“The behaviour of pedestrians and NPCs – certainly not everywhere throughout the game, but in large sections of it – there are places where if Lincoln looks out of place and seems out of place, people will react to that,” says Blackman. “There are places you can go that just being there is an offence and will elicit a police response. We aren’t so naïve to think that a single game could cure racism, but if we can get the player to think, ‘Why am I being treated differently here than in other parts of town?’ then I think we’ve done something worthwhile.”
It’s a landmark gameplay mechanic for the franchise, whereby the player will be treated as hostile just because of the colour of Clay’s skin. As a gameplay mechanic, it extends beyond the usual suspicious treatment that comes when a player enters a clearly flagged out-of-bounds area. As a narrative tool, it creates a powerful empathy between player and protagonist, bringing into question the notion of police and even civilian innocence when racist beliefs result in negative treatment, even when the player may not be doing anything illegal at the time.
