Playing as a black dude

[Von Drunky]

This is a topic that originated from the GTA:IV thread. So I deiced to dedicate a new thread to all the homies out there to prevent going off topic. How many Games are out there that had a black protagonist? Fallout never gave us that option I’m a bit surprised actually, I think Vampire: bloodlines had one or two clans which had a black character, Arcanum had no black characters in it. Shadow Man, Sports and the Deff Jam games are the only ones I can think of right now which lets you play as a black character. What do you think the really reason behind this is?

 

[Per]

The Baldur's Gate games had just a few black portraits (Dynaheir, Valygar, maybe someone else). They weren't really set in a "black" region, though. There are plenty of user-created portraits of all kinds.

Dungeon Master and some of the AD&D games from the 90s had black portraits.

In Wasteland you could pick Chinese or Mexican for your nationality, although there was no graphical representation.

Civilization lets you play Shaka or Gandhi or Genghis Khan or whoever.

 

[generalissimofurioso]

It's probably because...

A) Game Designers feel uncomfortable dealing with minorities...

AND

B) Game Designers just don't feel that it's something they need to do...

 

[Tannhauser]

Black characters remind game designers that Derek Smart exists?

 

[Pipboy2000]

In Tactics you could be black. But that doesn't count.

 

[Sorrow]

This is a topic that originated from the GTA:IV thread. So I deiced to dedicate a new thread to all the homies out there to prevent going off topic. How many Games are out there that had a black protagonist?

Errr...
Urban Chaos?

What do you think the really reason behind this is?

General lack of memorable black characters in history = general lack of interesting archetypes?

Also, Fallout didn't have a black VD because of lack of disc space (Though frankly, I can't imagine playing any other VD than a dark haired white character. It would just be wrong. ), BG had black characters, Arcanum had half-orcs. Vampire: Bloodlines - Vampire? Goth? How many black goths are out there?

 

[Montez]

Besides the ones mentioned, KOTOR I and II are the only ones I can think of off hand. I think you could do it in both Neverwinter Nights games, but it's been awhile so I'm not quite sure.

As for the reasons behind it, I think they are pretty simple. Most games are made by "white" people, for one. I don't think that it's really even a conscious decision to have white protagonists, it's just a case of using what is familiar to them - it's no more unusual than it would be for black game developers to have black protagonists, or Asian game makers to have Asian protagonists.

Second, a brief glance a wikipedia shows that the 2005 US census reports that 74.7% of the population is "white", while 12.1% is black or African-American. Assuming those figures are reliable and somewhat accurate, I think it would be reasonable to assume that the proportions would represent themselves in other areas, like video games, and that it would also play into marketing and other decisions. Remember that "White" is a big catch-all category as well in the US, which includes people of European, Middle Eastern, Central Asian, and Central/South American ancestry, while "Black" is only people of African (and Caribbean too, I think) ancestry.

It's an issue that's usually difficult to talk about rationally in our country, but I honestly don't think there's really any racism or discrimination behind it (although I'm open to rational arguments to the opposite). The "black" voice in music, media, and politics is very big compared to the actual amount of people it represents, which in various ways gives the impression that it's strange and discriminatory that black people aren't more represented in every form of media. I honestly just think it's an issue of numbers for the most part though - 12% is a very small group of people, after all.

 

[Dracon M'Alkir]

Simplified answer:

The majority of gamers don't like playing a black guy.

 

[Starseeker]

Well, there are some Asian games with black protagonists.

Even though they don't even look remotely black.

RE: Outbreak did have some semi-believable black characters, but since I ain't black, I don't know how accurate of a portrayal it is.

 

[Per]

Protagonists in Japanese console games are typically white with blue/green/pink hair. Even when there's an anime or manga which is set in Japan and everyone's obviously supposed to be Japanese, half of them will be white with red/blond/blue hair or whatever.

 

[Sorrow]

Second, a brief glance a wikipedia shows that the 2005 US census reports that 74.7% of the population is "white", while 12.1% is black or African-American.

That hits the nail on the head.

It's an issue that's usually difficult to talk about rationally in our country

Why?

The "black" voice in music, media, and politics is very big compared to the actual amount of people it represents, which in various ways gives the impression that it's strange and discriminatory that black people aren't more represented in every form of media.

Speaking of which...
Most of telediscs shown in my country for some reason feature black "people" from ghettoes or locals trying to emulate said "people".
For some reason someone thinks that instead of promoting a good european music, for example Polish bands like Behemoth or Vader, they prefer to promote gangstas singing about commiting a next crime or having a pathological "love" affair or whores singing about how they would like to screw some gangstas or having a pathological "love" affair with said gangstas...
That's just racist .

 

[Dracon M'Alkir]

Black people call each other 'niggas'. You call them a 'nigga', you get a pair of angry eyes, followed by being called racist.

Racism has been twisted and turned into obscurity so badly now that no one in the country knows what the hell is going on anymore.

They just simply avoid talking about black people on the media and everything else.

 

[Sorrow]

Black people call each other 'niggas'. You call them a 'nigga', you get a pair of angry eyes, followed by being called racist.

Heh ...
That explains why most of people from which I've heard racist slander in my country are the fans of Hip Hop .

I hate Hip Hop .
Even more than Communism.

 

[Pipboy2000]

Black people call each other 'niggas'. You call them a 'nigga', you get a pair of angry eyes, followed by being called racist.

I was the only white boy in high school I know that called this group of niggas, niggas. I was cool with them, that's right.


Almost all video games mantra: By white people, for white people.

 

[Wooz]

I hate Hip Hop.
Even more than Communism.

You hate an awful lot, man. Take it easy, Don Quixote.

 

[Lord 342]

If ya gotta hate two things, you can hardly go wrong with Hip-Hop and communism -a pair of abortions right there, I tell ya.

 

[MediaMogul]

face it fallout is based on a fictional 1950ies view of the future......
what do you know of black people and america and the 1950ies?

lets just say chances any blacks got room in a vault are.... hmmm.... oh yes ..... thats the word I was looking for .... unlikely....

 

[Sorrow]

Err...
No, there are black people in Vaults. While Fallout is the Future of the 50s, it lost the racism and sexism thing.
Too bad, because such conflicts could make the Master's vision of Unity make more sense.

 

[MediaMogul]

well cant remember seeing much color when i played fallout well other then humie and not so humie.....

oh and you will be able to select ur skin color in fallout: vault 101
so guess you can be satisfied there.

 

[Von Drunky]

It's probably because...

A) Game Designers feel uncomfortable dealing with minorities...

AND

B) Game Designers just don't feel that it's something they need to do...

This is what i was getting at. GTA:SA took a bunch of stereotypes and awesome hood movies to make the character real and all of a sudden a GTA game that by far exceeded all the others in quality and gameplay is reduce to crap because a bunch of closed minded gamers refuse to give black culture and Ebonics a chance.

I personally don’t like hip hop or Rap that much but im exposed to it every time I go into a friend’s car, most of it is crap but some of it is pretty good. Personally I grow up not that far from the PJs so I guess I can relate more to the topic.

Also, Fallout didn't have a black VD because of lack of disc space (Though frankly, I can't imagine playing any other VD than a dark haired white character. It would just be wrong. ), BG had black characters, Arcanum had half-orcs. Vampire: Bloodlines - Vampire? Goth? How many black goths are out there?

No disk space for a black VD? They had a black VD in the vault they could have just used that model just like they had white vault delvers that look just like your white character in the game.

This is one of the reasons i love Arcanum for it was so racist when it came to classes. Like the Gnomes where jews (or was it habits?) and half-orcs being black people is just too much (if half-orcs were black what does that make orcs or ogres?). Racism is actually a big part of the game in a sense of how different classes get treated.

Living in NYC i know plenty of alternative black people i tend to use the N word a lot more when i'm around them. Also Anna Rice books and vampire movies are enjoyed by a lot more then Goths.