Racism in gaming? I think not.
In the year of 2009, there has been a bold statement made about the new generation of gaming. I’m not talking about a statement of graphics, storyline, or game-play. I’m also not talking about a statement of what’s going to win the best game of the year. I’m talking about a statement made by a website to the video gaming world declaring that the creators of some of the best games of 2009 are using subliminal racism in their top-selling titles. I’m here to give my thoughts on this declaration.
In late August 2009, a website (that I will not specify…you know how to use Google, folks.) made accusations to Capcom, Ubisoft, and now Valve claiming that the three companies have underlying racist tones in their games. In fact, here is a direct quote from the website’s representative.
“One of the games that comes to mind is “Left 4 Dead 2.” …Set in New Orleans, players will have to fight their way through hordes of zombies – with several of them who appear to be African-Americans. When I saw the first trailer for the game, all I could think about was Hurricane Katrina and the aftermath…”
Now, I wanted to wait until L4D2 came out before I went ahead and called bull on this one. So, after the long awaited two months it took for the game to release, I could I finally make a balanced decision on the boggle. I found the game had an acceptable ratio of different zombie races. But anyway…I decided to do a little research on New Orleans. In year 2000, the ratio of African-Americans to Caucasians is very one-sided. African-Americans took up a percentage of 67.3, while White Americans took up a lower 28.1. Would it not have made the game much more unrealistic to only put white zombies in L4D2? Wouldn’t it have been just as racist to make all the zombies white? Even with the ratio favoring much higher in the African-American direction, the game developers still make the zombie races almost even. Two of the selectable characters available are also African-American. Is this racism?
In the heart of the south, where the African-American percentage is much higher...is it racist to smash a local zombie's skull?
What about Capcom? The creators of Resident Evil 5 were also attacked in the fact that most of the zombies in that game are African-American. Considering the game takes place in Africa, and the smaller settings include small towns and tribal villages, again…the predominate race is going to be African. Once again in this game, one of the main playable characters is also African. So let me get this straight. It is racist to kill African zombies in Africa? What were the game developers to do? Go to America, gather up a bunch of white people, infect them, and drop them off in small tribal African villages? No thanks. I thought the setting for Resident Evil 5 was awesome and different. It was a good change from the constant games in Raccoon City. Is it racist to shoot African zombies with white characters, but not with African characters? I didn’t see the racism flag going up whenever 50 Cent: Blood on the Sand was released.
I just don’t see the big thing about racism in the public eye anymore. It is something that still goes on, I know…but I also realize it is something that has been slowly fading away since the last century. I definitely don’t understand the comment about putting the game in New Orleans in retrospect of Katrina. That’s like bitching out every game, movie, and book creator for having the setting take place in New York in 2002. To me, it is absolutely useless to complain about racism in the video game industry. If you want to look at the big scheme of things, then most of the games out there are racist. In Halo, the humans are racist against the covenant. In Gears of War, the humans are against the Locust. I don’t even need to go into the Call Of Duty/Russian gag. Think about it.
Please check one of the above.
In closing, I think claiming racism in these games is un-called for and completely useless. By taking out the elements this “credible” website hints around at, it would ruin the games completely, make them unrealistic, and be just as racist by not including other races and focusing on just one.
<===== I now hereby give this claim my stamp of disapproval.
Bottom line…I could care less about different races. Everyone should be treated the same. I care even less about different races while they are running at me and trying to eat my brains. I don’t care if little zombie Anne Frank herself was running toward me. If she’s got a flesh-eating twinkle in her eye, you can bet your ass I’ll be blowing her little Jewish zombie head off. 
22 Comments
Ha ha, good article. Most people are idiots for thinking that games are racist.
it's not racist to you, but it is to me!
Racism isn't something you freaking joke about! It's offensive!
Only white people make racist remarks on other skins because they think their skin colour is high above everyone else and they are at the top of the food chain.
and to everyone who will reply to me, just STFU because I won't be reading your half @ssed comments
shut the fuck up
PS you read it
Kill yourself you useless POS.
In Assassins creed 2 Which has a 100% Caucasian cast (hero, crowds, guards, ect ect ) in the opening cutsceen the narrator makes reference to the enemy trying to put the assassins guild into slavery, a quick shot of the only black person in the game is shown in a cell…..
racism….maybe not, incredible insensitivity…Ding!
game company's don't think…this stuff doesn't matter to most, but I would like to be portrayed in a heroic light…not as the goofball sidekick, or the thuggish gangster….
I can definitely see where you are coming from. And it may be true that some companies don't think much ahead of time. But in the setting of that game…slavery was abundant in several countries. There are plenty of bad ass African-American video game characters. Sargent Johnson(Halo), Sgnt Foley(COFMW), The main chracter in Crackdown? and I love Sheva in RE5, she's amazingly hott and badass.
That idea about getting a bunch of white people from America actually sounded cool for a game idea. It works for alien abductions too. Does that make aliens racist? Probably not.
It is obvious some people lack the brains to understand the post…or just plan don't read it. I mean come on. I made and Anne Frank zombie joke…being called a cunt(in capitals!) is the least of my worries.
For those mature enough to respond well. Thank you.
For those of you that eat shit, please continue to do so.
Thankee.
First, your article loses all validity when you stated most of the zombies in RE 5 are African American and stating afterwards that the game is set in Africa (if non of you see a problem with this then please look at a map and point to where America is then to where Africa is, hint most people in Africa are not from America).
RE5 is racist because of the use of loaded images that are meant to instill fear, images that in our recent past have caused Europeans and Americans to believe that they are superior to Africans. These are in very poor taste and should have been avoided by not implementing those particular enemies.
The one on the left is racist (image), the other two on the right are okay = D
BUT IF A GAME HAS RACISM! THERE SHOULD BE SOME LAWS PUT ONTO THIS RIGHT???
This kid must have learning difficulties. By saying all white people think they're better than everyone else you're spreading a BS negative stereotype…….are you sure it isn't YOU who is the racist here?
On this topic, I'd like to submit my video for those who are interested.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z_-dmag3e0k
There isn't racism in games you dumb fuck. I don't even play Left 4 Dead 2, but I am pretty sure one of the main characters you play is African-American. If anything, it sounds like the person saying these games were racists, is in fact racist themselves. Their mind is showing them what they want to see – racism – even though it isn't.
100% Caucasian, sure, but they are Italian.
Skin color doesn't mean jack fucking shit
I am white myself, but I wouldn't care if I was Black, red, purple, or cyan. Who gives a shit, it's your actions that count, not the color of your fucking organs (Yes, your skin is an organ).
Oh, by the way, if you go WAY back in the years we ALL had the same skin color before we moved to various parts of the lands. That skin color I believe, was Black.
Also, None of the pictures above are racist. You do not know the circumstances of what is happening in the situations. In fact if you see racism in these 3 pictures, YOU are a racist! I see 2 humans in the first 2 pictures, and 2 non-humans in the last one. Where is the fucking racism? I don't see any. In fact, in the first 2 pictures, they are all the SAME RACE. the Race called Human. The last picture has 2 Races, a Robot, and an insect type of race, and even it isn't racist because you don't know what the fuck is happening.
Nice Vid.
I've never heard anyone of my friends utter a single word of contempt against videogame developers for the conflicts & ethnicities used in games. However people like Jack Thompson, Michael Atkinson & this Willie Jefferson somehow see something that around (at least judging from a rough count of Wii, PS3s & Xbox360s sold) 80,000,000 people don't.
Yeah he has a serious thing for confiderates back in the late 1800s.
How old is this Jefferson douche again?
I don't really think any of these games are racist. In RE5 you go to Africa, and you kill infected Africans. In previous RE's you where in other Nations and you killed their inhabitants. Nobody talked about them being racists from what I can remember. Now yes its obvious that certain cultures are much easily offended by this. For instance, If there was some kind of concentration camp game where the goal was to kill as many jews as possible…that would obviously upset some people. Because its based on a real event that ruined a lot of lives. Same with Africans/African Americans, Their culture was oppressed not all that long ago. I don't think its any different in Modern Warfare 2, you go to South America and kill a bunch of South Americans who are armed and are trying to kill you. Is that racists against those people? If the next RE game is based in Canada, I fully expect to be killing French/Canadian Zombies, The same if it is based in the most Caucasian town in the US, I should be killing Caucasian zombies. Obviously racism is still a problem in the real world. I do however think that in the eyes of most it has really started to subside. If RE5 is a racists game then so is Madden and the NBA games. They both feature a large percentage of African American athletes. RE5 is set in real world Africa with a sci-fi twist, just like the NBA and NFL games are. The fact is, African Americans are just more athletic at better at those sports than most caucasians…I am Caucasian…and my favorite athletes are mostly African American. You don't hear Caucasians crying foul because there are too many African Americans on the basketball teams in NBA 2k10, so why cry foul when there are too many Africans getting killed in a game based in Africa? Not to mention the evil guy in the game is Caucasian and one of the players play as a non-caucasian female…
fuck this gay article
Gotta love moronous comments, no?
Back to Racism, why is this suddenly a big deal NOW when we've had dozens of other games in the past decade that could've been seen as racist?
RE5 is not racist. It’s been officially confirmed by the government of Britain, who ascertained that the game is in fact strongly anti-colonial. Some agency submitted the game to the British review board (like the FCC in America) and the board basically told them they are morons for even submitting it.
The colonizers in the game are an evil American corporation, the zombies were created by evil Americans, and the ultimate bad guys are evil Americans. And its a pissed off African chick and an American white dude who save the day. How is that racist against Africans?