"Not all latinos are Mexican" THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THIS. I'm very glad that our mexican brothers get more representation (Though I know it' not the best), but damn I would be lying that it wasn't annoying that foreigners of LATAM thought we were all like them. I think that, geographically and socially it makes sense that the US has a better understanding of them since they're literally right next to eachother, and the same with Puerto Rico, Costa Rica and Cuba- But what about the rest of an entire *continent* ? There's gigantic difference between countries, even neighbouring ones, it's sad that we're all put into the same box that only *barely* represents one of us! Even more, the differences in north/central america and south america are massive. I'm from Argentina, the furthest country from mexico in the continent, alongside Chile and Uruguay. I can relate to discrimination, xenofobia and many things, but the general cultural gap is so huge that when i hear "latino representation" I completely ignore it because i know it's not talking about me or my surroundings. It just feels alien most of the time, and knowing I'm not the only one who feels that way is sad. I know there's not as many south americans in the US (Where all this talk is taking place i believe?) as there are Mexican or caribbean countries, so it makes sense that it is this way, but still. Like you said i'd rather be referred as my nationality than Latino, and I'd wish games would AT LEAST be marked as "We did [country] respresentation!" instead of "We did Latino representation!" Because it just feels cheap and lazy. Sorry if my english and grammar is not the best, but I wanted to comment my thoughts anyway.

@GCVazquez

3 жыл бұрын

Thank you for sharing! Your English is perfectly fine. I think one of the things that still surprises friends of mine is when they discover how different the islands are to south america, or how different central america is to those two. We're each uniquely different, and I'd like the rest of the world to realize that!

I never realized how little and poor the representation of my own people was until that Miles Morales trailer with Puerto Rican flags everywhere as he exited his apartment. I have yet to play it because of the lack of a ps5 in my house but it was such an eye opening moment that I realized how little is done for us in media. Not just for Puerto Ricans but for all Hispanics and Latine. While I came to your videos for Dragon Quest, im glad I stayed to watch you tackle something that I only realized recently and with such good structure and a powerful voice. I feel this video should be watched by everyone, so they can finally see how poor the writing and representations of Hispanics and Latine really are. Thank you.

@GCVazquez

3 жыл бұрын

Thank you for watching! The Miles Morales game was such a breath of fresh air after Life Is Strange 2. I took screenshots to contrast the two environments and it was such a difference to look at. It really was. And thank you for sticking around! I'm glad we could resonate with each other about more than just Dragon Quest :)

@Alianger

3 жыл бұрын

Not a single swede protag in a triple a game so far that I can relate to, imagine my rage?

Thank you so much for this. Hispanic representation is never expressed enough in this medium. Glad to see someone out there talk about the beauty of latin heritage

@GCVazquez

3 жыл бұрын

Thank you for the kind words! I tried my best. ^_^

Being Salvadoran, I really could relate with the section "Not all hispanics are Mexican", and it took me till high school to realize it was a problem. Now I'm in my freshman year of college and I'm writing a paper about representation in video games and I come across this video and it is extremely helpful in getting my thoughts together. Great points, great video, and I hope I can do them justice in my paper :)

@GCVazquez

Жыл бұрын

This was wonderful to read thank you! I'm incredibly flattered

As an English person who really didn't know anything about this, I found it terrible that so many different cultures are just mixed together to brazenly with very little real representation. I'm glad this has been made and hopefully it raises much more awareness of this. Good job!

@GCVazquez

3 жыл бұрын

Thank youuuuu! Now you know, and now you have a whole new world of new things and people to learn about!

@savampire3275

3 жыл бұрын

Same!!! I can't believe I've been so ignorant!!

Me being a Brazilian hate being called latin since i fell like being treated was only one culture since south América and central América was a gigantic culture in every country ,i want be called Brazilian, Argentinan , bolivian . No one calls a italian or a french only european , i think calling Someone latin understemitate the Power of the culture

There were so many times watching this video when I had to go "Man you're right, that IS a problem." What you said about Life is Strange 2 especially got me thinking, because that style of "misery porn" tends to crop up a lot when privileged groups write stories about underprivileged ones. It just comes off as treating an entire culture or group of people as victims without agency of their own than real people with real stories to tell, and it would do a lot more good to just let said people tell said stories.

@GCVazquez

3 жыл бұрын

Pretty much! Instead of telling their real stories- or trying to- they're used as empathy checks for people who aren't going through what they do.

@vagabundorkchaosmagick-use2898

3 жыл бұрын

Jeanine Cummins’s 'American Dirt' comes to mind. As I wrote somewhere else: "Jeanine Cummins’s book was published to portrait “real Mexico”, it’s not about oompa-loompas or evil orcs, it’s about Mexicans, real Mexicans, and it literally states that she, the author, gives us poor voiceless Mexicans a voice, she says that we don’t have a voice, that we can’t possibly have opinions of our own, that we are unable to tell our own history, whether of racism or otherwise."

This is a very well-made and thought-inducing video. I hope it gets some exposure.

@GCVazquez

3 жыл бұрын

Thank you! I hope so too. >.>

Growing up playing these games as a white American I never saw an issue and took the poor representation as a reflection of Latin/Hispanic culture and now I feel that I’m a part of the problem. It is actually gross how long these racist stereotypes seem to have been publicly accepted in the gaming space. Very eye opening video GC ❤️

@GCVazquez

3 жыл бұрын

Thank you for taking the time to watch it, and earnestly hearing me out! All I can hope for is better representation in the future.

Damn if that wasn't the most eloquent and real video I'll see all week. I had very mixed feelings when playing through Life is Strange 2. I'm an outspoken fan of the first game, which had a sprinkling of shocking emotional moments that took me by surprise and hit hard. It subverted my expectations I guess- kind of like Game of Thrones season 1- and I begged my friends to play it so that I could experience those beautiful and heartbreaking moments again for the first time through their eyes. Yeah, the plot goes a little "off the rails" in the second half, but I hold those first few chapters near and dear. Sean and Daniel's story quickly lost the element of surprise on me, and I realized the creators would stop at nothing to deliver those gut-punching emotional moments again. Some plot elements felt gratuitous, borderline offensive, not to dismiss the reality of some of the monstrous things that are portrayed as the brothers endure their nightmarish journey. I believe the devs meant well but maybe missed the mark a little. Sadly there is a fine line between calling attention to an issue, and perpetuating that issue. Kind of like the controversial 2020 movie "Cuties", which tried to call attention to the problematic objectification of underage girls but was widely criticized for being part of the problem and not the solution. Life is Strange 2 attempts to tell a story about racism in the US, but ends up perpetuating stereotypes and stroking white egos. You really helped me unpack and understand some complicated feelings I had about this game, and I appreciate you starting this important discussion. So thankful to Razbuten for recommending this wonderful channel to me.

@GCVazquez

3 жыл бұрын

There's a lot about Life Is Strange 2 that comes from a very specific world view- and that world view, while good-intentioned, undermines a lot of whatever is being attempted at being said. I struggle to call it nefarious, but I can't rule out ignorance and a clear lack of self-awareness either.

That's why I liked Sean from Street FIghter 3 and the Brazil stage from that game, he is not violent or sexualized, he is an afro-latino, he likes basketball not soccer, as media always think that we can't like another sport. Also the Brazil stage on that game is Santos port not Rio de Janeiro and Carnaval like Laura's from SF5

Hey man, this is great. I am Latino (Nicaragüenses y Hondureños), who has grown up in a culture where my heritage isn't there. Like i grew up speaking with Spanish with family, though that's about it. My family did not celebrate our heritage in any way i am aware of, other than some food. Because of this, I always have trouble when my friends, who a majority are not Latine, come to me questions about representation and feelings about culture of things that could be cultural appropriation though it's about Mexicanos, Cuban, and/or of Puerto Rico. Like I am so happy they want to talk about it and aware, though I have trouble cause so far my answer's have been "I'm not Puerto Rico, so while I have my own thoughts I would ask my buddy Ricardo who is." I can't remember where I was going with this, but I will be showing this to my friends and hope they become more aware of the Latine Representation in Games. Like i said this is great and Thanks for this!

@GCVazquez

3 жыл бұрын

Thank you for watching! I'm so glad a lot of Latine people are leaving comments saying how cathartic this video was. I appreciate all the love.

Handsome, bilingual AND cultured... enlisting my gf into protective custody as we speak

Falante de português aqui. Parabéns pela argumentação, me senti representado!

@GCVazquez

3 жыл бұрын

I'm glad you saw yourself in it! I hope we can both be represented in video games more often in the years to come!

Such a rough day but seeing the legend himself GC with a totally unexpeced video..too amazing to pass up. Especially with a serious topic like this

This video is great and well thought, I would like to thank you for including a little bit about latine woman representation, even when you are not from this particular group. As a brazillian woman, I'm often ashamed to reveal my nationality to others online, because despite being a person with talents, dreams, history and effort, once I'm identified as brazillian I become only a sex object through their eyes and I don't want to be ashamed of my country anymore.

@GCVazquez

3 жыл бұрын

I only wish I knew more to discuss it further! It's incredibly disheartening to see the way the industry has represented Latine women overall.

I feel like I've learned a lot from this video and it's given me a great deal to think on and consider moving forward when I encounter characters, stories, and games! Always great to gain insight from someone so capable of opening my mind up to something I thought I understood that goes so much deeper than I had previously imagined.

@Mingodough

3 жыл бұрын

Edit: I basically said “how did you watch this video” but I thought this vid came out 6 minutes ago, I can’t read apparently

@ararebeast

3 жыл бұрын

@@Mingodough I appreciate the edit clarity! I was waiting on this one so I watched it as soon as I could get my hands on it.

@GCVazquez

3 жыл бұрын

Thank you for being so receptive to what I had to say! It's difficult to learn if you go into it with a lot of cynicism, and a lot of people forget that. Being willing to listen to others in this context is a wonderful trait that's hard to come by.

A lot of these games, I haven't played, but my BIGGEST issue with any kind of South American heritage representation is that it's portrayed as Mexican or non existent. I have not played a single game with any kind of Colombian heritage. Even in movies or shows, it's all drug dealers. THAT SAID, I'm so exited for CrisTales. Even if no character is Colombiano, there's some representation behind the scenes and in the atmosphere. Makes me feel cozy, nostalgic, and kind of at home.

@GCVazquez

3 жыл бұрын

I find that sometimes, a great way to feel represented is to find people trying to create that representation by making games inspired by their personal experiences- whether or not it's directly about their culture! Very excited for CrisTales, I love the mechanics from the demo!

Damn son, I subbed for fun vids about dquest and yakuza but here I am getting well thought cultural critiques on proper representation. This rules, good job!

@GCVazquez

3 жыл бұрын

Thank you so much! ^o^ I tried to be pretty matter-of-fact about it to avoid coming off too aggressive.

This has to be one of your best videos yet, extremely educational and a lot to keep in my mind, especially if I’m able to break into the games industry!

@GCVazquez

3 жыл бұрын

Thank you so much! It would make me incredibly happy if this video inspired you in your future career!

I've been thinking about this a lot recently so thank you for making this video it was great

@GCVazquez

3 жыл бұрын

Glad you enjoyed it!

Thanks for making this brother

This was an absolute banger of a video dude. I actually learned a lotta new things from this, and I'm very thankful you put the time and effort to make such a great video on representation in games

@GCVazquez

3 жыл бұрын

Hearing this from you makes me happy. ^_^ I'm glad you liked it!

This was an absolutely fantastic, essential video. I played through LiS2 last year, and I just want to say that you articulated my complex feelings about it better than I ever could have. This video and this topic deserves to be talked about more. I’ll be doing everything I can to make sure that happens. Thank you for sharing!

@GCVazquez

3 жыл бұрын

LiS2 was SUCH an ordeal to get through, I had to hand the controller off to a friend and just watch. Turns out that was the right thing to do, because I very nearly had a mental breakdown trying to finish it for footage. Thank you so much for the ardent support! My only hope is that others feel validated by these thoughts, and feel more comfortable speaking about their own grievances!

@MegaBiteGames

3 жыл бұрын

@@GCVazquez I really don’t blame you for having trouble with it. My prevailing thought through the whole thing was that is was a game made for “woke” white people, by “woke” white people. It’s still truly baffling to me that developers even try to make stories about specific groups of people without anyone from that group having a hand in its creation. It’s especially frustrating when they put in the effort of working with GLAAD to make sure their representation of a Trans person was accurate and respectful in Tell Me Why, but never did anything remotely similar for LiS2. Anyway, thanks again! Looking forward to checking out your backlog and whatever else you continue to produce.

@SpitefulToast

3 жыл бұрын

@@MegaBiteGames the writers at Don't Nod strike me as the sort of well intentioned ignorant that you see a lot of in suburban white society. It's like if Wes Anderson had wanted to direct Moonlight: you're telling a very personal, very culturally specific story from the perspective of someone who has never lived in that culture. I hate the term "woke" because it's been thoroughly poisoned by alt-right chuds trying to demean any sort of progressive social message, but LiS2 is the truest representation of fake woke I've maybe ever seen, it's at least up towards the top of the list. I don't find LiS2 as agonizing as GC because A) I'm white and B) I play don't nod games with a fully developed metagaming ethos where I am as cruel and violent as possible, and the fact that LiS2 actually plays along with my version of events better than trying to be honest and kind is a fucking problem. If you play Sean as law abiding and respectful, you will likely end in scenarios where you have to lie or steal no matter how hard you try, even if it doesn't make any sense in the world. In the beaver creek market, I stole the yo-yo because I wanted to. GC stole it because the game doesn't allow you to progress without a gift for Daniel, and GC made the choices earlier in the game to not steal from the swear jar or swipe food from the gas station. You can't be a good person in life is strange 2, because the writers have to force the protagonists into surreal punishments for crimes they didn't commit.

That was an amazing video. You touched on every possible issue I could think of, not saying that there aren't other problems but all the ones I could think of were addressed. I find alot of the issues you mentioned are also problems in TC shows and movies as well

Pre-emptive comment because I'm struggling to find time/headspace to focus intently right now and don't want to do any of your longform vids a disservice, least of all this one- I'm excited to sit down and take in the discussion at hand and can't help but smile to see ya taking your already valuable looks at games and spreading it to such an overarching important discussion/topic. Jeez my head's clearly in the works I can't phrase in the slightest. Pre-emptive thank ya for making the vid I'm excited for when I get to sit down for it :P

I actually never knew that latine was a term, so much do that I thought the title was a typo at first. I am glad to have been given some perspective on this topic, as it’s not an issue that I think of often when playing video games. I really think I’ve learned something about the world today, and I greatly appreciate it.

@GCVazquez

3 жыл бұрын

Latine and Latinx are both acceptable, so feel free to use what you like! And it's really not your fault you don't think about it: often times (and I'm guilty of this too) we don't really think about how people aren't being portrayed accurately, or the ways they end being used as garnishing for more "popular" (for lack of a better term) aesthetics and cultures. It really does take someone saying something to you to get you thinking, and unfortunately that's just how it is.

This was a great and informative take on a subject that deserves more attention. GC does it again.

@GCVazquez

3 жыл бұрын

Much appreciated! Thanks for giving a listen to it!

Amazing video man. Thank you so much!

@GCVazquez

3 жыл бұрын

Thank you for watching it, and for your kind words!

First off, thank you for making this video. It's informative while highlighting the multifaceted ways we experience latine representation in games while also suggesting better means of representation going forward. I'm a latine game designer working on a project with Hispanic culture and tradition as a main theme (as I don't feel like I have the knowledge of other Latine cultures required to tell their stories as well. Ideally I'd like to find some non-Mexican latine people to work with as well to offer their own stories). Telling a story based on our cultural values and history with nuance and respect is vital in media at this time. All this to say, I appreciate how this piece has opened my eyes to some potential pitfalls to look out for in designing my world and the narrative it is telling.

Absolutely amazing video. Where I'm from, there is basically no Latine/ Hispanic culture to interact with outside of the sparse restaurant. I really learned a lot from this video and it really opened up how I view said cultures. All of my views have been *heavily* mediated and I really hope that a stronger representation of those cultures can be put on display, so I can learn more of a world so far from my own and I can continue to find the right avenues to see the beauty of this heritage and identity.

@GCVazquez

3 жыл бұрын

WOW, thank you very much! I really hope the flood gates open the way they seem to be opening with indie studios in South and Central America pushing their games out. I'm glad I could show you something new!

This is one of my favorite videos by you dude.

@GCVazquez

3 жыл бұрын

That makes me happy to hear, dude. ^_^

I got Life is Strange 2 because I really liked the first one (warts and all) and was excited to see two Mexican characters front and center. Then when their Caucasian side of the family came up it was the BIGGEST kick in the balls

This was such a great and fantastic video. I absolutely loved it. Bringing more attention to proper Hispanic and Latinx representation in video games is so important! I just found your channel today and just subscribed. I've already watched a couple of your other videos and they're also so great. Can't wait to see more from you dude! Gracias por todo que haces! Soy Salvadoreño y un dia quero ver mi pais representado en un videojuego!!!

@GCVazquez

3 жыл бұрын

Thank you so much! I'm glad you like my work! Gracias por ser bien amable!

Great video! I'd also like to note that a lot of what you mentioned - especially about including latine people in the creative process also applies to any media. Something I'm trying to keep in mind for myself as I slowly pick away at my own projects. Cheers, always looking forwards to your next video.

@GCVazquez

3 жыл бұрын

Absolutely! Like with a lot of media, more inclusion is just always a good idea. Thanks for watching my video, hope you enjoy the others!

I don't usually like, comment, and subscribe all at once in one video but watching this well made video has convinced me to do so in the first time. Thank you for speaking up about all this.

@GCVazquez

3 жыл бұрын

Glad to hear it!

Excelente video, Giancarlo. Me emociona mucho que haya alguien que se ponga a hablar respecto a esto.

@GCVazquez

3 жыл бұрын

Muchas gracias! Solo estoy tratando de crecer el visibilidad de estos problemas, y nada me hace mas feliz de descubrir que hay muchos que estan de acuerdo.

Not gonna lie, was kind of hoping the whole video would be spoken in Spanish after the introduction. On the for real, though. Thank you for making this video. As a Midwestern white male, I am completely ignorant of misrepresentation when it happens. Sure I can recognize when stereotypes water down people to thoughtless caricatures. Even then, it's only the explicitly gross stuff. I will fully admit I'm one of those people who never thought about why every Latin America country get defaulted to Mexican portrayals. It's thanks to videos like this that I realize more about the world. I'm glad to know what to look for more carefully, and what to think about more critically when I see it. You're right in that it's a tough conversation to have, but I'm glad you started it at all.

@GCVazquez

3 жыл бұрын

It makes me incredibly happy that you're open-minded and eager to learn about things you don't know about, and even more willing to admit when you don't. These are beautiful qualities, Chris, and it makes me happy to call you my friend. Thank you for always supporting me and sticking by me, and encouraging me to do even *more* of what makes me, me.

Great video as always! You did such a good job on this! 👍

@GCVazquez

3 жыл бұрын

Thank you! Cheers!

@dapanduh6490

3 жыл бұрын

@@GCVazquez no problem bro!

Tremendo video hermano. Muchas gracias por el video 👍🏻

@GCVazquez

3 жыл бұрын

Gracias a ti por mirarlo! Espero que te haya empoderado!

Great vid, thanks for making and sharing!

@GCVazquez

3 жыл бұрын

Thanks for watching!

Thanks for covering this topic. Very well done

@GCVazquez

3 жыл бұрын

Thank you for the compliment! ^_^

Another great video. Thanks GC.

@GCVazquez

3 жыл бұрын

My pleasure! Glad you liked it. :D

This video was great. Absolutely amazing. Would love to see more like it.

@GCVazquez

3 жыл бұрын

I'll see what I can do! I don't have a whole lot of bones to pick, or think about something with this much clarity all that often, so I might stumble a bit trying.

What a fantastic and approachable dive into this topic! I'm very much not Latine/Hispanic, so I feel the most I can say about the issues presented was that I learned something, and now have better tools with which to discuss Hispanic and Lantine representation (or lack thereof) within the videogame industry, and to a degree, media as a whole. Thank you for such a wonderful, eloquent, and high quality discussion of this topic!

I almost screamed YEAAAAHHH when you mentioned Cuba and Puerto Rico in the middle of the video. A real shame that a lot of our people's characters are defaulted to Mexican. Not just in games, but in many pieces of entertainment media. I have no hate for my Mexican brothers, but the spotlight is shown almost nowhere else. I'm really glad you've made a video that has brought this kinda issue up. I'm glad I'm not the only one that has been upset about this.

@GCVazquez

3 жыл бұрын

Island culture is so very different, and even saying "island culture" is a big generalization with many pitfalls in and of itself. I'm glad that stuck out to you, and that I'm not alone feeling like a lot of our cultures are ignored. I really want to see a game featuring Latines from different countries; I would love to see the dynamic you could create using a Mexican character, and someone from Colombia, or Puerto Rico, or all three! It's not explored enough in any media.

@WordsofIvory

3 жыл бұрын

As a European Irish man whose had almost no exposure to these culture, this was an observation that I only realised upon watching GC's video. "Ignorance" is not a valid excuse though. This video has encouraged me to finally stop making excuses for my personal ignorance and go out of my way to actually educate myself about these cultures.

can we talk about the thumbnail

@GCVazquez

3 жыл бұрын

Oh you knoowwwwww ;)

Great topic. Definitely something I’ve always felt was off in gaming but didn’t know how to put into words. Would be interested to see how the medium plays out over the next few decades. Like music and film, a broader pallet was eventually achieved but only over time. Gaming is still relatively new and predominantly made by western/ eastern developers. The markets in those regions are pretty specific to a traditional population but I believe in time, representation will increase. At this point it’s almost inevitable. The world is too small nowadays for it not to. Keep up the good work. You’re a good egg!

@GCVazquez

3 жыл бұрын

I GOT CALLED A GOOD EGG! :D I digress! And I agree, with time there's no doubt more (better) representation will become more common so long as there's people paying enough attention to steer it in that direction.

Loved this video man! It really hits home for me. Throughout the video, I was saying to myself, "spot on", "that right", "Good point". then when You said to include more Afro-Latine part I literally shouted out loud to no one "OH SHIT I DIDNT EVEN THINK ABOUT THAT!". Then that line of thinking lead to other things and blah blah introspection. Excellent video man! thank you again!

@GCVazquez

3 жыл бұрын

THANK YOU for sharing this! It's been nice to see some solidarity out of the community.

The boi is back in town

@GCVazquez

3 жыл бұрын

Boi's always back in town, but he spends a lot of his time in town inside a boiler room writing things. :P

SuperButterBuns sent me, love the video! As a Hispanic man, this meant a lot to me. Guess you gained a sub!

@GCVazquez

3 жыл бұрын

Thank you 😊

Id rather have no representation than to be called a "latine"

@verdantmischief7092

Жыл бұрын

Well maybe that's just you, I'd rather we keep getting positive representation while also letting nonbinary people exist alongside us

@chilenocristiano7033

8 ай бұрын

@@verdantmischief7092 Los no binarios no existen.

@dragonc305

3 ай бұрын

@@verdantmischief7092 we find more offensive be called latines or latinex, for example one time bungee used the word latinex and all latin America united against it, it's not about nonbinary people it's about respect people in the US try to impose that word over us

Watched one of your yakuza videos and saw this, subscribed. This is really good content.

@GCVazquez

3 жыл бұрын

Awesome, thank you! I'm really happy this is the video you commented on. Seeing people support this video is honestly such a real inspiration for me.

Sharing this with everyone I know. Thank you for this.

@GCVazquez

3 жыл бұрын

You're very welcome!

The more you talked about life is strange 2, the more frustrated I got just hearing about it. Maybe it's unfair to judge it without playing it, but a lot of things you mention really does sound like it's undermining their hispanic integrity. Also thanks for showing off those games towards the end, might even pick up cris tales

@GCVazquez

3 жыл бұрын

Cris Tales has Paper Mario mechanics in it if you need a bigger sell on it! Also yeah, I knew about the issues in LiS2 before playing it, but for the video I told myself I had to play through it to make sure what I was saying wasn't off-base. It was worse than I thought by a lot a lot.

@AgahnimDarkWizard

3 жыл бұрын

@@GCVazquez I've tried the demo and yeah, it's certainly on my radar

One thing I would like to add to the conversation is the lack of Andean cultures represented. I have seen that most Latin portrayals in videogames and TV Shows are from people in the coast regions, which is something great, even though there is little to no effort to explore the diversity in these communities. However, just as afro-descendant hispanics and latinos, there isn't representation regarding people who live in the Andes. I have only seen these cultures represented to showcase mystic and magical points across, and oftentimes, these portrayals are only shown as a past story that the white protagonists explores. There aren't many characters from this region, even if it has a lot of culture and diversity. It would be nice to see it more, too.

Thanks for the video. I remember playing Total Overdose. So much of that game was open mockery. Still waiting for that game staring a pocho main character. Edited: My original comment made reference to a movie. I meant to make reference to Total Overdose.

I recently came across your channel due to Yakuza since I am a fan of the series but never played Dead Souls. Looked up for info about the game and came across your video. Since then I been trying to watch most of your videos and as someone who has only played a single Dragon Quest entry (The one on DS about the angels. I’m sorry I can’t remember the name right now.) and been trying to get into Dragon Quest as a series more? Your channel has really helped me out and I can’t wait to stick around. This video was informative as well. Keep up the good work. Hope you are having a great day.

@GCVazquez

3 жыл бұрын

What a wonderful sequence of words! Thank you so much for enjoying my work!

This video was really interesting and helpful especially for me being in the process of writing a latine character! ❤️

Gracias por hablar sobre nuestra representación en los videojuegos GC, muy informativo y entretenido video como siempre viejo. (Thank you for talking about our representation in videogames GC, a very informative and entertaining video like always man).

@GCVazquez

3 жыл бұрын

Me llena de alegría ver a tanta gente valorando mi video. Gracias por verlo!

Great video! Really enjoyed your overview and analysis on this kind of topic. I noticed Grim Fandango being used in the footage a few times so I was waiting to see when you would talk about it directly, but it never happened in the video. I had always thought the characters were pretty well written without falling into stereotypes, especially Manny. It's portrayal of the setting was also my first introduction to the Mexican holiday and several aspects of Mexican mythology and the paper doll aesthetic as well. Since it's one of my favorite games, I was wondering what aspects of the game could be considered problems regarding representation

@GCVazquez

3 жыл бұрын

Grim Fandango was, of what I played, fine! I mostly used it as filler footage when I wasn't addressing specific examples, as it turns out there aren't a lot of predominantly Latine inspired games to begin with/readily accessible.

@RetrOchannel

3 жыл бұрын

@@GCVazquez Nice to see the game represents these cultures faithfully! Tim Schafer seems like a truly great guy.

As a person of mexo-cuban descent i wanted to thank you for this video. And for introducing me to the variation Latine, think I'll also be using that from now on

@GCVazquez

3 жыл бұрын

Thank you for watching it! I'm glad I could spread more awareness of the subject and the terminology!

As a Mexican myself, I always laugh really hard when I see these cartoon-ish portrayals of Mexicans or Spaniards. I don't really get angry or sad, but it definitely leaves me wondering what went through people's heads when making these characters. I doubt that most of it comes from any hatred toward this group, but rather an enormous amount of ignorance, with their scope being thinner than the brochure they read for their vacation trip to Cancun. Aside from Latin people, I find that pretty much everyone else also gets done dirty in a similar way, mostly because all of these works don't come from varied sources. It's either America, Japan, or a bit of Europe trying to show you what the rest of the world looks like. Everyone else in between is seemingly fodder for stereotyping. That's why aspiring storytellers always get told "Write what you know," because then this happens: A ton of black people are seen as hip-hop, gansta-style, breakdancing rappers. A ton of Chinese people know kung fu and speak entirely in Chinese proverbs for some reason. Anyone from Great Britain or Europe is either Sherlock Holmes or a Lord of the Rings character. Indian people and Russians are both portrayed as terrorist hackers. Even white people get represented as horribly racist gun-toting villains when they're not yelling at football and getting fat on burgers. Japan is anime, and the list goes on. I could go on forever, but I think this video is a great starting point in getting people to realize that not only our culture is being done dirty, but practically everyone else is too.

hello, i recently subbed for your yakuza content and after seeing this video it made me realize that other people feel the same as i do regarding representation of hispanics and latine cultures. being mexican american in the west coast, i often see many cultures and backgrounds of latine and other poc and it makes me think of how none of them are truly represented or even that close. im glad i stumbled upon this and am looking forward to your other content! btw when will the yakuza 5 video be releasing, thanks heh heh

@GCVazquez

3 жыл бұрын

Thank you for enjoying my videos, and for adding your voice to the conversation as well! I'm actually stopping to reply to this comment in the middle of playing Yakuza 5 for the video haha; I'm trying to get it out before the new year, but given what usually goes into Questrospective, I expect it'll be done sometime in January or February. Stay tuned though, you never know!

Hey man really loved this video and I actually agree with almost every point. But I do want point out that to every stereotype there is some grain of truth, as a hispanic myself I do almost always see truth in the stereotypes. For example I think alcoholism is really big issue in most latin communities but I think the real problem is how whenever it is brought up in media they never explore it (sometimes it's even glorified). Tell the audience why it's bad and how it can/has affect hispanic and latinx people. So I dont think the inclusion of a stereotype is automatically bad aslong as it is explored well and given enough depth.(also thank you for mentioning afro-Latinos we really do never catch a break)

@GCVazquez

3 жыл бұрын

Absolutely! I agree: *some* stereotypes do have a grain of truth within them, but unfortunately they're never deconstructed for that truth or dismissed in lieu of using that truth instead. They glorify the stereotype, or just throw a ton of them in as quick "design choices" because they don't actually know what the truth within those stereotypes are. That's the problem. Stereotypes don't exist in media because their creators wanted to make a point; stereotypes exist in media because their creators didn't have one to make.

@shinysteven7139

3 жыл бұрын

@@GCVazquez exactly and because If the creator doesn't see it then their audience dont see it as well and they take it at face value and dont think critically or even do their own research on the stereotype. Also I'am surprised you didn't mention sylvando at all in this especially due to your love of dq what are your thoughts on his representation

@GCVazquez

3 жыл бұрын

DQ characters in general are usually based on historic periods in different countries, so it was sort of difficult to include Sylvando since I was addressing more modern depictions. I think ethnicity wise Sylvando is...harmless but not really an example of good representation if that makes sense? Not necessarily a bad thing, moreso that everything in DQXI is a fusion of fantasy elements with notable time periods. But I do love the way he's portrayed in the English localization. I think he's a really good LGBTQ+ character in that he's often the parental figure, the more empathetic of the party, and his optimism isn't the punchline to a joke, but often what keeps everyone else in high spirits. And it's not done to ignore his own struggles, because we get to see a lot of Sylvando's pain and his outward demeanor and endless love for other people is 100% informed by the love he himself wants. He's not just his expression of gender or sexuality, but he still expresses those things without anyone punching down at him for it, and I think that's great.

@topazlight1586

2 жыл бұрын

@@GCVazquez Hope it's not too strange to reply to this particular message (almost a year later) rather than just to the video as a whole, but "Stereotypes don't exist in media because their creators wanted to make a point; stereotypes exist in media because their creators didn't have one to make" is a BRILLIANT line; it really hits the nail on the head. I am, admittedly, white as a sheet and of (IIRC) primarily German ancestry, so this isn't a topic I have hardly any firsthand experience with... which makes it all the more important that I hear about it from somebody who DOES. I really do hope this video gets discussions started and helps contribute to positive change regarding the issue; I know it certainly got me thinking about Latine representation in games (and media in general) in more depth than I was previously. Thanks so much for the really well-made video!

Que buen video, no me lo esperaba de vos pero fue una linda sorpresa :) La verdad la mayoria de la gente metida en esta discusion apenas sabe realmente de la cultura abajo de EEUU y es un poco molesto tener que escucharles hablar con ignorancia a pesar de que tengan buenas intenciones

@GCVazquez

3 жыл бұрын

Las personas con buenas intenciones a menudo se olvidan a veces de permitir que aquellos que desean tener voces más fuertes tengan la oportunidad de hablar. ¡Gracias por ver el video! Estoy feliz de que haya sido una sorpresa maravillosa.

Great video, GC! I kinda feel you missed the elephant in the room with Shadow of the Tomb Raider, when you spoke about white saviors, but your point was made a long time ago at that point. And you've just made me want an Assassin's Creed set in South America even more! Evil conquerors, culture variety, ancient civilizations, rich mythologies? Come on, Ubisoft Montréal! That shit just writes itself!

@GCVazquez

3 жыл бұрын

I ended up having to limit my examples, because the first draft of the script was very, very long. Like, stupid long. Like, longer than my longest script long. LONG. And an open-world game like Assassin's Creed set in South America would be DOPE.

is resident evil 4 here a good example? i mean doesnt the term hispanic exclude spanish speaking people in europe? always thought of that as a poor represantion of europeans or am I missing something here?

I'm from Spain, where Resident Evil 4 is supposed to be set, and although it's an absurd and unrealistic representation of my country, I actually found it pretty funny. You made some really good points in this video, but I think sometimes it's healthy to laugh at our own stereotypes. Maybe that is what the Guacamelee's creator intended with all those tequila boxes.

@GCVazquez

3 жыл бұрын

It's a fair point to say we should be able to laugh at our own stereotypes, and in the case of Guacamelee, maybe that was the case, but like I said in the video, those games aren't just being played by Latine/Hispanic people. What's more, Resident Evil was made by a Japanese dev studio. So laughing at our own stereotypes doesn't really work when those stereotypes are being given to or made by other people.

Love me some GCPositive, and that's not just because I'm a latino as well. The problem of cultural representation is widespread, and until we get a lot of these stereotypes sorted out (I think by having ethnic folks making their own media for a worldwide audience to show up as human). But there are many paths forward to accomplish this goal.

@GCVazquez

3 жыл бұрын

I agree! Thanks for your input!

From the bottom of my heart, thank you.

@GCVazquez

3 жыл бұрын

No, thank you for these wonderful words. I hope it was enriching!

My KZread recommends finally drops me something good.

First video I’ve seen from you, and you just gained a subscriber

@GCVazquez

3 жыл бұрын

Awesome, thank you!

This as very well informed video that helped me understand how Hispanics and Latines are represented in video games and what needs to be done to improve the representation. Most of my exposure to other cultures happens to be from fighting games, as there multi[le characters from different nationalities and showcases many different fighting styles from around the world. While you didn't touch upon the subject of fighting game character that much, I did find it interesting to hear you talk about how there are other styles of fighting from Hispanic and latine cultures, as there aren't many fighting styles from those countries represented in game. Most characters from fighting games are usually portrayed as exaggerated stereotypes of different countries and identities form different countries, or just a character who uses their native countries fighting style that they were born from. You made a good point that wrestling and capoeira aren't the only fighting styles and that there should be more of them when representing Latin American characters as it would change up the variety, I still really like lucha libres and luchadors in fighting games as they have some the most standout designs to me, but they should change things up so not every Latin American character is a Luchador. Hope you can sight some positive representation characters in a future video

@GCVazquez

3 жыл бұрын

Fighting game characters was a tough one, because they're a cavalcade of stereotypes, but I did end up finding some decent ones in Tekken and the like- mostly because Tekken, ironically almost, has sorta pulled back on it in a lot of ways to make more grounded characters design wise. Their stories are still batshit insane though. I also super dig Luchadores too! But yeah, we need a little more variety there. I might consider making a follow-up with positive examples if I get the itch to talk about this more! Definitely not a whole lot, but the ones that exist are pretty important!

This video needs more attention, honestly i had never thought about this stuff when I played video games, but i see the importance, Latinx people deserve much more of a real portrayal in games, i originally subscribed for yakuza content, but i still wanted to watch this video because I wanted to learn, I'll be sure to share this with my friends

@GCVazquez

3 жыл бұрын

Thank you for insisting upon learning!

Miles Morales may be cheating because Comics and his original conception was to provide representation, but the original Spider-Man game was mentioned and shown multiple times, so I'd say it counts. Edit: And he is in the video. Neat.

@GCVazquez

3 жыл бұрын

The Miles Morales game is such a good example of good representation, and it's so unfortunate that the caveat is he's not an original video game character. But *with* the Miles Morales game, we now have one more example of what good representation looks like, and I am going to *milk the shit out of that.*

Bro this is such a solid video, not just on toxic representation and how our cultures get boiled down, generalized, and pimped out to the media based off the stereotypes projected onto us. How you go about explaining the concepts of "Latino and Hispanic" and their roots in colonization and erasure of cultural identities is poignant af and their true origins is something so many central, southern american, and Caribbean relatives need to be made privy to so they can wake up and begin the process of decolonizing their minds and identities.

Before watching the video: I actually agree, from what I understand games tend to make it the “stereotype gangster” character and it honestly is kinda ridiculous in my opinion, they need to start showing the positive light of your country’s in videogames, I’d like to see that, and when they do it’s not enough, thanks for making this.

Cool video.

Certainly a severe mood shift from your usual goofy content but I think you did a pretty good job outlining not just misrepresentation of your culture, but how foreign cultures are misrepresented in general. Whether people are genuinely trying to help or are genuinely prejudiced, we need to see cultures have deliberate and tasteful implementation rather than be used as a lazy means to an end. This is a super hotly contested topic on the internet with lots of the nuance and details being lost in online discourse, but you have highlighted them really well. Though there are very few good examples of representation to go off of and it would be really hard to come up with a good answer, I still wish this video did more to bring ideas for how story writers could do better though.

@GCVazquez

3 жыл бұрын

That's totally fair! I was thinking the same thing as I was wrapping up editing. Maybe in the future I might do a video showcasing some good examples, and use them as a basis to celebrate good representation!

On a side note, yo he jugado videojuegos mi vida entera y jamas pensé sobre este tema. Igual que al ver televisión cuando veía a Goku no pensaba si era caucásico o asiático, era Goku y ya. Cuando mis amigos me empezaron a comparar con Javier Escuela de Red Dead Redemption 2 (un mejicano de tez oscura, yo soy un dominicano de tez más clara) me di cuenta que en la mente americana todos los latinos 9 hispanos somos lo mismo. Gracias por traer esto a mi atención, GC.

Al fin encontré una vídeo sobre este tema! Gracias. Now I will which to English to further elaborate. I know a lot of minorities get left out as characters, but I really do think we Latinos are the least represented. I haven't played a single game where a Latino is main character. And your right when I do see a latin character in tv or a video nothing about their culture is represented. I still need to play spider man Miles Morales, but overall I wish there were more options for us than Gangster or a story grounded in realism. I much prefer fantasy stories and would like to see myself.

Yo this a good video .your underrate

¡Excelente video hermano! Como mencionaste una forma de tratar de que esta situacion mejore es apoyar la industria local de latinoamérica. Desafortunadamente "llegamos tarde a la fiesta" en esto de los videojuegos, pero ojalá que con el tiempo sigamos creciendo en esta industria y poco a poco llegar a tener un lugar importante en la escena en general como Japón, que no necesita ser representado por alguien más. ¡Saludos desde México!

@GCVazquez

2 жыл бұрын

¡Muchísimas Gracias! Quiero ver el día que los latines sean nombres internacionales en la industria.

I've been playing through Red Dead Redemption for the first time and the entire time I was in Mexico this video was playing through my head.

I'm Colombian (on my dad's side) and was raised by my white mom. At the same time I spent a lot of my childhood around other latine kids, and my mom would try to keep me connected through what ways she could. As a result a lot of my experience with my culture is through a layer of proxy. It's made me question my racial identity a lot. What shocked me about watching this video is how much I related to and immediately agreed with it. I have noticed a lot of the talking points here throughout my life and how disappointing representation of my culture is in mainstream media. My first experience with racism was realizing that all depictions of Colombia in western culture were focused on cocaine production. Now that isn't to say this is an unheard of topic of discussion within the culture, pop or otherwise, but I think it says something that this is the only thing a white person knows about the country.

Que ilusión escucharte hablar en español! Grandisimo video!

@GCVazquez

3 жыл бұрын

Muchas Gracias!

Love the video! Cuban-American here. I'm pretty sure it's spelled guagua, not wawa, but your point is still super valid about regional vocabulary!

@GCVazquez

3 жыл бұрын

Thank you for watching! And thank you for the spelling correction. I've never had the opportunity to write in Spanish often outside of speaking with my grandparents through text, so my spelling is atrocious.

@Nothingtothetable

3 жыл бұрын

@@GCVazquez I mostly learned through school and I’ve had my huge share of, “Wait, that’s how it’s spelled?!” moments. I still remember being shocked to see azucar written out. Then I started seeing some of the less standard Cuban words...

I know this might be late and you might not see this but as a Mexican American thank you so much for making this cause it brought my frustrations with how gaming represents us and how it just ignores everything else that’s not Mexico as if it’s just the default.

@GCVazquez

8 ай бұрын

Thank you for the kind words!

Great video! Have been a fan for a long time and it's great to see how you try new things, but keep the enthusiasm) I was wondering what are your thoughts on these topics regarding Shadow of the tomb raider?

@GCVazquez

3 жыл бұрын

I've been asked about this before, and I'm sorry to say I haven't touched any of the Tomb Raider games! I had no idea there was anything in there to talk about either- totally flew under my radar when I was looking stuff up. But definitely something I'd like to talk about if I ever make another video about this!

Learnt a lot. More of these types of vids, please :-)

@GCVazquez

3 жыл бұрын

I'll think about it! I'm not very good with this whole video essay thing, but maybe another idea will pop into my head at some point!

@JimPanzeeEsq

3 жыл бұрын

@@GCVazquez whatever makes you passionate enough to want to

I was looking for a video talking about Spanish (from Spain to clarify) characters in media after Venture was announced for Overwatch, the *third* mexican character (mexican-canadian but Sojourn also exists so... also yes MEXICAN, not latino) even though Gibraltar is a VERY important place since, you know, overwatch HQ is located there

Rico Rodriguez was always one of my fave protags due to the lack of Mexican representation in media aside from el Tigre it broke my heart as some one whose Mexican himself to see his identity stripped just cause 4 does fix a little bit of it since it goes into his past but man I was just super disappointed again great video gc

I was stoked to see Mulaka on here! I played it a few years ago on the switch and I loved it

@GCVazquez

3 жыл бұрын

Yo, Mulaka though? Mulaka was DOPE. I didn't play a huge amount of it, but what I thought would be thirty minutes for footage purposes was a solid afternoon of me being *into* it.

@cameronlodor6985

3 жыл бұрын

@@GCVazquez Theres so much to love about it! I think the super polygonal style really worked for that game, the combat was fun and it had some very zelda-esqe level and boss design. I should really boot it up again sometime I never did finish it for how close I got

I was mostly neutral about this when it came to big media like movies(I kind of stayed in my own world doing something else). The thing that actually stuck out most to me was that now because of some media, the voice I can think of most readily for imagining a Mexican(I do actually mean from Mexico) cartoon character is that one high-pitched voice that sounds like tiny motorcycle engine revving into the distance. Not even Speedy Gonzalez sounds like that and he's the closest one to that kind of voice(but that case actually works because he's a small mouse). :/ On a side note, felt weird hearing you stress "latine" in the video. I don't hear that used often, if at all so it comes off to me like another latinx.

I’m working on a paper about Latino (specifically Mexican) representation in combat sports and just wanted to listen to this and get in the zone. Loved it!

Love you and to anyone mad - grow up lmao

@GCVazquez

3 жыл бұрын

Love you too buddy ^_^

Fantastic video.

@GCVazquez

3 жыл бұрын

Thank you very much!

Panamanian here, I dont really have anything to add to the conversation myself but I figured I'd mention where Im from since lets be real how many more comments from Panamá are we gonna see?

I didn't know there was a gender neutral version for Latino. This video was very informative and I'm very thankful that you've put alot of time into making this. Obviously I don't know all the ins and outs of various latin cultures but alot of people including me, can say that this culture is heavily badly represented in alot of western made media.

@GCVazquez

3 жыл бұрын

Well now you know! Feel free to interchange between Latinx or Latine as you like too; they're both relatively new terms, but from what I understand equally acceptable!

@fermrack7460

3 жыл бұрын

Si lo hay, es Latino. Ese es el neutral. Ni latinx ni latine.

@GCVazquez

3 жыл бұрын

@@fermrack7460 Latine es predominantemente usado en los Estados Unido porque los Americanos adoptado la palabra en Ingles. Es una palabra creada por gente Latine. No creo que hay problema usando una palabra nueva que incluya mejor la gente. El Espanol no tiene que ser una idioma estatica.

@fermrack7460

3 жыл бұрын

@@GCVazquez Muy poca gente realmente la usa, y generalmente son swj que ya no saben de qué quejarse. Latino es una palabra neutral igual que como lo es persona. Nada de latine o persone.

@GCVazquez

3 жыл бұрын

@@fermrack7460 Si no puede expresar tu punto de vista sin descartar el mío como algo "sjw", ni siquiera esta tratando de sentir empatia con personas que no son como usted. El espanol por defecto es un idioma de genero, y hay formas dentro de su propia gramatica para neutralizar ciertas palabras para que sean mas inclusivas. Que tengas un buen dia. Espero que vuelvas cuando lo sepas mejor.