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"The Diversity Space Tool is a measurement device, to help identify how diverse a set of character traits are and in turn how diverse that character and casts are when compared to the 'norm'," explains Chomatas. Once it establishes a baseline for typical character traits (which is done by the creative team working closely with DE&I experts), it can then weigh new character designs against it to measure their diversity. During this process, the tool can also uncover unconscious bias, such as why certain traits are seen as "male" vs. "female," or why characters from certain ethnic backgrounds are given similar personalities or behaviors.

In this effort, the Diversity Space Tool can clearly delineate between token characters and true representation. "[The tool] identifies what stereotypical characters in different genres look like, which are not always the most conducive or representative of diversity," says Chomatas. "It helps identify those stereotypes, while also helping creatives look closer at their designs, so they can dissect their own assumptions and presets. It also helps identify opportunities for more diverse character narratives, to ensure that we are not only creating diverse characters in appearance alone."

By starting at the character conception stage, the tool allows King and others, to ask these important questions at the earliest possible moment, to promote more thoughtful creative choices from the ground up – which, in turn, leads to games that are more representative of their player base.

Over the past few months, King has let developer teams at Activision and Blizzard "beta test" the Diversity Space Tool, and the results have been immediate and enthusiastic.

Alayna Cole, DE&I manager at Sledgehammer Games, says the tool was tested by developer teams working on Call of Duty: Vanguard, and it left a sizable impression. "We used [the Diversity Space Tool] to figure out what 'more diversity' looks like across all of our characters in both campaign multiplayer and Live seasons," says Cole. "And now we're going to use that data going forward into the next games that we're working on." The Overwatch 2 team at Blizzard has also had a chance to experiment with the tool, with equally enthusiastic first impressions.

The plan is to release the tool internally across Activision Blizzard starting this summer and into Q3, with an eye towards what Chomatas calls "the ultimate goal": Making the tool available to the industry as a whole.

"We strongly believe in the tool's potential to change the gaming landscape," says Chomatas.

 

[Fuz]

We live in the age of mental retardation.

 

[Barakov]

 

[legacy24]

yawn

 

[The_Mike]

So this is the reason why there's so much content draught in world of Warcraft.

 

[oldergamer]

The Racial slider has been done before

 

[anthraticus]

Cringe. Mainstream entertainment (not even just gaming) can go fuck off !

 

[The_Mike]

The Racial slider has been done before

 

[StateofMajora]

I'm starting to think I'm in a coma.

But the reality is, there's a highly motivated, well funded group of people hell bent on destroying the west.

 

[recursive]

What a fucking waste of resources.

 

[Urban]

i dont know man. If they makes them happy ill guess?

 

[Stephen Curry]

This is some disturbing shit

 

[TheGecko]

Got to give those affirmative action people something to do, I guess this is what they come up with.

 

[LordCBH]

Waste of time, money, and any other resource it takes.

 

[The Skull]

What......The.....Fuck

 

[Kacho]

 

[Fuz]

But please, I highly recommend you keep buying all their stuff.

 

[AGRacing]

Nope. No more Activision/Blizzard for me... not a great loss either. Fuck these idiots. Don't care about any of their garbage even CLOSE to enough to shrug my shoulders at this horse shit.

Absolutely ridiculous.

 

[akaFullmetal]

That's hilarious, .........really? Really?

 

[winjer]

Seriously, WTF is wrong with the industry.
Wasting resources on crap like this, then releasing broken unfinished games.

 

[Ristifer]

"We strongly believe in the tool's potential to change the gaming landscape," says Chomatas.

The tool's potential, indeed.

 

[Urban]

But the question is: Whats the metric?

Ana is arab and a 7 ?

 

[sankt-Antonio]

Ana: Female - cognitive ability: Reason. Score Cognitive Ability 0/10.

At least the tool works

Spoiler: spoiler

/s

 

[AGRacing]

That's hilarious and brilliant commentary.

This is the ideology of mental cases gone completely mad.

 

[Daneel Elijah]

I just spent 5 minutes being stupefied, then I tried to find the good part of this( a tool like that COULD be useful if neutral) then disgusted.
If i understand those screenshot well they put a numerical value to gender and ethnicity among other thing?! Being a woman have a value of 5 and being hetero a value of zero?
Isn't that basically what racism/ discrimination is? Deciding that some of those things are inherently better than the alternative(s)?Sorry but again:

 

[March Climber]

In this effort, the Diversity Space Tool can clearly delineate between token characters and true representation. "[The tool] identifies what stereotypical characters in different genres look like, which are not always the most conducive or representative of diversity," says Chomatas. "It helps identify those stereotypes, while also helping creatives look closer at their designs, so they can dissect their own assumptions and presets. It also helps identify opportunities for more diverse character narratives, to ensure that we are not only creating diverse characters in appearance alone."

I know this thread was created to spark outrage and reactions, but this part could be interesting if it helps lead to overall better and more creative writing in games.

 

[Pejo]

I hate everything about this. It's taking "design by committee" to unheard of levels. Just let the creators make the characters that they want to make. Holy shit.

 

[Fermbiz]

We live in a very stupid age in history......

 

[ShirAhava]

Ahh such technology!

Think of the representation

so stunning so brave

ESG scores through the roof!

 

[ManaByte]

 

[Hayabusabruh]

Imagine playing a game and being like.." Wait a minute.. "None of these characters remind me of me!"

 

[Pejo]

Is this a late "poison pill" to keep MS from buying them?

 

[ChorizoPicozo]

Does this make your game better by default?

 

[Topher]

 

[Germuso]

What about helicopters?

 

[MagnesD3]

Sigh...

 

[nominedomine]

So that's what they were doing all this time instead of trying to make their games good.

 

[Imru’ al-Qays]

Capitalism is destroying art.

 

[Valt7786]

"Alayna Cole, DE&I manager at Sledgehammer Games, says the tool was tested by developer teams working on Call of Duty: Vanguard, and it left a sizable impression. "We used [the Diversity Space Tool] to figure out what 'more diversity' looks like across all of our characters in both campaign multiplayer and Live seasons," says Cole."

Vanguards bullshittery all makes sense now.
Jesus fucking christ.

 

[Gp1]

We live in the age of mental retardation.

And data science. Both things together don't go very well.

 

[DonkeyPunchJr]

"I have a dream that we can create a software tool that can, with superhuman ability, analyze someone's racial, ethnic, and gender traits, and assigns an objective measure of how racist they are"
- MLk

 

[Daneel Elijah]

I know this thread was created to spark outrage and reactions, but this part could be interesting if it helps lead to overall better and more creative writing in games.

I was thinking like you but from what i have seen it will be the opposite. Try to imagine that tool but with tekken instead of overwatch. If that is not enough think what would be smash bros results. The principle of having a tool to mesure those data point is good. But putting a numerical value is the problem.

 

[Rheon]

Who gives a flying FUCK about the socioeconomic background of a videogame character?

Holy shit... this is unironically clownworld level material.

 

[a multicultural team of v]

Nothing says agency and representation more than being reduced to the output of an algorithm.

This goes for all of social media too.

 

[IAmNotFromDelaware]

ok, who's the joker that altered the normal time lines? We're now in a bizarro world that I'm finding very weird.

 

[TGO]

So it rejects any white male straight characters then?

 

[Whitecrow]

I fkn cant. Thats the nail in the coffin for not touching anything from them even with a stick.

Way to go Blizzard.

 

[M1chl]

I am sorry, but as a big fan of intersectionality and all that liberal shit. THIS...this is some dystopian bullshit. Holy fuck

Is the algorithm at least open source? Or is it some ML black box?

 

[TheRedRiders]

I'm guessing this is a poor attempt to please the FTC.

 

[DeepEnigma]

Pretty damned racist, phobic, bigoted, and every other label projected by the immutable characteristic crowd.