Disco Kid
Encyclopedia
Disco Kid is a fictional
African American
boxer in the Nintendo
-produced video game Punch-Out!!
for Wii
. He was designed by Eddie Viser and voiced by Donny Lucas. He is described as flamboyant and as a fan of clubbing
, disco
, and exercise. He is one of only two new characters introduced in the Wii Punch-Out!!, which mostly featured characters from Punch-Out!! for the Nintendo Entertainment System
. Disco Kid has received generally positive reception. He has been praised for fitting in well with other Punch-Out!! boxers by Kotaku
and The Escapist
, though the editor for the latter website wrote that the character lacked strong connections to disco. He has been compared to the character Carlton Banks from the sitcom Fresh Prince of Bel-Air by both 1UP.com
and ESPN
. He has been called a stereotype of black people
, though GamesRadar
's Brett Elston wrote that his stereotypes were milder than most other characters in the series.
video game Punch-Out!!
, which consists of mostly characters from Punch-Out!! for the Nintendo Entertainment System
. He was designed by Eddie Viser and voiced by Donny Lucas. He was one of the first characters revealed in the Wii Punch-Out!!. He is characterized as flamboyant with a high-pitched voice and an affinity for clubbing
.
's Tom Mc Shea felt that he lacked the charm of the returning characters but had a flashy style. The Escapist
's John Funk questioned what made him "disco", and wrote that more could have been accomplished by having "more sequins on his shorts". The Escapist's Jordan Deam wrote that Disco Kid's poses added to the "visual lexicon" of the series. 1UP.com
's David Ellis and an editor for ESPN
.com compared Disco Kid to the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air character Carlton Banks; Ellis added that he was a "flamboyant dancer who uses awkward timing as a distraction" and a greater challenge than other early game characters due to his unique pattern. GamePro
s Will Herring wrote that his design was "masterfully modeled and animated". GameDaily
's Chris Buffa described him as a "dancing fool" and a humorous character with a distinctive personality.
's Michael McWhertor. An editor for GameTrailers
wrote that Disco Kid's inclusion indicated what segment of the market Nintendo was aiming for. GamesRadar
's Brett Elston described Disco Kid as a stereotype of black Americans due to his appreciation for "tricked-out cars with huge rims and insane bass" as well as clubbing
. He found these stereotypes to be comparatively mild to other stereotypes in Punch-Out!! except for another black American character Mr. Sandman
due to Sandman's lack of eccentricities. One of the members of Retronauts stated that Disco Kid was a stereotype that Nintendo had not done yet. He added that it was "unnerving" and stated "the one new thing they were missing was a fag. Congratulations."
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
African American
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
boxer in the Nintendo
Nintendo
is a multinational corporation located in Kyoto, Japan. Founded on September 23, 1889 by Fusajiro Yamauchi, it produced handmade hanafuda cards. By 1963, the company had tried several small niche businesses, such as a cab company and a love hotel....
-produced video game Punch-Out!!
Punch-Out!! (Wii)
Punch-Out!! is a boxing video game for the Wii. It is the latest game in the Punch-Out!! series. It was developed by Canadian developer Next Level Games. Game designer Shigeru Miyamoto served as the game's producer. It was first revealed at Nintendo's conference on October 2, 2008...
for Wii
Wii
The Wii is a home video game console released by Nintendo on November 19, 2006. As a seventh-generation console, the Wii primarily competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Sony's PlayStation 3. Nintendo states that its console targets a broader demographic than that of the two others...
. He was designed by Eddie Viser and voiced by Donny Lucas. He is described as flamboyant and as a fan of clubbing
Clubbing (subculture)
Clubbing is custom of visiting and gathering socially at nightclubs . That includes music listening, dancing, drinking alcohol and sometimes using recreational drugs. In most cases it is done for socializing and meeting new people...
, disco
Disco
Disco is a genre of dance music. Disco acts charted high during the mid-1970s, and the genre's popularity peaked during the late 1970s. It had its roots in clubs that catered to African American, gay, psychedelic, and other communities in New York City and Philadelphia during the late 1960s and...
, and exercise. He is one of only two new characters introduced in the Wii Punch-Out!!, which mostly featured characters from Punch-Out!! for the Nintendo Entertainment System
Nintendo Entertainment System
The Nintendo Entertainment System is an 8-bit video game console that was released by Nintendo in North America during 1985, in Europe during 1986 and Australia in 1987...
. Disco Kid has received generally positive reception. He has been praised for fitting in well with other Punch-Out!! boxers by Kotaku
Kotaku
Kotaku is a video games-focused blog. It is part of Gawker Media's "Gawker" network of sites, which also includes Gizmodo, Deadspin, Lifehacker, io9 and Jezebel. Named to CNET News' Blog 100, Kotaku is consistently listed in the top 40 of Technorati's Top 100...
and The Escapist
The Escapist (magazine)
The Escapist is an online magazine covering video games, gamers, the gaming industry, and gaming culture. Published by the Themis Group, it was edited by Julianne Greer up to June 30, 2009, then by Russ Pitts through September 2011, and is currently edited by Steve Butts. The Escapist was first...
, though the editor for the latter website wrote that the character lacked strong connections to disco. He has been compared to the character Carlton Banks from the sitcom Fresh Prince of Bel-Air by both 1UP.com
1UP.com
1UP.com is a video game website owned by IGN Entertainment, a division of News Corporation. Previously, the site was owned by Ziff Davis before being sold to UGO Entertainment in 2009....
and ESPN
ESPN
Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....
. He has been called a stereotype of black people
Black people
The term black people is used in systems of racial classification for humans of a dark skinned phenotype, relative to other racial groups.Different societies apply different criteria regarding who is classified as "black", and often social variables such as class, socio-economic status also plays a...
, though GamesRadar
GamesRadar
GamesRadar is a multi-format video game website featuring regular news, previews, reviews, videos, and guides. It is owned and operated simultaneously in the UK and US by worldwide publisher Future Publishing...
's Brett Elston wrote that his stereotypes were milder than most other characters in the series.
Concept and appearances
Disco Kid is one of only two new characters to appear in the WiiWii
The Wii is a home video game console released by Nintendo on November 19, 2006. As a seventh-generation console, the Wii primarily competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Sony's PlayStation 3. Nintendo states that its console targets a broader demographic than that of the two others...
video game Punch-Out!!
Punch-Out!! (Wii)
Punch-Out!! is a boxing video game for the Wii. It is the latest game in the Punch-Out!! series. It was developed by Canadian developer Next Level Games. Game designer Shigeru Miyamoto served as the game's producer. It was first revealed at Nintendo's conference on October 2, 2008...
, which consists of mostly characters from Punch-Out!! for the Nintendo Entertainment System
Nintendo Entertainment System
The Nintendo Entertainment System is an 8-bit video game console that was released by Nintendo in North America during 1985, in Europe during 1986 and Australia in 1987...
. He was designed by Eddie Viser and voiced by Donny Lucas. He was one of the first characters revealed in the Wii Punch-Out!!. He is characterized as flamboyant with a high-pitched voice and an affinity for clubbing
Clubbing (subculture)
Clubbing is custom of visiting and gathering socially at nightclubs . That includes music listening, dancing, drinking alcohol and sometimes using recreational drugs. In most cases it is done for socializing and meeting new people...
.
Reception
Disco Kid has received generally positive reception. Numerous critics felt that Disco Kid fit in well with the characters returning from previous games, including Craig Harris, Oli Welsh, Ricardo Madeira, and DJPubba. GameSpotGameSpot
GameSpot is a video gaming website that provides news, reviews, previews, downloads, and other information. The site was launched in May 1, 1996 by Pete Deemer, Vince Broady and Jon Epstein. It was purchased by ZDNet, a brand which was later purchased by CNET Networks. CBS Interactive, which...
's Tom Mc Shea felt that he lacked the charm of the returning characters but had a flashy style. The Escapist
The Escapist (magazine)
The Escapist is an online magazine covering video games, gamers, the gaming industry, and gaming culture. Published by the Themis Group, it was edited by Julianne Greer up to June 30, 2009, then by Russ Pitts through September 2011, and is currently edited by Steve Butts. The Escapist was first...
's John Funk questioned what made him "disco", and wrote that more could have been accomplished by having "more sequins on his shorts". The Escapist's Jordan Deam wrote that Disco Kid's poses added to the "visual lexicon" of the series. 1UP.com
1UP.com
1UP.com is a video game website owned by IGN Entertainment, a division of News Corporation. Previously, the site was owned by Ziff Davis before being sold to UGO Entertainment in 2009....
's David Ellis and an editor for ESPN
ESPN
Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....
.com compared Disco Kid to the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air character Carlton Banks; Ellis added that he was a "flamboyant dancer who uses awkward timing as a distraction" and a greater challenge than other early game characters due to his unique pattern. GamePro
GamePro
GamePro Media was a United States gaming media company publishing online and print content on the video game industry, video game hardware, and video game software developed for a video game console , a computer, and/or a mobile device . GamePro Media properties include GamePro magazine and...
s Will Herring wrote that his design was "masterfully modeled and animated". GameDaily
GameDaily
GameDaily was a video game journalism website based in the United States. Launched in 1995 by entrepreneur Mark Friedler under the name Gigex and focused on free game demo downloads, The site changed its business model from a flat fee per download CDN distributed service network to an...
's Chris Buffa described him as a "dancing fool" and a humorous character with a distinctive personality.
Flamboyance and stereotyping
Disco Kid has been described as a stereotype of black people and a flamboyance by critics such as KotakuKotaku
Kotaku is a video games-focused blog. It is part of Gawker Media's "Gawker" network of sites, which also includes Gizmodo, Deadspin, Lifehacker, io9 and Jezebel. Named to CNET News' Blog 100, Kotaku is consistently listed in the top 40 of Technorati's Top 100...
's Michael McWhertor. An editor for GameTrailers
GameTrailers
GameTrailers is a media website that specializes in video game related content. It provides free access to original programming , game trailers and recorded game play. Along with standard definition , many of the video clips are offered in a higher resolution .Users can upload videos, create...
wrote that Disco Kid's inclusion indicated what segment of the market Nintendo was aiming for. GamesRadar
GamesRadar
GamesRadar is a multi-format video game website featuring regular news, previews, reviews, videos, and guides. It is owned and operated simultaneously in the UK and US by worldwide publisher Future Publishing...
's Brett Elston described Disco Kid as a stereotype of black Americans due to his appreciation for "tricked-out cars with huge rims and insane bass" as well as clubbing
Clubbing (subculture)
Clubbing is custom of visiting and gathering socially at nightclubs . That includes music listening, dancing, drinking alcohol and sometimes using recreational drugs. In most cases it is done for socializing and meeting new people...
. He found these stereotypes to be comparatively mild to other stereotypes in Punch-Out!! except for another black American character Mr. Sandman
Mr. Sandman (Punch-Out!!)
is a fictional character in the Punch-Out!! video game series. He is an African American boxer hailing from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in the United States. He was first created by Shigeru Miyamoto in the Punch-Out!! game for the arcades, and then by Makoto Wada in the Nintendo Entertainment System...
due to Sandman's lack of eccentricities. One of the members of Retronauts stated that Disco Kid was a stereotype that Nintendo had not done yet. He added that it was "unnerving" and stated "the one new thing they were missing was a fag. Congratulations."