160°

Was Tecmo’s whitewashing of a Dead or Alive character racist? Probably

MWEB GameZone writes: "It’s obvious that Lisa was originally African American or Latina and that she’s now been made white. On the face of it, it would appear that Tecmo did, indeed, whitewash this character.

"But was it racism?"

Sillicur3311d ago

This is really tough, I wonder if it is really racism.

pinkcrocodile753311d ago (Edited 3311d ago )

I think the author needs euthenising.

I've read stupid, pointless, even offensive articles online but never have a found an utterly pointless article try to dress it self up as "Holier the Thou".

This is a video game, I don't care about whether a character has been altered to white, black or an elephant with six breasts... Actually that last one is pretty cool.

Lets not forget that this is a game, this isn't an indictment on the studio or the artists.

This is an indictment on the cretin who wrote the article in the first place!!

... and to answer the pointless question.

NO IT ISN'T RACIST, IT'S A GAME, DON'T BE SO BLOODY STUPID!!

Was that too much?

Gazondaily3311d ago

Hold up a min. You can't just Michael Jackson a character just like that and expect no questions to be asked.

This is some weird reverse tanning situation. If Itagaki is making these accusations then I think we should take them into consideration.

"NO IT ISN'T RACIST, IT'S A GAME, DON'T BE SO BLOODY STUPID!! "

Eh? A game can't have racism? THAT sounds stupid to me.

Lord_Sloth3311d ago

I'm just trying to figure out who thinks this woman is white.

http://i.ytimg.com/vi/mgjQD...

pinkcrocodile753311d ago

@Septic - "Hold up a min. You can't just Michael Jackson a character just like that and expect no questions to be asked"

Yes you can!.

When the film Annie was remade recently, nobody thought twice about a black Annie, since she was an orphan it had no impact on the story so was fine.

Please tell me how changing a character in a fighting game from one colour to another changes the game in any way?

""NO IT ISN'T RACIST, IT'S A GAME, DON'T BE SO BLOODY STUPID!! "

"Eh? A game can't have racism? THAT sounds stupid to me""

It's a game with strict censorship laws in place in each respected country or union.

Opinions may differ from country to country regarding content however this isn't South Africa imprisoning Nelson Mandella, segregation or equal rights.

This is a model in a fighting game being changed. Itagaki has a right to his opinion but opinions are like @RSE H0LES... Everyones got one.

This is just mine!

Bimkoblerutso3311d ago (Edited 3311d ago )

Yeah, I think we've been so overrun with false accusations of racism and sexism that gamers have taken a reactionary stance even when things SHOULD be called out or examined.

Even if you don't necessarily see this as racist, it is a little...weird. Did they change her color for promos because they thought it would sell the image of the game better?

Mr Pumblechook3311d ago (Edited 3311d ago )

Lisa Hamilton aka La Mariposa is Latin American.

Wikia says she is a luchadora (Mexican wrestler).
http://deadoralive.wikia.co...

If you compare the two pics her skin tone is definitely lighter in the more recent one. I don't think this was done to 'whitewash' her, I don't share the belief that Tecmo did this as a calculated move move to increase sales as the Dead or Alive games feature other ethnic characters. Maybe it was just a change by the game's art director, as no-doubt other characters are modified between instalments. But then maybe Itagaki knows more about the motivations of the current team. I would have thought that perhaps a Latina character would have a Latina name, but I don't follow DoA lore, maybe it explains this.

At the start of this video it shows Lisa in Dead or Alive Final Round. Her darker skin tones contrasts again the white skin of Tina Armstrong.
https://www.youtube.com/wat...

When I see racism I will be the first to call it out, but it is important you do this with good well-founded reason, and don't flippantly call people or companies 'racist.' But I don't think there is quite enough evidence here.

BattleAxe3311d ago (Edited 3311d ago )

Would it be racist if they turned a character who was originally white, and made them black? Probably not, because there is a double standard in today's society. Keep the PC nonsense out of gaming.

+ Show (3) more repliesLast reply 3311d ago
Spotie3311d ago

Not seeing how the article can admit that race is treated differently in Japan, and yet imply that this changing of a character's color is racist based on Western standards.

Isn't that a little (a lot) contradictory?

To make matters worse, they post the launch trailer, where I'm 100% certain I see a dark-skinned female both doling out the harshness and getting her butt handed to her. This female wasn't presented as one of the new characters, so unless I missed some other such woman over the last few iterations, that could ONLY be Lisa.

Meaning the article answers its own question(not with the stupid answer it also gives in the title) with its content, all the while acting as if that question still remains.

In other words: this was done for hits.

rainslacker3311d ago

"Isn't that a little (a lot) contradictory? "

The term is ethnocentrism. It's an actual term to describe this, and it's extremely common for people and the media to do such a thing. It's an interesting topic, I encourage anyone who is interested in culture to go look it up.

Dunno if I'd call his thoughts contradictory, as it just makes two statements about different cultures. I don't find it racist though. Racism is defined as

"the belief that all members of each race possess characteristics or abilities specific to that race, especially so as to distinguish it as inferior or superior to another race or races."

Since there is absolutely nothing to say that this change was made due to this belief it shouldn't be called racism, nor should the accusations be made.

It's possible that the art director, the producer, the director, or focus groups just found the lighter skin more appealing. I personally would have never thought about the change were I asked my opinion in a focus group, because I never thought Lisa was black. I honestly just thought she was one of those heavy beach going tanned women, mostly due to her bleached blonde hair color.

Blaze9293311d ago

Let's face it, racism is real - and exists. Still.

FullmetalRoyale3311d ago

I still haven't accepted there are people even slightly different than myself.

ShaunCameron3311d ago (Edited 3311d ago )

And it's as old as humanity itself. Ethnocentrism and tribalism were its original forms.

rezzah3311d ago

I think of it more as idolizing. To be specific, perceiving the fairer skin pigmentation to be more attractive.

That's their own opinion, and their own game to do with as they please.

+ Show (1) more replyLast reply 3311d ago
Bigpappy3311d ago

I have the X1 version, and she still has her color from what I have player. So this makes me concern as to what Itagaki is referring to, or has he lost his mind. Don't know if its platform specific or in a particular arena.

lord zaid3311d ago

Can't speak to the game itself, but in the promo pic for La Mariposa, she is clearly white. Or at the very least her skin has been lighten a lot.

IcicleTrepan3311d ago

It looks like a white person with a suntan had the suntan removed.

rainslacker3311d ago

In the brighter levels with lots of "natural" sunlight, or stadium lighting, her skin looks like she hasn't tanned in a while. In the darker scenes her skin actually looks a bit lighter in comparison to other games in the series, but this is likely because the devs worked on more realistic looking skin, so the light is probably a bit more natural when being rendered.

HanCilliers3311d ago

Just thinking abt the gaming climate & all the talk over the past years re diversity in gaming - then it was unwise to do this.

XXXL3311d ago (Edited 3311d ago )

People should protest. There's not enough of that goin on today. PC bulls***

skydragoonity3311d ago (Edited 3311d ago )

Racism is everywhere. Used to it sadly, still won't stop me from playing and enjoying myself

Show all comments (59)
200°

Tomb Raider Remastered just quietly censored one in-game detail

Tomb Raider 1-3 Remastered players are ticked off by the game’s most recent patch, which censors in-game pin-up posters of Lara Croft.

Read Full Story >>
gamingbible.com
rlow14h ago

This is why gaming is screwed. When people change things to fit someone’s agenda, it’s a slippery slope downhill.

Christopher4h ago(Edited 4h ago)

Even if that agenda is of the developer? Way to remove developer rights.

***One player called it a “huge problem with modern games,” saying they can now be “ruined AFTER people buy them”.***

The level of drama. Yes, I recall sitting there for more hours than I did anything else in the game. These two pinups are the core of the game, after all!

coolbeans2h ago(Edited 2h ago)

rlow1's cringe catastrophizing aside, I do think developers *ought* to strive to maintain an original work to the best of their ability. The language of a "remaster" tacitly implies that - for good or ill - what's being resold is what fans remember but better.

Profchaos2h ago

Games can be ruined after purchasing them yeah we know this not from this but from GTA IV which had half it's radio content patched out due to licensing expirations and to me that was a huge deal.

This pin up poster is a bit of nonsense but the whole argument of modern games can be ruined post launch is Absol true.

DedicatedDark1h ago(Edited 1h ago)

It's not their work to censor. They are incharge of restoration & remastering the work, not overwriting it.

Barlos26m ago

It's not the agenda of the developer though, they're pandering and trying to increase their ESG score.

Way to support censorship...

victorMaje25m ago

It’s not the end of the world for sure, but I understand the hate towards this kind of change. I believe it’s also a matter of principle.

Imagine a Picasso painting being restored & the restorer deciding there aren’t enough strokes, or some lines aren’t straight enough or curved enough…not sure it would/should sit well with people.

Have all original devs signed off on this change? Even if it’s the case, are we saying older gamers are better mentally equipped to process what was there than current gamers, hence the change?

Enough time ago the case was made that games are an art form. We’re supposed to have won that case.
So which is it? Are games art or not?

+ Show (2) more repliesLast reply 25m ago
Eidolon43m ago

Hasn't this been happened for over a decade since remasters? I can't see that it's any worse now. Maybe if Sweet Baby starts getting their hands on remasters we will definitely have a problem.

Rebel_Scum3h ago

tbh I dont see something like this as censorship. Does anyone else not find it strange for someone to stick pin ups of themsleves in a locker room?

Now of it was a pin up of some half naked firefighters it might make sense as Lara might like that, and if they removed that I would cry censorship. But removing pin ups of the main character, yeah I get it.

Barlos22m ago(Edited 22m ago)

It's a game, and they were placed there for the audience. It's not real life. If it was, she wouldn't have fought a T-Rex now would she?

Yes, it's censorship but it's a bit less in your face. If they were in the original game, then they should have been in the remasters. It's bad enough that they have that ridiculous unnecessary warning at the start, but then they start removing things post launch. I don't care how small the change, they shouldn't be doing it. It's nothing but ESG pandering but in a subtle way.

100°

Final Fantasy III Pixel Remaster Review – You Are Your Job, Apparently

Gary Green said: In a time where an enhanced, 3D remake of Final Fantasy III already exists, it’s hard to argue that Final Fantasy III Pixel Remaster is the definitive version we were expecting. With Final Fantasy III already being the last in the series to be translated and make its way west, this is something of a slap in the face for the fans. Still, let’s not be disheartened. There may be many shortfalls in this edition of Final Fantasy III, however there’s no denying that this classic JRPG still holds some nostalgic value, even if it struggles to break away from its original hardware limitations.

Read Full Story >>
pslegends.com
FACTUAL evidence4h ago(Edited 4h ago)

It’s funny I’m seeing these articles about pixel remaster, and I just platinumed 1-4 within 8 days lol. I’ve been on FF5 for about a week now. Let’s just say 5 was the start of FF having content like crazy. I should have the plat within 2-3 days.

70°

Warframe's Protea Prime Access launches on all platforms on May 1st, 2024

"Digital Extremes are today very happy and proud to announce that Warframe’s next highlightly anticipated Prime form launches soon with Protea Prime Access arriving on all platforms on May 1st, 2024." - Digital Extremes.