white people here, okay. What are all the white people too busy to show up at the elevator? I cant believe you people. Hotel reservation cancelled.
i hope this game isn't compromised like resident evil 5 was. i mostly only care about the cast from resident evil 1 which only 4 good guys survived (who happened to be all white). Too bad kenneth (black) and enrico (hispanic) didn't make it, i'm sure that would shut up some of the haters. real sad about enrico because i even went to get those herbs for his snake bite as rebecca but in the end it didn't even matter...
if the politically correct crowd cant handle resident evil games taking place in a nation with not much genetic diversity, then just keep the games locations in the united states so that it makes sense there that there are different colored zombies.
Don't you mean Richard? Enrico was shot by Wesker in the caves, Richard was the one bitten by a snake.
for some reason i thought they were the same guy, with him being in different places depending on who you play as.
RE1: both white
RE2: both white
RE3: one white, one hispanic
RE4: one white
RE5: one white, one black but conveniently much lighter skinned than every other african in the game
Hmmm.
BattleMonkey
Member
RE characters have personality?
C'mon son.
Metalmurphy
Member
So, about 16% black people and 16% hispanic. That's more then in the US. Sounds about right.
Look into yourself because you have a problem.
The OP has a point in that it really is what you see: white Amurrkans goin' into the eastern man's land and showing them a thing or two about fightin! or something or other.
The difference between this and RE5 is pretty monumental, however. The way the zombies/infected in RE5 were introduced, the fact that often times they didn't actually have any visual distinction to signify them as zombies (just scary black people), and the inclusion of the tribal zombies were always going to make a much bigger stink.
There's also a huge cultural void between the first world and third world - much moreso than two first world countries (which Hong Kong definitely is one of), so there isn't so great a 'holier than though' posturing.
It's all a tempest in a teapot, really, but after RE5's tone-deaf portrayal of Africans made such a mockery of Capcom, I'd expect RE games to come under this type of criticism for some time.
They could have just made the protagonists Asian, anyway.
A character modeled after Daniel Henney would have been a perfect Asian translation of Chris Redfield
The difference between this and RE5 is pretty monumental, however. The way the zombies/infected in RE5 were introduced, the fact that often times they didn't actually have any visual distinction to signify them as zombies (just scary black people), and the inclusion of the tribal zombies were always going to make a much bigger stink.
There's also a huge cultural void between the first world and third world - much moreso than two first world countries (which Hong Kong definitely is one of), so there isn't so great a 'holier than though' posturing.
It's all a tempest in a teapot, really, but after RE5's tone-deaf portrayal of Africans made such a mockery of Capcom, I'd expect RE games to come under this type of criticism for some time.
They could have just made the protagonists Asian, anyway.
A character modeled after Daniel Henney would have been a perfect Asian translation of Chris Redfield
Finaika
Member
lol.
Actually the Japanese have this principle that fair skin = beautiful; as evident with their heavy promotion of skin lightening products & sunscreens.
Urgh.
No, not really. USA has around 13% black people, Western European countries have a lot less.
You did get to play as Josh in Desperate Escape and he was wasn't lightened or given an English accent. I really liked him.
2scoops
Member
Agreed. I really like Josh, he's genuinely nice, kicked ass, and is suave as fuck. I'd like to see him in the future.
I found an interview with his voice and mocap actor, TJ Storm.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z1OZwGMPX7s
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z1OZwGMPX7s
I'm genuinely confused here.
Resident Evil 6 is being developed almost entirely by a Japanese staff. I'm not certain how white superiority could possibly be in effect here.
Furthermore, the characters in question were created over a decade ago and are part of the Resident Evil canon. Why call out this game with its history of characters? I don't get it.
So according to your logic they appear more than 13% of the time on your television? You've been monitoring this how?
Also that is over-represention why?
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