The "General Games Chat" forum, which includes Retro Game Reviews, has been archived and is now read-only. You cannot post here or create a new thread or review on this forum.
Why is is that all the heros in games are usually big, muscular white blokes with unlimited supplies of ammo?
I have yet to play a "realistic" game where a person of minority ethnic origin is the main character. I'm not talking Mario jumping about on platforms, I'm talking those real-life type games, where you take on a role of a real person and stick to it.
There are plenty of Japanese or American characters, a few British (Lara Croft maybe), but what about African? Indian? Aboriginal? Surely we will open up new playing experiences if we start to include the character and culture of these races in our games?
I'm not saying developers are being deliberately racist, not at all, it's just playing the same stereotypes can be boring, uninspiring, and dull to be honest.
Discuss...
I have yet to play a "realistic" game where a person of minority ethnic origin is the main character. I'm not talking Mario jumping about on platforms, I'm talking those real-life type games, where you take on a role of a real person and stick to it.
There are plenty of Japanese or American characters, a few British (Lara Croft maybe), but what about African? Indian? Aboriginal? Surely we will open up new playing experiences if we start to include the character and culture of these races in our games?
I'm not saying developers are being deliberately racist, not at all, it's just playing the same stereotypes can be boring, uninspiring, and dull to be honest.
Discuss...
Page:
Nick1 wrote:
> It's because the public have become sort of racist a little with-out them
> knowing, you see if someone bought a game they have learned to expect a
> character as you described, and when they have a character like that they seem
> strangely shocked for no apparant reason, but the really bad thing is that Loads
> of jap games include an all white cast, which is really weird.
You have a point, why is Japanese culture open to including non-japenese characters, in a way that British games never seem to do???
I really
> didn't mean to offend any of you because I know that this is a sensitive
> subject.
It is a sensitive subject, but that doesn't mean we should not discuss it and sweep it under the carpet.
> It's because the public have become sort of racist a little with-out them
> knowing, you see if someone bought a game they have learned to expect a
> character as you described, and when they have a character like that they seem
> strangely shocked for no apparant reason, but the really bad thing is that Loads
> of jap games include an all white cast, which is really weird.
You have a point, why is Japanese culture open to including non-japenese characters, in a way that British games never seem to do???
I really
> didn't mean to offend any of you because I know that this is a sensitive
> subject.
It is a sensitive subject, but that doesn't mean we should not discuss it and sweep it under the carpet.
WòókieeMøn§†€® wrote:
> why mention Lara Croft? That's hardly a realistic game either.
It is meant to represent real world dynamics and stuff..
That's only the ones I could think of off the top of
> my head - there are probably more.
What, another 2 or 3 maybe... And anyway, the black guys will have the old sterotypical afros in them, very original
As FM said... why
> should it matter? A game is a game - does it really matter that all
> races/colours/creeds are fairly represented?
We want games to be realistic (well some games at least), many games or sold on the basis that they have "realistic" environments and scenarios, yet they do not realisticall represent the true spread of people in the gaming community, alright, not many kids in Africa will have a PS2 how many British or American black / asian kids have got a console?
> Imagine if the central character of GTA3
> had been black. There's every chance that the race relations people would have
> been up in arms about portraying a young black male as a violent criminal, and
> there would have been no end of discussion about racial sterotyping etc. Some
> people may not like me saying that, but sadly it is true.
I haven't played GTA3, but I have played GTA, and you could select a black character if you wanted... What is the problem with that? would it be better if games let you build your own character, no matter what colour / creed / sex you wanted to be?
> Most 'realistic'
> games tend to contain violence, and many of the groups you mention would be
> outraged if you used them as central characters in such games. It's
> "okay" for Irish Protestants to stand in a street throwing stones at
> little schoolgirls in real life, but you'd never get away with putting such
> events in a 'realistic' game.
Yes, same with football hooliganism too, what happened to that game? Shouldn't the gaming industry be addressing issues like this, in the same way that the film industry has to? We can't just say "we can't do it because there will be outcry" - non gaming people can't have this both ways, they label games as toys, but if they deal with adult themes and issues, they get slated. It is about time the industry took a few stands on this kind of thing, don't you think?
> Even Lara Croft has been attacked by womens
> groups for her 'full figure' etc.
Are you saying that wasn't a fair comment? I think we could all agree that the major differences between the Tomb Raider games are the size of Ms. Crofts bosom. I'm not complaining, I'm a bloke like anyone else, but even I can see it was a marketing ploy.
> In general, white, male atheists are about the only group of people who won't
> turn around and complain about the way they're portrayed in the media - be it
> TV, film or videogame. Hence it's a 'safe bet' for the developers.
Should developers be sticking with the safe bets? We continually ask them to produce original games, but how can they really if they have to limit themselves like this?
> Noticing and caring are very different things!
I quote...
> The colour and gender of a game's central character has
> never even entered my mind - it is what it is
>(male/female/black/white/human/alien/cyborg/dragon), and I
> just get on and play the game.
Then you go on to name 3 games with minority characters, when you said it never enters your mind! It must have, otherwise those games would not have stuck out like a sore thumb in your consciousness!
> why mention Lara Croft? That's hardly a realistic game either.
It is meant to represent real world dynamics and stuff..
That's only the ones I could think of off the top of
> my head - there are probably more.
What, another 2 or 3 maybe... And anyway, the black guys will have the old sterotypical afros in them, very original
As FM said... why
> should it matter? A game is a game - does it really matter that all
> races/colours/creeds are fairly represented?
We want games to be realistic (well some games at least), many games or sold on the basis that they have "realistic" environments and scenarios, yet they do not realisticall represent the true spread of people in the gaming community, alright, not many kids in Africa will have a PS2 how many British or American black / asian kids have got a console?
> Imagine if the central character of GTA3
> had been black. There's every chance that the race relations people would have
> been up in arms about portraying a young black male as a violent criminal, and
> there would have been no end of discussion about racial sterotyping etc. Some
> people may not like me saying that, but sadly it is true.
I haven't played GTA3, but I have played GTA, and you could select a black character if you wanted... What is the problem with that? would it be better if games let you build your own character, no matter what colour / creed / sex you wanted to be?
> Most 'realistic'
> games tend to contain violence, and many of the groups you mention would be
> outraged if you used them as central characters in such games. It's
> "okay" for Irish Protestants to stand in a street throwing stones at
> little schoolgirls in real life, but you'd never get away with putting such
> events in a 'realistic' game.
Yes, same with football hooliganism too, what happened to that game? Shouldn't the gaming industry be addressing issues like this, in the same way that the film industry has to? We can't just say "we can't do it because there will be outcry" - non gaming people can't have this both ways, they label games as toys, but if they deal with adult themes and issues, they get slated. It is about time the industry took a few stands on this kind of thing, don't you think?
> Even Lara Croft has been attacked by womens
> groups for her 'full figure' etc.
Are you saying that wasn't a fair comment? I think we could all agree that the major differences between the Tomb Raider games are the size of Ms. Crofts bosom. I'm not complaining, I'm a bloke like anyone else, but even I can see it was a marketing ploy.
> In general, white, male atheists are about the only group of people who won't
> turn around and complain about the way they're portrayed in the media - be it
> TV, film or videogame. Hence it's a 'safe bet' for the developers.
Should developers be sticking with the safe bets? We continually ask them to produce original games, but how can they really if they have to limit themselves like this?
> Noticing and caring are very different things!
I quote...
> The colour and gender of a game's central character has
> never even entered my mind - it is what it is
>(male/female/black/white/human/alien/cyborg/dragon), and I
> just get on and play the game.
Then you go on to name 3 games with minority characters, when you said it never enters your mind! It must have, otherwise those games would not have stuck out like a sore thumb in your consciousness!
It's because the public have become sort of racist a little with-out them knowing, you see if someone bought a game they have learned to expect a character as you described, and when they have a character like that they seem strangely shocked for no apparant reason, but the really bad thing is that Loads of jap games include an all white cast, which is really weird.
I really didn't mean to offend any of you because I know that this is a sensitive subject.
I really didn't mean to offend any of you because I know that this is a sensitive subject.
Wookie does have a point about using white, anglo-saxon, non-religious people.
We can be used for anything and nobody cares.
Except for Nazis, and I will not be represented by a group of bigots.
Put me in a game, digitise my face and have me commit any number of crimes, I couldn't give a monkeys.
Just don't put me in a Nintardo game, then I'll really get mad.
We can be used for anything and nobody cares.
Except for Nazis, and I will not be represented by a group of bigots.
Put me in a game, digitise my face and have me commit any number of crimes, I couldn't give a monkeys.
Just don't put me in a Nintardo game, then I'll really get mad.
What about Shadowman...
funkygamer wrote:
> I did say realistic games n'est pas?
True, but then why mention Lara Croft? That's hardly a realistic game either.
> I also said I'm sure it wasn't like that...
I know, I was just re-iniforcing the issue for anyone else reading.
> Great, three games out of a back catalogue of how many?
That's only the ones I could think of off the top of my head - there are probably more.
> I'm not saying this is deliberate, but wouldn't it be nice if people
> could open up their minds to new cultures and religions being portrayed in
> games?
As FM said... why should it matter? A game is a game - does it really matter that all races/colours/creeds are fairly represented?
As it happens, I think that it's safer in many instances leaving the main character as a white male of unspecified religious background.
Imagine if the central character of GTA3 had been black. There's every chance that the race relations people would have been up in arms about portraying a young black male as a violent criminal, and there would have been no end of discussion about racial sterotyping etc. Some people may not like me saying that, but sadly it is true.
Most 'realistic' games tend to contain violence, and many of the groups you mention would be outraged if you used them as central characters in such games. It's "okay" for Irish Protestants to stand in a street throwing stones at little schoolgirls in real life, but you'd never get away with putting such events in a 'realistic' game.
Even Lara Croft has been attacked by womens groups for her 'full figure' etc.
You see where I'm going with this, surely? In general, white, male atheists are about the only group of people who won't turn around and complain about the way they're portrayed in the media - be it TV, film or videogame. Hence it's a 'safe bet' for the developers.
> You ay you don't care, yet you obviously do because you list 3 games
> which contain such characters, so you must have taken notice...
Noticing and caring are very different things!
> I did say realistic games n'est pas?
True, but then why mention Lara Croft? That's hardly a realistic game either.
> I also said I'm sure it wasn't like that...
I know, I was just re-iniforcing the issue for anyone else reading.
> Great, three games out of a back catalogue of how many?
That's only the ones I could think of off the top of my head - there are probably more.
> I'm not saying this is deliberate, but wouldn't it be nice if people
> could open up their minds to new cultures and religions being portrayed in
> games?
As FM said... why should it matter? A game is a game - does it really matter that all races/colours/creeds are fairly represented?
As it happens, I think that it's safer in many instances leaving the main character as a white male of unspecified religious background.
Imagine if the central character of GTA3 had been black. There's every chance that the race relations people would have been up in arms about portraying a young black male as a violent criminal, and there would have been no end of discussion about racial sterotyping etc. Some people may not like me saying that, but sadly it is true.
Most 'realistic' games tend to contain violence, and many of the groups you mention would be outraged if you used them as central characters in such games. It's "okay" for Irish Protestants to stand in a street throwing stones at little schoolgirls in real life, but you'd never get away with putting such events in a 'realistic' game.
Even Lara Croft has been attacked by womens groups for her 'full figure' etc.
You see where I'm going with this, surely? In general, white, male atheists are about the only group of people who won't turn around and complain about the way they're portrayed in the media - be it TV, film or videogame. Hence it's a 'safe bet' for the developers.
> You ay you don't care, yet you obviously do because you list 3 games
> which contain such characters, so you must have taken notice...
Noticing and caring are very different things!
Page: