Video games: How big is industry's racial diversity problem? - Sensationalist Headlines

[QUOTE=-Ben_Wolfe-;52993955]Personally, I don't really care about a character's race or gender in a game as long as they're compelling characters, the story is interesting, and it all makes sense in context to the game world. I am, however, tired of cookie-cutter protagonists that are either cocky smart-asses, gravelly-voiced brooders, or voiced by Nolan North or Troy Baker. I also find it silly when people talk about "representation" in games and movies as if they're obligated to have that. I would say, maybe for writers to be a little more creative and unconventional, is that the next time a game designer is designing their protagonist, they draw stuff from a hat. Maybe not literally, but if you have <Brown-Hair-Blue-Eyed Space Marine> why not do something like designing them with Filipino descent, or British-Indian descent or something or red hair instead of brown. Hell, I would love to see more serious, story/character-driven games that aren't humans at all. Aliens (Mass Effect: Andromeda really should have enabled you to choose your race), anthropomorphic animals, mutants, robots. Something different. I understand what you're saying and I agree that there are certainly more white male protagonists than anything else, but this picture terribly generalizes several of those characters. A few I recognize for example: Booker's race becomes integral to the plot of Bioshock Infinite and its themes; Why is woods even on there? He's not the game protagonist, he's a side character along with Ice Cube and Reznov in Black Ops; Michael De Santa's an overweight, retired bank robber and Max is an overweight, retired cop and alcoholic pill pusher, how are either of those a part of the mold except being white; Shepard you can customize race and gender, so the argument practically becomes moot. What I'm getting at is, I think too many people look at diversity as "not a white male" when that's not exactly the case (or shouldn't be). Whereas some of those are run-of-the-mill action heroes others are unique game protagonists, and just because they're white does not make that any less of a fact. Diversity, to me at least, is everything from varying accents, body-weight, social situations, occupations, age, skin color, ethnicity, etc. I do agree that there should be more variety in the race of a protagonist, but let's not think just because a character is white that makes them "generic." Prey, I think did the whole "diversity" thing just about perfectly. Morgan is Asian, no one feels the need to make it a point somehow and they still look "cool" or "desirable" to play as; a female Morgan happens to be a lesbian (although I find it kind of funny that you're either a straight male or a gay female); Alex, Morgan's brother, is obese; all the while they feel like natural characters and not "yeah, fat people can be scientists, you thin-privileged ablist." or something. Like what? I can think of only Watch_Dogs 2 and Mafia III. The Assassin's Creed series has a unique position when designing the characters because it has to be relevant to the era and to the events of that time. However, as much as I liked Bayek in Assassin's Creed: Origins, at the end of the game it felt like it would have been much more appropriate (and rewarding to me as a player) if we had been playing as Aya given her role in the actual origins of the Assassins.[/QUOTE] bf1 did it too. I don't follow video game news much so I can't recall any other specifics, but at that time it seemed like half of the AAA releases had black protagonists. the thing is there isn't really a diversity problem in video games as a whole, but just in the role of protagonist. there are lots of black supporting characters or even ones that take a lead role without being the player character.

[QUOTE=butre;52993992]bf1 did it too. I don't follow video game news much so I can't recall any other specifics, but at that time it seemed like half of the AAA releases had black protagonists. the thing is there isn't really a diversity problem in video games as a whole, but just in the role of protagonist. there are lots of black supporting characters or even ones that take a lead role without being the player character.[/QUOTE] It's ok Butre, we'll stop putting black people in lead roles to make you feel more comfortable

Doesn't the actual number of black people in videogames match pretty well with the proportion of black people in real life within both the US and Europe where they are primarily a minority? If the game's set in Africa like Resident Evil 5 was then yeah it should be the other way around. I also don't get the inclusion or representation argument, just because a dude is pale doesn't suddenly mean I'll like him more, or if a dude's black I'll like him less, or if he's Argentinian I'll do anything other than go "oh cool, Argentina".

[QUOTE=butre;52993992]bf1 did it too.[/QUOTE] It was historically justified though? They just didn't have the correct uniform.

Yeah, the BF1 german scout is black, not for the sake of diversity but because the germans had african troops, just not in the West.

Remember when none of this shit mattered in videogames? Those were the times

[QUOTE=Hauptmann;52994928]Yeah, the BF1 german scout is black, not for the sake of diversity but because the germans had african troops, just not in the West.[/QUOTE] If anything this just shows how lazy Dice/EA was. Indians in English forces and Africans in French forces did fight on the Western front. African German troops should have had their own maps, like they did with the Ottomans.