WEBVTT

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(electronic whooshing)

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- Hi, it's Levi, and happy
Black History Month, everyone.

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In the spirit of this time,

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I wanna start a discussion about something

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that's been bugging me.

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Sargon's hair, look at it.

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It's gorge right?

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Wrong.

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It's so tired, but let me explain.

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Sargon is the protagonist

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of "Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown,"

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Ubisoft's excellent side
scrolling Metroidvania,

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That's also one of the most
accessible games in the genre.

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Seriously, go read our review.

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It's good.

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But the boy's hair, hmm,
that's another matter.

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Ever since the beautiful Michael B. Jordan

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portrayed the super
villain Erik Killmonger

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in 2018's "Black Panther,"

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it's almost as if game designers
have completely forgotten

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that other black hairstyles even exist.

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The look first became a sensation in 2016

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when French model Harry Samba
took the internet by storm

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with his sexy head shots.

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But it was Jordan's
interpretation of Samba's style

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that opened the floodgates

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for what's colloquially
dubbed the Killmonger Swoop.

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And before you knew it,
the swoop was everywhere.

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And I do mean everywhere.

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In gaming, there's our man Sargon

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but also Bangalore from "Apex Legends,"

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Baptiste from "Overwatch 2",

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DJ from "Street Fighter 6,"

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Echo from "League of Legends,"

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Miles Morales from "Spider-Man 2,"

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Varo from "The Horizon Games."

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Game developers even gave
"Tekken 8's" capoeira master

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and dreadlock king Eddy Gordo
the God damn Killmonger Swoop.

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And why?

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Enough is enough.

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Stop it.

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Don't get me wrong,

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every one of these
characters rocks their locks.

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I especially like what
Echo's got going on.

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But there's a growing
body of evidence to show

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that game developers have
seemingly run out of hairstyles

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for their melanated characters.

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Look, we as Black folks aren't a monolith.

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I've had locks for a long time
before I chopped them all off

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and styled them in a variety
of ways from buns to braids

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to ponytails and beyond.

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And in the spirit of honest,
fact-based journalism,

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I have to include myself in
chasing the Killmonger swoop.

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I'm just as guilty.

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Anyway, there are options.

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I'm not asking for much.

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We love lock royalty here.

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I'm just asking for a little variety.

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We can do better.

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And the only way that is gonna happen

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is by getting more Black
folks into game development.

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We've got some good examples,

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such as "Red Falls" Layla Ellison,

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Juliana Blake from "Death Loop,"

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and bringing it back full circle

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with another Metroidvania,

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Zal from the upcoming "Tales of Kenzera,"

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which has a demo out right now.

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Go play it.

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But really, there are so
many unexplored hairstyles

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that Black folks have
been wearing for centuries

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that can be used for new
and old characters alike.

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Dig in.

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The history is rich.

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Have you played "Prince of
Persia: the Lost Crown" yet?

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What do you think of Sargon
and the Killmonger Swoop?

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Tell me, dear Viewer, am I tripping?

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Let me know in the comments below.

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Video games forever.

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Kotaku.com.

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(electronic whooshing)