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Denver, 8:49 AM
Sun Nov 22
17 posts in the last 24 hours
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Half of us are in marketing, the other half in music, teaching, and general commercial art.
We came to the conclusion that, whether the game creators intended to be racist or not, there is no such thing as bad publicity. People are talking about the game, and are therefore more likely to pick it up "just to see what all the hub is about."
Besides, if someone, anyone, is touchy enough to be offended, then at least it still confirms that people care enough to be touchy about what should still be a touchy subject,..
So really, it's a win/win!
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Games are a young format, and they are just beginning to find their voice. There were much more objectionable films made that today are considered very important despite their objectionable content. Look at Birth of a Nation or Triumph of the Will.
If game developers are being harassed every time they make a "non-traditional" casting or setting choice, and still chided for not being diverse enough, how can we expect the medium that we love to grow? We must let the industry get through it's growing pains if we ever want it to be taken seriously as a format for telling thoughtful and important stories on the same level as books and film.
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As for the racism bit, you can't win, I'm sorry. Either you're going to be racist for -not- having black people in a game, or you're going to be racist for having them in the game because there's always some quirk or stereotype. I just find if funny that no one complained about us shooting white zombies in the first game, heh.
Grow some thick skin people. There are more important things to worry about...
I hope Book of Eli gets a game. Maybe that won't be considered racist.
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I presume the spitter is based on the environmental defacer (you know a guy that spits, tobacco or just spit, every two minutes or so? I do.) and the charger is just a mini-tank, presumably under less than optimal circumstances for change.
This stuff has always been here since the first game.
07/31/09
Game companies are doing the best they can to please everyone. It's not their fault if there are always people who take things the wrong way or see malice where there is none.
07/31/09
Oooh... hey. I'll have a nice cup. Thanks, SuperZombieMonkey!
07/31/09
If you read the original article, he has nothing to link the game to racism other than Katrina. He could have accused Valve of insensitivity, the imagery of a destroyed New Orleans may be to close for comfort to those who suffered.
What he could never do, but did anyway, was accuse Hurrican Katrina of being racist. His argument is borderline racist in itself, his logic devoid of understanding.
07/31/09
It's well known that as a result of white flight, New Orleans is now HEAVILY populated by blacks. If you want to display a white/creole New Orleans, you'd better have it set before the 1920's. If you are doing present day N.O., you will have a large amount of black zombies/characters/whatever. Modifying the content of the game to lessen the amount of blacks to appear less racist is in itself the most racist thing you can do. Also, I can't name a single person in this city who'd want the in-game representation of our famous city to be set as the 2 year fucked-up aftermath of Katrina. If we'd wanted New Orleans to be portrayed like that, we woudn't be fixing up the damn city.
We'd also like to request that the rest of the nation (or in this poster's case: other posters) stay off of their period whenever the subject matter is brought up. You don't have to get offended FOR us. We're perfectly capable of trolling when we want to.
In short: Quit bitching and let the good times roll!
07/31/09