SharpiePlays

teapawt.net/voiddmp4/status/211024… Typically, I don't make posts like this because I try to keep things a little less political and more focused on gaming. But as a Black content creator, unfortunately, things like this affect me, so I have to point it out. The problem with Hood Warfare 2 is that it pushes nothing but stereotypes that negatively affect Black people. As someone who makes content in a space heavily dominated by people who don't look like me, you'd be surprised by the perceptions people have of Black people in this space, especially when you have games like this that perpetuate those stereotypes. Now, in most cases, I would simply say, "Hey, you can do whatever the hell you want because, you know, it's a video game." But the reality is, when you've built an audience of millions of followers, predominantly Black people, there's no reason you should be surprised when a game that perpetuates racial stereotypes gets pushback from those same people. Now, you were told by your chat how they felt, and while I do appreciate you acknowledging them and not continuing to push those stereotypes, unlike many people who just can't conceptually understand why this is a problem, I don't like the fact that your rebuttal was that we're all going to play Grand Theft Auto 6. Because that's completely missing the point. Grand Theft Auto, as a series, has always been about more than just crime, violence, and stereotypes. Grand Theft Auto is a game that has talked about corruption, exploitation, and the marginalization of people by those in power who screw them over. Grand Theft Auto, for all its flaws, isn't simply about perpetuating stereotypes. Does it have stereotypes in it? Absolutely. Can some of those stereotypes be harmful? Sure. But the bigger picture of the series has always been about more than just that, whether it's Grand Theft Auto 5, San Andreas, or whatever the case may be. And that's the distinction people seem to be missing. The argument isn't that Grand Theft Auto is somehow morally superior or that every video game needs to have some meaningful message behind it. The argument is that there's a difference between depicting crime and stereotypes as part of a larger story and making those stereotypes the entire foundation of your entertainment. Hood Warfare 2, from what I've seen, is nothing but mindless shooting built around those same stereotypes. And to be clear, there's absolutely nothing wrong with mindless shooting in a video game. The problem is when you're taking stereotypes that have historically been used to negatively portray Black people and making them the central appeal of your game. Just because Grand Theft Auto features Black people committing crimes doesn't mean it's doing the same thing. Depicting Black people committing crimes and reducing Black people to criminal stereotypes are two completely different things. And that's why it's so surprising to me to see a Black creator who, in my eyes, is typically relatively intelligent, can't conceptually understand this and has to be told by their own audience why this is a problem. Again, this is the last time I'm speaking on this because I genuinely hate talking about politics, but I had to say something. I don't care if it was made by a white creator or a Black creator. It's harmful to a race that, in a lot of cases, already gets a lot of unnecessary bullshit simply for existing. And I don't think it's unreasonable to expect people to understand why that matters. @RDCworld1