@Vitamin Booya

If we use the same logical that she used then every game is Racist
Well eact for games where you kill Nazis.

Seriously, if you played a black guy killing all white zombies, there'd be no problem.

And THAT is why this is bullshit.

Sorry the caps lock was on.

IN ALL R.E. GAMES YOU PLAY AS A WHITE GUY KILLING ZOMBIES USUALLY OF THE SAME RACE? SO ONE GAME YOU KILL AMERICANS, THE OTHER SPAINARDS ECT.


SO TO SAY THAT THE GAME IS RACIST BECAUSE ITS ANTAGIONISTS ARE OF YOUR RACE IS SAYING THAT YOUR RACE IS SUPPORIOR TO OTHERS.

IF KILLING SPAINARDS ISN'T RACIST
IF KILLING AMERICANS ISN'T RACIST
IF KILLING GERMANS ISN'T RACIST
IF KILLING YOUR RACE IS RACIST THEN YOUR BEING RACIST!

[...] All that aside, the thing that freaked me out the most were the comments on Black Looks (as well as those on Game Politics and Kotaku and others). Fully 10 percent of the comments, I’d guess, were full-out hardcore racist pissant gibberish. They included the words “nigger” and “bitch,” and they included them a lot. Another 50 percent were apologists. The most frequent gabble in this column was, “You’re making a mountain out of a molehill” and “Nuh-uh, you’re the one who’s racist.” Additionally, the apologist camp screeched at Kym for not being fully conversant with the history of this title. (Good point. Now hurry back downstairs before another one of your pimples bursts and you ruin your Adult Swim t-shirt.) [...]

#1. This chick isn't African, she's American.

#2. Black zombies in Africa = racism. White zombies in Africa = apartheid racism.

The race card isn't an Ace anymore, lady. It's a JOKER.

I am black and I think black people that charge the game as being racist ought to shut the hell up!

Why is it when is it when there are black people depicted in any sort of "bad" way that we have to get all up in arms about it.

NEWSFLASH***

Black people do bad things sometimes!

Now in this case, they are frigging zombies (or zombie-like). I think the game looks excellent as it DOES remind me of Black Hawk Down.

Let's explore what can be racist here:

1. The fact that there are black people in it.

That can't be it. Other races have been in games. My race isn't special.

2. Black people are the bad guys/killers in the game.

It's set in Africa. What do you expect? I'd be more offended if it was set in Africa and there were only white people there. The country of Africa is not off-limits because black people reside there.

3. The white guy is the good guy.

Well the white guy (along with a white girl) was the good guy in ALL of the games. Even ones where....wait for it.....the white guy killed white and hispanic ZOMBIES AND MONSTERS!

4. There will be those that make racists comments about killing black people.

Uhhh....so what? If you are black (or whatever) and want to trounce the game, not becuase you believe the game is racist, but because others make evil racist comments about it then you are an idiot.

Make comment back about those spewing their racist drivel about the game, if anything. The game itself is fine (from what I've seen).

I guess to appease some black people, there also has to be a black protagonist in the game. Maybe blacks can only kill blacks.

so does that mean that RE4 was racist against white people.
o wait that right (l;augh) u cant be racists against white people (slaps table) i compleatly forgot.
but im all seriousness. really? i mean really? how paranoid do you have to be in order to view RE4 as racist? now if all the peple were rappers and they all are zombies from super aids that they got from their bitches and hoes. and all their pimps be slappin em and you used a giant fire hose to wack down the "crazy negroes" then yes. yes. its is racist.
but from my under standing no thats not case.
i mean would you perfer it be set in africa but have native american zombies. would that make you happy?

Ironic that someone who writes for a website called "Black Looks" would cry "racism" when the very nature of the website is to exclude certain groups based on the color of their skin.

The author is wrong on so many levels. First, she's wrong to judge a game she's never played. After all, passing judgement based on first impressions is exactly what she's railing against. She doesn't want "black people" to be pre-judged either. Second, she's wrong that this game is being targetted to kids. It's a survival horror game which can't be purchased by anyone under 17 without a parent. Third, she's wrong to focus on the characters' skin color. Would it be better if white people were being killed by white people? How about Asians, Latinos, or Native Americans? The fact is that Capcom makes games where characters of all different races hurt each other. By objecting to the brutality against only black game characters, the author is exposing her own racism.

So congrats to the author on coming out of the closet as a racist. She can feel free to express her concern about any game she wants. Her opinion is every bit as valid as the hundreds of idiots calling her names. However, it's no more intelligent or better thought out than any of the responses it has recieved.

As some of you are still angry after her, let me tell you that in fact, she's nice and accepts discussion if you stay civilian (at least, it works with me).

By the way, I know I've already posted the link and quoted paragraphs from Gary Pellino's article "the shame of the game" ( http://ptgptb.org/0004/antigame.html ) , but I can't resist quoting it again because I'm starting to feel the same shame :

"Blind hatred - or prejudice - is a deliriously easy and enjoyable doctrine to follow, as it taps into your most selfish desires, and completely relieves you of the burden of having to think. It makes your beliefs appear to be unshakably correct, and hence anything you do based on those beliefs is vindicated. And that can be quite intoxicating. Best of all, it turns you into a hero. If the enemy is evil, then your opposition of them makes you a warrior for the true path.

As lovers of fantasy, (as most role-players are) this image is one to which we are particularly drawn. If the anti-gaming movement is the evil empire, then we must be the rebels, fighting valiantly to turn back their tide of oppression. And maybe we are as good looking as Han Solo, too. This, then is the reason that players continue to fight even though the battle is over - we are, perhaps subconsciously, playing out our own fantasy games in real life. So the source of the gaming prejudice myth is, in the end, ourselves: we make ourselves into the oppressed , because we enjoy the feeling of hating our oppressors.

However, the real world does not work like fantasy. And, ironically, this attitude is as much a threat to gaming as BADD ever were. Playing the victim only gives more credence to the other side; the more we scream about the evils of our opponents, the more it looks like they have a case. The more we propagate the myth that role-playing is prejudiced, the more people believe that there is a reason for this prejudice. Worst of all, by allowing ourselves to be prejudiced, we end up acting as bigoted and oppressive as did our opposition.

As I said above, one mention of anti-gaming sentiment can have even the most cerebral gamers jumping up and screaming at the top of their voices about the evils of Pulling, BADD, and all fundamentalists. And this is regardless of who raised the comment - I've even seen gamers attack their fellows around the table with this kind of abuse, simply because they happened to voice some not-quite-anti-BADD comments. I've heard BADD and Pulling labelled with words normally aimed at Hitler and the Nazis - bigoted, deluded, oppressive, insane, even evil (that favourite of the fundamentalists). Worse, I've heard these classifications applied to anyone who even remotely resembles BADD, so all fundamentalists, or even all Christians, become part of the evil anti-gaming movement.

It sometimes seems that we are more interested in proving that RPGs are harmless - or more importantly, that its detractors are wrong - than we are with actually playing the things. Not only does this not help the issue, but it reflects badly on the hobby as a whole, making us look like the militant extremists.

It is about time we laid down our arms. Blind hatred or mindless ridicule does nobody any good, and may even lead to a repeat of the same problem. Rather, if we try to understand our enemy, we can examine the cause of the problem, and hopefully correct it. It's time to stop mocking, denigrating and devaluing their opinions, and started trying to listen, and to understand. And maybe even communicate."

I'm pretty disappointed in anyone who used hate speech in an attempt to convey to this woman that she was wrong. If you're too stupid to speak up and convey your feelings and beliefs in a way that doesn't attempt to belittle the opposing side, don't even bother speaking up, no one wants to hear what you have to say. I'm sure hundreds of well written posts on her site detailing the nature of the Resident Evil games would've accomplished alot more than messages calling her a N***** and a whore.

Er... is that dude (I refuse to accept him as a woman, look at the photo!) even black? Looks a kind of milky coffee colour to me. Certainly not zombified African.

Huh? Having a lead black "hero" would not sell? I don't know San Andreas sold like hot cats and the lead character is a black man.

Also, in Dead Rising, Brad is a black man who is portrayed very respectably. He's not stereotyped at all (i.e. non-"gansta", non-ebonic, etc.), and is a United States Department of Homeland Security agent. He's a pretty heroic character in the game, and a very respectable one at that. He's not the lead character, but he is a very important character to the story nonetheless.

In Resident Evil 2 Marvin Branagh is a surviving R.P.D. officer, he's black as well. When you meet him he's already suffering from a fatal wound and succumbing to the T-Virus, but before then he helps you out and tells you to find and rescue survivors. After that they gave him a role in Resident Evil Outbreak: File 2, which takes place sometime before RE2, where he assists the characters in the game and it show how he became morally wounded. He wasn't stereotyped, was a police officers, and he was valiant and selfless. He was a good positive character.

In Resident Evil Outbreak: File 2 you can play as a black man named Mark Wilkins. He worked for a security company in Raccoon City, was a Vietnam veteran. Approximately fifty-one years old, has great strength, wants to live a peaceful life. He's not stereotypical at all, and I think portrayed as a great guy.

This isn't much, I know, but this is all from Capcom. They're never really depicted a black person in a bad way. There hasn't been a black villain at all, almost all of the villains responsible for the outbreaks and creations of the viruses are white men. White people are almost always depicted as villains in Resident Evil, even the lovable bear like Barry was swayed to betray you at one point. White people are always the bad guys. Now that it's finally got some black enemies, who obviously aren't in control of themselves as they've been taken over by some sort of virus or parasite, it's wrong to use them? Doesn't make much sense. Wouldn't be surprised seeing some white men there as the reason the outbreak happened since they're always the bad guys, Wesker will probably end up being behind it or something.

Y'know what, the second i saw that trailer i said to myself that black americans would find it racist. So what now, do you have a game set in that region that features no black people?

I heard this game was inspired by black hawk down, another piece of media that was complained about as racist because the angry mobs acted like angry mobs and were black.

Lets face it if you look for racisim you'll find it.

You can bitch all you want, if it,s white people: we don't complain, if its spanish people: they don't complain but as soon as someone black get's shot. IT'S A HUGE DEAL. Who cares already.

I'm posting even though it'll get buried in the rush.

I put up posts in the first thread. They were well thought out(at least in my opinion ; ), free of any racial terms or slurs. I am 32, white, Australian. I am not the "typical" teenage white male*.

If Kym Platt is unhappy with the response to her article and follow up comments, perhaps she should consider that she is reaping the hate she sowed. Her tongue in cheek comment about "all zombies should be white from here on" is still a racist statement. Perhaps if people spent some time thinking before propagating hate, they may find the rest of the world more understanding.

RE5 does not contain racist material unless you choose to see people as a colour rather than people (or more relevantly, virally created zombies). If you choose to see people as a colour, you are tending towards racism ie. differentiating by race.

Kym is the root of the problem here. Before her article, I'd say that most of GP's readers had never heard of her. The strength of the reaction is in line because she's essentially saying that anyone who will play this game is endorsing racism, a patently ridiculous assumption.

*Ironic that the assumption is we are all teenage, white and male. Talk about racial profiling... Reading the feedback to her blogg entry (which was cut off at 100 some odds posts by the site, talk about freedom of expression), many responders noted that they were African-American and objected to her comments.

If I had to find anything to learn from this execrable affair, here are two things :

1 - Communautarism is bad.
2 - Anger is a bad adviser.
3 - Now, gamers will be scrutinized much more than any group, and we'll have to act in consequence. Even though it's unfair, even though we think we don't have to justify ourselves for any so-called "gamer's" death threat or hate mail... well, we'll don't have choice (have we ever had it, anyway ?).

This is the reason that so few people take the black caucus seriously.

As stated before, the first 3 REs had WHITE ZOMBIES! No one bitched.
Number 4 had spanish zombies. No one bitched.
RE5 has black Zombies OMG ITS RACISM!
What jackasses.

I agree with Rock fan 3. These false accusations would not have happened if not for those overreacting people screaming about the game being racist. Shame, shame on those people whose accusations are now hurting Capcom. It won't be long until everyone in the world knows how stupid and over reactive these people are.

Too logical to draw accurate comparisons? That sounds like code for, "Can spot that my comparisons are inaccurate."

I used to live with a guy from Africa, and let me tell you, that guy wouldn't have given two craps about this. And he was friggin crazy. The kind of dude who sincerely believed OJ Simpson and Michael Jackson had been framed. Loved Malcolm X. Had posters of the man everywhere. And he wouldn't have cared one bit about something this dumb. You know why? Cause he's SEEN racism. Not this stupid crap that these spoiled little punks think "Oh no they didn't! RACISTS!" I mean real racism. Burn your neighbor's house down and shoot them racism.

The people who write these blogs are the people who don't understand what racism is. People treat you a little carefully, maybe store owners watch you a little more than everyone else? A virtual white guy is portrayed shooting virtual undead black people? Big deal. Call me when Capcom is firebombing your churches, I'll be behind you 100%.

Until then just shut the hell up. You don't know anything about actual injustice.

Watch and learn kiddies....(more directed to those offended.)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1EyeNi6qsfs

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LzGM1nv_oow&mode=related&search=

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aCDcl9s9Vh4&mode=related&search=

Muwhahahahaa. When you look at the world through science. It all becomes clear....I think...

For the love of god this topic isnt worth this much discussion.
The game isnt racist .
Some of the first to say they thought it was maby didnt handle it properly.
Other people agree with them
some people dont
The flame war begins
People get mad
the insults fly
once agian because of the bs the gamers look like the bad guys

I sware its a friggin template for anything that some thing like this comes up. Its a cycle that never ends because people love the view form atop there soapbox. This template isn't even limited to gamers but Ill stop now good day


Merdok

I make no excuses for the trolls (what else can you call them) who have responded to this issue with more hatred and bigotry. But to those who have questioned why gamers are so defensive when stuff like this happens, try to understand that time and time again, we have seen games altered, banned, and cancelled because someone felt offended and raised a fuss. From Jack Thompson and his crusade against video games in general, to people who don't like the word "spastic". Time and time again, we have been called deranged, violent, psychopaths, immature, antisocial, racist, sexist, ageist, the list goes on and on. In the very article linked to from this one, it is implied that we are all Columbines waiting to happen. We are sick and tired of having ourselves and our pastime vilified, and the instinct is to circle the wagons. Not the most constructive way to carry on a discussion, I know, but neither is attacking someone (by calling them a racist, for example) the most constructive way to *start* a discussion.

@ de stijl cat
Upon thinking of it some more, I concede your point. However, I don't think they are techinically oppressed anymore... though I'd have to research the word some more. But yes, people taking pride in their accomplishments is all fine and good. I was thinking of it more from a "I'm better than you" stand point, which is unfair.

Wow, oy. Over 300 posts. I think, Capcom never intended to have this kind of reaction against the nature of this trailer. I guess that African Americans have a hard time coping with seeming racially insensitive material given that it hasn't been that long since the Civil Rights Movement. I think that in Japan, since they don't have as much as an African population as over here, oy. So they just use predjudiced stuff (I don't think in an intentionally malevolent way).

First of all, i must say I am exited to see a new RE game.

Moving on, I forsee problems here with the author. Deciding to actually read the full article to fully understand the situation here. I also took the time to look through the comments. On askthisblackwoman.com , she states that people called her various words deemed innapropriate. I did a search for said words, and i found these points:

1. Only one person called her a whore, and the sentence was "You are a racist whore"... I don't see "black whore" anywhere, as she claims.

2. She claims someone posted: "Get back into the cotton fields, you filthy nigger." THough it is possible that said post could have been deleted, I didn't see any other posts pertaining to the statement. However... see point 3.

3. As far as teh derogatory term "nigger" goes, there were a couple posters known as Anonymous who used that term multiple times on blacklooks.com . Just by merely glancing at those posts, and the username, I can determine its origins. I cant say any more, because that would violate rules 1 and 2, but It's safe to assume you cannot take those posts seriously.

4. "...Marketed towards children and Young adults..."
... what?

5. She does deserve this slander against her because she's attacking the Gaming Community without doing a further background check. She also posted a very racist comment. I respect those posters who submitted their angry reply without further name-calling

By no means am I degrading the points brought up by blog author Bonnie Ruberg. Bonnie brought about the point first as informative, and ending with "What If's". All Bonnie is doing is calling attention to something that could be controversial. however, Kim Platt went about this the very wrong way.

To end this: I am a white male, but by no means am i racist. I have friends of many different origions and colors. I know that some of my friends wouldn't enjoy this game BECAUSE THEY DONT LIKE SHOOTING GAMES, NOT BECAUSE OF ITS CONTENT.

Thank you for your time.

Looks like they failed to learn Internet lesson numero uno: Don't Feed The Trolls. My thoughts on those three responses:

1. It's a really, really, cheap debating technique to focus only on the comments that you can easily refute. Of course the hate-filled racial epithets were bad, condemn them all you want, but don't you dare pretend that everyone one of us is like that. Don't only quote the rabid insults and the compliments, quote the calm, rational arguments against you as well.

2. Disgusting. Just disgusting. Black people are hardly featured as the world leaders in mindless, evil activities. Hitler or Stalin, anyone? So what if black people are being portrayed negatively. For every game that shows black people in a bad light, there are many more that show whites in a bad light. People making media where people of your race are shown as the bad guys is a part of this lovely thing called free speech. Get used to it. We have.

3. Much better. Condemning the hate-filled responses and offering a reasonable response to the reaonable questions. Bravo.

In conclusion, people who complain about race in a setting like this, regardless of which race, need to get over themselves.

Keith, I was joking. He's not really behind this at all. He's not smart enough to pull of a plan THAT well. Only comic book villains can do this sort of thing.

I thought the piece posted from the Young Black Professionals guide was good up until the last point. It chastised the ignorant people who leapt into the fray posting abusive language. It then pointed out that previous games in the series have been similar and that a difference in the colour of the enemies skin should make no difference.

Unfortunately, they then said: "the images used in the game, already disturbing because it is resident evil, also reflect hateful images that were real"", and a lot of credibility was lost.
I did not see a reflection of hateful images. Are they implying that black people were turned into zombies by an evil corporation in the past? Now, if the white character took part in a lynching of a black person, or called them certain names, or burned a cross, THEN you would have a reflection of hateful images. Things that have actually happened and been disgustingly hateful. This however is science fiction/horror fiction and does not reflect reality in any way, hateful or otherwise.

I just wish that more people would see this for what it is, a video game that is continuing a long running series that is grounded in pure fiction, not something that is "meant to invoke hate towards black people in the not too distant history of america…". When I first saw the trailer, my thoughts were "Excellent! Another game in the style of Resident Evil 4!". I really enjoyed RE4 due to the claustrophobic and frantic nature of the action, knowing that you are outnumbered and having to take shelter and run to avoid being swarmed by more enemies than you can deal with. I didnt enjoy RE4 because I was able to virtually shoot enemies of a certain ethnicity, and I won't enjoy RE5 for that either. I will enjoy it because I like the storyline and wish to see it continued and look forward to more of the same exciting action I experienced in the previous game.

@ Darrell:

Why would you bring Mr. Thompson up in relation to this? It serves no purpose other than to try and goad him into a response (which I must give him credit for as it was brief and to the point!). It doesn't matter if you are being sarcastic, it adds nothing to the debate of this topic and as such was a silly and childish post to make.

I think this wouldn't of been a big issue if Kym Platt didn't write this article. After giving it a bt of thought (with the last remains of alchool still in my body from last night) this could be the works of an anti game person (not going to point the fingure towards JT, so as a old famous tv ad in the UK says, calm down dear) who may of decided to be offended by it just to give the game a bad name to try decrease sales, or worse, get it banned.

Saying that, I think the people who racially abused Kym Platt are a utter disgrace and I hope if Kym Platt is reading this that she knows that not all gamers are a fucking disgrace who racially abuse people. To a much lesser extent, I know what it's like (with a idiot on live calling me a Scottish c**t, and with social problems here in Scotland itself though thats a relgious thing)

So Jack is hanging around GP at 6:00 in the morning waiting for people to mention him? It only took him 8 minutes to reply to Darrel.

Darrel, Get yourself some counseling.

Why is it that an african american (like one of the characters in crackdown) killing white people is completely normal, and a white guy killing africans is racist?!? I think that the blog is more racist than anyone.

Funny thing is, I was thinking just about the same thing, when I was watching the trailer. I was thinking: Some people will really be offended by this!


(NB: Its only the latest opportunity to bash the “White oppressor” Al Sharpdon leading the way).

*blink* she starts with an incredibly insulting and racist rant, and is SURPRISED when people take it poorly and lash back?

What she just did was the blogging equivalent of walking into a bar, hitting some random person in the back of the head then sobbing how persecuted she is that the person hit back.

Yes, a lot of people were very nasty back, and that is un-excusable. But it IS explainable. It's called other people have feelings too.

I don't think there is a question about whether or not everyone is treated equally in america, frankly people aren't. Aside from racism there is sexism, discrimination based on age, gender, education, sexual identity, and many other factors. Whether or not the game is racist isn't the issue, frankly, I don't think it is, but maybe thats because every other game in the series except for RE4 contained a majority of white zombies.

As someone else has already said I think one of the problems is that people who have experienced racism first-hand are all too quick to claim it because they fear it happening again. I'm not saying they are wrong, frankly I would be upset and "paranoid" about it if I had experienced something like that too.

Ultimately though, it doesn't matter if it is racist or not. As much as we hate the idea of someone making a racist statement, their ability to make that statement is protected as long as it doesn't lead to harm. Could this lead to harm... Maybe. But so could any other movie, game or other piece of media that contains violence. If we start banning this or that because it MIGHT lead to violence unintentionally we may as well stop producing movies and games because that will be the end of them.

"From Birth of a Nation to Black Hawk Down, black folk are apparently responsible for some of the most mindless and evil activities you got."

How the hell do you get off comparing Birth of a Nation and Black Hawk Down? Birth of a Nation is essentially a Ku Klux Klan propaganda movie while Black Hawk Down is an (almost) faithful retelling of a major incident of the United States Army (one that resulted in the award of two posthumous Medal of Honors). Not to mention that zombies "are thought to have originated in Haiti." Voodoo anyone?

Apparently, not being silenced by political correctness is "racism" nowadays.

Background on Afro-Caribbean Voodoo and zombies:
http://science.howstuffworks.com/zombie.htm

I REALLY hope that the black bloggers quoted above are just trolling -- the Platt chick in particular sounds like she's just joking around to drive up traffic. Unfortunately, it's hard to tell. The internet is full of people who make a big deal out of race, and rank stupidity is hardly unusual among those who obsess over the colour of their skin.

Of course, whether it's a troll or not, I've still been enjoying the flamewar. I stand by my opinion that the game is harmless. The race of the zombies appears to be a side effect of the game's setting, nothing more.

in my opinion the reason people are saying its racist is because they want it to be racist.

My mom alwas says, "if you dont pick it it will heal faster".

As long as people explode at the merest blink of precieved racism and start screaming about it this kind of thing will never go away.

As for the Mojas (black with red lips)
I wonder what these people would make of it if they took a look at the "zwarte pieten"(black peters roughly translated) that are a traditional part of our "Sinterklaas" national holyday here in the Netherlands.

White people put un black make-up, wear red lipsick and put on thights for this.

Just google it to see what I mean.

I think that because I grew up with these traditionally good natured, slightly goofy but always positive images of black people I can't see the problem with the Moja's.

Maybe someone should point out that the idea of zombies originated with voodoo. Just a thought.

The game isn't racist, but the trailer is quite offensive, and if the game has the same tone, then that's a problem.

"The game is racist against zombies!"

The zombies look a lot like the historically negative racist stereotype of Africans as savage looking and animalistic. You're going to naturally hear complaints about it. I'm sorry, but if they had a game set in the U.S. and all the white zombies were trailer trash and hillbillies, you'd get the same sort of negative criticisms (though perhaps not to as much vocal a degree).

"Why wasn't anybody criticizing RE4?"

Because, to put it bluntly, Spanish people never had genocides committed against them. Spanish people were never portrayed as animalistic or inhuman as much as Africans have been.

"It's just a game!"

So was the VT Massacre simulator.

The game isn't going to get canned. Capcom is reaping the profits of this publicity. However, it's kind of stupid. The game could very well be less sensationalistic and shocking than the trailer; however, the trailer brings up a lot of bad bad memories of a time when white people committed genocide in Africa. It's just that simple.

And frankly, the gaming community needs to better control itself. If GTA3's first promo vid had been the protagonist doing nothing except soliciting hos and killing them afterwards, how do you imagine the talking heads would have responded? The gamers would have gone "whoa, that's some open-ended gaming right there", but you can get your ass that Jack Thompson and Lieberman would have fallen upon themselves in the rush to condemn the game, Capcom, and all gamers in general. What Capcom is doing with this is creating an unnecessarily senationalistic campaign that brings up bad memories in an extremely cheap and tasteless way. And all these internet idiots bashing the bloggers are not doing anything to solve this issue. Video games have a bad media image; it's time to fight against that.

It may seem like that I'm blaming the victim here, but dammit, gaming community, stop creating opportunities for anti-video game activists to criticize you.

OK, OK, here is one message to my fellow angry gamers : calm down ! (and to those who are no longer angry, keep going)

I think Kym understood the message (at least partially), and right now I'm having a peaceful discussion with her on her blog. She's in fact very nice and open-minded when people talk to her in a civil manner.

By the way, I encourage you to read a column entitled "The shame of the game", written 10 years ago. I wasn't about video games, but pen-and-paper role-playing games. However, I think the same thing applies to us (just change "role-playing" by "video games", and you'll see), especially the last paragraphs :

"Role-playing is a young hobby that is still very much changing and expanding, and we should be investigating every aspect of it. But generally, any opinion that doesn't support gaming entirely is devalued, labeled as either religious extremism or fascist bullying, thus ending all hope of any meaningful examination of the hobby.

And far too often, those that express such views are immediately pounced on and silenced under a barrage of accusations by militant gamers, who justify their own oppressive policies on the basis of defending a hobby that isn't actually under attack.

And it is then that I am most ashamed to be a role-player."

More here : http://ptgptb.org/0004/antigame.html

This....will never end will it?

At this rate, as much as I'd like to play the game, I'd rather they just cancel it so these ignorant people would just shut their mouths.

They refuse to do any research on the game's history or acknowledge the fact that other than one black zombie in RE2, this is the first time they're actually having black zombies. They've all been white before this, save for the Spaniards in RE4, and even the people behind the viral outbreaks have been white.

The white man/woman have been the primary enemies for these games forever practically, and finally when they do have black zombies everyone is in an uproar. It's bullshit double standard crap, and it pretty much tells me that no one actually wants equality. We've got to treat which ever ethnic group better depending on how much more their ancestor's suffered than the rest of the ethnic groups.

This, sadly, is the way things will always be. I can see this argument happening probably in another 30 or 40 years because there will always be people like the one's who posted this articles on the Villager and Black Look sites.

I can't see why any developer from here on out would depict anything but white-hetero-male-on-same violence. Easily offended people are a total liability.

"To let me play a computer simulation of a clean, muscular white man mowing down crowds of African savages CANNOT be dismissed with, “But they’re really ZOMBIES. It’s nothing!”"


Yeah, its generally being not dismissed as "but they're zombies", but pointing out the fact that every RE game has you killing zombies and to say, "Oh its only okay to kill white zombies" is horribly racist.

Equality is equality is equality. And if we ever want to reach said equality one day you cannot heed "imagery". In doing so you are still treating them differently thus its still racist. Saying you cannot have black zombies, even to prevent said imagery is doing nothing but pointing out differences between white and black, thus deepening the chasm of resentment between each.

i'll have to do some more reaserch on RE. i'll just have to re-write that blog post.

Thank you all for your comments, i'll use them to make better blog posts in the future. to make better arguments

thank you father time.

@Dr. Burst

I sincerely doubt it'll have a message, even if it art, if all games have a message, then what was the message for tekken, or soul calibur, or madden?

Sure some games can be art but i don't think that all games qualify as art.

Also art doesn't need to have a message, like the mona lisa.

I just read the other comments and aparrently dr. burst has calmed down so I apologise for calling him a moron, i thought he was going to stick by the "RE5 is racist" arguement no matter what was said like everyone else here, so I insulted him based on it and for that i apologise.

Dr Burst you sir are a moron


"this is how i feel about this

"Recently the blogger who was brave enough to post about the apparent racism in Resident Evil Five was attacked by many commenters. Not only are these racist and sexist comments"

You are ignoring all the valid criticism of her arguments and instead focusing solely on the personal insults levied at her,

"making the release of any other resident evil game highly un-likely,"

I got news for you if capcom has half a brain they'll still release the game (after all resident evil made a lot of money and was hailed as a terrific game),


"But not discussing this issue in a mature manner is bringing a shadow of shame on the gaming community. "

Again you are ignoring the mature discussion everyone else is having.

"No fan boy has the right to call someone a “nigger” or a “whore” because they pointed out something that may or may not get the game they love cancelled."

I can't argue with you there

"This could be the death blow to the gaming community one poster writes “given the response from gamers… I think we should all be very afraid."

Rome wasn't built in a day nor was it destroyed in a day, this one game will nto destroy the gaming community any more than GTA. by the way that one poster was the same women who started this whole thing in the first place.

"Many of these folks seem like the type who would try to reenact scenes from Resident Evil 5. Can you say Columbine?”. These few immature gamers are bringing down the gaming community as a whole. They are reinforcing the very stereotype used to ban video games, Gamers are a bunch of dehumanized demoralized mass killers. These gamers are no better then KKK members."

So wait a minute insulting all black people is equal to trying to kill all black people? Under that "logic" insulting someone would be the equivalent of threatening them.

"These gamers say the game is not racist yet when one looks at the anger in their posts one must conclude that these games are having an impact one the morals."

Yet when one looks at the comments made by mature people that thesis falls flat, also there is a whole ton of other things influencing why they are being so insensitive (like being anonymous and not having your posts tied to your real name)

"One must conclude that Jack Thomson is right, and video games should be banned. (Personally I do not support this argument but I want to stay objective in analyzing these issues for now on thus based on the evidence presented to me, I must agree.)"

Actually jack thompson's agrument is that games turn people into mindless killers not that they have lower morals.

"In is a know Fact in all other Resident Evil games the zombies were white. Yet, by having one white person killing waves of black “zombies” it is different."

Yes their skin color was different BEFORE they became mindless cannibals, that's it.

"White people do not have the emotional scar that still bleeds from slavery. Slavery only ended 7 generations ago. African Americans have only just gotten there god given civil rights."

50, or 40 years ago isn't just getting them nor is 7 generations a short time by any stretch.

"The current generation of African Americans CAN SPEAK TO THERE GRANDMOTHERS AND GRANDFATHERS AND HEAR FIRSTHAND STORIES OF LYNCHING, RAPE, AND MURDER. It is not so long ago that there was segregation. That the KKK was at it’s high. Yes, the message of Resident Evil 5 is not as blatantly racist as other KKK funded games such as “Ethnic cleansing”, but there is the over tone of racism."

An overtone of racism? The man doing the killing was in previous resident evil games where he shot white zombies, not exactly a racist overtone.

"If These gamers would scroll up a few more pages they would see African Americans still deal with racism today. Yet, these fact remains VIDEO GAMES AND MEDIA AS A WHOLE DO NOT SHOW AFRICAN AMERICANS VICTORIOUS IN BATTLE. For example in RE2 the only black person in the games dies with out a real struggle. RE5 Also fails in this way, the game fails to let an African save his society, save his only live."

There is no law that says they have to have a black person be a hero.

"The games message is that Africans are helpless. The need white men to “Parent” them. It is parentalism, the very same theory that keep slavery alive, all over again. "

Wrong. First of all this game probably has no message, secondly the game is entirely fictional, it uses zombies, basically it's that if zombies ever overrun africa, this one man (who doesn't exist) could stop them, ever seen an action movie, kinda like that, thirdly how do you know that the protagonist doesn't get help from black allies.

"Furthermore, This game depicts African Americans as a plague needs to be wiped out. Akin to the one drop rule. Akin to aids in African. This game basically states that
African Americans are helpless, are the trouble makers and whites must set things right."

Wrong on so many levels, first of all they are zombies. DO you even know what that is? A zombie is someone who's sole purpose is to kill humans, zombies are no longer human and they can't be changed back (most of the time). So basically he's killing them because if he doesn't they will kill him. It's not out of race, it's not revenge, it's just plain and simple survival. If you don't kill them you will DIE.

"Then there is the “RE5 is programmed in Japan, they don’t know about our Racal tensions.” Yes this is true, but the Ad companies, translates, and publishers are based here and had the power and the humanity to see the racist themes and info the programmers about this."

Or they could've realised that the game is not racist and just left it as it is.

"It is hard to see this not as yet another move by the white controlled corporations, lust like the white controlled corporations promoting angry African American rap and stopping out hopeful songs, to reinforce stereotypes. "

You have no proof of any of this. So why should we believe you.

Thus RE5 is racist.

oh and i forgot to add, re5 is not racist, but you are overreacting to it.

@Hannah
yes but that reaction might mean the end for the resident evil games

Dr Burst. Rent Resident Evil 4 and come back. Resident Evil 5 is the follow up to that (and the best game in the series IMO). You'll have a different outlook I promise.

Gray17, thank you for showing me that flaw in my argument, i'll try to refine it to cover that hole.

I find your argument very well support and intresting. Can you expand on that idea a little more. I admit i've only played RE2 so i've not gotten any of the new backstory

i thought the game was taking place in hati?

I don't know, RE4 might change my outlook, but still the games seems to me to present a theme of perentalism which was the root to slavery.

"If RE5 was in HK? would anybody give a flying crap? no and guess what Chinese people were also SLAVES."

people do care about these things, but it hard to speak up against a community that shows so much anger and hate when questioned on matters of race.

"SLAVERY IS OVER DEAL WITH IT!!!"
Yes, legal slavery is over, yet we must deal with the dehumanisation that comes with slavery

"Do you see any asians Complaining? no"
http://www.publicaffairs.ubc.ca/media/releases/2006/mr-06-079.html
http://www.gamespot.com/pc/strategy/warcraft3reignofchaos/news.html?sid=...

Wait so your also telling me that Africa doesn’t need help? Africa is the worst COUNTRY ever! would any tourist want to go there? It’s only good for Blood Diamonds

Yes, Africa does need help, but this trailer depictes Africans as helpless. There are many africans who are trying to help their community.

Essentially this whole mess is only racist becuase people want to view it as that. What we have seen in the trailer hardly represents the entire of the game and I very much doubt that Capcom ment to cause any offence. "they called me things like “nigger”, “bitch”, and “whore“" I truly fail to see how this relates in way to the trailer. Derogatory comments like that were never mentioned, never referenced and not even hinted. I think that everyone should just wait and see what actually happens in the game before going up in arms about the content.

@MasterAssassin

I agree, we can't simply change the game because some group of people find it offensive without just cause

Wow I've heard some pretty dumb criticisms of certain games but this takes the cake. This even more absurd than that Haitian controversy with Vice City a few years ago. The game is set in Africa or Haiti or whatever. It would be downright stupid to change the models of the zombies just to avoid this bullshit. And people please let Capcom know that we support them and let those who are trying to censor this game know that we will not stand for it. Hitman 2 and Vice City got editted because of similar situations. We don't want a similar outcome for this. And someone should tell this blogger that bitch and whore aren't racial slurs.

@Void42

They could be Black Neo-Nazis that want to eliminate the Jewish Community and people they see as weaker....which could include all whites...

Is it just me, or do many of the comments by gamers prove that:

1) 90% of the readers of gaming blogs are teenage white kids.

2) Gamers who post on gaming blogs have a nasty habit of proving their critics point?

Key word of advice to half the people who posted: Please stop, you're doing more damage to the reputation of gamers than Jack Thompson could ever dream of.

@void42

What about Black Nazis?

does anyone here find it ironic how someone who belongs to a minority that strived to fight a prejudical society and gain equality could resort to prejudical attitudes themselves and expect people to take them seriously afterwards? even kym said she doesnt know much about video games. i dont know how she could not see this negitive backlash in return with that fact in mind. you cant make wild accusations against something you clearly have no or limited knowledge of and not make yourself look like an idiot.

I have said for years that there are two groups that you can get away with killing in games (usually FPS, but it stood for other genres as well), zombies and nazis.

Now it appears that any zombies that are non-white are a tender issue, which is sad given that people who think this are looking at the imagery from a trilaer and not thinking at all about the context.

I guess this means that one Nazis are safe too kill now....

@Toxicity²: Of course. Only us whiteys are bad people. Black people have a monopoly on victimization and heroism.

Remember kids, it's okay to kill white people, but if you kill any black people it's racist.

People like this woman who look for racism in everything are dipshits.

So basically, what these people are saying is that it's okay to be a criminal, doing drugs, killing police officers, killing innocent people, and hitting old ladies with baseball bats AS LONG AS YOU'RE A WHITE PERSON. If you play a black person doing all of that it's racism.

O btw context is everything Kym Platt. You completely removed ALL context from your broad and generalized statements to conclude that: Zombies in RE5 are black, protagonist is white, therefore this game is racist! Which is completely illogical and retarded to a fault.

Racism not only needs someone to be offended but it has to be the intent of the person conducting the offending act to inflict pain and sadness on the person who is offended. Just because you are offended because of your ignorance does not make it racism.

@Soga

Oh, my apologies as well. It just seemed like one of the bad ones who'd dismiss all of history simply of over disagreement, but I was in mistake. They just got to me. *rolls eyes at the thought* My bad.

@Marshie

I have had such occasions a couple times and it gets easier when you realize the person spewing the nonsense is drawing at straws or will never understand how cheap a blow such an accusation is. In one English course we dissected an infamous essay where college and pro team mascots' habit of naming after ethnicities or groups of people could be seen as offensive. One woman of African descent saw no problem with naming teams after native americans or irish people, but could not stand anything related to her culture being used. I asked her about the example "New York Blackskins" as a team name that would never fly from the essay would effect her. She called me racist when I was proving the double standard. She was recently from Africa, not just African American.

The names alone can bother some people but the acts that go with the name is even worse. When you have or identify in part as native american for example and you have scores of drunk people loudly chanting in a fashion that mimics your sacred rituals, making chop gestures and wearing costumes you feel put out. I was very uncomfortable at some of the football games of my former college when they chopped and chanted, thankfully no drunk morons or costumes. It felt wrong since I knew what the real thing sounded like. Our college was given permission to use the tribe name in question though, which is different from some scenarios. Still, for me I cringe when I am at games. Maybe it is because they are not real drums being played but a crappy audio loop. I don't know. If it were a loop of the actual tribe perhaps it wouldn't be so bad.

@Parallax Abstraction

I will say that I had NEVER heard the n word from a person's mouth before I got to North Carolina in '98. From black people, asian people, white people, hispanic people, and others I wouldn't attempt to wager a guess upon. I don't understand it. I don't understand any of the racial comments really. I just wasn't raised that way even though my parents had their own issues with tolerance. The one time a black youth old enough to know better said "gyp" to me in my former occupation (a sales clerk in a gas station), I made sure he understood it was a racial slur that I didn't appreciate hearing (in addition to telling him I was gypsy). It blew his mind. The slur doesn't bother me as much as I'm sure the common slur he hears bothers him, but slurs are slurs.

It is up to those in places of power and influences to set the example that youth can look up to, rather than continually give them a bad example to model themselves upon. I would like to see the use of stereotypes eventually phased out of entertainment as well, but until everyone agrees they can be damaging this won't happen. Positive stereotypes are just as damaging as negative ones unfortunately.

I am floored by this entire situation. Really. I was disgusted by the initial blog posting that called Capcom out on racism. I am equally disgusted by those that would use racial slurs in response to this woman. Yes, she is clearly ignorant and did not do her research, but that is no reason to be racist and hateful toward her. Simply call her out on her mistake and let it go.

As far as the game is concerned, I don't understand the racial claim. I really don't. If the game is taking place in Africa, it stands to reason that the majority of characters would be African. For them to all be white would be very strange, and would ruin the suspension of disbelief that the game is attempting to create.

What I have noticed in this debate, however, is the opportunity for Capcom to do something interesting with the plot of this game. Perhaps the issue of racial violence should come up in the story line? Perhaps Chris Redfield should experience internal conflict over it? There are lots of narrative opportunities here that would allow the game's designers and writers to explore topics that games generally won't touch. These opportunities could take a potentially good game and make it great.

@Toxicity:

I believe people did complain about San Andreas having a black guy as the main character. "It portrays blacks as criminals" and all that.

-P

Perhaps the issue of racial violence should come up in the story line? Perhaps Chris Redfield should experience internal conflict over it? There are lots of narrative opportunities here that would allow the game’s designers and writers to explore topics that games generally won’t touch. These opportunities could take a potentially good game and make it great.


All this does is lend credence to the theory that it matters what color skin the zombies have.

YOU'RE ALL BANNED FROM THE INTERNET

It’s the content of the music, not the people who sing or play it.


No, it's both. The people who sing/play it invariably perpetuate the idea that it's "cool" to be a drug dealer, drug user, pimp, or murderer with an expensive car "rollin' on phat rimz", whether they're performing or not. Race has nothing to do with it. It's the image they project, whether white, black, asian, hispanic, or whatever.

Wow, I just actually read the comments of Ms. Platt's original posting and I now know for certain that this woman is one of those who supports the double-standard the racism only exists when it is against her race. Within 5 posts, she says that all the zombies in the games should be white. She also links to an article in the Village Voice where a similar opinion on the game as her's was voiced by a white reporter and then attempts to claim that the only reason people are upset at her is because she's a black woman writing about supposed racism against black people. She obviously believes in a double-standard and appears to be writing about this subject just to get attention. She does not deserve to be listened to.

Just a thought: Why do people go looking for racism like this?

Oh right. Because it doesn't stir up a hornet's nest.

Ms. Platt can rail about the racism of the Klu Klux Klan all she likes, and the average person isn't going to pay attention because the average person KNOWS that most KKK members (or anyone with that strong and idiotic a prejudice) should be chlorinated from the gene pool. The average person agrees that racism is a bad thing.

On the other hand, if she makes a totally baseless accusation then whines about the backlash, of course she's going to get attention. Which is exactly what she's looking for. She just wants to stir up the outrage and filter through the well-written comments to find the purile little nuggets of hate from all the immature gamers in an attempt to stir up some anti-racism sentiment.

What she doesn't realize is that she's contributing to the paranoid delusions of the KKK member who sits at home muttering, "The darkies are out to get us!" She's even stirring up people who aren't racist. I don't know about anyone else, but the one time I was baselessly accused of racism I was quite angry.

I'd encourage Ms. Platt to perhaps look at the reality of the situation, perhaps deigning to answer the more rational responses to her own comments... but in the end it appears that her own prejudices are very nearly as strong as the paranoid KKK member.

[...] Gaming - The outrage just gets louder They sure are stretching that pity party as far as they can before it snaps aren’t they. [...]

I find this kind of funny.

But I think the people claiming racism should be ashamed.

People don't like whats different than them, in anything really. Culture, language, skin color, hair, eyes, music, even art. You can of course be around anything long enough to absorb it into your perspective and then its no longer different.

But in this case theres a difference in skin color: A white man is shooting black people. Oddly its not the shooting that causes the controversy, its the difference in skin color. If it was a black man shooting black people it could be considered fine.

Lets take out the context of the video, zombies. Just look at the fact the a white man is shooting black people. Once again assume the shooting it self is not a problem, hes shooting them for a reason. The thing I find funny is that people are assuming the reason he's shooting them is BECAUSE they are black.

They drew that conclusion themselves. Its odd that they assume that a white man automatically would shoot someone because of their skin color. Actually isn't that racism? They are assuming he's shooting because they are black, not because they are endangering his life, or attacking them, or even that they are zombies.

But there is the argument on how black people are portrayed, once again they take out the context: as savage and vicious. So lets look at how the white man is portrayed taking out the context: Cruel, inhuman, shooting those with no weapons or weapons less than his own.

I find it funny and very sad that those who complain of racism are the most racist of all.


The day that no one take race into account in their thought process, whether in action OR judging the action, will be the day racism dies.

"Didn’t you know? White people are not allowed to have an opinion on race or racism."

mmmMMM. I love double standards, don't you?

Yeah, thanks for the label.

Step 1: Find something from a genre you don't understand and mistake it for racist.
Step 2: Receive large numbers of idiotic comments from anonymous internet users.
Step 3: ???
Step 4: Adsense profit?

@ de stijl cat
I doubt you read all these comments, because then you would know most of them aren't being racist, but instead giving their opinions on the matter. There are a lot of pretty thought out comments that haven't resorted to any threats.

"nobody said that its not the issue besides this is a forum is just 200+ whites playing the race card"
I see more black people play the race card. And please, 200+ whites on this forum? Why? Because the article is about a black woman?

What saddens me is that the 'racist diatribe' manages to attract far more attention than the non-racist one. There's a lesson about human nature in there somewhere.

It seems to me this has become a contest to see who can shout 'racist' loudest, and, for my part, I'm pretty bored of it.

Okay, so the enemies in this game are black.

In how many games are the villains white? Pretty much all of them?

OH NOES THOSE GAMES MUST BE RACIST AGAINST WHITIES. (I'm a whitey, by the way.)

This is just stupid.

de stijl cat:

So by your standards what is racism? I wasn't saying it is OK to do something that is perceived as hateful without intent, I was just saying it changes the situation. I think it is far more naive to think something as mundane as a video game set in Africa and containing Africans racist. It is also naive to assume that anyone who does a crime against a person who is "diffferent" is racism. Without knowing what a person is thinking/feeling, how can you tell me he/she hated another person because of the color of their skin? And on that note, why does it matter? Hate is hate.

You really missed the point.

to archgabe

"If you want to be equal then shut up, sit down..."

so the jew becomes the nazi how fitting

to buck

this whole Intent, Execution and Perception is just another pat of the problem you seem to think that unless somebody wears an SS uniform there not racists thats pretty naive

Veranish its not racist for an oppressed people to take pride their accomplishments and as for your last point, the problems with racism in africa cannot be used to justify your racism its called 2 wrongs fallacy

Idiocracy anyone? youre post as well as 99% of the ones here

Serrenity:
"It makes me sick to see things like “Hip-hop Rap is causing the degeneration of society” in one sentence, and then the exact same post say, “I’m not racist.” Sorry bud, you might as well go buy a white hood."

That statement takes the cake right there. What does talking about a style of music have to do with racism? Just because it happens to be a black dominated genre? What about heavy metal and the cries of satanism? It's the whole "Well, it was said by this color person so it's ok" thing. You do realize that (finally) a lot of leaders in the black community are standing up and saying hip hop and rap is holding the black race down? It's the content of the music, not the people who sing or play it. I will make the statement all day long and no, I am not racist. I don't dislike anyone based on skin color or culture. I dislike people who don't think their statements through. I dislike people who don't attempt to better themselves. I dislike people who attempt to threaten others. Anyone of any race/color/creed can do all of the above.

@ZippyDSMlee

It's too easy to let go of our perception of utter diversity while at the same time searching for sameness. People like their little boxes they put people in. We dichotomize everyone and everything and can detach ourselves from accountability, and guilt at our actions. On a larger scale we can remove ourselves from the worry surrounding actions of those amongst us most able to make the most important decisions for society. As people we are like sheep with the herders wandering off with a few of us every now and again on a cold and lonely night. We are less to question the herder if we are fighting for scraps with our fellow fuzzballs.

Such skills serve us well in the wild hunting perhaps but living in groups it only creates drama and strife. Can you imagine what awesome technology the groups that attack furries and others on Second Life could design if they were not attacking them with giant penises and Jello cubes?

Wow...just...wow. I cannot believe that they would make this connection, and I am someone who already has a low opinion of the intelligence of humanity at large. The word eludes me, but there is a noun that means "a person with tendancies to find connections where there are none", those who find racial implications in RE5 clearly fall under that definition.

First lets examine the various outcries. I would not tear in to Miss Platt so harshly if she didn't put "Yes… I am more comfortable with the zombies being white. In fact, ALL zombies should be white from this day forth." Unless she was joking, that was blatant hypocracy. As it stands, it is probable that her perceptions were simply tainted by that first claim of RE5's racial implications. (I know her's wasn't the first one), and she looked at it with that in mind, conciously or subconciously. I could theoretically spin FF7 as an Al Queda propoganda game. I know it isn't, nor do I believe it is in any way, but I could tell a tale of a "playing as terrorist group believing in a cause higher than themselves against a corporate ran government who doesn't give a damn abut the earth, owns everything, impresses it's lifestyle and ways on everywhere else with superior technology to the point of war with one resisting nation; and your first goal is to blow up a power plant (a classic terrorist target)." I told that story to someone who has never played FF7 before and they would check it with that in mind, and would probably become enraged. Note that again I don't believe that FF7 is ANY sort of pro-terroist game of any kind, I am just showing how selective perceptions can make connections that aren't there, and introducing it to someone else might steer them twoard it because they are viewing it for the first time with only that to go on, Just like I assume Miss Plat did with RE5.

I've personally never played RE5, I wasn't even aware it was out (for all I know, it still might not be). However, if it is as good as 4 than the (rational) world is in for a treat.

Hmm, while we're here, lets get to the root of racism eh. The basic cause of any discriminatory thought or action is the idea that whatever group you are discriminating against is somehow inherently different from the one whom is discriminating. People seem to think (and people like Miss Platt unintentionally reinforce this) that different ethnicities are somehow different species. In reality there is really only one "race", human. All other divisions of the sort are all in the mind. The moment you think of yourself or someone else as a "[race] man/woman" instead of just a "man/woman", thats where racism begins. If anything, the idea of the zombies being the same ethnicity of the people that died is racially unifying in an odd way. It shows that "it could happen to all of us", and ethnicity doesn't at all enter into it. I am not saying not to appriciate or embrace parts of your identiy and heritege(sp?), I am just saying don't act like those who don't share certian common factors like ethnicity are an inherently different species.

@EDW
I'll be frank, why the hell are you here. You seem to have it out for games, or at least gamers. What could you possibly hope to gain by adding in random comments about how evil or stupid games and thier patrons are. Is there some sort of reason you think it neccicary to take time out of whatever you do in the day to inform those who read the comments that you have a low opinion about gamers when it is a very oblique and terribly weak connection at best to the context of the article?

@Archgabe

I officially love your comment, that is one of the best summing up of such things I have ever heard in my life.

@Soga

Lemme guess, you're a strong Christian? Because guess what; it's true, the Vatican has demonized things since the beginning. I'm a pagan, I should know. They demonized us pagan, and still do. They demonized women, who before, were held in great respect, especially goddesses. They demonized scientists, who questioned their teachings that everything was God's doing. And if you say that's not true, you better get yourself into a good history class.

I don't know much about voodoo, so I'm not going to say much about it; but I'm pretty sure it's been tortured by the Vatican and western culture into something that is hardly what it really is. Such as proper Satanism. Devil worship? Ha! Real Satanism has nothing to do with Satan except in the name. Instead, it's been butchered by stereotype, just as witchcraft and earth-based beliefs had, some of it almost to the point of being considered offensive.

Volcanman i have to ask but are you a skin head or just mentally retarded seriously this is just the kind of crap i was talking about

@Chuma:

Oh? Where's your source on the "misinformation" about voodoo now?

Yea I agree but in the game KKK were taking hostages and being violent so they had to be exterminated.


That makes more sense. Killing them to accomplish some further goal is reasonable for a game.

Yea I agree but in the game KKK were taking hostages and being violent so they had to be exterminated.

@Terrible Tom

That trailer makes the game look pretty interesting to me. I see two types of enemies in it though. You have some who are obviously infected and others who are pulling the strings. The fact you have to kill some people who aren't showing signs of the sickness that are fighting on the same side as those who are should pretty much make this a non-issue. If I was really in such a scenario, I think I would have to use the gun first and ask questions later. You only have so much ammo so those you do kill have to be worth the effort to enable your escape, not blind kills based on any hatred. This is not death Southern style, but zombie-plague-in-the-hands-of-bastards style.

"echo the reality of ignorance and hate they claim black people should get over."

I got over the Holocaust, and Slavery in Egypt, and the opression of the Roman empire. I ignore most racists unless they act with physical violence. As a Jew, I tend to get flack from every race there is. I have been insulted by Whites, Blacks, hispanics. Most people only focus on the "Black issue" when talking about racism but I get it too just for being a Jew. Now that is out of the way and you know where I am comming from, I supply this comment.

Get over it! You are not the only race to be put down, you are not the last. If one person here tells me that anyone, regardless of race, diserces special treatment then I am calling bullshit.

Here is the deal. If any race (Black, White, Purple, etc) wants to be treated special for any reason, then they must admit that they are inferior and diserve special treatment. I belive that your race means nothing. There is no diffrence in skill level or intelligence between any of the races. We are all equal. If you want to be treated diffrent, then you must admit you are diffrent.

If you want to be equal then shut up, sit down and take your turn in the zombie game. I am not being mean, I am not being hateful. I am being right.

Oh and yes this story is the monster that would not die, kinda like a zombie.

My comments, cross-posted from that blog:

---

So you're smearing an entire section of the population based on the ignorant comments of a few extremist commenters? How Bill O'Reilly of you.

I am sympathetic to your gut reaction that "white guy killing a bunch of black people" is a disturbing image. However, I am NOT sympathetic to your broad generalizations and absurd comparisons.

You're trolling. Please don't deny it. Why else mention Columbine except that you know that's the easiest way to make a bunch of people write angry responses? You're deliberately manipulating your audience and then justifying your comments based on the response you knew they'd get.

Again, I am sympathetic to your concerns about a trailer that, out of context, looks pretty ugly. However, you appear not to have done your homework, at all; you appear to know absolutely nothing about video games, their consumers, or the industry beyond the stereotypes and misinformation you see in the sensationalist media.

You want to have an intelligent conversation? You want to debate this subject like rational adults? Swell, I'd love to. But that's going to be tough with you implying that I'm a racist sociopath who's teetering on the brink of shooting up his classmates.

I have to admit, I was hoping this would blow over.

Since it hasn't, I've decided to weigh in on the issue:
http://lawofthegame.blogspot.com/2007/08/resident-evil-5-racism-issue.ht...

I really hate to say this, but when I saw the trailer, I loved the setting and when the hoards of zombies charged after Chris, I was like "Damn, look at all those zombies. This is going to be great!", but now when I look at the trailer I cannot help but think "Wow, look at all those black zombies". Black or not zombies are zombies until you throw attention too it.

Ive been a gamer for longer than i can remember from the vic-20 to ps3 and the bull thats up on this board has never made me more ashamed to be one i think some of you might want to look around and actually take stock of how much racism still dwells in this society (and japanese society to boot)
but today we live in an state of crypto racism none of you may think yourself racists and yet you propagate ideas and stereotypes i think all you suburban middle class wasps might want to take a second to think about what you say and maybe read a book or two and than come back and making an informed argument instead of all this david duke garbage

"Trying to talk about the sensitivities of race to a gaming demographic is extremely difficult. the majority of readers are young white males who are either too immature to have a clean conversation about it or too logical to draw accurate comparisons."

Oh perfect you use sweeping generalizations about us then have the nerve to call us racist, you make me sick.

See now if it was a black guy shootin up white sombies in america...we wouldn't hear a thing. Its like when i walk into a Popeyes Chicken black guy walks in before me and the whole place lights up like everyone knew him...But when i walk in cold stares burning my eyes..." what are you doing here?" I've gotten that before when i walked in. I have as much right to be there as they do. There were more white guys fighting for black freedom and this is that thanks we get?? I'm from the north my ancestors faught for your freedom and this is what we get? I have 4 great great great grandmothers who helped in the underground railroad...but now where they in the history books HELL NO! When they wanted to people white helpers in the history books your black association rose up and said they wouldn't stand for it. You wanna know who all started your freedom...? A WHITE GUY! AND ANOTHER WHITE GUY! You'd still be slaves sweepin up the southerns crap off the front portch if it wasn't for us white northerners. So sit down shut up and remember just as you play the race card i will tell you who freed you. You remember that. You owe not only my family but all my passed away ancestors.

"Trying to talk about the sensitivities of race to a gaming demographic is extremely difficult. the majority of readers are young white males who are either too immature to have a clean conversation about it or too logical to draw accurate comparisons."

Yeah...other than that sterotype being inaccuarte (the average age of a gamer is 30), but the implication that because these people are white their opinions should not be into consideration is odd. But it's not racism at all, right? Because it's only racism when "we" do it.

As for trying to use a few racist comments (that's right, a few) as justifications for these remarks, sounds a little too much like "They started it!" Come on, now, I used that excuse in schoolyard fights when I was eight? If they want to look like the better people in all this, maybe they wouldn't be as sterotype-happy as they accuse us of being. I mean, invoking Columbine? And for what reason? And yet Platt wants to look like the victim?

Meh, EDW's just another one of those pathetic lonely little trolls trying to drum up attention to himself using the anonymity of the internet for protection, no better than the muppets that used the various words used in response to the blog. He's probably one of those himself as a matter of fact.

If he really hated games that much, what's he doing in front of a PC, looking up a political site about video gaming, anyway? Just ignore the little numpty and focus on the main issue at hand...

@Ivresse:

Yeah, I just ignored the comment. If I were home eating chips and guzzling mountain dew I'd be in some trouble as a) I need to be at work 5 days a week to earn my paycheck, b) I have not had chips in months since I am choosing better food to consume and have lost weight due to diet and exercise, and c) I have always preferred juice, tea, or water to soda any day of the week.

There may be some crisp-eating fiends sitting by with a warm soda back and forth between the game machine and the PC (or both via emulators) but there are a whole lot of others who count themselves gamers that don't have the time or desire to waste time like that ALL summer. There's way too much going on to play games all day long. I really wish games held the same power over me that they once did sometimes. However my friends from those days are far away and my brother is as well. I'm free of the enablers and only occasionally partake. ;) Tough cookies.

I think it's time I share a revelation I've had across the past few days regarding racism as a whole.

A black person living in a "western" nation is not the same as a black person living in Africa.

A black person living here does not go through the same trials and tribulations as a person in Africa.

For someone to try and compare themselves to people who more often than not, have to struggle just to survive in a poverty-stricken AIDS continent is outright bullshit.

People of "color" here in my book are just like us. Color is irrelevant. They pay taxes, they work, they have families, etc. I don't see black and white, I see grey.

Anybody who has the gaul to scream racism about RE5 needs to go spend a few months living in Africa and see if they're really concerned over there about a video game they'll never hear of.

NOW, if the game had just been as simple as people think, a white guy hunting down every person in Africa, yes, that would be racist. But that's where the mystical invention known as CONTEXT comes in, doesn't it? Doesn't CONTEXT stop every single other game from being a Kill The White Man adventure?

I like trolls.

It's supposed to go to 35 degrees. I have a lovely pool outside. I haven't played a game all day.

Where's your messiah now?

@Serrenity
The plot of a game is a fictional world but it acts in a realistic way in the RE games. Realistic enough based on the limits of the story and so forth. If you are setting part of the game in an area where black people are going to be infected and then become raging monsters wanting to kill you, it needs to stay true to that. In zombie films it is usually easier to tell the zombie from the living person but sometimes it is not. So it becomes difficult in how to cue the player when they could be targeting an honest citizen and one that wants a brain salad.

I have not played the games in years but I enjoy the ones I have sampled. I enjoyed the jumps of the first one in a darkened room and loved the movies. I just don't have the patience to play through most games sadly. I do love zombies in general though. Zombies and vampires. I collect movies and novels for both archetypes so I'm biased in defending this topic I wager. I believe the author needs to write in such a way as to appease his muse, the same as an artist need fulfill the inspiration that engages his work to begin with. For that reason I hope the game comes out as in, so long as it really isn't an offensive African genocide simulation which I doubt even Capcom has the mindset let alone the bollocks to attempt. I believe the plot of the game will explain the action and trailers consumed.

Actually, if you wonder how the idiots comments on the blog made HER feel, think about how EDW's comments, which are every bit as ignorant as some of the replies to that blog, and how they make you feel ;)

It's good to see that this thread has stayed clean and hasn't degraded to the point of outright name calling. Just a thought has anyone actually attempted to get a statement from Capcom about the game or their response to this lady's post?
@EDW
Wow you really need to get out more, your comments are on level with a fifth grader at a name calling contest, so do us all a favor go complain about gamers on a different thread not a thread that could potentially have serious repercussions inside the gaming industry.

@ Dragonbomber

Thank you for your thoughtful posts.

Also, major props to you for mentioning, "The Omega Man," "I Am Legend" and "Children Shouldn't Play With Dead Things." (Some of my favorite films) :)

Also, for the record, I'm a RE fan.

Serrenity -

I'm glad we can come to some sort of an agreement but really this still seems like we are jumping too far ahead of ourselves. I mean for a moment I'll pretend that I am not a long time fan of the series and take the video for what its worth. I will assume that I do understand something about video games today however and because of this I will know that games introduction scenes are usually longer than the trailer that is causing this insanity. Through this mindset I would think perhaps it is a possibility that this game could have be racist but since I have limited access (approximately a minutes worth of video) I would probably be more concerned about seeing more about the game so I could really determine if my initial thoughts are correct.

Now If I do not have any knowledge of video games and I wouldn't realize that video games have complex narratives and can only be completed over a period of several hours(in some cases several of these periods.) Then I might immediately come to the conclusion that this game is racist and I should immediately label it as such so maybe my statements will warn others about it. I can understand why someone that is not familiar with video games would take this stance but I would not agree with them labeling it as racist. I mean for one your knowledge on the subject is extremely limited so anything you say could wrongly place a negative image on whoever makes the product. Two you are leaving yourself open to those who will disagree with you and those who disagree with you might know a lot more about the topic at hand than you do. And then you may very well be wrongly labeling the producers of the game as racist when they had no intentions of insulting an entire race of people.

The reason this is so dangerous is because everyone has very limited information on the subject. So even if an individual has no knowledge on the background of the product their statements are more likely to be taken seriously and this brings the original intent of the game out of context. Yes she has a right to do this if she feels the need to but really she should understand that maybe if she wishes to complain so openly about it perhaps it would be good to begin by asking questions first.

I will admit sometimes I jump to conclusions as does everyone here from time to time. But really I try to do research before I express myself. I like to know a little bit on the subject before I go and put it down. At the same time if this becomes a big issue for Capcom they could solve it by simply releasing more content from the game. Maybe show a few monsters to make it seem less offensive to those who don't really know a great deal about the game. I am afraid they might cancel it or try to change too much to avoid people getting offended. I certainly hope they try to go about educating people a bit more on their upcoming product first.

Basically what I'm trying to express in my rantings is that we are all just stating our predictions and perhaps this blogger should express that as well. You shouldn't label something as racist when no one besides Capcom employees know anything of value. And unless your a long time fan of Resident Evil or you at least know a great deal about the series perhaps you should be more responsible about your statements and warn people that you don't know much about what your talking about.

@DragonBomber

The art of civil discussion is dying, I fear.

As far as it goes, making a black protagonist killing black antagonists gives a whole new perspective on the situation. It would be possible and valid to make the argument you pose and claim the film racist. Hard to say though, how said female will respond to given texts.

@Zigs
Yes it is true that the village voice piece was less inflammatory and that might be why it didn't get criticized. I also suspect that most people read the black looks post and didn't notice the link to the village voice article.

Regarding the black looks comment about all zombies should be white, I can only think that was supposed to be sarcasm because in another post she "apologized" by saying that she was high on meth and heroin at the time which (I really hope) was a joke.
http://www.blacklooks.org/2007/08/where_lies_the_resident_evil.html#comm...

@Grombar

Yeah, that comment pissed me off more than anything. If our side too logical then their side must be idiots. How else could you interpret a comment like that.

I dislike any culture that promotes wanton criminality, abuse of women, or religion as a social good. The mainstream hip-hop culture (which is by vast majority white, lets not forget) hits all three strikes, though clearly there are a few defined social movements that aren't guilty of one of those three right there.

Well. I suppose it's only fitting I throw my two cents in at this point. Why is a woman who doesn't want people making broad generalizations about her race making broad generalizations against gamers?

Can you say double standard? Or maybe this inept woman has a forked tounge.

@Brokenscope

It provides a difference of opinion, helps stave off static thought and stagnant culture. A catalyst of Change, if you will. I'm sure it serves other purposes, but looking at it as I do, the more perspectives you have on any given situation, the better conclusion you will arrive at. Thats the value I give to "Thug Life" as we are calling it.

Terrible Tom, that's a (no pun intended) terrible example. Baseball is one of the most boring sports in the world.

A better example would be that in a century ago, movies were considered crap and inferior and silly compared to theater.

@The360loop:

"If its an asian zombe; its funny"

Well, yeah. Think about it... "Blains!... Blains!" How is that NOT funny!?

Aside from my off color joke, which I do know a good number of you who will read this, will either 1) chuckle and then feel bad about it, or 2) not get it all, I would like to point out an observation that I feel has been missed by the whole.

Many of the horror genre based media either mean to critic some facet of our cultural identity or some part of life as a whole, or gets that meaning placed on it years afterwards when it was meant to just be a "horror flick." Examples include "Dawn of the Dead" inwhich it can be seen as a critic on the American consumerism, "The Body Snatchers" (1978) being a critic on the decadence of America at the time and Frankenstien being seen as a warning of unlimited scientific advancement without pondering the consequences of the 19th century.

With this in mind, upon first seeing the trailer for RE5, and seeing the setting and what I hear about in the news media (disinfo.com salon.com cnn.com) my first reaction is that this is going to take place somewhere in the Sudan, Somalia, Chad or even the Congo. And here's why; few countries in the world are in the throws of such chaos and disrepair that tribalism has taken hold. In the Congo, during the Second Congo War, cannibalism was strongly urged against ethnic minorities and enemies.

Somalia is run by warlords whose henchmen mark territories by the use of severed body parts including heads, hands, legs, torso, will actually go out looking for rival groups to mutilate for this purpose.

Sudan, during the throws of the Darfar conflict, which really hasn't been addressed, used cannibalism along with genocide to terrorize and "cleanse" the local population there.

If you have seen any news footage coming from these front lines, you'll notice how a group of people can be rallied in much the same way as the trailer depicts. It's horrifying due to the truth of the matter. These crazy people act just like zombies.

I don't think that Resident Evil 5 in itself may be offensive, but this however...:

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=fGIivYgN_Aw

@Serenity

In reality, no one person’s interpretation of a piece of media is any more “Right” than any other.

Translation: We can call anybody as racist as we want, and nobody can prove us wrong! Woo!

@CrazyBlue

As you may not be aware, there is a bit of dispute based on semantics in your first line. Various sources claim that the white majority cannot be truly acted upon by anyone else and call it racist. The reason is because racism, sometimes categorized by itself as institutionalized racism, but more often just racism is a product of white people in power. It's a state of status quo built over years by those in power that pervades every institution of our society. The authors who fall behind this argument label black people who engage in similar acts as racial bigots. Semantics though.

To be aware of this opinion of labeling is fine. Sociology is full of it. Our experience with it depends on where we find ourselves. In different situations different people have the upper hand. White privilege exists in some places the same as black privilege or hispanic/latino privilege exists elsewhere. Untold crimes are committed and the people never caught. You have no idea who commits the most amount of crime. A white man can steal millions of dollars from investors or a president lie to the public to lead us into war (killing thousands) over his financial interests (the old weight of the Military-Industrial complex) and see little penalty but a slap on the wrist but a black or hispanic man will sit in prison for possession of drugs they intended to use themselves or speeding.

It's about money not skin color CrazyBlue. Everyone commits one crime or another depending on the state or county they live in. Poorer people just have the bad luck to be the first ones look upon. Plus the company you keep really does put you on police radar, whether you've done wrong or not. It all depends on what the officers have in their heads. I know a lot of local cops and most of them have their own issues and biases, same as the people they are arresting. Class and wealth is a bigger force dictating who gets caught let alone escapes the charge. We even separate them as white and blue collar crime. It's insane. I don't excuse black people who live in rough neighborhoods from selling drugs but sad to say they are filling a service people of many colors (including rich white people) desire. White people buy and sell drugs too, for the same reasons. Some gets thrills, some cannot or will not make better decisions to escape the neighborhoods they feel trapped in. Drugs and drug-related crimes bring up bigger societal issues naturally but too many people focus on just the MICRO view rather than factoring in the MACRO view of the problems facing communities around the country and world.

DarrelBT -

I'm sure when Baseball was first created people thought it was a silly thing for people to do. Throwing a ball and hitting with sticks while you run in a circle. And I'm sure they also expressed their statements in ways very similar to EDW. Little did they know Baseball would become so popular and accepted by society.

History repeats itself I suppose.

@Serenity

What place does the "thug life" have in society?

I do not dislike african culture, but based purely on time spent there, I have come to the conclusion that America is a much better place than Africa because of the difference in our actions.

EDW:

Another thing, Real Tennis and Real bowling are not much fun as party games. In actuality, the real thing requires a lot of skill and practice, not exactly party material is it? Also, it costs a lot of money to rent the court, additional money to learn the game and some people have trouble trying to get to said locations. Plus, some cities don't even HAVE those facilities.

The Point of the Wii is to get people together to have fun and enjoy, especially for parties. You sound like the kind of person who hates fun of any kind.

@Tom

You missed my point with the porn comment in relation to his own.

@jccalhoun

Mrs. white chick used a bit more tact, and didn't say anything like all zombies must be white from now on. She's still tragically misinformed, and we are feeling the consequences of her idiocy right now.

Mrs. black chick's post came off as more of a call to censorship or banning, and since the Manhunt 2 bullshit is basically a slippery slope of art censorship that has left people on edge, she was crucified for her post. Rightly so if you ask me, bloggers who make sweeping generalizations like that have no place on the internet.

@GoodRobotUs

Oh yeah, there were several obvious attempts by Stormtards to "cleverly" use sockpuppets in an attempt to proove their points (I still think that Darrel appering and going on a "I hate all white people" rant *very* conveniantly coincided with Chris getting unmasked as a closet Stormtard).

True, but Capcom wasn't exactly doing a lot of not-race-baiting with the trailer, either.

I think there's a word for what Ms. Platt is doing, and I think it's race-baiting.

Serrenitiy, I doubt that you've done, or will do, anything to defend anyone's freedom of speech, save your own.

@ Zigs.
heheh. Someone needs to write to the guys who make lil bush and see if they'll add Lil Jack.

"why should black zombies in africa be different?"

Didn't someone confirm that the game takes place in Saudi Arabia?

Please....just...god please. I've had enough of it. Educated African Americans aside, and I really hate to say this, A vast majority of African Americans have fallen into the pit of Racism. I have watched it, I have seen at any opportunity to bash the "White oppressor" Al Sharpdon leading the way. I have seen African Americans complain that the police don't patrol their neighborhoods, and then when they do what is wanted, the ones requesting the patrols start claiming harassment from the police. I'm sorry, but I fail to see how so far anything for the average African American to be stereotypical.

This is all coming from someone who is 1) A quarter Japanese, 2) Has had a huge majority of African American Friends in his life, 3) has had to see the degradation of this country through such crap as Hip Hop, Rap, the classic "Wannabe black" White boy, and the idiotic actions of many African Americans who only harm the image of the average African American.

Again, I am not a racist.

[...] Black Bloggers React to Gamers Reacting to Resident Evil 5 Racism Charges [Game Politics] Black Bloggers React to Gamers Reacting to ‘Resident Evil 5′ Racism Charges [Killer Betties] [...]

EDW,

You may not like games, and that's fine, but please refrain from personal insults. Not playing games doesn't make you better than everyone else. You'd have to be a real shallow person to judge people just because they play games.

@EDW
You're probably the same pompous pseudo-christian extremist who thinks you're better than all of us because you don't drink, smoke, dance, or watch movies.

You mean European right?

The brits weren't the only ones who lefts things royally fucked up.

"I have a nigerian friend, and he's not barbaric at all."

All I can say to that is Oh. My. God.

@ DarrelBT

So you're not the same Darrel(?) that stated that white people only want to shoot black people, or some garbage like that? I want to apologize to you, then. I thought you were, and kinda ignored you for your first few comments.

Onto the topic at hand. I'm kind of surprised that this little insignificant women is getting so much attention. While I looked at her site and read some comments to see if its all true, I never posted a response. It seems it would of been ignored at any rate.

I'm starting to become jaded to concerns of racism. I've heard and seen far more false claims of racism than real ones. Real racism still exists, but its much more underground and hidden. Its hard to find real cases of it because they know its vilified. The fact that a mainstream company would produce this trailer should nullify any concerns of racism. It doesn't sell after all.

Remember people, we all bleed red.

Talking of people who make offensive comments purely to get a response, there appears to be an poster here attempting to do just that :)