LilithSlave said:
These types of characters do happen a bit too often in media though, and have spread some negative stereotypes about black people that will be hard to undo.
Like Barret of Final Fantasy VII, it's not racist perhaps in and of itself, but it could be seen as part of a larger trend that is negative for black people.
I'm leaving out your comments about cultural imperialism as that is a different can of worms.
Actually, Square back then did catch some flack for Barrett. There was backlash and defense on both sides. Now, I am not an expert on Japanese culture, but I have a passing familiarity with it. (No, watching anime and playing JRPGs does not make you an expert on Japanese culture, folks.) The Japanese often include stereotypes completely unironically and without even realizing they could be taken as offensively. RE 5 is without a doubt the obvious example. I think almost every American developer would have had a little red flag go up. Even if it isn't racially offensive, the Mighty Whitey protagonist shooting up native Africans with his Not Too Black hottie (braindead) sidekick just has to be handled with kid gloves.
I do not believe the Japanese get that.
American developers aren't much better, to be frank. I just conducted a little informal survey of my current gen games. Of, sure, Louis and Rochelle of L4D are minority characters who don't stumble all over themselves as racial stereotypes. Lots of shooters have the Black Heavy Weapons Guy who plays second fiddle to the white-as-snow commander. Prey was almost stunning in its preachy "native Americans good - and totally a stereotype" vein. I counted that in 33 of 35 games where there was a defined protagonist AND the game isn't in a fantasy 'verse, he was white. (ME, Rockband, sports games, etc all create a protagonist or play a team. A fantasy 'verse might excuse the lack of racial minorities. Etc. I'm counting games where there is one or two clearly defined protagonists.)
This line up is whiter than a 1920's golf course. And females? Doing better than minorities, which should not be mistaken as doing well.
And then, the exceptions: Garcia Fucking Hotspur, a character so disgustingly full of stereotype he comes around again into full parody mode. Tommy, the Cherokee from Prey so hackneyed and forgettable I had to look him up, and the black cop from House of the Dead: Overkill, a character so busy speaking jive and saying ************ I can't be assed to look him up.
Against these stereotypes, what well rounded, non-white, non-Japanese characters can I spot? I can spot a couple of token black guys in shooters. Jacob Taylor may be an annoying character, but at least it's not due to an attempt to portray race. The captain from Dead Space, also so forgettable I don't care to find out his name.
And no, I don't want to hear about Carl from GTA; that series can't clear up its hammy ethnic gangs by having one minority protagonist, especially when he's a criminal.
Yeah. This industry has a long way to go on this. Still, while it seems to me Japanese developers tend to load up on walking stereotypes almost unintentionally (just look at the Mortal Kombat or Street Fighter or Soul Caliber line-ups, OK?), western developers just don't even portray well-written minority characters.
And Gracia Fucking Hotspur? Seriously, did no one on that team decide that making a Mexican character who speaks maybe twelve words of Spanish, eight of them obscene, regains health by drinking tequila, and who speaks with an accent more stereotyped than Speedy Gonzales was a wee bit much?
