Bioware: Better stories please!

[Menckenstein]

From the comments:

I will reiterate one critical point I made in my other reply: companies (or individuals) who wish to truly embrace diversity must hire those of us who are scholars in this particular area of study. There are plenty of us, but we are not from the fields that are typically described in job postings (i.e., programmers, artists, and/or designers). Of course, that is the entire point. The lack of having scholars from fields such as women and gender studies (which focuses on diversity issues, including media content analysis) causes companies (and individuals) to continue to perpetuate the same stereotypes while proclaiming that they are embracing diversity. No, they are not, but they think they are, and they often convince others, including the general public, that they are (because, after all, most people are not trained in these fields).

embrace diversity... us who are scholars in this particular field... having scholars from fields such as women and gender studies... embracing. diversity... after all, most people are not trained in these fields ...

HR drones that exist solely for the purpose of compliance with government regulations are "scholars" now.

They're scholars in the same way someone operating a microwave is a chef.

 

[Spark Mandriller]

Nah, their black skin was always a geneseed corruption that prevented them from altering their skin color like every other marine. Similar to how Blood Angels are always tall, handsome, white and blond for good.

Okay, according to the internet they were white back in the really early days, then they got retconned to coal black, then there was a fuckup and they were regular human black, and now they're back to coal black again. In summary, fuck this, get your facts straight GW.

Also someone thinks they're meant to be based off viking fire giants and that's totally awesome so I can actually get right behind this. Fuck yeah.

 

[deuxhero]

One of the comments I read about this on another site pointed out Bioware loves sterotypes, with ME and DA having everyone that isn't Human getting no characterization not directly linked to race.

I loled.

 

[SuicideBunny]

the article may be somewhat stupid, but the critique is spot on, and anyone thinking that more diversity than the standard formula used in games (white)+((super athlete)|(genius)|(loser overcoming his insecurities)|(chosen one)) with the occasional (troubled past) thrown in between to make it less boring is a bad thing is a retard.
games are fucking simplistic. the fictional realities they depict are shallow at best and cardboard-cutout thin at worst. any additional complexity and depth you bring into that is a good thing that will benefit your setting, whether it is modeled after real-world issues or not.

it's analogous to gameplay mechanics, really. what you see currently are streamlined, accessible, bland and fucking boring protagonists. much like the gameplay of the games they are featured in.

 

[Menckenstein]

the article may be somewhat stupid, but the critique is spot on, and anyone thinking that more diversity than the standard formula used in games (white)+((super athlete)|(genius)|(loser overcoming his insecurities)|(chosen one)) with the occasional (troubled past) thrown in between to make it less boring is a bad thing is a retard.
games are fucking simplistic. the fictional realities they depict are shallow at best and cardboard-cutout thin at worst. any additional complexity and depth you bring into that is a good thing that will benefit your setting, whether it is modeled after real-world issues or not.

it's analogous to gameplay mechanics, really. what you see currently are streamlined, accessible, bland and fucking boring protagonists. much like the gameplay of the games they are featured in.

I don't see how being an atheist transgender single mom vegan would make ME or DA less shitty.

 

[Mastermind]

Twenty bucks says MCA would demolish those PC&Diversity "scholars" when it came to writing a story about such issues, or even debating about the subject.

I think "MCA" would join right in with them.

 

[Excidium]

"You can think of fantasy games where if you were the dark elves, you know, the Drow, were always looked upon... They were the black people of the fantasy world, right?

Err, drow are known for being evil murderous bastards, not "being looked upon" (nice fucking grammar, journalist). I don't think he wants to make that comparison.

I laughed hard when I read that part.

 

[Vaarna_Aarne]

Nah, their black skin was always a geneseed corruption that prevented them from altering their skin color like every other marine. Similar to how Blood Angels are always tall, handsome, white and blond for good.

Okay, according to the internet they were white back in the really early days, then they got retconned to coal black, then there was a fuckup and they were regular human black, and now they're back to coal black again. In summary, fuck this, get your facts straight GW.

Also someone thinks they're meant to be based off viking fire giants and that's totally awesome so I can actually get right behind this. Fuck yeah.

Well, there's some things that were a good thing to be retconned back in the day of the 3rd edition. Like the Starchild and Kensai retardery.

 

[Lightknight]

Err, drow are known for being evil murderous bastards

/me glances nervously at the shit happening in Africa...

 

[Coyote]

And this is why I love BioWare

Ok now on to a more serious response Diversity is an interesting topic and one I am fairly passionate about, especially GLBTQ representation

... didn't see that coming. Nope. Not at all.

It took me a minute to figure out what the Q stood for. My first thought, given the context, was "quarian".

 

[visions]

make black people mindless mobs to kill and grind on

Might & Magic 6