Last week, Final Fantasy producer Yoshida Naoki objected to the label āJRPG,ā stating that the term felt ādiscriminatory.ā His comments kicked off a round of discussion about whether or not the term āJRPGā was racially problematic. Some couldnāt understand how JRPG could be pejorative, especially given the genreās popularity. Those who took issue with the term argued that the word was prominently used during an incredibly racist period of American gaming history. This weekend, a streamer tried to prove that games media was racist towards Japanese games by posting an old G4 review of Baten Kaitos Origins. It contained offensive stereotypes, mockery, and anti-immigrant rhetoric.
https://twitter.com/embed/status/1631809089385660416
G4 was a televised network that aired video game reviews and original programs that focused on nerd culture. So it had a more mainstream audience, and it was accessible to people who didnāt read gaming news online. At some point, G4 reviewed Baten Kaitos Origins, an RPG that features deckbuilding combat and some of the most original worldbuilding in its genre. Unfortunately, the gaming network wasnāt able to talk about it separately from its Japanese origins.
āAnd we all know who will replace us. India: Billions strong, pro-vegetarian, tech support call taking behemoth of a nation. Or the Chinese. But certainly not Japan. Because they may be technologically advanced and financially powerful, theyāre already in decline,ā Morgan Webb said with grotesque glee. āYou want proof? Hereās Baten Kaitos Origins.ā
Hopefully, I shouldnāt have to explain the fuckery of stereotyping an incredibly diverse nation as tech support. Or openly advocating for the āgreat replacementā theory, which has been tied to racially motivated hate crimes. The reviewer spends half of the time mocking the protagonistās name. Which sucks because it isnāt made up. āSagiā is the Japanese word for āheronā and āfraud,ā both of which have thematic significance in Origins. Iād be willing to give some benefit of the doubt if the reviewer hadnāt intersped his pronunciation of the name with an image of Kim Jong-il. Thereās also some criticism about the breast physics on one of the shopkeepers. Which is valid! I just would have preferred to hear a feminist critique without being forced to endure the racism. Kotaku reached out to Webb for a comment, but did not receive one by the time of publication.
Rather than apologizing for allowing racist jokes on air, the former editor-in-chief of G4 doubled down on Twitter. Adam Sessler quote-retweeted the clip. āDude is angry I didnāt like his consumer boner stimulator in 2006,ā he wrote. āA truer gamer there never was.ā Kotaku reached out for a comment, and did not receive one by the time of publication.
āIām not defensive and Iām also not apologizing to the MAGA weirdos with anime porn in their timeline,ā he tweeted to someone who had criticized his response. āAlso, maybe tend to your own goddam garden.ā
āIf you were a white straight content creator in the ā00s, you likely (with very few exceptions) engaged in casual racism and/or light transphobia because it was indeed a different time,ā wrote content creator Bob Mackey shortly after the clip blew up. āThe correct response to people finding this stuff isnāt āSo the mob has finally come for meā¦ā
Iām all for people growing into a better version of themselves. But letās take a moment and recognize that whatās racist right now was still racist back in 2006. Thereās no such thing as āit was a different time.ā Jokes about the great replacement theory were always dehumanizing, and they made Asian Americans feel like dogshit. The main difference now is that public figures who make racist comments might have to read some mean tweets about it.
Anyway, Baten Kaitos Origins is a masterpiece thatās coming to the Nintendo Switch this summer. Hopefully, games media can be less racist about Origins on its second release.
