re: RE

Further Resident Evil sequel news, less filmic but more controversial. Capcom's recent release of an extended HD trailer for Resident Evil 5 (video game, not movie) has raised some eyebrows with footage of a white protagonist killing African villagers. Seen through the framework of the Resident Evil story, it's a new location to kill zombies (or infected humans, as the series moves away from its roots in traditional shamblers, inspired by the recent filmic developments in speedy zombie technologies); for people who have less context, the imagery is problematic.

Rather than foment the vicious name-calling and repetition of the same few points that has plagued the feedback sections of others who write on this topic (much better two-way conversations could have resulted by the substitution of "insensitive" for "racist," leading to inquisitions about why it's insensitive rather than knee-jerk defense, accusations that those who cry racism are racist, etc.), we'll just provide a basic recap for those who aren't following along. Comments are always welcome, but several hundred (par for the course on several of the blogs taking a stand) is a little heavy. Calm discussion encouraged.

The basics:
-Extended trailer released at E3.
-Casual conversation on various gaming forums raises topic.
-Village Voice publishes article. Hundreds of comments, mostly negative.
-Very brief, poorly explained post at Black Looks; after a hundred or so comments (some rational, many nasty ad hominem attacks), author claims post was "a bit tongue in cheek."
-Story picked up on Digg and elsewhere, spread widely.

The hubbub has died down for now. We'll have to wait and see if it rears its head as the game nears release, which won't be until sometime in 2009.


READ MORE ABOUT IT

Blackface Goes HD - another criticism, changes argument numerous times, lacks a cohesive point.
Just Plain Loco - blackface in other games, unrelated but timely as race-in-games becomes a discussable topic. Also, unlike above post, seems to know what "blackface" actually means.
Internet 1, Civility 0 - moment of lucidity in favor of those trying to note an issue objectively. Responds to the LocoRoco post directly above, but applies to RE5 discussion as well.
The Resident Evil 5 Racism Issue - a calm, reasonable look from a legal perspective.
That Notorious “Resident Evil 5″ Trailer And The People I Met In Africa - non-reactionary, personal explanation of the problem, much more useful for starting conversation.