"No changes" made after Resi race row

By Johnny Minkley Published 13 February, 2009

Producer defends Africans depiction.

The producer of Resident Evil 5 has insisted that no changes were made to the horror game after accusations of racism were levelled at Capcom for its portrayal of black Africans in a trailer.

Speaking in an interview with Eurogamer TV earlier this month, Masachika Kawata said: "I don't recall modifying the game in any way after the controversy of racism." Kawata-san reiterated that the team had been taken aback by the reaction, adding: "Actually it was a little bit of a surprise for us as obviously the game is set in Africa and so depicting native Africans was a natural thing to do."

With the game exactly a month away from release, the producer, who was answering through a Capcom translator, argued that criticisms had faded after more of the game was revealed to the public.

"One thing I remember is that after the introduction of the character Sheva, who is half-African, half-European, everything died down and we're quite happy with that," he said.

The row erupted following the release of the E3 2007 trailer, which prompted fierce debate about the implications of the imagery Capcom had used. Newsweek's N'Gai Croal brought widespread attention to the issue during an interview last year, which prompted Capcom to speak out in defence of its title.

You can watch the full interview with Masachika Kawata over on Eurogamer TV. And you can read our own take on whether the final game is likely to put to bed, or inflame further, the controversy.

Resident Evil 5 hits PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 on 13th March.

Picture of Johnny.

About Johnny Minkley

Eurogamer TV's Johnny Minkley is a veteran journalist with a lifelong passion for games and the games industry. He uses Twitter more than most people use air.

Read more articles from Johnny by visiting the Johnny Minkley archive page.

You may also like...

Comments (74) Latest comment 3 years ago

Comments threads automatically close after 30 days, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • Ryze #1 3 years ago

    Ooooooh!

    /reads

  • mrmonkey1980 #2 3 years ago

    Yet another case of ignorant blaming of video games for corrupting our already corrupted youth swiftly kicked in the teeth and laid to rest

  • metalangel #3 3 years ago

    Were there many complaints about Dead Rising depicting (mostly white) Americans negatively? And does anyone care that the "black Africans" in Resi 5 are nuts as they're in the thrall of the zombie plague?

  • RedSparrows #4 3 years ago

    /facedesk at 99% of anticipated responses

  • Hobo #5 3 years ago

    What bollocks. Was blatantly edited. Trailers showed off a single player game and then suddenly...BOOM! Black chick providing backup everywhere!

  • Triggerhappytel #6 3 years ago

    "What bollocks. Was blatantly edited. Trailers showed off a single player game and then suddenly...BOOM! Black chick providing backup everywhere!"

    This. It's not like Sheva was kept as some big reveal, she was just discreetly introduced after all the race bullshit kicked off.

    Not that I care; it was only ignorant twats making all the noise anyway.

  • canIdoyabombsforya #7 3 years ago

    The President of the United State's Grandfather was racist (the African one so it's fine)

  • metalangel #8 3 years ago

    Sheva = would

  • Triggerhappytel #9 3 years ago

    @ Crofto - if you play it online with a friend it'll bar far from shit in co-op. However, in single player I do get the feeling that Sheva will need a bit too much babysitting.

  • m0thr4 #10 3 years ago

    It got 8/10 in OPM for being a bit of a dull retread of RE4 with fiddly controls.

  • OfficialBlue #11 3 years ago

    Lol watch the frist ever RE5 trailer and then the new near finished game! Major changes i.e. every nationailty u can think of being in the game! lol

  • Feanor #12 3 years ago

    The thing in the sack is probably an infected, not a bunch of puppies and kittens.

  • drunkymonkey #13 3 years ago

    "Actually it was a little bit of a surprise for us as obviously the game is set in Africa and so depicting native Africans was a natural thing to do."

    Doesn't look like Capcom read N'gai's points, because they certainly didn't address them, here.

  • coolbritannia #14 3 years ago

    "When you arrive there are normal black guys beating something alive in a sack" - this illistrates your own views on race. I assumed it was in infected in the sack as it was normal human types trying to kill it, but others assume it must be a kitten, or a blonde white woman, cause, they're backwards africans right? I am shocked Capcom can give idiots the opportunity to comment on black people in games! Down with black people in games!

  • penhalion #15 3 years ago

    @coolbritannia

    Actually the racist part is CapCom assuming ordinary Africans would be beating anything at all in a sack!

  • zisssou #16 3 years ago

    I hate co-op play. Bloody Sheva.

  • vegard #17 3 years ago

    i've visited kenya and my experiences there were pretty much the same as those i had in the demo!

  • ASHBERY76 #18 3 years ago

    Commies will always find something to moan about.

  • Ryze #19 3 years ago

    Nah, there's no problem with shooting black zombies. None was ever inferred.

  • hiddenranbir #20 3 years ago

    It is ok for whities to kill black people if a black person is involved in the killing also.

  • Ryze #21 3 years ago

    Yawn. Such nonsense, and such bollocks coming from those who assume that racism = whites killing blacks in a game.

    Simple innocence

    /joeys

  • ViralNinja #22 3 years ago

    @Ryze

    I like how you take the moral high ground while using a slur against the handicapped

  • Machiavellian #23 3 years ago

    The problem is that Racist is the wrong word and the wrong concept. Perception would be a better word and still convey the meaning that a group of people have a viewpoint that might not be the same as others. Racist means you believe and demean another race for their color, religion or sexual tendencies. Perception on the other hands means that your view is colored(no pun intended)towards something that could be the result of lack of understand, knowledge or incorrect information.

    I wish people would get off the Racist word and focus on how people are depicted instead and maybe a clearer concept of whats going on can be deduced. It seems once the word Racist comes out everyone butt hole tighten up and get defensive.
    Edited by 1 at 13/02/09 @ 23:51

  • coolbritannia #24 3 years ago

    penhalion - 'Actually the racist part is CapCom assuming ordinary Africans would be beating anything at all in a sack! '

    Why would normal African males beating say, an infected dog, or a zombie, or any other manner of vicious death inducing beastie in a sack be racist?

    As I said, assuming what's in the sack must be an innocent being set upon by savages says more about you than it does Capcom.

    EG made a comment about a blonde being dragged away by black men in one of their articles, same thing applies to that. Take away colour and none of these examples would register as being anything other than standard videogame fare, seems we still have a long way to go.
    Edited by 1 at 14/02/09 @ 00:17

  • sneetch #25 3 years ago

    @penhalion
    Actually the racist part is CapCom assuming ordinary Africans would be beating anything at all in a sack!

    Wasn't it "normal" and not "ordinary": given the games normal would imply uninfected, non-zombies. They're not stating that beating something in a sack is a typical occurence in Africa.

  • ChadSexington #26 3 years ago

    I'm anti-racism unless it's in relation to non-whites and/or non-English.
    Edited by 1 at 14/02/09 @ 01:11

  • smelly #27 3 years ago

    >It got 8/10 in OPM for being a bit of a dull retread of RE4 with fiddly controls.

    based PURELY on the demo.. i'd give it 6/10 for fiddly controls.

  • Machiavellian #28 3 years ago

    @coolbritannia
    The thing is coolbritannia, its not the same. The reason it's not he same is because white people have not been protrayed in ways that are demeaning the same way blacks have. There is the sterotypical image that blacks are violent, live in property and squalor , murders, pimps, Hoes etc. This is an image that is played throughout movies and media for a long time so when a game also portray the same type of images, you can believe people get upset.

    So a scene with two black men beating something within a sack but no info on what it is or why they are doing it instantly brings to mind for a lot of people the violence sterotype. Yes, you can rationalize that is's an infected something but you don't know and no reason is given.

    Now you have two men taking a blond woman roughly away and the sterotype of brutal black men starving for white flesh is prevalent especially if nothing is hinted at for these images. Why people feel that just because they can rationlize an image to fit their opinon that everyone will see it the same way. From experience I know people who were raised during times where information on blacks was always negative still harbor those thoughts even though they know they are false.

    Whites and blacks get hung up on the racist word and both races minds shutdown anytime they see or here it but what I am saying is forget the word Racism because this is not what is happening or why people are getting upset but instead understand that blacks get upset because they are tired of being portrayed as Pimps, hoes, murders, violent, uneducated, poor, living in squalor people. This is the part that most white people miss and do not fully understand because they always get this knee jerk reaction because the R word is used.

    As I have stated before, Racism has nothing to do with RE5 but instead, there could be stereotypical representations that get underneath people skin. Just from reading Dan preview, I can see how those images can upset people and even though they may be true for the material, it's still another negative representation on a pile of material that would be seen as demeaning.

    Its no different then what has happen to Sony and the PS3. PS3 owners get tired of hearing all the negative things about the PS3 even though the system as a whole is great but for some reason the media only latches onto the negatives. So while the PS3 is a great system with flaws, at this point in time, the media and now even the minds of a lot of people can only see the negatives because thats all that is portrayed.

  • coolbritannia #29 3 years ago

    'So a scene with two black men beating something within a sack but no info on what it is or why they are doing it instantly brings to mind for a lot of people the violence sterotype. Yes, you can rationalize that is's an infected something but you don't know and no reason is given.

    Now you have two men taking a blond woman roughly away and the sterotype of brutal black men starving for white flesh is prevalent especially if nothing is hinted at for these images.'

    No, it's not hinted at unless you have some backwards view of race. I didn't 'rationalize' that it was an infected in the sack, I automatically assumed. To 'rationalize' it suggests to make excuses for the backwards africans killing some harmless pretty thing in the sack. Likewise the 'starving for white flesh' thing is incredibly backwards.

    Capcom shouldn't have to pussyfoot around a game set in Africa because it doesn't put Halo's on top of every African's head and portray them as angels. They shouldn't have to. There are good and bad white people, good and bad black people, did the white media elite go mental on behalf of the Spanish in Resi 4?

  • KillallHippies #30 3 years ago

    A misplaced sense of colonial guilt is the problem here.

    Although the japanese are known for their occupation of Africa and it's bitter race war against blacks... oh wait that last statement was utter rhubarb.

  • Waffleaber #31 3 years ago

    Not this again, it's already been done to death.

    Easy hits and lazy journalism Eurogamer. When you're sourcing the news from your own interview held earlier this month thats a big bit of barrel scraping.

    Why not reprint your MGS3 review while your at it.

  • coolbritannia #32 3 years ago

    What the two posters above me said, this 'controversy' barely exists outside this site.

  • Eurytus #33 3 years ago

    I just love the way that everytime this story comes up tons of people rush on here to defend the game, completely missing the actual reason why the game might contain racist imagery and in doing so demonstrate that they are just as ignorant as Capcom.
    And as a side effect proving once again to the adult world that gaming remains the domain of largely the ignorant or immature.

  • rhubarbandcustard #34 3 years ago

    Google is a wonderful thing

    [link url=http://en. wikipedia.org/wiki/White_African
    ]http://en. wikipedia.org/wiki/White_African
    [/link]

    It would have been far more controversial had there been no white people depicted in Africa.

    BTW, is it true that there is a secret mission whereby you can shoot dead Bono and Bob Geldof and distribute their combined personal fortunes of £500 million to the starving peoples outside the infected areas?

    [link url=http://www.timesonline.co.uk/richlist/fullSe arch/0,,2007-3-0,00.html
    ]http://ww w.timesonline.co.uk/richlist/fu...[/link]

    http://ww w.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0...

  • shotgun44 #35 3 years ago

    Being a billionaire sounds fun!

  • kangarootoo #36 3 years ago

    This thread will be exactly the same as the review thread, which is in no way a good thing.

  • Les #37 3 years ago

    "And as a side effect proving once again to the adult world that gaming remains the domain of largely the ignorant or immature."

    +1

  • kangarootoo #38 3 years ago

    + another 1

    And with that I shall leave and (this time) not return.

  • Xerx3s #39 3 years ago

    Ah yes, it's always fun - in a mentally degenerate way - to watch the politically correct drown in their own hypocritical horseshite. The irony is that they are the biggest racists of them all.

    Shooting white people - No problem.
    Shooting hispanic people - No problem.
    Shooting black people - Z0MG YOU RACISTS!

  • JohnnyWashnGo #40 3 years ago

    Glad to hear they didn't change a thing and instead stuck true to their artistic integrity with regard to how the wanted to the game to pan out and the types of characters and locations they wanted to use.

    Racist it isn't.

    Easily view as racist by people who think that they seem racism everywhere, perhaps.

    To return the series, about a company playing god with the human race, to the cradle of humanity, the birthplace of the species, Africa, is a cracking way to progress the overall story. Add to that the fact that the word Zombie, like Voodoo, originated from that area show that they are more interested in telling a good story, instead of pandering to peoples misconceptions about what they see.

    I swear, sometimes people can see the most evil intent in the purest of things.

    And with that, I will take my (non-caucasian) other half out for valentines day lunch and give the evil eye to all the real racists out there who glance the wrong way at a mixed race couple.

  • CapnCloudchaser #41 3 years ago

    So what if Eurogamer post a news article about their own interview? It's a relevant issue and I'm glad that the staff are talking about it despite complaints. Maybe when the game is actually released and the 'racist' content hidden away is exposed they'll be more gaming news sites that are debating it.

    Until the game is actually out, we won't know exactly how relevant it is.
    Edited by 1 at 14/02/09 @ 14:49

  • Oh-Bollox #42 3 years ago

    And with that, I will take my (non-caucasian) other half out for valentines day lunch and give the evil eye to all the real racists out there who glance the wrong way at a mixed race couple.

    Defining your other half's race only in relation to white people makes you an irredeemable bigot. Officially worse than Hitler, sir.

  • Machiavellian #43 3 years ago

    @coolbritannia
    I am not suggesting that Capcom pussyfoot about anything, what I am saying is that they must be aware of any Sterotypes that they might present within their material and understand that they will be called for it.

    There is a lot of violence in Africa and some of it's countries. The problem for most Africans is that they feel (especially the US) is that they only ever cover the violence, famine, disease or war. These are the only images that seem to make it to people around the world. My wife is from the Congo. I know first had how very stereotypical peoples perception of Blacks from Africa because I have many friends that are from Africa. My wife will come home on most occasions telling me how someone said this statement or that. It's I who have to make her understand that information on people from Africa is negative all the time and thus people perceptions are altered because thats all they know.

    I am 39 black man living in America. I have seen and experience it all. I have had people tell me I could not do things because I was black (yes it was a white woman). I have been harrased because I was black. I have been denied a job because I was black. I have witness violence on me and friends because we were black.

    My wife since she moved to America has never experience any of the things I have but she sure has experience the stereotyping. I could log quite a book on the things that have been said to her and her friends from white people as well as black people in the US because of the constant image that is portrayed about black Africans.

    The bottom line is that Capcom being a Japanese developer has to understand when they take on something that could be controversial that they must check and make sure they are not showing Stereotypical images. They must check their own perceptions and make sure they are not coloring their content with bias information.

    Either way, I have not played the game and I probably am in a small group here who really liked the demo and will be getting the game Day 1
    Edited by 2 at 14/02/09 @ 16:47

  • DanDickhead #44 3 years ago

    Slumdog Millionaire - racist?

  • DAL9000 #45 3 years ago

    Either way, I have not played the game and I probably am in a small group here who really liked the demo and will be getting the game Day 1

    You're part of a pretty small group, yeah. Are you planning to play it all co-op, all the time? If not, do you have any concerns about Sheva's AI needing a lot of handholding?

  • coolbritannia #46 3 years ago

    lol, I imagine your enjoyment of the game may be severely limited to 'look! a stereotype! and there! another!'
    Edited by 1 at 14/02/09 @ 19:13

  • Machiavellian #47 3 years ago

    I am 39 years old so those Stereotypes do not bother me any more. My skin is much thicker than it was when I was in my early 20s. Stuff like that doesn't make me angry or pretty much anything now. I just shrug if off as ignorance and go about my business.

    To answer DAL9000 question. I actually will be playing it co-op alot. I have 4 friends that will be purchasing the game and I am sure we all will be playing co-op among each other. Yes Sheva AI needs work but even when I played it in Single Player, I did not have to much trouble beating the two levels. The controls are from RE4 and since I already know the formula, they are of no concerns.

  • canIdoyabombsforya #48 3 years ago

    "A lot of Africa is backwards and violent but not because they are black but because they are poor"

    The worst violence is caused by Tribal and cultural indifferences, which would be called Racism if Whites were involved.
    Also note 'Coloureds' in some parts of Africa dislike Blacks. There is also still slavary in Africa, which we might get around to solving once we'be stopped living in the past. Apart from that its a lovelly part of the world.


  • oerhoert #49 3 years ago

    If people can't see that raving mad blacks in videogames are a problematic image to propagate, I'd call that ignorant.

    Racism isn't about what a person <em>meant</em>. A lot of utterances of words such as n*gger were surely not due to hate or bad will, but it still worked to reinforce the old stereotypes and dividing "us" from "them".

  • FenderMaster #50 3 years ago

    As far as I'm aware Africa is a pretty violent place, with genocide, torture, mutilation of civillians, forced marriage of way underage girls (12 year olds for some tribes!!) and many other atrocities commonplace throughout the continent...

    Some may cry racism on Capcom, but I'm sure if you took a trip to some parts of the Congo or Zimbabwe, you'd probably think Capcom was being kind!!

    and I don't recall seeing any white zombies in the initial trailer... no changes, eh Capcom?

  • urban #51 3 years ago

    affirmative action at its worst.

    Simply because its based in afica? absurd.

  • Ren_senshi #52 3 years ago

    [link url=http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a356/Harkath/1 234632046047.jpg
    ]http://i1 5.photobucket.com/albums/a356/H...[/link]

    Actual dialogue taken from the game.

  • UKGN_Zoidberg #53 3 years ago

    "It got 8/10 in OPM for being a bit of a dull retread of RE4"

    Let's analyse that statement: it's a retread of one of the 5 best games ever made. Isn't that what we were all wanting and expecting?

  • Kami #54 3 years ago

    I wonder - how many black characters in horror (games) survive until the end?

    Mmm... I may need to research this!

  • coolbritannia #55 3 years ago

    In terms of racial categorisation, no, hispanics aren't white. ZOMG, behold the racism in US political voting studies.

  • mr_ruberfon #56 3 years ago

    ""It got 8/10 in OPM for being a bit of a dull retread of RE4"

    Let's analyse that statement: it's a retread of one of the 5 best games ever made. Isn't that what we were all wanting and expecting?"

    Er, no... low expectations or what?

  • patchbox360 #57 3 years ago

    the game controls are crap - end of story

  • coolbritannia #58 3 years ago

    I would also like to say that I love fried chicken, stereotypes be damned!

  • Michael1406 #59 3 years ago

    I'm bored of arguing this, so I'll just pass through with a swift "Fuck you all if you think RE5 is racist". Have a nice day people, and EG, I'll probably see you the next time some racial shit is stirred up.

  • Machiavellian #60 3 years ago

    @antialias64x
    You totally missed the point and missed what people are riled up about. If you just had a game where you go around in Africa and Shoot black people, you wouldn't barely here anything about that. If you show the people being total savages then you might get some flax. No one is complaining about the fact that you shoot black people in the face, people are complaining about the imagery of show NON infected blacks as complete savages.

  • DrizztP #61 3 years ago

    Ignorance is bliss. How many of you (people commenting on this site) have actually been to parts of Africa or actually just keep up to date with the news in Africa. I live in Sothern Africa (the better half -with no civil war) and not a week ago we had a black citizen drag his dog behind his car for 2km to teach the dog a lesson, is that much different from beating something in a black bag, if your perception is that that is racist then perhaps the issue lies on you for relating all African people as such - your saying that 2 Africans are seen beating something therefore all Africans are the same, shame on you for being so narrow minded. How about the issue of the white woman being dragged away, our statistics – remember we are in the better half of Africa – are recorded as 1 rape every 3 minutes, 1 murder every 2 minutes. The white population in South Africa alone is not even half of the black population, its even less in other African countries. Please spare us; stop moaning about a video game, you don’t like it, don’t buy it. Why don’t you go and help in refugee camps, plenty of those going around in the Congo, perhaps you’ll lean a thing or two about Africa.

  • Machiavellian #62 3 years ago

    @DrizztP
    I do not know if I understand what you are saying. Bad shit happens every where not just Africa. You have white mothers drowning their babies left and right in America but you don't see that crap in games do you. There was one article where a white man cut off his dogs leg to teach it a lesson but you do not see that kind of stuff represented. The thing is, people do bad shit but if you only show bad shit happening by one race then thats a problem

  • DanDickhead #63 3 years ago

    @Machiavellian

    Are you seriously suggesting that white people have never been shown doing anything bad in a video game?

  • Machiavellian #64 3 years ago

    Bad in what way. Shooting someone or committing atrocities. All the games I have played and I have played a lot, I have not seen any games portray a group of white people doing senseless brutality within a game. If you can name me some games that show those kinds of scenes let me know.

    Let me ask you this. What if the role was reverse with the scene where the white woman is dragged off by the black men. You already received an accounting of how rape is bad from DrizztP in South Africa so your image of that scene now will be different when you see it.

    So instead of a white woman getting taken by black men, lets change it to White men dragging off a black woman but instead of Africa, lets have it in the deep South of America. Lets notch it up a little and have some random group of white men beating a black person for no apparent reason. Rape happen a lot in America and there are quite a few hate crimes committed as such. How do you think those images would be received here in America. It happens so someone should put it in a game right. I can list you numerous atrocities that happen in the world that do not make it in games. It's really the context the information is presented and why.

    The only reason I commented on this topic because of the use of the Racist card. The word doesn't fit the concept or the material in my opinion but people lock on to it like a pit bull and can see nothing beyond that word. I highly doubt that racism has anything to do with the game but there is a possibility that it contains images that might be stereotypical of a country viewpoint of what Africa is. Does this make the game racist, no. In the big scheme of things will this matter, no. What it will do is cause some heat which in the end may drum up sales so in the end, its a win win for capcom.

    Anyway, like I said before, I have not played RE5 so I have no ideal if the subject matter is worth all this converse. From the demo I did not see anything out of the ordinary so in my eyes there is no big deal.

  • DanDickhead #65 3 years ago

    Let me ask you this. What if the role was reverse with the scene where the white woman is dragged off by the black men. You already received an accounting of how rape is bad from DrizztP in South Africa so your image of that scene now will be different when you see it."

    No it won't because I don't judge people on the colour of their skin.

  • Machiavellian #66 3 years ago

    @CountFapula
    If you bothered to have read what I wrote, you would see I only mention the two parts where Dan in his preview mentions that the people were NOT infected. Before you feel the need to act all high and mighty you might want to work on your reading comprehension first. Maybe you should practice what you preach.

    As I have mentioned, I have not PLAYED the game so I have not FORMED an opinion instead I am commenting on a piece of Information that was PLAYED by the previewer. I do not have to search for information on RE since I have played every Resident Evil game since the first.

    Nothing annoys me more than when someone comes out of the blue, form an opinion before they even know what the hell is going on then feel the need to expressed that uninformed opinion.

    @DanDickhead
    If everyone thought like you, we would not have this discussion but unfortunately people do not. Have you ever looked at a person and just did not like them for some unfathomable reason, then when you get to know the person, you find out that what you thought or felt was stupid and unfounded. This to me is how a lot of people walk the Earth. They have a bad experience and they associate it with other experiences. This can color their viewpoint until they find out that nothing is really the same. The preconceived opinions and feelings were false and they really did not understand anything.

    Anyway, even I am pretty much done with the subject and ready to move on.

  • Feanor #67 3 years ago

    "@CountFapula
    If you bothered to have read what I wrote, you would see I only mention the two parts where Dan in his preview mentions that the people were NOT infected"

    The people who drag away the woman sound like they are infected.

    "Later on, there's a cut-scene of a white blonde woman being dragged off, screaming, by black men. When you attempt to rescue her, she's been turned and must be killed."
    Edited by 1 at 16/02/09 @ 18:02

  • Machiavellian #68 3 years ago

    @CountFapula
    ""And if black africans are involved in a scene beating up someone...are you saying that doesn't happen in africa? "

    No, on the contrary, I can find that kind of violence in Europe or the US. The question I raised is are there any context to it. In other words, if you do not provide any reason for the violence it gives the impression of such acts as just savage acts that are the norm. Hell it might be the norm in certain places but shouldn't that also be conveyed within the story, if not, then it paints all of Africa that way which would be a problem for a lot of people.

    ""Because, gee, last time I checked, Africa can be a pretty violent place, so it's not as if it doesn't happen. ""

    Gee, the last time I checked, Europe, US even Japan can be pretty violent place as well. Anyway, if you truly read what I wrote, I never complain about violence, I only state that the symbolism that is represented can be viewed as bias depending the context that is represented. Of course Africa have some extreme violence in certain nations but it should be explained or its no better than when someone says all XLB players are 12 year old homophobic racist(stolen from someone else).

    ""Violence happens everywhere, yes, but it is particularly prevelant in many african states. In the trailer, chris already mentions bioweapons have been sought in destablised regions, and guess what? destabilised regions are pretty violent (I know that may come as a bit of a shock to you, but still)""

    Let me ask you CountFapula, what the heck do you know about violence. Have you ever had a friend almost beaten to death because of his color. Have you had someone spit in your face because of your color. Have you been shot at because of your color. When you make statements like you do above, be sure you actually know what real violence is and have experience it before you act like you know what true concept of what it means. Reading the news paper and playing games will not get you that experience and it definitely doesn't make you a creditable source for that kind of knowledge. Why don't you tell me how many African nations there are.

    ""It's made clear the area is destabilised and that leaders of fighting factions are trying to get hold of the infection as a weapon to balance power. would you expect a game set in a war torn country to show the people being nice and happy and peaceful? ""

    No, but from the games I have played the people are shone as desperate but noble. People are shown that even though the times are hard they can fight their way out and be heroes. Out of all the war torn games you have played, when did you noticed the people being shown as savage killers who do random acts of violence. When you find that game let me know because I have not played it.

    ""If you want to look at the perfect example, zimbabwae. Violence, beatings and all sorts of abuse goes on there. But I guess in your view it must be racist to mention it, so best bury your head in the sand about it and pretend it doesn't happen."

    It's this very foolish statement by you that I see either you did not read a word I wrote or your comprehension skill is lacking. I have said countless times that I do not feel or think that RE5 is racist. No where have I used the R word to describe anything about RE5. I have mentioned numerous times that I have not played the game so I do not have an opinion on what it is yet but for some reason, you expound about Racism to me. What I like to know is have you ever been to Zimbabwe. Do you know anybody personally from Zimbabwe. Do you even know the history of Zimbabwe without having to Google it. I can say yes to all those questions. My question to you is where do you get your knowledge of Zimbabwe. Do you get it from the news or someone who actually lived there. How many times have you actually visited Africa or any one of its nations.

    ""And I'm high and mighty because I know I am right on this, you are wrong. It really is that simple. If you find uninformed opinions annoying, you must be really upset with yourself right now. ""

    The first mistake you have made is to say that you know you are right. Neither you or I am right. We have an opinion which some people will think is right and some will not. My experiences are much different then your own and I have actually visited a few of the places mentioned like South Africa, Congo, Zimbabwe Ghana and Kenya have you. Unlike you, I actually know what racism is and have experienced it first hand, have you.

    The reason your opinion is uninformed because your comprehension skills are lacking or you did not read anything I wrote. You continue to mention Racism which I explained many times that I do not believe there is any Racism within RE5. Can you find anything within what I said that has anything to do with racism. I mention stereotypes which anyone can fall into. Do you understand what stereotypes are because if you did, you probably would not be making the statements you are making now.

  • DanDickhead #69 3 years ago

    @Machivavellian

    "Have you ever looked at a person and just did not like them for some unfathomable reason, then when you get to know the person, you find out that what you thought or felt was stupid and unfounded. This to me is how a lot of people walk the Earth. They have a bad experience and they associate it with other experiences. This can color their viewpoint until they find out that nothing is really the same. The preconceived opinions and feelings were false and they really did not understand anything."

    Again, I say no. I'm intelligent enough to pinpoint why I've taken a disliking to someone, and it will be because of something they have done, never on the basis of their skin colour. The people you describe are idiots and we shouldn't pander to them.


  • Machiavellian #70 3 years ago

    @DanDickhead
    You are concentrated on the skin color notion to much. I an generalizing. In other words, I am saying for whatever reason that a feeling of untruest or dislike for a person might arise weather its, color, religion, sex, Sexual preference, the way the person styled their hair, sound of their voice etc. It can be anything that you associate with a person you really do not know. Any intelligent person would understand why they feel such foolish thoughts but even the intelligent person cannot get away from those initial thoughts when they hit you right out of the blue.

  • DanDickhead #71 3 years ago

    @Machivallian

    See my prior post. I'm not a prejudiced dick like some. It's actually very different to judge someone on the basis of the colour of skin than it is their religion.

    Religion is a choice, and represents a set of beliefs one holds, which opens that person up to being judged on their beliefs. You can't know what someone is like by the colour of their skin, you can tell quite a lot about them by their religion though.

  • Machiavellian #72 3 years ago

    @DanDickhead
    Oh we could really get into a nice discussion on that point of view but it would not be right for this website. Religion is something that can be taught at such an early age to the point where saying a person had a choice which shows what type of person they are might not be as black and white as you state.

    @
    ""Machivellian, I highly doubt you have had a friend almost beaten to death because of skin colour.""

    It's that type of thinking is why most people never think racism, prejudice still exist today. How old are you CountFapula, I am 39 years old. Have you ever experience a hate crime situation. From your suspicion, I would think not. I know, you have this belief that such acts do not happen any more because everyone is civilize but trust you me they do, especially in the US. The things I have gone through happen early in my life but weather I can prove it to you or not really doesn't mean anything to me. You can believe whatever you want because in the end it doesn't matter. If you want proof, just go back to the 80s and I am sure you can find a number of articles of such hate crimes but I doubt you will even put in the effort.

    ""And this game is about a destabilised region in africa. if you think black people in africa are perfect and have never done anything violent or attrocious, let me point you to [link url=http://www.bbc.com.]http://www.bbc.com.""
    [/link]

    Why do you continue to preach to me what the game is about. I know exactly what it's about. Really, I am now believing that you are having a very hard time understanding what I am saying or you are glossing over what I have said. I said that when you show violence, you need to place it in the right CONTEXT. You either need to explain what is happening or give clues why it's happening. Never did I state that their isn't bad shit happening in Africa. I did not state that black people in Africa are not doing bad shit. I did not even state that showing black people doing bad shit was bad, but instead I said its how you show and present the material that can be an issue.

    "Europe and Japan are pretty violent, but if you are comparing the levels of violence and corruption to places I mentioned before, you are officially a retard. If you would rather go live in congo or somalia or whatever, hey, knock yourself out, and let me know how it goes. I know where I would rather be living anyway. That's got nothing to do with race, either, simply that with strong government and law enforcement in place, and no civil wars, maintaing order is much easier. That's fact, cold and hard. "

    Now we get to the crust of your argument. Yes, I have lived in the Congo and it's interesting that you bring that up. Besides the Civil war that is going on, yes the people and the place is beautiful. I will be visiting again in December to show my father in law his Grandson and Granddaughter. I know, you have no knowledge outside of what you read on the BBC about the Congo or it's people. Here is something you will not read on the BBC. My father in law restaurant was burned down because he supported the president that was elected into office last year. The people in the area loved the place so much that they help fund the rebuilding of his restaurant and also help him get back on his feet after the incident. From your simple world view, I am sure you would not receive information like that because the Congo is destabilize and the people just run around doing awful shit because they can and no one bothers to help their fellow man or provide for them when they are down.

    ""The fact you automatically assume that these people are shown as savages just because they are black, without thinking about the context (people living in a destabilized zone with civil war being strife) that to me says something about the way YOU think. ""

    There is no assumption on my part and this is where I believe you are having a hard time understanding. I have explicitly stated over and over again that I have not played the game so I have NO opinion on it. What I did say is that if there are scenes of random violence with no context that those images can be seen as stereotypical. It matters not if YOU are able to come to a conclusion that Helps you understand the situation, the problem is that not everyone will come to the same conclusion so it's best not to leave such information wide open for interpretation.

    The difference between your statements and mine is that I have no opinion on RE5 until I have played it. Instead, you have developed this position that I am calling the game racist or how it depicts Africa and black people as racist which I have countless times said no. I am talking about concepts and perceptions and why people can get upset over a game and what it shows if the context of the imagery is not explained properly. I am talking about how people react when they see images or absorb information. I never stated this is how I feel but stated this is how things can be VIEWED. Do you not understand such simple logic.

    You are preaching to me as if you know what you are talking about but instead you have totally missed the point. You think you know about black Africans and some of the problem nations because you read the BBC but you cannot name me any person you actually know from Africa or who live in those areas. You tell me you do not know if I have lived the life I have when I am pretty sure you have barely lived half my life. Last but not least you tell me how right you are when you lack so much experience in the world that your viewpoint only seems simple.

    ""People like you need to try and understand what racism actually is (despite you claiming to have experienced it). Making a game where you play as a slavemaster who orders about black people all day would be racist. Making a game where you play a klu klux klan member burning crosses and lynching all day would be racist. Making a game showing attrocities in a destabilised region in t he middle of a civil war is NOT racist simply because it's set in a predominantly black country. It's really that simple, and it amazes me people like you still don't understand the difference. ""

    That is comic GOLD right there. You are trying to preach to me what racism is. This is the same person who I have repeatedly told that I did not believe RE5 is racist. Then you have the simplicity to suggest that you know what racism is but you never experienced it. You throw out Slavemaster and Klu Klux clan as if those symbolism are the only example of racism. As if you can limit it to such a very small piece. Please, do not make a fool of yourself and go outside the bounds of your experience or knowledge. Its best that you continue to read the BBC and feel confident that you have some knowledge of whats going on in the world around you.

    You want to know whats retarded??? Its the fact that you continue to make comments about racism which was never stated by me in the first place. I AM GOING TO PUT THIS IN CAPS SINCE YOU SEEM TO NOT READ VERY WELL. WHERE CAN YOU FIND ANY STATEMENT WHERE I SAY RE5 OR ANYTHING IT REPRESENT IS RACIST.

    Could you please find that information because I think I am about done responding to you. What you are showing me is that you do not know how limited your knowledge of the subject. You continue to blindly hold on to this racism notion because it seems this is the only thing you know. Do you know what the difference between racism and Stereotypes. From your comments, I would believe thats a definite NO.

    "I am right simply because you are reacting in a knee jerk fashion and not actually thinking about it and using common sense, whereas I am. Destabilised regions aren't the most peaceful places on earth."

    If it makes you feel better, I will say you are right. Of course thats only in your mind where it exist but if it makes you feel better its all the same to me. Usually if you are right, you never have to proclaim it because it's clear to everyone but if stating that you are right make you feel better about your position then by all means keep proclaiming it. Someone will believe you so I guess if at least one person believes than you must be right.


  • Machiavellian #73 3 years ago

    I have truly outdone myself. Man is that one huge wall of text. Personally I know I would never read all that crap ;)

  • Machiavellian #74 3 years ago

    ""Basically, I am saying you are making elaborate anecdotes that are unprovable that somehow, suddenly pop up to support your views. so yes, I am saying your stories are probably bullshit. Had you been to one of the places I mentioned, that's plausible, but you just happened to have been to them all? Yeah, right pal""

    I guess you never been a missionary?? You know, you can get around a lot if you lived in a place for almost a year.

    Anyway, Why do I have to prove my claims. Are you telling me that what I said cannot or did not happen. Are you telling me what I said was so outlandish that you cannot come to grip with it or believe something like that would happen. As I mentioned before, you can find all types of such violence within American history which should clue you in that its was not some outlandish event but something that happen frequently during those times. Do you think that racism suddenly stopped after Martin Luther King Marched on Washington. I am guessing you live in Europe so you might not understand that I have stated I live in the US. Thing thing is, there is no burden of proof on my part because it would not matter. You have formed your opinion based on the knowledge you personally know while I have formed my opinion on my personal knowledge.

    The problem I have with your whole argument is that it's based on you perceiving that I believe RE5 or any game based in Africa is racist as long as it show black people doing bad shit. Your whole argument is structured on this concept which makes it totally flawed. I have said from my personal experience with the demo, I do not think the game is racist. I have also stated that I did
    not see anything wrong in what I played.

    The comments I made were in reference to what Dan presented within his preview. I mentioned that people continue to throw the Racist word around as if it fits every situation that some people may view as inappropriate. I stated that Racism is not the right word or context for what could be construed as improper images. I stated that instead there could be stereotypical images that could cause people to get upset. What that mean is that there could be (notice I am using the future tense because I do not know what material is in the full game) situations if taken out of context or no context at all can be seen as truth for everyone. Just because you are able to come to a conclusion that helps you work out the images does not mean this will be the same for most or the majority of people that see the same images.

    ""And for someone who seems to say there is nothing racist in resident evil 5, you sure seem to be going out of your way to try and justify these idiotic claims of the game being racist""

    This statement just boggle my mind. As I have asked before, where can you find any statement made by ME that claims that RE5 is racist. You still have not provided this most important piece of material and you are beginning to show that you truly have no concept of what you are talking about

    ""Listen, africa has some countries that are in a real mess. That's just fact. You may have heard of Robert Mugabe, who has people beaten and killed for daring to question his regime. You can argue about racism blah blah blah all you like (despite what you seem to protest), but the fact is, attrocities do happen in africa. In fact, like someone else said, compared to some of the stuff that's happened, capcom have probably been kind in it's depiction. ""

    No shit!!!! I cannot believe there are atrocities committed in Africa. And to think I thought it was the haven for all good and pure in the world. Is this the same as America bombing the crap out of Iraq killing a slew of Civilians and calling it justice?? Is this the same as women drowning their baby's because they were in the way of their relationship, or when some group of kids took a young child and beat him to death or when some crazy kid decided he wanted to kill everyone in his school before he took his life or....

    ""You said there is good there, too, and people who struggle on valiantly. Of course that's true, no one is suggesting everyone in the destabilised countries is violent or selfish. ""

    Now you are getting to the crux of my argument. This is what I am stating, if you only show images of bad shit but never show the good (no matter how bad a place is) then you are only telling a one sided story. This is the crux of my argument about any game, movie or even news. Its easy to show the bad in a place where a lot of bad shit happen. Its harder to get the good, valiant or noble things that people do everyday in bad situations. My gripe would be if RE5 WAS to present only the bad and never show any good then it would be one sided and thus considered to be stereotyping the people there as nothing but savages. I really do believe this is an easy concept to understand but from your other post, I see you will ball it up into something you believe is racist and ignore the whole thing.

    Probably a very good example of how people can take information and come to crazy conclusions is the Presendental elections between Obama and McCain. I do not know how much those events made it across the big pond but there was a situation where at McCain's rally, people were yelling "Kill Obama" because of the TV ads from McCain painting the man as being in league with Terrorist. It was getting so bad that even McCain had to come out and resend those messages. What those events show is that if people is given information without all the facts, they can come to a conclusion that is off the charts.

    ""Like I say, if Zimbawae is so great, why don't you live there instead of (I assume) in europe? And you say you lived in the congo, so why did you move?""

    I lived there as a missionary from my Church. I went there because I married my wife who is born and raised in the Congo. It gave me an opportunity to see the Congo, her family friends and the places where she grew up. I did not stay there because I have a job and family that lives in the US. I do not live in Europe. Right now I live in Cleveland Ohio.