Resident Evil

Darkest Africa, the imagining of colonial fantasy, in many ways still lives on. Popular cultural representations of Africa often draw from the rich imagery of the un-charted, un-knowable other‘ that Africa represents. When Capcom made the decision to set the latest instalment of its Resident Evil series in an imagined African country, it was merely looking for a new, unexplored setting, and they were therefore surprised at the controversy that surrounded its release. The 2009 game Resident Evil 5 was accused of racially stereotyping the black zombies and the white protagonist. These allegations have largely been put to rest, as this was never the intention of Capcom in developing the game or selecting the setting. However, the underlying questions remain: How is Africa represented in the game? How does the figure of the zombie resonate within that representation? And why does this matter?

The Resident Evil video game franchise helped popularize and shape the zombie as a monstrous figure in popular culture. From the original Japanese title, Biohazard, this series has been instrumental in medicalizing the zombie, linking it to fictional pathogens such as the T-virus, Las Plagas and mutamycete fungus. These different infections keep the player focused on the immediate threat of the zombie, forcing her to ignore the larger medical threat and danger of virulence. The terminology of zombies moves from inorganic contamination to aggressive infection, showing an escalation of the pathogens’ invasiveness across Resident Evil, Resident Evil 4 and Resident Evil 7: Biohazard; more sophisticated pathogens, which draw inspiration from more complex real-world organisms, demonstrate greater transformative powers over those infected. The properties of the virus, multicellular parasite, and fungus parallel the monstrous threats faced within each game. The zombie figures go from being virally-animated bodies, to humans inhabited by wormlike or insectile parasites, to prehensile fungus, humanoid in form but motile and appearing to use humans only as scaffolding. This increasing complexity of pathogenic threat parallels changes in ludics that result in more immersive games, from detached Resident Evil’s third-person framing to the first-person and virtual reality-compatible gameplay in Resident Evil 7. These elements enliven a series in which players are more directly threatened by medicalized monstrosities, but are powerless to face the larger systemic threat that creates the zombie threat.

O artigo versa de forma ensaística sobre uma tríade formulada pelos seguintes pilares teórico-metodológicos: 1) a cultura BDSM e games; 2) a personagem Lady Dimitrescu de Resident Evil: Village, de 2021; e 3) os memes e seu impacto na sociedade pós-moderna sob ótica da Memética. Parte-se do sentido de que a conexão entre essas frontes resulta na massificação e compartilhamento de uma cultura de nicho que parte do underground para o mainstream, tendo um game e uma personagem como força-motriz desse processo. Como metodologia, emprega-se um estudo de caso clássico ao mesmo tempo em que traz os holofotes à uma perspectiva teórico-ensaística de Observação-Participante. Evidencia-se, portanto, uma intimidade vivencial entre consumir a cultura pop pelos games ao mesmo tempo em que se massifica uma cultura de nicho, justificando essa mídia como uma tecnologia da imagem e do imaginário.

The article aims at the theoretical-methodological triad formulated by: 1) the BDSM culture and games; 2) the character Lady Dimitrescu from Resident Evil: Village, of 2021; and 3) memes and their impact on the post-modern society under the Memetics perspective. It starts from the connection between these references resulting on the massification and sharing of a niche culture that leads the underground to mainstream, pointing out a game and a character as driving force of this process. As methodology, it carries out a classic case study as well as highlights a Participation Observation. It demonstrates how a way between consuming pop culture throughout games and a massification of a niche culture is able to justify this media as an image and imaginary technology.

RESUMO: Pensando o jogo Resident Evil 4 (2005) como objeto cultural e suporte textual em interface com os estudos culturais e textuais, assim como evidenciados pelo historiador Roger Chartier (2002), investiga-se como a leitura e os livros se manifestam materialmente a partir de práticas e representações dentro do jogo. Para que a análise seja levada a turno são utilizados teóricos que versam sobre a história cultural da leitura e dos textos, como Márcia Abreu, Regina Zilberman (1999) e o teórico dos gamestudies, Miguel Sicart (2011), além da apreciação da narrativa, de diálogos e de cenas do jogo que contém elementos ligados à leitura e à literatura. Empreendida a análise, observou-se que, como objetos culturais, os videogames comportam representações de práticas sociais do mundo sensível e que, em Resident Evil 4 (2005), a leitura é representada como uma prática idealizada e que os livros, além disso, são tidos como bens possuídos por classes sociais privilegiadas. Essas representações, portanto, dialogam com a imagem da leitura como uma prática enobrecedora e culta. Outra possível apreensão é a da leitura dos textos dos jogos de videogame como um letramento importante no mundo globalizado. Para além da " catequização " capitalista global, pensa-se no jogador letrado como um participante da cultura globalizada.

Thinking the game Resident Evil 4 (2005) as a cultural object and textual support in interface with the cultural and textual studies, as evidenced by the historian Roger Chartier (2002), and under the perspective of practices and representations, I investigate how reading and books manifest themselves materially in the game. Theorists who deal with the cultural history of reading and texts are read in this study (such as Márcia Abreu, Regina Zilberman (1999) and game studies theorist Miguel Sicart (2011)) as well as the appreciation of the narrative, dialogues and scenes of the game that contains elements related to reading and literature. It can be seen that, as cultural objects, videogames carry representations of social practices of the real
sensible world and that, in Resident Evil 4 (2005), reading is represented as an idealized practice and that books, moreover, are considered as assets owned by privileged social classes. These representations,
therefore, dialogue with the image of reading as an ennobling and cultured practice. Another possible apprehension is the reading of the texts of videogame games as an important literacy in the globalized world. In addition to global capitalist “catechization”, the literate player is thought of as a participant in the globalized culture.

The Resident Evil series is, as Capcom’s Yoshiaki Hirabayashi puts it, ‘central to the survival horror genre’ And I believe that analysing the first title of this seminal series will prove helpful in uncovering some of the reasons why the Survival Horror Genre has proven to be so successful.

"Video games represent a group of individual perceptions about some part of the world. Resident Evil 5 is a game about the world that we may eventually live in. These types of games have been increasing in importance since 9/11 because, as Slavoj Žižek reminds us, the events of 9/11 were a reminder that the horrors of everywhere not the United States could actually have an impact on the reality of its citizens (2002). The programmers of this game chose to give the player a means through which to explore a possible consequence US citizens may eventually face, the consequences of vying for power via
biological weaponry and experimentation. Resident Evil 5 takes place in a West African province named Kijuju. In this province, there is a rare flower that the tribal leaders used to use that was thought to release the potential power of the person taking it. While poisonous, the power this plant contained was very desirable.

Africa has long been the source of rare materials that are exploited by the promises of wealth and power. The African nations have been subjected to unimaginable torture and Resident Evil 5 allows the user to explore these consequences and see them first hand in a way that is rarely reported in the mass media. However, this game was not seen this way when it first appeared in media outlets. In fact, the most resonating mention of this piece in the media was, “It’s like they’re [Africans] all dangerous; they all need to be killed. It’s not even like one cut African – Haitian or Caribbean – child could be saved. They’re all dangerous…They all have to be killed” (John 2008). While true, there is something in this game that has been mostly ignored. This game is deeper than the post-colonial racism that it represents.

Sheva Alomar, an objectified female comrade to the white male protagonist, notes, “They were using Africa as a test bed for their experiments.” As a nearly post-apocalyptic game, the Africa presented does not represent Africa as it is, but Africa as it will be if the drug companies continue to test their products on the populace there. While not mentioned in game or by advisors, Pfizer – one of the largest drug conglomerates in the world – was implicated in Nigeria for testing on the citizens there illegally in 2007. It is not to unsurprising then, that the idea of Resident Evil 5 would fall to Africa when the game was released in 2009.

Research Question
This study seeks to examine the implications made by the design team about drug trials and the conceptualization of these entities in correlation to the illegal drug testing in Africa.

Methodology
This study will be conducted through discourse analysis. I will examine articles from the breaking news about the Pfizer drug trials and compare it to in-game exposition and gameplay with the aid of game scripts, trainers, and interviews with the developers.

Findings
Initial findings suggest a strong correlation to the Pfizer drug screenings. Umbrella, the omni-present corporation in charge of many of the Resident Evil franchise’s villains, operates secretly through subsidiaries and secret corporations around the world. These remnants of Umbrella (thought to be destroyed in a previous game) are present in an organization called the Global Pharmaceutical Consortium in Africa. Through subsidiaries of this organization, the game makers toy with the idea that companies like Pfizer are really run by a few people who believe that only they can save the world. At one point, Albert Wesker, the game’s villain, says, “Every day humans come one step closer to self-destruction. I'm not destroying the world, I'm saving it!” This game further plays on the fears about drug trials by giving a sinister plot to these often invisible CEOs and scientists – to cause rapid evolutionary change within humanity that would “eradicate useless DNA strands.” With humanity purified, Wesker would be able to to recreate the world as he desires. The Resident Evil games constantly remind us that huamnity cannot be free from harm while these corporations exist. This particular sentiment is shared through the last few lines of Chris’ dialog, “More and more, I find myself wondering if it’s all worth fighting for. For a future without fear…..yeah, it’s worth it.”

In this work, my aim is to analyze zombie films in relation to capitalism.
1970’s horror films, especially zombie films were reflecting the economical,
political and social structure of its era; however, the characteristics of zombie
films have changed through time. Primarily, I will compare George A. Romero’s
zombie film, Dawn of the Dead (Romero, 1978) from 1970s which is famous
with its commentary on commodity fetishism and consumption society. Then, in
its light, I will investigate Resident Evil Series of 2000s to explore the codes of
contemporary zombie films and understand what has changed through time in
comprehension of zombie metaphors. My analysis will be on all Resident Evil
films, but I will especially focus on the first film, Resident Evil (Anderson, 2002),
and the third film, Resident Evil: Extinction (Mulcahy, 2007), to examine new
threat themes, such as bio-technological and viral weaponry, used to represent
the contemporary political and financial influences of capitalism globally.

Keywords: zombie narratives, contemporary capitalism, consumption
society.

"It is my contention that computer games, as a form of fiction, can make their audiences experience emotions at a level inaccessible through the medium of film. This general point underwrites the more specific argument concerning Resident Evil. In this strand of my argument I will try to analyse and explain why I found the Resident Evil game to be so much more horrifying than the Resident Evil film. This argument centres on two issues; firstly the game-maker’s use of the ‘cut-scene’ , and secondly the effect that controlling a game has on the gamer’s emotional experience . In order to clarify precisely what this emotional experience is, the first section of the chapter will present a definition of Noël Carroll’s ‘art-horror’. Carroll (1990) argues that this term captures most accurately the emotions which are derived from experiences of the cross-art, cross-media horror genre. The second section of the chapter will analyse and examine the first zombie encounter from Paul W. Anderson’s 2002 film Resident Evil. This section will explain why my emotional response to the film was weaker than my response to the game under the terms of Carroll’s definition of art-horror. The third section will offer a similar examination and analysis of the first zombie encounter from Capcom’s 1996 game Resident Evil. This section will define the game as an example of a text from ‘ergodic literature’ (literature which requires non-trivial effort to traverse the text) and offer it up as a prime example of the horror genre, again using the terms of Carroll’s art-horror definition. The final section will focus on the general strand of my argument asserting that even in an ideal circumstance, Resident Evil as a computer game would necessarily be a more efficient catalyst for the art-horror response than its filmic equivalent.
Certain parts of this chapter will employ the discourse of analytic philosophy. This technical, and occasionally difficult approach is not meant to baffle or bemuse, but rather treats the Resident Evil games and films as objects worthy of serious and rigorous philosophical discussion. To this end, nothing will be assumed or taken for granted. In section two I will set out the reasons why the Resident Evil film should be considered a mediocre example of a movie in the horror genre. These reasons will go beyond my opinions and judgements and focus instead on precisely how the film failed to satisfy the criteria which define the horror movie genre. Similarly, section three offers a precise and step-by-step explanation of why the Resident Evil game should be considered a text, or work of fiction, equivalent to any movie, novel or comic. Proceding from this I examine why, as a work of fiction, it should be considered a prime example of the horror genre. Finally I explore why, as an example of the horror genre, it satisfies that genre’s governing criteria in a way that the Resident Evil film simply does not.
But the methods at the disposal of the analytic philosopher can only account for certain parts of this discussion. The nature of gaming is such that when I play a game, only I can access the particular narrative of that gaming experience. Gaming is, in a philosophical sense, a wholly subjective pursuit. Consequently, those aspects of this discussion which are not suitable to the analytic method are offered up in an anecdotal way. You can never experience the Resident Evil game as I experienced the Resident Evil game, but perhaps by reading the story I tell about those experiences you can relate them to your own and thus flesh out an important but elusive element of my argument.
"

'Biopunk Dystopias' contends that we find ourselves at a historical nexus, defined by the rise of biology as the driving force of scientific progress, a strongly grown mainstream attention given to genetic engineering in the wake of the Human Genome Project (1990-2003), the changing sociological view of a liquid modern society, and shifting discourses on the posthuman, including a critical posthumanism that decenters the privileged subject of humanism. The book argues that this historical nexus produces a specific cultural formation in the form of "biopunk", a subgenre evolved from the cyberpunk of the 1980s. The analysis deals with dystopian science fiction artifacts of different media from the year 2000 onwards that project a posthuman intervention into contemporary socio-political discourse based in liquid modernity in the cultural formation of biopunk. Biopunk makes use of current posthumanist conceptions in order to criticize contemporary reality as already dystopian, warning that a future will only get worse, and that society needs to reverse its path, or else destroy all life on this planet. As Rosi Braidotti argues, "there is a posthuman agreement that contemporary science and biotechnologies affect the very fibre and structure of the living and have altered dramatically our understanding of what counts as the basic frame of reference for the human today" (40). The proposed book analyzes this alteration as directors, creators, authors, and artists from the field of science fiction extrapolate it from current trends.

Horror Video Game Remakes and the Question of Medium: Remaking Doom, Silent Hill, and Resident Evil. In Fear, Cultural Anxiety and Transformation: Horror, Science Fiction and Fantasy Films Remade. Scott A. Lukas and John Marmysz, eds. Lexington Books, 2008.

The attached PDF is the author's final version. It differs from the printed version in some points such as page numbers and even some paragraphs. Please refer to the original version when you cite this. Thanks.
https://www.transcript-verlag.de/978-3-8376-5051-8/violence-perception-video-games/

This article reads the Resident Evil film franchise (2002, 2004, 2007, 2010, 2012) through theoretical work on the spatial strategies of neocapitalism, arguing that the films visualize abstract theories of spatial production and control. Throughout the franchise, virtualized and falsified experiences of space are shown to effectively manage human subjects, and the repeated use of simulations and clones highlights the reproducibility of both space and its occupants. The work of Henri Lefebvre is here employed to examine these representations, in particular his writing on the ‘abstract space’ upon which capitalist society relies. In such space, Euclidean emptiness and uniformity replace embodied geographies and histories, and human action is carefully proscribed and managed. The article uses textual and narrative analysis to show how the Resident Evil films explore such neocapitalist spatial strategies and argues that the franchise repeatedly and forcefully reminds viewers that seemingly neutral or taken-for-granted spaces might in truth be controlled and functionalized spatial productions.

http://www.tandfonline.com/eprint/HPVI3T43gP4xbzEqkgEj/full

This article takes a close look at the Resident Evil HD Remaster of 2015 through the lens of the psychological notions of delayed gratification, time perspective, and temporal discounting. These concepts provide a coherent framework with which to analyze how players interact with video games in general, but are especially well suited for the analysis of the aesthetics of survival horror video games such as Resident Evil. Our mental construction of time plays a significant role in decision making processes directly related to resource management. Survival horror is characterized by the management of scarce resources (e.g. ammunition or health) in unsettling environments, and various psychological studies concerned with the aforementioned notions, in particular Walter Mischel’s famed “Marshmallow Test,” shed light on some of the mental processes that affect our interaction with this video game genre and Resident Evil in particular.

This article conducts an analysis of contemporary 3D film style in narrative features, examining how stereoscopy has been married to existing cinematic form. Formal examinations of 3D sequences show them to work within systems of classical or intensified continuity while also generating patterns of meaning tied to the 3D format.