Yeah, but in neither case the woman is the sole lead, no? Overwatch is a multiplayer game with all sorts of characters and Dishonored 2 gives players the choice, if I'm not mistaken. Or is that the case with these games as well? I'm not all that up to date with gaming. That said, this is nonetheless a very welcome development and I'm happy about it. More diversity (of any kind) is always welcome.
3 of the 4 biggest publishers have black leads in their flagship games for 2016
- Thread starter Nirolak
- Start date
Yeah, but in neither case the woman is the sole lead, no? Overwatch is a multiplayer game with all sorts of characters and Dishonored 2 gives players the choice, if I'm not mistaken. Or is that the case with these games as well? I'm not all that up to date with gaming. That said, this is nonetheless a very welcome development and I'm happy about it. More diversity (of any kind) is always welcome.
Pure delusion.
Racism affects mixed people too. Visible minorities don't have the privilege of identifying with their white sides.
If they don't make a difference then why do you care? People take refuge in "it's all about well written characters" and "it should be the best man for the job" when it's about minorities, but they never ask those questions when it's white men at the forefront.
Mihael Mello Keehl
Banned
I noticed this too
Times are changing boys!
Times are changing boys!
I think if every pub either had big games that allowed for deep character customization in major titles and/or had at least some level of representation in a highly marketed game I think it would be great.
Its nice to see this happen more, but Its really level one. I would love to see characters that also arent always in a-typical roles but its a start. Anything is better than just having Black people pretty much just featured in sports games lol.
There ARE so many stories that could be told with a different protagonist at the helm or offer a slightly different experience.
But I just would love to see this more common so its not even a story anymore we are far from that.
Also Its honestly depressing to me that black people are the defacto leader of minority representation where if they have a black character then yay! were diverse enough I want to see more pieces of that for both women and men and just a ton of different stories to be told.
Its nice to see this happen more, but Its really level one. I would love to see characters that also arent always in a-typical roles but its a start. Anything is better than just having Black people pretty much just featured in sports games lol.
There ARE so many stories that could be told with a different protagonist at the helm or offer a slightly different experience.
But I just would love to see this more common so its not even a story anymore we are far from that.
Also Its honestly depressing to me that black people are the defacto leader of minority representation where if they have a black character then yay! were diverse enough I want to see more pieces of that for both women and men and just a ton of different stories to be told.
SomedayTheFire
Member
Yes.
The Artisan
Member
i may not be black but as a dark man i can dig it
In Mafia and Watch Dogs, to our current knowledge, you only play as Lincoln and Marcus (though maybe that's different for Watch Dog's multiplayer). In Battlefield 1, you play other characters as well, like a Bedouin woman, but the Harlem Hellfighter is on the box art.
For Dishonored 2, Emily is the marketing lead, and the plotline is also really obviously written for her with Corvo put in as a secondary choice for people who want to play as a guy or really like Corvo instead, so I feel pretty good about counting that one.
It's true that Overwatch has a ton of characters, though I'm giving them credit for making Tracer the only one on the box art and making her the face of the franchise.
ShadowSwordmaster
Banned
This is good to see.
MrCunningham
Member
Am I the only one that think that looks like a Young Pissed Reggie Fils-Aime?
Mafia III (Take-Two): Lincoln Clay
This was back in the days when Reggie was still kicking ass and taking names.
IISANDERII
Member
shinobi602
Member
Great to see. Would love to see some Arab leads as well.
Maybe in a hundred years.
Maybe in a hundred years.
Lol never heard the black porn one
backflip10019
Member
This is great. I actually really enjoy playing characters who aren't like me because they serve to broaden my worldview.
Coolade
Member
Having consistent and proper representation is always a plus. It feels more inclusive, and hopefully becomes more normal where it's not noticed. Do you remember the last of us cover story Devs 'refused' to move Ellie to back cover of Last of Us
Marketing departments have felt "playing it safe" with both race/gender plays a huge role in sales for too long. These games give me, the consumer, a chance to tell them they are wrong.
Stumpokapow
listen to the mad man
hey remember the time you entered the "women's teams being added to fifa" thread and asked about boob physics?
Just my personal preference. I do not care about race or gender or whatever.
An example would be Agro from Shadow of the Colossus. The game was so well design and written that mid way through the game you felt a connect with Agro.
franknbeans
Member
Didn't realize that was a brother on the cover of battlefield 1. I thought it was just a shadow
Representation absolutely matters. The industry is utterly dominated by white male protagonists, to a ridiculous extent. Part of it is because the developers making these games are largely white and male, but another is just a rigid refusal to put other types of people in the lead slots. And pubs and developers have a monstrous list of excuses to hide behind when called out on it.
[Agent]ZeroNine
Member
As a black man, this makes me happy, but i really would like to see more Black women, Hispanic and South East Asian men and women taking non-stereotypical leads in games where the characters race isn't tied to the story like we see in Watch Dogs 2 and Mafia 3.
Also think real diversity can't take place until those behind the games' stories see more diversity. Looking at the press conferences and interviews where you see the lead writers and directors and its very very clear that the industry is still very white male and white female.
Edit: The guy who posted under me... take a step back and think about the things you're saying, then switch
positions.
Also think real diversity can't take place until those behind the games' stories see more diversity. Looking at the press conferences and interviews where you see the lead writers and directors and its very very clear that the industry is still very white male and white female.
Edit: The guy who posted under me... take a step back and think about the things you're saying, then switch
positions.
I am a minority's for you information
yeah I remember and was banned for it. Since they added women they should also get their physic right. Not sure what was the big deal about asking that.
Pound_lb003
Member
Really awesome. And we have a few more female leads too. Remains to be seen how they're written, but as the OP mentions, they haven't been treated as caricatures yet and I do feel we're quite far past that now.
I actually think Asian, specifically West Asian (Indian, Pakistani, Bangladeshi) are still entirely underrepresented as well as Middle Eastern nationalities. Few more creatives from those backgrounds in high places, writing from their perspectives and more excitingly, featuring characters from those backgrounds would certainly make stories WAY more interesting to me.
I actually think Asian, specifically West Asian (Indian, Pakistani, Bangladeshi) are still entirely underrepresented as well as Middle Eastern nationalities. Few more creatives from those backgrounds in high places, writing from their perspectives and more excitingly, featuring characters from those backgrounds would certainly make stories WAY more interesting to me.
Do you really believe it makes no difference?
Well then why are 90% of main character cis white male then if it didn't matter and was one and the same?
iNvid02
Member
it shouldnt be a thing we have to care about or call games out on, but it is, because thats the only way non-white characters and female leads will get a shot in games.
Reagan's BR
Banned
While Mafia and Watchdogs may have interesting leads, after the way the Battlefield 4 had an awkward silent and never seen on camera player character, I'm not sure that this new character will be anything more than a pair of first person floating arms.
yes, why? because lets say you have a well written character but they dont have any descriptors indicating their physical features.
what do you think people automatically see as default for that character. There is your answer.
So when for example there are roles for action, suspense etc there is always a default character placed there and there lies an issue where the only roles other people who arent default can take are pretty much stereotypes.
So it does absolutely matter so that ideally we get to a place where when you hear that description you dont automatically assume the general default.
Ive had to think about this a lot its kind of hard to totally articulate but I asked myself when I dont have descriptors that dont tell me someones race or gender i almost always assume a default character vs saying hey this could be a latina woman or an asian man etc.
[Agent]ZeroNine;207360596 said:
Yup where anyone can be the hero, where these stories can fit anyone unless they need to be historically accurate.
Anton Sugar
Member
Tal Shiar Agent
Banned
Rumor has it that the lead of Red Dead 3 will be mestizo.
Were there any besides Altair?
Brutalitops
Banned
I am now genuinely logistically curious. Did they add them?
GhostTrick
Banned
To be honest, I never understood why people wanted to connect/identify to the game character.
I fundamentally disagree with this- if you have this in every game, it lets someone just straight up avoid playing as anything other than themselves.
For instance: given the option, I run a dude every time. All my Diablo 3 characters are male. Yet in D1/D2 I mained Rogue/Amazon.
A mix is great- but you need just that, a mix of pre-fabs and full customs. Otherwise everyone gets to self-segreate and live in a bubble, and that brings its own issues with it.
Only South Asian representation I can recall in recent years is Ajay Ghale from Far Cry 4, Symmetra from Overwatch and Henry Green (not his real name) in AC Syndicate who was a supporting cast and a love interest/husband of the leading white lady.
especially from a black dude, who in most medium are either funny fat man or swolle 'thug'.
Ajay Ghale...from the fictional country of Kyrat (FC games always have fictional location) which is basically Nepal/North-East India depending on how you look....but is actually American with an American accent and you never really see his face.
The Last Wizard
Member
And it's awesome, we need more diverse leads. It's about time all of us get to "relate" 
digitalrelic
Banned
Beyond that, it's refreshing to see females taking front and center in games like
Ryder in Mass Effect Andromeda
and Aloy in Horizon Zero Dawn
Hopefully this trend keeps expanding and more racial and gender varieties continue to emerge.
Ryder in Mass Effect Andromeda
and Aloy in Horizon Zero Dawn
Hopefully this trend keeps expanding and more racial and gender varieties continue to emerge.
The Artisan
Member
Beyond that, it's refreshing to see females taking front and center in games like
Ryder in Mass Effect Andromeda
and Aloy in Horizon Zero Dawn
Hopefully this trend keeps expanding and more racial and gender varieties continue to emerge.
not only females, but females that are not sexualized
Am I the only one that think that looks like a Young Pissed Reggie Fils-Aime?
Mafia III (Take-Two): Lincoln Clay
That's what I was thinking.
ShockingAlberto
Member
I have been trying to decide for a little while how I feel about the option of Corvo. I am settling somewhere on being happy Emily is clearly the real star, but also disappointed that Corvo needs to be there, and that appearance taking away from Emily (even if only a little bit).
shinobi602
Member
Not really any that I know of.