Resident Evil 5

[Skywalker]

Why is Capcom rebooting the franchise?

[Cky]

Don't know, but that's what they're saying. Personally I don't see the point, they're just going to have a game with a similar setting to other Resident Evil games, without the main characters. I'd just rather Resident Evil 6, and have a true ending where we actually do find out what happened to the rest of the S.T.A.R.S members, and the other survivors of Raccoon City.

[stueyross]

Justtoyourleft wrote:

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So whether or not this is what the developers intended, it brings up memories of very bad times in the world's history. Maybe the developers were not aware of this or aware of how some people might react.

I'm not quite sure exactly what this says about me but I'm having loads of fun shooting zombies, no matter what their colour is. hadnt even noticed that they were black, i assumed they were just rotten and mouldy.

Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar yknow

[FordSVT]

Justtoyourleft wrote:

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I didn't see that on CNN. But I checked up some of what N'gai Croal wrote. I think he's nailed the problem I'm having with the images or why the game makes me feel uncomfortable in a way RE4 does not.

The image of white people killing 'savage' dark-skinned people simply has a very long history. It brings with it a lot of associations that are difficult to forget, really.

So whether or not this is what the developers intended, it brings up memories of very bad times in the world's history. Maybe the developers were not aware of this or aware of how some people might react.

I say "Who cares, it's a video game".

White people have killed FAR more other white people than black people in the past 200 years, perhaps we should start getting sensitive about that?

FFS, how is society supposed to get "beyond" racism if people are so damned sensitive over EVERYTHING they see. Are we supposed to ban all black people from being portrayed in the media in case something bad happens to them so whitey can avoid getting the blame?

For the first time, RE was set in a place where mostly black people live. Ergo, they are the ones who were zombiefied. Here's an expert who thinks the entire thing is silly and manufactured. He even mentions the fact that the game has many anti-colonial themes.

http://ps3.qj.net/It-s-silly-to-call.../49/aid/129342

[MyCylon]

Croal brought up another example I thought was very good. Imagine setting a game during the time of WWII where the zombies are skinny, starved-looking white people. And, for example (I'm building on his example here), you're playing an American soldier who has to blast his way through them for some reason (virus, infection, take your pick)

That's something I'd feel very, very uncomfortable with, to be honest. Because the images that would invoke in my mind are those of people deported by the Nazis even if the game never made this specific.

I certainly agree that there is such a thing as being oversensitive in these cases. But I also think that we're still a long way from overcoming racism and the likes. And it's NOT because some people remember these images, it's because we still fail to tackle racism and similar problems on so many levels.

I agree that blasting away dark-skinned zombies in RE5 just like you did white zombies in RE4 SHOULD not be an issue. I just think we haven't arrived there yet. And frankly, a franchise like RE, as enjoyable as it may be, is far too shallow to even begin to approach the subject in a manner that would actually help in the process of fighting racism.

Don't get me wrong. I'm not out there demanding the game be banned or anything. If you enjoy it, that's cool. But I know I don't feel comfortable with it, and now I know why.

Frankly, I assume that the developers never even thought that they might evoke negative responses to the game on this level. It's hardly fair to assume they're all experts on history. And, what's more, they're working on a franchise that's not exactly known for being 'deep'.

[FordSVT]

Justtoyourleft wrote:

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Don't get me wrong. I'm not out there demanding the game be banned or anything. If you enjoy it, that's cool. But I know I don't feel comfortable with it, and now I know why.

It's called "misplaced white liberal guilt", do try to get over it. It would be better for everyone if all us white liberals did that you know.

My ancestors didn't enslave anyone, in fact some of my ancestors like were slaves. I don't feel any stranger killing a black zombie than a white one, and that's the place society should be going, not one in which people feel bad about killing black zombies.

I swear to God some of the strangest sentences are written on the Internet.

[MyCylon]

I don't feel guilty about anything here, frankly. I didn't enslave anyone, and neither did my family.

That doesn't mean I have to feel comfortable being reminded of something that was wrong and still has effects on our lives today, especially if I'm being reminded of it by a game like RE.

I agree that it shouldn't make a difference whether it's a black or a white zombie. Actually, it wouldn't if you had black AND white zombies. But IMHO we're simply not at that point yet where it truly doesn't make a difference, no matter what the combination or setup. Or maybe, for better or worse, some people are.

Enjoy the game.

[OdoWanKenobi]

But there are white zombies in the game. The people that are making a big fuss are the people that love to play the racism card and thing that no black person should ever be killed by a white person in any form of media and that any use of the word black regardless of context is racist.

[clint g]

OdoWanKenobi wrote:

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Darkside Chronicles is a rail shooter remake of 2 and CV. There's not going to be really any new plot in that one.

I know, but it shows that they aren't forgetting about the current story line. Also, parts of umbrella chronicles has been referenced in RE5 so i wouldn't be shocked if something similar happens in a future game

[Rii]

a white man shooting savage black people

If the protagonist was an African man the objection would be that the game depicts Africans as savages who have nothing better to do than slaughter each other, possibly with something in there about having the African protagonist bound to the (predominantly white or asian) player's will.

[Kaijufan]

This whole racism thing is silly. They're zombies. They're trying to kill Sheva and me. I'm going to kill them before they kill me. I would be doing the same thing if they where any other race (and I did to those Spanish zombies in Resident Evil 4 and I will to whatever race the zombies will be in Resident Evil 6).

[firehawk12]

It's the imagery as it related to American depictions of blackness. Apparently there's a scene where a gang of black men attack a white woman? In any context, that image is going to be charged with racial overtones.

[Kaijufan]

firehawk12 wrote:

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It's the imagery as it related to American depictions of blackness. Apparently there's a scene where a gang of black men attack a white woman? In any context, that image is going to be charged with racial overtones.

That does happen but they're not really attacking her, they're forcing her to take a parasite and become a zombie. You're then forced to kill all of them.

Actually I'm pretty sure the same thing happens a little bit earlier with a black man being forced to become a zombie.

Both of those actually happen really early in the game (I think the black man might even be the first zombie you fight). To me the scenes weren't really racist at all, they were just showing people getting infected.

Actually I would have to say that one of the most racist things in the game is when you're going through areas of tribal Africans. They wear the stereotypical tribal clothing and attack you with spears while you're mowing them down with guns. However they were infected and I had no problems killing them just like any other zombie.

[nx1701g]

Kaijufan wrote:

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That does happen but they're not really attacking her, they're forcing her to take a parasite and become a zombie. You're then forced to kill all of them.

Next thing you know they'll say it depicts sexual assault. Please note: the same was suggested with Silent Hill Two and Pyramid Head.

Actually I'm pretty sure the same thing happens a little bit earlier with a black man being forced to become a zombie.

It does in the beginning.

[firehawk12]

Kaijufan wrote:

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That does happen but they're not really attacking her, they're forcing her to take a parasite and become a zombie. You're then forced to kill all of them.

Actually I'm pretty sure the same thing happens a little bit earlier with a black man being forced to become a zombie.

Both of those actually happen really early in the game (I think the black man might even be the first zombie you fight). To me the scenes weren't really racist at all, they were just showing people getting infected.

Actually I would have to say that one of the most racist things in the game is when you're going through areas of tribal Africans. They wear the stereotypical tribal clothing and attack you with spears while you're mowing them down with guns. However they were infected and I had no problems killing them just like any other zombie.

It's not intent - because I do believe that Capcom isn't out to be racist - it's just that it uses imagery used previously in a far different content.

From what I understand, the game itself is about colonialism and the exploitation of Africa by white people... it's just the savage Other has been an image used to perpetuate racism for a long time.