It might be seven years old, but that doesnāt mean commenter Cheese Addict canāt find a positive racial statement lurking in the back alleys of Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas. Itās never too late to Speak Up on Kotaku.
Iāve been thinking about racism in the media and racism in games, particularly since I finally started playing Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas (I know, slowpoke.gif). Whenever the media tackles racism, itās always about how someone has to have their preconceptions corrected through some humbling experience, or simply using a racist character to demonstrate that itās wrong. Thereās also ironic (?) usage of racist stereotypes, like the triadsā voices in GTA3. (What the hell are they saying anyways?)
Yet after getting to Zeroās first mission, Iām starting to think GTA: SAās character interaction is the best example of how lack of racism can be portrayed: characters from vastly different backgrounds can speak to each other without moderating their slang or tone of speech, they understand each other completely, and make no comments whatsoever about each otherās vocabulary, background or speech patterns. They just communicate as human beings.
In real life, two people like CJ and Zero wouldnāt be able to talk to each other comfortably without all the racial baggage. Itās cool to see what it would be like without it all.
About Speak Up on Kotaku: Our readers have a lot to say, and sometimes what they have to say has nothing to do with the stories we run. Thatās why we have a forum on Kotaku called Speak Up. Thatās the place to post anecdotes, photos, game tips and hints, and anything you want to share with Kotaku at large. Every weekday weāll pull one of the best Speak Up posts we can find and highlight it here.
