I understand what you are saying Emmanuel but surely this can only be seen as a videogame about a population contaminated with some virus thing which causes all this brutality.

I mean the spanish aren’t violent and the depiction of them in Resident evil 4 did not get any controversy.

I guess this may hit closer to home for Africa with the many problems it faces.

I think the argument is in part down to the question of what Capcom, a Japanese videogame developer, has in terms of authority to address these issues through one of its most popular franchises. To be honest, Resident Evil is hardly known for its cutting edge social commentary and the firm really should have treaded a whole lot lighter.

Videogames don’t exist in a vacuum, they should be subject to the same scrutiny as movies and books. Simply saying that the game is set in Africa, and therefore should have black Zombies is a very naive argument (one I’ve seen many times on message boards). The history of the continent and the way its people have and still are treated/regarded should have given Capcom pause before they finalized the setting.

Wait wait wait… the zombies are black? THIS CHANGES EVERYTHING.

wtf is this bullshit. Eurofagger is clearly run by a bunch of kids who are far too racialistically minded to be writing this sort of shit. They noticed that everyone is black (well it is Africa) and get angry that you can kill all the black people. Seriously I dont give a shit if theyre black or what, just so long as I can kill them.

When you take a step back and realise nobody is complaining about the idea that you can actually kill people in the first place, you realise that the whole skin colour/culture representation is bollocks. Shit, you could show off a quaint little village here in England, have them being savage, and i’d still enjoy it, forget cultural sterotypes I just want to kill something lolol

Oh wait, so long as they arent blondes savaging a black girl. Thats just RACIST.

Ridiculous. The spannish were the victims in Resident Evil 4, and there were no complaints there. Of course they are going to be black, it is in AFRICA, and yes that is a VALID ARGUMENT. Are people trying to say they should be white? How does that make it any better anyway? Political correctness and racism issues have gone mad. Get over it complainers, black people have to sometimes be the enemy in video games, not always the hero.

For crying out loud, people, Dan’s criticisms don’t turn on the fact of RE5’s being a violent action game set in Africa, and featuring black African zombies - certain cutscenes (the one with the blonde lady being the prime example) delve deliberately into a history of racist imagery for dramatic force.

Shooting hostile mutants who happen to be black isn’t racist, no, but characterising them according to sadly persistent racial stereotypes is.

Its a game, games are to be taken very light heartedly. This is just another case of political correctness going too far. Its up there with banning ‘conkers’ in schools, little big planet ‘offensive’ to muslims and the public not being allowed to lay grit on the roads (to prevent ice) outside their own home because its not ’safe’. The above story has gone too far already, comparing a made up world with the real world.
And has anyone of these people who object to it have a solution?
Capcom had a similar problem ages ago with street fighter 2 intr where a white man hits a black man in the face. Solution to this: They changed the black man to a white man then it was deemed ‘ok’.
Maybe they should make Chris Redfield black, set the game in France with white zombies. Yeah, thats it! I solved the problem.

It’s nice to know that Eurogamer is so hard up for hits to their website that they’re going for the “any publicity is good publicity” crap. It was okay for the zombies in RE4 to constantly be trying to drag off the lily white protagonists in RE4 because they were just spanish but if you happen to try anything even remotely similar with black you’re playing on racial stereotypes.

Seriously if we’re ever going to move past racism we can’t freaking pick and choose crap like this. By saying it’s not okay to kill black zombies because it’s racist we essentially put black people on a platform and say it’s okay to kill everyone but them. That’s about as ridiculous an argument as it gets. If the game was JUST black zombies I might be slightly concerned but, considering it seems to take place in a more rural village it seems that the majority being black with numerous whites is a pretty good mix.

I’ve got a great idea, hear me out. Let’s remove all black people from every video games ever. UNLESS, unless you happen to have a black protagonist. Having a black protagonist makes it okay to kill black people so we avoid all this sensationalist garbage. So all black people removed from RE5, Africa has no black people and we go back to killing white people and spanish because that’s okay. Oh sure, they’ll cry that it’s racist to not include them but we can just ignore them.

“Uyurimaru, Report!”

“Lord Gama, all 3 have been killed…”

“Incompetent! All 3 are still alive!”

“I’ll killed them myself”

“You’ll remain where you are!”

It only runs deeper ED because you read to much into it, get over it

I have been to some of the big cities in Africa and no matter how civilized they seem to be, there were always some streets you just didn’t go down because you would get a sac pulled over your head and then you were dragged off and beaten then turned into a zombie, by savages. I have also been on several Safaris and have seen several groups of men with shields and spears and my immediate thought was not savagery but loving husbands and fathers out on the hunt to feed and support their families and tribes. Africa is full of Africans and most of them are black, this is a fact just like white people have everything handed to them on a silver platter is a fact. “RACISM!”, oh wait no one cares because I’m white!

NAdkins01

Even taking as valid your questionable claim that the Japanese have no history of racism against black Africans, Capcom *should* nonetheless have taken into account the fact that, for a high proportion of their consumers, such images will have offensive connotations. It’s called responsible business. By way of a comparison, that Carol Thatcher did not personally turn a water cannon on African-American equal rights marches in the 1960s does not somehow make it OK for her to call a black tennis player a “golliwog”.

And I’ll say again, the racism in RE5 is to do with more than just its setting. Some posters here have drawn the knee-jerk conclusion that Dan just finds a game in which a white person shoots black people racist whatever the context. The point he’s making, rather, is that the choice of setting and depiction of the black African zombies is far from innocent - Capcom intentionally makes use of harmful stereotypes in the name of entertainment.

I care about games, they are my hobby. I also don’t take them seriosly. This ‘racism’ issue really should not exist, its a speck of dust in contrast to real world problems. Also Resident Evil 5 should not be compared with real world, it is a coincidence.
Look at it this way, you could take almost any game and find links to real life events and history and say its offensive.
Some games (CoD, BiA, Deer Hunter) are based on the real world events and people and get away with it!
Why is this singled out? Oh yeah, its because most of the baddies are black ’stereotypes’. Can’t have that. Nope.
People reaaly need to get off their high horse and back to reality.

Very good point jon. Where were eurogamer when that game came out? I’ll tell you where - they gave it 8/10. No mention of racism or stereotyping in the review. Bloody one sided fickle hypocrites!

“I care about games, they are my hobby. I also don’t take them seriosly. This ‘racism’ issue really should not exist, its a speck of dust in contrast to real world problems.”

If you care about games and how they’re perceived by the wider community, you should be prepared to analyse and discuss them when they touch upon sensitive social issues. You’re right - the racist tropes employed in RE5 are insignificant in comparison to what’s going on in Zimbabwe, or Darfur, or Palestine, but they’ll still help form the opinions of millions of consumers and voters worldwide, and hence they need to be dissected.

I’m not going to defend Eurogamer for singling out RE5 on this count, but their unfortunate hypocrisy doesn’t make the scene I’ve mentioned any less racist, does it?

@Ed
The game is an 18 it is intended to be played by adults, many who would already have opinions and intelligent enough to know that a game is a game. Obviously under 18’s will play it, but thats a different issue all together.
Yes there are people who will always be easily led and influenced by entertainment and the media, and that will always be the case.
An opinion is just an opinion, people need to make up their own minds. They don’t need to be ‘protected’. If someone finds it offensive when it is released (and played it themselves) then they may complain, but not before hand.

NAdkins01: your interpiration of “how africa is” is an example of corrupted views. I have met nicer people day by day in africa than anywhere else. Very poor people who are very civil. If you havnt noticed Africa has a lot of people in it. The majority by a long way are not violent like that by any means.

wouldn’t it be MORE racist if they had a white dude and a black dudette shooting ONLY white dudes in Africa?

Sorry - *Tim* Dalton :p

Chainchomp

Sorry, my last response was too curt - was in the middle of cooking something so had to dash off. Sorry to cut your quotes short, too - I haven’t had the time to respond to entire posts :)

To expand on my point - we like to think that novels, films, games, etc are harmless escapism, that they’re “not to be taken seriously”, but the fact is that they *do* condition our opinions in subtle ways, regardless of age, and those ways are hard to identify precisely *because* we don’t take them seriously. A case has been made, for instance, that the violence and sexism promoted in the more braindead kinds of rap music - also supposedly “just” entertainment - has fostered a cult of macho thuggishness among disadvantaged young Anglo-Asian men.

I’m not suggesting that we ban or even censor RE5 - that would probably be blowing things out of proportion - but I think it’s important, given the above, to discuss the game’s less savoury aspects, bring them to light, rather than trying to ignore them.

This is also important because, whether RE5 can ultimately be called “racist” or not, people from outside gaming are going to find images of white Hollywood heroes gunning down African peasants offensive, at least when taken out of context. Just telling the non-gaming media to get off their high horses isn’t going to wash in that event. Dan Whitehead sums this up at the end of the preview: “If we’re going to accept this sort of imagery in games then questions are going be asked, these questions will have merit, and we’re going to need a more convincing answer than “lol it’s just a game.”"

no one ever thought the white woman maybe in the plot maybe a foreign doctor sent out there as aid it happens does it not?

OMG STFU stupid jouralists!!! It’s just a fictional game made to entertain. How come no one talked about racism when Crysis came out? Killing Asians? Or how about RE4, got a guy killing Hispanic people? But when it comes to blacks people raise a fit about it, STFU idiots!! It’s the people who keep poking about at every tiny issues with “blacks” involved that are keeping racism alive. It’s just a freaking game. Fuck eurogamer and their whores!

I’m ok, I’m just irritated with these ignorants.

I’d just like to say that I am surprised at the amount of intelligent discourse replying to this article. I was expecting way more, “It’s just a game shut the #(*$ up.” That being said, I agree with the article 100%. While it is a game, people will still question it’s intentions and merit. The truth is racist stereotypes can be seen through much of Japanese culture - statistically Japan is one of the most segregated nations, with less than 2% of the population being something other than native. While many will still scream vulgarities from the tops of their lungs and state that its a game, people who actually have cognitive connections to the events portrayed will want answers. I say, either join the conversation or just play your game.

Holy jeez, thank you for seeing my point!! This is keeping racism alive.

Its a Game FFS. Seriously people complain too much. Its not like it happens for real. The people who notice that its “Black” People who are getting Killed etc are the ones who are racist aswell. Were not suppose to see “Black” People as Coloured or whatever. Were suppose to just see them as People. So who ever made this Argument is racist themselfs.

Ed dunno if you’ve ever been to Africa, but I live in South Africa. Been to North, East and West Africa and I’ve seen what goes on. South Africa is one of the better African countries and we have a rape every 5 seconds here according to our statistics, not to mention murder and theft.

The world likes to throw their arms up and scream racism when someone black is involved, but when other cultures and races are being discriminated against and stereotyped that’s okay. Racism is a two way street is does not mean prejudice to only black people.

I think you guys are unwilling to acknowledge the fact that while Capcom might not be intentionally encouraging racial stereotypes, they’re flirting with the line, and they should have known a controversy like this would erupt. Whether or not they actually hate black people, they should have been more careful to avoid racial pitfalls. It’s not the end of the world, but what the HELL were they thinking?
I understand what some of the people here are saying that it seems hypocritical to have not reacted to the white zombies in RE4 this way, but let’s not forget that 1) black people were considered for a long time to be subhuman, and 2) white people raped Africa.
Racism is a two-way street, but the histories of racial and ethnic groups cannot be ignored when making a game…even one about zombies.
Ed, you’re right on.

It’s not a question of whether or not RE5 is actually asking people to be racist.

Depicting a white man heroically killing hordes of mindless black men is asking for trouble. Capcom should have used something less incendiary.

Ed

I never stated that he was claiming that it was inherently racist because they’re black. I suggested that its NOT racist because the events depicted in RE5 are based on similar events in areas of Africa. I understand his point of view, he just has it all wrong. I would call it racist if RE5 had made this stuff all up and Africa was perfect and completely peaceful. But the unfortunate recent history of Africa does have a lot of blood on its hands, and to ignore that and simply claim that these depictions are “out dated” would be a travesty all on its own.

I just really fail to see any racism here whatsoever. Would we be having this discussion if the setting were changed to say Brazil but all the same scenarios played out?

really, i wouldn’t care if we had to fight budhist monks, catholic nuns, the pope, gun hating liberals, the president, kkk members, gangbangers, nazis, undaed george washington, play boy bunnies, suicide bombers, house hold cats, etc.

if they are between me and the re-discovery of the centuary (the origins of the virus) or trying to attack me, i’d kill them without a secound thaught!

“I never stated that he was claiming that it was inherently racist because they’re black.”

You certainly inferred it, mate - and as you appear to think that’s his real underlying motivation it all amounts to the same thing, doesn’t it?

“I suggested that its NOT racist because the events depicted in RE5 are based on similar events in areas of Africa.”

Contrary to what appears to be popular belief, there are people in Africa with reasons for getting up in the morning other than brutality, rape, theft and murder - people who, believe it or not, just want to get by, feed their families, throw a party now and then, perhaps have some sort of say in local politics. That there are *also* people living there who *do* prefer to brutalise, rape, steal from and kill each other only makes it all the more important that we don’t write the entire continent off as a gigantic cesspool, and to claim that the scene I mentioned is innocently, transparently representative is to do just that.

Here’s my preview, if anyone’s interested: http://games.kikizo.com/features/resident-evil-5-final-build-hands-on-preview-p1.asp

As people have pointed out, RE5 isn’t the only game to toy with racism (though it’s probably one of the nastier examples). Splinter Cell: Double Agent, Afro Samurai and RE4 have been mentioned. Fair enough - let’s discuss ‘em. Have you got a video of that DA mission, thatguy?

Man bearbig

That’s a fair point, though it could be argued that the kidnapping and abuse of white girls by Spaniards in RE4 indicates that it is *also*, at times, racist. Could you dig up some vids?

I’ve managed to find scans of a Famitsu preview which includes a few pics of the scene in question. There’s a shot of the woman on the balcony before she is restrained, and another of her after you enter the building (but before she goes all tentacular). Quality isn’t very good but it should give you some idea of what I’m talking about:

http://i293.photobucket.com/albums/mm60/XzN-Staff/RE5_Scan_Pics_15.jpg

I would say that the use of the imagery discussed is deliberate, but I certainly wouldn’t say this is “incitement to racial hatred” or anything of that sort. I think Capcom just wants to shake players up a bit.

I’ve witnessed this debate in a number of forums now, and it seems to draw the response of “It’s a game, I kill zombies” and a group of honest debaters, who will argue their point sincerely. I cannot engage the minds of mindless posters.
However, if you are responding with intellectual honestly, and I’ve seen a number of you here, I have a challenge for you.

–Tell me where there IS racism in a video game, if you have ever seen it in your entire life.

I present this challenge to illustrate the following points.
1) Some people will always see racism even when it does not exist..
2) Some people will never see racism even when it does exist.

#1 is annoying and I suspect that many of the people who have entered this debate are fed up with having to defend seemingly innocuous aspects of culture such as music, video games, etc.
#2 is equally annoying but very often people who fall into this category are completely oblivious to it. So I present my challenge again

–Have you ever seen an instance of racism in a video game ever, in your entire life?

I can think of plenty of video games where there was nothing racially offensive or otherwise, so I know I don’t fall into category 1. If you can’t think of a single instance of racism in ANY given medium, be it literature, music, the news, games, etc. then I would like to propose to you that you fall into category 2.

I’m not telling you what games to play or how to think. I’m not judging you. I’m not even asking you to change your mind. But I am challenging your perspective.

Any takers?

Well…I don’t think this game’s meant to lash out on black people. It’s just the story and it’s only a game…if it offends you to play it, well, don’t play it. What about Grand Theft Auto 4? Why didn’t anyone call that game racist?

1 month has passed and no one has accepted my challenge to name a single video game that was racist. Jack asked why GTA4 wasn’t racist but then couldn’t answer his own question.

You’ve all had a month to think of ANY occurrence of racism in ANY game and you couldn’t do it. Therefore I propose to you that you fall into category 2) some people will never see racism even when it does exist.

If you are incapable of identifying a particular problem, then you have no credibility in saying it doesn’t exist BECAUSE YOU ARE BLIND TO IT. You say “This game is not racist”. I say you have not demonstrated the cognitive capacity to support such a statement.