Hello! I found you through your work with Fallen Legacy Games on Jak 4, and I've really liked a lot of what you and the team are working on! However, when reading up on the different Babak tribes from your post here, something really rubbed me the wrong way when I saw it. A note for the Jungle tribe reads as follows:
They lack manners and have no social, hygiene, or grooming skills.
This description, paired with their general appearance, brings to mind some very unsavory depictions of black culture. Black people being angry, dirty "thugs"(I'm loathe to use that word myself, but I'm trying to make a point here) has been a negative stereotype against them for centuries, and is still used against them today. I know the Babaks aren't human, but the coding is there; locs like those you've given the Jungle Babaks are very clearly inspired by black styles, and, while bongo drums originate from Cuba, they're theorized to have roots in the Congo/Angola regions of Africa.
Also: why is their clothing specifically described as being "revealing"? They don't wear noticeably less clothes than the others, so it comes off really weird. It also brings to mind another racist stereotype - that of black people being more "wild" and "shameless" when it comes to dressing.
Additionally, comparing the Jungle Babaks to the other Babaks, they seem to have much less thought put into them. They have the least notes about their culture(7 vs the Mountains' 10 and Deserts' 8), and three of those notes are about their clothes and ornamentation while another is about how dangerous they are; the other two tribes' cultures are gone into more in-depth, citing traditions and specialties. Their traits compared to the Mountain Babaks is especially damning; the darker-toned Jungle Babaks are dirty brutal and unkempt, while the lighter Mountain Babaks are clean neat and sophisticated. It's really not a flattering look.
In addition to all of the above, you just straight-up can't have locs like that and have "no hygiene or grooming skills". Locs require both a loctician who knows what they're doing and a lot of maintenance to keep them from degrading. It's pretty damn offensive to imply otherwise.
I'm not sure if it was your decision, or if that's how someone else chose to interpret your designs, but either way it's kinda yikes! I sincerely hope whoever is responsible for these choices reconsiders them. I'd love to show support for this project, but can't in good consciousness as it is at the moment.
I read all of this and all I have to say is YiKeS. This is a very ignorant and contradictory statement, but I’ll take my time to explain the creative process since you jumped to conclusion and you seemed to have a negative stereotype of jungle tribes concentrating only to black culture/people. Let’s begin…
This description, paired with their general appearance, brings to mind some very unsavory depictions of black culture. Black people being angry, dirty "thugs"(I'm loathe to use that word myself, but I'm trying to make a point here) has been a negative stereotype against them for centuries, and is still used against them today. Locs like those you've given the Jungle Babaks are very clearly inspired by black styles…”
This is actually called cultural reductionism, where people see specific aesthetic elements like "jungle" settings or "dreadlocks" and immediately target them into one specific real-world identity. Also, are black people the only one with “jungle tribes”? Have you ever heard of the “Sentinelese”? The uncontacted, sacred and protected indigenous people living on North Sentinel Island, within the Bay of Bengal, part of India. The fact that the jungle lurkers lack of mannerism was because of this concept partially. Also Do you know that dreadlocks are also shown through history in Greece, India and other countries, right? Jungle tribe could mean the last original lurkers that survive Jak 2, and might be relentless to evolve in Jak 4 due to reasons I havent expanded yet.
while bongo drums originate from Cuba, they're theorized to have roots in the Congo/Angola regions of Africa.
Oh my god, I can’t believe I have to explain this. I’m a fan tropical jungle/beach/forest environment and the Percussion instruments, especially jungle type theme/soundtracks. Also with the nostalgic memory of getting blown away with the iconic Tarzan opening and the congo part from “Matador from Los Fabulosos Cadillacs” is something I wanted to portray for the love or composer/orchaetra/music. And as you can see Mountain tribes, especially residing on the top of the mountain with windy icy environment, they depend or air instruments to communicate, same as jungle.
I know the Babaks aren't human, but the coding is there
I love the fact that you acknowledge this is a fictional game but proceed to mix it with reality. Carry on…
Also: why is their clothing specifically described as being "revealing"? They don't wear noticeably less clothes than the others, so it comes off really weird. It also brings to mind another racist stereotype - that of black people being more "wild" and "shameless" when it comes to dressing.
Was I the one who invented the babaks as wild, dangerous and lack of clothing? Have you seen them in The Precursor Legacy? How are you triggered with revealing clothes for the jungle tribe while in TPL they have some sort of diaper clothing and neck chain portraying slavement? Do you know that biome/atmosphere logic plays a huge role as of why they have revealing clothing? Less fabric means to stay cool in a humid jungle for adaptation and survival. This also means they can carry heavy weapons and/or move with easy during pursuit (In Gears of War, the characters wear heavy, bullet-resistant armor known as a cuirass. While this gear defines their slow, bulky, and powerful movement style). Hence why they are considered more brutal but innovative in their violent tactics.
Additionally, comparing the Jungle Babaks to the other Babaks, they seem to have much less thought put into them. They have the least notes about their culture…and three of those notes are about their clothes and ornamentation while another is about how dangerous they are; the other two tribes' cultures are gone into more in-depth, citing traditions and specialties.
Because is something in progress in the Pre-Concept of the pipeline? Nothing in my portfolio is official, I just bring ideas to the table as a concept artist in the early stages. The Director/writers see it and decide if they like that route and expand slowly. Also, between the 4 tribes, the only one flesh out (storytelling) is pretty much the deserts tribe, a script the public has no access seen it’s in development. This means The Jungle tribe is still in the early stages of development, which is why their cultural notes are less explained than the Mountain tribe.
Their traits compared to the Mountain Babaks is especially damning; the darker-toned Jungle Babaks are dirty brutal and unkempt, while the lighter Mountain Babaks are clean neat and sophisticated. It's really not a flattering look.
I see what you are doing here withe the "darker" and "lighter" words, not on my watch! JESUS CHRIST the dark-neonish colors of the jungle tribe was originated from the toxic colorful frogs, which means they can aslo blend with the colorful floral to avoid detection. Also, do you want me to swap the mountain tribe clothing with the jungle? They will obviously perish due to the harsh environment of the snowy mountains and the jungle tribe will suffocate.
In addition to all of the above, you just straight-up can't have locs like that and have "no hygiene or grooming skills". Locs require both a loctician who knows what they're doing and a lot of maintenance to keep them from degrading. It's pretty damn offensive to imply otherwise.
Do you only think of dreadlocks with bad hygiene, because no where in my portfolio I specified they hairs/mane are unkept/dirty. The concept of having twigs, bones, ect on their hair is an advantage to use smaller devices as weapons, hence why it might look “messy/dirty” to you. In my portfolio it clearly say in general their hygiene, or grooming skills.
Anyway, very unpleasant response with lack of critical thinking or curiosity, I’ll give it a -0/10. Hopefully this rectifies your conclusion with ripping apart and twisting my creative process.
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