Support NeoGAF

[NipplesAndToes23]

Lorenzo from GamesRadar speaks about Josie's inclusion into Tekken 7 and how it is a step in the right direction for video games.

There are lots of different types of people out there, but most games still focus on the military shooter white guy protagonist, the black guy GTA gangster, and the Asian guy that looks and fights like Bruce Lee. There's more to the world than these generic stereotypes, but for the majority of my gaming life experience, those few types of characters are the options I've been stuck with.

So, when Bandai Namco announced it was bringing a Filipino character to Tekken 7, I was thrilled. Finally, we get some representation. Josie Rizal is Tekken 7's new fighter. Her admittedly skimpy outfit features the red, yellow, and blue of the Philippines' flag, and includes little touches to her costume highlighting the flag's prominent sun and stars. There's just enough to let you know she isn't just another generic Asian combatant. And, as touchy as representing an entire nation in one character goes, there isn't anything over the top about her costume and her look doesn't play into any stereotypes of the Filipino culture. She could just as easily been short, dark skinned, and dressed as a nurse.

Yes, cultural sensitivity can be improved, but that doesn't mean this isn't a step forward.

The platformer Never Alone no doubt introduced many gamers to the life and culture of the Native Alaskan Iñupiat, using game mechanics to highlight that peoples' spiritual beliefs and hardships. Experiencing these things in games can encourage players to learn about a culture they knew nothing about before. And the best thing about integrating culture into games is you actually experience it personally. You're the one having a conversation with the NPCs on screen, and you're using those ancient battle strategies. You aren't just watching a documentary on a TV screen.

I find a bit strange how he talks about generic Asian stereotypes when he praises the inclusion of a character from an Asian developed studio. I also didn't know that my mother's co-worker is a stereotype.

It's a nice little article however. Fighting games in general provide some racial and ethnic diversity, but there are a lot of stereotypes to be found within them, most coming from Street Fighter and then you have characters like Lucky from King of Fighters. I sympathize with the author, though I never really thought of it as needing to relate to the character. In the article he makes mention of seeing more culture references from Filipino characters, but as far as black characters from me, I don't think I really ever seen black characters that pulled in a bit of the culture I grew up with.

 

[sn00zer]

Tekken has had one of if not the most diverse roster of pretty much any game since Tekken 3. Mortal Kombat is pretty close as well.