Black, white, Asian, Latino, who doesn't enjoy a good video game? That's the argument made by Michelle Dalrymple who argues in a post on OGX that in these fractious times, games are "the great unifier." While in real life people might be prejudiced against a certain race or nation of people, Dalrymple argues that games -- especially online games -- present a true meritocracy where the only factor that matters is "how quickly one can respond by selecting the correct button."

It's a nice idea, but we don't quite buy it. While the anonymity of online games lets players hide their race from others, it also lets racists spew their venom in relative ease and comfort, free from the social pressures of the real world. Perfect anonymity is often impossible, too -- even a small hint like an accent on voice chat can get you refused from certain MMO groups. Or maybe people will just assume you're Chinese based on your in-game actions.

There's no changing human nature, unfortunately, and there's no hiding from the problems of the real world in online games. As long as racism exists, it will likely permeate our games to some degree.

[Via Slashdot]