So it's fashionable at the moment to blog about Resident Evil 5's trailer being "racist". So here's my 2 cents about that.As usual, the overall response and the opinions expressed by video game players themselves are mostly pathetic, and make me feel lucky that those same persons do not debate publicly about politics.
Now, each time someone has to say anything negative about a video game, they fall in the "conservative mothers" category without any further thinking applied to the problem. The argument that this polemic shouldn't even be because there hasn't been one with other games or trailer featuring equally "shocking" content is ludicrous.
If there's anything Capcom often lacks, it's definitely taste (I'm refering to their abusive use of western pop-culture cliches in almost everything they do). To think that some people claim that there is nothing to feel insulted about in this trailer leaves me in awe.
People, it's really time to get a brain for yourself, and a heart while you're at it. There is a simple question that suffices to understand the whole matter and to help thinking reasonnably about it. Ask yourself:
If Africa was as big a market for video games as the US, would Capcom have been more careful ?
Deep down, you know the answer is an unequivocal YES. And that's where everyone should stop at.
-
2 comments:
Good thoughts....
I was dissapointed when i first saw the trailer..i´m´a big Resident Evil fan myself, but i hate war-like scenarios and this reminds me way to much of that Black Hawk Down Movie :(
I dunno what Capcom was thinking with this and i´m still curious how they want to explain it. But it is also the same Thing with Part 4 ( can´t remember that there were many people complaining about though, i wonder why...maybe cause it was just too stupid XDD Pesetas in the year 2004 ? Allright XDD).
Hey Saskia nice to see you around here :)
Well, in RE4, it was a lot less of a north-south opposition. White man vs "euro weird" white men.
Taking into account:
a) The world's (and Africa's) History (slavery, wars etc.)
b) Present situations and relations with african countries,
c) the way black people are still seen and treated in many western countries, ESPECIALLY the US, to which the game is mainly aimed at
+ Many other similar factors, I feel it IS indeed different if doing this with black people rather than with spanish-speaking people. Plus, there has been a giant leap toward photorealism since RE4, which adds to the soup I guess.
On the other hand, I'm perfectly sure it was certainly not a racist attempt from Capcom. It was rather an awkward attempt at warying the scenery, they just didn't pay too much attention. But I'm sure they would have if Africa was a market, they would have gone like "Ho no, we can't sell that to them!".
All that apart, the game *could* be interesting to play :)
Post a Comment