Race in games. The 800lb Gorilla?

See, here's the thing. Let's say this Shaka Zulu game is made, and sells a respectable 2 million copies worldwide.

Now, let's say that 1 in 5 of the playerbase now becomes interested, at least to some extent, in African history, culture and mythology. That's 400,000 people.

400,000 people who are going to be more sympathetic and aware to the goings on in the region. 400,000 people who no longer see Africa as some shithole full of moronic savages, but as a place with a rich, unique and worthy history and culture.

400,000 people who maybe, just maybe, will learn to respect African people and treat them better.

There are VERY tangible effects of art on human societies. This isn't just some amusement, it's one of the things that shapes who we are as a people and how we treat each other.

60 years ago, most Americans had no idea what a Samurai was, and Asians were treated with scorn, suspicion and contempt. Then, the barrage of media hit, showing Asians in a more positive, sympathetic light, and exposing Americans to their rich history and culture. Compare the attitudes of 60 years ago to the situation now, where the west is in love with Asian culture, and you might just start to understand that a Shaka Zulu video game could potentially change the world.

edited 12th Apr '11 5:37:50 PM by surfacetogokumissile

Relevant.

edited 12th Apr '11 5:33:47 PM by KitsuneInferno

Ah, the tangential learning approach, definitely workable were such a game successful.

EDIT: Dammit, Kitsune, you ninja'd me good thar.

edited 12th Apr '11 5:29:49 PM by MousaThe14

I'm Asian, we fucking invented ninjas. On a more serious note, you're not gonna advance the art if you don't take chances. The second largest game franchise ever was born from bug-collecting. BUG COLLECTING.

edited 12th Apr '11 5:40:41 PM by KitsuneInferno

Yeah the West is "in love" with Asia hence why we get so much shit from the gaming community, the animation community, the human rights community, and the demographics community eh?

And yeah Castlevania...and? I never said they couldn't make games based outside their country, if they make one fine, however what I am saying is that a Japanese company shouldn't get lambasted if they dare to make a game about Japanese culture even if it's a great game that sells well.

And yeah Asians got respect by releasing kung-fu movies and anime? And the Blacks got voting rights by bringing over artifacts from their homeland.

Asians got more respect through the efforts of thousands of immigrants over the course of generations, through hundreds and hundreds of immigrants working hard so their family could have a better life, and many long years of working diligently to prove they could reach the same level as others.

And the Black Civil Rights movement was no different, it was very long, very hard, and very painful, but they made a sacrifice so the future could be better.

Seriously because black people are the only people who get shit ever.

Which was a part of Japanese culture the author took part in as a child, and according to everybody in this thread it's "boring and unintuitive" to keep reusing your home culture over a foreign one like the Ukraine.

edited 12th Apr '11 5:46:15 PM by WORLDTree

I thought it was animal-fighting?

Pokemon was initially based off a past-time of children in which they would collect beetles and put them on a log and see which one would get pushed off first, hence the high number of bug pokemon.

@World, I'm afraid you've lost me a bit. What are you getting at?

1)It's fine if a Japanese company makes games about foreign places, but companies shouldn't take a hit just because they choose to use their home culture over another.

2)The higher respect for Asians in America was a result of the sacrifices of many previous generations, not because we brought you Bruce Lee.

3)Pokemon was based off a Japanese past-time, which going by the rules of people here is "boring" because it's just Japanese people redoing the same Japanese thing over and over again.

edited 12th Apr '11 5:51:42 PM by WORLDTree

There's a difference between legal rights and respect in a society.

Just FYI. However, it just so happens that the latter tends to lead to the former pretty quickly.

And if you don't think the media had a very real effect on how the west views Asians and their culture, perhaps you should do some reading on a fellow named Bruce Lee and his life story.

Ah. I can more or less agree with all of that.

Though is it bad that I do respect Asians even more because of Bruce Lee?

We don't get to star in too many video games.

Neither do we Irish people, if it makes you feel any better.

Hell, we're still appearing in pop culture as comic relief.

I don't think your point (3) is quite congruent with what people are saying, which is that it's frequently the same aspects over and over.

Which is not just a problem with it being Japanese, it's also a problem when it comes to wars, western fantasy, and whatnot.

Also unless you're either blind or dumb, I don't know how you can not notice the huge infatuation large numbers of westerners now have with Asian (Specifically Japanese) culture.

Just because people may disagree with whaling or not like Anime and JRP Gs doesn't mean we all hate Japan.

edited 12th Apr '11 5:58:10 PM by surfacetogokumissile

I have and maybe you should, Bruce Lee did many things beyond being an actor and going by your definition it was movies alone which somehow flipped this magical switch of respect.

Otaku, Weeaboo, Whiteanese, Wapanese, Something Awful, ED, The textbooks, Nanking, The shifting population, Herbivore v. Carnivore, Comfort Women.

All examples or sources of Asian Hate, have you not noticed the severe backlash?

edited 12th Apr '11 5:59:09 PM by WORLDTree

It wasn't movies alone, but they were a part of it. Obviously making a Zulu mythology themed video game isn't going to eradicate racism from the face of the earth, but it's going to educate some people on a very rich culture they otherwise would have ignored.

This is a good thing.

I see a bunch of examples of people who don't like Anime and some of people who want a fair and accurate representation of history.

This does not equate to people hating Asians and treating them with scorn, nor does it equal discrimination against them. I think you have a bit of a persecution complex here.

edited 12th Apr '11 6:02:43 PM by surfacetogokumissile

Yeah what the hell does the Shifting Population or Herbivore v. Carnivore debacle have to do with Anime or Games or hey here's another one, China and Tibet and the "conformist" policy.

And yeah I already said this a few pages back, but most people are heavily misinformed about the "fair representation of history", the whole textbook thing for one is heavily blown out of proportion considering the most commonly used Textbook in Japan talks about all of their atrocities negatively.

What do demographics and political issues have to do with "Asian hate" exactly? Criticizing the actions of a government does not make one a racist.

Seriously, drop the persecution complex here.

edited 12th Apr '11 6:16:23 PM by surfacetogokumissile

Bug catching is fun...anyone who says it's boring obviously never caught a large spider and dropped it in an ant farm before.

edited 12th Apr '11 6:14:16 PM by Signed

Bug hunting...reminds me of my youth.

Because people use those as a base to hate on Asian people.

Have you seriously not seen the whole "What the hell? All Asians look like kids and all the men are like women lol." and "All of their men act like women they're such pussies." and "Their men are all 'herbivores' who do not live up to the 'samurai' image."

And then we always get hits for the declining birth rates which goes back to the herbivore thing and it always proves somehow that "lol Pacific society is declining".

Then you get jokes like "Made in China" and "Oh what the hell they eat dog! Sick", and then you've got almost everyone claiming we're all sexist too in the way we treat our women which then links into that whole "conformity" thing because apparently we all force each other to be the same or something and commit suicide too of course.

And if you seriously want to play the "persecution complex" game then you're heavily exaggerating how others feel about "Supposedly always taken for a Shit-Hole Africa" as we have many places interested in the study of African Culture, Black History Month, a Black President, the NCAAP, the NCAAP image awards, highly celebrated writers like Maya Angelou, a day dedicated to MLK Jr., hundreds of streets named after him, and a heavy influence in the music industry outside of rap and hip-hop.

Seriously drop the persecution complex.

And I knew about it before Pokemon.

edited 12th Apr '11 6:28:58 PM by WORLDTree

I think the irony of MLK Boulevard running through crime and poverty stricken slums is lost on this guy.

I think the irony of there being over nine hundred MLK Boulevards is lost on this guy.

Because all Black Neighborhoods are slums right?

edited 12th Apr '11 6:37:01 PM by WORLDTree