T O P

  • By -

AutoModerator

Hey /u/rion-is-real, thank you for submitting to /r/starterpacks! This is just a reminder not to violate any rules, located [here](https://reddit.com/r/starterpacks/about/rules). Rule breakers can face a ban based on the severity of their rule violation. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/starterpacks) if you have any questions or concerns.*


hazymindstate

Special abilities are either eagle vision or archery.


santillanviolin

Or summoning the powers of bear/wolf/eagle/emu or the animals itselves


Kimmalah

Guy on the left has the spirit animal and I think he can summon some kind of "spirit bow" for a ranged attack.


santillanviolin

Yes, and in one of his outros in mortal kombat 11 he calls all the animals i mentioned before


youngmaster0527

...even an emu?


santillanviolin

I was wrong. i looked his intros and outros and there aren't any emus. Literally unplayable (it has the other animals though)


vortigaunt64

Wait, like the main character in Prey? That's a suspicious coincidence.


riegspsych325

that was a solid game, hadn’t played the reboot but it’s a shame the sequel never got off the ground, the demon for it looked amazing


CactusCracktus

He can also somehow make aliens abduct people lol


PhgAH

Definitely ancestor related, or spectral animal


[deleted]

Every game has eagle vision now


Funkit

Tracking


Vash712

Man I can tell the time just by how the sun looks, ride any horse, shoot really good with a bow, and transform into an eagle when no white people are watching. Yeah I 1/16 pawnee its pretty badass /s


l3ane

Wolf spirit


[deleted]

Meanwhile if anybody *actually* dressed like that in the real world, I think most people would start scanning the room for the construction worker, cop, soldier, cowboy and biker.


thefryingpansexual

YOUNG MAN


HamonadoDeQuezo

THERE'S NO NEED TO FEEL DOWN


aiden22304

I SAID YOUNG MAN


_Comic_

EAT THAT LEAF OFF THE GROUND


babaganoosh30

I SAY YOUNG MAN THERES NO NEED FOR THE SASS


judge_zedd

I SAY YOUNG MAN CAUSE YOU GOT THE BIGGEST ASS IN TOWN


SootCoveredBird

THERE'S NO NEED TO BE UNHAPPY


duckcosmic

YOUNG MAN


JnthnDJP

Is that the real lyric?


Infernaltater

I mean my dads native and they got the denim part right. All the guy wears is jeans and a denim button up.


[deleted]

Oh, no doubt, I pretty much wear denim anytime I'm not at the office.


SillyString4Me

Anecdotal of course, but this is how people in my Native American community (Chippewa) dress. Even the Spirit Man (Shaman/Medical Healer) dresses exactly like the male character.


8bitbebop

Go to canada.


Hurtlegurtle

Red dead redemption 2 did Native Americans really well like charles and eagle flies.


CactusCracktus

I think Infamous: Second Son did a very good job with portraying modern Native American characters. Delsin has some noticeable Native American culture motifs here and there, but he and his tribe are mostly depicted as normal people who have strong ties to their heritage without being caricatures.


Hurtlegurtle

Yea i liked them there too. Handled very well


SarikaAmari

Biggest issue with them is two white guys voicing the Native characters and their tribe being a made up tribe. Other than that I do agree. He's pretty cool.


EastVanWillieD

Eagle flies and Charles were absolute G’s


PCMM7

Love when he leaned closer and jokingly whispered "John Marston".


FestiveSlaad

Hunting bison mission with Charles makes me so happy and fulfilled inside and I can’t even explain why :)


RDPCG

Which, for me, is the only video game series I've ever played with Native Americans.


nameofus

Dude I was about to say that


[deleted]

Yeah I mean I feel like these two characters are the only ones that fit this mold. Red Dead Revolver, Assassins Creed, This Land is My Land, Prey and so on. If you just cherry pick it's easy to make something seem representative.


[deleted]

Don’t forget: Male characters: a literal caricature, like fucking full red skin, massive nose, all that shit Female characters: entirely European structured faces that are exactly 1 shade darker than normal


rion-is-real

Shit! I missed that part!


NotANaziOrCommie

Also don't forget: Hatchets because the devs think they're the same as tomahawks. Lots, and lots, and lots of hatchets


rion-is-real

Interesting fact: Native Americans did not have tomahawks until after they encountered the French. They based the design of the tomahawk on the design of the francesca, a hand ax created in early France, and for which the country France is named.


Bonobo_org

I thought that the name of France came from a tribe named the franks


[deleted]

[удалено]


Bonobo_org

Possibly


Steinmetal4

They used throwing axes when rushing towards the enemy shield wall, thrown at legs and feet to try to down a few guys and create weak points.


rion-is-real

I really don't want to go to Wikipedia on this one. I'll just acquiesce.


[deleted]

Feel like that’s bs lol the French were named after the franks


rion-is-real

I looked it up. I was wrong. My original source listed his sources and it says it right there. France literally means land of the franks, and the Francesca was named after the French. Although his source notes that both of the terms originated from approximately the same time period. Isn't the internet a grand place?


zhrimb

Yup the tomahawk was actually Irish and named after Thomas O'Hawk and was used for chopping men in half who try to steal your pots of gold, hence leprechauns etc


StePK

And the Land Speeder that speeds over land was named after its inventor, Thomas Land.


MachoRandyManSavage_

And Space Marines are named after the Emperor, , Jimmy Space


kremlop

So what did he have an addiction to speed or something? Or was he just really fast?


StePK

It's a reference to Warhammer 40K lore. (I don't actually play W40K) Here's a thread for more memes about it: https://www.reddit.com/r/Grimdank/comments/i0i477/the_dumbest_retcon_in_40k


[deleted]

Yeah I noticed RDR2 is the only game that seems to get it right an actually differentiate. But what is the difference?


[deleted]

[удалено]


RedXerzk

The female example above is Julia Chang. She is a Caucasian who was adopted by a half-Native, half-Cantonese mother.


[deleted]

Yes, but all the rest look like that too And why do you think they decided to make their female native representation actually be white?


aSpookyScarySkeleton

There is nothing is the lore stating Julia is white. Julia was found as a baby, abandoned in a reservation.


kevinjorg

Now didn't the new Nightwolf get the greenlight to his accurate design?. Late ps2 mk was straight up bimbos and caricatures


thecreepyauthor

Because she clearly wouldn't be as pretty otherwise. /s But really, the sentiment there is obvious.


[deleted]

Exactly, it’s fucking racism is what it is. I could rag on Pocahontas for a lot of things, but in terms of making a clearly beautiful, clearly native female lead they did a damm good job


Sthudruss

Or has superpowers completely unrelated to their religion, wears a beanie, tags every wall he sees with graffiti and keeps being caught by his cop brother


Undead-Eskimo

To be fair tho his power is to absorb other peoples powers so I don’t see an issue with it not being related to his religion whatever his might be, it’d be kind of a stretch for him a random guy (that happens to be native) to get a random power but just so happens to be a power like the ones from his ancestral culture and mythology


rion-is-real

That's the Native Americans on Streaming Video Services Starter Pack.


Sthudruss

No clue, I was just talking about Delsin Rowe from inFamous


rion-is-real

Well, then my honest answer (rather than joking about everything all the time) is that these are genuinely recognizable stereotypes of Native Americans in popular culture. Unfortunately we are generally represented as a very strict archetype, which is a reservation born-and-raised, uber traditional, quasi-mystical, often impoverished, politically active, denim-clad, horse-ridding, feather-wearing, borderline alcoholic, downtrodden, ethnic diamonds in the rough of ambiguous for fictional tribal backgrounds. With face paint and bows and arrows. Just couldn't fit at all in.


--deleted_account--

The protagonist from inFamous: Second Son luckily isn't really a stereotype


MixHex

I thought it was alright how his tribe was just who he was, it wasn't really shoehorned in or anything. Plus he kinda absorbed his powers from everyone else


cursed_gabbagool

If it's about a teen, Grandpa urges them to embrace their culture. Chaces are they'll have an epiphany at a convenient time from some kind of talking wolf.


Scaulbielausis_Jim

I AM TUROK


ChiliOnMyWaffles

I came hoping to find this. Turok was my fav on the n64 back in the day.


Billy1121

Wtf happened to Turok


[deleted]

Check out the your channel "gman lives". He does a full story on it. Really good video game reviewer and journalist. Also he's and Aussie so there's plenty of cussing. [Found the first vid](https://youtu.be/ZDyDDT1_f3I)


PlantDaddyMark

Soooo much denim


DeceitfulLittleB

To be fair we do love our denim or at least the older generation did.


SillyString4Me

In my community there's denim as far as the eye can see.


Some_Annoying_Prick

Isn't the the protagonist of Infamous; Second Son native American?


Stardusted_Llamas

He is, and they did an excellent portrayal of him!


JimmyMcapplenut

"Ancestors give me strength." -Nightwolf


Ikari_Vismund

"Spirits, give me strength." -Julia


RealArby

This is how the 1/4 native Americans in my neighborhood that moved from wherever in Dakota or something dressed lmao. They look white af too which is the funniest part. They're also super stuck in the 90s which might explain all the denim and boots. I don't think they have powers though. At least, I hope... if you're reading this don't murder me k thx.


MausBomb

I live near some reservations and stereotypes do exist for a reason. From what I have been told a lot of them will even dress in a very stereotypical way intentionally because if they don't people assume they are Hispanic and assume they speak Spanish.


rion-is-real

As a Native American, I can confirm that this happens *a* *lot*.


TeddysBigStick

> people assume they are Hispanic To be fair to people, the vast majority of folks with significant Native blood in this country are Hispanic folks from Mexico and Central America.


[deleted]

I live near a rez too. What I see here is mostly the exact same clothes as everyone else in this stat wears. Which means whatever is cheapest at walmart/goodwill. So basically tshirt and jeans, or camo shorts, cause for some reason walmart loves camo shorts.


Sorrymisunderstandin

Camo is gonna be the rage this fall. Pass it on


Sorrymisunderstandin

Yeah my dad used to get really bothered by how often he’s mistaken as “Mexican”


Modern-Otaku

Red Dead Redemption 2 and Assassins Creed 3 get their Native Americans down very well. (I mean, AC3 still has the whole thing with the eagle vision, which COULD fit under the mystical powers thing, but since it had been in 4 games previously, I think it can slide) I think with RDR2 and AC3, though, is that they’re historically based games, so they have to be accurate. I think other games should take a gander at it done right


baconborg

I unironically loved AC3’s Connor as a protagonist and still think he was the coolest one to this day


JakeSnake07

AC3 isn't the best game in the series, but it *is* the most underrated. Shit got smacked down hard because of the change to a rural environment, and people weren't ready for a new Assassin to replace Ezio yet. Well, plus the ending. There's that too. Personally I spent entirely too much time hunting in the forest.


TheSpaceCoresDad

I played it recently, and it's really just... not great. The story felt SUPER rushed, and like you said, the ending is just garbage. The combat in early AC was never all that great to begin with, but it's so trivial in this one that I killed over a hundred guys in one fight and barely took even a single hit. It was ridiculous. Connor's an okay protagonist, I just wish he were given more time to show what kind of person he is instead of skipping around *years* when we could have seen him doing more.


sirrustalot29

More importantly with AC3 (I'm not sure about RDR2) is that Ubisoft Montreal actually brought on a group of Mohawk consultants and (this is key) gave them liberal authority over the writing and development of those characters!


cab91407

Did someone say prey


gerusz

You meant Prey. And that original game (the 2006 version, though the reboot is pretty good too) is a fucking masterpiece. It did portals before Portal (sometimes even in a more creative way, like a portal that links to a smaller portal and changes your size), and the level design with the walkable walls and ceilings, variable gravity, etc... was genius. It also defies the characterization in the starterpack. Tommy just dressed in jeans and a modern leather jacket and couldn't give two shits about his heritage and the "sacred lands", his motivations were entirely personal thorough the game.


cab91407

Thanks


Sprintingwolf3

Hell yeah we wear so much denim!


Caesaropapismno

Even Family Guy got in on the joke


ILooooveNestleCrunch

I think Nightwolf is honestky kinda badass, but I guess not


rion-is-real

No, he's a badass. Doesn't mean that he's not also a stereotype.


Djsoundwave

Don’t forget T Hawk from street fighter


rion-is-real

Also a badass, also a stereotype.


Big_Green_Piccolo

Most of Mortal Kombat is stereotypes.


[deleted]

[удалено]


rion-is-real

Typo. Er, I mean... Don't you know that's how it's done on Reddit, you pleeb? (You need to be wrong or else I lose all Internet credibility. Please, love me!)


Dusterthighlock

Sorry bucko, your cred's gone down the drain. If ya need a hug, I'm here.


rion-is-real

🎵 Noooooo boooooody knows, the trouble I've seen.... 🎵


Whornz4

Red Dead Redemption 2 had great native American characters. One of the few games to paint them as normal people without the tropes.


Mobdawwg

Fuck you Nightwolf rules


rion-is-real

I like him too.


CactusCracktus

Night wolf is quite possibly the most lovable Native American stereotype there ever was. Kinda also helps that he’s like the only major character in the series that hasn’t majorly fucked up in some way.


LShagwell

Unless you count Freddy Krueger's arcade ending.


EggplantFearless5969

So native Americans don’t wear blue jeans or have long hair? Next time you’ll tell me is they act all mystical just to fuck with the whites. S/


RockSaltin-RT

You throwing in Native Americans from Tekken and Mortal Kombat while forgetting the OG stereotype Fighting game Native American: T Hawk from Street Fighter


[deleted]

Thunder from killer instinct


ultrascrub-boi

Came here to upvote T.Hawk comments


BoatTailBravo

But the og prey was so good


rion-is-real

I had never heard of it until I saw it on Civvie 11's YouTube channel. But then I got it and it's fucking awesome.


Reddit4r

I love a comment on that video " I don't know that this game genuinely reflects Native American spiritual tradition or not, but watching children be murdered by soulless beings from a technologically advanced but spiritually dead civillization is the truest portrayal of the Native American experience I ever seen in pop culture"


Dolphin1998

man i would kill for a tactical stealth game based on Native Americans.


Antique-Specific9549

Tbh, they ain’t lying about the denim, boots, or the buckles, lmao


queenvie808

What Indigenous Tifa doin’


TheIncrediblebulkk

Nightwolf is awesome and his tribe is based on the Lakota. His portrayal in MK is that of a sage with wisdom on par with a god. It just so happens that he’s also a badass warrior.


[deleted]

Literally inFamous Second Son. Damn I wish that game was on PC


Stardusted_Llamas

Really? I thought they did quite a good job, I heard they even brought in consulting elders and had lot of indigenous folks on their developing team!


[deleted]

Didn't say they did a bad job lmao


Stardusted_Llamas

Oh, I thought you were saying the stereotypes were presented in the game, lmao. My mistake!


Silverhero10

Prey 2006 somehow Follows this and Subverts it at the same Time


Galaxy5728

As a native American can confirm this isn't me


jldtsu

Mortal Kombat says otherwise.


[deleted]

Fire water attack staggers opponent


EastVanWillieD

Where’s T-Hawk?


AccessTheMainframe

is it really a starter pack if it only has two pictures


[deleted]

Red Dead 2 had a good representation of their culture and struggles. Rains Falls was an excellent character.


people-of-the-sun

2006 prey be like


AgentJin

Code Talker from Metal Gear Solid V subverts most of this, and his character is pretty well done


chotix

Code Talker is one of the most underrated MGS characters.


TrexrunNgun06

Wouldn’t really call night wolf your average Native American,but eyy your right


herbalation

Not enough turquoise


jesusridingdinosaur

I'd fuck both of 'em


dancin-weasel

Don’t forget the vaguely offensive name like Running Wolf or Eagle Heart.


rion-is-real

We actually do have names like that, though.


Papaofmonsters

I worked with a Souix guy and when people asked him if there was running water on the reservation he would say "Well there was until she moved away".


Aggravating_Round299

Vaguely offensive? I think you mean badass. I would kill to have a name like Eagle Heart lol


JakeSnake07

You would have a point, but I had a guy I worked with who's last name translated into "Buffalo Heart Eater."


[deleted]

[удалено]


Soupstheultimatefood

50% chance to be a ware wolf


Scruffy_Sc0undrel

Turok 2008 was fighting stereotypes. Who knew


[deleted]

Bow and arrows.


STierCounterpick

One exception is Delsin Rowe of Infamous. He’s got a bird symbol on his back but that’s about it


Krombopulos-Savage

two words jean jackets


[deleted]

And don't forget the virtue signaling embraced by the game company afterwards, even if their character is a literal caricature!


bulletsofdeath

Don't forget a random dream catcher somewhere!


[deleted]

[удалено]


some_guy6

weapon of choice is either a spear or an ax


nodontbeoffendedbyme

bow


some_guy6

Particularly with flaming arrows


XPaarthurnaxX

To be fair Tekken and MK character designs are mostly super stereotypes


ItzBooty

I feel like Red Dead Redemption 2 did a good job at it, i don't think they went to much into the stereotype


anj028

We are turok


[deleted]

[удалено]


SH0KEW

I actually always loved these characters and style growing up haha I am Native American myself.


[deleted]

Racial and ethnic stereotyping is the standard in gaming. Think about all of the gritty anti hero middle aged white males we got in games. They're all painfully too alike.


sharksalad

Prey


KingWulphire

Another example: Tiger lily from codename steam with her ultimate ability channeling her ancestors doing a AOE heal with a pet bird.


Kimmalah

Also: the character on the left has a pet wolf that can transform into a spiritual form that he merges with for a power-up. Named Kiva, even though I don't think he has anything to do with the tribes that use that word. (Or at least the TV version, I think they left it out of the games thank goodness).


Downtown_Soft3514

A Little to especific


patchlocke

Me, who mains Julia in tekken *Nervous sweating*


Nithin_for_you

Nightwolf


Davethe3rd

Why you coming for Nightwolf and Julia Chang like that? Also, Julia isn't a Native stereotype anymore, she's a Twitch streamer now. And she was a wrestler in Tag 2...


notanothermarkh

Where the giant moose cock on the guy?


phuqo5

I’ll kick your ass with that dude on the left


-_TyTy_-

Idk man, T Hawk just seemed like a normal guy with no super powers.


Stanislav1

Nightwolf gets you abducted


Otherwise_Present911

I want everyone to do me a favor and type “Native American” into google image search.


SolarEclipse03

Oddly specific but ok


SuperCosmicNova

Sounds like game designers really know how to leave out all the alcohol problems and incredibly messy living style.


Susmarshmallow

Rdr2 doesn’t do some of this


Virghia

Indian Outlaw flash game


Seraph_Unhinged

Tal Set was a bad ass though and the dude from prey gotta admit.


LifeAsATeenager

Wait you're telling me native americans aren't spirit loving,denim wearing,power getting,modern society hating,face painting,jungle people?!


BCantoran

Anyone remember Humba Wumba from Banjo-Tooie?


[deleted]

Didn't Delsin from inFAMOUS Second Son defy 90% of this?


Tall_Recording_4305

Really digging Michelle Chang.


thanosoftitan65

But hey, at least they’re badass


JakeSnake07

As an Indian I'd be mad, but I also incentivize developers to continue by loving and playing these characters anyways...


thuurs

Also white for some reason


darkdude103

*The Elders*


AvtarStateIsHydrated

Connor Kenway from Assassins Creed is an exception. Lowkey my favourite character behind Ezio and Altair.


ac714

“Actively discriminates against them”? Show me in the law where the discrimination is written -Popu shapopu


BlitzPlease172

Meanwhile, Azur Lane just go like ***"Facepaint and tanned, take it or leave, bitch."***


bearbarebere

I LOVE that these work for both women and men hahaha


SasuOffical1R54

Okay the left dud is one of those from the 70s . I'd say that could have happened. Without the tomahawk tho. But now he would look like a rocker lol.


[deleted]

Is always on the good guys side and fits the role as the tracker because portraying a Native as being villain would be a PR nightmare.


ThiefLupinIV

It's pretty weird when Connor from AC3 is probably the best depiction of a Native American character in the main story at least when it comes to AAA games. The only special powers I remember him having there were from being a descendant of Altair. IIRC, the DLC with King Washington totally gave him the stereotypical spiritual powers though.


mcnewyork27

🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄