Is Deus Ex racist? Square Enix responds

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Publisher responds to players’ concerns over Letitia the Trash Lady

There’s no denying that Deus Ex: Human Revolution is an excellent game. The series’ recently released reboot has received an overwhelmingly positive response from both critics and players (GamesRadar gave it a perfect score in our review). But despite high praise for the overall game, there’s been a lot of discussion over whether or not the representation of certain characters in the game cross the line of political correctness, especially in regards to NPC Letitia the Trash Lady, an African American woman who speaks in what is sometimes referred to as slave-era dialect.

See a video of Letitia the Trash Lady conversing with the game’s lead character Adam Jenson, read an official response from publisher Square Enix, and decide for yourself.

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We contacted Square Enix to find out what the publisher had to say to fans who felt that the Uncle Tom-esque representation of Leticia the Trash Lady went too far. Here’s what they had to say:

"Deus Ex: Human Revolution is a fictional story which reflects the diversity of the world's future population by featuring characters of various cultural and socioeconomic backgrounds. While these characters are meant to portray people living in the year 2027, it has never been our intention to represent any particular ethnic group in a negative light."

What do you think? Does Letitia revive a horrible racial stereotype? Or is the way she speaks just an earnest (but perhaps clumsy) attempt to portray poverty in Detroit, 2027? Let us know what you think in the comments below.

Aug 31, 2011