From the article:
“Play is an integral part of human evolution and learning,” she says, mentioning that this is a topic she covers in her book. “Gaming, being the most refined form of play in our time, has much to offer. Instead of focusing on what gaming is not, it’s more effective to showcase its true essence. The industry’s effort to create a more diverse range of games, beyond merely violent and intense ones, will help showcase the broad spectrum of gaming as an expression of creativity.”
I feel the problem is not the industry but the fanbase. As of the last few years, it’s become pretty common to see videogames become target of hatred for “going woke”: H:FW’s Aloy’s “peach fuzz”, TLOU2’s Abby being too masculine, women not living to the average beauty standard, LGBT characters “shoved down people’s throats”, character editors decoupling gender and sex or using gender-neutral language, narrative being cringe because it targets millennials (as if older games didn’t target young audiences, too)… The industry is going forward, but I don’t think the fanbase is ready yet.
Sometimes I think the fanbase is regressing, even. I’ve seen people lamenting increased “politics” in their videogame, yet saying that MGS or FFVII or Bioshock are their favourite games. Gamers don’t even pay attention to what they consume, they merely parrot whatever their favourite influencer says. “Woke” is a meaningless term that gets thrown around whenever they don’t like something.
Fan base isn’t regressing - there’s just an increasingly polarized contingent that won’t stop wailing about every snub.
Overall the gaming fan base is growing because of this embracing of diversity.
The Helldivers 2 Steam
review page(edit: it’s comments on announcements) is covered with reviews from accounts that don’t even own the game begging Arrowhead to “not add WOKENESS!” to the game.What review page are you talking about??
I went to check out the reviews and all I see is people complaining about Sony blocking out so many countries. I don’t see a single “woke” complaint.
Are you sure you’re not just hearing that people have complained and then assuming they actually did?
Sorry, you’re correct- it’s not the reviews, but the comments on any announcement made by the devs that I was remembering.
The lack of mouse icon next to their names means those Steam accounts don’t own the game.
I see three comments, two of which mention wokeness and one of which mentions sending the dev team to re-education camp.
None of the comments is solely about wokeness. Wokeness is mentioned in conjunction with politics.
One of the comments wants to make sure the game stays “neutral”.
Note that zero of these comments are complaining about diversity. To those who criticize wholeness, it is a distinct thing from diversity.
Do you know what people are referring to when they use that word?
I disagree. The rule is “sex sells”, always has, always will be, period.
The people that complain about “wokeness” in games are a small but loud minority. The majority doesn’t care, hells seeing the steam achievements for some games the majority doesn’t even care to finish a game past the tutorial yet alone care about story or characters.
The problem is the approach to game design has changed. In the earlier stages of gaming, you would take a fun concept (finding perfect fits for boxes) and make it into a game (Tetris), that was all there was, Super Mario was literally called “Jump & Run Man” at one point. It was the essence of fun presented in a replayable form. Now games have to have a story, morals, relatable characters or some sort of overlaying message. This together with good gameplay can create a very good game no doubt. But each aspect has to be good on its own.
Take away the story from Last of Us and it’s essentially a 3rd person arena shooter, but it’s a good one at that. This alone would be a good selling point, add on top the story and you have an objectively good game.
But take Saint Row 5 as an example, take away the story and it’s a less than mediocre 3rd Person sandbox game, the fact that the story isn’t compelling either makes it objectively bad.
Rember the Hot/Crazy scale from His I Met Your Mother? Well there is also a Hot/Boring scale for games. If your game is boring it has to compensate by having hotter characters, if it’s fun it can get away with uglier ones. I can name countless examples where this is true.
Studios often overlook this connection. I’m all for diversification of the actual development environment but not the games themselves. It should always be fun first.
Never in my life have I heard anybody say “Are you going to get new game …? I’ve heard you can play as a black woman in this one. So cool.”
Studios then get upset because their model “Here diversity. Where money?” isn’t paying off.
It’s like not wanting to buy a cheaply made plastic valve for a boiler over a solid metal one and the company asks “Why are you not buying it? We made it blue.”
The fanbase is never going to change, because at some point we all realize that we want value for our money and often times studios spend so much time and effort making a game diverse, they forget to make it fun.
‘Going woke,’ is referring to intent.
Are you meeting quotes or actually engaging with race on a substantiative level.
It’s undoubtable that a lot of race casting in recent times has been to appease audiences rather than and honest engagement with reality and irl race relations.
Intent… it matters.
Intent does matter.
But the vast majority of complaints about a game being “woke” are just the inclusion of a character this a minority in some way. The complaint isn’t about how they’re included, just that they are, usually as a main or highly visible character.
I disagree… of course in countries like America you would have some outspoken actual racist n shit…
But the vast majority of people just don’t like casting for castings sake…
Nobody bitches about sigourney weaver in alien… nobody bitches about Denzel playing leading roles cos he’s black, calling it 'woke. ’
Why don’t people call that woke?
Because its obvious. When a project is hiring just to fill a quota, often…it is extremely obvious.
The vast vast vast majority of people don’t care what race, gender,sexuality you are, just as long as those things werent being taken into account when trying to get a job.
Yaknow… basic equal human rights stuff.
So if that’s all it’s about, why is there so much complaining about the race or gender of fictional characters in a video game?
I would imagine a whole myriad of different reasons, some rational and logical and some bigoted and dunse.
And not to mention, I have seen many many many comments upset about race focused casting (over talent, ability, suitability to the role etc) and then people ask 'why are you complaining about race of gender of a fictional character."
So… they think they commentor is being racist because they actually engage with the subject.
People just want to play a game. Not have to go from a normal non sexualized zombie game to a now weirdly sexualized zombie game. And then they were made to be the bad guy for not wanting to play the game. If I don’t want to watch a LGB kind of movie that’s no problem because I’m not LGBT but when it comes to games I’m homophobic for not wanting to participate.
The problem is the industry thinks the fans owes it to them to play their shitty based game. We don’t have to play if we don’t want to. And it doesn’t make us non inclusive for not.
No, you’re a bigot for publicly crying about it on end instead of just not buying it. No one would give a shit about you for you not buying a game. It’s when you go to the forums and start crying woke.
I have not cried woke. In fact nobody cries about the wokeness or whatever bullshit they dislike in games. It’s actually quite the opposite. Where posts like this cry about people for not wanting to participate. It’s fine for me to have and even state my opinion that I’m not gay so I don’t want to play a game advertised as being a gay kind of game lmao. Especially on a post like this. If you truly didn’t give a shit then… You wouldn’t give a shit. Why respond here?
You’re a homonculus
lol
Oh no… Are you offended that I’m not tolerating your intolerance? I’m so not sorry.
I tolerate just fine. I just don’t partake. Cry about it.
Gotta love the “NO U!!1” replies from you. I guess I really hit the nail on the head here.
Sure did. You hit that nail!
This same person will claim that Dead Rising, a series that’s had hot twin sisters battle you with katanas, is not sexualized.
That has to be copium. If I don’t want to play the game then I don’t have to lmao be mad. Idc if hot twin sisters battle me with katanas if you do then… Don’t play?
I think you missed the point of the person you replied to.
No I didn’t but keep thinking.
No you did, keep thinking.
So explain how? Otherwise it’s just ad hominem. I mean if two twin Butler shirtless 6 pack men or woman attacked me in some game with katanas that’s sexualized? I’m sorry but how horny are you? I don’t think that’s sexualizing I think thats time for me to play the game and defeat them like???