There are lots of ways to approach diversity in gaming. Most of them have shown to be problematic. Need for Speed Payback seems to have found a good way to have a diverse cast without feeling like a Public Service Announcement or Diversity by committee. Obviously, this game learned from the best with the Fast and Furious movie series.
First we can start with the obvious bad…generic white protagonist, Tyler Morgan, BUT I am willing to let it go because the game makes it very clear that he can’t succeed without the help of his strong intelligent female companion, European black drift master and off road racer, and his hyper intelligent Asian mechanic. Reading all of that this probably sounds ridiculous, but so far (3 hours in) none of the characters feel like cheap caricatures of their race other than the white guy and even he seems cool enough (think Paul Walker, RIP).
This game has no reason to have a diverse cast and certainly not one with nuance but here we are. Mac, the black guy, is from Europe and has the typical “I may have done petty crime in Europe and that’s how I learned to drift” but when asked why he came to America and if it was to run away from his past he said, “no, I made mistakes in my past but I love the open roads of America and wanted to check them out”. That’s a paraphrase, but I love that the game doesn’t use him being a criminal as his defining quality. So far in the game, his most defining qualities are loyalty and his friendship with the crew. He is the glue guy and a really likable character.
No spoilers, but when the crew has to split up and do their own things Mac doesn’t get into crime. He sells his skills to online personalities, helping male drift videos for Instagram and YouTube. He’s an entrepreneur, and doesn’t fall back into criminal activity. Surprisingly, the only person in the game who fell back to illegal doings was the woman, Jess. She’s so bad ass that she is a getaway driver for the cash and for funsies. It’s pretty dope.
I like this game but I’m too early in it to review it. As a racing game with a story, this game moves away from some really easy tropes to fall into for each character. Jess has not become the love interest, nor does the game use her for sex appeal. She’s good at dodging police and driving. She is unbelievably competent and that what she brings to the group. Side note on sex appeal though, the antagonist is a black women named Lina Navarro. She’s so hot.Sean Mccalister, Mac, is not just a trope criminal black “thug” who is looking for reclamation on the streets. These might seem like small things, but positive representation can go a long way. (I am well aware the villain is a strong black women and yes, that problematic because there are so few black women represented in gaming.)
Consider this a shout out to a game that seems to be doing things right from a representation stand point, and in 2017 that feels good.
Peace
J3Blackgamer 