Wuh-oh, another SRSLY topic!

[vejita]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DhopxZqQrmo
10:56 minutes long, but pretty worth it. Can anyone think of more than 10 non-white American protagonists? (I mean non-"tabula rasa" types)

[RemyC]

The black panther, Storm, Spawn....damn

[Mozgus]

Yeah, MoveBob's been making these for a while. They're all a good listen. He's got some other stuff over at the Escapist as well.

[nickfil]

He makes a good conclusion at the end about how everything comes down to money and what sells to a young white market, but some of the steps he takes to get there are reaching a bit. Don't get me wrong, i'm not trying to argue for having more white characters and less black ones. I'm down for some more black protagonists and i think that the medium needs it.

I feel like his point about luke cage black man is stupid though. He is pulling ONE example out of the either. When you look at other black characters in the marvel universe, they are very decoratively costumed with a wide range of powers and back story. And on top of that, they are more successful than luke cage. Like he said, luke cage has never been one for costumes ever. It wasn't like this is a new thing. But look at storm, blade or black panther. Decked out. Richer history. They sell more books.

Plus his point about Nicole Kidman is ridiculous. Maybe it is true for some people, but i'd like to think that most women are strong and secure enough to see a fucking movie if it has someone prettier than them in it. And i would think that Kidman's lifestyle and bank account agree with that.

And not that i'm trying to defend RE5 because it does have many faults, but come the fuck on. You are really criticizing it for having tribal warriors in it? Uhm.... those actually still exist in Africa. Because of that i find it hard to call it racist.

Honestly I kind of think the whole of the argument is stupid. Everyone needs to just shut the fuck up about race in video games and let people make the games they want to make. I find that some of the fucking white guys in gaming to be a little racist. Either a game is going to be highbrow with great character design and rich back story or it is going to be a lowbrow game. You can't say that cole in gears of war is any more intelligently thought out than any of the white characters in that game. I fear that we are going to see gaming companies touting themselves as the black video game company or have companies going on the defensive saying we have X black characters. JUST HAVE GOOD CHARACTERS FOR FUCKS SAKE. If you make a good character with a good story it doesn't matter what color the skin is. No one would avoid a great game due to skin color of the main character.

as for the Shiva costume, dude lighten up. The other one is a clubbin costume. Chris has a zebra suit. It is supposed to be fun and nothing more than that. Not a political sexual or racist statement.

[Snickerd00dle]

i cant believe people are still complaining about this

[nickfil]

i cant believe people are still complaining about this

yeah seriously.

[superlarz]

Its ridiculous in this day in age. The RE5 stuff is just nonsense.. Has racism been a problem with games of the past? It seems as though it has I suppose, but I never really noticed. I dont think game designers are racist, I dont think they have hidden racist agendas in games. Seriously, people need to get over it. When the come out with a KKK GTA clone then people could rightly have something to complain about.

[jfrost]

Again someone so worried that gaming should be taken seriously as an art form. Because, you know, we need acceptance. Nevermind games being an industry bigger than cinema... If gamers do not adapt and stop liking characters in bikinis, the society at large won't like them.

[vlame]

really? cos i play kof and street fighter, the white males don't dominate....

[J T]

I dont think game designers are racist, I dont think they have hidden racist agendas in games. Seriously, people need to get over it. When the come out with a KKK GTA clone then people could rightly have something to complain about.

They don't need to have a hidden agenda to be racist. Racist acts do not require that the person intentionally do something as an expression of dominance over a minority race. In fact, it's often most racist when there is no intention because the person just simply isn't aware of the effect their racially priviledged position provides them.

Interesting video and a good topic. I realized recently while playing Left 4 Dead that Louis is like one of the only black characters in a video game that isn't a gangsta.