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Forums - Gaming Discussion - Is Catering To Women, Homosexuality and Minorities Restricting Game Developers' Creative Freedom?

Lawlight on 15 May 2015
teigaga said:

Well of course, games which don't have designated representation: Sports, racing, , RPGs where you design your own character, game with non-human/genderbased characters, games based on established IPs where devs have no choice. The conversation is not a tit for tat, its based on relevance and that concerns the hyped up big budgeted AAA games which dominate each year and which people consume, not niche japanese titles that struggle to sell 100k in the west. Also games which have scripted protagonists, because those are the kinds that are remembered and become cultural icons (Link, Lara, Snake, Nathan Drake, Cloud etc), unfortunately not your characters from Dragons Dogma :p

Edit: The games you've mentioned are all valid aswell though not ignoring that, fighting games have always had diverse representations. Open RPGs which only became common last gen have greatly allowed for more customisation  and indie games are treasured for similar reasons, breaking the mold.

If the conversation is posed in a manner of all games under the sun, then thats my mistake. This brilliantly relates to the OP though, coincidently the games which on the surface at least exhibit more creative freedom are the same that have more diverse character portrayals


So, what was the last AAA game to have a straight, white male?

I don't think Assassin's Creed Chronicles: China is AAA. BF: Hardline had a Cuban main character. I guess The Order: 1886 before that in February. An AAA game before that was in November with Far Cry 4 which had an Indian/Nepalese main character.

Not a whole lot if you ask me.



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MikeRox on 15 May 2015
tinfamous12 said:
I for one am tired of playing as a straight, white male a majority of the time. I'd like to have realistic variety in games, and it seems we are heading more toward that.


How do you know the character is straight?



RIP Dad 25/11/51 - 13/12/13. You will be missed but never forgotten.

Kane1389 on 15 May 2015

Pandering and forced inclusion are always bad. Let the creators make whatever they want, be it a game with 99% of bald, american white dudes or transsexual black midget lesbians



Kane1389 on 15 May 2015
tinfamous12 said:
I for one am tired of playing as a straight, white male a majority of the time. I'd like to have realistic variety in games, and it seems we are heading more toward that.


Quality of the game and its characters wont suddenly become better if their skin is darker and they are not white. If you need a character to be the same skin color as you in order to better relate to them I'd say you have a pretty shallow view on thing. There are way more important characteristics to making a good character rather than just making his skin darker and having him prefer a dick up his ass which are really the only things what the SJWs and idiots at Neogaf are always cheering for



MikeRox on 15 May 2015
Kane1389 said:
tinfamous12 said:
I for one am tired of playing as a straight, white male a majority of the time. I'd like to have realistic variety in games, and it seems we are heading more toward that.


Quality of the game and its characters wont suddenly become better if their skin is darker and they are not white. If you need a character to be the same skin color as you in order to better relate to them I'd say you have a pretty shallow view on thing. There are way more important characteristics to making a good character rather than just making his skin darker and having him prefer a dick up his ass which are really the only things what the SJWs and idiots at Neogaf are always cheering for


This! Though a game is usually about a character's story, I don't see how their age, race, gender and sexuality really have any impact on the game. Gaming already seems to be very diverse as far as these aspects of characters anyway. I note a lot of cherry picking has to be done to maintain the argument.

I'd say if you're picking the games you play based on characteristics of a ficticious avatar you're judging your games on the wrong aspect.

For what it's worth, I'm currently playing Sleeping Dogs, the protaganist is male, but not white. Does this make it a great game? No, does the fact I'm finding it a great game make it a great game? Yes.



RIP Dad 25/11/51 - 13/12/13. You will be missed but never forgotten.

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Psychotic on 15 May 2015
Shackkobe said:

One must not assume that his/her point of view is superior. An artist has the right to do whatever he/she wants to do without fear of being viewed as narrowminded, old fashioned, limited etc.


Both of those statements are completely wrong.



V-r0cK on 15 May 2015

Nope thank goodness, and that's why FFXV stuck with an all-male cast since the beginning when it was Versus XIII.

The minority that complained about it, and about catering to these things, can just shut their yaps and try making their own games instead.



Machiavellian on 15 May 2015

The reason for developers to include different race, Gender or sexual orientation will be because they can reach a broader market. If the market is there then those choices will be made. If the market is not there then we get what sales. Money is always the motivation to such things because people need to get paid.



Lawlight on 15 May 2015
Machiavellian said:
The reason for developers to include different race, Gender or sexual orientation will be because they can reach a broader market. If the market is there then those choices will be made. If the market is not there then we get what sales. Money is always the motivation to such things because people need to get paid.


Very good point. And example is why movies like Transformers or the Marvel movies include some segments in China, South Korea or Japan - to appeal to those audiences and make more money.



teigaga on 16 May 2015
Lawlight said:
teigaga said:

Well of course, games which don't have designated representation: Sports, racing, , RPGs where you design your own character, game with non-human/genderbased characters, games based on established IPs where devs have no choice. The conversation is not a tit for tat, its based on relevance and that concerns the hyped up big budgeted AAA games which dominate each year and which people consume, not niche japanese titles that struggle to sell 100k in the west. Also games which have scripted protagonists, because those are the kinds that are remembered and become cultural icons (Link, Lara, Snake, Nathan Drake, Cloud etc), unfortunately not your characters from Dragons Dogma :p

Edit: The games you've mentioned are all valid aswell though not ignoring that, fighting games have always had diverse representations. Open RPGs which only became common last gen have greatly allowed for more customisation  and indie games are treasured for similar reasons, breaking the mold.

If the conversation is posed in a manner of all games under the sun, then thats my mistake. This brilliantly relates to the OP though, coincidently the games which on the surface at least exhibit more creative freedom are the same that have more diverse character portrayals


So, what was the last AAA game to have a straight, white male?

I don't think Assassin's Creed Chronicles: China is AAA. BF: Hardline had a Cuban main character. I guess The Order: 1886 before that in February. An AAA game before that was in November with Far Cry 4 which had an Indian/Nepalese main character.

Not a whole lot if you ask me.


Well Witcher 3, The Order, Dying Light, Call of Duty, both Assassins Creeds, Shadow of Mordor, Sunset Overdrive. A clear majority I'd say, not that being a majority is misrepresentational but a far cry from being "quite rare these days"