Topic: Hispanics in video games

[Luciferschild]

Basically this post is about the lack of any hispanics in any video games I've played. I haven't played every game of course and I think there might be some puerto ricans in gta or something but generally speaking it seems like there is some kind of ban on mexicans in video games. Even in fighting games where usually every race is represented I've never seen a mexican. You see a lot of asian characters and a few blacks here and there but never hispanics, this is not counting sports games of course. I find this strange because according to the latest census hispanics are the largest minority group now or at least will they will be in a few years. Where I live in wa. state it has basically turned into mexico, there are literally mexicans everywhere even my neighbors are. So I just find it weird about no representation in video games and would like to see a game with a mexican as a main character at some point just for the hell of it you know. Has anyone else noticed this or am I missing something?  

[Ian Sane]

Personally I think if you seriously care about equal race representation in games you're playing games for the wrong reasons.  There aren't many hispanics probably for the same reason there are more white characters than black: white people are the majority in North America so thus in order to appeal to the widest group most videogame characters are white.  It's like how most game heroes are male because males buy more games than females.

[ThePerm]

theres carlos in resident evil 3. Theres a hispanic individual. Malvado in Mortal Kombat: DA. Its just people when they make games make characters that motre or less reflect themselves. There are not alot of hispanic people directing games and i think that only midway seems to have a large number of Hispanic people. As IaSane said there are more white people in the US so that means there are more white people making games. And of course Japan is hyper Dominate in game making so there is alot of asians.

[yellowfellow]

T. Hawk was of Mexican origin in Super Street Fighter II for SNES

[Caliban]

What about Vega from street fighter (idon't know which one) he's spanish. What about the Ixa'takan people from Skies of Arcadia.

[Darc Requiem]

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Originally posted by: Luciferschild
Basically this post is about the lack of any hispanics in any video games I've played. I haven't played every game of course and I think there might be some puerto ricans in gta or something but generally speaking it seems like there is some kind of ban on mexicans in video games. Even in fighting games where usually every race is represented I've never seen a mexican. You see a lot of asian characters and a few blacks here and there but never hispanics, this is not counting sports games of course. I find this strange because according to the latest census hispanics are the largest minority group now or at least will they will be in a few years. Where I live in wa. state it has basically turned into mexico, there are literally mexicans everywhere even my neighbors are. So I just find it weird about no representation in video games and would like to see a game with a mexican as a main character at some point just for the hell of it you know. Has anyone else noticed this or am I missing something?

I feel your pain. While there are black people in games they are usually like my avatar. Stereotypical. Latino's aren't really represented at all. Truth be told there are more Latino's in North America than there are black people. There are more Latino's in American than there are black people. Once gamemaker's realize this there will be more in latino's in games, unfortunately they will probably be represented in the usual stereotypical manner. Outside of Carlos in RE3, Malvado in MK: DA, and Carlos in Final Fight 2 and can't really think of any characters of hispanic/latin origin in games. Well outside of Def Jam Vendetta that is. There where a few latino's in that game. Even Knights of the Old Republic, which I enjoyed greatly partially because I could make a character that resembles me lacks in faces for latin players. That best thing I can do is suggest you write games companies and inform them of the huge market they are ignoring.

Darc Requiem  

[alvinaloy]

Yep. I agree with Ian Sane. You play games, just because you want to be entertained. Why care about the racial representations? I'm a Chinese myself and you don't see me complaining. Besides, would you go complain to Nintendo on why Link isn't black? Or why Samus isn't Chinese? Or why Starfox uses a fox as it's main character, why not Stareagle instead?

[aoi tsuki]

i never thought about it, but it's true; you don't see a lot of latinos in games. Same goes for Native Americans and Middle Easterners and i'm sure other groups of people. While i wouldn't expect games developed outside of the US to take note of it, it's something i'd expect US developers to begin to, especially since latinos are the biggest minority now.

We can all name a couple of latino characters in games, but they are few and far between. How many white, black, or asian characters can you name without really thinking about it?

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Why care about the racial representations?

i guess people just wanna see someone who looks like them. In a game where you can create your own character like KoToR or The Sims, there should be a choice for practically every race.

i think people, especially latinos, should write the companies and let them know that they want to see more latino presence in games. Latinos buy their games too, and i'm sure when the companies get enough demand, they'll add more latino characters.

[Hostile Creation]

I agree with Ian Sane.  However, the presence of female characters, methinks does not apply to the female gaming population, but for the further pleasure of the males

Nah, females is cool wiff me, yo.  Look at Samus, for instance.  Very cool.

[PIAC]

i haven't really thought of it, i would like more australians perhaps (NOT CRASH BANDICOOT!) but hey, what ever the game makers think best fits the game is the right person/race for the job.  a comical beatem up similar to veiwtiful joe with reversed stereotypes could be fun?!

[oohhboy]

Who the hell cares. Well actually you guys do, but it is not like video games are oppressing the people or anything. I mean every race represented in video games tend to be sterotypical.

Males have to look like they work out at the Gym 26 hours a day and Females look this they have $500000 worth of plastic inside them. This so called lack of race representation is just one aspect of a large problem that only exists in ones mind. It is only a problem when one takes it for the turth.

End Rant.

[vudu]

do you think, in the future, they might start making different versions of the same game where the main character is black/hispanic/asian instead of white?  the exact same game, except the characters have different models.  kinda like they do with dolls.  (you can buy black dolls.  you can also get brunette/blonde/red head dolls for that matter.)

while i think it might be a semi-cool idea, it's not really practical.  it would be easy enough to change the models but keep the rest of the game the same, but most retailers wouldn't want to carry different versions of the game.  (although, now that i think about it, there could easily be an option in the main menu to change your character's race.  but if they do that, you know edios will have an option in every single one of their games star laura croft.)

[Grey Ninja]

Personally I think this racism thing has gone WAAAAY overboard.  Who the hell should really give a crap that the person in the game that you are playing doesn't have the right skin color?

I am 100% in agreement with Ian Sane, oohhboy, and anyone else who thinks this whole idea is stupid.  It's like watching black people get upset when there isn't a black guy in a movie.  Who really gives a rat's ass?

[ThePerm]

i remember there wasa big controversy about the orange county movie not having anybody but white people. However, one would aks how many different types of people
auditioned to be in the movie? You have to want to be in the movie to be in the movie...get it?

[vudu]

i, too, agree with grey ninja, ian sane and ooooooooooooooooooohhhhhhhhhhhhboy that it doesn't really matter one way or another.  but, may i ask you, are all three of you white males, between the ages of 12 to 30, from middle class families?  

::everyone raises their hand::

if you're not in a minority, you really can't understand what it's like.  (for the record, i am a white male, between the ages of 12 to 30, and from a middle class family, so i admit freely i have no idea what i'm talking about.)

[vudu]

also, what in the heck happened to the perm's avatar?  i miss the guy with the 'fro.  it was nice because whenever i saw that i knew i could usually just skip reading the post.  

[Grey Ninja]

I ain't a white male.    I figured someone would try to pin that on me, so I deliberately didn't say that.  As for being from a middle class family, hell no.  I am from a family well below the poverty line.

There's a picture of me floating around here somewhere.  It's not that great of a picture, but it should clearly show that I am a member of a visible minority.

[S-U-P-E-R]

I would like to bring up the fact that El Gado is THE MAN.

[vudu]

the picture grey ninja mentioned, can be found here.  scroll down to his second post and click on pic 4.

and i could be completely wrong, but you certainly appear to be a white male in the picture.  

nice tattoo, btw.  the only thing that could make it better would be if you put a big heart around it.  maybe put a dagger though it.  ooh!  or a snake wrapped around a dagger, dripping in blood.  that would be sweet.

[vudu]

now that i think about it, you can't be that poor.  i mean, it must have cost a pretty penny to secure the rights to reprint the nintendo logo on your arm.  you do have written premission from noa, don't you?

[Hostile Creation]

If he says his family is below the poverty level, then they probably are.  He could have very well gotten all those things for himself, without the assistance of his family.

[Grey Ninja]

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and i could be completely wrong, but you certainly appear to be a white male in the picture.

Well, I am part white, but I am also part Canadian Indian.  I have Indian Status, so it's not like I am THAT white.  Every Indian I see on the street recognizes my skin color anyways.  Trust me, the picture is lousy.

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nice tattoo, btw. the only thing that could make it better would be if you put a big heart around it. maybe put a dagger though it. ooh! or a snake wrapped around a dagger, dripping in blood. that would be sweet.

Thanks.    I just wanted to keep it simple though.  

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now that i think about it, you can't be that poor. i mean, it must have cost a pretty penny to secure the rights to reprint the nintendo logo on your arm. you do have written premission from noa, don't you?

60 Canadian dollars.  Minimum charge.  I don't think I require any written permission to have their logo tattooed on my arm.  That tattoo guy said that logos are actually pretty common, and he does a lot of BMX and music label logos, so I seriously doubt it could get me in any trouble.

[ThePerm]

from the picture i thought he was japanese......i thought he said he was once....whatever anthropoligcal data sugest asian skull shape is very close to Native American(or whatever which faction wants to call itself) so im not very unwarented. I'm part indian myself but i would asume that its prolly more washed out then not. I am very white and am the butt of all my friends jokes because they are alot darker then me.

[kennyb27]

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i mean, it must have cost a pretty penny to secure the rights to reprint the nintendo logo on your arm.

Um...free advertising?

Anyway, back to the topic, it's complete BS.  Absolutely no need to put in a "Select Race" option in the game.  And the NAACP (US only, obviously) would probably find a way to have a field day with it.  

[oohhboy]

You know why I am not going to tell you kingvudu?

1. It doesn't bloody matter at the end of the day. Anyone is a minority if they percieve themselfs to be a minority.
2. You can find that out for yourself.