No, one company isn’t ‘forcing’ diversity into all your favorite video games

  • 100@fedia.io
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    8 months ago

    people unironically calling things woke arent exactly the brightest inviduals

    rather see some more neutral reporting and investigation on what this company actually does, seems like pointless outrage right now

    • asret@lemmy.zip
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      8 months ago

      They’re just a consultancy service - hardly worth investigating. Seems that they purport to offer expertise on how a developer can improve diversity and inclusion in their products.

      Like any consultancy, whether they can actually do this and whether their clients will actually implement it effectively are another matter entirely.

      The Steam group creator seems to think either they’re garbage or that their clients’ approach to diversity and inclusion is garbage. (Or maybe they’re just some alt-right incel Nazi <insert favoured pejorative here…>)

      • neo (he/him)@lemmy.comfysnug.space
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        8 months ago

        I think the amount of outrage a Steam Curator group has generated solely by pointing out that $game used $consultancy_service indicates that there is something deeper about the subject. No smoke without fire and all that.

        • candid@lemmy.ca
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          8 months ago

          People said the same shit during Pizzagate. And look what happened there. There isn’t smoke here, it’s made up outrage, which is more akin to folks kicking up dust. In this case I think they’ve huffed too much of their own fart dust.

          People have poor mental health, no control of their lives, no control over the industry through their consumerism like they pretend (the average person buying Spiderman 2 doesn’t give a shit about this controversy), and so they are looking to shit on a consultancy company to make themselves feel like they have any power. The reality is most people just care whether a game is good or not, not whether it has DEI elements included or whatever else.

        • CileTheSane@lemmy.ca
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          8 months ago

          “Sure, this guy might be a bigot, but look how upset people are by his bigotry! There must be something to what he’s saying, it can’t just be that people really don’t like bigots!”

        • geekwithsoul@lemm.ee
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          8 months ago

          That may be the dumbest take I’ve heard on this. With that kind of “logic”, it would mean maybe the Earth really is flat, because so many people are outraged that someone could believe something that stupid. More “We’re just asking questions here” bullshit used as a smokescreen for rampant bigotry and misogyny.

            • geekwithsoul@lemm.ee
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              8 months ago

              <hands you shovel since you just seem to like digging yourself further in the hole>

              So let me get this straight in terms of your POV: things that are incorrect shouldn’t be corrected? Especially in the context of a bunch of neckbearded incels who doxxed, swatted, and generally hounded people during that whole GamerGate stupidity?!

              Yeah, I really can’t understand why someone looking at the history might want to investigate and correct if needed wildly inaccurate claims. /s

              • CileTheSane@lemmy.ca
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                8 months ago

                Well apparently the people down voting you prove that you have a point! Why else would they be outraged? Where there’s smoke there’s fire (or some stupid bullshit).

  • vulgarcynic@sh.itjust.works
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    8 months ago

    Motherfuckers need real struggle in their lives if this is the shit they’re wasting their time on. Art will be diverse, always has been. Get the fuck over yourself and move on to something that caters to whatever bullshit narrative you need to wake up everyday and be an ignorant piece of shit. I mean, the Bible is a work of fiction that’s been whitewashed with a cracker ass jesus, how about we start there?

    Apologies for the rant, I usually have this type of nonsense filtered outta my feed.

    • CileTheSane@lemmy.ca
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      8 months ago

      These are people who rely on “I may be a piece of shit, but at least I’m not (minority group)” to get through their day and not have to try to be a better person. If minority groups get treated as well as “normal” people there will be no one for them to look down on!

      • vulgarcynic@sh.itjust.works
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        8 months ago

        Man, I hadn’t even thought about that. Valid point.

        I hope they get to truly enjoy their experience of being a white male minority soon! Maybe that’ll help with the empathy some day.

        • CileTheSane@lemmy.ca
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          8 months ago

          I hope they get to truly enjoy their experience of being a white male minority soon!

          The main reason that scares them is that they are worried that if they become a minority they will be treated the same way that they have been treating minorities.

          • vulgarcynic@sh.itjust.works
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            8 months ago

            I have no doubts about that. It’s a sentiment I hear echoed all the time in the smaller PNW town I live in. How can someone possibly have freedoms and equality unless it’s taken from someone else.

  • NOT_RICK@lemmy.world
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    8 months ago

    Anyone else sometimes get sideways glances from people when they tell others that video games are a big hobby you enjoy? Yeah, dumbass shit like this whole saga is why.

  • mindbleach@sh.itjust.works
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    8 months ago

    It doesn’t matter. These angry idiots have a narrative, and no amount of polite talking is going to convince them they were assholes.

    • CileTheSane@lemmy.ca
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      8 months ago

      No, but it does explain to everyone else who is wondering “why are people upset about SBI?”

      “Oh just a bunch of bigots chasing their next outrage. Best to have nothing to do with them.”

  • fsxylo@sh.itjust.works
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    8 months ago

    Ignoring the controversy for a second, I do think your writing is going to be shit if you outsource it, it just screams “I don’t give a fuck, let some intern I can’t even supervise do it”. So while this company isn’t egregious per se, the fact it exists and there’s a demand for it spells a bigger issue with the industry.

  • mindbleach@sh.itjust.works
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    8 months ago

    In this thread:

    “How dare they ask the company what it does. The headline must be written first because it’s what I read first.”

    “If we assume the problem doesn’t exist, then why is there a solution?”

    “Artists seeking consultation sounds like censorship. Especially if they recommend it to other artists!”

    “The only reason you’d try to avoid offending people is so you can have sex at them.”

    Yeah can’t imagine why these companies have people check their work now.

  • otp@sh.itjust.works
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    8 months ago

    I’ve wondered what the term was for someone who acts like an incel, but might have had sex at one point or another. I guess it’s “anti-woke”, or whatever they’re calling themselves now.

        • mindbleach@sh.itjust.works
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          8 months ago

          I wish that was why.

          Fuck me sideways, do I wish that was why.

          The actual reason - if you are a person who cares about reasons - is that their opinions amount to ingroup-supremacist reactionary violence. These people reliably mumble that they’re ‘not against’ the barest recognition of ethnic, sexual, or cultural minorities, they’re just against it ‘when it’s forced.’ And then you press them the tiniest bit and find out they’ll call literally any inclusion ‘forced.’

          Incel rhetoric didn’t cause mass shootings by accident. It’s the same emotionally-manipulative, grievance-driven, scapegoat-centric, cult-of-machismo bullshit that Eco described in Ur-Fascism, thirty-odd years ago. These people getting mad at video games are cut from that same mold. “Gamergate” in particular has demonstrable immediate ties to right-wing assholes making shit up to rattle a bunch of undersocialized young men into harassing women and minorities off the internet and into hiding.

          • asret@lemmy.zip
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            8 months ago

            Sometimes taking what seems like the right stand on an issue can deepen the harm - be careful about getting too extreme.

            For example when the whole “gamergate” thing was going on and people were like “Why can’t I just enjoy Tomb Raider?” - one side was standing up for diversity and inclusion by denouncing them as basement-dwelling incels who should self-terminate. So that naturally drove some to those right-wing assholes.

            Sometimes it takes a bit of work to change someone’s context so they can get closer to your perspective.

            • geekwithsoul@lemm.ee
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              8 months ago

              You can’t reason someone out of an opinion they didn’t reason themselves into.

            • otp@sh.itjust.works
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              8 months ago

              Most are just against bad writing in favor of “diversity”.

              But they seem to be so critical of “bad writing” that includes diversity, and seem to never talk about bad writing that doesn’t include diversity. If nothing else, it’s suspicious.

                • otp@sh.itjust.works
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                  8 months ago

                  Did having a female protagonist ruin Star Wars?

                  I think Star Wars was destined to be ruined by the time Disney bought it. Hell, people had been saying the franchise was dead since at least episode I…

    • Kaboom@reddthat.com
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      8 months ago

      No no, its just “woke”. The only way woke people can get laid is by extortion.

          • Tar_Alcaran@sh.itjust.works
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            8 months ago

            I mean woke is usually when everything has Female, LGBT or Black characters in it that don’t fit the story at all and or are written to be a walking cliche and or are just obviously there for “diversity”.

            So, that means almost nothing is woke then? Because I see very few requirements for when something “fits the story”. There’s a lot of shitty writing though, always has been and always will be, but according to you, when a white guy has crap writing, it’s just crap writing, but when a black woman has crappy writing, it’s woke?

            • squid_slime@lemmy.world
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              8 months ago

              Esg has opened the flood gates for poor writing, we are used to the hero tale where someone comes from a normal to difficult background, theyre thrown into a situation they cant handle and so they must become strong, they in the end do become strong and that is the character ark.

              Investment check boxing has made a scene where character arks are avoided, a black woman can’t be viewed as week as the company’s esg score will go down so now there is media depicting only strong character which is highly unrelatable.

              I am all for inclusivity but it need to be done right and not for an investment rating, its akin to rainbow flag banners on socials whilst funding a racists campaign.

              • Tar_Alcaran@sh.itjust.works
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                8 months ago

                I think you need to remove the rose-coloured glasses, and look at how much utter crap there used to be 20 years ago. Or 10 years. Or 50 years.

                You’re pretty much cherrypicking all the shitty-writing-with-non-white/male-characters, and completely ignoring all the shitty-writing-with-white-male-characters. 90% of everything is crap, but if you cherrypick all the diverse characters that suck, then yeah, you’re going to find a lot of shitty diverse characters.

                • squid_slime@lemmy.world
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                  8 months ago

                  I didn’t pick anything, there has and will always be shitty writing. But that doesn’t mean I’m okay with it, especially when race, gender, sexuality are used as a vehicle to profit whilst adding little to no substance.

                  The issue is obvious where we can’t risk having a weak diverse character as it could harm esp rating and in turn profits, so we have a diverse characters that are strong and aren’t relatable.

                  Look at game like Hellblade Senuas Sacrifice, it wasn’t made to appease the esg system, yet its opened people up to mental health, gender, power struggles. Hands down its amazing story telling.

                  Not a game but the documentary about Jeffrey Dahmer that was recently aired on netflix was also eye open, then there the old but gold Rosemary’s Baby again great story telling.

                • stevecrox@kbin.run
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                  8 months ago

                  I think they are saying most attempts at diversity come from middle aged white guys and just end up being poorly done and so detract from the game/story.

                  Similar to how 00’s electronic companies just painted it pink to appeal to women or why South Park added Token.

                  So arguing for more diversity within the companies themselves

      • otp@sh.itjust.works
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        8 months ago

        Lmao, what?

        Being aware of societal issues affecting minority populations is a magnificent way to get laid.

        Even South Park parodied it!

        It doesn’t seem weird that caring about others can be a very attractive trait in a person.

      • NOT_RICK@lemmy.world
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        8 months ago

        lol. This is your brain on the manosphere.

        “Could the “woke” fellas be getting laid simply by treating women like human beings rather than objects? No, it’s obviously extortion.”

  • squid_slime@lemmy.world
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    8 months ago

    upper echelon did a good piece on this

    Edit: noticing a few down votes, if clicking on the video and seeing “woke” as the video image is off putting then please notice its in quotations.

    As for the content, well informed about the industry and how esg rating system has lead to check boxing. The video is not saying to avoid inclusivity in vedeo games it is however saying that company’s are riding on inclusivity to make money and they’re doing so in a lazy way that doesnt seem to help the cause.

  • Blxter@lemmy.zip
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    8 months ago

    If the art was already written with diverse characters like they were before companys like this existed then why do you have to hire a firm to make it diverse. A piece of art should not have another company come in and make “suggestions” on things to change to fit inside of a narrative.

    • NOT_RICK@lemmy.world
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      8 months ago

      If you read the article you’d find out that writing diverse characters isn’t a focus of this company. Once again “gamers” completely misunderstand how games are made.

    • CileTheSane@lemmy.ca
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      8 months ago

      A piece of art should not have another company come in and make “suggestions” on things to change to fit inside of a narrative.

      Right, nobody should ever get feedback or suggestions when making art. That’s why all good games and movies only have 1 writer who also directs.

  • Demigod787@lemmy.world
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    8 months ago

    It’s still a safer bet to avoid whatever they consult on, they’ve an eye for trash writing and they thrive on “fixing” that. And companies that hire them are just out there to make a quick buck rather than creating a good story, experience or game.

  • beaxingu@kbin.run
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    8 months ago

    its a good scam create problem that you are the solution to and you never have to face the consequences of what you do because you never make your own games you always work on other peoples games as consulted so that it can never be traced back to you unless you make it public and publish it on your own sweet baby site as promotion to do it again.

    • asret@lemmy.zip
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      8 months ago

      This particular take that’s going around seems to be almost as stupid as Sweet Baby Inc’s attempted takedown of the Steam group.

      They’re just pointing out reality - gaming media is “woke”, if your product doesn’t check the diversity and inclusion boxes it will be criticized, “hire us to help”. They’re basically a PR firm.

      This isn’t them threatening to cause the damage, they’re not The Mob - “Say, that’s a nice game you got there. Be a shame if something happened to it.”

      • Throwaway@lemm.ee
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        8 months ago

        , if your product doesn’t check the diversity and inclusion boxes it will be criticized, “hire us to help”.

        That’s textbook extortion. “Nice product you got there, be a shame if twitter didn’t like it. Maybe pay us some money, make sure nothing untoward happens to your product”

        I mean, how is it not.

        • asret@lemmy.zip
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          8 months ago

          Me observing that it’s cold out and offering to sell you some gear so you can avoid frostbite isn’t extortion.

          Me threatening to break your legs if you don’t buy something is.

          Hope that helps.