How would you write a minority character that doesn't feel shoehorned or forced?
>>340572751
Take example from Paul Verhoeven movies
>>340572751
Kind of like African Americans in real life vs B.E.T. videos. A guy that has a random series of events happen in his life, and he happens to be black.
>>340572751
make him the antagonist
Write him as Samuel L. Jackson or Morgan Freeman.
Just have him act like a regular character, having him stand out with his only real memorable trait being his skin color makes for a shitty character
>>340572751
>how do i make a shoehorned character in without making it feel shoehorned in
Pretty much just do something and ignore 4chan
You write a character first, then you make him black/hispanic/asian/caucasian based on context and backstory.
>>340572751
Let them be a normal character rather than a caricature, also if they have an accent let someone who actually has that accent voice them.
Pic Related.
FEATURING FULLY ROMANCEABLE HOMOSEXUAL CHARACTERS would be my ad too
>>340573990
ALCATRAZ
>>340572751
I think the golden rule should be; if the race doesn't matter, make them white. White people are by and large the "default" because they can be any type of character and no one will give you shit for it. As weirdly hypocritical as it is, a lot of modern notions really pidgeonhole minorities and people get pissed when they're not in those holes. I'm reminded of the Guybrush VS Galbrush diatribe, and it's very true for minorities as well as women.
If the race does matter, then we enter tricky territory. As an author you need to be ready for people to give you shit, but if you make a minority character you should do your best to make that person seem like they're a real member of their culture. If they're an African American, make their character reflective of the troubled environment many blacks grow up in. If they're a native African, give them traits that reflect the struggles of Africa. The same should apply to Hispanics, Arabs, etc. A writer should seek to make his characters feel real, and if your method of writing a minority is to write a regular white person with some degree of a tan, that's lazy.
It's hard to point to a good example in video games, but something that illustrates my point is the 2014 reboot of Ms. Marvel. Kamala Khan is a Pakistani Muslim, and instead of being a regular white teenager who occasionally mentions Islam or uses Pakistani words, her ethnicity and religion is a source of organic conflict and occasionally drives the plot. It's a real and honest presentation of a culture that's worth a thousand token characters.
make him white
>>340572751
Just make a normal dude with a deep southern accent who just happens to be black. Not that hard.
The ethnicity suits the setting.
The ethnicity suits the characters traits.
The ethnicity isn't one of those character traits.
This can apply shoehorned gay and/or female characters as well.
>make character
>write everything that isn't affected by his appearance
>randomly choose appearance
Done.
Make the character's race relevant to the plot without trying to push an agenda.
See CJ from GTA SA for an example of this.
>>340572751
Nothing wrong with forcing a character in as long as they're fun.
>>340572751
by not making the Key defining attribute about the character being that they are are """"Minority""""
>Pick up pen
>Put down pen
>Put on coat, walk out door
>Get on a plane to DC
>Walk onto Howard University's campus
>Walk into the library the night before English department finals
>Dab
>Point to five random people out of the crowd that immediately surrounds me
>Hire them to write instead
Any UC or UT campus can stand in if you need Asian/Mexican input.
>>340573114
I'd pay big money for a game with Samuel L. Jackson as main character.
by making me torture and kill him
>>340572751
he has to be niggering in every scene he is in and everybody mentions all of the super cool nigger things he is doing when he is not on screen, such as penetrating OP's wife.
>>340576087
I agree with this guy.
This was a good black character. He kinda acted black but in the good and endearing way, he wasn't a nigger and he didn't feel shoehorned.
>Trait is something that could happen often in the situation the story is set in (i.e. not a black viking or an openly gay man in the 19th century)
>Trait affects relations with characters in a realistic way or not at all
>Trait isn't mentioned on every paragraph in the story
>>340572751
Make him a weeb
T. Black weeb
Just make him/her a minority character. Don't advertise it. Don't shove it in people's faces. You want him/her to face racial issues then fine. Don't advertise it like a feature. Don't have them spout from the mountain tops that they are strong on their own and that they will destroy the entire system by themselves. Just make the character believable and you will do fine.
Why do anons need a character to "act black"? Does a black guy who acts outside your stereotypical preconceptions really cause you that much discomfort? Why are you so fragile?
>>340572751
By not explicitly making a minority character. They'd only be black/blue/green/etc. if it made sense in the story, such as if the story takes place in real life locations with many of them, or if the story had one of each human phenotype preserved in the event of an apocalypse.
By /v/'s standards? Impossible.
>>340576948
>if it made sense in the story, such as if the story takes place in real life locations with many of them
Well video game characters tend to be exceptional people, and assuming the game takes place in a modernish or futurish setting you could probably find a nigga somewhere. I can't think of any places that outright ban black people aside from some South African enclaves.
>>340576736
>>340576948
Black people IRL act black. Not portraying this seems like a waste of a character. Why make them black if you're not going to make them black?
How would you write a minority character that doesn't feel shoehorned or forced?
>>340575504
>make them white.
I'm sorry but you need to remember all people are different and you don't always need to adjust them anymore that you need white characters. If Nathan drake was black we wouldn't really need change anything but his skin color.
and what about stories that don't take place on earth like sc-fi? do we need to add backstory to master chief if he was Arabic (or descendent of arabic)
even in stories that take place in everday life we don't really need adjust any character really. if you write a story about a cyclist you don't really need to change anything to make that character more black like or more asian like that's just stupid.
Write a regular white character, with a white voice actor, then hit brown on the paint bucket.
Done.
>>340576736
I think its because everyone expects the stereotypes even though they hate them.
Like CJ from San Andreas was voiced by an actual rapper and all the characters are written stereotypically so he's not a threatening black guy. He has his moments he breaks character and they are precious because they skirt around the stereotypes without obviously trying to subvert them like making him an accountant or scientist.
Its when you do something like make an obviously black character wear a bow tie and be a mad scientist like in the new turtles movie. Its just annoying.
>>340572751
>write Indian character
>just like white character except brown
>>340572751
>writing a character based on race
>not shoehorned
literally pick one unless you are a genuinely excellent writer
>Write character
>Spin color wheel
>Roll with whatever you get
The dude can be magenta colored for all I care.
>>340577675
That's not always true, I've met a few blacks that have acted extremely "not black"
>>340577973
>subvert them like making him an accountant or scientist
Why is this a subversion though? Both exist, and are somewhat uncommon but not that bizarre, but they exist.
>>340577549
I was just naming a few examples m8. I personally am not including any in my own game, but that's just because they don't fit with the premise of it. Ones like Civ fit, or something like say, a game where you travel the world.
>>340577675
What? I didn't say anything about unblacking the character, just about the circumstances that would make sense to have one.
>>340572751
make his skin black
make him a cool guy level-headed guy that makes relatable but wise actions.
good character.
Just make him a regular guy. If done right, you may not even notice he's different.
>>340577675
but I'm black and I know I don't act that way. actually no one in my family act that way.
imagine that majority of people of other races thought all white people act like hillbillies and then when they show Nathan Drake they complain that he's not acting white enough.
It's weirdly annoying that you guys talk like cole train is a good example of a minority character.
>>340572751
>Write a character like you normally would.
>Make them a minority after the fact.
That's it! Go nuts apprentice.
I wouldn't because I'm terrible at writing and I'd fuck it up and people would send me death threats and shit
>>340576501
Came here to post this.
Who doesn't love a single dad resistance fighter Mr. T motherfucker with a machine gun arm
and he cursed like a sailor
based Barrett
Lee Everett didn't feel forced.
Loved that guy
>>340578236
It subverts the stereotype, but not real life. The stereotype is false, as an all-inclusive description of blackness.
If it's a protagonist of a niche genre played almost entirely by white people and I'm supposed to roleplay or be immersed, just fucking don't. Anything else I don't care.
If it's a non-white antagonist you have to let me kick its ass or it will feel like you didn't let me hit it for political reasons.
>>340578793
Came here to post this
>>340572751
Don't shoehorn in a political agenda alongside the character. As mush as /v/ likes to shitpost otherwise, the race isn't the problem but the message that's usually paired with them. I doubt /v/ would be shitposting the new watch dogs as hard if it weren't for the racial profiling plot
If you can roll a weighted die depending on location for their character race after they've been fleshed out and it does impact the character that's probably a good character.
>>340572751
>take a normal well-rounded character
>"okay now make his skin brown"
Well for me personally, I wouldn't include one. I'm making a game and all the characters are either white or asian since I find them to be more physically appealing. I was considering a black dude scientist but he ended up getting replaced by a voice-in-the-wall AI.
>>340579134
Doesn't
>>340577675
>Black people IRL act black.
What if I told you there are black people reading this thread RIGHT NOWlike mewho don't "act black"?
>>340579113
The concept of a black super-hacker who looks like a DJ or something is also completely retarded
>>340575992
if they are forced they are not fun
>>340578965
no fuck off that's just stupid.
"let's not have Marlow Briggs or Bayonetta because I think white guys is the majority."
>>340575992
I thought he was fun because I could clone the shit out of him and cheese the final boss.
>>340572751
Famous writer here.
Get a pair of dice, each number on the dice corresponds to a particular race. Roll it and you got yourself a hero.
>>340578965
This. I wanted to beat that nigger like her great granddaddy back on the plantation. Fucking Naughty Cucks didn't let me.
by making them black knights:^)
>>340572751
I wouldn't. not interested.
>>340572751
just put it in there doing what is he supposed to do
if he doesn't do anything, he doesn't need to exists
>>340579113
Also this. We're smarter than that, we can see when shit's included because it's political and when the designer thought it'd be cool.
>>340578219
>>340578573
>>340579384
First of all, the exceptions don't make the rule, second of all, I didn't mean totally nigger out I just meant manner of speech and shit, making a white character and changing his skin color black doesn't make him black, if anything that feels way more shoehorned than just making a black character
>>340578965
Idk man this white guy feel a political agenda is behind this so we need to skip that story point you had even if it's amazing.
>>340579384
I'd tell you, your family acts black. Don't try to deny it because you know they do.
>>340579821
Not always, man.
>>340579821
>your family acts black
Nope.
>>340579536
You're not supposed to identify with Bayonetta, so it's not really an issue. You're supposed to enjoy the spectacle of the action and her weird ass and titties.
>>340572751
Just make him a regular guy like every other unremarkable guy but who happens to be black. He doesn't automatically need to become a dancing maniac who's loud as fuck.
>>340572751
>main character has to take out inner-city gang
>all the members are black
Wasn't that hard to be honest.
>>340577675
Most black people that actually come to my country from Africa are far from niggers, it's the ones that are born here that are awful.
>>340580047
how is it making my answer any weaker he's saying white characters should be the protagonist in "white majority games"
>>340579384
You're a small minority, should we just ignore reality?
>>340580365
That is the definition of shoehorned.
why isn't there a game where I can own slaves and manage a plantation?
it should be on steam at least
>>340580449
Yes
>>340580380
are you from France?
>>340580598
United States. I'm sure you see my point now.
>>340580408
>If it's a protagonist of a niche genre played almost entirely by white people and I'm supposed to roleplay or be immersed,
By realizing that every trait a character has is "forced" and "shoehorned".
>>340580449
>>You're a small minority, should we just ignore reality?
how is it ignoring reality if you make a story of a minority?
>>340579097
Because he was an everyman
>>340580784
When every story is about the minority implying that they're in fact the majority then it's ignoring reality.
>>340580750
yeah I goofed
still think you can make games about minorities just look at walking dead. point a click was niche genre when it came out and a lot of people could relate to both lee and clementine
Another thing that big titles still do, don't indirectly advertise your game base of that character because it feels like you're just saying ''hey we have a black/hispanic character!'' that means trailers and pictures only showing him in poses and not a scene or other characters in the same deal.
>>340572751
a character like lee from walking dead is fine, just because its a character thats black and is well written, also the fact it never really comes up
hes just a dude who happens to be black
>>340575991
I can't really think of many white characters (or any characters) whose race is relevant to the plot. Why should this be so for black characters?
>>340572751
Left4Dead's casts are the easiest example.
>>340580975
>When every story is about the minority implying that they're in fact the majority then it's ignoring reality.
How is implying they exist by having one in a remotely prominent role implying they are a majority?
>>340580975
but that's not the case. are you high?
white characters still the majority so calm your tits
>>340581337
Tactics Ogre LUCT dealt with it a bit,though it was fictional human races on a fictional continent.
It WAS based on the Balkan conflicts iirc.
>>340578965
I can't do any of this shit irl so if you don't let me do it in my games I'll boohoo.
Make him a gay priest
>>340581756
I didn't say there weren't white characters where race is important. My question is if a character is black, why must their race be important in order for them to not be shoehorned/forced?
>>340582125
Pucci isn't black, he's just a really swarthy Italian.
That being said, it's a mistake someone in universe made.
>>340582803
>not black
>the kkk literally kills his brother and his gf for being related to him
he's a black italian
>>340572751
A young man is stealing a purse.
Wanders into an alley
Sees 6 thugs shooting a business man
He is found and chased and they try to kill him
the MC is foul mouthed, no manners, and irredemable
The leader of the gang is the MC's father whom he never met
MC ends up killing him and his mother and taking over the gang
