Confirming what online gamers who use voice chat already know, a study at Northwestern University concluded that racial bias affects interactions in online worlds.

Paul W. Eastwick, a graduate student at the University, conducted the study by going into the virtual world There and making requests of strangers. There was no evidence of racial bias in small favors. But when asking very large favors afterwards, Eastwick found that white avatars were more likely to be obliged than black avatars.

The results resemble those of similar studies done in the real world. "This study suggests that interactions among strangers within the virtual world are very similar to interactions between strangers in the real world," Eastwick told iTnews.

The outrage and accusations of racism sparked by the first Resident Evil 5 (PS3, 360) trailer were entirely unexpected by developer Capcom, RE5 producer Jun Takeuchi told MTV Multiplayer.

"No, we certainly didn't anticipate the reaction," Takeuchi said. "We think it was a bit of a misunderstanding when we published the first images of the game back in the day. And we think that as we move along and allow people to see more the game and more of what's going on and more of the story, people will get a better idea of the game."

Consumers and gaming journalists alike have offered criticism of the trailer following its debut almost a year ago. Last April, Newsweek tech editor N'Gai Croal said that the trailer contained imagery which was "dovetailed with classic racist imagery."

"There are black members in the development team," Takeuchi offered. "We do have staff working on the game, who are aware of the historical background... Read more