Valve is apparently having issues with the upcoming game, Left 4 Dead 2. Granted the problems aren't from a developmental standpoint, the issues are no doubt annoying nonetheless. After the game's initial announcement, outraged fans gathered together to boycott the game, claiming that Valve needs to focus on the current version instead. Now the company is facing accusations of racism based on comments made by The Houston Chronicle's Willie Jefferson.
"I am disturbed by the growing trend of racist undertones that are cropping up in video games," Jefferson originally wrote. "One of the games that comes to mind is Left 4 Dead 2 ... 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."
During a recent visit to Valve, website Destructoid asked the company how they felt about the accusations, however Left 4 Dead writer Chet Faliszek stepped forward with his opinion, claiming that it was utter insanity.
"There are mixed races of zombies, there are all different races of zombies that you shoot, and since we placed it in New Orleans, that makes it racist?" Faliszek told Destructoid. "I honestly re-read the paragraph about five times ... but when two of the characters in your game are African-American, it's a weird thing to be accused of. We're like, 'how does this work'?"
He also touched based on the Hurricane Katrina aspect, saying that the natural disaster is still taking place in New Orleans, however Valve is treating that aspect with utmost respect.
"Our CEDA thing is not some subversive commentary on anything," he added. "This is a videogame, those are real people's lives, we are not trying to make a statement with that ... It's a place we love, it's dear to our hearts. We would not cheapen it. It's not a brick-for-brick representation of New Orleans; it's a fictional version, and I love that city."
