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Uncharted 4 New Character Trailer: Nadine Ross (Laura Bailey)

C

cosmicblizzard

Banned
Only read the first few pages, but yeah, this thread is pretty embarrassing based on that.

If Laura Bailey is qualified for the job, she's qualified for the job. There really shouldn't be an underlying race issue here. Bailey, an absolutely stellar VA being picked for whatever role shouldn't be a surprise regardless of the character's appearance. And it doesn't somehow undermine the roles of other stellar VAs that voice characters outside their race either. It doesn't change the fact that Phil Lamar has some of the craziest range in the industry and quite frequently plays people that aren't black. Same with Terrence C. Carson, or any other names out there big and small alike.
 
D

Deleted member 30609

Unconfirmed Member
Passing by a thread and shitting on the premise of a discussion some people are fairly invested in and are actually having something resembling a civil conversation about because you'd rather have a hype thread isn't a good look.
 
J

jhmtehgamr20xx

Banned
Massive_Edge said:
about the whole laura bailey situation, one of my friends was railing on the whole thing, she went on to say that she also didnt like how Nate, a white male, is positioned as the "hero" and being the most privileged in society vs. Nadine, a black woman who is positioned as the villain and is, what she said the most disenfranchised... and that their fighting

I mean i don't want to cast judgements, but is what she said anyway legitimate about this whole scene
Click to expand...
May be, but that doesn't make it a bad thing.

It could be there for political commentary but if people assume it's just there to be there they could remove that kind of commentary out to change the scope of the story and simplify/water down the message to placate jumping-the-gun sensitive types who try extrapolating the entire story from one viewer-implied plot point :/

A rather interesting dynamic to explore, and ND have proven they can handle mature, complex themes better than most AAA devs. So let's see where they go with that and keep an open mind.
 
D

dragonbane

Member
jhmtehgamr20xx said:
My bigger issue is that such is what the conversation turned to, and it wasn't a gradual shift either. It was literally a straight sharp shift into that territory, all other merits be damned. These sort of topics are important but sometimes the way they come about feels shoehorned in.
Click to expand...
Well, the ridiculous QD thread slowed down, since that got resolved in an expected, but non-juicy matter, so the next controversy was desperately needed.
 
R

Rozart

Member
cosmicblizzard said:
Only read the first few pages, but yeah, this thread is pretty embarrassing based on that.

If Laura Bailey is qualified for the job, she's qualified for the job. There really shouldn't be an underlying race issue here. Bailey, an absolutely stellar VA being picked for whatever role shouldn't be a surprise regardless of the character's appearance. And it doesn't somehow undermine the roles of other stellar VAs that voice characters outside their race either. It doesn't change the fact that Phil Lamar has some of the craziest range in the industry and quite frequently plays people that aren't black. Same with Terrence C. Carson, or any other names out there big and small alike.
Click to expand...

Yeap. Exactly. Thank you.

I just find it funny that if Laura Bailey was voicing a white female character, there wouldn't be any dissent and outrage.
 
S

superNESjoe

Member
Rez said:
Passing by a thread and shitting on the premise of a discussion some people are fairly invested in and are actually having something resembling a civil conversation about because you'd rather have a hype thread isn't a good look.
Click to expand...

It's not that I'd rather have a hype thread, it's just....I don't know eventually it gets to a point where you get sick of everything being a controversy. I came in to talk about a new character and found a race controversy with a downright embarrassing beginning in the first few pages.
 
O

orthodoxy1095

Banned
Rez said:
Passing by a thread and shitting on the premise of a discussion some people are fairly invested in and are actually having something resembling a civil conversation about because you'd rather have a hype thread isn't a good look.
Click to expand...
I disagree, if we want to have an indepth conversation about race and video-game casting as an industry-wide problem, it could have easily had its own thread rather than clogging up this one and mixing people trying to talk about two different things.
dragonbane said:
Well, the ridiculous QD thread slowed down, since that got resolved in an expected, but non-juicy matter, so the next controversy was desperately needed.
Click to expand...
Was that the "where are the black people in Detroit?" thread or something new?

EDIT: Oh wait, that was the changing the Saudis wasn't it? Forgot that happened.
 
J

jhmtehgamr20xx

Banned
dragonbane said:
Well, the ridiculous QD thread slowed down, since that got resolved in an expected, but non-juicy matter, so the next controversy was desperately needed.
Click to expand...
I'm guessing QD clarified things? I bowed out from that one like two days ago lol.

Crossing Eden said:
QD for some reason considered it a good idea to change some character models to have lighter skin tones and different faces. That has a lot more merit for controversy than this.
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Agreed.

The only one I'd say where the controversy was completely ridiculous was the Detroit reveal thread. Got convinced a good number of people were using braille keyboards b/c what other excuse could they have used other than being blind?
 
T

Triggafinga

Banned
Its not that i have a problem with your freedom of speech or right to complain. Just making clear that I take issue with equating this (VA thing) to whitewashing and the issues Hollywood has

I get the feeling that "white guilt" has transformed into a perverted correction to how y'all are perceiving minorities. As a minority (can't speak for them all) It's embarrassing to see people pushing for minorities to voice minority characters as a rule of thumb (or best practice).

IMO this would make racist people more cynical and Martin Luther King's dream more distant. Fight against trump and Islamaphobia, Xenophobia. Leave the tiny, mostly west coast, gaming industry only.
 
D

dragonbane

Member
Crossing Eden said:
QD for some reason considered it a good idea to change some character models to have lighter skin tones and different faces. That has a lot more merit for controversy than this.
Click to expand...
They didn't consider it a good idea, since the reasons are mostly technical, which they already explained in detail. Every white face in the game is whiter on PS4 and in fact every black face is more black too (the new skin shader goes more into the extremes). The facial features that were changed were exclusively applied on low res passer-by models that didn't hold up well on PS4, so they got an upgrade (more polygons, better textures). This is true across the entire game including white passer-bys. The important guards in the Embassy, which have dialog and were already of much higher quality on PS3 didn't receive this upgrade. Even if skin tone was intentionally changed, it has already been noted that the new tone actually is less problematic than the old one, since there is now a mix of light/dark skinned people, which is more accurate than everyone being dark skinned like it was portrayed on PS3.

So yeah, it has way less merit than this actually (tbh this controversy is entirely blown out of proportion as well). It was entirely expected imo and anyone with some knowledge about game development fortunately was able to tell.



jhmtehgamr20xx said:
I'm guessing QD clarified things? I bowed out from that one like two days ago lol
Click to expand...
They did yeah. The Detroit thread was funny, black people everywhere but people somehow can't see them.
 
synce

synce

Member
Hmm something feels off about this cutscene. There's no excitement or magic. Kinda feels like a cheap Hollywood movie.
 
F

FairFight

Banned
I can't believe some of you are making this a race issue. They're voice actors. Bart Simpson is voiced by a woman. Tina from Bob's Burgers is voiced by a man. This is what voice actors do. That's the beauty of the job. Can't we just enjoy how amazing this game looks and quit with this nonsense?
 
S

Salex_

Member
Massive_Edge said:
about the whole laura bailey situation, one of my friends was railing on the whole thing, she went on to say that she also didnt like how Nate, a white male, is positioned as the "hero" and being the most privileged in society vs. Nadine, a black woman who is positioned as the villain and is, what she said the most disenfranchised... and that their fighting

I mean i don't want to cast judgements, but is what she said anyway legitimate about this whole scene
Click to expand...

Man, there's just no way to win. It's like if you even attempt to take a step in the positive direction you have to run through a long and complex maze.

-People complain about the lack of female villains
-Strong non-stereotypical black female villain gets added
-Claims that the writer positions Nate & Nadine as White = Hero / Black = Villain

Should they just make Nadine Ross white and avoid having a black villain? What if she was another minority? Would people still see it as White = Hero vs Asian/Hispanic/Native American/etc = Villain? I doubt it.
 
M

Massive_Edge

Banned
Salex_ said:
Man, there's just no way to win. It's like if you even attempt to take a step in the positive direction you have to run through a long and complex maze.

-People complain about the lack of female villains
-Strong non-stereotypical black female villain gets added
-Claims that the writer positions Nate & Nadine as White = Hero / Black = Villain

Should they just make Nadine Ross white and avoid having a black villain? What if she was another minority? Would people still see it as White = Hero vs Asian/Hispanic/Native American/etc = Villain? I doubt it.
Click to expand...

exactly.. i think she was somehow trying to say that ND was making whiteness the hero and blackness the villain i.e nate being the hero and nadine being the villain..which obviously ND isn't trying to do

instead of Nate, is the hero who happens to be white, and Nadine who happens to be black is one of the villains
 
C

Crossing Eden

Hello, my name is Yves Guillemot, Vivendi S.A.'s Employee of the Month!
dragonbane said:
They didn't consider it a good idea, since the reasons are mostly technical, which they already explained in detail. Every white face in the game is whiter on PS4 and in fact every black face is more black too (the new skin shader goes more into the extremes). The facial features that were changed were exclusively applied on low res passer-by models that didn't hold up well on PS4, so they got an upgrade (more polygons, better textures). This is true across the entire game including white passer-bys. The important guards in the Embassy, which have dialog and were already of much higher quality on PS3 didn't receive this upgrade. Even if skin tone was intentionally changed, it has already been noted that the new tone actually is less problematic than the old one, since there is now a mix of light/dark skinned people, which is more accurate than everyone being dark skinned like it was portrayed on PS3.

So yeah, it has way less merit than this actually. And it was entirely expected too, anyone with some knowledge about game development fortunately was able to tell.
Click to expand...
The newer remade models don't have the first excuse tho based on what you're saying. Not everyone was dark skinned in the original scene.

synce said:
Hmm something feels off about this cutscene. There's no excitement or magic. Kinda feels like a cheap Hollywood movie.
Click to expand...
It's a completely out of context scene. A very tropey scene that's been done before a ton of times in the movie industry but still, very out of context. I'm sure it'll flow better in the actual game.
 
D

dragonbane

Member
Crossing Eden said:
The newer remade models don't have the first excuse tho based on what you're saying. Not everyone was dark skinned in the original scene.
Click to expand...
The guards all were. The actual guests don't even need to be considered since most of them are not even supposed to be Arabs. Those got affected by the new skin shader including Jodie. They are all more white (and the black people in Somalia are more black).
 
C

Crossing Eden

Hello, my name is Yves Guillemot, Vivendi S.A.'s Employee of the Month!
dragonbane said:
The guards all were. The actual guests don't even need to be considered since most of them are not even supposed to be Arabs. Those got affected by the new skin shader including Jodie. They are all more white (and the black people in Somalia are more black).
Click to expand...
Oi that makes more sense then.
 
MiguelItUp

MiguelItUp

Member
I refuse to acknowledge this "controversy", the fact that people are complaining about this disappoints me. My sister is a VA and has done roles for a variety of characters made up of multiple ethnicities. In all honesty it's all about timing and availability, be it schedules, contracts, etc. There are a ton of variables. But all in all those in charge want a phenomenal actor or actress, not just anyone is accessible. Sometimes they just have to go with whoever is the best, available, and most accessible. I think she's a phenomenal looking character, and it's always great to see diversity in video games. We need more of it please! Uncharted 4 is looming really phenomenal, I'm more interested in it than I have been with previous iterations.
 
Z

zsynqx

Member
Cap'n Cook said:
I could be wrong but all you need is 300 posts which took me about 2 years.
Click to expand...

3 months and 300 posts I think. I went a bit overboard with how much I posted but tbf I have so much free time with my degree.

orthodoxy1095 said:
Hah, I know you were kidding. I just always warn people after my experience :p
Click to expand...

And here I was ready to post the most offensive shit imaginable to get my illustrious first ban and access to Gaf Gold.
 
J

jWILL253

Banned
I'm not tripping about this character's VA being a Caucasian. Not too big of a deal, so long as they do it right. That said, I'm always a proponent of minorities getting more opportunities in general within the gaming industry.

However, the lengths that some of y'all are going just to defend this are just... man. Simply being accused of racism has caused some of the clowns in here to expose themselves.
 
P

PBY

Banned
MiguelItUp said:
I refuse to acknowledge this "controversy", the fact that people are complaining about this disappoints me. My sister is a VA and has done roles for a variety of characters made up of multiple ethnicities. In all honesty it's all about timing and availability, be it schedules, contracts, etc. There are a ton of variables. But all in all those in charge want a phenomenal actor or actress, not just anyone is accessible. Sometimes they just have to go with whoever is the best, available, and most accessible. I think she's a phenomenal looking character, and it's always great to see diversity in video games. We need more of it please! Uncharted 4 is looming really phenomenal, I'm more interested in it than I have been with previous iterations.
Click to expand...
YAY VIDYAGAAAAAMES

People who don't care won't care. You don't have to agree. But amir0x said it perfectly- to just absolutely refuse to even let a conversation happen in an industry with serious issues is hugely tone deaf.

No one is shitting on this voice actress or ND or really being outraged, the conversation is being framed as something that it actually isn't.

In fact - the most outraged people here are those offended that were even discussing this.
 
K

Kalentan

Member
jWILL253 said:
I'm not tripping about this character's VA being a Caucasian. Not too big of a deal, so long as they do it right. That said, I'm always a proponent of minorities getting more opportunities in general within the gaming industry.

However, the lengths that some of y'all are going just to defend this are just... man. Simply being accused of racism has caused some of the clowns in here to expose themselves.
Click to expand...

Wait are you claiming the only people who are acting up are those defending the casting? Seriously?
 
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