Why are all future human heroes American?

[Yossarian90]

Jesus Christ here we go, I was waiting for this im not anti-American thats just your default position for anyone who criticises your country

Im just saying there are other countries out there.

I never called you anti-American. You are assuming. I simply answered your question. I'm sorry if you feel like I was accusing you of something, that was not my intention.

Oh okay, sorry the way I read it I felt like it was an attack but I have misinterpreted

 

[mb16]

you will also play as soap in the next one also. so yay go SAS

 

[Internet Kraken]

Mario is the most popular character in any game, and he is Italian. Makes him stand out.
Im sure that a lot of characters would be more popular if they where not American, like everybody else.

How does that make any sense?

How does it not?

I don't think giving a character an accent would make somebody like them more. Unless you hate a game character just because they're an American, and that's a stupid reason to hate somebody. Especially a fictional character.

Mario is the most popular character in any game, and he is Italian. Makes him stand out.
Im sure that a lot of characters would be more popular if they where not American, like everybody else.

Makes him stand out.

That was the important part.
But I see your point about that other stuff.

Edit: Soooo... something got fucked up with my post :S

Mario never stood out to me because he was Italian. He stood out because his games had him jumping on small creatures while using mushrooms as power ups.

 

[tsb247]

"We are the best, because we are the best" its just really stupid

I think if your taking any of those responses seriously then you need to take a class on sarcasm.

Obviously its because most game companys are located in the states, just like Hollywood does alot of American focused movies because its located it America. Until your country creates a multi-trillion dollar movie and game entertainment business with millions of people working for it and it starts to influence all of pop culture around the world your gonna have to live with the American one

Nobody gets mad at Bollywood because they make Indian focused movies.

Thank you! So true! The voice actors are American for two reasons:

1.) It's convenient and cheap

2.) The games are made in an industry that is located in the U.S.

 

[tsb247]

Jesus Christ here we go, I was waiting for this im not anti-American thats just your default position for anyone who criticises your country

Im just saying there are other countries out there.

I never called you anti-American. You are assuming. I simply answered your question. I'm sorry if you feel like I was accusing you of something, that was not my intention.

Oh okay, sorry the way I read it I felt like it was an attack but I have misinterpreted

It's cool. No worries.

 

[xChevelle24]

To quote some lady:

"Because only American women give birth to real men!"

You stole that from 300, and replaced Spartan with American, cheap dude, cheap

Plus your nation was invented by all European nations immigrants (not a bad thing just saying)

Wow, no shit Sherlocke. Just wow.

Yes, your point? Only real bad-asses left Britain and then made their own country!

 

[Internet Kraken]

To quote some lady:

"Because only American women give birth to real men!"

You stole that from 300, and replaced Spartan with American, cheap dude, cheap

Plus your nation was invented by all European nations immigrants (not a bad thing just saying)

Did you actually take that comment seriously?

Why did you need to point out that our nation was founded by European immigrants? I think we know about our own history.

 

[tsb247]

To quote some lady:

"Because only American women give birth to real men!"

You stole that from 300, and replaced Spartan with American, cheap dude, cheap

Plus your nation was invented by all European nations immigrants (not a bad thing just saying)

Wow, no shit Sherlocke. Just wow.

Yes, your point? Only real bad-asses left Britain and then made their own country!

Dude, you're making us look bad.

 

[Andy_Panthro]

Or because it's just easier to get an American voice actor if you're an American company.

The ethnicity of the main character hardly matters in most games. So why would developers go out of their way to get a voice actor with a different accent? It would be pointless.

Hardly pointless, for example, in Mass Effect, the character is supposed to be your version of Shepard. You can customize gender and appearance, why not accent?

I fully realise this is difficult from a time/money perspective, but I think it would be a step forward.

The simplest explanation is that American made games tend to result in heroes/villains of American nationality, but I prefer to think that maybe they're just following the "Star Trek/Futurama/South Park" school of thought; in the future, racial, cultural and language barriers have become so blurred that almost every race is humanoid and speaks with a neutral (to Americans, anyway) accent.

Funny you mention Star Trek, with its various (occasionally comedic) accents... and of course Patrick Stewart in TNG amongst others.

 

[Sindre1]

Mario never stood out to me because he was Italian. He stood out because his games had him jumping on small creatures while using mushrooms as power ups.

Sure, that thing too

But try to say: "Its me, Mario" with a New York accent or something.
No dice.

 

[Yossarian90]

Look I know its cheap and efficient and they are made mostly in the U.S so if we move past those points, why is it so ridiculous to have other accents.

I mean most voice actors will be capable of accents, the guy who did Niko Bellics voice was an American or from North America at least I think he was.

I understand why they are voiced mostly by Americans and sometimes it's better that way. But I'd like to see some variety at least in side characters and random cannon fodder NPCs

 

[Space Spoons]

Funny you mention Star Trek, with its various (occasionally comedic) accents... and of course Patrick Stewart in TNG amongst others.

Well, Stewart's character is supposed to be French, yet speaks with a British accent, so that should say something on it's own.

Still, your point is well-made. I was referring more to the alien races that have somehow evolved to somewhat resemble baseline humans, and despite having languages of their own, usually speak with flawlessly neutral accents (Romulans, Vulcans, the Borg, most Klingons...)

 

[Merteg]

The majority of gamers live in America, that's why.

 

[TheFurryChicken]

I say it's just game developers predicting America's inevitable plot for world domination.

 

[wgreer25]

Do you really think it matters?

I mean seriously, who gives a damn?

seconded

Thirded...ed

Go play COD4 where you can play as a cockney wheesle.

 

[PeterDawson]

Depends who does the voice acting, really. Game developpers located in the US tend to use american voice actors most of the time because they're right there. It seems to me that unless a studio does the voices themselves there tends to be only 2 or 3 companies they ever use. Heck, it seems like with import dubs you either get Canadians or Americans, and you can usually tell by if you hear Kirby Morrow or Steve Blum. The big difference is if you get the latter you're also more likely to hear Jennifer Hale and the occasional celeb.

I should point out that there's no such thing as a 'lack of accent.' Anyone who speaks a language has an accent. English alone has Canadian English, American English, UK English, and probably others that I can't think of off the top of my head. Irish English maybe?

 

[Internet Kraken]

Or because it's just easier to get an American voice actor if you're an American company.

The ethnicity of the main character hardly matters in most games. So why would developers go out of their way to get a voice actor with a different accent? It would be pointless.

Hardly pointless, for example, in Mass Effect, the character is supposed to be your version of Shepard. You can customize gender and appearance, why not accent?

I fully realise this is difficult from a time/money perspective, but I think it would be a step forward.

It would not be a step forward. It would be completley unnecessary.

It would require hiring a different set of voice actors. It takes enough time to have one voice actor give a quality performance. Doing that for several voice actors would be a huge waste of time and money, as they would all be doing the voice for the main character.

All this for a useless feature that only matters to people who actually care about the main characters accent.

 

[Internet Kraken]

Mario never stood out to me because he was Italian. He stood out because his games had him jumping on small creatures while using mushrooms as power ups.

Sure, that thing too

But try to say: "Its me, Mario" with a New York accent or something.
No dice.

That's only because you are used to Mario being Italian. If he had always had an English accent then you would think it absurd for him to have an Italian accent.

 

[TheFurryChicken]

Or because it's just easier to get an American voice actor if you're an American company.

The ethnicity of the main character hardly matters in most games. So why would developers go out of their way to get a voice actor with a different accent? It would be pointless.

Hardly pointless, for example, in Mass Effect, the character is supposed to be your version of Shepard. You can customize gender and appearance, why not accent?

I fully realise this is difficult from a time/money perspective, but I think it would be a step forward.

It would not be a step forward. It would be completley unnecessary.

It would require hiring a different set of voice actors. It takes enough time to have one voice actor give a quality performance. Doing that for several voice actors would be a huge waste of time and money, as they would all be doing the voice for the main character.

All this for a useless feature that only matters to people who actually care about the main characters accent.

I say we go the Zelda route and make protags mute. TEXT BOXES FTW!

 

[ygetoff]

Do you really think it matters?

I mean seriously, who gives a damn?

seconded

I also agree.