The thread devolved just as I predicted, but isn't that something in itself?
If race was a non-issue as we like to claim, why do the race discussions end up this way ?
However, there are some meaningful responses in this thread which do relate to Dragon Age and to gaming in general. If you read between the lines of these responses, there are many telling sociological implications:
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1.
The LUXURY of NOT having to think about race. As another poster pointed out, the Bioware people who made Ferelden into a Caucasian-only place, weren't even thinking about race. They did not make it all white because they're "Evil racists." Let me repeat: this was not a consious malicious act.
They simply weren't thinking about race at all, because they didn't have to.
Many sociologists refer to this as the number one white privelege...The fact that white people can afford to not even have to think about race.
A white person creates a video game protagonist, they imagine his personality and characteristics, but unless they're consciously thinking about race, the character will invariably be white. Does this mean they're an evil racist? NO NO NO. Of course not. It's just that when you're the default majority race, you can afford to not have to think about it. Could this potentially disappoint non-white people who want to play themselves in the game? yes. Can we blame the game creator? No, but at the same time, don't just attack the person who brought up the issue.
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2.
Accusations of having a VICTIM mentalityThe number one STRAW MAN arguement in this thread is the accusation that people like the OP are just "pulling the race card." However, accusing someone of "pulling the race card" is often simply a way to casually dismiss their point. You're just setting up a straw man and easily demolishing it.
Are there black people who shoot themselves in the foot with a defeatist victim mentality? Absolutely.
But this does not, by any stretch, mean that *EVERY SINGLE* black person who sees an issue is just being paranoid and wearing a tin foil hat. This relates to the point in number one. The reason black people are more race conscious, and seem paranoid, is because they simply
can't afford the luxury of not having to think about race.Why is this so ? (If you don't wan't an explanation just ignore the following and skip down to number 3 )
{{{{{{
I have a unique perspective on this because I'm black but I grew up in the caribbean before I came to America. Race relations in the Caribbean are very different because in many countries, blacks are a majority or at least 50%.
Before I came to America, I always thought African Americans were too paranoid and used to exaggerate things. Boy was I wrong. You see, in America blacks are a minority, and that changes things a great deal compared to the Caribbean. And they were brought to America against their will, and so people today have to deal with the consequences of their history. I personally experienced a lot more awkwardness and instances of racism in America than I did in the Caribbean. I won't go into detail, but to say that I'm just wearing a tin foil hat and imagining things would be absurd. }}}}}}
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3.
The OP's post is more of a ROLEPLAYING issue in Dragon Age, NOT a racism issueAs I pointed out in a previous post, this issue that the OP brought up has NOTHING at all to do with malicious racism. It is about roleplaying awkwardness more than anything else. Black rpg gamers have endured these kind of awkwardness in the past. Many of us have learnt to simply joke about it
Heathen Pride
OmG. Time to call the Rainbow Coalition and PC Enforcement squad.
There's also the fact that most of the purchasers of this game will be White males so it makes sense to have the characters reflect that fact. Audiences get more enjoyment out of characters they can relate to.
The extreme irony of this quote is that while Heathen pride was telling the OP to relax and not make a big deal of the issue, he also simultaneously made an arguement for why the OP would like to play someone who looks like himself in the game.
Heathen pride, I completely agree with you that this should NOT be an issue about political correctness or race quotas. But from strictly a roleplaying perspective, I hope you can see how the OP's issue relates to your quote.
So I encourage the OP to just play a white character. That's what I would do, even though I am black myself, and am sympathetic to his post. It's an all white setting, and if you don't want to deal with role-playing awkwardness, then make a character that fits the setting. We will simply have to wait for another game that finds a way to circumvent this kind of thing. It could happen ! :DB)
Modifié par purplesunset, 21 novembre 2009 - 09:09 .
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