Some of my best developers are black, says Resi Evil 5 producer Comments by Ellie Gibson

Oh dear, not this again. I am "surprised", too, that it's still going on.

Fact 1: Resident Evil is an entirely fictional video game series.
Fact 2: You are not fighting real human people. You are trying to keep the fictional Player Character alive from a horde of fictional virus/parasite creatures who are out to EAT him/her. The genre is called Survival Horror for a reason.
Fact 3: This fictional series always made a point of showing the drama/horror behind Fact 2, that fictional science went one step too far, and that the fictional bad guys responsible for this fictional, biochemical disaster deserve some fictional come uppings.

Frankly, to me, the game consists of the Survival Horror setting, Player Characters and Opponents - All I want is to play a great game and break the mechanics. I like the fact that the team chose Chris since he's my favourite protagonist in the series and thus allows for a nice story development but, I won't have any qualms if the "political correctness" school of thought wins and forces Capcom to choose some other protagonist (Jim Chapman would be quite fun for example, or George Wilkins). It's great if more boats float in the end - it means more copies sold, and thus a bigger chance of ever seeing RE6.

It's sad, however, to see others crying wolf after seeing what are only game snippets. How about waiting for the whole deal for a more informed stance, 'ey?

This is the same sort of thing which happened when Bully was released! It's basically over-sensitive non-gamers that complain and it pisses me off when the developers have to go back to the drawing board!!!

RE5 was looking good to me, I am not racist and didn't even notice at first the lack of white zombies but now capcom have added white people! why? it's africa, it makes no sense especially when the only people that will recognise when the game is released will be the newspapers if they can be bothered!

No, there are only white people living in Africa that is why it is racist? Would seem quite ignorant having only whiite, yellow or red people in the game when it actually is in africa.... (Call me a racist but i feel the setting is what kind of person plays the part).

Sorry, forgot green people.

WARNING: STRAW MAN APPROACHING


never let that get in the way of conceited whining though...

You think it's disrespectfull? Ever heard of moral subjectivity? Should we ban things that aren't considered "respectfull" by everyone, and in effect ban everything?

Yes, I think it's disrespectful, tasteless and insensitive; that's my personal opinion. I didn't say anything about banning it though. I just won't be buying it myself.

At least we all agree that we don't all agree on the subject.

No, it's you that's being egocentric. Just because you have this association in your mind, doesn't mean that me, the developers, or other players have the same bizarre connection between a ficticious African village full of zombies, and the historical 'violent impositions' you mention. None of us are living out KKK fantasies here, and the presumption that the average consumer can't make this distinction reeks fairly heavily of a fascistic view that the 'average joe' doesn't know whats good for him.

Let's not spend too long dancing around this particular mulberry-bush again. I don't advocate censoring this because I don't advocate censoring everything. All I'm saying - all anyone's saying, it seems - is that this sort of thing shouldn't pass without comment. That to stay silent on it is to accept it. Like it or not "Africa is a desolate continent of savages" IS still a cliche - or a sterotype, or a predictable portrayal, or whatever you're comfortable with calling it.

Christ, just look at the number of people in this comment thread that have replied with variations on the theme of "But that's what Africa's like!" or "Africa in "full of black people" shock"!!!111!!eleven!"

To repeat. Again. Nobody's calling anyone a racist. Nobody's saying the game should be banned. There's absolutely nothing that anybody needs to get defensive about.

Spare me the "the vast majority don't see a problem" bollocks. When 9-year-olds working down coal-mines was the accepted way of things, did that make it OK? It's not that Joe Average doesn't know what's good for him, it's that we - and I use "we" because I definitely include myself in this - have a hard time seeing past our own interests. We're basically selfish. We can't help it. That's how we're made. Of course the majority are going to be OK with the status quo if it benefits them, why wouldn't they be? Of course the majority are going to be OK with having media that reinforces their preconceptions and panders to their interests, why wouldn't they be?

Given that you throw the word "fascist" around a lot, this'll probably amuse you - know what the symbol for the fascist movement is? A bundle of sticks tied together. Because individual sticks are weak, but brought together in a mass they're strong. Fascism is, fundamentally, rule for the benefit of the majority to the detriment of the minority. See why I find it so funny that you keep going back to that well?

This is the best comment page on Eurogamer. So fun and serious things put together. It's simple like when Germans banned violent games. Because it's morally subjective, governments who feel racist-ized will ban the game in their country and that's it.

I think the title is funny. And I think that it's because assholes like that journalist who cry racism in every story involving both black and white people, that the world cannot move on. I can't wait for the mod that changes the colour of the skin: black main character shooting Japanese zombies :P

And will you please stop using the word "franchise" for a series of games developed by the same team? Franchise means anyone can open a McDonalds under certain met conditions. Franchise is Call of Duty, where games with the same name were developed by more than one team. Read a book.

Rodafowa, so what you are saying is that a game set in a remote African village should be designed to make it look like a sprawling modern metropolis, so as not to offend anyone with "cliches"? And you know what? People are pointing out that there are a lot of black people in Africa for one good reason. See if you can guess what that is.

And what point were you making with your drawn out "nine-year-olds down the mines" comment? We were discussing a computer game. You are debating child labour laws. What would you like the "media" (it's always that damn media causing trouble ain't it?) to do to change people's perceptions of Africa? Lie about it?

@coomber

Did you actually read Rodafowa's post? It doesn't sound like it. Try again.