You've heard the debate no doubt and if not take a wee gander here. and here
Games have given us the opportunity to blow the heads of child-like beings, batter prostitutes to death with baseball bats and garotte, blow up and disembowel our foes. Many game titles have placed us in the contentious role of Western soldiers slaughtering our arab and muslim brothers. Resident evil 4 placed us in Spain killing Spanish people.
But when the imagery of a game becomes so unbalanced as Resi 5 appears to be (no one knows what the final game will play like) and people are openly condemned for voicing their opinion on that imagery, then it's time to shout even louder.
I dont' for a minute think that the Japanese developers Capcom purposely set out to cause offence, but I find it hard to believe not one of them considered the loaded imagery as being powerful enough to provoke. If the final game content plays anything like the trailers and the game passes the censors office then censorship ain't worth squat!!! and this gamer won't be adding to Capcoms coffers... they'll be plenty of zombies to kill elsewhere.
Clickable inkies rascism video games game previews
43 comments:
Thank you Elderly! A fabulously eloquent appraisal of the situation, brilliantly presented.
Stunning stuff.
I doubt the enemies in this game are zombies. They are too swift to be zombies. This is 2 years away. Damn Capcom. Hurry the hell up!
Isn't RE4 racist as well then, since you're killing Spanish people?
Haven't seen the trailer yet, but I hope it doesn't go over the limit, violence can be fun...but there are boundaries...
There shouldn't be boundaries in any form of entertainment. Games developers should make the game anyway they want to. It's their product. I don't know why anyone would play the race card. It is utterly ridiculous.
Actually developers can do as they wish and blogger -or anyone else for that matter- can freely state their opinion on said game...
Great post Elderly. Nice mentioning all those other slaughtered peoples of video games (and reality)
Well done Elderly for highlighting the plight of Burma. The website states that we should boycott the 2008 Olympic Games, which I guess means boycotting 'Mario & Sonic at the Olympics'...
(Puts on kettle...brings in spare chairs....)
Thank you FK, always a pleasure to oblige someone with a pair of desert eagles... can i hold them?
Zombies Funnyman in the 28days 28weeks later mode..... boxer short staining zombies.... fast feckers indeed
Hi Ross, it's not racism i'm concerned about for surely one could successfully debate rascist elements in a significant number of games, RE4 included, no it's the imagery which is so emotive, that and the fact that someone who raised the issue was pummelled to pieces. FK's blog (second here top of post.. outlines his predicament)
(brings in pot of tea and chocolate eclairs freshly picked from the neighbours eclair tree...)
Spooky video violence can indeed be fun... for example killing gremlins.. though would i stop at Gnomes? and though i abhor game censorship there are as you've said some limits which one would hope would occur naturally given that games are designed by humans...
(pours tea for Funnyman...) playing the race card for the sake of causing furore is to be slated, but there are times when playing the race card is the most responsible card to play.... oh if only rascism were a card game... no as i've said above it's not the racism but the imagery which pisses me off...
Thank you Gnome (bows to gnome... removes one of the three eclairs in Gnomes hands....)
(sits back... stuffs his face with eclair.. continues)
As a child I was terrified of the Klu Klux Klan, I'm white, live in Ireland go figure.
As an adult, i witnessed photographs of the savagery metted out to my African brothers by the KK, it sickened me to my very core... the imagery depicted in RE5 trailers is too much of a spectacle, too close to that insanity and barbarism, too emotive to be worthy of a video game.
It was Father Krishna who pointed out to me that the guy who said as much got ridiculed, so thank you FK for providing me with this opportunity to rant.
Putting political pressure on China to grab the military Junta in Burma by the goolies may necessitate boycotting the beijing olympics... Mario and Sonic... would be a bitter pill to swallow... but we could scratch off the beijing logo.. no would know...
LOL! Scratch off the logo... Sounds like a plan!
shhh! we'll lose our cred if this gets out....
ahem!!.... tea?
This is clearly a publicity stunt by those who are making fictitious racial assertions about Capcom. Why the hell can’t these people leave Capcom alone? The people who are accusing Capcom of being racist are using Capcom as a ploy in order to draw attention to themselves. They don’t even believe in what they preach, and they need to get a life. This is nothing more than a case of people wanting more attention, so they do something profound (like saying Capcom is racist). I hope Capcom sends a horde of zombies to their houses to chastise them.
!! ?? (bangs head against coffee table repeatedly...muttering) how could i be so stupid!.. (whack!!!) led astray by publicists (whack!) silly silly me (whack!!)
and me thinking I was upset by the trailers (whack!!)... when in fact it was a cunningly clever ruse to attack Capcom... thereby drawing attention to themselves...(slaps himself about the face....) idiotic brainless elderly.. oh how could i be so dumb... (slap!... whack!!)
well thats that then.... i'm a complete numbskull... i fell for it (jabs fingers in his eyes....) stupid silly elderly!!! fell for the oldest trick in the book (whack!!!) publicity no doubt for an upcoming game of their own..
(slap.. whack!...).. okay then tell me who are they? who has humilated me so... ohhh the shame of it...
(Seamus enters) ...shit!!... i missed it all.. i can spare a few minutes... mr.elderly, i'm got a baseball bat in my room.... wait there.. i'll get it!!!
I have had countless people in my life deride me because of my race and presume that I was a racist, but I did not care what those people had to say. I never retaliated by swearing back at them or punching them in the face. I simply swallowed by pride, shut my mouth, and continued to drink. Why the hell can’t these people who are accusing Capcom of being racist do the same thing I did?
Well, seems we're such attention whores we can't keep our mouths shut... Or perhaps we sort of care for some things... Who knows, we might not even thing gaming is all there is to it... Tsk, tsk, sad bastards we are...
(grabs back eclair and heads back to the bar)
sorry for the delay in posting peoples, work has kidnapped not only my waking hours but some of my sleeping hours as well..
I've never been the victim of racist attacks, so I can't say whether I'd eventually reach an equilibrium as you have Funnyman... I am glad you don't care what they have to say... but racism sickens me... but then I guess I've got the luxury to be appalled by it.
i don't beleive the outright attacks on Capcom as racists are justified, though they must shoulder some burden for the content of the trailers.
but as I said earlier were we to support a collective silence on the issue I may as well learn to be racist, because in mind silence gives a tacit approval to racism.
Gnome... you've just eaten two.. whadda... since when did I have a bar... (elderly rubs his eyes....) please tell me that yonder bar is not a mirage.... please tell me yonder buxom barmaid is not a mirage....
Wow! Heavy duty...
I'm originally an anthropologist by degree... And it's really interesting to sit back and observe human nature from a somewhat objective perspective...
But anthropology is something of a 'pseudo science' and in fact it's difficult not to jump into the debate...
What I have noticed (as a pseudo-scientist) is yer average Western gamer feels very threatened by having their (unquestionable) comfort zones questioned...
..indeed FK from other sites and blogs i've discovered a lot are upset that the game might be pulled ..it's as if they're going to miss out on something special, the chance to play in an African setting...
an anthropologist!!!... what excellent luck....
perhaps you can settle a debate... (stands beside Gnome....) okay then FK which of us is a pure descendant from cro magnon man and which a hybrid?
(elderly stoops and scratches under his armpits...)
Shalom, ain't sure what your relationship to open source/free software games is. If you're interested, check out Free Gamer - http://freegamer.blogspot.com/ - A blog by a british boy (young man).
I like the concept of your blog very much. I think I found out about if from the most serous german computer mag ( ct' ).
Ah Elderly, I think you're assuming I am a physical anthropologist, when in fact I'm a social anthropologist...
Still, I'll take an educated guess... I think you're both descended from the Anunaki...
Google that!!
And another point goes to social anthropology!
(scratchs head)...there are different types of anthropologists?
I googled anunaki as advised, i should have used google safe search... how in heavens name does she fit it all in?... astounding...
(even more confused elderly turns to Gnome....)... another point to gynacology more like (shows Gnome photos of Anunaki...)
hi anonymous interesting blog you've got there... thank you
A pseudo science fatherkrishna? You and Tom Cruise should have dinner.
.. but surely without social anthropology we would all be clueless as to the reasons behind our behaviour?... (adjusts suspender belt....)
Anunaki!
8o
Are we allowed to say blackboard yet?
Come on 100's of white, spanish zombies with a crazy look in their eyes being killed in RE4 and not one single black guy surely thats racist?
Now 100's of black (or dark brown skinned if you prefer? African's? no you can have white African's.. I'm honestly not sure of the correct term) zombies being killed
What's the difference here? If the protagonist was black (see above) would it be ok then?
The only physical thing I can see that's changed is the level of emotion in the game, the developers have brought the game to life and perhaps that's unsettled some people? Or have the chalkboard supporters just found something else to shout about?
Perhaps we should brainstorm the issue? But no that would upset people with epilepsy...'Damn'
...sorry Gnome I did try an warn people... it's all FK's fault.. wheres he gone now.. always wandering off...
Hi Paul, thanks for your comment, indeed killing spanish peasants in RE4 didn't cause me to wonder whether I was supporting a racist sentiment... if i had hated the spanish (which i don't), then certainly I would have had a field day...
as you've outlined it was the emotion presented in the imagery.. not particularily the "realness" but the mimickery of recent history, (too close to the bone for me)... mind you Blackhawk down, and Full Spectrum Warrior could equally have been targeted with a rascist onslaught
....
I don't get it.
..again...
a bump to the outcry over the re5 trailer and the resultant attack on someone who dared to ask if the imagery was too close to the bone...
highlighted by the very capable Father Krisna! he of Desert Eagle and shaved pate fame...
We've seen zombies gunned down in every make, shape, race, model, and nationality in movies.
sounds like someone is being stupid again.
Ah the stupid, we shall never be rid of them shall we....
Nooooo.. not THAT debate again.... please?
well timerunner it's like this... hold on i'll get the microphone and lectern.. .won't be a minute.....
Gnome tut! don't be so negative... this will be over in a matter of hours.... here help me with the speakers... can you remember where did we put the amp...?
hang on timerunnner won't be a mo...
Glad to see this post has stirred up a good deal of debate... BTW Elderly, the Anunaki have nothing to do with gaenacology on my PC... What search engine are you using? LOL!
From what I see all of this can be taken care of if we all take on this simple motto..
"We are not racist, we have EVERYBODY!"
And by hating everybody, that makes us all the same.
It works, doesn't it? Yes..yes...
...
no...
Oh well, I'll wait for the counterpoint.
This might be a little of topic, but I saw the latest RE movie. It was average, but I liked it better than the original. I did enjoy the one with Nemisis the best. Can't wait for the next RE movie.
(gnome looks positively positive)
Interesting idea timerunner, though I definitely enjoyed the first RE movie. Silly me.
Oh, and Elderly dear, did you know tha Antifa heisst Angriff?
FK nothing to do with gynacology!!!.... what search engine?.. standard one.. pronotopia..... why are there others?
good point timerunner... least that way one hates everyone equally...
Funnyman the second film was indeed much better, like my mila with superpowers...
(setting up microphone stand....) tha Antifa heisst Angriff? no don't know it.. if you whistle it though... may i say you look extremely positive of late... definitely a plus!!
I felt like Extinction wasn't true to the RE games. How the hell are zombies running like cheetahs and jumping all over the place? Apocalype had zombies that were more catered to the RE fans. Plus, I love Nemesis. "STARS, STARS, STARS!!!"
:)
(positively faints)
I thought Milla should have used guns instead of those 2 inch blades to kill zombies.
artistic licence no doubt but it didn't marr my enjoyment of the film, it would have freaked the feck out of me in the game, the blades were an unusual choice now i think of it... crowbar.. ah ya know where you are with a crow bar....
(removes plus signs from Gnomes unconcious body, removes cap from bottle of smelling salts) now Gnome this is going to stink more for you than it is for me......
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