Well, I don't agree with your stance but I can't argue personal experience. Personally, I've lived in some pretty shitty areas over the years and even then, my relationships with minorites were just as diverse as my encounters with white people. IMO, most of the stuff you are talking about revolve around socio-economic status, not race. I've known more thug-like white people over the years than I have black. Far more. More scum of the earth, more drug dealers, more thieves, more everything.

Not an accurate picture. He's not holding a gun nor does he appear to be yelling "Stop Ze Americahn! Kill Zim!" in a terrible accent.

Dunno why no one seems to care, Stickball. Might be the same reason why no one cares when someone white bitches about always being stereotyped as an awkward nerd. People just ignore them or tell them to shut up and get back to playing D&D or do whatever else it is nerdy white people do in their free time. 

Yeah its also well reflected when you buy any stock photography of people doing anything. A lot of the stuff I have done for the state of Florida has had thoose kind of requirments. Now whats really fun is the day you need to find a photo of someone not smiling. JK

Ugh. Stock photography is the worst. I've actually found family pictures of mismatched ethnicities between the children.

Sometimes you have to step back and ask yourself "What the fuck is going on around here?" How much of the population does a picture like that target? Half a percentage point?

Political correctness can lick my balls. If I want to target a middle-class young black male demographic, I want pictures of middle-class young black males. Leave the Chinese chick out of the picture, please. 

My primary black influence is a gentleman in his late 40s. He's originally from Montserrat, an island located in the Caribbean.

He has a slight islander accent, he's roughly 5' 4" (he's a small guy), he's compassionate, wise, caring, respectful, but he's seen a great deal in his life and he's tough as nails. He's probably one of the few people I know who could genuinely beat me in a fight.

Every white person I've seen who knows him looks up to him, without exception, even the wealthy white people who hire him (he's a master chef and runs the kitchen in a country club).

He's the inspiration for two of the characters I've created, one who's black-irish (his last name is Ryan and his middle name is Ozzie, making him an O. Ryan). The other is a more direct interpretation of him, a character who runs his own business with a team of employees he hand picked on a journey around the country.

So yeah, I see a lack of black protagonists as well as the typical stereotyping. I agree that crappy storytelling overall in the gaming market is to blame, though. It's going to take a pretty good writer to put a REAL black protagonist on the map.

Who knows. Maybe it'll be me some day...

Seems society lately has become too ultra-PC and rather pu**yfied when it comes to...well, everything. When I play games, I don't even take into account one man's black, one man's white, or even register these stereotypes. I come from the deep south and I do know a thing about ignorant racists, but come on... On a deeper note, I'm tired of people calling games like echochrome and Resident Evil 5 racist. If anyone's racist, it's these f***wads. My question to this guy and to any of you is: What would be your idea of a black character that wouldn't be considered racist or a stereotype? I'm as white as they come and I have no idea what is supposed to be the "standard" way that these people think they, or anyone for that matter should be.

i this is so true

EVERYTIME i play a game with a black character, or whenever i watch movies, the black character is either dressed like a thug, talks with ebonics (black slang), and acts like a thug.

Sorry, the only games I play on the computer are C&C: Red Alert, Rise of Nations, and Star Wars: Empire at War.  So basically RTS's.

I don't think there's anything wrong with portraying black people as thugs,pimps, gangsters because [some] black people are exactly that , the problem I have is where developers fail to show a range of black people , intelectuals , succesfull , kind and honourable black people.

As a black individual I Know alota black "gangster" type people but I also know alot of intelligent , aspiring and positive black people , I'd like to consider myself as one of the later.

"Black" is just a colour , black people are no different to any other racial blackground on this planet . Put anyone in an economicaly depirved situation and crime and violence is guaranteed , the world revolves around money.