Against all odds, Acharky and I have managed to convince the old man to train us in the ways of the Assassin. With luck, this means we’re closer to our goals… whatever they happen to be.
(As a heads-up, this week’s recording are terribly audio balanced because I forgot to do a sound check after restoring my PC. That blame lies solely on me, and I do deeply apologize.)
Streamed at https://www.twitch.tv/newdarkcloud
While I frequently criticize Ubisoft for their staunch refusal to make a stand or say anything interesting with the stories in their video games, I must confess that I am impressed with the decision to use the viewpoint of a Mohawk tribesman with light enough skin to pass as a white man in their game set in Civil War-era America. Doing so gives them the freedom to discuss some of the darker aspects of this society directly in a way that’s rare.
As an American citizen who was taught my country’s history in our schools, I obviously know it’s relationship to slavery and the slave trade. I’m also aware of the oppression faced by the Native American tribes at the hands of the colonizers who formed this nation, but these topics are frequently only discussed on a surface level. The darker, grimmer aspects of that time are glossed over and sanitized all too often, both in education and in works of fiction.
Perhaps this could only happen because Assassin’s Creed 3 was developed in Canada for a French company, but either way it is a bold choice, especially for Ubisoft, to tackle that subject head on. Because the colonies in the North didn’t rely on slavery, it is easier to paint them as tolerant to those of African descent with their borders. But as Achilles painfully points out, he is not allowed to shop in the general store because he is a black man. He needs Ratonhnhaké꞉ton to shop on his behalf, which he only do because he can plausibly pass himself off as a white man.
And that’s why it’s important that a Native is the leading man for this story. A white person living in the colonies wouldn’t even think to question the injustice of these circumstances. His naivete to colonial society is a blessing because it allows the game to directly call this out and question why it was ever the case. And as we progress further into the game, it allows the development team even further leeway to show how ugly this aspect of the country, which has been a part of it since it before it was founded, can be to those who are victimized by it.
Leave a Reply