this post was submitted on 12 Apr 2024
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I agree but it doesn't change the fact that they are very often poorly written or poorly represented in these games. It's not that diversity in games itself is bad it's the way it's done.
As an example, I really like how it was seamlessly integrated in games like the ones by NomNomNami. Obviously those are more cosy slice of life type games but I've seen other games that seamlessly integrate it well too. The trick is the characters need to be well written as real people who happen to be a minority, not simply characters who's whole purpose is that they are a minority.
inFamous Second Son did this well. Deslin, the main character is from the Akomish tribe and ... oh hell I just came in from rebuilding a retaining wall outside and that's all I got.
Deskin, Akomish, good game, well written character.
Or just make the player character macho idiot with the gun have his gaze linger on the male stripper as long as the female stripper in the cutscene on the gratuitous strip club level, in between cringe dialogue and doom-y gun shit? You really don't need much. The standard here is low.
You don't even need good. You don't even need writing! Only got one 16 bit sprite for each character class? Cool, differentiate similarly equipped classes with skin colors beards and tits. They literally don't even need names; you just get better DOT spells and debuffs with robes and tits, better AOE damage and teleports with robes and a beard.
This is not hard to do, and if youre fucking it up you're doing it on purpose. Anybody who doesn't believe me: hit me up; I'll write your shit in like twenty minutes.