A follow up (of sorts) to the incredibly successful L.A Noire, questionably titled “Whore Of The Orient” has received poor press and extensive dissecting of whether “Orient” is as politically incorrect as the N-word, with City of Monash councillor Jieh-Yung Lo criticising the game’s title and the fact its creators, Team Bondi, were given Screen of NSW funding to help give the project legs.
Lo has found hints of inappropriate cultural racism in the game’s title, and reportedly threatened to make the issue involved with the Human Rights Commission if necessary, saying, “‘It’s the use of the word ‘Orient’, more even than the word ‘whore’,
that is the issue,” he explained. ”The O-word is very similar to the
N-word for African-American communities. It’s a 19th century
racial-colonial conception and it’s especially painful for older people
in the communities. That was a very bad time in China, and people don’t
want or need to have that dragged up.”
A spokesperson for Team Bondi has said that the title, “doesn’t refer to any content of the game. ‘Whore of the Orient’ is an historical nickname for the city of Shanghai.”
Well, seemingly harmless but potentially offensive title aside, the game looks like it will be pretty great, especially if it follows in the expert footsteps of LA Noire. Whores will have their trinkets, however, so I’d say it’s pretty likely that Team Bondi will keep their original title – predictably out of spite.
Via The Age.
