Introduction
When the gameplay trailer of Resident Evil 5 (RE5) was released in October of 2007 it attracted a lot of media attention surrounding racism. There were both ‘for’ and ‘against’ the idea that RE5 is a racist game. Earl Ofari Hutchinson made himself know by saying that “RE5 is a very racist game” however there were other commentators such as Jim Sterling who made himself known by defending RE5 by saying “He laughs at the idea of RE5 is racist. The stereotypical characters and settings in the game caused a lot of controversy, and yet it was not withdrawn from the UK market. Some people went as far as questioning the ethics of the game; Hilary Goldstein (2009) was one of several who asked ‘Is Resident Evil 5 racist?’ To establish whether these criticisms and the negative media coverage it received are fair, a critical analysis of the game and its components is needed
In short Resident Evil 5, part of the Resident Evil series, is a survival horror game that is set within the fictional African town of Kijuju and sees Chris Redfield return to the protagonist role he featured in the first and third game. Along with Sheeva Aloma, he is sent to Kijuju to investigate a new biological agent which has made its way to the east. The virus has been turning the population into aggressive and disturbing creatures and their goal is to uncover the truth behind the disturbing turn of events.
Even though the release of RE5 was not for another two years after the trailer release, the media attention it had initially gained had not died down. Press and online forum discussions across both sides of the Atlantic demonstrated the opposing viewpoints of the game. Such headlines as: “The Resident Evil 5 race issue”, “Resident Evil 5 is ra...
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... also appear racist on the basis of the ideology that still exists in some parts of the world, that the white race is superior over the black race.
However it could also be argued that Capcom, being a Japanese company did not anticipate or understand the way in which an international, multicultural audience did not see the game. The characters, settings and scenes they created was seen by them as justifiable within the conventions of the genre. Negative reactions have nevertheless led to changes in their creative processes as Senior PR manager Melody Pfeiffer said that “Capcom’s U.S. staff is now more involved in the creative process to help assure better understanding of potentially offensive content to other cultures.” This suggests that they accept that RE5 could be seen as racist and as a result the subsequent version of the game RE6 is set in America.
For instance, in Neil Foley’s article, Becoming Hispanic: Mexican Americans and Whiteness, the author emphasizes on the fact that white skinned people receive all of the privileges and opportunities. A group named LULAC, which stands for the League of United Latin American Citizens, tried really hard to prove how “Americanized” (Foley 55) Mexican Americans really were. They argued, “They spoke English, voted, used the court systems, got elected to office, actively opposed Mexican immigration, and excluded Mexican citizens from membership in LULAC. They organized baseball teams and ate quantities of hot dogs” (Foley 55). This was stated and expressed to portray the fact that Mexican Americans are capable of doing the exact same things as what white people are capable of doing. No one racial group is better than another. We all accomplish the same tasks day by
In American history, there are centuries upon centuries of black people being deemed less than or not worthy of. Never in were black people equal, even in the sense of humanity. White people declared black people as three-fifths of a human, so to the “superior race”, because one has darker skin that automatically takes away 40% of their humanity. Now, in white history they repeatedly dominant over other nonwhite groups and especially the women of those groups because they feel anything that isn’t white is inferior.
Racist Groups Using Computer Games to Promote Violence Against Blacks, Latinos and Jews. 3 Dec 2009.
...color of their skin, then America will have a huge problem on its hands. Although racism in America is not as strong and hateful as it once was, it clearly has not disappeared nor will it ever. Harper Lee demonstrated the struggles of African Americans back in the 1930s, and unfortunately, some of those struggles are still present today.
...an see the white systems that put them there. They aren’t more racist than whites, they aren’t granted the privilege of denial that whites have. (Wise, The Pathology of Privilege)
Racism (n): the prejudice that members of one race are intrinsically superior to members of other race (Wordnet search, 1), a controversial topic in today’s society, a subject that many people try to sweep under the rug, but yet a detrimental problem that has been present in America since the colonial era. Will this dilemma come to a halt? Can all Americans see each other as equals despite their skin color and nationality; and what role has it played in past generations versus today’s generations and how will it affect our future? Has this on going way of thinking gotten better or worse? These are questions raised when many think about the subject; especially members of American ethnic groups and backgrounds, because most have dealt with racial discrimination in their life time.
Dating back to the beginning of times people have always been looked at different depending on the color of their skin or what your religion, race, or beliefs may be. It is in our human nature to not like people for certain things that they are. Many will argue that in this day in age we are no longer at a race war but how can you be so sure when you actually open your eyes and see reality. Rapper Kanye West once said “racism is still alive, they just be concealing it” and these words are everything but false. You must ask yourself the real question about racism and it is how could you ever cure such a thing in people’s minds? People are free to think and believe what ever they would like and old habits such as racism will never change in people.
Across the college campuses of America, student participate in a growing phenomenon, Humans Versus Zombies. The game began in 2005 at Goucher College in Baltimore, Maryland, and has since gained viral participation in over 650 colleges across America. Our campus at the University of Southern Indiana has hosted an event lasting two weeks on campus. Humans Versus Zombies (HVZ) is not the only activity to gain a great deal of popularity through college campuses, activities like “Assassin”, “Streetwars”, and other activities classified as pervasive games have also gain some attention and controversy. I wish to inform the good these games do, its controversy, and how to solve any hostility from this activity.
Phillip Gwynne’s novel Deadly Unna is set in a small town on the Coast of South Australia, away from any city. In the novel there is the Port and the Point. The Goonyas (white Australians) hang out at the Port while the Nungas (aboriginal Australians) live at the Point. The two communities don’t get along to well because of racism that has been running on for decades. The protagonist, Blacky, starts to notice the discrimination against the Aboriginals after developing strong relationships with the Aboriginals. This is shown through his relationships with Dumby Red and Clarence as well as his stand against the town and the racism in it.
...by suspicion may blacks be any different than whites, then today society should be able to oversee the negativity put on race and legitimately discover race is only on the surface.
...ground or where they are located in the world, it is ignorant to put these differences up as a way to distinguish one people from another, or to say that one race has greater hierarchal significance than another. These constructions provide insight into how people have come to see one another and can also help to see ways through which avoiding racism in modern society may one day be possible.
Black youths arrested for drug possession are 48 times more likely to wind up in prison than white youths arrested for the same crime under the same circumstances. Many people are unaware how constant racism has been throughout the years. It is important to understand the problems of racism because it is relevant to society. Racism in America is very real and Americans need to know it.
I have heard a white person tell a black person, that he or she does not act black. I have also heard the statement, “I am not racist, I have a lot of black friends.” When I hear statements like these, it makes me think that people are trying to negatively compare white and black people, even if they are not meaning to. Although I wish we could combat prejudice in the society, I don’t think that we can ever truly stop it, and racism will always be a problem in America” (Friedman, 2007). Unless people stop forming negative stereotypes about different races other than their own, prejudice and discrimination towards races will always be apparent, and passed down to
Although “Thriller” is beloved as a classic 80’s pop music video, it manages a successful dive into the social and political issues that make zombie flicks so great. Pulling from a history of work on zombies, Michael Jackson packs so much history into such a concise package. Through using the texts of Amy Devitt and Kerry Dirk we are able to uncover Jackson’s experience and social commentary in “Thriller”. He simultaneously writes a hit song, revolutionizes music videos, and still remarks on the societal problems of the early 1980’s. However, the story goes much further than that of a number one hit. “Thriller” owes its success to an important cultural figure that looms as large as
Both mediums of mass entertainment, movies and video games, can severely impact the audience that is engaged in them. Video games require much more involvement of the player because the player of the game controls the avatars every move. Many games such as Call of Duty, Assassins Creed, or Grand Theft Auto involve extreme violence, in which the player is killing other players to achieve objectives or points. From a narrative role, videogames offer many different options in terms of gameplay and the overall outcome at the end of the game. According to Darren Franich, “Videogames have become more “filmlike,” with more realistic characters and complex plotting,” (Franich, 2011). Video games affect the younger generation immensely, which is important to recognize because the younger generations are the ones causing the most problems within society. There are kids as young a ten years old playing violent video games for excessive hours, daily. According to a recen...