Valve Responds to Racism Accusations

[clicketycrack]

First off, saying the confederate flag is a sign of hate is just ignorant. Some less intelligent people (rednecks) may use it as such but most people just see it as a sign of the south. Not to mention that it would just be historically accurate in COJBIB (I guess, I've never played it). Next, Its rediculous to say that something is racist when some of the zombies in a zombie horde are black. Are you only allowed to kill white people in video games now? After all, you are fighting your way through the southeast. It just brings back the usual point that if you are going to bring a persons skin color into everything that doesn't have anything to do with race, than you're just as hung up on race as any racist. I'll just go ahead and state my usual opinion on race. I believe that we should be color blind as far as business but you can't say that people of different colors don't have different cultures.

 

[persona J]

for a zombie infection to only infect white people would be racist or to say that only white people should be shot this guy is completely backwards

 

[Plazmatic]

Though I am apposed to left 4 dead 2 I laughed at that people think its racist, every time a black person dies in a video game its racist, like in hl2 ep2 (( SPOILER )) when Alex's dad dies. when people saw that they wanted the game pulled off the market emeediatly.

 

[Volucer]

With his logic Portal is racist - did you see any turrets a colour other than white?

 

[ender214]

More race insanity. Is it just me or do a lot of people seem to be pulling the race card at the slightest provocation these days? There's not even any logic applied to the argument. Is it more racist to have some black zombies or all white zombies.

Just because something terrible happened to you 100 years ago doesn't mean everyone else has to kiss your feet for the rest of eternity.

 

[The_root_of_all_evil]

Do any of them actually know what "racism" means?

Just for a second, take a look at the statement : "Though the game isn't out yet, it's already causing an uproar. Set in New Orleans, players will have to fight their way through hordes of zombies - with several of them who appear to be African-Americans."

So, on an unseen game which is causing stress for an entirely different reason, people (of which 2 are African-American) are fighting through zombies (which have realistically given up all chances of racial notions) where several (an unspecified number - thought to be low) are African-American (a term that doesn't even constitute a race, rather a settlement).

I mean, I can see it being racist to the Chinese because there's no Chinese people in there...apart from....oh wait, there are, because the Zombies have multiple races, despite the entire idea of zombies being a different genus from Homo Sapiens.

Last I heard of, Homo Mortis didn't have any problem with which race they take their brains from; apart from wanting to steer clear of morons like Jefferson because they know there's nothing there to eat!

With his logic Portal is racist - did you see any turrets a colour other than white?

And sexist. There's no men in there.

 

[nova18]

I would be more offended if I had to kill endless hordes of white zombies.
It would feel like some kind of black supremacy.

It makes sense that a disease that infects the whole city/ world would have a FEW non-white victims. This is easily one of the stupidest racism claims I have heard made against a game.,

 

[pliusmannn]

that whole racism thing is gone too long, all those african-americans is bit too overreacted, they all most every time are racist towards white people, but when you have to shoot a black guy then game was designed just for racism, also CoJ, what the hell? i understand if there in mama's house would have been a black servant, then it's racism BUT THAT WAS REAL, you cannot change history, just for that, overreacting and whining every time, i personaly hate black people

 

[Blindrooster]

I don't see race when I look at zombies.
I think they're all part of the zombie race.
I do however think the L4D games are racist towards the entire zombie race.
Not as bad as some of the other games but still pretty offensive.

You are my hero. Write a book, i will read it.

on topic, this shouldnt even be a thread. This is possibly the stupidest accusation ever. We are above this crap people, dont give it the attention it wants. stupid whining finger pointers. Nothing about L4d2 is racicst dangit......

 

[Jandau]

So according to mr. Willie Jefferson it's OK to shoot white people, but it isn't ok to shoot black people? Am I missing something here?

 

[beddo]

Concerning the comments about Left 4 Dead 2, the blogger does not actually state what part of the game is racist. In fact he only successfully manages to register his displeasure with the game being set in New Orleans such a sort time after a natural disaster and tragedy.

However, the blogger does imply that the game may be racist when he states::

"Set in New Orleans, players will have to fight their way through hordes of zombies - with several of them who appear to be African-Americans."

Here we can determine that he finds it jarring that several of the zombie character models appear to be African Americans. The consequence of this ironically shows that in fact the blogger, and not the game, is thinking in a racist manner.

The blogger is suggesting that if one race of people were not depicted then it would be okay, hence the blogger is determining who should and should not be depicted based on their race; this is racist.


Consider the 2007 drama K-Ville, which is set in New Orleans. This has not been decried as being racist, why? It depicts African-Americans as criminals and makes very specific references to the significance of Hurricane Katrina. Not to mention the fact that it was made 2 years ago, a much shorter time after the tragedy.


If Valve were to depict New Orleans without any African Americans would surely be racist and ignore the history and cultural heritage of the area.


Basically the argument of a racist undertone in Left 4 Dead 2 is completely unfounded and not even well argued.

As for Call of Juarez, it is set in the time and period of the Civil War and telling the story of two brothers who were in the Confederate army. The racism is merely a portrayal the situation and attitudes of that period, nothing in that is the game being racist; the game is not in any way condoning the actions of the Confederate, nor they are not suggesting that we sympathize with their actions.

 

[SilentHunter7]

You know, I think either Valve or Capcom should give them the finger by making a game where every character, NPC, and enemy is white, blonde, and has blue-eyes, and have the plot fail to acknowledge that black people ever existed, so we can watch these ass-tards ***** about how minorities are under-represented.

 

[Ormick]

Stupidity this astounding doesn't even warrant a response. Best to completely obliterate this retards argument before it has time to spread (even though inevitably some other moron is going to jump on the bandwagon).

You know, I think either Valve or Capcom should give them the finger by making a game where every character, NPC, and enemy is white, blonde, and has blue-eyes, and have the plot fail to acknowledge that black people ever existed, so we can watch these ass-tards ***** about how minorities are under-represented.

Leave that to the modders, and I'd think a better insult would be shit-sniffers over ass-tard.

 

[Sacman]

So you can kill as many white people in video games as you want but the second you see something resemling a black person it starts to have 'rasist undertones' that makes no sense...

 

[zoozilla]

Bloggers are retards, why are they reading the rambling of these idiots?

You sick blog-ist.

The whole "politically correct" thing has gone way too far.

It's only keeping us further apart.

 

[Davey Woo]

If a game is set in a place where the population is predominately black, I see no problem if the in-game population represents that. People need to chill out and stop trying to jump on the anti-racist wagon.

 

[similar.squirrel]

So..This is racist, but the latest 50 Cent escapade wasn't?

I did find the tribal sections of RE5 to be in bad taste, by the way.

 

[beddo]

Note that the author states:

"I have so much respect for President Lincoln -- he wanted to preserve the Union and ended up freeing the slaves -- and have just as much respect for the Union Army."

If the author knew the real history behind the Civil War he would know President Lincoln actually believed that white people were superior by nature as he more or less states in his own diaries.

Moreover, both armies committed awful atrocities against civilians, there were no real winners, everyone came away with horrendous losses and far from being free it took another 100 years to get some decent liberties for African Americans.

EDIT:

Another quote:

"I don't have a problem lighting up Imperial Army soldiers with my flamethrower in "World at War.""

So he doesn't mind the depiction of killing Japanese. To say it is okay to depict the killing of one race but not another is racist, fact.

 

[Mullahgrrl]

I can kind of see the reasoning behind not wanting the confederate flag in a civil war game as there are a lot of second world war games that chooses not to feature swastikas as they are forbidden in Germany. Hearts of Iron even have special German versions without Hitler.

And I can defenetly see the reasoning behind thinking that it is racist to kill blacks, not to say that it isn't really moronic.

 

[The Shrubbery Demander]

Ya see, people just need something to ***** and moan about. That's the way we are in modern society. At least the Americans. Everything has to be completely clean or else people will whine. Actually even if it is completely clean people will still find something.