Final Fantasy VII. Then you hear him talk in the remake … “/>April saw the release of both Final Fantasy VII Remake (FF7R) and Mana tests, two role-playing games of more than 20 years recreated for modern times. These reimagines have received solid receptions from critics and players alike and introduced these titles to a new generation of potential fans.
But despite all the changes introduced in the intervening decades, both versions unfortunately include some of the same problems present in their original inspirations. Specifically, these games still do a bad job of portraying people of color, through Barret in Final Fantasy and Kevin in Mana tests.
Blaxpoitation Barret
At Final Fantasy VII RemakeBarret Wallace is many things: he is a good father, a vigilante, a commanding officer, a robust party member, and a hero. He is shown to be an interesting and endearing person in different ways. Through him, we learn how dedicated Avalanche is to stopping Shinra. He is the first character to fully accept that his eco-terrorism has serious consequences, such as harm to the innocent. Barret also reminds players of the hypocrisy of working for an evil corporation.
Then you hear him speak.
For many fans of black games, Barret’s vocal performance in FF7R It undermines all work on developing his character, making him a frustrating stereotype of a black man who is front and center in one of the biggest game releases of the year.
Barret’s exaggerated speech and gestures are out of place and uncomfortable. And he’s the only character in the game to present himself this way. Near the beginning of the game, for example, he gives a speech about the pain of the planet in which he emulates as if he were trying to speak to a choir, a trope that Norris Howard pointed out. Or in the midst of battle, Barret often screams his dialogue. Barret also serves as comic relief from the often awkward party, reflecting a casting story that often leaves such roles for black people.
A notable example is during Chapter 7 when Barrett, Tifa, and Cloud head to Mako Reactor 5. Throughout the mission, Barrett offers colorful commentary as a means of stress relief. But his comment eventually turns into mostly unsuccessful attempts at humor. He also sings and even jokingly asks his comrades if they want to dance on the road. This jovial and clown Barret becomes the default throughout the rest of the game, a highly problematic situation for what had been a complex character.
Barret’s presentation follows a long and continuous history of black stereotypes in the media. It’s as if he was pulled out of the Blaxploitation era and fell in 2020. That type of black character was common in the 1970s, when black actors often had to make jokes about themselves to even have a chance to be seen in the screen. Decades later, there is no reason to go back to that time, in games or in any medium.
Defenders can also go back to the 1970s to find an analogue for Barrett, saying his performance is simply inspired by Team AAside from Mr. T.’s physical appearance, there is little reason to think that the Japanese creators of the game claim Barret to be a substitute for Mr. T. As Tim Rogers of Kotaku points out in his in-depth analysis of the game’s location , the original Japanese version of Barret reads more like Metal Gear SolidIt is the solid snake. The character’s bizarre transformation into “terrifying big black man” appears to be primarily the result of the original 1997 localization to English. It is worrying that this perception has been carried until 2020.
Non-black fans can also claim that Barret’s voice acting is merely and appropriately “passionate”. Such assumptions carry their own problems, likely spurred by the consumption of stereotypical black characters carried through the media for centuries. Typography and token roles are so ingrained in our art, many suppose this is a proper representation of a black character.
The new version, however, tries to do better for people of color. The Midgar world is occupied by other black and brown people who live their daily lives. Compared to these other representations in the same game, Barrett’s exaggerated performance is so jarring that it’s absurd.
This is a great feat because we live in a world with so many non-stereotypical historical works by black creators. We have movies like Black Panther, The last black man in San Franciscoand books like Such a black blade. These works have been praised for portraying blacks as people rather than caricatures. Other entertainment media continue to leave games behind in their work for marginalized groups. They serve as a model that largely goes unnoticed in games.
This is probably a consequence of the fact that the statistics of the gaming industry are not representative of the world in which we live. According to the IGDA, black people represent only two percent of workers in the gaming industry. That statistic is likely to go a long way in explaining how the Barret cartoon went through the development process with no apparent issues, leaving a dazzling stereotype in one of the year’s most prominent games.
As long as gameplay remains largely homogeneous, racial bias, both conscious and unconscious, will likely prevail in our games. But despite widespread calls for a more diverse set of creators in space, getting better representation on development teams is a constant uphill battle.
Kevin of the Beastmen
In Mana testsKevin, prince of beastmen, is the only hero of color. This in itself is not a problem. However, what is problematic is the description of his kingdom of Ferolia, one of the main antagonistic forces in the world. The Beastmen are almost all brown skinned and represent the only colored humans you will see until almost the end of the game.
In Mana tests, people with the darkest skin tones are literally the scariest and bestial. This continues a well established tradition where dark skin is associated with evil within fiction. It would be negligent not to mention that Square Enix’s main antagonist kingdom hearts The game series is also the only brown character in the series.
TO Mana testsThe credit is that the game gives some background to the antagonism of the Beastmen. The king’s desire to subjugate “normal” humans extends from the oppression that Beastmen suffered as oppressed people in the past. However, the actions of the Beastmen evolve far beyond revenge, and the group proves to be no better than their former oppressors. The prince soon finds himself at odds with his people (and, more specifically, his father, the king).
A new version is an opportunity to revisit all aspects of the game and update them accordingly. However, Kevin is literally the only Beastman who disagrees with the King’s actions. Nor do we see other peaceful or dark-skinned heroic people simply existing.
While playing the original title, these depictions of the breed were awkward. Seeing it unchanged in the remake is baffling.
Some might argue that it is unfair to expect Japanese developers to be in tune with black media representations when it comes to an American audience. But using that as an excuse would be an unfair and rude generalization. The Japanese are generally very aware of the damage caused by these types of representations and work to correct them. We can see Pokemon games for two examples. The first would be with the Pokémon Jynx, whose skin color changed from black to purple in all media to address its proximity to the black face. Gamefreak also redesigned gym leader Lenora to avoid the mommy stereotype.
Other games developed in Japan have also demonstrated the ability to highlight non-stereotyped color characters. Last years Pokémon shield and sword it featured quite a few relevant and complete characters and gym leaders who are black and brown. And at Hideo Kojima’s Stranded deathDie Hardman, played by Tommie Earl Jenkins, possibly delivered one of the game’s best performances. These prominent and positive representations may seem small, but they highlight how the industry can improve.
A double-edged sword
Despite these examples, gamers of color still face very few options when it comes to playing with well-regarded characters who look like them. This makes being a minority and a fan of games a kind of double-edged sword. When time and disposable income are limited, we often have to put aside or ignore some of these feelings about troubled characters to play.
In no way does this mean that we should tolerate poor attempts or simply be grateful. How Final Fantasy VII and Mana tests Treating his characters of color was not excusable 20 years ago, let alone now. It is not a matter of diversity and inclusion; it is simply being a true reflection of the real world in which we live.
The entertainment industries need more underrepresented creators, not just because representation is important. These creators make sure that self-resembling characters are treated with humanity and the grace we see in ourselves, the same humanity and grace that society at large often does not recognize.
