168

Metaphor: ReFantazio's success is further proof that politics are good in videogames, actually—no matter what reactionaries tell you (www.pcgamer.com)

submitted 1 month ago by Billy@lemmy.dbzer0.com to c/games@lemmy.world

59 comments fedilink hide all child comments

you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments

[-] ampersandrew@lemmy.world 6 points 1 month ago

The lead developer of Assassin's Creed: Shadows is in Quebec. And does it not matter that it's based on a historical figure? Consider also that in California, you're just more likely to encounter a diverse group of people, so wouldn't that just be representing the world around them?

[-] vasus@lemmy.world -3 points 1 month ago

Yeah fair enough, this stuff isn't unique to Californian developers, they are just the first that come to mind.

And does it not matter that it’s based on a historical figure?

Yasuke existed in Japan but I think they went too far in making him a protagonist. As I understand it he was a curiosity that Nobunaga kept around, not a full fledged samurai. I think it's also important to consider the current gaming landscape. There's titles like Dragon age Veilguard, Concord, Dustborn, Forspoken, Fintlock and others coming out these days that put heavy focus on inclusion/diversity over quality (as evidenced by poor sales numbers). It's hard to then look at an upcoming game set in historial Japan that somehow features a black protagonist and not think that they're trying to push some weirdo agenda rather than tell a cool story.

[-] Railcar8095@lemm.ee 5 points 1 month ago

It seems you're the one who's focusing more on avoiding inclusivity than in if the games are good our not.

Every year, we have a LOT of bad games, some pure thrash. You only seem concerned about those who don't conform to your seemingly low acceptance for diversity. Sure, Concord failed because a playable character was overweight. Not a mediocre hero shooter for 40 dollars when great ones are free. Veilguard has been positively received outside of 4 Chan.

And dustborn. The fact that to are dragging an indie game already aiming to a very specific demographic shows how little you understand that not every game is made for you.

I guess this is what being a closeted bigot looks like.

[-] ampersandrew@lemmy.world 5 points 1 month ago

Indicators are showing that Dragon Age is selling just fine. And it's not like they get to their planning meeting and ask, "Can we spend some more time on the game design? It's got real problems," only to be met with, "No, we've got to really focus on diversity this quarter." They're not related. While I hardly trust Ubisoft to wow audiences with a cool story, it's not hard to imagine the related struggles that a foreigner and a woman might have to bond over in that setting.