Racial Diversity? (remaining 2 classes)

[OldFan]

This is just a thought, but I'll bet blizzard is going to try to be politically correct and throw a little racial diversity in with at least one of the 2 remaining characters.
My money is on either a stereotypical Asian or a stereotypical Native American type character.
If they go with the Asian, im sure he will either be a ninja, a samurai, or a Buddhist.
If they go with the Native American, he'll probably be a tracker/ranger who uses ranged weapons (bow and arrows) and talks to animals, or some kinda religous Shaman.

Both have the option of melee combined with of some sort of mystical ethnic magic/religion...

Anyways, i could be completely wrong, and i quite often am, but let me know what you think... :crazyeyes:

On a side note, i also would not be suprised if they threw a Ibn (Antonio Banderas) from 13th warrior style character in there somewhere...

[CrimsonBishop]

I would think that the witch doctor fills the roll of the "ethnic" class, so we may not see any others. Keep in mind that the Diablo world is mostly based on a gothic european style, so I don't know how well a Native American character would fit. A middle eastern, or Asian character would be much more likely as they were in Diablo 2 at least as NPCs (was the assassin Asian?).

[BigKevSexyMan]

I give you the next big d3 class:


THE MUCHACHO!!!!!
http://www.fancydressstore.ie/CUuploads/Shop/items/856/25509_sombrero.jpg




On a serious note, wouldn't it be racist to just blatantly through in ethnic classes instead of doing what comes naturally with considering race(unless it's really offensive like my above outburst.)

[theeliminator]

Last time I checked the Wizard has an Asian look already. I would have to agree with Crimson, on both points, the Witch Doctor is also "ethnic" and a middle eastern character would fit better in the world more so then a Native American. Besides how many wild savages do we need in the game? We have the WD, and Barb, if you had an native american that would make three (i use the term savage as a europien would)

[fromtheshadow]

i think a middle eastern looking charactor is a given by this point, i think the last class though is gonna be european looking.

i just got a feeling that one of the remaining charactors is gonna be related somehow to the necromancer philosphy of balance even though the charactor does not raise the dead.

[theeliminator]

i think a middle eastern looking charactor is a given by this point, i think the last class though is gonna be european looking.

i just got a feeling that one of the remaining charactors is gonna be related somehow to the necromancer philosphy of balance even though the charactor does not raise the dead.

Here is the thing, we really don't know much about the WD right now. There is only a handfull of skills to go on. The WD may very well be the summoning class that the necro was.

[Technomancer]

Well, making a 'stereotypical' anybody would be politically incorrect. Like has been said, the Wiz is Asian. I personally view the WD as being Native South American. I don't see where the racial diversity is lacking. D2 had a black Pally and a middle-eastern Sorc. I just replayed D1 and had forgotten that the D1 Sorc was black as well. I've always loved how they've been able to add racial diversity WITHOUT going stereotype city. If they make a Ninja or Samurai, I wouldn't be surprised if he was pasty white. Actually, I think the pasty white guy demographic needs to be represented since they aren't bringing back the Necro.

The Muchacho!! His skill trees can be Hot-Sauce, Mariachi, and Siesta! Actually, it would be cool to have a class like a medieval period Antonio Banderas (again) from Desperado!! That guy was all kinds of wicked badass!!

Forget it. The next class has to be Antonio Banderas, or I'm not buying it!

[GuardianHadriel]

I think (or hope) the remaining dudes and chicks will be asian and african, maybe one class genders have different places of origin.

[Vitamins]

I think it's ridiculous that Blizzard would even think about, or waste their time trying to make the classes "racially diversive." It's something I don't even think about unless Blizzard mentions it, or somebody makes a thread about it. Ironically, I think it's this kind of thing that perpetuates racism. If people in general elevated their thinking to a point where race truly didn't matter, then this kind of thing wouldn't enter their minds.

[Flux]

I think it's ridiculous that Blizzard would even think about, or waste their time trying to make the classes "racially diversive." It's something I don't even think about unless Blizzard mentions it, or somebody makes a thread about it.

Really? It's a big world and not everyone's white anymore. I think it's almost automatic that the characters in a modern game will come from a variety of racially diverse backgrounds. Some players like to pick characters they can identify with better, via shared racial identity, or are just more comfortable playing a game that doesn't exclude their ethnicity entirely.

From what we've seen thus far, D3 is doing this very well, by pairing ethnicity with char design. Though they're fudging the line on importing Earth-centric cultural groups. (Please, no Japanese Samurai types that would totally break the mythology.) The barbarians are white and nordic/norse in design and concept. Witch doctors use voodoo and live in swamps and look creole/black. The D3 designers didn't just come up with 5 character types and then throw darts at a board to see which would be black/white/asian. (As was pretty clearly the case with the D2 Paladin, though the fact that he was designed by Kelly Johnson, who was black, tied in there as well.)

I think we'll see white chars for the last 2, or maybe one white and one olive-skinned type, of no particular origin. The white will be the ranger/archer/rogue/Aragorn type. The olive-skinned will be some kind of weapon/sword master, the light-fighter type. Middle Eastern, sorta like the hero in Assassin's Creed?

[Funkopotamus]

The olive-skinned will be some kind of weapon/sword master, the light-fighter type. Middle Eastern, sorta like the hero in Assassin's Creed?

Helllooooo neck shanking!

[paperkut]

I hope the next 2 characters are not ethnic repeats of any of the revealed characters. However subtle it may be, the more diversity they have adds to the feeling that adventurers from all over sanctuary are coming together to defeat diablo.

[Dimmu]

I would put my money on the next class being a raider type. Middle eastern ethnicity as a ranged attacker with some close-combat ability. The last announced class I think will be white, and not like the scandanavian/viking theme that the barb has. I'm saying either american or english.

If every class was a totally different ethnicity, we honkeys (probably at least 80% of the Diablo fanbase) would be uncomfortable. If there were more than 3 flat out caucasion characters, it would be a little uncomfortable for everyone. This is just a universal ethnic balance thing in any kind of media. Just watch any (American) TV that isn't clearly directed at a particuliar culture and you'll see what I mean.

And the Wizard is a good balance between ethnicity and whitey. Because, let's face it, Asians are generally pretty passive about race. Until you step into their turf anyway. :coffee:

[fromtheshadow]

I would put my money on the next class being a raider type. Middle eastern ethnicity as a ranged attacker with some close-combat ability. The last announced class I think will be white, and not like the scandanavian/viking theme that the barb has. I'm saying either american or english.

If every class was a totally different ethnicity, we honkeys (probably at least 80% of the Diablo fanbase) would be uncomfortable. If there were more than 3 flat out caucasion characters, it would be a little uncomfortable for everyone. This is just a universal ethnic balance thing in any kind of media. Just watch any (American) TV that isn't clearly directed at a particuliar culture and you'll see what I mean.

And the Wizard is a good balance between ethnicity and whitey. Because, let's face it, Asians are generally pretty passive about race. Until you step into their turf anyway. :coffee:

i also think the last will be white looking (not really northern european for say), a more civilized class unlike the barbarian.

[peasant]

I would put my money on the next class being a raider type. Middle eastern ethnicity as a ranged attacker with some close-combat ability. The last announced class I think will be white, and not like the scandanavian/viking theme that the barb has. I'm saying either american or english.

I would've thought the Barbarian had more of an East European feel to it.

If every class was a totally different ethnicity, we honkeys (probably at least 80% of the Diablo fanbase) would be uncomfortable. If there were more than 3 flat out caucasion characters, it would be a little uncomfortable for everyone. This is just a universal ethnic balance thing in any kind of media. Just watch any (American) TV that isn't clearly directed at a particuliar culture and you'll see what I mean.

I think you're putting a little too much of weight on the topic of race in video games. While I can't say for Caucasians, I think Asians are generally pretty relaxed about the cast of characters being White-heavy; especially with American-made games.

[AtomicJ]

I'm thinking the next two classes will be a Caucasian and an Arab/Persian. That would round out the game, ethnically speaking. Two Europeans, one East Asian, one Arab, and one African. Sounds pretty diverse, everyone's got some representation, and we can all be happy. :)

*gasp* But wait, what about the expansion pack(s)?...

Aztec/Mayan warrior. Y'know, for La Raza. ;)

[Technomancer]

The idea is that it should come naturally. If it's forced because it's "supposed" to be there, it'll be done badly and be crappy. Blizzard has done a great job so far compared to most things I've seen, like Barret from FF7. Are you kidding me?! I pidy da foo'!! The D2 sorc was Arab/Persian, but it wasn't really that noticeable. I think that would be a good place for a strong warrior class because there haven't been any heavy warriors from eastern lands in any of the games so far. Since black characters have been in both core games so far, they might throw one in in the xpac this time around.

Too, there's a lot of room that no one is talking about. Each gender of a class doesn't have to be the same race! Like the Wizard. The girl Wizard is obviously Asian, but the guy Wizard looks pretty Euro-centric. It seems like there are really 10 characters in the game, but just 5 classes between all of them.

Another thing too, if you're gonna have different ethnicities, make the character THAT. There was a little controversy a while back I read about over the latest Resident Evil game. There was this hot African chick that was your teammate or something, but she basically looked Puerto Rican with a tan. She looked about as white as someone possibly could look and still be considered black. That's what folks were saying, I saw the pictures and it didn't sound like a stretch.

Don't split the difference and don't stereotype.

[lone_wolf]

Its funny how you people let pigments on someones skin declare their race. Its the year 2009 cant you people realize that skin color has absolutely nothing with race to do?

A person with paler or darker skin tone then yourself is not in fact a completely different race then you are. I am constantly baffled when this is brought up in forum threads. Care to tell me what nation in this world future humans that are not homo sapiens sapiens?

You see it would be kind of interesting if you found a entire new race that nobody else knew about.

As for diversity in diablo 3 i for one hope they dont try to be "political correct" and base the color of the chars skin on where they come from. Stick to the choice that manage to follow the lore best. Sanctuary might be based on earth but it is not the same place.

[ohnoyellowdinosaur]

Really? It's a big world and not everyone's white anymore

iirc, there was a time before when people weren't all white, as well.

[elvarsteinn]

How come everyone considers the Barbarian as norse? Hell, i'm norse myself, and to me the Barb has a much more scottish/gaelic vibe around him. Blue paint anyone? The class name "Barbarian"? (When the Roman Empire was at the biggest, pretty much the whole of europe belonged to them, except Scotland that they built a wall to close in, naming the natives "the blue barbarians beyond the wall" or something) The ponytail? None of this is remotely norse-looking or sounding. It is close enough though to not warrant a seperate "proper" Norse class (like some Viking).

But on the original topic... i think a middle-eastern "assassin" or "raider" both sound very likely choices, and at that, a black african-hailing warrior/ranger class (less voodoo, more roman/greek, but from N-Africa) wouldn't be completely out of place either.

[elvarsteinn]

I think that would be a good place for a strong warrior class because there haven't been any heavy warriors from eastern lands in any of the games so far.

I know you meant classes, but dont forget the Act2 Mercenaries in D2, those were strong eastern warriors, and they had a huge impact on most people playing D2 at any lengths :) (Small representation for _every_ class = full representation for 1 class?)

[theeliminator]

How come everyone considers the Barbarian as norse? Hell, i'm norse myself, and to me the Barb has a much more scottish/gaelic vibe around him. Blue paint anyone? The class name "Barbarian"? (When the Roman Empire was at the biggest, pretty much the whole of europe belonged to them, except Scotland that they built a wall to close in, naming the natives "the blue barbarians beyond the wall" or something) The ponytail? None of this is remotely norse-looking or sounding. It is close enough though to not warrant a seperate "proper" Norse class (like some Viking).


I agree the Barbarian is more gaelic/ scottish then norse. In fact, I feel that the Amazon looked more Norse. I mean she has a spell called Valkyrie for crying out load. The women that the Amazons are based on were europein, but had dark brown curly hair. Due to this being a fiction world they can make them look how ever they want and call them what ever they want.

[Knight_Wolf]

I'm thinking the next two classes will be a Caucasian and an Arab/Persian. That would round out the game, ethnically speaking. Two Europeans, one East Asian, one Arab, and one African. Sounds pretty diverse, everyone's got some representation, and we can all be happy. :)

Haha .. agree XD

Aztec/Mayan warrior. Y'know, for La Raza. ;)

Hmmm, this actually could work ... i'm already stating to think of "slinging" skills XD



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Too, there's a lot of room that no one is talking about. Each gender of a class doesn't have to be the same race! Like the Wizard. The girl Wizard is obviously Asian, but the guy Wizard looks pretty Euro-centric. It seems like there are really 10 characters in the game, but just 5 classes between all of them.

That ain't true ... both genders come from the same race for all classes .... maybe many don't see it but the male wizard does look Asian ... maybe a little Asian American but still he IS Asian themed regardless of how clear (or not) that is in his artwork .. it doesn't make sense to have the genders of the same class hail from different locations since according to Blizz the whole gender thing is just a differernt skin for the same exact class (meaning same story and same background info and dialogue).




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Its funny how you people let pigments on someones skin declare their race. Its the year 2009 cant you people realize that skin color has absolutely nothing with race to do?

Sigh, from when does skin color has nothing to do with race ... even on 2534 skin color will still be related to race ... that's how things are and that's how they will always be ... there are exceptions and ways to alter you skin pigment but that's another story.

A person with paler or darker skin tone then yourself is not in fact a completely different race then you are.

Sigh, a person who hales from an African/south American tribe (i.e Witch Doctor) that lives deep in jungles/forests will most certainly have a very dark skin color if not black skin and facial features entirely different from a person living on top of cold mountains in the north hemisphere (i.e Barb).. because of their race .. because of living environment and other things they look different and have different skin colors.

It isn't just about darker or paler ... and like i said even more than just skin color .. there is facial structure and facial and body features .... it seems you know little to nothing about races.

Read up
http://cedarseed.deviantart.com/art/Guide-to-Human-Types-part-1-32046017
http://cedarseed.deviantart.com/art/Guide-to-Human-Types-part-2-33220929
http://cedarseed.deviantart.com/art/Guide-to-Human-Types-part-3-34877428


You see it would be kind of interesting if you found a entire new race that nobody else knew about.

This isn't WOW .. Diablo population (aside from demons) is based on real life races.

As for diversity in diablo 3 i for one hope they dont try to be "political correct" and base the color of the chars skin on where they come from.

Political correct or not that's how things are .. depending on where you come from and your race you will have a different skin color (not just darker and lighter skin .. each race does have it's range of colors as well) and differernt facial features .. that's NATURAL.

Stick to the choice that manage to follow the lore best. Sanctuary might be based on earth but it is not the same place.

They are doing just fine XD





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How come everyone considers the Barbarian as norse? Hell, i'm norse myself, and to me the Barb has a much more scottish/gaelic vibe around him. Blue paint anyone?

There is a very good reason that people consider the Barb a Norse representation .. he is exactly like the Berserkers in Norse culture and lore (including the whole war paint thing) .. and even more because of the Fury thing they added in D3 and a tree of skills called Berserker. which is the name used for Brutish Norse warriors.


It is close enough though to not warrant a seperate "proper" Norse class (like some Viking).


It will be an exact copy of the Barb but with slight differences .... i can agree that the Barb is not based 100% on Nordic lore but rather is greatly inspired by it .. There is no place for exact replicas of norse warriors in Diablo cause the current Barbarians and Druids fill that role .. it's just that Blizz like to give thigs their own twist and feel.

[peasant]

Its funny how you people let pigments on someones skin declare their race. Its the year 2009 cant you people realize that skin color has absolutely nothing with race to do?

A person with paler or darker skin tone then yourself is not in fact a completely different race then you are. I am constantly baffled when this is brought up in forum threads. Care to tell me what nation in this world future humans that are not homo sapiens sapiens?

I would have been inclined to say yes except for the plethora of anthropological, genetic, cultural and medical evidence to the contrary. Humans are composed of multiple races; of which one of the commonest phenotypic differentiations is through skin color.

[Dimmu]

How come everyone considers the Barbarian as norse? Hell, i'm norse myself, and to me the Barb has a much more scottish/gaelic vibe around him.

I think the answer is actually pretty simple.... no accent or bagpipes LMAO. But seriously, every culture has it's own stereotype that is immediately associated with them. You don't see it because you're actually scandanavian though. When I think of celtic/scottish etc culture, I honestly think of plaid kilts, bagpipes, and most importantly their accents. When I think nordic culture I think about Vikings slaughtering everything and anything they feel like. Hell, I even went to Scandanavia this summer and nearly every tourist trap was viking-related, and there's those "Trolls of Norway" too. I actually met these two friendly older women in Norway that were completely amazed that neither me nor any of my family were fat when we said we were American. So I guess we're associated with obesity....how wonderful.

Point is, whether anybody thinks it's racist or not, every culture has some kind of archetype associated with it. And I think most people immediately think of Nords with the barb. I mean, he does live on a snow covered mountain.

[nukka]

Why cant we choose the skin tone of our characters? Then no one will feel out of place. Imagine playing as an african barb, that would be pretty crazy. As long as blizzard stays away from dwarfs/elves, i'm more then happy. I don't understand why people really care what ethnicity a character is, it doesnt affect the overall gameplay.

[Knight_Wolf]

Why cant we choose the skin tone of our characters? Then no one will feel out of place. Imagine playing as an african barb, that would be pretty crazy. As long as blizzard stays away from dwarfs/elves, i'm more then happy. I don't understand why people really care what ethnicity a character is, it doesnt affect the overall gameplay.

For a very simple reason .. aside from the fact that Diablo isn't an MMO or a real RPG .. and it has to be noted that Diablo always had fixed pre-made characters (in terms of personality and background info).

Each class/character has a preset history, culture, theme .. etc etc, it won't make any sense at all to allow customization of the character's looks themselves when Blizz wants to create a deep rich background for each character thus each character's skin color and general features HAS to match their background info and cultural theme or it will be awkward and feel weird .. simple.

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And ethnicity of the character's matter to people for many reasons .. some feel connected with the character more when they are from the same ethnicity, others like to see variety .. and other various reasons.

Personally i like the variety and also like each character to be interesting and has a deep and detailed background story which requires each character to have preset facial/body features and theme.

[lone_wolf]

@peasant only one problem with that skin color varies even within a population.

so does the distance between our eyes, the size of our noses etc hardly something that makes us a different race from each other.

Otherwise by your narrow definition of race. nobody is the same race as i am. Because even within one of the smallest groups of people for example a family the skin color varies, for that matter so does facial structure also.

Epicanthal folds for example does not as many think only shows up on people from asia. It can be found in many native americans, sothern afriacan and the closest the me the saami population.

lets get back to color. Light hair colors are often seen as connected to people coming from northen europe or america the fun part is that there are some parts of the population in south pacific countries like the salamon islands that also have light hair colors.

For that matter hair colors shifts trough age as well as the fact that how much you stay outdoors and let the sun shine on you also alter your hair color as well as your skin color.

That is why i hope blizzard dont go the political correct way only to satisfy those that need the glossy surface of such a incorrect image of what color of the skin the majority of people in the world have today becasue it sure as hell is not milky white.

No i hope they actually dont give damn about such things and instead focus on making the next classes as diverse as they will be not becasue its politically correct to do so but for the simple reason that they think it fits the world of sanctuary.

[blikst]

race
2  /reɪs/ Show Spelled Pronunciation [reys] Show IPA
–noun
1. a group of persons related by common descent or heredity.
2. a population so related.
3. Anthropology.
a. any of the traditional divisions of humankind, the commonest being the Caucasian, Mongoloid, and Negro, characterized by supposedly distinctive and universal physical characteristics: no longer in technical use.
b. an arbitrary classification of modern humans, sometimes, esp. formerly, based on any or a combination of various physical characteristics, as skin color, facial form, or eye shape, and now frequently based on such genetic markers as blood groups.
c. a human population partially isolated reproductively from other populations, whose members share a greater degree of physical and genetic similarity with one another than with other humans.
4. a group of tribes or peoples forming an ethnic stock: the Slavic race.
5. any people united by common history, language, cultural traits, etc.: the Dutch race.
6. the human race or family; humankind: Nuclear weapons pose a threat to the race.
7. Zoology. a variety; subspecies.
8. a natural kind of living creature: the race of fishes.
9. any group, class, or kind, esp. of persons: Journalists are an interesting race.
10. the characteristic taste or flavor of wine.

[Technomancer]

I think the word race needs some context. I think Lone Wolf's point is based on the scientific, genetic definition of race, and by that measure, of course, everyone on the planet is the same race. The way most people use the word race though is similar to how we Americans use the word "state". Technically speaking, the US is a state. Germany is a state. South Korea is a state. Indiana. California, and North Dakota are NOT states. We just use that term to describe them. Race is used the same way. Africans or Caucasians aren't technically different races, but that how we describe them. If we didn't use that word, we'd use something else, and it wouldn't make any difference whatsoever anyways. If there actually WERE another intelligent species on this planet, that would be different.

With Barbs, I never viewed them as Norse, but I know why people do. The old Norse (Vikings) are popularly associated with big, bad, bruiser warriors that destroy anything that gets in there way. That's the Barb! Norse Berserkers do make a pretty good match though, but I view them as Roman era or later central or eastern Euro "barbarians". I guess the Druid would be Celtic. The Pally would be a Spanish Moor. The Sorc would be middle-eastern. The Necro would be pasty English or eastern European, I guess ;). I think of the Amazon as a cross between Greek and Norse. I not sure about Assassins... Eastern European?

@elvarsteinn: I do see the point about A2 Mercs being eastern warriors, but I meant eastern continent, like around Kejhistan (sp?). I think it'd be a good playable character, regardless.

@Knight_Wolf: You may be right about the race/gender thing, but the male Wizard doesn't strike me as remotely Asian.

And for whatever it's worth, my fav class was the Pally, and I'm about as pasty white as they come! :) My second fav was the Sorc, no matching plumbing there! I like games with diversity cause I like playing other races/genders. That's part of what roleplaying is.

[Vitamins]

Really? It's a big world and not everyone's white anymore. I think it's almost automatic that the characters in a modern game will come from a variety of racially diverse backgrounds. Some players like to pick characters they can identify with better, via shared racial identity, or are just more comfortable playing a game that doesn't exclude their ethnicity entirely.

Yes, really.

And I think what I wrote may have went over your head. There's nothing automatic about a group of videogame developers coming together and saying, "Now, how racially diversive should we make these classes, so that people aren't offended?...So that people don't think we're racist." This whole idea that there's an unsaid rule that modern-day videogames must be racially diversive creates more racial tension because ethnic groups are given a sense of entitlement in which they must be represented. If these ethnic groups are not sufficiently represented, then the popular conclusion is that somebody must be out to get them, or somebody must be a racist. I don't think Blizzard should be pressured at all in this regard and should be left to do whatever it is they want. I trust (and hope) that if the developers decided that the classes should be all white, all black, or racially diversive, then it'd not be the result of racism (or their fear of being called racist), but because that's just what happened.

[fromtheshadow]

I think the word race needs some context. I think Lone Wolf's point is based on the scientific, genetic definition of race, and by that measure, of course, everyone on the planet is the same race. The way most people use the word race though is similar to how we Americans use the word "state". Technically speaking, the US is a state. Germany is a state. South Korea is a state. Indiana. California, and North Dakota are NOT states. We just use that term to describe them. Race is used the same way. Africans or Caucasians aren't technically different races, but that how we describe them. If we didn't use that word, we'd use something else, and it wouldn't make any difference whatsoever anyways. If there actually WERE another intelligent species on this planet, that would be different.

With Barbs, I never viewed them as Norse, but I know why people do. The old Norse (Vikings) are popularly associated with big, bad, bruiser warriors that destroy anything that gets in there way. That's the Barb! Norse Berserkers do make a pretty good match though, but I view them as Roman era or later central or eastern Euro "barbarians". I guess the Druid would be Celtic. The Pally would be a Spanish Moor. The Sorc would be middle-eastern. The Necro would be pasty English or eastern European, I guess ;). I think of the Amazon as a cross between Greek and Norse. I not sure about Assassins... Eastern European?

@elvarsteinn: I do see the point about A2 Mercs being eastern warriors, but I meant eastern continent, like around Kejhistan (sp?). I think it'd be a good playable character, regardless.

@Knight_Wolf: You may be right about the race/gender thing, but the male Wizard doesn't strike me as remotely Asian.

And for whatever it's worth, my fav class was the Pally, and I'm about as pasty white as they come! :) My second fav was the Sorc, no matching plumbing there! I like games with diversity cause I like playing other races/genders. That's part of what roleplaying is.

amazons were mythical warrior women who accroding to the greeks lived to the north of the black sea. their myth was probably due to the real woman warrior of scythian and sarmatian tribes of the area (although in such tribes men were still the favored warriors). greeks potrayed them with greek weapons and clothing in their arts and that more or less is the basis of the amazon charactor of diablo 2.

oddly though these trbes were linguistically related to modern iranian perhaps genetically too, thought they were said to have lighter skin and ighter hair color.

i also agree that the barbarian seems like a roman era barbarian rather than a viking.

[Technomancer]

amazons were mythical warrior women who accroding to the greeks lived to the north of the black sea. their myth was probably due to the real woman warrior of scythian and sarmatian tribes of the area (although in such tribes men were still the favored warriors). greeks potrayed them with greek weapons and clothing in their arts and that more or less is the basis of the amazon charactor of diablo 2.

Dude, I know what Amazons are in our world. I'm saying that in D2 they feel like more of a cross between that and some kind of Norse warrior women. The skill Valkyrie? I just feel the character has a Norse-ish vibe to it. That's me.

[lone_wolf]

I think the word race needs some context. I think Lone Wolf's point is based on the scientific, genetic definition of race, and by that measure, of course, everyone on the planet is the same race. The way most people use the word race though is similar to how we Americans use the word "state". Technically speaking, the US is a state. Germany is a state. South Korea is a state. Indiana. California, and North Dakota are NOT states. We just use that term to describe them. Race is used the same way. Africans or Caucasians aren't technically different races, but that how we describe them. If we didn't use that word, we'd use something else, and it wouldn't make any difference whatsoever anyways. If there actually WERE another intelligent species on this planet, that would be different.


you are correct i base my point on the scientific view of race.

I agree with Vitamins there should be a good reason as to why they design the rest of the classes as they think they fit into the world and not because then need to fill a certain quota to make sure no one is "offended".

[Dimmu]

Yes, really.

And I think what I wrote may have went over your head. There's nothing automatic about a group of videogame developers coming together and saying, "Now, how racially diversive should we make these classes, so that people aren't offended?...So that people don't think we're racist." This whole idea that there's an unsaid rule that modern-day videogames must be racially diversive creates more racial tension because ethnic groups are given a sense of entitlement in which they must be represented. If these ethnic groups are not sufficiently represented, then the popular conclusion is that somebody must be out to get them, or somebody must be a racist. I don't think Blizzard should be pressured at all in this regard and should be left to do whatever it is they want. I trust (and hope) that if the developers decided that the classes should be all white, all black, or racially diversive, then it'd not be the result of racism (or their fear of being called racist), but because that's just what happened.

I understand where you're coming from but... that tension DOES exist whether you like it or not. You're VERY naive to think otherwise.

It's not like the guys at blizzard sit around their conference table like... "Here's the plan fellas, if we don't want to go to federal prison for hate crimes, we oughtta have a very racially diverse cast of characters". It's just something in the back of the mind in any given entertainment industry.

Honestly, I never thought of the Paladin being black as very natural feeling when I first got the game. But with Kurast being the Holyness central of Sancuary, it slowly grew on me. It all works out great for Diablo because it has this rich background with several different ethnicities anyway (which is somewhat of a plot device in itself).

[Knight_Wolf]

i also agree that the barbarian seems like a roman era barbarian rather than a viking.

Actually come to think of it .. he might be a mix of both.

[Caoimhinobaoghaile]

Just to note a few things, I remember in the booklet to D2 the Necromancer artwork depicted him as an elderly Asian man, but that seems to have changed with the in-game artwork.

In Act 2 of D2, the smith Fara clearly has white skin, red hair yet has trained as a Paladin in the East. The level of inter-cultural exchange in the Diablo world seems a little more advanced than the corresponding exchange of say, our medieval world. And I would prefer minimal correspondence with racial and geographical patterns in the real world, so Druids coming from the far north-east, Amazons from far south for example is much better for me.

The druid mythology is Irish in origin, although other countries had druids as well the booklet description uses several Irish words if I remember correctly.

I think that in D2 the only real signifiers of race/ethnicity apart from skin colour were shown on the character selection screen where you could clearly see the faces of the characters. I mean, the assassin seemed to be a character influenced by eastern mythologies yet appeared more European up-close, and apart from this example of the start-up screen you would assume her identity was asian. (I think this topic could be complicated by talking about the accents of the characters).

In D3 race may be a more contentious issue, because it seems that the little in-game dialogue sequences you will be able to see your character much closer, as well as zooming in on your character.

[jacobgold]

Im with Vitamins (http://diablo.incgamers.com/forums/member.php?u=335909) on this one.

Racial diversity should not be a consideration.

If you think that is racist of me, I would say that it is you who are racist. Nobody should receive different treatment based only on the consideration of race, whether that is to exclude or include.

[Knight_Wolf]

If you think that is racist of me, I would say that it is you who are racist. Nobody should receive different treatment based only on the consideration of race, whether that is to exclude or include.


This smells of hypocrisy .... racial diversity in itself doesn't dictate removal or inclusion of a single specific race or special treatment for anyone specific (nor did anyone here or Blizz support that) ... on the other hand attacking racial diversity is by default and most of the time in support of a single specific race (even if you claim otherwise) .. it can be seen by simply looking at the results after removing racial diversity.

In short .. supporting a full range of racial variety is the complete opposite of racism.

[Typoko]

Hi!

As far as i know the game already has a great diversity in the classes. Most likely we will see atleast one more class to be white. Dunno what they will do with the last pick but one more white is guaranteed, leaving white players with only Barbarian feels pretty risky to me as i'm sure they will want to keep their Western players happy.

That aside, i would love to have an shaman that would be ethnically norse. Earth type magic and maybe a bit of animal companions tossed in there. And i mean using nature itself and not tossing meteorites from the sky like in D2 druid did. On top of the earth type magic you could have singing abilities. Yes i know it sounds lame and would never make in these kind of games, but most of the "spells" that the nordic shamans cast were in form of poems and riddles.

Putting the viking as norse character is really getting old, and i mean REALLY OLD. The rest of the world pretty much thinks that we were fierce and had vikings... and... umm... it's cold! Pretty funny that no one said anything about stereotyping norse to vikings. I guess it's ok to stereotype white people.

[Knight_Wolf]

I guess it's ok to stereotype white people.

Well, everyone gets stereotyped these days, nobody is an exception really XD

[Technomancer]

Viking Northmen are awesome!! lol! Of course the typical "Viking" was just a small segment of the northern demographics in primarily agricultural and trade based societies. The thing with them, and a few other stereotypes, is that in most of the rest of the world, Vikings are COOL! Stereotypes are not limited to negative stereotypes, but seemingly positive stereotypes are never thought of as being exactly that: stereotypes. Vikings were not all good, it can just be easy to overlook the bad, particularly when pop-culture wants a new subject to talk/write about.

It's like in America, European medieval Kings and Queens and castles and nobility and knights are romanticized and fantasized about, but in Europe, many of those things are just remnants of past oppression and dictatorship. One doesn't need to be a minority or even different to be under someone else's boot.

All that said, if something is done very well, the ability with which it was done can be admirable, even if the motivations or results are not so good. People tend to take the good and forget the bad, sometimes to their own peril.

Vikings did what they did VERY well. :strong: :tombstone: :guiness:

I can't believe there aren't any Viking smilies...

[Darkflight]

This smells of hypocrisy .... racial diversity in itself doesn't dictate removal or inclusion of a single specific race or special treatment for anyone specific (nor did anyone here or Blizz support that) ... on the other hand attacking racial diversity is by default and most of the time in support of a single specific race (even if you claim otherwise) .. it can be seen by simply looking at the results after removing racial diversity.

In short .. supporting a full range of racial variety is the complete opposite of racism.

Supporting a full range of racial variety is not the complete opposite of racism. Race is something that should be irrelevant.

Choosing the race for each class based on their backstory is the opposite of racism. If one race is left out because it doesn't fit in, it shouldn't matter.

[Knight_Wolf]

If one race is left out because it doesn't fit in, it shouldn't matter.

Agree on that to a great extent, but only if it really doesn't fit in.

[DavidJewer]

If they go with the Native American, he'll probably be a tracker/ranger who uses ranged weapons (bow and arrows) and talks to animals, or some kinda religous Shaman.

I'm pretty sure that making a Native American a forest-person class is stereotyping and Blizzard usually stays away from stuff like that.

[mince pies]

Really? It's a big world and not everyone's white anymore.

Were they ever?