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[PK Gaming]

We made it ya'll!

 

[Exploratory]

2.5/4 or 2/4 or 3/4 depending on your perspective technically, Lincoln Clay is as much white as black.

Lol not in this country or on this planet.

 

[Dahaka]

Prince of Persia?

Persians are not Arabs.

 

[tearsintherain]

To me the Mafia 3 is the interesting one, because its a really big budget game (3+ years in development, very large studio) and it seems to run counter to the escapism tropes of most big budget games. How many people will want to deal with racism, cops as bad guys, etc in their game?

I've already got deluxe on preorder and am currently even replaying Mafia 2 on PC to get into the backstory, but I wonder if its going to get lost in the shuffle of Destiny DLC, Battlefield 1, FF15, Playstation VR, Last Guardian, etc. If sales are bad, will publishers use it to shutdown future games that try to go against the grain?

 

[Lime]

black male leads. I would be really impressed to see non-white female leads in the mainstream spaces.

But yeah, it's a start! I hope this will help things branch out a bit more.

 

[mikeyvids]

As a white guy whose always been playing as white characters all my life I have no problem with this, or playing a female character for that matter. In fact I'm happy a game takes a different perspective and hopefully it portrays a glimpse of what others experience. It's important for people of various ethnicities to identify with a character based around their life, culture & realities.

 

[War Machine]

I thought this would be about black team leader of the project (director, etc). Still pretty good.

Nope, there's still a lot of progress to be made in this area

 

[KeyBladerXIII]

Great, time for the Hispanics!

I thought Rico Rodriguez was one of us until Just Cause 3 made him Mediterranean.

 

[Nirolak]

Great, time for the Hispanics!

I thought Rico Rodriguez was one of us until Just Cause 3 made him Mediterranean.

Square Enix referred to him as Mexican in their financial report (when talking about localizing games for Latin America), so I don't think that was intentional.

 

[GKFinns]

This is excellent. I am always up for more diversity in video game leads.

 

[Alienfan]

black male leads. I would be really impressed to see non-white female leads in the mainstream spaces.

But yeah, it's a start! I hope this will help things branch out a bit more.

One battle at a time
Although, isn't the default character in the new Mass Effect game a female Latino? (could be wrong)

 

[War Machine]

For those of you who care about Black people making games, not just games with Black characters in them, check out these links:


https://twitter.com/blackgamedev

http://www.blackgamedevs.com/

http://www.thecoli.com/threads/black-people-working-in-the-video-game-industry.237512/

 

[Alo0oy]

i dont get why developers dont offer several protagonists to choose from in the first place
say
- one white man
- one black man
- one asian man
- one white woman
- one black woman
- one asian woman
...

why must the player be forced into one character that he/she might not feel comfortable with for whatever reasons?

In my opinion, offering several protagonists is a cop-out, a way to appease to racists/misogynists, Dishonored clearly has a female main character, but they "shoehorned" the male protagonist in to appeal to people that refuse to play as a woman.

Nothing wrong with a game that has a created character, but in the case of Dishonored, the game is clearly centered around Emily, why not make her the only protagonist?

 

[Burgess_101]

When call racism a mechanic all I can think of is press f to racism.

 

[Prototype Viktor]

"Yea but they are male and not the other genders so they don't count"

 

[Nimby]

Too bad the only game I'm probably going to purchase from that list is Battlefield 1. Maybe Mafia III but I doubt it.

 

[DrGonzo615]

Yes, but why arent there any old women protagonists?

 

[Bloodporne]

I'm waiting for the Merkel Persona game.

That might be worse than my original complaint.

 

[ThoughtsOfSpeaking]

While on one hand I'm happy for the change in representation, it does just seem they have swapped brooding white guy with a gun for brooding black guy with a gun.

Of the above examples, only Watch_dogs feels authentic and "fresh" to me.

 

[R3TRO]

I'm enjoying the diversity and it helps that they are in games I'm looking forward to.

 

[Silent Chief]

Battefield 1 (Electronic Arts): Harlem HellfighterBattefield 1 (Electronic Arts): Harlem Hellfighter

The 369th Infantry Regiment is mostly famous because of American racism.

The US Army decided on 8 April 1918 to assign the unit to the French Army for the duration of the war because many white American soldiers refused to perform their duty with black soldiers. So, that's the lead and there is no French Army in the game?

Putting a black character as the lead in an historical game and then not telling the truth is not a step forward. Might as well put a likeliness of Mohamed Ali as the lead. It's a complete joke.

 

[Kenstar]

so TIRED of these social justice workers pushing their AGENDAS in my face
DAE gaming was best BEFORE all the LEFTIST PANDERING?!?!

 

[Toxi]

Rumor has it that the lead of Red Dead 3 will be mestizo.

Awesome.

 

[lightskintwin]

For those of you who care about Black people making games, not just games with Black characters in them, check out these links:


https://twitter.com/blackgamedev

http://www.blackgamedevs.com/

http://www.thecoli.com/threads/black-people-working-in-the-video-game-industry.237512/

Bruh, I appreciate this post and now have added games to my radar that I was completely unaware of.

Band Saga is now day one for me.

 

[kittoo]

In another decade or so. One day I hope a major game leads with an Indian person.

Far Cry 4? It had an Indian protagonist.

Edit:

Only South Asian representation I can recall in recent years is Ajay Ghale from Far Cry 4, Symmetra from Overwatch and Henry Green (not his real name) in AC Syndicate who was a supporting cast and a love interest/husband of the leading white lady.

The Order 1886 also had Lakshmibai as a major player.

 

[Dyson Industries]

i dont get why developers dont offer several protagonists to choose from in the first place
say
- one white man
- one black man
- one asian man
- one white woman
- one black woman
- one asian woman
...

why must the player be forced into one character that he/she might not feel comfortable with for whatever reasons?

Like it's been forever for anyone who isn't a non-white male? It's funny that as soon as more diverse protagonists make an appearance, all of a sudden priorities change.

Very interesting.

 

[Anton Sugar]

so TIRED of these social justice workers pushing their AGENDAS in my face
DAE gaming was best BEFORE all the LEFTIST PANDERING?!?!

Is Social Justice Work a field within Social Work?

 

[UnemployedVillain]

2.5/4 or 2/4 or 3/4 depending on your perspective technically, Lincoln Clay is as much white as black.

That's not how it works

 

[nOoblet16]

Prince of Persia?

Persians =/= Arabs

 

[Shpeshal Nick]

One of the Gears "main" characters is black too no?

 

[TheGreatDirector]

I'm excited for Mafia 3 and Watchdogs 2 and I haven't even played the other preceding titles in their franchises. I also have to give them props for not making the leads fall into the typical black stereotypes you can find in gaming. Mafia 3 deserves a lot of respect though for tackling the issue of racism in the late 60's using gameplay (since supposedly pedestrians and police may respond negatively to you if you just wander in the wrong area).

 

[BouncyFrag]

I'm looking forward to Destiny and WD2.

 

[Enforcer]

Honestly, I've been feeling like an ass recently because I've been in some of the feminism(?) threads and basically asking 'why can't we combine forces? Not just more women in gaming, but more diversity in general.' The few responses I got bordered on 'I'll always champion womens rights over different races.' It was disheartening, to say the least. I'm still depressed about the responses. Its one thing to not be heard in society, I'm used to that. Its another when you aren't even acknowledged by your peers.

We should unite, let it be about diversity and equality for all who are marginalized. I want African American, Native American, Women, Hispanic, Asian, Arab, Indian main characters in more games in all genres, all over. If we can work together, we can make an impact for everyone. That would be wonderful, a moment of true joy for me.

You shouldn't feel like an ass because of what happened. People are fundamentally stupid. Even when fighting for equality, they'll still revert to that old, tribal instinct. That failing is on them, not you. Anyone fighting for a minority or disenfranchised group to be accepted and treated equally should welcome support from others doing the same, not prioritize their battle over someone else's. We'd have a much better chance of success doing it together.

To be a little more on topic, I have to say that I was pleasantly surprised this E3. Watching all these trailers with black leads instead of the typical white lead was refreshing and definitely welcome. It's definitely a step in the right direction, and I sincerely hope we continue down that path.

I do wish we'd get more Indian leads (I'm not sure I really count Far Cry 4's lead, but I know others do). Almost as much as I want to see more Indian leads, I'd love to see Indians/South East Asians in supporting roles other than as either goofy punchlines (like Apu from the Simpsons) or generic terrorist guy #5. The Order did a great job with this, in my opinion, but its honestly the only game I can think of that did so. I'd love to hear more examples.

 

[MANUELF]

Now we need more Female Protagonists

 

[SatelliteOfLove]

And everyone of them is cool-looking and sound like they're interesting and intricately characterized.

Good times.

Great to see. Would love to see some Arab leads as well.

Maybe in a hundred years.

Raaaashiidooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!!!!

Do it Capcom! Do it for JUSTICE!

 

[MaxHouse]

Isn't Kratos also black?

can someone explain this how this became a "thing"

he was always greek...he was tanned....the first game it did show him dark but that could of been of the lighting

the subsequent GOW games show that he is definitely not black and that he was always a tanned Mediterranean dude before the ashes...but this has been somewhat of a meme since the first game? i don't get it

 

[Dram]

Could be because his voice actors are Black.

 

[MaxHouse]

Could be because his voice actors are Black.

thats probably it..but still, here is Kratos pre-ashes

 

[SuperSah]

As a mixed race male, yay.

 

[jdstorm]

Super curious how the 'racism mechanic' in Mafia 3 plays out and given the setting I hope, in a medium where narrative can seem at odds with design, incites some perspective. Might be one of my most anticipated this year.

It's probably just an excuse for cops to be extra shitty to you all the time

 

[Seductivpancakes]

Isn't the main character for Prey, Asian.

 

[astroturfing]

i dig Lincoln Clay, dude seems intense from the trailers.

now, when are we going to get a really skinny balding ginger dude as a lead? never? okay...

 

[xJavonta]

One developer that has been pretty consistent with diversifying their protagonists is Rockstar. Just look at GTA IV/Gay Tony and GTA V. However they do usually come with stereotypes and their portrayal of women is fucking embarrassing.

What I would love to see are Eastern games doing better at diversifying, and ESPECIALLY have better representations of women because that shit is disgusting 9 times out of 10

 

[lightskintwin]

2.5/4 or 2/4 or 3/4 depending on your perspective technically, Lincoln Clay is as much white as black.

Just want to highlight the idiocy of this post. You obviously have no idea how America works.

I do wish we'd get more Indian leads (I'm not sure I really count Far Cry 4's lead, but I know others do). Almost as much as I want to see more Indian leads, I'd love to see Indians/South East Asians in supporting roles other than as either goofy punchlines (like Apu from the Simpsons) or generic terrorist guy #5. The Order did a great job with this, in my opinion, but its honestly the only game I can think of that did so. I'd love to hear more examples.

The still in development RPG Game Indivisible's main character has a Southeast Asian protagonist named Ajna

 

[WouldYouKindly]

Second thread today about race jesus cant go anywhere these days without it coming up it shouldnt "please" anyone if they decided to have a black lead then they have a black lead why do we need to applaud it? And glorify it?


Side note im extremely excited for mafia 3 i hope they hold nothing back and actually portray what a black male went through in that time period and noy water it down since the whole world is so sensitive now.

 

[DiamondDog74]

Wow, I never looked at the art for Battlefield One. That looks super cool even if the cape is a little edgy.

 

[Lime]

I hope none of these games bomb financially or get low metacritic scores, because otherwise people at the top will use the skin color of the protagonists as the explanation why the game(s) didn't sell or score well.

But the games look good from a production perspective so I'm not that worried

 

[lightskintwin]

Second thread today about race jesus cant go anywhere these days without it coming up it shouldnt "please" anyone if they decided to have a black lead then they have a black lead why do we need to applaud it? And glorify it?
.

The horror of a second thread about race in a single day. Next comes the concentration camps.

 

[nOoblet16]

You shouldn't feel like an ass because of what happened. People are fundamentally stupid. Even when fighting for equality, they'll still revert to that old, tribal instinct. That failing is on them, not you. Anyone fighting for a minority or disenfranchised group to be accepted and treated equally should welcome support from others doing the same, not prioritize their battle over someone else's. We'd have a much better chance of success doing it together.

To be a little more on topic, I have to say that I was pleasantly surprised this E3. Watching all these trailers with black leads instead of the typical white lead was refreshing and definitely welcome. It's definitely a step in the right direction, and I sincerely hope we continue down that path.

I do wish we'd get more Indian leads (I'm not sure I really count Far Cry 4's lead, but I know others do). Almost as much as I want to see more Indian leads, I'd love to see Indians/South East Asians in supporting roles other than as either goofy punchlines (like Apu from the Simpsons) or generic terrorist guy #5. The Order did a great job with this, in my opinion, but its honestly the only game I can think of that did so. I'd love to hear more examples.

Henry Green in AC: Syndicate..leader of Assassins in London and was also the love interest/husband of Evie.

 

[KonradLaw]

Niko was a Serbian undocumented immigrant,

Nico was nice. He still fit the stereotype of slavs being either drunks or criminals, but at least he had plenty of depth.

I think he's pretty much the only lead character of slavic origin I've played when it comes to games that were not made by slavs themselves.