Is The Witcher 3 Racist?

Jamin, the host of PBS's web series "GameShow" recently shared his thoughts on the issue of race in The Witcher 3.  I hadn't really thought about it but it is completely true that all the characters in the game are white.  I think diversity in games is a great thing and something to shoot for but I wouldn't call The Witcher 3 a racist game.  Here is the video of Jamin explaining his thoughts:

If you've played the previous Witcher games you know that there are different races.  Besides humans you also have elves and dwarves.  Even though they are all white, they are still different races and they are definitely treated that way.  If you pay attention to the lore you learn early on that elves and dwarves  who live in cities are forced to live in segregated ghettoes and are often the targets of pogroms.  They live in constant fear for their lives and have very limited rights in society.

The racial issues are very apparent in the first Witcher game as much of the story revolves around Geralt siding with either the humans or the elves.  The Witcher 2 also forces players to choose sides and players can choose to support the Temerian Special Forces or the dwarves and elves of the city of Vergen.  These issues are less apparent in The Witcher 3 and I think this is a good thing--the story has revolved around the human vs. non-human conflict for two previous games and it's been a refreshing change to see the story move around all the chatacters fans know so well.

I don't think the goal of The Witcher 3 was to be racist.  I've never gotten that feeling from it.  I think many people, particularly people from the U.S., view race along the lines of skin color and I think it's much more complex in the world of The Witcher.  It's not about black or white--it's about being human, elf, or dwarf--it's about being a Temerian, Redanian or Nilfgaardian.