Great and very necessary interview. I wrote the Kikizo preview a week or so back which mistakenly flagged the scene with the white woman being dragged off as racist - nice to see somebody following up on my shameful f*ck-up in a constructive manner...
In Resident Evil 4 you are shooting hordes of Spanish people. In Resident Evil 5 you are in Africa you are therefore shooting Black African people. The important thing is to remember the storyline of the game being that the main enemies are parasitically-controlled humans. You are therefore shooting people for a reason not just shooting them because of the colour of their skin. Also Capcom has included an African character which you can also control which was a wise move on their part.
I have to agree that I think the whole argument of the game being racist is silly when there are much wider issues beneath the surface. ItÂ’s a worrying sign of the times when a videogame sparks the whole topic of racism when in day to day life it is often overlooked or ignored altogether.
We're not saying Resident Evil 5 is racist. We're asking an expert for their opinion, because the debate so far hasn't had any. It's topical because recent previews have accused the game of being racist. Acting as a platform for informed debate on issues like these is one of the key roles of responsible journalism. Simply saying it can't be racist because a racist game would never be released is a bit misguided. Regarding the timing, we can't go into details, but rest assured we would have run the article earlier if we could.
The fact that the games press are bringing the issue back into the spotlight exactly one week before the game is released smacks of... not sure what the word is, I'm not a journalist. But it leaves a bad taste in my mouth, like I just chewed my way through the Daily Mail or something.
It may well be intentional. "Any publicity is good publicity."
Dude, get your facts straight, there are no walruses or inuits in Finland. Another dumb misconception i`ve heard is that there are polarbears and elk running in the streets, only polarbears are in zoo`s and elks know to stay out of cities and towns most of the time.
Are gamers so stupid now that we need experts to tell us if something is racist or not? I know we can be a bit thick sometimes, but seriously, we haven't stooped to Fox News levels yet.
Whilst I find racism abhorrent, I also find the press continually throwing the words 'Racist' and 'Resident Evil' together to make articles - as they've been doing since July 31st 2007 - offensive. It's almost as bad as the Fox News/Mass Effect fiasco.
Games journalists in particular should know that any game that is racist would never make it to the shelves, and when Resi 5 first started causing waves 20 months ago the accusation was refuted vehemently then and there by many parties and the issue should have become a non-issue.
The fact that the games press are bringing the issue back into the spotlight exactly one week before the game is released smacks of... not sure what the word is, I'm not a journalist. But it leaves a bad taste in my mouth, like I just chewed my way through the Daily Mail or something.
Has Resident Evil ever had a Black leading character? or even main character with a vague involvement in the plot? No? Then all of resident evil is racist..
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User Comments
Edwin
Rickitis
I have to agree that I think the whole argument of the game being racist is silly when there are much wider issues beneath the surface. ItÂ’s a worrying sign of the times when a videogame sparks the whole topic of racism when in day to day life it is often overlooked or ignored altogether.
thpcplayer
wyp100
We're not saying Resident Evil 5 is racist. We're asking an expert for their opinion, because the debate so far hasn't had any. It's topical because recent previews have accused the game of being racist. Acting as a platform for informed debate on issues like these is one of the key roles of responsible journalism. Simply saying it can't be racist because a racist game would never be released is a bit misguided. Regarding the timing, we can't go into details, but rest assured we would have run the article earlier if we could.
CheekyLee
It may well be intentional. "Any publicity is good publicity."
Fin
FantasyMeister
Whilst I find racism abhorrent, I also find the press continually throwing the words 'Racist' and 'Resident Evil' together to make articles - as they've been doing since July 31st 2007 - offensive. It's almost as bad as the Fox News/Mass Effect fiasco.
Games journalists in particular should know that any game that is racist would never make it to the shelves, and when Resi 5 first started causing waves 20 months ago the accusation was refuted vehemently then and there by many parties and the issue should have become a non-issue.
The fact that the games press are bringing the issue back into the spotlight exactly one week before the game is released smacks of... not sure what the word is, I'm not a journalist. But it leaves a bad taste in my mouth, like I just chewed my way through the Daily Mail or something.
GlitcH
GlitcH
Bloodstorm
pblive
CheekyLee
ediid