Debate of over use of Whites and Asians in Video Games

[AznKhmerBoi]

i read this article on GameInformer, and i guess basically the south americans, africans, middle eastern etc... are a little upset that they are not portrayed enough and when they are portrayed in videos they are in low lights and depicted in negative way.

My thought on that issue is that they shouldnt complain because like shootting a movie the right cast have to be pick for the part.

EX: would you put a spanish person in a game that have you running around ancient greek or ancient china?

Also i think if they really want be part of it maybe there should be more game development company in their respective country to portray them in video games.

[brunoafh]

Well, Uncharted.

[AznKhmerBoi]

"IGDA’s Game Developer Demographics Report in 2005 noted that of the almost 6,500 developers surveyed, the white and Asian demographics were overrepresented. A lack of diversity isn’t just a philosophical argument, but a situation that could affect what you play. Developers have a hard enough time creating compelling, successful content, so how do they untangle the intersecting lines of social justice, consumer desires, and developer responsibility and still come out with a game that’s a fun, inviting experience for everyone? We talked to some developers about racial diversity in video games and why this is an important topic for all gamers"


http://www.gameinformer.com/b/features/ ... ageIndex=1

[Dylan]

I made a similar point in another thread a short while back, but the real reason that Whites and Asians are overrepresented in video games is likely because those groups compose the overwhelming majority of people who play video games. It's simply easier to identify with a character of the same race, or perhaps that race is just considered default due to the culture in which it was born.

Furthermore, I believe that it's reasonable to say that if Africa or India developed a gaming industry, the vast majority of their characters or protagonists would identify with their race. It's just a question of the consumer base you're primarily catering to.

[Para]

Who gives a shit?
People need to grow up and find something else to complain about.

[elmagicochrisg]

[D.D.D.]

GTA San Andreas I have seen mods to make CJ a random white dude... So pointless as it doesn't match the story. If it was a story about white thugs then a white protagonist is fine but the mod is just stupid.

But yeah, I'd agree that previously it was demographics that catered to the audiences but there are a lot more people than whites & Asians that play these days.

More than the race of the character, just make a game with the desired character from the guy who is writing the story and let it go from there. It doesn't have to be about race unless it's made about race (like the difference between RE4 & RE5 in the media).
I just don't wanna see out of place characters in games like: CJ (GTASA) in Super Mario, or Niko (GTAIV) in de Blob or something else odd like that.

[benderx]

I remember watching street fighter or alpha anime videos. I found out Ryu has a little brother (half brother or brother) not sure mexican decent or south american. I was shock at first, but I thought that was neat to introduce. They should bring his brother into street fighter games. I saw the movie in the 90s.

[J T]

We had a long discussion of this recently in the Games as Culture section of the site.

Here's the link if you are interested:
http://www.racketboy.com/forum/viewtopi ... 45&t=28418

[AppleQueso]

I remember watching street fighter or alpha anime videos. I found out Ryu has a little brother (half brother or brother) not sure mexican decent or south american. I was shock at first, but I thought that was neat to introduce. They should bring his brother into street fighter games. I saw the movie in the 90s.

That was the Street Fighter Alpha anime. Was one of the better SF adaptations I thought.