From Kotaku (http://kotaku.com/gaming/zombie-raci...ism-284725.php)
"For many people the trailer for Resident Evil 5 was seen as an exciting new direction for the definitive survival horror franchise. For others, it's racist hate mongering at its worst. Kym Platt at Black Looks, a blog dedicated to exploring issues concerning African women, expresses her concerns over the trailer which depicts Chris Redfield in what appears to be an African setting, struggling against a horde of black zombies.
This is problematic on so many levels, including the depiction of Black people as inhuman savages, the killing of Black people by a white man in military clothing, and the fact that this video game is marketed to children and young adults. Start them young... fearing, hating, and destroying Black people."
This is a very interesting point. I can see where she is coming from as well. However, I don't think the RE series is going in that direction. The zombies of the first few games were caucasian as were the evil company responsible for the plague. The last game was South American (I believe) zombies, but it made sense since the game took place in S. America. Kotaku points out that the Zombie mythos originated out of Africa. We also don't know how the location plays into the story.
It's difficult to pinpoint a line on something like this. On one hand there is a sensitivity issue to genuine prejudicial issues existing in our world and especially our country. On the other hand when you get too sensitive you beign to find fault everywhere and too many people can become enemies. She also has a broader point (that I don't think she makes) about starting children youn on very violent games.
I don't have a problem with RE5 (except that the HD graphics make it hard to play RE4). I was curious what other gamers think of this issue.
"For many people the trailer for Resident Evil 5 was seen as an exciting new direction for the definitive survival horror franchise. For others, it's racist hate mongering at its worst. Kym Platt at Black Looks, a blog dedicated to exploring issues concerning African women, expresses her concerns over the trailer which depicts Chris Redfield in what appears to be an African setting, struggling against a horde of black zombies.
This is problematic on so many levels, including the depiction of Black people as inhuman savages, the killing of Black people by a white man in military clothing, and the fact that this video game is marketed to children and young adults. Start them young... fearing, hating, and destroying Black people."
This is a very interesting point. I can see where she is coming from as well. However, I don't think the RE series is going in that direction. The zombies of the first few games were caucasian as were the evil company responsible for the plague. The last game was South American (I believe) zombies, but it made sense since the game took place in S. America. Kotaku points out that the Zombie mythos originated out of Africa. We also don't know how the location plays into the story.
It's difficult to pinpoint a line on something like this. On one hand there is a sensitivity issue to genuine prejudicial issues existing in our world and especially our country. On the other hand when you get too sensitive you beign to find fault everywhere and too many people can become enemies. She also has a broader point (that I don't think she makes) about starting children youn on very violent games.
I don't have a problem with RE5 (except that the HD graphics make it hard to play RE4). I was curious what other gamers think of this issue.
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