Racism and Shadow the Hedgehog
By Peter Wilson
Shadow the Hedgehog is an action computer game for the Sony PlayStation 2, Microsoft Xbox and Nintendo Gamecube. Despite its apparent targeting at a younger audience, the game undeniably touches on issues of race, often in an unfair way. Shadow is a black character, as are the main villains of the game. While Shadow is essentially the 'hero' of the game, it is not straightforward. Players are given a choice as to whether to be good or evil.
Unlike his counterpart 'Sonic', Shadow, the main character of the game, is not an archetypal hero. He is portrayed as an 'edgier' character, having suffered amnesia and therefore having difficulties with his own sense of self. Most importantly of all, whereas Sonic is blue, Shadow's fur is that of a distinct black. Whereas Sonic would appear on the covers of his games with a big grin on his face, Shadow appears on the cover art with a definite sneer, most notably holding what appears to be a large gun. In the game itself, when Shadow first acquires his firearm, Sonic utters,
"I wouldn't be caught dead with one of those."
Why is this? Because Sonic is not black? Sonic Team, the creator of the game, are definitely making a point here. Firstly, Sonic is implying that it is not in his character to use guns, does this mean it is in a black persons nature to use guns? In all the many, many Sonic games, Sonic has never once used a gun, but in giving the first black character in the Sonic universe their own spin-off game, they immediately pick up a gun and don't even question the morality of its usage.
Secondly, unlike a normal Sonic game, the player of 'Shadow' is given the choice as to whether or not to play through the game as 'good' or 'evil'. Why is this? Never once while playing as Sonic have we had the chance to be evil. However, once we switch to Shadow, his black counterpart, many of the games' objectives are in fact, to do evil deeds. Is it a mere coincidence that the 'black guy' has the ability to become evil, while the 'white guy' (or in this case blue) does not?
The bad guys are rather unsubtly named 'The Black Aliens'. Within the story they have come down to Earth and are causing havoc on the world they're invading. If this is not a swipe at immigration laws then I don't know what is. At once the soldiers of Earth (all of them are white) go to war with these black aliens. If a player decides to side with these soldiers these 'black aliens' can be killed. However, to side with the aliens, you are not able to kill the soldiers, merely knock them to the ground; either that or simply destroy lifeless robots. The evidence is clear here, you are allowed to kill 'the blacks', but you aren't allowed to kill 'the whites'. Is the life of a white man really that much more significant than the life of a black man? Were the actions of the 'Black Aliens' to be performed by human they would ultimately considered as 'terrorist', therefore by this rationale every terrorist must be black.
While all the characters in the Sonic the Hedgehog universe have their own distinct personalities (Sonic being the 'cool' one, Knuckles being the 'brash' one, etc), Shadow on the other hand does not. He is confused and alone; he is essentially a black man in a white man's world. When the 'Black Aliens' come to his Earth, he naturally fears them.
"Get out of my sight, disgusting black creatures," is just one of the many racist remarks he himself utters, despite the fact that he is black himself. Only when the story progresses and Shadow realises that he may be of the same origin as the black aliens, does he call their wickedness into question. Is this a knock by Sega at the 'average' black man not staying true to his roots in today's white oriented culture? It seems likely.
At one point in the game you are forced to decide between siding with the 'Black Aliens' or the evil 'Dr. Robotnik'. For those not familiar with the Sonic the Hedgehog universe, Dr. Robotnik is essentially a fascist dictator with aspirations of world domination. Now, while the black aliens are doing 'evil' deeds, Dr. Robotnik has also performed, and continues to perform deeds just as evil. Let us imagine, for argument's sake, that the Black Aliens and Dr. Robotnik are as 'evil' as each other; why so then, is Dr. Robotnik's cause portrayed as the 'hero' option while the side of the 'Black Aliens' portrayed as the 'evil' option? Is it because Dr. Robotnik is white?
Shadow the Hedgehog? Ban this racist filth.
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This seems to give Sega more credit than they actually deserve. If right, it implies Sega spent *ages, carefully creating a vivid racist world. When, in fact, they hastily cobbled together a load of old wank because they knew the kids would buy it......That proves my statement about it being bollocks is justified now.
*No pun intended......it just looked like I was slightly cleverer than I actually am.
UKResistance is racist
This is the precise instant the whole argument falls apart.
But in all fairness the game is the worst game by Sonic Team ever, no wonder Yugi Naka left Sega.
"If this is not a swipe at immigration laws then I don't know what is."
apparently you don't what is, then. also, minus a million points for using gay cliches.
"Is this a knock by Sega at the 'average' black man not staying true to his roots in today's white oriented culture? It seems likely."
no, no it doesn't. i didn't think it was possible to be so WRONG in a "persuasive" (i'm being generous here) essay.
NOBODY TALKS ABOUT MY SONIC GAMES THAT WAY!!! unless he was kidding. in which case, good show. i got a blogger account for nothing.
http://www.vgcats.com/comics/?strip_id=140
It's the black on black violence that saddens me.
I urge you readers, not to let your children play this game.
Nothing to do with this, it's just a shit game.
"Let us imagine, for argument's sake, that the Black Aliens and Dr. Robotnik are as 'evil' as each other; why so then, is Dr. Robotnik's cause portrayed as the 'hero' option while the side of the 'Black Aliens' portrayed as the 'evil' option? Is it because Dr. Robotnik is white?"
No, it's because Robotnik is not only human, but is also not entirely hell-bent on destroying the world. He merely wants to own it, and from that sort of opression can come the hope of revolution. Hard to do that when you're dead.
Man, this guy's such a Jack Thompson wannabe.
i mean, i'm convinced that there is no god. who taught this man to use a computer?
I wrote that ahem, 'article' and I just wanted to say it was all in the vain of hilarity.
I mean, it was all a joke yeah.
Oh, and I'm as white as day
Sonic 2 was more racist, they had blackmans/monkey robots!
The next ridiculous question, is Tails gay? His two tails are symbolic; he has two penises also.
I hear that the government has a special department that looks at videogames to use as "facts" when they make more laws on gays and people with two dicks. They send screenshots from Sonic games DAILY to newsround as "Market research" .
This is really important stuff!
I'm waiting for "Grey the hedgehog" a truly bland and and balanced character.
Instead of collecting rings, he collects his pay-cheque at the end of the day and goes home to watch TV with the wife and kids.
Furthermore, "utters" is quite the worst choice of attribution verb since Emily Bronté wrote about Heathcliff "vociferating darkly" (for which she burns in Eng. Lit. Hell to this day).
While I'm here, ScSiDan: No doubt "accept" and "except" are homophonous in whatever corner of the world you choose to inhabit. Sadly, in this instance, you have not only chosen the wrong word; you've also spelled it wrong. Fashion yourself a Shame Hat from cardboard and drawing pins, and wear it until Monday.
87th: Suck the farts out of my arse.
They need to follow this one up with a 'Mohammed The Hedgehog' game.
Mohammed would obviously be a brown hedgehog with a tea towel on his head who must choose between blowing up famous American landmarks and moving mountains.
I predict that using the power of games, Sega will end international terrorist jihad.
Why you'd want to play through something branded as total shite, then write a total shite essay is beyond me. Knob.
*whispers* By the way...I'm black.
Well done that man for brining this to the light of day, and to the most important department of world affairs, that being the internet.
Glaringly obvious too, unless of course you skim read it for grammar issues.