Unsurprisingly the issue of racism in the next Resident Evil installment has reared its ugly head once again. A writer over at AlterNet has gone so far as to label the entire series racist rather than just the upcoming Resident Evil 5. The fact that the author only covers Resident Evil 4 and a game that is yet to be released is only the first sign that the article you're about to read is dripping in absurdity.
If the author had actually done his research he would have realised that every single game in the series (so far) has white zombies. Not only that but the majority of the games are set in the USA. Resident Evil 4 made the jump to Europe and included 'zombies' with Spanish (not Mexican, as the author points out) accents. Now I don't know about you but I'd find it strange to set the game in an obscure European village and have the zombies sound like Americans. It's all about 'location location!'. Resident Evil 5 includes black zombies because it's set in Haiti/an African country where having white zombies wouldn't make much sense. Also, the games being set outside America makes sense in a story context. It shows the player that the infection is so dangerous that it's spread across the world. Think about it; if an infectious disease broke out why would black people be immune from it? After-all, black people are also human.
Like many of the most popular games, including Kung Fu, Warcraft 3 and Shadow Warrior which depicts Asian and black immigrant bad guys, most video games deny humanity to the nonwhite, especially Latinos. - Alternet.
A few months ago an African blogger pointed out that the Resident Evil 5 trailer depicts black people as 'inhuman savages'. What she failed to understand is that these people have contracted a disease that disqualifies them as people anymore. The Resident Evil series has always gone to great lengths (through journals and scraps of paper) to describe how people who've been infected have gradually lost their minds and the humanity they possess.
Anyone playing the Resident Evil games knows that zombies are not people anymore. Apart from their looks they've lost anything that once distinguished them as human and only possess the need to attack and feed on any living person they come across. The game tells you it's ok to kill them because they have no thoughts and feelings anymore; they are inhuman beings who would only kill you if you didn't kill them and showing them sympathy can be deadly. This extends to anyone; black or white.
I'm tired of people saying 'the game allows you to kill black people, it must be racist!!!'. So is a black person playing a game where you kill white people racist? Of course it isn't! Few people realise that racism can work both ways and if the racism card were to be played in the other case then we'd have few games left to enjoy without something crying about it. I've always thought it's more racist for the PC crowd to make these stupid accusations because they're creating a race issue out of something that isn't trying to make an issue out of it. If a game series is showing both white and black people as zombies then how is that racist? To only show a disease affecting white people would be a bit strange in my opinion.
What these people have to understand is that Capcom are using black people in a narrative context. They're not just throwing them in there for the hell of it. They're moving the story away from the usual setting, providing some originality and showing the player that the events in the Resident Evil universe have affected the whole world and not just a small area the players would probably find boring to return to. The hero of the game isn't some racist evil guy who's shooting black people for the fun of it, he's killing zombies that will go out and kill more people who sure as hell won't think about what colour their victims may be. The hero is fighting against an evil corporation that is preying on people regardless of their colour.
Some might say that the presence of black zombies and the location the game takes place in make further people's stereotypes about Africa and its people. I know a lot of people view Africa as a dangerous place - full of poverty, dictators and wars. I don't understand how people believe a game about zombies can further these stereotypes. Wherever the game is set and whatever culture it takes place in Resident Evil games have portrayed the breakdown of society whether it's an American city or a tribe in Africa. It's about how deadly this disease is, and that it can strike any society regardless of the state it's in.
I find it funny that people are making all these accusations and assumptions based on a game we know little about. I also find it funny that the people who usually make these absurd points have never played the game or done much research about its past and story. Our society means we'll never be rid of these people but, regardless of what these crackpots think, the game will sell millions and you know that - in the majority of gamers minds - racism will never become an issue. It's worse that people create an issue out of something most people never would have thought about anyway.
I was surprised that Capcom took so long to put black people in one of their games to be honest, but if there's an outcry everytime someone takes this step then it's no wonder it's took so long. What's better? Ignoring black people all-together or putting them in a game where they play a prominent role?
'Resident Evil: Extinction' Flick Based on Racist Video Game Series - AlterNet (Via Joystiq)
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