Mystery And Controversy Surround Slavery The Game

[Kargathia]

I'm not entirely sure where exactly you got the impression he was specifically defaming The Netherlands. The guy in the cabin was wearing a style of clothing popular with Dutch protestants, but I'd hardly call that grounds to justify that idea.

The Dutch flag on the ship was a rather obvious on who should be to blame.

The only flag present was red-white-red. That's Austria, and of a design that came into use long after the 17th century.

Right now, by acting so upset about it all, you're proving his point. Slavery is still a very sensitive issue, and tackling these is exactly what satire is about.

Not, it's occidentalism that's a sensitive issue. People seriously need to stop bashing 'the white man' as being the root of all evil. It's no less incorrect and stupid than assigning all the blame to anyone else.

Can you imagine someone making a video about a fictional world war II videogame suggesting Jews are to blame for the second world war? Or a video game about the American civil war, suggesting negroes caused it?
Why treat someone doing exactly that same thing about the Netherlands any different?

While this point isn't even valid anymore due to the whole flag-thing, I'd still like to point out that your analogy is flawed.
Your analogy would translate to this video implying slaves are to blame for the slave trades. I'm fairly certain of my interpretation that that suggestion is not made. It clearly invites the player to be the morally despicable party.

Neither can I see any direct suggestion of white guilt. It is a trailer for a (fictional) game inviting you to relive, and replay, practices that are historically accurate. (Not including such glaring faults in details as bolt-action rifles)

To put this thing bluntly: if you'd indeed make a game about being an international slave trader in the 17th century you'd be playing a white man. There is no suggestion of specific white-guy-bashing beyond the historically accurate in this whole trailer, and maybe you should stop and consider why exactly you feel spoken to by a piece of satire.

 

[Kargathia]

The only flag present was red-white-red. That's Austria, and of a design that came into use long after the 17th century.

Not really. If you freeze the image you can see it's blue, but a little warped due to the red visual effect applied to the whole image. You can clearly tell the top red and bottom 'red' are different for one thing.

As you're so adamant about it: I just took a screenshot, and sampled colour values in Photoshop.
There indeed is a darker smudge in the bottom lane, but it definitely does not feature more blue.
The bright parts in both lanes have approximate values of: R: 224, G: 70: B: 60. The Dark Smudge has colour values of about: R: 87 G: 24 B: 7.
If you're still not convinced I'll happily provide screenshots of an average blur performed on the flag, with values taken afterwards.

Neither can I see any direct suggestion of white guilt. It is a trailer for a (fictional) game inviting you to relive, and replay, practices that are historically accurate. (Not including such glaring faults in details as bolt-action rifles)

Except that smashing the Netherlands for the limited involvement in the slave trade has been big business of extreme-left groups and what's called counter-racists: racists of ethnic minorities who have turned to hating society and white people because they have the idea they're not part of that society. There's a discussion each year by these people claiming Sinterklaas (a Dutch custom comparable to santa clause) is alledgedly racist, that there should be an apology for slavery despite western nations being the first ones to abolish it, and some people have even tried to get money from that claim too.

I think I might have mentioned this before, but I am Dutch, so yes, I am familiar with this. I also am familiar with converse fallacies of accident, and I'm looking at one right now.

 

[Kahani]

I couldn't see where anyone has pointed this out yet - Red Javelin is a PR company - http://www.redjavelin.com/

Delivering it to the market in the right way, using the right channels to engage customers or interest reporters, bloggers, and influencers
...
communications programs that fuse compelling content with social media and public relations.

 

[dfphetteplace]

I wouldn't want to play this game, but how many movies are made about the subject? When people start throwing a fit about it being a game about slavery, is it any worse then a movie about the same?

 

[Valis88]

Yikes I'd never play a game like that....

...unless it was not about Colonial-era slavery.

I'd play a game where you slaved white people. It's what we deserve and it would make for a god 'revenge' style game.

Not trolling and not joking about this.

 

[VanityGirl]

I'm thinking it's just some people trying to get everyone angry. Most just a negative publicity stunt.

 

[Valis88]

Called it.

The people who made the video obviously thought it was funny; to me it seemed an overt jab at the hypocrisy necessary for us in the west to continue living under the irreconcilable dichotomy of democracy and imperialism, and sweeping our nasty, checkered past under the rug as a prerequisite for doing so. It's let's look at this thing here in the corner that you're trying to hide comedy, which happens to be one of my favorite kinds.

Very true...and we white people should never escape that horrible past. We should be shamed, and reminded of it every single breathing day of our lives. We should be made to wear the shackles, or made to read the horrors of our past over and over again until we pass out.

We have no past but sin, and no honour but shame.

I've tried so hard to over come this but....it keeps coming back. I cant change my skin colour, like I cant change all the horrible things it's done, to all the noble peoples of the world.

We are the real super villains of the world...

 

[mfeff]

I thought this game already existed, and that slavery just went elsewhere...

Sweat Shop! [http://www.playsweatshop.com/]

Not that anyone reads history but the Letter of Affonso I of Kongo to the King of Portugal is pretty interesting... to cut to the chase he is complaining that the Portuguese were circumventing his royal monopoly on slave trade.

It is sort of like your slavery, and banks getting upset that they can't make more debt to hoist on ya.

Slavery, Chattel Slavery, indentured servitude, company stores... these are all important aspects of human history. If Hollywood can put out "The Help", surely a game company can put out "Slavery: The Game"... at a minimum it should balance the force.

 

[Drake666]

snip

Yes, it's fake, but this guy got a good point !

 

[Elf Defiler Korgan]

I have a shirt, it says:

Slavery
Gets shit done.

It shows the pyramids. Today an archaeologist I know laughed at it.

I want this to be real, and to be a damn solid strategy game. Maybe like recettear and shogun mixed.

 

[Caverat]

I found this hilarious, a wicked prank just to get people squawking/bitching/moaning as overly uptight people will do at the drop of a hat.

I enjoy management games, I'd play this if it existed.

Very true...and we white people should never escape that horrible past. We should be shamed, and reminded of it every single breathing day of our lives. We should be made to wear the shackles, or made to read the horrors of our past over and over again until we pass out.

We have no past but sin, and no honour but shame.

I've tried so hard to over come this but....it keeps coming back. I cant change my skin colour, like I cant change all the horrible things it's done, to all the noble peoples of the world.

We are the real super villains of the world...

Dude, if that wasn't sarcasm you have some issues. That whole white guilt bullshit is utter hogwash. I am the descendant of poor Caucasians who have probably never owned another person.

Besides, shaking your fist at whitey for slavery is like blaming the manufacturer of Volvo for the existence of the automobile. The slave trade predates the written word, and was booming in Africa while most Europeans were still considered barbarians.

Hell, slavery was even practiced by some tribes of Native North Americans, so Europeans weren't even the first to do it in North America.

It was a shitty practice, everyone recognizes that. Slave owners were assholes, but don't go attributing their crimes to an entire ethnicity, especially when pretty much every ethnicity of human has partaken of the slavery cake.

Besides all specific members of that ethnicity did was get slaves from the already established trade, and move their purchased product over-seas.


Edit: Hmmm.... Slavery cake.... So soft you can cut it with a whip!

 

[awesomebillfromdawsonville]

I feel sooooo wrong for laughing, but seriously, WTF?! LMAO! Its not even half as disgusting as it is hilarious? This shit is sooo not real. Seriously? Exploit them. Discipline them. LOL....The stupidity of of this whole thing is just fuckin hilarious. (and before some retarded whiteknight shows up and tries to start a flamewar that I'll just ignore, I dont find slavery funny, but the way this whole thing was gone about.)

 

[Panzervaughn]

Could be a starcraft mod? Change mineral to Cotton, give the marines spears instead of machine guns and youre 80% there.

There are Fanatical Christian games being made. The was an entire series made by a company www.leftbehindgames.com/ if it WERE real, would it really able to be judged more/less offensive than those?

[/devils advocate] Racism is bad though. for Reals.

 

[Bob_Marley42]

If its aimed at The Creative Assembly its probably some self apointed moral guardian with thier knickers in a twist about colonization and empire building being made into a "game", slaves were trade resources in Rome and Medievil II as I recall and someone is probably in a frothing rage about Empire featuring the evil europeans colonizing India and the Americas.

 

[jmarquiso]

There was a great Choose-Your-Own-Adventurish game based on the Underground Railroad I played growing up. I believe it came in some sort of Scholastic magazine or something.

Would be a great version of this game now.

As for this game, well, Colonization came under fire for being racist.

This particular game is blatantly racist, but its take on the tycoon formula is dead on. Yes, its source is historical, but the graphical way that it portrays beating is where it steps over the line.

Video is a hoax.

 

[OrenjiJusu]

Is it just me, or did that video make it look like a weird version of mafia wars?

 

[Eveonline100]

MY THOUGHTS UPON SEEING THE THREAD TITLE:

Well, it'll obviously stir up controversy, but a game from the perspective of a slave seems like a very interesting way to comment on the nature of player/videogame relationship, and even about free will itself.


MY THOUGHTS UPON WATCHING THE TRAILER:

Oh, dear.

This COULD have been an good idea you know actully show the horrors of slavery. BUt to some up my recaction in a pharse "What the fuck". i guess the only question is(besides if this is real) is who gets to rip on this game first Fox or CNN. (Anyone else hoping this game turns out to be a giant fake, look at me stunt?)