[RileyFletcher_01]

I've pondered this for a long time and finally it's driving me insane. Why are the black guys always the support experts with the light machine guns? Think about it. Games and movies.

[GR] - Support experts are frequently blacks. No other class has blacks very often.
GR2 - One of them is black, and he is a gunner.
GRAW - Marcus Brown. Always thought his name was funny considering his race.
We Were Soldiers - See a black guy in this movie? He'll have an M60.
Rainbow Six Vegas - Your support guy was a black. Oh, they made sure they were politically correct, having a Jap and a black on your team.
YOTM mod - 1st Cav. Gunners are black
Blackhawk Down - Lots of black guys with light machine guns.
<insert game/movie title here> - there'll be a black guy with an M60 or a M240 or a M249 or a rocket launcher.

I think it's strange. Any opinions?

[MeanMF]

It's sad, but not really surprising. I don't think it's anything malicious, more a lack of imagination. There was a great article in Kotaku recently about the lack of decent black characters in video games. http://kotaku.com/58...-embarrassed-by

[Oelmuvun]

I almost want to suggest that it started as a pseudo-pro-colour-look-at-us-we-rock thing. Someone looking to get rep++ for giving the black guy the biggest gun.... until he dies. Because you must feature him, but a white guy still needs to lead. Because, white. etc

Actually, check this out:
http://www.arma2.com...s/index_en.html
The man with the LMG is not black! They have other roles.

I do not know if they are good characters vs others or not because in ARMA I just ignore that. In ARMA everybody is one of my pawns that need to shut up and not start a big dramafest.

[Sart]

I was trying to think of a size joke, but I can't come up with a good one.

Edit - And all the asian characters work the radios.

Edited by Sart, 14 April 2012 - 10:07 PM.

[2nd Ranger]

It's just a stereotype among all other war game/movie stereotypes. Like MF said, it's a lack of imagination; using established conventions as an easy, paint-by-numbers way of characterization. The worst example I ever saw was that awful show Over There about Iraq. You had the no-nonsense, tough as nails Sergeant, the intellectual white guy, and the former black gangbanger on the SAW.

Actually, check this out:
http://www.arma2.com...s/index_en.html
The man with the LMG is not black! They have other roles.

What's ironic about this is, although the SAW gunner is not black, the 'Miles' character's nickname is "8-Ball", the go-to nickname for black characters in Vietnam movies.

Edited by 2nd Ranger, 14 April 2012 - 11:16 PM.

[Zeealex]

Sweetwater in Battlefield Bad company wasn't black and he used and M249 SAW. mind you he wasn't ACTUALLY a gunner as such.

[Cpl Ledanek]

Edit - And all the asian characters work the radios.

Almost true IRL. I was smallest and weakest in our platoon, so I mainly carried my 60lbs pack and the PRC77. All the guys who bragged they can bench press carried ammo boxes or mortar base plates

[RileyFletcher_01]

So you must be Asian, right?

[Sart]

Edit - And all the asian characters work the radios.

Almost true IRL. I was smallest and weakest in our platoon, so I mainly carried my 60lbs pack and the PRC77. All the guys who bragged they can bench press carried ammo boxes or mortar base plates

Haha, nice. One of my deployments years ago was as the radio guy, only I had the 117F.

Radios, base plates and AT systems ain't fun to jump, thats for sure. Guess I ruined my own comment.

Edited by Sart, 15 April 2012 - 03:11 PM.

[Tinker]

Why Are The Gunners Always Black?

I think it's strange. Any opinions?

We mentioned this last night while playing GR, and agree that we all have found this strange.

@MeanMF Good article there, thnx.

[RileyFletcher_01]

AlphaSquad2.6 mod also has....black support experts and black demolitionists.

[WytchDokta]

Mr T wasn't a gunner, he usually used a pistol, negating his superhuman strength.

The support specialist in Borderlands was also black.

The same sort of question applies to female player characters in games - why are they usually scanty clad? Fan service and all that, put some clothes on love. Maybe I'm just old fashioned, and getting forgetful in my old age seeing I forgot that modern day miniskirts are no more than belts.

[RileyFletcher_01]

why are they usually scanty clad?

Kind of obvious, don't you think?

[Sgt. SuperSanity]

I've pondered this for a long time and finally it's driving me insane. Why are the black guys always the support experts with the light machine guns? Think about it. Games and movies.

[GR] - Support experts are frequently blacks. No other class has blacks very often.
GR2 - One of them is black, and he is a gunner.
GRAW - Marcus Brown. Always thought his name was funny considering his race.
We Were Soldiers - See a black guy in this movie? He'll have an M60.
Rainbow Six Vegas - Your support guy was a black. Oh, they made sure they were politically correct, having a Jap and a black on your team.
YOTM mod - 1st Cav. Gunners are black
Blackhawk Down - Lots of black guys with light machine guns.
<insert game/movie title here> - there'll be a black guy with an M60 or a M240 or a M249 or a rocket launcher.

I think it's strange. Any opinions?

Battlefield series
Black Hawk Down (I count at least two "support" guys who aren't black)
Future Soldier
Oddly enough Call of Duty (with the exception of Griggs)

[franglen]

Maybe it's to help colour blind people like me? There aren't too msany colours I can see and that's fair dinkum. Half the time I have to have night vision on to play the game.
Franglen