The BBFC have stated that Resident Evil 5 isn't racist. It's only due to people's biased view that the game might be inherently racist that it's even being questioned on it. I mean, Far Cry 2 has lots of black people (it's set in Africa) that you kill as a white person (there are multiple characters but only one of them has any significant colour to their skin) but i don't remember any controversy over that game and its themes of war and violence in war-torn Africa, let alone racism.
The other issue is with the BBFC and how people view the BBFC as not a ratings body but a censorship body (despite the fact that they've only banned two games in 20-odd years).... the phrase is actually used in the article above which i find quite funny. Intertwined with this view are the current shenannigans surrounding the new rating regulations about to be introduced in the UK and the fight between the BBFC and ELSPA/PEGI for the right to regulate and rate games here. I'm almost certain that if this was not ongoing the BBFC might never have been approached for a comment...
4 comments:
Regarding the racial/colonialist imagry in Far Cry 2, you might enjoy reading Iroquois Pliskin's recent post that mentions the subject. To wit:
Far Cry 2 knows that it feels like a colonialist power trip, and it doesn't shy away from the unflattering aspects of murder; if you're paying attention it subtly leads you to some unsettling conclusions about the behavior it forces on you in the name of fun.
Great link! Shame N'Gai and others weren't paying attention at the release of FC2.
To be honest though, while Pliskin's take on the game(s) is valid, instead i find myself jaded by what i feel is shallow game design. I'm admittedly only 12% into the game having played 16 hours but my primary friend is the only black woman... who is Brazilian.
The thing with Far Cry 2 is that it's not a game about Africa or African troubles. It's about a conflict between three black African men (the leaders of the 2 factions and the heir to the throne) and their foreign mercenaries. The only allusion to local interests is the "underground" of which people are just trying to escape. Even my Brazilian friend has given me a few random missions and i question her authenticity because of her seemingly hedonistic and wanton destructive tendencies...
The taxi driver spells it out during the 'half life' sequence of the game.... everyone local has left.... everyone left is a foreign mercenary.
That should be Cuban and not Brazilian. :)
All my more civic-minded merc. friends are dead. :\
You might like this, by the way:
http://drgamelove.blogspot.com/2008/12/frank-bilders-is-dead.html
Post a Comment