List of black video game characters
Appearance
This list of black video game characters exclude sports and music titles. A study was published in 2009 by the University of Southern California called: "The virtual census: representations of gender, race and age in video games" and it showed that black characters appear in video games in proportion to their numbers in the 2000 US census data, but mainly in sports games and in titles that reinforce stereotypes.[1]
List of characters
[edit]![]() |
Before 2000s
[edit]2000s
[edit]2010s
[edit]2020s
[edit]Year | Title | Name | Role | Nationality | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
2020 | Streets of Rage 4 | Cherry Hunter | Playable | ||
2021 | Deathloop | Colt Vahn | Protagonist | Undefined | [28] |
Julianna Blake | Playable | [28] | |||
Far Cry 6 | Antón Castillo | NPC | |||
2022 | Fear & Hunger 2: Termina | O'saa | Playable | A yellow mage from the faraway land of Abyssonia. He is inclined to participate in the namesake festival by the wizard Nas'hrah. | |
Pokémon Scarlet & Violet | Ryme | NPC | Spanish* | A Gym Leader of Paldea who favors Ghost-types, her rap is known to "bring the dead to their feet". Former Gym Leader Tyme is her older sister.[29] | |
Tyme | |||||
The King of Fighters XV | Dolores | Playable | |||
Xenoblade Chronicles 3 | Taion | Playable | |||
2023 | Forspoken | Alfre Holland | Protagonist | American | [30] |
Season: A Letter to the Future | Estelle | Protagonist | Undefined | [31] | |
Baldur's Gate 3 | Wyll Ravengard | Playable | Undefined | Wyll is one of 10 companions the player can choose recruit. He is also playable as an Orgin character.[32] | |
Street Fighter 6 | Kimberly | Playable | |||
2024 | Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League | Floyd Lawton "Deadshot" | Playable | American | Deadshot is one of four playable characters in this game.[33] |
Amanda Waller | NPC | American | Director of the Suicide Squad and powerful figure in U.S. politics. She sends the Suicide Squad out to target a mind controlled Justice League.[33] | ||
John Stewart | NPC | American | A Green Lantern and one of the heroes in the Justice League who is under Brainiac's mind control.[33] |
See also
[edit]- List of black animated characters
- List of black superheroes
- Lists of black people
- Race and video games
References
[edit]- ^ "Video Game Minority Report: Lots Of Players, Few Characters". Science Daily. University of Southern California. 30 July 2009. Archived from the original on 31 July 2009. Retrieved 16 November 2014.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Hester, Larry (26 June 2012). "The 10 Best Black Characters In Video Games". Complex. Archived from the original on 12 October 2014. Retrieved 16 November 2014.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Narcisse, Evan (20 February 2013). "This Is How We Get More Black People In Video Games". Kotaku. Archived from the original on 23 February 2013. Retrieved 16 November 2014.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y Holmes, Jonathan (15 October 2013). "Let's look at Tropes Vs. Black Guys in Videogames". Destructoid. Archived from the original on 30 October 2013. Retrieved 16 November 2014.
- ^ a b "Why are Black Game Characters Failing the Audience?". Edge. 8 February 2009. Archived from the original on 10 February 2009. Retrieved 16 November 2014.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j Carr, Krystal (16 February 2014). "12 Black Video Game Characters That Kick Ass!". SheAttack. Archived from the original on 16 February 2014. Retrieved 16 November 2014.
- ^ Buckley, Michaela (12 April 2013). "The scarcity of black characters in video games". ScrewAttack. Archived from the original on 29 November 2014. Retrieved 16 November 2014.
- ^ Dead or Alive History -Team Ninja Freaks- p. 160.
- ^ a b Narcisse, Evan (29 March 2012). "Come On, Video Games, Let's See Some Black People I'm Not Embarrassed By". Kotaku. Archived from the original on 30 March 2012. Retrieved 16 November 2014.
- ^ "Left 4 Dead". www.l4d.com. Archived from the original on 2023-02-22. Retrieved 2023-02-22.
- ^ a b c Rhodes, Brianna (2020-08-28). "Get to Know League of Legends' Black Champions: Ekko, Senna and Lucian". AfroTech. Archived from the original on 2023-02-22. Retrieved 2023-02-22.
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- ^ Moy, Aaron (2021-10-13). "Things Even Bayonetta Fans Don't Know About Rodin". TheGamer. Archived from the original on 2023-02-22. Retrieved 2023-02-22.
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- ^ a b Clauson, Jonathan R. (20 January 2014). "The State of Black Video Game Characters". Inquisitr. Archived from the original on 22 January 2014. Retrieved 16 November 2014.
- ^ Melzer, Jennifer (2021-07-06). "Mass Effect 3: How to Save Shepard's Shuttle Pilot, Steve Cortez". CBR. Archived from the original on 2023-02-23. Retrieved 2023-02-23.
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- ^ "The Doctor | Herman Carter | Backstory, Build & Perks | Dead by Daylight". deadbydaylight.com. Archived from the original on 2023-02-20. Retrieved 2023-02-20.
- ^ "The Legion | Frank, Julie, Susie, Joey | Backstory, Build & Perks | Dead by Daylight". deadbydaylight.com. Archived from the original on 2023-02-20. Retrieved 2023-02-20.
- ^ "Claudette Morel | Build, Perks & Cosmetics | Dead By Daylight". deadbydaylight.com. Archived from the original on 2023-02-20. Retrieved 2023-02-20.
- ^ "Adam Francis | Build, Perks, Outfits & Cosmetics | Dead By Daylight". deadbydaylight.com. Archived from the original on 2023-02-20. Retrieved 2023-02-20.
- ^ "How developers created the story behind Mafia III and its lead character Lincoln Clay". VentureBeat. 2016-09-18. Archived from the original on 2023-02-22. Retrieved 2023-02-22.
- ^ Blogger (2020-06-01). "The Pokémon Company shares GIF of Ash fist bumping Kiawe to support Black Lives Matter movement". Pokémon Blog. Archived from the original on 2023-02-20. Retrieved 2023-02-20.
- ^ a b Harmon, O'Dell (2021-12-15). "Deathloop Redefines Blackness In Video Games". Kotaku. Archived from the original on 2023-02-23. Retrieved 2023-02-23.
- ^ "Pokemon Scarlet and Violet Ryme, the Gym Leader who raps". PlayerNature. Archived from the original on 2023-02-14. Retrieved 2023-02-14.
- ^ Carvalho, Jared (2022-12-28). "Forspoken's Frey Holland Shakes Things Up For Representation in Gaming". Game Rant. Archived from the original on 2023-02-23. Retrieved 2023-02-23.
- ^ Marketing (2022-02-16). "February 2022 / The Protagonist". Play Season. Archived from the original on 2023-02-23. Retrieved 2023-02-23.
- ^ "Baldur's Gate 3". baldursgate3.game. Archived from the original on 2023-12-06. Retrieved 2023-12-06.
- ^ a b c Fillery, Jake (2022-12-24). "Suicide Squad Kill The Justice League: All Characters Confirmed So Far". Game Rant. Archived from the original on 2023-02-14. Retrieved 2023-02-14.