Resident Evil, I now declare you a racist.

[Dibs]

Courtesy of gamepolitics.com and blacklooks.org

African Women’s Blog Critical of Resident Evil 5 Trailer

Capcom’s Resident Evil 5 hasn’t even got a release date, but it’ s already drawn the ire of a blog devoted to African women.

Black Looks calls into question the game’s setting as depicted in the trailer, first shown at this year’s E3 in Santa Monica:

The new Resident Evil video game depicts a white man in what appears to be Africa killing Black people. The Black people are supposed to be zombies and the white man’s job is to destroy them and save humanity…

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.

Here is the trailer in question.


RE:5 Extended HD Trailer
RE:5 Extended Trailer (Game Trailers)
RE:5 Extended Trailer (Youtube)

I am hoping that you guys will be mature enough to discuss this because this seems like a topic more fit for the debate hall to me. As for my opinion, I'm really on the fence with this one. On one hand, it's JUST A GAME. I mean, it's taken place in Africa, what else could there be there? But on the other hand, I saw some things resembling racist imagery and propaganda in there and I couldn't help but wonder about the coincidence.

Discuss.

 

[cF=)]

Resident Evil IV was taking place somewhere in eastern Europe if I remember correctly, and nobody was upset about it. Look at how this serie managed to create zombies out of pretty much any race, any species, any gender. Like you just said, it's a game, there is no blatant fact game's creators decided to put their main character in Africa to depict black people like abnormaly violent creatures. The stupidity of this blog's entry is beyond words.

The writer of this arcticle has called racism on a wrong case.

 

[Nintencore88]

wow that stupid rasict?!! so RE4 was rasict aganist *******?

 

[Wuss]

honestly, the people that say this is racist. are racist themselves if you ask me. In previous resident evil games, you're killing white people, so It's fine right? But if one black guy dies it's awful and racist. I'm sorry if this offends anyone, but I think if people make a big deal about someone killing black people, but didn't care that white people were being killed for a lot longer, they need to realize how stupid that is.
I agree that this is really stupid. The only way this would make sense is if they were just being against violence in video games in general. Just because I've played "resident evil 4" doesn't make me hate spaniards. That's just absurd...

 

[Volrec]

Who cares, I'm black and I thought, hey wtf are you guys complaining about, we've killed everyone other race

 

[Virgilijus]

I have to agree with the others; the Resident Evil franchise commits zombie genocide independent of skin color. All the way up to RE5, all of the locations and zombies were predominantly if not all white or of similar origin. During RE4, every zombie was a Spaniard and they were blown up, decapitated, and all sorts of other horrible deaths. No one raised a fuss; it was a video game that had to take place somewhere. It's a zombie game; wherever they go there is bound to be a zombie epidemic. Why shouldn't they be able to have a violent game based in Africa? They've taken place every where else; Asia, South America, the Middle East, Middle Earth. I think it's pretty biased on their part to say that video game enemies who happen to be black is more racist than any other time an ethnicity or nationality has been a characteristic of the doomed enemy. I mean, how many times have Russians and Germans been portrayed as bad guys in games? Why wasn't this a problem during Grand Theft: San Andreas?

Sometimes people are just so quick to jump on the "that's racist" bandwagon without looking at the situation rationally. Oh dear

 

[TigerBlade34]

Who cares, I'm black and I thought, hey wtf are you guys complaining about, we've killed everyone other race

Same. I also agree with you Dibs. I knew this was bound to happen sometime. Hope they don't have to scrap the new African environment because the game is lookin' awesome. :D

I mean, no one even complained when RE4 was about killing Spaniards (Ganado) from taking over the world with Las Plagas.

"...and the fact that this video game is marketed to children and young adults." ESRB anyone?

It's most likely to be rated M and, if a parent is responsible enough (most cases they aren't sadly), why would he/she even let a child even play an M rated game? Young adults (16-20) should have enough sense that it's just a game and not take it to an extreme. They've should've learned how to treat each other with respect by now.

There's always a huge conundrum whenever **** like this happens. *sigh*

 

[The Mad Hatter]

Dude, I couldnt kill enough Mexicans in RE4. I guess Ill take my frustration out on Starvin Marvin.

 

[Limey]

That's just stupid. I hate it when people read into things too much. I mean, people have already made the point about RE4 and killing Spaniards.

Would those women be happier if it were a black person as the main character?

If it were a white guy wearing a KKK hood, shooting non-zombie black people, then yes, it'd be rascist.

You're gonna shoot someone if they're trying to eat you, regardless of race, age, or sex.

 

[commonyoshi]

I dont know what the heck you guys are talking about when you say no one's been offended by their kind getting killed in past RE games. The fourth game had you killing monks, and a lot of them were extremely offended except they couldn't say anything due to their vows of silence. About time someone stopped those dirty racists!

 

[Wuss]

The point is, that you can't start a big fuss about it being racist, as soon as blacks get involved. If groups had been rallying against racism in games, and they used all of the resident evil games, then maybe that would make sense.

I agree with smash fan, if someone's trying to eat/kill, you're going to shoot them no matter what they look like.

 

[Evil Eye]

I am hoping that you guys will be mature enough to discuss this because this seems like a topic more fit for the LIGHT HOUSE to me..

Fix'd.

 

[Paranoid_Android]

Those aren't Zombies! They're just hungry Africans!

 

[Red_Maniac]

I think people are just overreacting. They're zombies. You shoot them because they want to eat you, not because of where you come from or what color your skin is.

 

[Crimson King]

This is why I hate people like Michael Richards. Racial harmony will never be accomplished, but we can at least come to racial understanding. But when someone like Richards comes and starts spouting off "******" this and "******" that, he takes all progress made about 40 years back. He empowers words beyond what they should have.

As for this, get over it. It's a fictional game; you just have to move on with it. No one complained about "Soul Plane" bashing black people or any other movies where people were portrayed negatively. **** this.

 

[a1j2h5]

As a black man, I totally see nothing wrong with this game, I mean the last one had us killing Spanish people, no one had any problems with that. Nowadays people are going out of their way to complain about something that won't effect them at all.
These people should complain about how blacks are portrayed in television and movies before video games, that show FLAVOR OF LOVE was just embarrassing and is the real reason some of this racism won't go away.

 

[TakDragon7]

Omg...these people try and ruin games that are awesome. Come on...Resident Evil 4 was awesome and no one whined and complained about it. Now people are whining and complaing over this. I think it's stupid. They should just get on with life and deal with it.

 

[Red Exodus]

I don't find it racist at all. It's a game first of all, as opposed to a website about killing Africans or anything like that.

I'm black [not african american, I'm not from America] and stuff like this hardly affects me. When a black guys dies first in a movie I don't even bat an eye, the only way I'll get offended is if the game goes extreme with stuff like "eat this you dirty ******s!"

 

[Evil Eye]

Now that I've actually read the topic, I am wondering to myself if these sheltered little whiny *******s would refuse to kill a black zombie. If they would, they're morons and deserve the ferocious pain afforded them. If they would kick some black ***, they're thorough hypocrites and still deserving of the zombie sneak attack about to devour their calves.

 

[ChRed2AKrisp]

LOL this makes me think of what happened at my school last year.

There was a fight, and it was gang affiliated. Now I don't live in DC. I live in a wealthy area. SO it was surprising to hear this. THe principal made a notice about. SHe noted that it was completely "black-on black violence" (which is btw, poilice terminolgy. could be white on white, they're just checking if the fight is race related). She was worried this would detract from the reputation of the other black students in the school (not to uphold stereotpes, by we don't have a lot of blacks in our school). But instead, the media and even the NAACP goes all "RACISM" on her ***. SOme of you may have read about this, the school was Winston Churchill HS.

I was like, WTF? She doesn't want this to hurt the black students reputation. That's the opposite of racism. But everyone just saw that she drew attention to the race of the aggressors, and called out racism.

People are ******** in general, is my philosophy.

 

[Shazz]

I have to agree with the others; the Resident Evil franchise commits zombie genocide independent of skin color. All the way up to RE5, all of the locations and zombies were predominantly if not all white or of similar origin. During RE4, every zombie was a Spaniard and they were blown up, decapitated, and all sorts of other horrible deaths. No one raised a fuss; it was a video game that had to take place somewhere. It's a zombie game; wherever they go there is bound to be a zombie epidemic. Why shouldn't they be able to have a violent game based in Africa? They've taken place every where else; Asia, South America, the Middle East, Middle Earth. I think it's pretty biased on their part to say that video game enemies who happen to be black is more racist than any other time an ethnicity or nationality has been a characteristic of the doomed enemy. I mean, how many times have Russians and Germans been portrayed as bad guys in games? Why wasn't this a problem during Grand Theft: San Andreas?

Sometimes people are just so quick to jump on the "that's racist" bandwagon without looking at the situation rationally. Oh dear

Actually I think this view on the subject would be the bandwagon opinion now days, which is quite reassuring. I don't think anyone would actually believe there to be some sort of racist motive to the trailer.

 

[F8AL]

I guess that G.R.A.W. is also "racist" because you shoot/kill mexicans.

 

[Nintencore88]

i swear if al sharpton comes out of no where and trys to bann this game im gonna be so pissed of

 

[Cashed]

I guess that G.R.A.W. is also "racist" because you shoot/kill mexicans.

Actually the president of Mexico tried to have both GRAW games banned from Mexico. I don't think he succeeded.

 

[mathos]

I get so sick of "mature" politic "adults" coming out of their medium to attack topics they have no idea what their talking about or submerged themselves into the culture before making an opinion.

 

[Red Exodus]

Yeah, I'd be pissed if someone started *****ing about who racist something is when that couldn't be further from the truth. politicians need to learn to look before they leap.

 

[Aeramis]

They don't even know what they are talking about. I bet those women couldn't name over 20 video game titles... No one cares if the zombies are white, black, asian, spanish, ect. or not even human. Like the zombies dogs, you don't see peda going nuts over shooting dogs in video games.

 

[Sony]

i bet the next RE is going to be in scottland and the scottish are going to get all butt hurt

 

[Shazz]

It's too bad this game gets the stamp it seems to be getting. Racist capcom!"!"#1231

It will not bode well.

 

[Evil Eye]

i bet the next RE is going to be in scottland and the scottish are going to get all butt hurt

Only when the Scottish zombos are wearing kilts and, conspicuously, have sheep attached by the butt to their lower front.

 

[Red Exodus]

I find those games like 50 z0mg0rsz cent bulletproof more damaging than ones like RE5. I HATE 50 cent, all they do is add fire to the stereotypical flame of 'the typical black guy'. I wouldn't be surprised if he and his crew bought 1 million copies of the game just so it wouldn't look bad.

 

[Eor]

I guess I could see how if someone was not familiar with these games it would appear racist. It claims they're zombies, but they walk around with grappling hooks and scythes? I don't think there is any truth in her claim, but it's not too far-fetched for someone without knowledge of these games to think it's being racist.

Also, is anyone else upset about the zombies in the game? They where so much cooler when they where zombies, and not granados. I don't want to go around with guns shooting mentally-******** people that want to kill me, I want to shoot zombies that want to eat me. I'm upset they went the way of Resident Evil 4 in the way of enemies. I mean, there are those times when it's cooler (such as the house scene in the beginning), but overall it wasn't as good as zombies. If they just made it so that there where a few granados controlling the zombies, then that would be fine. I just upset that the game that is known as the "Zombie series" decided they weren't going to have zombies.

 

[McCloud]

Seeing as how I've never played a RE before 4, I can't really comment on the zombie v Granado argument.. but they're close enough to zombies... without the eating part... *shrugs* The game served to scare the pants off of me and it did. And provided very nice gameplay/story along the way.

Oh and, this thread was about racists. Boo hoo, they shot someone that wasn't white.

edit - after reading more comments and posts on the site, it seems that blacks are immune to zombies.

ZOMBIE USED BITE

IT'S NOT VERY EFFECTIVE...

 

[vericz]

it's as though they think they are being targeted directly. it's so dumb to say that's racist because its black but no hispanic said its racist that in RE4 leon killed soo many spanish speaking people.

 

[The Mad Hatter]

I don't want to go around with guns shooting mentally-******** people that want to kill me.

Dude, they dont have downs. But that would explain why they cant figure out how to use guns.

 

[akshay07]

>>

the fact that u guys are saying that killing white people an killing blacks is racist kinda of dumb. if they had to be racist id say both since there killing people why judge people on color this world was not made by god for the needs of racial comments and for godssake this is online if u wanna be racist do it near your house to some one and get f**cked in hell when u die but no offense racisim is not something i would ever do.

-akshay an dude from india

 

[Knightblade]

I love how they say nothing when its mexicans but then they throw chris redfield in africa, all the sudden he is racist! his life is in ****ing danger, "no i aint gonna kill this black guy that is biting my head off, its too racist." gay.

 

[Eternal phoenix Fire]

*gasp* A white man is punching what we assume to be a black man.

Quick, sue.


*another gasp* The people that we assume are black are living in underdeveloped and violent enviornment.

Sue again for descrimination via second class citizenship.

 

[Mistle]

honestly, the people that say this is racist. are racist themselves if you ask me. In previous resident evil games, you're killing white people, so It's fine right? But if one black guy dies it's awful and racist

*claps* Well said. I couldn't of worded it better myself.

 

[okoya123]

if ur calling this game rasict ur just a retad that has nothing else to do i mean hey im african and canadian but yet i dont care if there killing any kind of race a zombie is a zombie shott em in the head