Category: Anti-Blackness / regressive characterizations

  • Black Card Revoked

    Designer: Latesha Williams, Lay BoboPublisher: Cards For All PeopleRelease Year: 2015Platform: Card GameGenre: Party GameTaxonomy: Anti-Blackness; Development; Mechanics Designed as trivia, the title of this game plays on the possibility of having your Black identity taken–or your “black card revoked”– when you don’t know reference to, or hallmarks of, Black vernacular culture. interviews and other…

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  • The Elder Scrolls Adventures: Redguard

    Developer: Bethesda SoftworksPublisher: Bethesda SoftworksRelease Year: 1998Platform: DOSGenre: Action-adventureTaxonomy: Playable Black Characters, Anti-Blackness/Regressive Characterizations You play as Cyrus, a Redguard mercenary, who travels to Hammerfell to investigate the mysterious disappearance of his sister. interviews and other media scholarship Return to List

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  • Dead Island 2

    Developer: Dambuster StudiosPublisher: Deep SilverRelease Year: 2023Platform: PS4, PS5, Win, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/SGenre: ActionTaxonomy: Playable Black characters, Voice Acting/Motion Capture, politics/ideology/history, intersectionality, Black NPCs, Anti-Blackness/ regressive characterizations Several months after the events of Dead Island, Los Angeles is put under full quarantine and you play as one of six survivors with distinct survival…

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  • Dead Island

    Developer: TechlandPublisher: Deep SilverRelease Year: 2011Platform: Linux, Mac, PS3, PS4, Win, Xbox 360, Xbox OneGenre: ActionTaxonomy: Playable Black characters, Voice Acting/Motion Capture, politics/ideology/history, intersectionality, Black NPCs, Anti-Blackness/ regressive characterizations You play one of four survivors who are immune to the zombie virus and fighting for their lives and to save humanity for a variety of…

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  • The Walking Dead (Series)

    Developer: TellTale Games, Skybound EntertainmentPublisher: TellTale Games, Skybound EntertainmentRelease Year: 2012, 2013, 2016, 2019, 2020 (Switch)Platform: Android/iOS/Kindle Fire/Mac/Ouya/PS3/PS4/PSVita/Switch/Win/Xbox 360/Xbox OneGenre: Point and Click AdventureTaxonomy: Anti-Blackness/regressive characterizations, Playable Black characters, Voice Acting/Motion Capture, politics/ideology/history, narrative themes, Black NPCs, intersectionality An episodic series that traces the lives and relationships of university professor and convicted felon, Lee Everett…

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  • Resident Evil 5

    Developer: CapcomPublisher: CapcomRelease Year: 2009Platform: PS3/PS4/Switch/Win/Xbox 360/Xbox One Genre: Survival Horror Taxonomy: Black NPCs; Playable Black characters; narrative themes; voice acting/ motion capture; Anti-Blackness / regressive characterizations; Chris Redfield, one of the few survivors of the incident, is now working as an agent for the Bioterrorism Security Assessment Alliance (BSAA). He heads to the Kijuju…

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  • Rap Jam: Volume One

    Developer: 64WD CreationPublisher: Mowtown GamesRelease Year: 1995Platform: SNESGenre: SportsTaxonomy: Playable Black characters, Black NPCs, Anti-Blackness/regressive characterizations You play as one of the included rap artists in a game played on outdoor courts. The game involved hard fouls and fighting with no foul calls. interviews and other media scholarship Return to List

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  • NBA Street

    Developer: NuFX, EA CanadaPublisher: EA Sports BIGRelease Year: 2001 (PS2), 2002 (GameCube)Platform: GameCube/PS2Genre: SportsTaxonomy: Playable Black characters; voice acting/motion capture; Black NPCs; Black cultural traditions; Narrative themes; robust character creation system; fandom/community/reception; mechanics; anti-Blackness/regressive characterizations Combining the talent and big names of the NBA with the attitude and atmosphere of streetball, you try to score…

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  • Mike Tyson’s Punch Out

    Developer: NintendoPublisher: NintendoRelease Year: 1987Platform: 3DS/Arcade/NES/PlayChoice-10/Wii/Wii UGenre: SportsTaxonomy: Black NPCs; voice acting/motion capture; fandom/community/reception; mechanics; Anti-blackness/ regressive characterizations Featuring a boxer named Little Mac, dreaming of being a heavyweight champion, he works his way through three main circuits before earning his shot at the championship belt. interviews and other media scholarship Return to List

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  • Homey D. Clown

    Developer: Capstone SoftwarePublisher: Synergistic SoftwareRelease Year: 1993Platform: DOSGenre: Point and Click AdventureTaxonomy: Playable Black characters, fandom/community/reception, Black cultural traditions, Anti-Blackness/regressive characterizations Take on the role of Homey D. Clown, the most popular Damon Wayans character from Fox’s sketch-comedy series “In Living Color”. Players guide Homey through his typical day on the streets of New York,…

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