Video Games

Gamers are still chewing over the question of whether Resident Evil 5 is racist.

After I wrote last week that some critics see racist overtones in the trailer for the upcoming zombie game – and honestly, I see them, too – I heard from two readers who made some interesting points.

From André, a 27-year-old gamer and investment broker from Toronto, who is black:

"There is nothing portrayed in this game preview that we haven't already seen in dozens of other movies. We see the zinc-roofed huts, the street vendors in open markets, the kerchief-wearing mammies, and the near-primitive feel of the entire place.

"To give a little background on this, my first major in university was communications, and my cultural studies professor was a Ghanaian who received his doctorate in Petersburg State University. He'd show us depictions of African and Caribbean culture through the lens of other cultures (e.g. Japanese, Russian, German, Spanish, etc.) in film, art, and television.

"We even had names for the same archetypal characters and settings that would pop up in every single one. I saw those same characters (e.g. Boss Man With Mirrored Sunglasses – Same guy you'll see in Blood Diamond, Black Hawk Down, and The Last King of Scotland) and settings (e.g. Shantytown Meat Market, rusted-out basketball court) in this game trailer. ...

"These derogatory memes have made their way into this game, and anyone who criticizes it is being told to shut up, because there is obviously too much being read into a simple video game. And I find that very silly, as video games are a form of media, like any other. And when any form of media incorporates a derogatory meme, whatever you make of the intention of the person or people who used it, the fact is that it is there. Capcom may not have had racist intentions when they released this trailer, but it doesn't change the fact that the meme is there. Asking me to not notice it, is like telling someone to not notice you have an orange sweater on when, in fact, you have an orange sweater on.

"The question I have to ask is, why is there such a problem with me seeing it?"

And reader Nathan Fox argued that zombies themselves have some racial baggage.

"[I]ronically, Zombies have an incredible history linked to racism and people of African descent. The idea of the Zombie actually comes from Haiti, a nation of African descendants. The zombie was borrowed by America, and used early on in cinema, used to portray black people and Haitians in a negative light. I'll spare us both a lengthy history lesson, as I've gone on long enough, but this whole RE5 thing just isn't as innocent as it seems. I'm not saying that anyone had bad intentions, but I think it's safe to say that Japanese video game creators have a very limited knowledge of Western race relations."

Incidentally, RE5 publisher Capcom sent out an announcement this week that it has hired several new staff members in its public relations division.

I'm guessing they'll stay busy.

ARCHIVES: Search for more stories on this and other topics | Search Tips

SUBSCRIBE: Get The Dallas Morning News delivered to your home