Does the black hero exist?

[Chilango2]

Well, no, because their stereotypes. Insofar as we move past that "throwaway stereotype characters aren't even characters, just archetypes" argument, there's the point that from the standpoint of ecumenical storytelling, less than fully fleshed out characters in general are not very satisfying.

 

[Final_Assassin_42]

Sgt. Johnson from Halo.

I know a lot of people think he got relegated to the "sidekick," role...

But I don't buy into that.

 

[jadedcritic]

You know, I don't want to be too incredibly evil or anything; but I'm inclined to think it's likely just because they're too afraid they'll touch on a nerve and end up in court because their hero ate some fried chicken or something. If the ruckus over RE5 proved anything, it's that some people are still too sensitive, and unless you're certain developers (Yes, I'm looking at you Rockstar), then nobody WANTS controversy around their game, so they err on the side of caution. Except Rockstar.

 

[Chilango2]

Corporations do tend to be risk averse yes, but I don't think people are "too sensitive" that implies that racism is come and gone, and that's a proposition that is provably false.

 

[Dae Han]

Sgt. Johnson from Halo.

I know a lot of people think he got relegated to the "sidekick," role...

But I don't buy into that.

And Master Chief.

Proove me wrong.

 

[Final_Assassin_42]

Sgt. Johnson from Halo.

I know a lot of people think he got relegated to the "sidekick," role...

But I don't buy into that.

And Master Chief.

Proove me wrong.

The books.

 

[beliefs22 [deprecated]]

The only game i can think of that I've played that had a main playable character who was black would be Shadowman. But more importantly I think, is addressing the question of WHY different races/sexes/sexual orientations are underrepresented in not just gaming, but all kinds of media. Being gay and black myself, i long for games that have main characters who i would be able to relate to, not just in video games, but also in books and movies. If you look outside of video games, you'll notice that most movies and books, that are focused on gay/black/ect. tend to be bad, and tend to be horribly cliche. Of course there are exceptions, and it's great when you actually find a something that is genuinely thought provoking, surprising, and entertaining, that you can enjoy on an level that you may not be able to enjoy "main stream" media.

However the problem with implementing these alternative views into the media, is that what ever you're representing, be it a sexual orientation, a race, a sex, a nationality, it tends to overshadow any other part of the story. The experience becomes solely focused on the fact that the main characters of the story are different from the norm. I would have loved to play a Final Fantasy X, where the romance was between two guys, but i can't honestly think of a way in which an idea like this could have been implemented, and not have overshadowed everything else the game had to offer.

We don't live in a world yet, where you can pop in a video game, and have the main character just be black, or be gay, or be a woman, and it's not surprising, or distracting from the rest of the story. There would have to be some explanation (that would be a big part of the storyline) as to why the protagonist isn't normal, and only when we get to the point as a society where these things aren't "out of the norm" will we ever see games where there the protagonist or anything but white males, and it's not the game industries fault, it's just the way the world is.

When we finally don't reach that point, we won't even have post like these, cause it'll be just another video game, movie, book, tv show, nothing special, cause we're all the same.

 

[dv8withn8]

@BlueMoon
Torque from The Suffering isn't black. He's culturally ambiguous. If he's anything he looks hispanic to me.

Anyway, Black heroes... Spawn immediately jumps out at me. More of an anti-hero but you gotta love him. He's more badass than other character ever conceived!

And whoever mention the Boondocks... gimme a break. That show is horrible.

 

[dv8withn8]

And Master Chief.

Proove me wrong.

Yep, the books... MC is described as "tall with short hair, serious eyes, and strong features. His skin being too white from being in his armor all the time."

As a kid, he's described as have brown hair and freckles.

FIN.

 

[werepossum]

V.Sixenth, that graphic is hilarious! I laughed out loud.

Just remembered the adventure game I bought my wife (I don't play 'em, they irritate me) by the guy who created the Siberia games. I forget the name of it, but the protagonist is a black female.

Still, if it's an FPS or driving game (the only kinds I play) does it really matter? You don't see yourself (except Duke Nukem - damn I'm lookin' good) when you play. And if it's a first-person game, where you play as the character, how can the protagonist be a role model?

And I second the crapusation about the Boondocks.

 

[Lord_Sammael]

You know I don't get the black hero thing oh sure there are very few black hero's but there are very few other minority heroes (FYI I'm not judging). You see very few hispanic, native Americans, Russian, and so on heroes.
So before we get on the whole poor black people bandwagon (and no I am not a racist) look around it's just the way it is at the moment. But don't go saying that the black community is the only one that's short on gaming heroes.

We are getting better with representing diffirrent races, but heck I don't think I've ever seen a jewish hero in a game.

 

[Ironmaus]

Shaq Fu.




Sorry, had to be said.

Does the race of a PC really matter that much?

Apparently it does. If race didn't matter then there would already be a more racially diverse cast of leading characters in games. The fact that they're disproportionately white says that something is wrong. Is it that most game developers are white? Is it an assumption about the audience/marketplace? Those are the things we need to figure out.

What type of role do people want to see non-white characters in? Are there games not being made because a white or non-determined race character wouldn't fill the role?

Well, I guess the answer to the first question is, "All the types of roles there are." The answer to the second question is difficult to answer because we'd have to know more about failed projects. Still, that would be a good line of inquiry for this topic.

 

[Dae Han]

I stand firmly corrected on the Master Chief issue, thank you.
I thought one of the good things about the chief was that you didn't ever see what he looked like under that armour and so it might have been easier for players to see him as a representation of themselves in the gaming universe. Gordon Freeman doesn't speak so it helps stop you from constantly being reminded you're playing as a character, I wondered if the Chief had a similar mass appeal due to not showing his actual body?

I'd be curious as to what inspires Eastern games developers to constantly create non Asia looking leads. In the case of things such as the RE and Silent Hill series I assume it?s a direct reflection of the influence of Western cinema. I'm very much looking forward to the new Blue Side Kingdom Under Fire game which despite being a Korean game seems to feature all western style characters. Is that from cultural influences or a decision made in hopes of having a more mass market appeal?

Also to stick back more to the original subject : 50 cent - Bulletproof?

 

[dv8withn8]

I wouldn't call a game in which the lead is a criminal, a hero, he's simply the protagonist. A hero is someone with a moral foundation. So that rules out 50 cent and DJ from San Andreas. 50 cent is an icon of a lifestyle that celebrates everything that is wrong with modern society so hardly a hero in even the vaguest sense.

I would consider Sgt. Johnson from Halo a hero. That guy is awesome. Just too bad he wasn't a playable character. But I'd bet he gets his own game in the future. Read Contact Harvest and you'll agree.

 

[hooliganyouth]

What about a game like "Saint's Row" where you can customize your character? Where do those fall into this debate?

As an aside I would play the hell out a "Dead Presidents"-esque game. Considering the cultural backdrop and possible story arcs and soundtrack you could have a powerhouse game.

Then again I'm a big fan of games set in older time periods.

 

[jaiden26]

Ignore celebrity tie-in's and other extremely stereotypical depictions of black people, and games that allow for user definition of the character model unless it is considered cannon for the player character to be black (Crackdown) can any of you think of a game where the hero was black?

In World of Warcraft and Lord of the Rings Online you can make your main character a black guy or girl, and the only steroetypes that come up are the ones you make them do, cause you are 100% in control of everything they do.

 

[ohnoitschris]

I'd be curious as to what inspires Eastern games developers to constantly create non Asia looking leads. In the case of things such as the RE and Silent Hill series I assume it?s a direct reflection of the influence of Western cinema. I'm very much looking forward to the new Blue Side Kingdom Under Fire game which despite being a Korean game seems to feature all western style characters. Is that from cultural influences or a decision made in hopes of having a more mass market appeal?

Also to stick back more to the original subject : 50 cent - Bulletproof?

Many Asians and Caucasians have a similar skin tone, with different facial features. You'll never meet anyone who looks like an anime character complete with dinner plate-sized eyes and natural pink hair, so it's easy to give them an indefinite race.

In the English versions of the Ace Attorney series, it is made clear that the events take place in America. However, late into the series it becomes clear that some of the characters are from Japanese origin; despite almost everyone in the game looking as though they are all from the same racial background. However, the two German characters don't look racially different from everyone else, except for their out-of-place gaudy outfits.

Just to put it out there:
Michael in Maniac Mansion is required for one ending. He's black and issues no stereotypes; he works in his school's photo lab and has a jazzy theme music. This game is older than most of you.
Agent Spin is the leader of the dance trio in Elite Beat Agents, on the easiest difficulty. Medium and Hard are white dudes. Oh snap.