3 ms·

I played Donkey Kong in arcades in the 80s as a kid and I play it today on my MAME emulation arcade cabinet and the issue you mention has never occurred to me.

I played Donkey Kong in arcades in the 80s as a kid and I play it today on my MAME emulation arcade cabinet and the issue you mention has never occurred to me. Your post is the first I've heard of it. In looking at the game again right now with your post in mind, I'm still not seeing any racial undertones. I've always liked the game and still like the game today. I see you linked a video below but I've decided not to look at it. I can appreciate and respect that you may see some association that I don't. Perhaps what you see requires a certain prior sensitization to see or perhaps it's open to differing interpretation by reasonable people. Either way, I'm choosing to keep my experience of a classic game I've always liked untainted. I'm just replying because you asked if others see what you see. (Note: I've only ever played original arcade DK and DK Jr, no console versions.)

AlecSchueler 3y ago
Thank you for taking the time to give a genuine response to the question! Do I understand you correctly though? You don't want to watch the video because either A) you are unmoved by it and have wasted your time or B) you realise the author has a point and your childhood memories are tainted? I am kind of surprised by that if I'm reading it right. If someone told me that one of my childhood games had become a damaging franchise I'd want to risk my memories and be sure that I wasn't doing anyone any harm.
- mrandish 3y ago
  > A) you are unmoved by it and have wasted your time It's this one. I am a reasonable person who is deeply familiar with the original coin-op game and, IMHO, there is nothing remotely racist in it. I see from other posts that apparently the bulk of the claims you're citing are related to later console games which I have never seen, have no opinion on and which are off-topic from the content of this thread since the OP is entirely about the creation of the original arcade game over 40 years ago. > a damaging franchise I'd want to risk my memories and be sure that I wasn't doing anyone any harm. I categorically disagree that playing a 40 yr old arcade game beloved by millions on my personal MAME cabinet can possibly do "harm" or "damage" anyone. I find the suggestion ludicrous but based on that wording and framing, I suspect you and I have profoundly divergent world views and that further engagement will A) Not be productive, and B) Violate HN's prohibition on culture war topics (which I 100% support).
  - AlecSchueler 3y ago
    I'm a white person who is unaffected by these issues in a direct way but I've heard from people who do feel affected by it that it can be harmful. Their perspective is one I can't live, so I can only listen. It's surprising for me that others would not be open to listening and I find it depressing that their feelings on this are villainized and dismissed here as being part of a "culture war." Of course it's easy to categorically deny with what they say if you refuse to listen, and I'm sure everything seems like a war when you start putting people into factions that can inherently not agree and are inherently unable to talk through issues with a mutual openness.

AlecSchueler 3y ago

Thank you for taking the time to give a genuine response to the question! Do I understand you correctly though? You don't want to watch the video because either A) you are unmoved by it and have wasted your time or B) you realise the author has a point and your childhood memories are tainted? I am kind of surprised by that if I'm reading it right. If someone told me that one of my childhood games had become a damaging franchise I'd want to risk my memories and be sure that I wasn't doing anyone any harm.

mrandish 3y ago
> A) you are unmoved by it and have wasted your time It's this one. I am a reasonable person who is deeply familiar with the original coin-op game and, IMHO, there is nothing remotely racist in it. I see from other posts that apparently the bulk of the claims you're citing are related to later console games which I have never seen, have no opinion on and which are off-topic from the content of this thread since the OP is entirely about the creation of the original arcade game over 40 years ago. > a damaging franchise I'd want to risk my memories and be sure that I wasn't doing anyone any harm. I categorically disagree that playing a 40 yr old arcade game beloved by millions on my personal MAME cabinet can possibly do "harm" or "damage" anyone. I find the suggestion ludicrous but based on that wording and framing, I suspect you and I have profoundly divergent world views and that further engagement will A) Not be productive, and B) Violate HN's prohibition on culture war topics (which I 100% support).
- AlecSchueler 3y ago
  I'm a white person who is unaffected by these issues in a direct way but I've heard from people who do feel affected by it that it can be harmful. Their perspective is one I can't live, so I can only listen. It's surprising for me that others would not be open to listening and I find it depressing that their feelings on this are villainized and dismissed here as being part of a "culture war." Of course it's easy to categorically deny with what they say if you refuse to listen, and I'm sure everything seems like a war when you start putting people into factions that can inherently not agree and are inherently unable to talk through issues with a mutual openness.