Either the character will touch you, or they won’t. There is no breaking point where a player would identify with a well written protagonist but cannot only because of a difference of race. I believe if a well-written and identifiable character is presented, no matter the character’s race, a player should be able to create a connection with them. As a white male I have numerously come across cases where I felt no connection with a white male protagonist because the character was flat and undeveloped. If they player is unable to connect with the character it is not always matter of racial incongruity, it is frequently of poor writing and characterization. We are able as a species to connect and empathize with characters over more than just their appearance, we connect with the emotion, needs, and desires of characters, all which are shared traits between races. If you were to make a list of similarities and differences between all people the list of similarities would eclipse the list of differences. This idea reinforces the idea that there are inherent differences between races, that the small difference of appearance creates more differences in a chain reaction. While I don’t disagree with the premise of the article and in no way defend this trend of white-washing in videogames and other western media, I do have to analyze the idea of alienation occurring from racial incongruity between the player and protagonist: “What does that say to the Hispanic boy, the Arab teen, the Indian woman, who wants to try just such a game? Will they feel alienated? Disconnected from the experience?” In response to “The Pasty White Person Is King” from The Escapist Forums: