I'm all for escaping reality in video games. I love turning into a Spartan, cruising space as Commander Shepard in "Mass Effect" and have fun as Niko in "Grand Theft Auto IV." However, I am disturbed by the growing trend of racist undertones that are cropping up in video games.

One of the games that comes to mind is "Left 4 Dead 2." Though the game isn't out yet, it's already causing an uproar. Set in New Orleans, players will have to fight their way through hordes of zombies - with several of them who appear to be African-Americans. When I saw the first trailer for the game, all I could think about was Hurricane Katrina and the aftermath. Setting the game in a city that was scene of dead, bloated bodies floating by so soon afterward was a bad call, IMHO. The city has had enough to deal with -- Valve, you should have spared them, even if it's just a video game.

Another game, "Resident Evil 5," puts gamers into the heart of Africa, blasting zombies. I bet you'll never guess what color they are.

If game developers and the like are going to use history and certain locations, they should be prepared to suffer the backlash that comes from it. It could be perceived as being racist - and turn some potential customers off.

Space is a safe place - Liberty City is an awesome place, but New Orleans ... or the Old South can be very, very touchy areas to deal with.

First off, I should concede the point that I am a white male.  I have not been touched by the same racial injustices that many African Americans have.  And his point about the tragedy in New Orleans with Hurricane Katrina should certainly not be dismissed out of hand.

Nor should anyone believe that I do not respect Mr. Jefferson's opinion.  He has a right to it as much as I have a right to mine.  Yet to a certain extent, much of his argument against Left 4 Dead 2 seems like a reach to me.  I will attempt to present a counterargument for your intellectual digestion.

Perhaps we should delve back in time to the original Left for Dead for just a moment to gain some perspective.

I'd like you to meet Louis.  Louis was a junior systems analyst in his company's IT department before the whole world went to Hell in a hand basket.  He also happens to be an African American, and one of the four main protagonists in the original Left 4 Dead.

Louis and company trying to escape the zombie appocalypse together.

At no point in the original Left 4 Dead does Louis seem like a cheap parody of Black America (unlike DeeJay from the Street Fighter series, for example).  He works together with three other diverse people to survive a hellish situation.  This kind of acknowledgement of the diversity in America in a video game should be applauded.

In Left 4 Dead 2, we will be given an equally diverse cast of protagonists to choose from, two of which happen to be African American.  Rochelle, the upcoming game's female protagonist, is a reporter for a local cable company.  Coach, is well.....a high school football coach.  In fact if there's one unsavory member of the cast of Left 4 Dead 2, it's one of the white characters, Nick (a conman).

Another shining example of our diverse culture working together

It should also be mentioned that in the Left 4 Dead series, the zombies are quite clearly....well....zombies.  Infected, zombies, call them what you will, but the color of thier skin is less relevant than the fact that they are quite clearly members of the undead.

In Resident Evil 5 by comparison, the zombies appear at times to be much more like crazed villagers.  There is a sense of "difference" between "those people" and the main protagonists, while in Left 4 Dead you never get the feeling that the survivors are anything but the lucky few that have not been infected.

In all I would say that I don't believe either Left 4 Dead 2 or Resident Evil 5 are racist per se.  I do believe that Resident Evil 5 could certainly be classified as "insensitive."  But I also wonder what a young German or Japanese person playing Call of Duty: World at War must think of the portrayal of their nationalities.  What does an Arab American think of the plethora of enemies in video games who happen to wear headscarfs.

And what of all those white government contractors that Willie Jefferson had no problem blowing away in 50 Cent: Blood on the Sand?  Was there an implied racism there, or were they simply obstacles to be overcome by the protagonist in his quest to retrieve his diamond-encrusted skull?

While racism means different things to different people and while all views should be respected, we should also consider the perspective of the story being told by the game in question.  Just because a particular nationality or ethnicity is featured as primary antagonists for a video game, that does not mean that there is any implied racism within the game.  And we should always withhold our final judgement until the game has been released.

This is an opinion piece, and does not necessarily reflect the views of anyone else here at GamersWishList.com.  Have an opinion?  Share it below.  But please be respectful or we will delete your post.