There are people that champion diversity in games, and those who wish for the status quo to remain. Me? I’m all for diversity, as long as it’s done right – because shoehorning anything in to any media just for the sake of it never really works. The whole point of including diverse character, I think, is for them to be relatable.
It’s something that really hit with me after playing Sleeping Dogs; the Cantonese and the familial interaction was concordant with much of my youth, and it really resonated with me far more than I thought it would. There was so much in that game that I genuinely identified with, that it boosted my own immersion in the game. It was a small thing, but it made me feel good – and that’s something I think games should be able to do for everyone.
Lawbreakers designer Clifford Bleszinski agrees – even if some of his own motivations for including a diverse cast in his upcoming shooter are capitalist in nature.
“I think casts that look like the United Nations are more interesting, as well as being more commercially viable,” he told Eurogamer in an interview. “My whole thing is, you’re not going to stop booby beach volleyball games from happening. You’re not going to change Japan. People have the freedom to make whatever they want. But some of us are starting to recognise that games have been about white dudes for so long, it’s really good to switch it up a bit.
At the end of the day, even if I didn’t like diversity, I’d still want everybody to feel represented in this game and to throw money at the damn thing. So from that small capitalist part of my brain, that’s why it makes sense to me.”
As I said, I’m all for character diversity in games, especially if it leads to more interesting protagonists than the sort of dull, homogeneous stubbled angry white men that, for a long time was the principal protagonist in most games.
Last Updated: May 3, 2016
Admiral Chief in New York
May 3, 2016 at 10:37
I’ll never forget the first time I heard Afrikaans (in a TERRIBLE accent) in Far Kraai Twee
Hammersteyn_hates_Raid0
May 3, 2016 at 10:38
Neither will I, but it was because they spoke Afrikaans. What a surprise that was
Admiral Chief in New York
May 3, 2016 at 10:48
Well, not sure if you can call that funky dialect/wording “speaking”
😛
Alien Emperor Trevor
May 3, 2016 at 10:49
Are we talking about the game or Afrikaans in general? 😀
Admiral Chief in New York
May 3, 2016 at 10:50
You shut your republican mouth/orifice you!
Alien Emperor Trevor
May 3, 2016 at 10:56
MAKE ENGLISH GREAT AGAIN
Admiral Chief in New York
May 3, 2016 at 10:57
Impossibru, had to have been great ONCE to be great AGAIN!
Admiral Chief in New York
May 3, 2016 at 10:51
“Elkeen van hierdie koeëls dra jou naam.
Ek het bystand nodig. Ek het hom hier.
Haai jy! Kom hier, ek het hom.
Perfekte tyd vir die koëls om op te raak. Net mooi perfek!
Jy maak seker ‘n grap! Ek moet weer herlaai. Ek glo dit nie!
Jy dink jy kan my aanvat? Dink weer, poephol!”
Alien Emperor Trevor
May 3, 2016 at 10:42
Me too. It was early in the game & my ass had to run away from a botched ambush, so I went & hid under a bridge and I hear: “Waar is hy?” “Ek het hom verloor.” I was like… “Yes!… wait… what did you say?”
Admiral Chief in New York
May 3, 2016 at 10:49
“Ek gaan jou kry”
Admiral Chief in New York
May 3, 2016 at 10:49
“Hou jy my vir die gek?
Ek soek hulp hierso.
Haai! Kom gou hier dan kan ons klaar speel met hom.
Kom hiernatoe. Help my om hierdie vent hier uit te kry.
Glimlag! Wys jou tande, dan skiet ek hulle flenters.”
Hammersteyn_hates_Raid0
May 3, 2016 at 10:41
My first memories goes back to SF2 having such a cast. So diverse, also every character played differently. Except Ryu and Ken but for obvious reasons
BakedBagel
May 3, 2016 at 14:51
The first time i EVER thought about Diversity in games was Clive Barkers Jericho. And thats just because i realised that not one character was the same. You had one of each major POC.
Oh and the straight white male dies first in the game.
Lmao Geoff should love it. (im making a kek)
Geoffrey Tim
May 3, 2016 at 15:08
Hey! I enjoyed Jericho…but i recently tried replaying it…and man, it’s garbage.
BakedBagel
May 3, 2016 at 15:18
I downloaded it on friday. After randomly remembering about it. Look the story interests me. But the execution of said game. was…… meh.
But it actually had diversity. If i remember correctly. There was a white dude.(the priest and the main dude[who dies])
A latino dude, A black guy, 2 white woman, one who was a lesbian(due to the amount of lesbian jokes LOL), and a chinese woman.
BakedBagel
May 3, 2016 at 14:49
“My whole thing is, you’re not going to stop booby beach volleyball games from happening. You’re not going to change Japan. ”
Lol so lets just write nasty articles berating those who play the games.
Fucking laughable. Honestly. Topkek
konfab
May 3, 2016 at 15:14
So making casts that look like a bunch of sleepy politicians who write strongly worded letters to dictators will make things “interesting”.
The only thing that matters with characters is that they tell a good story well.
Darren Peach
May 3, 2016 at 23:55
It would seem that the lack of diversity in games has more to do with where games are made and who the developers identify with. A question that needs to be asked us is why is it the job of the developers who are traditionally White male geeks and Asian male geeks to implement change ? It is a rhetorical question, Diversity is important. But I think there is a bigger argument or debate to be made about the state of the world we live in. The success of this very industry is born out of the success of America and it’s chief export, Capitalism. As we all know, America is a dominant factor in many facets of the world and it has been a bastion of white Ideals for the last 100 years or so. This is changing and therefore, this article is very relevant in today’s world. I think it is folly to question why things have been like this up until now. It is so obvious. My question would be, Why do a handful of countries control the entertainment we get to indulge in ? Diversity will take care of itself when we answer this question.