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The recently released Resident Evil Village has come under scrutiny from part of the gaming community due to its’ portrayal of the character “The Duke.”
The Duke is a merchant and is one of the only NPCs in Resident Evil 8 who does not intend to kill the protagonist, Ethan Winters. Players can buy supplies and weapons from the Duke.
However, part of the internet has criticized the portrayal of the obese Resident Evil 8 character. Some people have said that The Duke is a mere “vehicle for fat-shaming,” although most seemed to deny the allegations.
Resident Evil Village gets criticized for promoting fat-shaming due to its portrayal of “The Duke”
The Duke is a quaint character that most gamers/fans have appreciated. The developers of the Resident Evil Village put in separate animations for The Duke each time players throw a pipe-bomb at him. The Duke “coughs” and waves his arms around to clear the smoke when the bomb goes off around him.
Hence, The Duke has actually been appreciated by most fans. However, his obese portrayal has led to allegations of the game promoting “fat-shaming.” Resident Evil 8 has been criticized, with multiple articles pointing out how such exaggerated obese characters lead to increased “anti-fat” bias in people.
Additionally, various scientific sources have been cited to support the claim.
For example, the following journal article states:
“Images and video of fat people eating junk food or laying on the couch watching television, for example – increases people’s explicit anti-fat bias”
As can be seen, quite a few people on Twitter agreed and tried to bring awareness to the situation. It has been claimed that The Duke’s representation in Resident Evil Village is merely there to make fun of fat people.
Regardless, most gamers seem to appreciate the character and have criticized those who are claiming that it promotes fat-shaming. The tweets above were all posted by people who thought that people criticizing Resident Evil 8’s portrayal of The Duke were being over-sensitive. Resident Evil Village has received largely favorable reviews and has been well-received by fans as well.
