Resident Evil 5 Racism Charges Spurred Changes in Capcom

**Valigarmander** · 08-25-2010, 09:23 AM

Quote:

The allegations of racial insensitivity that surrounded an early trailer for Resident Evil 5 have brought deep changes in the way Capcom's creative process works, according to senior PR manager Melody Pfeiffer. Speaking to Gamasutra, Pfeiffer said that Capcom's U.S. staff is now more involved in the creative process to help assure better understanding of potentially offensive content to other cultures.

The Resident Evil 5 controversy began when Capcom showed a trailer for the game at E3 2007. Despite the fact that Capcom would eventually reveal that Resident Evil 5 featured an African partner and white American villains, that early trailer showed nothing but black zombies attacking -- and being shot over and over and over again by -- a white protagonist. It was highly charged imagery that led to allegations of racial insensitivity.

"Since the RE5 controversy, we have become much more aware of how important it is that we are part of the asset creation process early on so that we are able to have a say in the end product," Pfeiffer said to Gamasutra. "We are also designing a lot of our own assets from this side of the pond so that we are able to make strategic pieces of content that make sense for our market. We are working really closely with our producers in Japan to construct these materials for the West and they are open more then ever to hearing our thoughts and ideas for assets."

As Resident Evil 5 producer Jun Takeuchi said at the time, the team was indeed taken by surprise by the controversy, with Takeuchi saying there was "a misunderstanding about the initial trailer."

Insert joke about never getting fire hoses or police dogs as DLC now.

Dizzy · 08-25-2010, 11:07 AM

It's only racist if you're white.

***Cosmonautical*** · 09-16-2010, 07:44 AM

White people: not allowed to be the good guys if zombies are black

Africans: no bad people here nope no how

Capcom: not for fans of japanese stuff, no how

I'm Dante

heh · 09-16-2010, 02:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CHARIOTS OF IRON

White people: not allowed to be the good guys if zombies are black

Africans: no bad people here nope no how

Capcom: not for fans of japanese stuff, no how

I'm Dante

my problem is the recent resident evil games is they aren't even really zombies anymore

whenever i see RE5 being played i always go "wow those don't look like zombies at all" because i always forget how unzombielike they are.

they look more like starving desperate people or madmen or something (no being a madman is not a good excuse to blow their heads off)

i guess its not that bad but despite hating "video games teaching bad things" arguements dumb people like to sling around, RE5 is the game thats its probably most valid on

***Cosmonautical*** · 09-17-2010, 06:47 AM

Idiots are always in danger of being idiots, though. That's in their nature. They'll go through life thinking carbonated sugar drinks quench their thirst, and other nonsense. Besides, it's doing Africa a service then. Maybe the idiots won't want to visit because it's full of homicidal zombie-like guys. Frankly, you don't want idiots visiting your country. They'll drive their cars off cliffs and try to sue you for not putting a sign there saying "driving your car off this cliff may result in personal injury; injuries hurt; when things hurt they are painful; pain is a bad thing; you won't like it".

Besides, there's no part in Resident Evil where it's presented as learning media, and I don't recall them ever acting like it's anything more than contextually promising to shoot the crazy people trying to kill you, TG. ****, it doesn't really say it's a good thing at all. It just shows you people who might think so. You're gonna let imaginary people's decisions influence yours? I mean, next we'll be worried about people being robbed because they didn't know that unarmed guy telling them to give all their stuff to him didn't mention they won't get to have it anymore.

This **** always comes up because stupidass people are convinced we're all dumber than they are. ****, did you see all those black guys I just shot? Damn, better stop being corrupted by all these ca-razy games.

Rainbow Dash · 09-17-2010, 02:24 PM

you mean when i slam a dewski after some hard exercise i'm not quenching anything???

09-17-2010, 06:47 AM	#5
*Cosmonautical* Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: I rub my tilde all over your asterisk Gender: Posts: 28,100 Thanks: 2,151 Thanked 5,338 Times in 2,433 Posts	Idiots are always in danger of being idiots, though. That's in their nature. They'll go through life thinking carbonated sugar drinks quench their thirst, and other nonsense. Besides, it's doing Africa a service then. Maybe the idiots won't want to visit because it's full of homicidal zombie-like guys. Frankly, you don't want idiots visiting your country. They'll drive their cars off cliffs and try to sue you for not putting a sign there saying "driving your car off this cliff may result in personal injury; injuries hurt; when things hurt they are painful; pain is a bad thing; you won't like it". Besides, there's no part in Resident Evil where it's presented as learning media, and I don't recall them ever acting like it's anything more than contextually promising to shoot the crazy people trying to kill you, TG. **, it doesn't really say it's a good thing at all. It just shows you people who might think so. You're gonna let imaginary people's decisions influence yours? I mean, next we'll be worried about people being robbed because they didn't know that unarmed guy telling them to give all their stuff to him didn't mention they won't get to have it anymore. This always comes up because stupidass people are convinced we're all dumber than they are. *, did you see all those black guys I just shot? Damn, better stop being corrupted by all these ca-razy games. Last edited by Cosmonautical; 09-17-2010 at 06:53 AM.*

08-25-2010, 11:07 AM	#2
Dizzy Podiaphobe Join Date: Oct 2007 Gender: Posts: 19,359 Thanks: 1,764 Thanked 1,161 Times in 804 Posts Blog Entries: 116	It's only racist if you're white.

09-16-2010, 07:44 AM	#3
*Cosmonautical* Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: I rub my tilde all over your asterisk Gender: Posts: 28,100 Thanks: 2,151 Thanked 5,338 Times in 2,433 Posts	White people: not allowed to be the good guys if zombies are black Africans: no bad people here nope no how Capcom: not for fans of japanese stuff, no how I'm Dante

09-17-2010, 02:24 PM	#6
Rainbow Dash been dreamin', i've been waitin' Join Date: Jan 2001 Location: a bomb-ass cloud house bachelorette pad Gender: Posts: 24,397 Thanks: 173 Thanked 1,179 Times in 716 Posts	you mean when i slam a dewski after some hard exercise i'm not quenching anything???