IGN takes issue with white male lead in Days Gone.

[Kerotan]

StriderKiwi said:
Let's have a little thought experiment shall we?

Which of the following is racist?
A) Not another gruff white male.
B) Not another thuggish black male.
C) Not another curvy white woman.
D) Not another sassy Black woman.
E) All of the above.

Answer: Adding a precursor adjective does not excuse racism.

My thoughts on the game in general are "it looks boring and generic" and the the character was an extension of that. And that's all the description the game and protagonist needs from me! "Boring and generic." The sex and ethnicity doesn't factor into it at all. There's no reason to even mention either.

My favorite bit was the part about the "Gruff White Male Protagonist™-ey name as Deacon St. John." Yeah, not racist at all! And if he had instead said not another "sassy Black Woman-ey name like Shaniqua Williams," that wouldn't have been racist either right!?

Exactly. You get the point anyway. 

bananaking21 said:
Thank god there isn't too much water in the game though

😂 

collint0101 said:

Kerotan said:

The initial reaction is the problem here. White males should be looked at as equals to every other type of human. As an Irish white male, my white male ancestors were treated like dirt by the British so why should I be downgraded, just because other white males from other races were dominant in the past? 

I enjoy games with white female, black female and black male leads among other races but the gender or race of the lead is not why. It's because the character created is cool or likeable. If the lead is white male their judgment will still be based on their personality not their race or gender. 

It's not that he's a white male it's that he looks like the most generic white male character. Scruffy, tough guy has been done to death. It's the current gen equivalent to half of all protagonists looking like Cole from infamous last gen 

 

Mr Puggsly said:

ArchangelMadzz said:

Fixed for you. 

You're missing the point. He could have said he thought the character was generic cookie cutter bullshit that resembles the lead of many other games. That wouldn't have bothered anybody. Instead the character was mocked for being a white male... that's ridiculous.

Let me put it this way, as a normal non-woke person. When I see a female or a non-white as a lead, I don't really put much thought into the race or gender. My primary concern is the character interesting, relatable, has a good voice actor, or whatever else that makes them compelling.

I like Prophet from Crysis and Locke from Halo 5 because I just think they're good characters. I didn't start with a negative feelings of these characters because they were black or anything like that. Hence, if I was annoyed they chose black guys but was ultimately won over by performance. It still begs the question what's my problem with black guys?

We don't care that this IGN person ultimately liked the protagonist. That doesn't excuse the anti-white sentiment.

You get the point. People like you or me don't judge people or characters based on their gender or skin colour. Like I literally offer no weight to it. 

For those saying it's yet another tough, gruff dude with a beard. Well in a harsh post apocalyptic world that's exactly what you would expect. Somebody who is tough and scruffy whether male, female, black or white.