Echochrome not politically correct?

Posted Mar 24, 2008 at 8:02AM by QJ Staff Listed in: PS3, PSP Tags: checkers, Sony, UK
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Echochrome Next Game to be Labelled


A lot of games have raised flags on the subject of racism before. Some of the more popular games that sparked some heat from the community were Grand Theft Auto and Resident Evil 5. This latest one caught us off guard.

At the Play.com Live event, an entertainment showcase in the UK, Patrick Steen of ripten was able to get his hands on Echochrome. After a few minutes, he heard one of the bystanders who was watching his game express his opinions to a Sony representative, saying that the game was "a bit racist."

The man reasoned it out, saying that "youÂ’re a little white guy trying to get rid of the black ones." He was referring to the gameplay of Echochrome (PSN, PSP) where you play a white, see-through mannequin who follow shadowy figures that serve as guides that disappear once your character reaches the points where the guides were standing.

The comment was given only after seeing the game being played for a few minutes so he probably must have misunderstood the roles of the characters on screen. This probably won't spark serious flames, seeing as Chess and Checkers have evaded the same comment for having monochrome colors.

Steen expressed his own views on the matter, saying:

Naturally this was one man's opinion after seeing the game for a few minutes. The game hasnÂ’t been labelled by anyone else, but this manÂ’s words both saddened and amused me.


Perhaps Echochrome could offer a black background (making the colourless mannequin appear to be black) as an option, in the vein of the original design for the PSP version.



Via ripten

 
 
 

Comments

by X-tra - 2008-03-24 08:52:37
I pitty the fool

I'm not a racist, but people who find coloured mannequins offended are sad, really how could people be offended by this?
by Godluvsugly - 2008-03-24 08:54:36
wow

For the love of god, seems to me like some people are just looking for racism everywhere they go. anytime someone sees one thing colored black and another colored white it's immediately racist. although i'm sure if the little dude was colored black and the shadows were white there'd be no problem!
by platon - 2008-03-24 09:09:11
WHY POST THIS?

I remember the same kind of stupid post about another stupid news like that around 6 months ago! It's USELESS, Yo Isaac C. stupid guy, will you comment on ALL the comments you find on the internet as long as it's an insult/drama/etc? It's an infection of imbecile news or what? I hope I'm not the onlyone who think this news is stupid! I don't wanna be "Legend" (like the movie).
by mreverdred01 - 2008-03-24 09:18:09
ugh

Racism? Seriously? This isn't even one of those, "oh well it plays with the idea of racism but actually isn't" types of things, this just isn't racist. People said Loco Roco was racist because the bad guys are black and have hair that looks like corn rolls. Come on, people. That was even closer to almost being considered dabbling with racism than echochrome, but that game was made in Japan where there were never any black slaves. The theme of the game is that everything's just black and white. I mean monochrome is kind of in the name itself. They couldn't make the guide white because that would be confusing. Also, how does following a black mannequin to the end of the level translate to lynching black people? If that amount of imagination can be used to interpret the unspoken meaning of the game, then maybe they're both going to a tea party. who knows. That guy's dumb.
by Chris C - 2008-03-24 09:18:21
You really need to calm down.

There's plenty of news on the front page, you're free to gloss over articles if you wish, there are people who find this interesting, if only for the amusement to be had.
by ISOHaven - 2008-03-24 09:23:02
WTF!?!?!?!?!

I agree, this isn't news in the sense that this is an actual problem that requires attentions. This is news in the sense that this is how utterly IGNORANT people can be in today's society. It's only purpose to allow us to laugh at the stupidity of others. Get a good laugh out of it, comment something funny, then on to the next article!
by Dayo6 - 2008-03-24 09:39:56
Lol

This is funny. I find this funny. That guy is funny. I'm laughing cos this is funny. Funny is guy that. Funny this find I. Funny is this.
by Chris C - 2008-03-24 09:40:05
Yup

Pretty much ;)
by Mister Common Sense - 2008-03-24 10:00:36
racist?

It's been reported that the game also features the black manequin smoking crack, collecting welfare checks, and cappin' fools in drive by shootings. Also the game of pool is racist, the white ball knocks all the colored balls into holes.
by RexNox - 2008-03-24 10:01:35
OMG OMG OMG...

The white pieces go FIRST in chess. However, the black ball knocks down the white pins. I'm so confused. What was this about again?
by PSPMAN90 - 2008-03-24 10:13:56
WOW!

Is really true that some people doesn't have nothing more to do than post Nonsense! I mean Who was the ... that thought Econocrome was a racist game! Is just two colors! One primary and one that doesn't is considered as a color just absence of color. So people stop taking faults out of everything is seem around. Just ply the dam game and if u don't like it, well don't say is racist because of it!! And btw Black symbolize BAD, white symbolize good, in most cases, and theres no Black people or White, if we really talk about colors here "White ppl is cream color" and "Black ppl is Brown ppl, just a litle more darker than Cream color, thats what real color are. SO maybe that ppl that said that The game is Racist because symbolize black, they say that Darker ppl are Black, like the color and thats when comes the whole racist thing, which not true. I hope they notice the real meaning of the game and stop saying nonsenses! And remember is just an opinion, a Bad, wrong critic of the game, WHO cares about this non-functional Comment(the one that the guy said) a... yes Isac.C, well he has to make points for Qj ya know, something is something even the meaningless thing he found on the internet, I don't blame him, The pressure the fame and stuff like that. O well Hope see-not comming this kind of articles by him. Thanks for reading my whole Status Repost and Blah Blah Blah! n_n'! PSPMAN90
by kloplop321 - 2008-03-24 10:16:44
that's just stupid

even before I finished reading this, I was thinking about chess. It is monocrome, and it has nothing to do with racial color, they are just mandicans or however you spell it. aparently this person doesn't think this through too clearly.
by dark420bishop - 2008-03-24 10:40:48
stupidity

I agree
by erikbirk2 - 2008-03-24 11:06:47
ridiculous

some people are ridiculous. i dont even understand how gta or resident evil could be considered racist.
by Datnizzle - 2008-03-24 15:36:01
Dumb Commemts, Dumb People

Why even take these comments seriously, the article says they did not get the point of the game. I don't want games to be politically correct, I also don't want them to become racist. I would love these people to see someone playing "Uncharted," they might sue somebody. lol
by crait - 2008-03-24 16:45:00
I thought...

I actually thought that GTA was one of the closest representations to real life in terms of demographics. I remember reading something about people getting angry that there was a portrail of a gang made up of primarily people appearing as if they were Asian decent. I couldn't for the life of me understand people seeing racism in that. It's showing an accurate image of what the gang was because it was based of the infamous gang called the Triads made up of, guess what, primarily people of Asian decent. If the game was racist by having an all Asian decending gang, then I do not know what is not racist because there are gangs out there that are like that. It's racist stating there shouldn't be a gang of Asian decendants but there should be one of any other background. Same with this game. There are white manikins and black icons. If this game is racist for displaying a color of a character and an opposite for another character, then this man stating this statement is sexist! See, because the manikin has the same probability of depicting a woman as a man, and stating that it is a man is sexist. (Racism and biassy can be found in anything when someone is searching for it. Never look for it and it won't exist.)
by lavino - 2008-03-24 16:54:38
come on!!!!

Japanese has no concept of racist in terms of black and white because as long as you're NOT japanese you're already a lesser race to them =P
by treyjazz - 2008-03-24 19:34:31
LOL

I couldn't help but reply. It's cornrows not cornROLLS. :D And now for my 2 cents: As all the sane people have said -- this is just so dumb and makes an issue out of a non-issue. It is even worse than a Jack Thompson outcry...
by Dodo - 2008-03-24 19:35:27
I want an option

People who label things like this as racist are not even the people it supposedly offends. That said, I'd actually like to see the game in dark, if it doesn't have that option already. Not for any political correctness, but for simple aesthetics. Staring at a plain, bright, white background might get a bit unpleasant after a while. I'd like to have an opposite colour scheme. Having both colours would also help the game keep to a classical theme, with white and black representing the keys of a piano.
by mreverdred01 - 2008-03-24 21:12:17
.

lol woops. I knew that. idk what I was thinking when I typed that.
by kittykat - 2008-03-24 22:47:50
This guy should never play Super Mario 64...

I mean, ifd he finds this little detail racist then he will likely think this game is as discriminatory as a nazi! I mean, the fleshy pink bob omb guys are nice and helpful while the black ones are violent and try to do a suicide bombing run on you, whereas the weakest and most pathetic enemy in the game, the Goomba, is a dark brown...I mean, you are an Italian stereotype killing little brown guys and watching out for little black guys! Yeah, he will have a field day with that. And I will not even go into detail on how the Butt Stomp move in the game makes you think you can leap off a building and be safe if you land on your ass...
by minus5252 - 2008-03-25 09:58:21
This article is the problem with the media

The reason so many things get out of hand is stupid articles like this one. What this article says is "it doesn't matter who or how few people have a problem with something, or even if there is evidence that this actually happens, I just want to stir up controversy." Journalists in any right who write this drivel need to be shot so their evil "ideas" can be stopped from entering the eyes and ears of the ignorant.
by na2rul - 2008-03-25 12:35:33
I thought black and white werent even colours

Coloured doesnt even define black, as do colourless as white. Adding on, i think these naive people are only making it worse by reminding us that RACISM prevails, and not that it can be forgotten
by Darknessabyss - 2008-03-27 13:53:43
stupid people

people look for things that are racist so they can find a reason to not like it. these people just dont like anything that is to dificult or new so they find ways like this to say they have a reason to not like it.
by Khjar - 2008-04-07 19:09:36
...

F'ing echrome... Making fun of burned Jews and albinos Horrible! But, okay, seriously? I think racist people are the people who see racism, and the people who put it there purposefully, this is just pure crap, but I do like the chess joke.

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