Questionable Imagery: Racism in Games

I recently discovered to blog posts that deal with the issue of racism in games. The first is in response to Newsweek editor N'gai Croal's complaints about the racist imagery in the highly anticipated "Resident Evil 5." He argued that the creators at Capcom and gamers were being insensitive to the powerful images that depicted Africans in a very controversial manner. The second post is from Crystal Dynamics Senior Producer Morgan Gray in response to the well-established stereotypical representation of black men as athletes or thugs in video games. Both of these posts raise insightful questions and have sparked conscientious debate in the comments. I have included my own responses below:

Newsweek's N'Gai Croal: RE5 Trailer Imagery Is Racist
Comment:

N’Gai Croal has crafted a very insightful analysis of the issue. Something that I cannot say for myself after first seeing the trailer for Capcom's "Resident Evil 5." Being familiar with the series, I thought nothing of the imagery presented in the latest game in the series. It's a game about shooting zombies, and this particular one happens to take place in Africa. I don't recall a great controversy over Spanish zombies being shot at in the last game. Croal argues that Capcom is treading into dangerous territory because of the history behind the images used in the upcoming game. Rather than blatant racism, it could be that Capcom simply didn't research the issue enough. If this is the case, Croal is doing Capcom a favor by bringing this controversial issue to their attention before the game is released so that changes can be made. As Croal acknowledged, several organizations will attack the game for its powerful imagery. A white cop rampaging through an impoverished African town, shooting at dark-skinned zombie-like creatures lurking in the shadows. But like I said, I am familiar with the series and I know what the game is about. I wasn't personally offended by the imagery in the trailer, but I can see how uninformed individuals could possibly react. The problem lies in the fact that Capcom has released very little information on the game, so people are feeding off of the tiniest of scraps and constructing perceptions without enough about the game. Once Capcom releases more details on the story and other characters involved, this whole ordeal may cease to even be a problem. In the future, however, Capcom should understand what consequences they may face for creating such provocative imagery.

"Every Other Effin' Black Video Game Character"
Comment:

I wholeheartedly agree: this is something that desperately needs to be resolved. I've played a great number of games, but I can count on one hand how many have featured minority characters that aren't plagued by stereotypes. I think there are a couple of significant reasons for this unfortunate circumstance. The first is that this kind of stuff sells. Other forms of media use it, and it simply works. It gives people something that they can relate to, maybe not on the level of personal experience, but based on the preconceptions formed in their minds from consuming a variety of media over the years. The other problem is that minorities are greatly underrepresented in the games industry. Without a diverse background of people to create games, these type of problems arise. However, with respect to "Gears of War," I agree with other commenters that every character, not only the black soldier, was a stereotype of some sort. But when dealing with skin color, the issue of racism rises to the surface quickly.