Customizable Player Characters Don’t Replace Diverse Leads

Customizable Player Characters Don’t Replace Diverse Leads

When I talk to people about the need for more female, NB, and trans playable characters in video games, I tend to get the same response: “Well, what about ‘x, y, z’ game? It lets you make your own character!” This is a complete non-answer to a very real problem, and a dismissal of my feelings and concerns. It’s saying that, because a handful of games allow me to create either a male or a female main character, I should be content that the default character on the box is the same cisgender white man in every game. It’s saying that representation doesn’t matter in games so long as I’m able to create it for myself.

This mentality shifts the responsibility from the developers to the players. Rather than encouraging game developers to expand their audience and create more diverse characters, it forgives them for their short-sightedness. “It’s okay that game developers never consider you the norm,” these respondents seem to say, “because at least they let you insert yourself.” But this ignores the fact that the game wasn’t made for me, that the world wasn’t designed with me in mind, and that every part of the game will reflect that, whether the developers intended it or not. (more…)

Mashed Buttons: A Roundtable of Our Most Frustrating Gaming Moments

Video games are meant to be a challenge (usually)—that’s what makes them fun (usually). But sometimes, we come across sections of the game which push us too far. You know what I’m talking about—when you die so many times, the “Game Over” noise triggers a Pavlovian response in you for the rest of your life. Or when you can’t skip the cutscene before the battle, so you know all the dialogue to that scene by heart. (I’m looking at you, Kingdom Hearts.)

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