Slave Tetris
September 2, 2015 5:20 PM Subscribe
Because it was "perceived to be extremely insensitive by some people," Danish game developer Serious Games Interactive has removed the 'Slave Tetris' feature from Playing History: Slave Trade.
Hmm well sometimes subjects that are difficult to confront directly can reach people better if they're delivered in an irreverent or unconventional way so let's just take a look at the screenshot and see if we're rushing to judgOH HELL NO
posted by prize bull octorok at 5:25 PM on September 2, 2015 [72 favorites]
posted by prize bull octorok at 5:25 PM on September 2, 2015 [72 favorites]
They need to change their name to Are You Fucking Serious? Games.
Because.
Are you fucking serious?
posted by absalom at 5:26 PM on September 2, 2015 [9 favorites]
Because.
Are you fucking serious?
posted by absalom at 5:26 PM on September 2, 2015 [9 favorites]
I believe the CEO released a statement saying this was just an example of the difference between American and European cultures, as the complaints only came from Americans.
So, what the hell is going on over there, Europe?
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 5:28 PM on September 2, 2015 [21 favorites]
So, what the hell is going on over there, Europe?
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 5:28 PM on September 2, 2015 [21 favorites]
500 years of smug fucking denial.
posted by poffin boffin at 5:29 PM on September 2, 2015 [39 favorites]
posted by poffin boffin at 5:29 PM on September 2, 2015 [39 favorites]
oh, and hella racism
posted by poffin boffin at 5:29 PM on September 2, 2015 [8 favorites]
posted by poffin boffin at 5:29 PM on September 2, 2015 [8 favorites]
Wow that is impressively WTF.
posted by Bringer Tom at 5:30 PM on September 2, 2015
posted by Bringer Tom at 5:30 PM on September 2, 2015
...but they're all smiling!
posted by leotrotsky at 5:33 PM on September 2, 2015
posted by leotrotsky at 5:33 PM on September 2, 2015
finally a worthy sequel to JFK: Reloaded in the annals of hilariously ill-advised history games
posted by theodolite at 5:35 PM on September 2, 2015
posted by theodolite at 5:35 PM on September 2, 2015
btw when you google "slave ship cutaway" and realize half the fucking links have to do with Boba Fett, you start to wonder if maybe we've embraced nerd culture a little too tightly
posted by prize bull octorok at 5:36 PM on September 2, 2015 [22 favorites]
posted by prize bull octorok at 5:36 PM on September 2, 2015 [22 favorites]
I believe the CEO released a statement saying this was just an example of the difference between American and European cultures, as the complaints only came from Americans.
So, what the hell is going on over there, Europe?
Europe has some pretty attractive socialism going on in places, but things like this remind me that Europe is…very Eurocentric. A former coworker of mine, who is Pakistani, spent a summer in Europe, and goddamn if they weren't blatant about treating him like a second-class human being. People would assume he was "the help" all the time and worse. He dreaded talking to people.
The United States is extremely racist, but as a result of unavoidable immersion therapy, may be the least racist country in the world.
posted by ignignokt at 5:38 PM on September 2, 2015 [10 favorites]
So, what the hell is going on over there, Europe?
Europe has some pretty attractive socialism going on in places, but things like this remind me that Europe is…very Eurocentric. A former coworker of mine, who is Pakistani, spent a summer in Europe, and goddamn if they weren't blatant about treating him like a second-class human being. People would assume he was "the help" all the time and worse. He dreaded talking to people.
The United States is extremely racist, but as a result of unavoidable immersion therapy, may be the least racist country in the world.
posted by ignignokt at 5:38 PM on September 2, 2015 [10 favorites]
From the first link:Simon Egenfeldt-Nielsen, the CEO of Serious Games Interactive, initially seemed to make light of the controversy. “Contemplating what our next game will be.... something that can't possible hurt anybodies feelings... maybe just do a good old plan shooter,” he posted late Sunday night. Egenfeldt-Nielsen deleted his Twitter account on Tuesday.
I wonder if this new generation of people will be more media savvy about making shitty comments.
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 5:41 PM on September 2, 2015 [5 favorites]
I wonder if this new generation of people will be more media savvy about making shitty comments.
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 5:41 PM on September 2, 2015 [5 favorites]
Ironically, this is teaching more adults about modern racism than it teaches children about historical racism.
I hope that's the correct usage of “ironically.” If not, feel free to substitute “horrifyingly.”
posted by Riki tiki at 5:50 PM on September 2, 2015 [5 favorites]
I hope that's the correct usage of “ironically.” If not, feel free to substitute “horrifyingly.”
posted by Riki tiki at 5:50 PM on September 2, 2015 [5 favorites]
God, the unbelievable self-righteousness of saying that this awful game was "perceived to be extremely insensitive by some people" makes this, somehow, even worse.
posted by clockzero at 5:51 PM on September 2, 2015 [13 favorites]
posted by clockzero at 5:51 PM on September 2, 2015 [13 favorites]
Is that even a real game company? The game is so crudely put together it looks like a malware injection system.
may be the least racist country in the world.
Uh, no, the US is not the least racist country in the world, although I would say Denmark and the US are racist in their own unique way. Canada, where I live, is racist. So is Japan, where I spend part of the year (so I'm not dumping on the States).
posted by Nevin at 5:51 PM on September 2, 2015 [1 favorite]
may be the least racist country in the world.
Uh, no, the US is not the least racist country in the world, although I would say Denmark and the US are racist in their own unique way. Canada, where I live, is racist. So is Japan, where I spend part of the year (so I'm not dumping on the States).
posted by Nevin at 5:51 PM on September 2, 2015 [1 favorite]
I do think they should get rid of the whole game. It's so bizarre and offensive and in all the weirdest ways
Yeah, I gotta go with that. In addition, for an "educational" game, it appears to be completely ahistorical. Also, what prize bull octorook said. Damned by its own execution.
posted by Miko at 5:59 PM on September 2, 2015 [2 favorites]
Yeah, I gotta go with that. In addition, for an "educational" game, it appears to be completely ahistorical. Also, what prize bull octorook said. Damned by its own execution.
posted by Miko at 5:59 PM on September 2, 2015 [2 favorites]
I attended an ethnically diverse, public elementary school in the western US in the 80s. I remember filling out a mimeographed form on which, in the role of master of a colonial middle-passage slave ship, we were required to decide whether to "loose pack" or "tight pack" our cargo of human beings. A gamified presentation of outcomes and class discussion followed, entirely focused on the economic choices slave traders faced. (Such choices are, of course, the important messages to take home about the history of slavery in the Americas.)
Even then, as a kid who didn't know anything about anything, it seemed astonishing and horrible. And not in the way that discussions of slavery should be astonishing and horrible.
In the abstract, gamifying the grotesque in order to bring attention to it seems like it could be a good idea. But these assholes are doing it wrong. As was my fourth grade teacher.
posted by eotvos at 6:02 PM on September 2, 2015 [4 favorites]
Even then, as a kid who didn't know anything about anything, it seemed astonishing and horrible. And not in the way that discussions of slavery should be astonishing and horrible.
In the abstract, gamifying the grotesque in order to bring attention to it seems like it could be a good idea. But these assholes are doing it wrong. As was my fourth grade teacher.
posted by eotvos at 6:02 PM on September 2, 2015 [4 favorites]
I figured it would be bad but it was worse than I thought possible.
posted by Justinian at 6:03 PM on September 2, 2015 [5 favorites]
posted by Justinian at 6:03 PM on September 2, 2015 [5 favorites]
There is a tendency in the US left to be so awestruck at the successes of northern European socialist democracies that we don't see the down side of their cultures. I can't say anything specific about Denmark, but for many years my company represented an Icelandic manufacturer and it was shocking to see how they interacted with people in the southern US. They were absolutely convinced of their own superiority in every sphere and utterly clueless as to when they were being dicks about it. It was abundantly clear that to them, US citizens in general were obvious morons, southerners in particular were just a fraction of a notch above black people who were in turn all likely to have been raised in the jungle by lemurs.
This isn't to say they weren't nice, generous to a fault, and highly capable engineers. But they were so confident in their superiority they were completely incapable of seeing how it looked to the rest of us.
posted by Bringer Tom at 6:04 PM on September 2, 2015 [10 favorites]
This isn't to say they weren't nice, generous to a fault, and highly capable engineers. But they were so confident in their superiority they were completely incapable of seeing how it looked to the rest of us.
posted by Bringer Tom at 6:04 PM on September 2, 2015 [10 favorites]
Ok, so I'm curious: does that game not read as totally horrifying to people in Europe?
posted by ArbitraryAndCapricious at 6:05 PM on September 2, 2015
posted by ArbitraryAndCapricious at 6:05 PM on September 2, 2015
ignignokt: "The United States is extremely racist, but as a result of unavoidable immersion therapy, may be the least racist country in the world."
Whether or not this is true, it relies heavily on the Guinness and not so much on the world record.
posted by Riki tiki at 6:05 PM on September 2, 2015
Whether or not this is true, it relies heavily on the Guinness and not so much on the world record.
posted by Riki tiki at 6:05 PM on September 2, 2015
The United States is extremely racist, but as a result of unavoidable immersion therapy, may be the least racist country in the world.
I don't think I would go that far, but I do think there's something to the notion that, racist as the US is, there's at least slightly more acknowledgment of that fact compared to other countries. There is an incredibly predictable response anytime any non-US country (particularly European countries that have their own sordid past with slavery and racism) has their racism pointed out -- "oh, that's just your American culture, you don't understand us, we don't have racism like you have".
It's as if the fact that the US has made the most token effort possible to acknowledge its racism somehow absolves every other country of having any possibility of having a problem with racism. (That the US's extremely limited progress in this regard somehow puts it so far ahead of most other countries is, frankly, pretty depressing)
posted by tocts at 6:07 PM on September 2, 2015 [9 favorites]
I don't think I would go that far, but I do think there's something to the notion that, racist as the US is, there's at least slightly more acknowledgment of that fact compared to other countries. There is an incredibly predictable response anytime any non-US country (particularly European countries that have their own sordid past with slavery and racism) has their racism pointed out -- "oh, that's just your American culture, you don't understand us, we don't have racism like you have".
It's as if the fact that the US has made the most token effort possible to acknowledge its racism somehow absolves every other country of having any possibility of having a problem with racism. (That the US's extremely limited progress in this regard somehow puts it so far ahead of most other countries is, frankly, pretty depressing)
posted by tocts at 6:07 PM on September 2, 2015 [9 favorites]
Huh, I've cited papers by Eigenfeld-Nielsen before.
That seems like a terrible game, a terrible learning system, and a terrible way to respond to the justifiable blowback.
posted by codacorolla at 6:20 PM on September 2, 2015
That seems like a terrible game, a terrible learning system, and a terrible way to respond to the justifiable blowback.
posted by codacorolla at 6:20 PM on September 2, 2015
Of course the company is based in Denmark. Of course it is.
posted by zarq at 6:22 PM on September 2, 2015 [4 favorites]
posted by zarq at 6:22 PM on September 2, 2015 [4 favorites]
So, what the hell is going on over there, Europe?
Business as usual tbh.
posted by griphus at 6:25 PM on September 2, 2015 [5 favorites]
Business as usual tbh.
posted by griphus at 6:25 PM on September 2, 2015 [5 favorites]
I mean shit when I was in some tiny town in Denmark someone asked me if I was "from Spain."
I assure you it was not because of my lisp or predilection for tapas.
posted by griphus at 6:26 PM on September 2, 2015 [5 favorites]
I assure you it was not because of my lisp or predilection for tapas.
posted by griphus at 6:26 PM on September 2, 2015 [5 favorites]
So is Japan, where I spend part of the year
No kidding!
posted by shakespeherian at 6:40 PM on September 2, 2015 [2 favorites]
No kidding!
posted by shakespeherian at 6:40 PM on September 2, 2015 [2 favorites]
Okay, yes, this is tasteless and offensive. But I'll bet you that plenty of children who see this poster in their history textbooks will forget about it by next year, but the ones who play this game will have a visceral memory of what happens to people when they're treated as cargo.
(Edit just to clarify: No, that doesn't mean I think the game was a good idea.)
posted by Rangi at 6:54 PM on September 2, 2015
(Edit just to clarify: No, that doesn't mean I think the game was a good idea.)
posted by Rangi at 6:54 PM on September 2, 2015
As an educator, who has taught a lot about slavery (and of course used that classic graphic) I have to disagree. That game is not going to give anyone "a visceral memory of what happens to people when they're treated as cargo." The representation is ineffective. It's disturbing, but not in any pertinent or realistic way, not in a way that translates to any kind of empathetic understanding.
posted by Miko at 6:57 PM on September 2, 2015 [17 favorites]
posted by Miko at 6:57 PM on September 2, 2015 [17 favorites]
maybe the white ones will. the black ones already know what it feels like to be dehumanized.
posted by poffin boffin at 6:58 PM on September 2, 2015 [10 favorites]
posted by poffin boffin at 6:58 PM on September 2, 2015 [10 favorites]
As an educator, who has taught a lot about slavery (and of course used that classic graphic) I have to disagree. That game is not going to give anyone "a visceral memory of what happens to people when they're treated as cargo." The representation is ineffective. It's disturbing, but not in any pertinent or realistic way.
I'll take your word for it, then. Out of curiosity, do you know any studies on whether some kind of interactive method improves teaching? I'm thinking of things like base ten blocks and songs to help learn arithmetic, or the blue eyes–brown eyes exercise to illustrate prejudice. Or even just class discussion, to get students to actually think about the material, instead of remembering key points to repeat word-for-word on their exams.
(Looks like blue eyes–brown eyes is another bad example of good teaching: "The outcomes of a 1990 research study by the Utah State University were that virtually all the subjects reported that the experience was meaningful for them. However, the statistical evidence supporting the effectiveness of the activity for prejudice reduction was moderate; and virtually all the participants, as well as the simulation facilitator, reported stress from the simulation. ... As a result of the 1990 research, Murdoch University did not include the "Blue eyes-Brown eyes" method in their list of successful strategies to reduce racism.")
posted by Rangi at 7:05 PM on September 2, 2015
I'll take your word for it, then. Out of curiosity, do you know any studies on whether some kind of interactive method improves teaching? I'm thinking of things like base ten blocks and songs to help learn arithmetic, or the blue eyes–brown eyes exercise to illustrate prejudice. Or even just class discussion, to get students to actually think about the material, instead of remembering key points to repeat word-for-word on their exams.
(Looks like blue eyes–brown eyes is another bad example of good teaching: "The outcomes of a 1990 research study by the Utah State University were that virtually all the subjects reported that the experience was meaningful for them. However, the statistical evidence supporting the effectiveness of the activity for prejudice reduction was moderate; and virtually all the participants, as well as the simulation facilitator, reported stress from the simulation. ... As a result of the 1990 research, Murdoch University did not include the "Blue eyes-Brown eyes" method in their list of successful strategies to reduce racism.")
posted by Rangi at 7:05 PM on September 2, 2015
If you have any doubts about this game being awful, I recommend watching a let's play video.
posted by buriednexttoyou at 7:10 PM on September 2, 2015 [2 favorites]
posted by buriednexttoyou at 7:10 PM on September 2, 2015 [2 favorites]
do you know any studies on whether some kind of interactive method improves teaching?
Well...this is one of those questions where you're asking for an exhaustive amount of information. Short answer, absolutely yes, multi-modal teaching strategies including interactivity, gaming and roleplaying can be more effective than didactic skill and drill if they are well constructed and suited to the learners and the content. It's much too much for me to want to boil down here, but start with this book.
That study doesn't prove that Blue eyes-brown eyes was ineffective, but that cultural context remains more powerful than a single time-limited intervention of any kind - a fairly obvious conclusion. If anything I'd say blue eyes-brown eyes has been a pretty effective educational tool as a film and readings about an experiment, probably much more than as an experiment.
posted by Miko at 7:20 PM on September 2, 2015 [1 favorite]
Well...this is one of those questions where you're asking for an exhaustive amount of information. Short answer, absolutely yes, multi-modal teaching strategies including interactivity, gaming and roleplaying can be more effective than didactic skill and drill if they are well constructed and suited to the learners and the content. It's much too much for me to want to boil down here, but start with this book.
That study doesn't prove that Blue eyes-brown eyes was ineffective, but that cultural context remains more powerful than a single time-limited intervention of any kind - a fairly obvious conclusion. If anything I'd say blue eyes-brown eyes has been a pretty effective educational tool as a film and readings about an experiment, probably much more than as an experiment.
posted by Miko at 7:20 PM on September 2, 2015 [1 favorite]
valve
valve
gabe. i want to talk to gabe
yes hi you need to pay people to review games before you put them on the store
yeah
the whole game
maybe go through a contractor. that's ok
no, a bunch of votes on greenlight don't count
that's not how this works
posted by LogicalDash at 7:21 PM on September 2, 2015 [6 favorites]
valve
gabe. i want to talk to gabe
yes hi you need to pay people to review games before you put them on the store
yeah
the whole game
maybe go through a contractor. that's ok
no, a bunch of votes on greenlight don't count
that's not how this works
posted by LogicalDash at 7:21 PM on September 2, 2015 [6 favorites]
It is interesting to think of what specific evidence-based teaching strategies are effective in anti-racism practice. There are a lot of "how to be an anti-racist educator" writeups in the world, but few seem to share strategies that have been researched for efficacy. I don't know personally, but I Googled and found a report from Australia on what works, and something from Greece. I consider myself an anti-racist but my education work has been more around delivering historical and cultural content than personal attitude change, so I can't speak too much to that.
posted by Miko at 7:27 PM on September 2, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by Miko at 7:27 PM on September 2, 2015 [1 favorite]
But I'll bet you that plenty of children who see this poster in their history textbooks will forget about it by next year, but the ones who play this game will have a visceral memory of what happens to people when they're treated as cargo.
I saw that poster in a childhood history textbook, and I have never forgotten it. (Actually, I was going "is it--is it the one with the ship--oh god it is" as I clicked the link.) I think I remember it being paired with discussion on what it must have felt like to be stuck like that, in a ship, for months at a time--but just, seeing the people stacked row by row and not being able to leave or move on any regular basis. That image stuck in my brain something fierce.
posted by sciatrix at 7:30 PM on September 2, 2015 [8 favorites]
I saw that poster in a childhood history textbook, and I have never forgotten it. (Actually, I was going "is it--is it the one with the ship--oh god it is" as I clicked the link.) I think I remember it being paired with discussion on what it must have felt like to be stuck like that, in a ship, for months at a time--but just, seeing the people stacked row by row and not being able to leave or move on any regular basis. That image stuck in my brain something fierce.
posted by sciatrix at 7:30 PM on September 2, 2015 [8 favorites]
I sat here thinking, oh this can't be as bad as I am imagining it to be.
And I was right!
It was WAY WORSE HOLY SHIT
posted by angeline at 8:20 PM on September 2, 2015 [3 favorites]
And I was right!
It was WAY WORSE HOLY SHIT
posted by angeline at 8:20 PM on September 2, 2015 [3 favorites]
As a connoisseur of tasteless things I really do stand in awe of this one. The fact that it was unintended is just a little spice.
posted by Tell Me No Lies at 8:52 PM on September 2, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by Tell Me No Lies at 8:52 PM on September 2, 2015 [1 favorite]
This is just so mind bogglingly perfectly wrong. Teach children about slavery by getting them to treat victims as objects in a trivial game. The tetris and the math problems both. Is there a way they could have done more to get kids to minimize the evil of the slave traders and have less empathy for the slaves? Because I really can't think of one.
posted by mark k at 10:09 PM on September 2, 2015
posted by mark k at 10:09 PM on September 2, 2015
The United States is extremely racist, but as a result of unavoidable immersion therapy, may be the least racist country in the world.
You're... Repositioning slavery as a history of engagement with black people that makes the U.S. less racist than any other country?
posted by Segundus at 11:16 PM on September 2, 2015 [3 favorites]
You're... Repositioning slavery as a history of engagement with black people that makes the U.S. less racist than any other country?
posted by Segundus at 11:16 PM on September 2, 2015 [3 favorites]
> So, what the hell is going on over there, Europe?
Not every place on Earth has the same sacred cows.
posted by king walnut at 11:37 PM on September 2, 2015 [1 favorite]
Not every place on Earth has the same sacred cows.
posted by king walnut at 11:37 PM on September 2, 2015 [1 favorite]
Hard to compare racism between countries because it takes different forms. I particularly, racism in a mostly homogenous country seems different than in a diverse one. Both can be racist but its almost impossible to say which is more racist. (thinking Japan vs US here, but applies to Europe vs US some too).
posted by thefoxgod at 12:06 AM on September 3, 2015 [2 favorites]
posted by thefoxgod at 12:06 AM on September 3, 2015 [2 favorites]
Ok, so I'm curious: does that game not read as totally horrifying to people in Europe?
Christ, yes, of course it does. Do we have to say it? Or do you mean a different part of Europe? It's made up of such distinct nation cultures that I don't really know how to answer any question directed at the collective unit of "Europe".
posted by distorte at 1:20 AM on September 3, 2015 [6 favorites]
Christ, yes, of course it does. Do we have to say it? Or do you mean a different part of Europe? It's made up of such distinct nation cultures that I don't really know how to answer any question directed at the collective unit of "Europe".
posted by distorte at 1:20 AM on September 3, 2015 [6 favorites]
I believe the CEO released a statement saying this was just an example of the difference between American and European cultures, as the complaints only came from Americans.
So, what the hell is going on over there, Europe?
I don't think it's true. I often hear the same point about racism in my (different) European country. Of course there are people who find images like this horrifying. But somehow they are often not listened to and not really taken seriously (somewhat like in the US when you say that you think games where women are given away as prizes and achievements that promote sexual harassment are maybe not the best idea - critics exist, but not to the point that anything changes). When Americans notice, it tends to get a lot of press, criticism amplifies, and suddenly it's impossible to ignore. And while for some people this becomes a wake up call, for others it seems like the criticism only comes from the US, and feels like cultural imperialism, and they double down and refuse to change even more (because who are they to lecture us when they keep shooting unarmed black people in the back and have 80,000 people locked up in solitary confinement). And to be clear, that's not my opinion, it's just something I see a lot.
posted by blub at 1:53 AM on September 3, 2015 [10 favorites]
So, what the hell is going on over there, Europe?
I don't think it's true. I often hear the same point about racism in my (different) European country. Of course there are people who find images like this horrifying. But somehow they are often not listened to and not really taken seriously (somewhat like in the US when you say that you think games where women are given away as prizes and achievements that promote sexual harassment are maybe not the best idea - critics exist, but not to the point that anything changes). When Americans notice, it tends to get a lot of press, criticism amplifies, and suddenly it's impossible to ignore. And while for some people this becomes a wake up call, for others it seems like the criticism only comes from the US, and feels like cultural imperialism, and they double down and refuse to change even more (because who are they to lecture us when they keep shooting unarmed black people in the back and have 80,000 people locked up in solitary confinement). And to be clear, that's not my opinion, it's just something I see a lot.
posted by blub at 1:53 AM on September 3, 2015 [10 favorites]
Not every place on Earth has the same sacred cows.
My bad, didn't realize trivializing slavery was a sacred cow.
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 2:20 AM on September 3, 2015 [15 favorites]
My bad, didn't realize trivializing slavery was a sacred cow.
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 2:20 AM on September 3, 2015 [15 favorites]
Ugh, I saw this stream past on Greenlight a while ago and downvoted it at the time.
I actually think that "Slave Tetris" might be a workable concept for historical education, bringing home the inhumanity of the slave trade. As a tetris player, you're trying to maximize your score, and that's all that matters. Translating score into profits and the blocks into human beings you are abusing could be memorably horrible. But it would have to be done a lot more carefully than this. Not as a minigame in a cutesy ahistorical mess.
posted by Zarkonnen at 2:44 AM on September 3, 2015
I actually think that "Slave Tetris" might be a workable concept for historical education, bringing home the inhumanity of the slave trade. As a tetris player, you're trying to maximize your score, and that's all that matters. Translating score into profits and the blocks into human beings you are abusing could be memorably horrible. But it would have to be done a lot more carefully than this. Not as a minigame in a cutesy ahistorical mess.
posted by Zarkonnen at 2:44 AM on September 3, 2015
On Let's Play view: "You remember your African name, right?" Bwaaaaaaaaaaa
posted by Zarkonnen at 2:48 AM on September 3, 2015
posted by Zarkonnen at 2:48 AM on September 3, 2015
Here's a game/table thing from the reception area of a place in France my family stayed at last week: http://imgur.com/LUDw6S6
A few parts missing, but...
Naked brown person by a mud hut - check.
Bright yellow chinese person in a conical hat, with bonus pagoda-style building - check.
Your standard igloo-dwelling 'Eskimo' - check.
And this wasn't some old antique curiosity - it seemed quite new.
I also saw Golly-type figures for sale in a couple of gift shops.
Attitudes about what is/is not racism aren't too dissimilar in the UK to what they are in the US. But many parts of Europe seem to have a more relaxed idea of what is and isn't. I think the UK and France were once (70s? 80s?) pretty much on a par in terms of the use of what are now thought of as offensive racial stereotypes, but those stereotypes seem to still be widely used in France, where one can only assume that most (white) people aren't offended. Over here, we have the whole 'political correctness gone mad' right-wing media thing, which reflects the fact that our kids are being taught - in schools at least - that this stuff is not ok at all. The toy in my photo would definitely have provoked a negative reaction.
I can sort of see what the Danish developers were doing - prize bull octorok made that point at the start of the thread. I presume the intent was to use tetris as a metaphor for the almost industrial way that slaves were packaged into ships and traded as a commodity. The purpose seems to be to put us in the position of the oppressor in some way, and to make us think about the kind of world-view that a slave-ship owner might have, compared to our contemporary view. In a situation where this is used as a basis for an in-depth classroom discussion about colonialism, slavery, and how we've developed morally and ethically, I could see it being less problematic.
I think the problem I have with the slave-Tetris thing is that it's just too cartoony - there's no 'darkness' about it (such as the kind you see in 'Papers, Please') that would hint that the subject at hand is something crushingly horrific, which ought to be what the player takes away from the experience. Perhaps with more realistic imagery and the use of historical information, such as voiceovers telling the slaves' own stories, the idea could be made to work. I don't know.
posted by pipeski at 2:53 AM on September 3, 2015 [1 favorite]
A few parts missing, but...
Naked brown person by a mud hut - check.
Bright yellow chinese person in a conical hat, with bonus pagoda-style building - check.
Your standard igloo-dwelling 'Eskimo' - check.
And this wasn't some old antique curiosity - it seemed quite new.
I also saw Golly-type figures for sale in a couple of gift shops.
Attitudes about what is/is not racism aren't too dissimilar in the UK to what they are in the US. But many parts of Europe seem to have a more relaxed idea of what is and isn't. I think the UK and France were once (70s? 80s?) pretty much on a par in terms of the use of what are now thought of as offensive racial stereotypes, but those stereotypes seem to still be widely used in France, where one can only assume that most (white) people aren't offended. Over here, we have the whole 'political correctness gone mad' right-wing media thing, which reflects the fact that our kids are being taught - in schools at least - that this stuff is not ok at all. The toy in my photo would definitely have provoked a negative reaction.
I can sort of see what the Danish developers were doing - prize bull octorok made that point at the start of the thread. I presume the intent was to use tetris as a metaphor for the almost industrial way that slaves were packaged into ships and traded as a commodity. The purpose seems to be to put us in the position of the oppressor in some way, and to make us think about the kind of world-view that a slave-ship owner might have, compared to our contemporary view. In a situation where this is used as a basis for an in-depth classroom discussion about colonialism, slavery, and how we've developed morally and ethically, I could see it being less problematic.
I think the problem I have with the slave-Tetris thing is that it's just too cartoony - there's no 'darkness' about it (such as the kind you see in 'Papers, Please') that would hint that the subject at hand is something crushingly horrific, which ought to be what the player takes away from the experience. Perhaps with more realistic imagery and the use of historical information, such as voiceovers telling the slaves' own stories, the idea could be made to work. I don't know.
posted by pipeski at 2:53 AM on September 3, 2015 [1 favorite]
Ok, so I'm curious: does that game not read as totally horrifying to people in Europe?
In this part of Europe, one mightily pissed middle-aged European is considering a trip to Denmark to grab Mr. Egenfeldt-Nielsen by the collar and shout in his face "Replace the ship with the cattle wagon and the slaves with Jews, DO YOU GET IT NOW?!"
posted by hat_eater at 3:22 AM on September 3, 2015 [3 favorites]
In this part of Europe, one mightily pissed middle-aged European is considering a trip to Denmark to grab Mr. Egenfeldt-Nielsen by the collar and shout in his face "Replace the ship with the cattle wagon and the slaves with Jews, DO YOU GET IT NOW?!"
posted by hat_eater at 3:22 AM on September 3, 2015 [3 favorites]
The youtube ad/gameplay video is almost Onion level unreal... from the upbeat voice-over on down.
The tetris bit is of course headline grabbing deranged... but you play a 'slave cabin boy' or something who is sent out by the ships captain and owner to buy other slaves?! And it's all done in jolly bright colours with racist caricatures.
Did anyone with any level of responsibility in this company not say 'This is not a good idea'?
Of course it wouldn't surprise if GamerGame start spouting their nonsense about this.
posted by fearfulsymmetry at 3:37 AM on September 3, 2015
The tetris bit is of course headline grabbing deranged... but you play a 'slave cabin boy' or something who is sent out by the ships captain and owner to buy other slaves?! And it's all done in jolly bright colours with racist caricatures.
Did anyone with any level of responsibility in this company not say 'This is not a good idea'?
Of course it wouldn't surprise if GamerGame start spouting their nonsense about this.
posted by fearfulsymmetry at 3:37 AM on September 3, 2015
*Clicks through links*
....It is literally too early in the morning for that shit. I'm going back to bed.
posted by Ashen at 4:10 AM on September 3, 2015
....It is literally too early in the morning for that shit. I'm going back to bed.
posted by Ashen at 4:10 AM on September 3, 2015
"Replace the ship with the cattle wagon and the slaves with Jews, DO YOU GET IT NOW?!"
I think he might actually release that tho.
posted by LogicalDash at 4:13 AM on September 3, 2015 [2 favorites]
I think he might actually release that tho.
posted by LogicalDash at 4:13 AM on September 3, 2015 [2 favorites]
yeah, for a whole lot of europeans that would be valid entertainment.
posted by poffin boffin at 4:34 AM on September 3, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by poffin boffin at 4:34 AM on September 3, 2015 [1 favorite]
"Replace the ship with the cattle wagon and the slaves with Jews, DO YOU GET IT NOW?!"
Brenda Romero designed a board game like that: Train. But it's not supposed to be fun or entertaining; it's supposed to be a deeply disturbing meditation on complicity. She designed a similar board game about the Middle Passage. There's also a tabletop roleplaying game called Steal Away Jordan, in which you play slaves.
Of course, these games are way more sensitive and thoughtful than this Slave Tetris game. I just don't think we should automatically be offended that someone made a game about a tragic historical event. Games can tackle these subjects in ways that no other medium can because they require your active participation, which makes you more invested. They're not all necessarily light-hearted fun.
posted by Anyamatopoeia at 4:49 AM on September 3, 2015 [4 favorites]
Brenda Romero designed a board game like that: Train. But it's not supposed to be fun or entertaining; it's supposed to be a deeply disturbing meditation on complicity. She designed a similar board game about the Middle Passage. There's also a tabletop roleplaying game called Steal Away Jordan, in which you play slaves.
Of course, these games are way more sensitive and thoughtful than this Slave Tetris game. I just don't think we should automatically be offended that someone made a game about a tragic historical event. Games can tackle these subjects in ways that no other medium can because they require your active participation, which makes you more invested. They're not all necessarily light-hearted fun.
posted by Anyamatopoeia at 4:49 AM on September 3, 2015 [4 favorites]
OK, it's true: Denmark contains an insensitive moron. Could we hold off slightly on treating him as the anointed spokesperson/representative for Europe?
So far as I know we're not even giving him a run for President.
posted by Segundus at 5:04 AM on September 3, 2015 [2 favorites]
So far as I know we're not even giving him a run for President.
posted by Segundus at 5:04 AM on September 3, 2015 [2 favorites]
I just don't think we should automatically be offended that someone made a game about a tragic historical event.
I'd be a big stinking hypocrite if I meant that. Thank you for this comment - comparing the "slave Tetris" and Train helps explain a lot of what's wrong with the former by showing how to treat such subjects with care they deserve.
posted by hat_eater at 5:05 AM on September 3, 2015
I'd be a big stinking hypocrite if I meant that. Thank you for this comment - comparing the "slave Tetris" and Train helps explain a lot of what's wrong with the former by showing how to treat such subjects with care they deserve.
posted by hat_eater at 5:05 AM on September 3, 2015
I just don't think we should automatically be offended that someone made a game about a tragic historical event. Games can tackle these subjects in ways that no other medium can because they require your active
No one here is automatically offended because this game is about a tragic historical event. They're offended because the creators made a tone deaf and idiotic game about a tragic historical event.
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 5:19 AM on September 3, 2015 [8 favorites]
No one here is automatically offended because this game is about a tragic historical event. They're offended because the creators made a tone deaf and idiotic game about a tragic historical event.
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 5:19 AM on September 3, 2015 [8 favorites]
The purpose seems to be to put us in the position of the oppressor in some way, and to make us think about the kind of world-view that a slave-ship owner might have, compared to our contemporary view.
I do get that, and I would be very much down with it in theory, except that I think that we don't really need to explore our empathies with the slave-ship owner. Our culture essentially does this very well right now: in school and in pop culture, we are taught to identify with the clever profitmaker who is happy to cut corners on ethics because winning is the goal, rather than those who are oppressed by their activities. A game in which the focus is on the enslaved, their experience, and their resistance is something we would get a lot more out of than yet another game where the supremacist capitalist imperative is the real winner.
posted by Miko at 6:38 AM on September 3, 2015 [1 favorite]
I do get that, and I would be very much down with it in theory, except that I think that we don't really need to explore our empathies with the slave-ship owner. Our culture essentially does this very well right now: in school and in pop culture, we are taught to identify with the clever profitmaker who is happy to cut corners on ethics because winning is the goal, rather than those who are oppressed by their activities. A game in which the focus is on the enslaved, their experience, and their resistance is something we would get a lot more out of than yet another game where the supremacist capitalist imperative is the real winner.
posted by Miko at 6:38 AM on September 3, 2015 [1 favorite]
Segundus
You're... Repositioning slavery as a history of engagement with black people that makes the U.S. less racist than any other country?
This seems like an almost willful misreading of that comment. They're saying that the US has done horrible racist things, and has been forced to confront those things in various ways, resulting in the US having to deal with its racism, however poorly, in ways many other places have been able to avoid on a mass level.
I don't think the point was the the US is somehow better than other countries, just that the circumstances of its history have forced it do deal with race. Denmark doesn't have the history with slavery and race that the US does, and as a result hasn't been forced to confront its racial issues in the same way.
OK, it's true: Denmark contains an insensitive moron. Could we hold off slightly on treating him as the anointed spokesperson/representative for Europe?
He's representative of a pretty common attitude you see from Europeans regarding race. I've certainly seen it expressed, even here on MeFi. The idea that Europe has somehow advanced beyond racism, that it's an American thing to complain about it, and that it never happens in Europe despite it very often and shockingly totally happening in even the most "enlightened" parts of Europe.
It does get a bit tiresome to read a European smugly wondering why Americans are so obsessed with race, then read about Zwarte Piet, people throwing bananas at black soccer players during games, or the shockingly virulent and common hatred of the Romani.
posted by Sangermaine at 7:08 AM on September 3, 2015 [3 favorites]
You're... Repositioning slavery as a history of engagement with black people that makes the U.S. less racist than any other country?
This seems like an almost willful misreading of that comment. They're saying that the US has done horrible racist things, and has been forced to confront those things in various ways, resulting in the US having to deal with its racism, however poorly, in ways many other places have been able to avoid on a mass level.
I don't think the point was the the US is somehow better than other countries, just that the circumstances of its history have forced it do deal with race. Denmark doesn't have the history with slavery and race that the US does, and as a result hasn't been forced to confront its racial issues in the same way.
OK, it's true: Denmark contains an insensitive moron. Could we hold off slightly on treating him as the anointed spokesperson/representative for Europe?
He's representative of a pretty common attitude you see from Europeans regarding race. I've certainly seen it expressed, even here on MeFi. The idea that Europe has somehow advanced beyond racism, that it's an American thing to complain about it, and that it never happens in Europe despite it very often and shockingly totally happening in even the most "enlightened" parts of Europe.
It does get a bit tiresome to read a European smugly wondering why Americans are so obsessed with race, then read about Zwarte Piet, people throwing bananas at black soccer players during games, or the shockingly virulent and common hatred of the Romani.
posted by Sangermaine at 7:08 AM on September 3, 2015 [3 favorites]
I just stared at this headline for about three minutes without saying anything with a puzzled expression on my face.
posted by Ms. Moonlight at 7:18 AM on September 3, 2015
posted by Ms. Moonlight at 7:18 AM on September 3, 2015
I've watched bits of the Let's Play linked above. The actual slave Tetris starts about 37 minutes in.
I'm not sure what combination of cynicism, incompetence and cocaine let to this. Have they done other "educational" games? I'm wondering if they have a one-size-fits-all approach that they just use on all subjects, and didn't adjust it when covering certain topics that don't mesh with that, tonally.
There's a talking mouse, you get magic time-goggles that can be used for some sort of side puzzle, they keep sending you on fetch quests for pipes and magnifying glasses.
posted by RobotHero at 8:41 AM on September 3, 2015
I'm not sure what combination of cynicism, incompetence and cocaine let to this. Have they done other "educational" games? I'm wondering if they have a one-size-fits-all approach that they just use on all subjects, and didn't adjust it when covering certain topics that don't mesh with that, tonally.
There's a talking mouse, you get magic time-goggles that can be used for some sort of side puzzle, they keep sending you on fetch quests for pipes and magnifying glasses.
posted by RobotHero at 8:41 AM on September 3, 2015
I'm not sure what combination of cynicism, incompetence and cocaine let to this.
I mean the scary thing is it doesn't have to be any of those things at all and doesn't seem to have been any of those things. It can just be regular, everyday people who have no concept as to why what they're doing is in any way wrong living in a culture that either encourages or shrugs at their actions because they've convinced themselves that they're over racism and this is fair game.
posted by griphus at 8:46 AM on September 3, 2015 [2 favorites]
I mean the scary thing is it doesn't have to be any of those things at all and doesn't seem to have been any of those things. It can just be regular, everyday people who have no concept as to why what they're doing is in any way wrong living in a culture that either encourages or shrugs at their actions because they've convinced themselves that they're over racism and this is fair game.
posted by griphus at 8:46 AM on September 3, 2015 [2 favorites]
So, a common, tedious argument among game designers is whether narrative matters or gameplay is king. In company discussions or job interviews I'm often asked things like "how would you improve narrative for players who don't care about reading stuff?" or "do you REALLY think that narrative is important for a game like Super Mario?"
I always think of how in Raph Koster's A Theory of Fun, he highlights how narrative can change your perception of gameplay significantly and offers the following example:
Let’s picture a game wherein there is a gas chamber shaped like a well. You the player are dropping innocent Jews down into the gas chamber, and they come in all shapes and sizes. There are old ones and young ones, fat ones and tall ones. As they fall to the bottom, they grab onto each other and try to form human pyramids to get to the top of the well. Should they manage to get out, the game is over and you lose. But if you pack them in tightly enough, the ones on the bottom succumb to the gas and die.
I do not want to play this game. Do you? Yet it is Tetris. You could have well-proven, stellar game design mechanics applied towards a quite repugnant premise.
I've never used that example (not in the least because I spent the last three years in Germany), but this immediately made me think "did someone read this and think he was advocating making this game?" And now I have a horrifying real-world example to avoid the next time I'm asked if narrative really matters!
(Also, Koster has examples of when people did make that game.)
posted by susoka at 8:57 AM on September 3, 2015 [2 favorites]
I always think of how in Raph Koster's A Theory of Fun, he highlights how narrative can change your perception of gameplay significantly and offers the following example:
Let’s picture a game wherein there is a gas chamber shaped like a well. You the player are dropping innocent Jews down into the gas chamber, and they come in all shapes and sizes. There are old ones and young ones, fat ones and tall ones. As they fall to the bottom, they grab onto each other and try to form human pyramids to get to the top of the well. Should they manage to get out, the game is over and you lose. But if you pack them in tightly enough, the ones on the bottom succumb to the gas and die.
I do not want to play this game. Do you? Yet it is Tetris. You could have well-proven, stellar game design mechanics applied towards a quite repugnant premise.
I've never used that example (not in the least because I spent the last three years in Germany), but this immediately made me think "did someone read this and think he was advocating making this game?" And now I have a horrifying real-world example to avoid the next time I'm asked if narrative really matters!
(Also, Koster has examples of when people did make that game.)
posted by susoka at 8:57 AM on September 3, 2015 [2 favorites]
pipeski: "I also saw Golly-type figures for sale in a couple of gift shops."
Conguitos
It's candy.
posted by chavenet at 9:14 AM on September 3, 2015
Conguitos
It's candy.
posted by chavenet at 9:14 AM on September 3, 2015
As a connoisseur of tasteless things I really do stand in awe of this one. The fact that it was unintended is just a little spice.
posted by Tell Me No Lies at 12:52 PM on September 3 [1 favorite +] [!]
Yes. This.
posted by saysthis at 9:48 AM on September 3, 2015
posted by Tell Me No Lies at 12:52 PM on September 3 [1 favorite +] [!]
Yes. This.
posted by saysthis at 9:48 AM on September 3, 2015
I think if it were a deliberate attempt to be tasteless à la South Park or Hatred there would be nothing to be amazed by here. The amazing part is if they were just making an educational game, you know, for kids, and thought this was a suitable way to handle this.
posted by RobotHero at 10:14 AM on September 3, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by RobotHero at 10:14 AM on September 3, 2015 [1 favorite]
This is clearly meant to be a cynical game. I think a lot of people here are missing this point. The character you play is actually a slave himself, working directly for his slave master and thus experiencing the brutal, callous attitude of the slaveholder while still keeping an emotional distance. I actually think this "slave tetris" is quite effective in conveying the casual brutality and inhumanity of the slave owner's attitude. My only concern is that a lot of 14 or 15 year old kids (especially boys, having been one) may not be mature enough to really grasp this.
Europeans just tend to have a higher tolerance for cynicism. It's the memory of two world wars, imho. Think of the difference between US westerns and spaghetti westerns.
posted by tecg at 10:23 AM on September 3, 2015
Europeans just tend to have a higher tolerance for cynicism. It's the memory of two world wars, imho. Think of the difference between US westerns and spaghetti westerns.
posted by tecg at 10:23 AM on September 3, 2015
a higher tolerance for cynicism
Or the ability to just ignore others when they say how offensive it is, as though it should be the cynical, sophisticated, post-racist creators of a game with big cartoony-eyed blackface-ish figures who get to say what's offensive and what's not.
posted by daisystomper at 10:43 AM on September 3, 2015 [3 favorites]
Or the ability to just ignore others when they say how offensive it is, as though it should be the cynical, sophisticated, post-racist creators of a game with big cartoony-eyed blackface-ish figures who get to say what's offensive and what's not.
posted by daisystomper at 10:43 AM on September 3, 2015 [3 favorites]
I can see where this is coming from, and we discussed this attitude this week at work. Danes are really, really insulated, and proud of it. Sorry. I do my best, where I am.
posted by mumimor at 11:01 AM on September 3, 2015
posted by mumimor at 11:01 AM on September 3, 2015
But this clearly cynical game also has a helpful talking mouse who tells you about your magic time-goggles.
posted by RobotHero at 11:41 AM on September 3, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by RobotHero at 11:41 AM on September 3, 2015 [1 favorite]
still keeping an emotional distance
And what historical evidence is a personal slave's ability to maintain a helpful "emotional distance" based?
posted by Miko at 11:48 AM on September 3, 2015 [1 favorite]
And what historical evidence is a personal slave's ability to maintain a helpful "emotional distance" based?
posted by Miko at 11:48 AM on September 3, 2015 [1 favorite]
I am interested in whether anyone has studied the effect of such games on attitudes or behaviors. I know people have studied it with violent games and porn, and from what I can tell, the results have been inconclusive.
I think it's important to separate the question of whether the game is offensive from claims about the impact it may have. Presenting something in a comically absurd context does not necessarily trivialize it in the mind of the viewer. Maybe it does, maybe it doesn't.
Next time I hear about the Atlantic slave trade, I will think of this game. I'll think of cartoonish images of black people being crammed into a boat like tetris pieces. If anything, that feels like it reinforces my perception of the slave trade as atrocious, instead of mitigating it. It is an absurd image, and that is fitting given the absurdity of the evil committed.
Making someone act out something evil seems kind of good. When learning about atrocities, I don't want kids to understand them as incomprehensibly evil. I want them to understand them as comprehensively evil, as something someone actually did, and that they could do too. That seems like a firmer foundation for people to diagnose and treat their own atrocious behavior and that of those around them.
posted by andrewpcone at 12:18 PM on September 3, 2015
I think it's important to separate the question of whether the game is offensive from claims about the impact it may have. Presenting something in a comically absurd context does not necessarily trivialize it in the mind of the viewer. Maybe it does, maybe it doesn't.
Next time I hear about the Atlantic slave trade, I will think of this game. I'll think of cartoonish images of black people being crammed into a boat like tetris pieces. If anything, that feels like it reinforces my perception of the slave trade as atrocious, instead of mitigating it. It is an absurd image, and that is fitting given the absurdity of the evil committed.
Making someone act out something evil seems kind of good. When learning about atrocities, I don't want kids to understand them as incomprehensibly evil. I want them to understand them as comprehensively evil, as something someone actually did, and that they could do too. That seems like a firmer foundation for people to diagnose and treat their own atrocious behavior and that of those around them.
posted by andrewpcone at 12:18 PM on September 3, 2015
the results have been inconclusive.
They have. But at the same time, there seems to be a fundamental truth the idea that we are impacted by things we witness and experience. Otherwise, we would not bother at all to have education, to travel, to send kids to camps, etc. It is quite difficult to show a direct impact from game experiences, but it seems to me it's still insane to say that participating in game experiences has no impact on people whatsoever. Obviously people like them enough, and find them productive enough, for both leisure and learning, that they are having some sort of effect. I can think of games that affected me and changed my perceptions.
I want them to understand them as comprehensively evil, as something someone actually did, and that they could do too.
This is a good point and a value I share. But is roleplaying the imposer of cruelty the best way to understand these evil experiences? Must we all go through the Milgram experiment to absorb this learning?
I think, actually, that identifying with the role of an evil person can probably be helpful - seeing how readily we commit (pretend) evil acts within the construct of a game reward system demonstrates at least some motivations for doing evil. I have simulated a fair number of games like this, featuring unequal power dynamics and decisionmaking that hurts other players. Heck, Oregon Trail is somewhat like that. So it's not that I object to the very act of gamification. I am concerned instead about its level of quality, its value as a teaching tool, and its apparent disinterest in connecting with actual primary sources and historical understandings of the world of slavery and the motivations within it. It's bad history enshrined in a bad game.
posted by Miko at 12:40 PM on September 3, 2015 [1 favorite]
They have. But at the same time, there seems to be a fundamental truth the idea that we are impacted by things we witness and experience. Otherwise, we would not bother at all to have education, to travel, to send kids to camps, etc. It is quite difficult to show a direct impact from game experiences, but it seems to me it's still insane to say that participating in game experiences has no impact on people whatsoever. Obviously people like them enough, and find them productive enough, for both leisure and learning, that they are having some sort of effect. I can think of games that affected me and changed my perceptions.
I want them to understand them as comprehensively evil, as something someone actually did, and that they could do too.
This is a good point and a value I share. But is roleplaying the imposer of cruelty the best way to understand these evil experiences? Must we all go through the Milgram experiment to absorb this learning?
I think, actually, that identifying with the role of an evil person can probably be helpful - seeing how readily we commit (pretend) evil acts within the construct of a game reward system demonstrates at least some motivations for doing evil. I have simulated a fair number of games like this, featuring unequal power dynamics and decisionmaking that hurts other players. Heck, Oregon Trail is somewhat like that. So it's not that I object to the very act of gamification. I am concerned instead about its level of quality, its value as a teaching tool, and its apparent disinterest in connecting with actual primary sources and historical understandings of the world of slavery and the motivations within it. It's bad history enshrined in a bad game.
posted by Miko at 12:40 PM on September 3, 2015 [1 favorite]
I don't think I would go that far, but I do think there's something to the notion that, racist as the US is, there's at least slightly more acknowledgment of that fact compared to other countries.
How could anyone even know this, unless they had spent time living in a variety of other countries? I'll reiterate what I said upthread, but each country, including the US, is racist in its own way.
As well:
>at least slightly more acknowledgment of that fact
The US concept of the artificial construct of "race" seems to be uniquely American.
posted by Nevin at 11:31 AM on September 4, 2015
How could anyone even know this, unless they had spent time living in a variety of other countries? I'll reiterate what I said upthread, but each country, including the US, is racist in its own way.
As well:
>at least slightly more acknowledgment of that fact
The US concept of the artificial construct of "race" seems to be uniquely American.
posted by Nevin at 11:31 AM on September 4, 2015
Each country is racist in its own way, and each country has different levels of homogeny which seems to inform the various types of racism in each place. Both the US and Europe have (multiple?) genocides based in racism in their history, so neither really is in a position to throw stones at the other.
posted by cell divide at 11:45 AM on September 4, 2015
posted by cell divide at 11:45 AM on September 4, 2015
No doubt this backlash will be interpreted by some as “proof” that developers should avoid sensitive topics because one can supposedly do nothing right--certainly Serious Games’ CEO Simon Egenfeldt-Nielsen feels this way...But it would be a shame if such a staggeringly bad example as Slave Trade was used in this way, as a scapegoat for avoiding hard topics in the future.
Katherine Cross weighs in at Gamasutra
posted by juv3nal at 4:13 PM on September 6, 2015
Katherine Cross weighs in at Gamasutra
posted by juv3nal at 4:13 PM on September 6, 2015
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posted by Countess Elena at 5:24 PM on September 2, 2015 [5 favorites]