Editorial: Resident Evil 5: Racism Revisited

By William Usher: 2008-05-19 03:52:23

This RE: 5 racism topic probably seems like it’s been beat on more times than Bing Crosby’s kids. But with partially new screenshots as the only new media recently released, and a nearly silent-Sam effort by Capcom, you can’t help but wonder if some of the propaganda is having an effect on the next-gen horror-shooter. It’s been a year since that whole fiasco started with the Resident Evil 5 racism debacle. But let’s not be so daft as to ignore the real reason behind the hot-fuss surrounding a trailer involving zombie killing: There was a heroic, white male beating and shooting the living crap out of poverty-ridden, blacks.

The first time I saw the trailer I didn’t think anything of it. As a matter of fact, the first thing I thought was, “Gee-whiz, the graphics are freaking awesome.” Seeing all the new moves attached to Chris’ maneuverability repertoire almost made me giggle like a little school girl...in a very manly way, of course. I was also very intrigued by the story, given that it was in an exotic new location (i.e., Africa) and the main character from the original Resident Evil was finally back to finish the fight. But then after watching the extended E3 2007 trailer of Resident Evil 5 for like the sixth time – when I was no longer dissecting what you could do and what looked to be actual gameplay – I noticed a very obvious thing about the trailer; it exuded layers of racism.

Now there’s one thing that should be clarified first and foremost: Resident Evil 5 does not seem racist (e.g., especially if it’s anything like the previous titles), it was the trailer in which RE: 5 was depicted that made it seem racist. Let’s face it; an American military guy heading to another country to “finish what he started” while surrounded by a bunch of poor, raving mad, black zombies is not the best way to depict a shooter game. In a way, the new features actually are what made the trailer seem more-so offensive than what it could have been, had the game been for the Gamecube or PS2. The reason for this is that RE: 5 supports more moving AI on the screen than any Resident Evil game before it. Again, if this was a last-gen game, we would have only seen four or five zombies on the screen at once...but seeing hundreds of angry zombies made it look like poor Chris was trying to take on the entire country.

Let’s also note that in previous Resident Evil titles they were often promoted with a variety of zombies and enemies on display. Had Leon or Ada been shown killing a bunch of Hispanics while visiting Mexico to “finish the job” while the Mexican zombies were dressed in ponchos and stark crazy, the trailer would have been interpreted the exact same way as RE: 5's extended trailer.

What’s amazing, though, is the subtleties that dictate what’s considered racist. Had Chris not been dressed like he was ready to kill anything that moved; had there been one good civilian during the raved killings; had some of the civilians not been trying to kill Chris; had it been in the city; if there were some form of civility amongst the mobs; etc., etc. Some people may justify that all previous Resident Evil games seen gamers killing Hispanics, whites or blacks in the exact same manner. And, furthermore, that this whole thing is being blown out of proportion. However, the trailer for RE: 5 was missing a few key elements that prevented other Resident Evil games from seeming racist: Where was the motive for all those Africans to be so pissed off at Chris? Other than being a clean-cut, muscle-bound fair-skinned individual, we were never given any motive to the mob’s thirst for Chris’ blood.

Remember the RE: 4 trailer that showed Leon asking the villager about Ashley...and how all he cared about was getting Ashley back, but then the villager got violent? It wasn’t like we were just seeing a bunch of villagers piling out all at once to kill Leon. Also, Leon wasn’t there to kill anyone. So the premise of Leon’s actions weren’t that of hostility. This is in opposition to Chris Redfield’s portrayal in the trailer, who states that he’s there to pretty much finish off Umbrella. Although, we never see him engage any operatives of Umbrella, just rabid villagers.

Now I don’t blame Capcom, I don’t blame the developers and I definitely don’t blame Resident Evil: 5 as a game, but I do blame the marketing team who put the trailer together. It’s as simple as that. It’s sad that the entire thing was overblown by uninformed news outlets and public speakers who didn’t have a clue, but it does speak volumes when gamers are at least coherent to these social issues. I just hope Capcom handles this situation with delicacy from here on out, because Resident Evil 5 could possibly be the biggest selling game in the series, if not the most controversial.

RELATED: resident evil 5, re4, resident evil, racism, next-gen, shooter, horror, zombies, ps3, xbox 360

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Steve Says:
May 19th, 2008 at 20:07
The problem isn't that the game is racist...as you mentioned, it's highly highly unlikely that is the case. The real problem is that whoever put together this trailer didn't take a step back and look a the big picture.

How does the entire thing play out, and where are the motivations coming from? That's important. And to not have anything humanizing about the villagers is where the biggest faux pas occurred. Just a tweak to the video showing that human element would have prevented the backlash.

And it's backlash I doubt the game itself deserves.

Ray Says:
May 20th, 2008 at 16:41
"The real problem is that whoever put together this trailer didn't take a step back and look a the big picture"

No the problem is political correctness. All these leftist/liberal self loathing whites and the blacks who play the victim card who don’t know how to think clearly here in America and Europe are the only ones who have a problem with this trailer. People who watch this trailer and assume "racism" have utter contempt for blacks. They treat them like children and pity them to the max and I say this as a black man. If we as a society are ever going to get past the "race" issue then whites have to stop feeling sorry us and GET OVER IT! We blacks have to stop being so sensitive as well. We can’t keep blaming whitey for all our problems. This trailer is no more racist then Resident Evil 4. Yet you don’t hear the out cries from the Spanish community or self-loathing whites. Again, that’s because you white folk have CONTEMPT FOR US BLACKS! stop treating us like second-class citizens and stop blaming yourself for something most of your ancestors may or may not have participated in. 300 years later and your still treating us like the victims and we are still whining like the victims. Well the Jews were nearly whipped off the face of the earth and you don’t hear them complaining nearly as much or Germans hating themselves for something their ancestors did. Nor should they. Its time to move on people. Just because a mans black doesn’t mean he’s exempt from being a zombie or what ever they are supposed to be in this game. Its time you whites start treating us as equals. Treating us like babies and giving us special privileges because of the color of our skin is still racism.

William Usher Says:
May 21st, 2008 at 01:57
I couldn't disagree with you more, Ray.

Jews do still have a problem with racism, just as a lot of Aryans have a lot of problems with Jews. The whole Mel Gibson thing ring a bell?

Face it, racism doesn't start and end when the "victims" say that they want to be treated fairly. Of anything, equality starts (on both sides) when people can coherently respect that there is inequality.

I think that is the biggest flaw in your argument. I'm sure whoever put the trailer together for RE5 was completely negligent of the matter. But it doesn’t mean that it shouldn’t have been brought to their attention.

For anyone to say that an entire race should “get over it” because some of them feel offended, shows just how deep the racism issue goes. Could you imagine if the entire Jewish community took that kind of mentality with racial supremist every time anti-Semitic comments or views were expressed? That’s asking for WWII all over again. Remember what happened with Rowanda? Genocidal racism....all because people thought that the threat wasn’t that imminent. Just recently there was the Juno 6 incident that became a nationwide awakening to the racism issues in America...all because of a "racist tree".

The biggest problem with this issue, though, is that no one wants to admit that it is an issue.

nadia Says:
May 21st, 2008 at 17:48
why r we doing this again? I though that this topic died .. guess not. I'm getting sick and tried of racism in games.. most gamers don't see this as racsim, they see this as a game that has a story to tell.

Andrew Says:
May 21st, 2008 at 23:14
This is ridiculous. The mob was going after Chris b/c they're possessed. I guess Capcom figured everyone wasn't completely stupid and would realize that. But apparently some people are stupid enough to think its just a mob of black people being shot by a white guy. STUPID.

dean Says:
May 23rd, 2008 at 14:04
i think it is racist an as a black man as others put it i think that the fact that every person there looked like a black face circus clown is very racist and honestly whats next wesker hunting down and killing anti-umbrella jewish people in RE 6 with a new unlockable costume as a Nazi General?

bob Says:
May 24th, 2008 at 13:42
This game is defiantly not racist and does not stereo type black in the slightest, if it was stereo typing - the black Zombies would be holding their pitchforks to the side. If you watch the trailer closely you can see a spare rib in Chris’s pocket and he is not meaning to shoot them he is just trying to form an orderly line at the BBQ. Grow up people and stop looking for racism. And before anyone cries racism take a look at Chris Rock that guy has exploited being black all his life, he is always banging on about “the black man this and the black man that” why don’t people moan about him.

Nic Says:
May 25th, 2008 at 00:04
I have to say I really agree with Ray here. We live in an age of political correctness and paranoia where many people dare barely open their mouth not so much for fear of being racist, as a fear of being perceived as some kind of racist. I believe that in this day and age "that fear" is as much a detrimental force in the fight for equality as the actual racism. A burly, militant, white guy killing what appears to be poor, skinny, black zombies in africa is not racism, it's a story with a setting. And the way the trailer is made is not racist either. Racism is very simply put one act, and that act alone; The act of making a decision about a person based upon your own preconceptions about said person's ethnic background. Whether that's attacking someone for the color of their skin or choosing not to interview the people with foreign-sounding names for a job doesn't really matter, it's all the same. The RE5 trailer is as much a racist product as a trailer for "Schindlers list" is when it depicts jews being killed in a myriad of ways, the fact that the latter is based on actual events is beside the point.

Now unless there is some secret uncut version of the trailer with Chris bellowing like a good ol' boy that he's happy to be allowed to cut loose with some nigger killin', then the people whining about this game trailer really do need to get over it. I agree with the author that some of the gaming community's reactions to this debacle speaks volumes, unfortunately to this man it sounds more like ignorance than coherency to social issues.

xmido Says:
May 25th, 2008 at 00:04
can u post link to the trailer please.

Torrence Davis Says:
May 25th, 2008 at 00:04
Your entire article is the reason why I wrote this article: http://www.thebitbag.com/2008/04/25/only-white-people-can-be-zombies/

Brianna Haskins Says:
May 25th, 2008 at 00:04
You must've missed the part in the trailer where two men infect another and his eyes become all "infected-like". That man starts attacking Chris and that's when all hell breaks loose. It clearly shows how the attacks start and in no way does it seem to me like he's there to wipe out a village.

It seems to me that Capcom is making a statement in Resident Evil 5. They're bringing awareness to the people who live in that part of the world. It's a society suffering from many hardships and one that's been neglected too man times, especially by greed and corporate interests (anti-corporation has always been the underlying theme in ALL Resident Evil games from the very beginning). Try seeing it from that perspective instead of so eagerly pulling out the race card.

Nic Says:
May 25th, 2008 at 00:04
I have to say I really agree with Ray here. We live in an age of political correctness and paranoia where many people dare barely open their mouth not so much for fear of being racist, as a fear of being perceived as some kind of racist. I believe that in this day and age "that fear" is as much a detrimental force in the fight for equality as the actual racism. A burly, militant, white guy killing what appears to be poor, skinny, black zombies in africa is not racism, it's a story with a setting. And the way the trailer is made is not racist either. Racism is very simply put one act, and that act alone; The act of making a decision about a person based upon your own preconceptions about said person's ethnic background. Whether that's attacking someone for the color of their skin or choosing not to interview the people with foreign-sounding names for a job doesn't really matter, it's all the same. The RE5 trailer is as much a racist product as a trailer for "Schindlers list" is when it depicts jews being killed in a myriad of ways, the fact that the latter is based on actual events is beside the point.

Now unless there is some secret uncut version of the trailer with Chris bellowing like a good ol' boy that he's happy to be allowed to cut loose with some nigger killin', then the people whining about this game trailer really do need to get over it. I agree with the author that some of the gaming community's reactions to this debacle speaks volumes, unfortunately to this man it sounds more like ignorance than coherency to social issues.

Uce Says:
May 25th, 2008 at 00:05
first...let me take a moment of silence for everyone who thought the trailer was racist..........okay. how boring is a persons life to watch a "video game" trailer and then point out it's racist. come back down to earth. it's not that bad here. i speak for all the gamers who saw it for what it was. A RESIDENT EVIL 5 TRAILER. point blank period. and i can't wait for the game to come out. let it go, let it go, it's not worth it people. i hope a issue like this doesn't force them people from capcom to go back to drawing board. unlikely, but it would be a shame. so, play monopoly, rent a movie, make love to your girl/wife, improve your own life and leave us to our video games.

another gamer

LC Says:
May 25th, 2008 at 00:05
Where was the motive for all those Africans to be so pissed off at Chris?

I guess were delving in to the complex issues of why zombies must kill everyone they see issue...

I'm with ray on this one, we need to move on.

Josh Says:
May 25th, 2008 at 00:05
I hate how everybody is asking, "Why is it nothing but black zombies that are chasing Chris?." The game is set in Africa, what do you expect. A whole bunch of white people to just come running through the villages instead of black people. Do you expect there to be a huge diversity of culture going on in the game. Well there's not going to be because as I just said its set in Africa where the majority of people living there are black. It just so happens that in the Resident Evil story it all began over there, so of course has to go over there, in Africa, to stop everything that was started. Everyone one of you that are pulling the racism card are completely retarded, I don't care if you're white , mexican , black, or asian. There is nothing racist about this video game. That is all it is, just a video game, so yes GET OVER IT. We as a society need to stop turning every little thing into a bigger issue. Until there are racial slurs being sprayed all over the ads, in the video clips, or you blatantly hear Chris call one of the zombies a racial slur then just let it go.

Nic Says:
May 25th, 2008 at 04:11
Sorry for the multiple posts, my browser led me to believe none of them were getting through.

Nic Says:
May 25th, 2008 at 04:11
Sorry for the multiple posts, my browser led me to believe none of them were getting through.

Nic Says:
May 25th, 2008 at 04:11
Sorry for the multiple posts, my browser led me to believe none of them were getting through.

Joe Says:
May 25th, 2008 at 13:50
Okay, just because black people are involved does not make a game racist. They are in Africa, Africa has a certain look/feel to it in both the landscape and the culture of the people who live there. If you're saying the game is making fun of 'poor black people' then you might as well say any rendition of the majority of Africa is a racist rendition. If anyone gets their backup about a theme that happens to involve black people portrayed as (for the majority) are in Africa, then you are just used to the same American sob story we here time and time again. Why don't you just look forward to the non-standard RE environment they are portraying here and stop making excuses to call people racist, when in reality they are just portraying a theme seen in certain parts of the world.

8bitass Says:
May 26th, 2008 at 01:07
"Where was the motive for all those Africans to be so pissed off at Chris?" ahhhh, they're fucking zombies!!!

Jordan Says:
May 26th, 2008 at 02:03
ok this is getting out of hand. Africa contains Africans. Let me say it again so it gets though, Africa contains Africans. The game is set in Africa, so it would contain.... you guessed it Africans. Zombies are zombies are zombies to quote Michael Jackson here "it doesn't matter if your back or white" you still need to shoot the fuckers in the head or they are going to kill you. Also let me point out that The Japanese are making this game not a bunch of whites trying to keep the black man/woman down. Where is the problem here? As stated in other articles other games have been FAR worse in spreading stereotypes and being racist (san andreas anyone?) than this game and yet people are in up roar about a trailer they only saw a few min of and know not the context of the scenes in the trailer nor the underlying story. Yet people are practically calling this a motivator to shoot black people. Get over your self.

I'm white, ill get that out of the way. But certain people from certain parts of the world have different bone and skeletal structures. Its what was passed down genetically and takes part to how regions evolved. People of African decent have a dark skin pigment and certain facial features, the same way Caucasians have a lighter skin pigment, and certain facial features, the same is with Asians, and native Americans and everyone else in this damn world. If you think I'm being a racist i suggest you take a life drawing course or look in to forensic anthropology. Its nothing about being racist.

ghost sniper Says:
May 27th, 2008 at 16:44
to be honest i think its hot that black people ARE IN A NEW GEN RE!!!!
(being as i am a black male). finally i guess we get some cred for something in the game world. LOL. well I'm a hardcore RE fan. been playing since directors cut, and i don't wanna see RE5 cancelled cuz some, wack ass racial sh!7. well all this complaining that you never see black people in cartoons or video games, here you go blackies!!! finally i guess we are starz of a game lol. Get your white hoodies folks, its time for some nigga slayin! lol jk i'm black i swear!

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Editorial: Resident Evil 5: Racism Revisited

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