10 Blatantly Racist Video Games

2. Freaky Flyers

As with Scribblenauts and other games on this list, it's all the more disconcerting when a game is racially insensitive while presenting a veil of cartoonish playfulness, as that implicitly suggests that it's acceptable for children to consume, which of course it is not. At least Freaky Flyers was an absolutely terrible game, so few children the world over had to be subjected to its offensive racial stereotypes; take Sheik Abdul, who's not only kitted out in a turban, but has a camel by his side. Oh, and the camel talks, too. Sammy Wasabi, meanwhile, is an Asian stereotype who has buck teeth and talks in Engrish, and then there's Pauli Atchi, a sleazy Italian businessman, and Cactus Rose, a stereotypically loud, "sassy" Mexican woman. It's another case of white people developing a game about the sorts of people they've never met, and thinking they're very clever and funny for doing so. It's just so boring and tired; why not come up with something that's intelligent rather than lean on these lazy pleas for cheap laughs?
 
Posted On: 
Contributor
Contributor

Frequently sleep-deprived film addict and video game obsessive who spends more time than is healthy in darkened London screening rooms. Follow his twitter on @ShaunMunroFilm or e-mail him at shaneo632 [at] gmail.com.