Resident Evil 5 Controversy (and New Trailer)
We seem to be gamer-themed this week, so here’s the new Resident Evil 5 trailer for your perusal.
In our most recent vlog, guest Flynn DeMarco mentioned the controversy surrounding the trailer that was shown at E3. In a nutshell, the protagonist, Chris Redfield, a white guy, is seen in the trailer killing lots of black zombies. N’Gai Croal of Newsweek criticized the original trailer, saying:
“There was a lot of imagery in that trailer that dovetailed with classic racist imagery.”
Producer Jun Takeuchi has said:
“We didn’t set out to make a racist game or a political statement. We did feel there was a misunderstanding about the initial trailer.”
As Flynn explained, there’s always zombie-killing in the Resident Evil franchise, and the fifth installment takes place in Africa for plot reasons, so it’s not quite as cut-and-dry as it might appear to non-gamers. Some have suggested, however, that the inclusion of a black protagonist in place of Chris Redfield would not only have made the game seem less racist (intentional or otherwise), but would also have added to the relatively small pool of protagonists of color in games.
What are your thoughts? Was this a missed opportunity for inclusion, a misunderstanding or something else?
[Via 1up.com]
June 5th, 2008 at 8:30 pm
Definitely a missed opportunity for inclusion. But isn’t Resident Evil a game developed in Japan? By Japanese people? Making both the zombies and the hero of an “Other” race? I think it’s worth asking the question, “Is the game racist, or are our cultural archetypes skewing our perception?”
Also, is anything featuring un-condemned race-vs-race violence essentially racist? I think I’d answer yes.
July 15th, 2008 at 12:59 pm
It looks like the game is based in a 3rd world country, Africa?
If it was based in the Arctic, I’m sure everyone would look different.
Man people use your Scooby-Doo skills!