Support NeoGAF

[Jesb]

A perfect example of this is the wokeness in videogames. When it’s fairly obviously present in a videogame and if your totally against any wokness has it affected your buying decision to support that game and developer? We can use seeetbaby inc as an example here. Have you decided that you won’t be buying games that was influenced by sweet baby inc.

I’d be lying if I said my enthusiasm to play some games that are working with this scummy company hasn’t been deflated somewhat. Are you taking a stand on these games and decided not to buy them? Is the best way to get rid of this to vote with our wallets? If these games that are completely woke but are still moving the needle and becoming successful with sales how does that even help from getting this poison out of videogames.

I’d like to see a day when videogames is just about creating the best games and it didn’t matter what was in the game. We use to have that. How do we get there if we’re still supporting the bs.

 

[mansoor1980]

yes it has effected my decision , hope someone destroys sweet baby inc and co forever , for good

 

[Banjo64]

Yes. I won’t buy anything with SBI or their shell companies involvement. It’s also important to look beyond SBI though. Luckily this ideology is always implemented in a very hamfisted and blatant way, so it’s not difficult to avoid: e.g one look at Joanna Dark’s new design tells me everything I need to know.

Luckily there’s thousands of actual good games coming out of Asia and Eastern Europe which makes avoiding Western AAA publishers laughably easy.

 

[tusharngf]

I got crew motor fest.. I did know it has baby inc in it. The character creation is complete cancer. There are no normal hairstyles.

 

[YukiOnna]

Yep, no different from if I don’t like its monetization tactic or crappy localization. I won’t be returning to buying till they rid of that SBI/DEI/ESG and censorship nonsense from their titles. It’s easy to avoid and their comments always make it blatant they hate their audience so I hate them, too.

 

[Hudo]

If it is pushed hard and/or deteriorates the quality of the writing, then yeah, I don't tend to buy these games.

 

[Snowdonhoffen]

Never.
If I'm interested in a game then I'm just interested in the game, simple.
Most of the time I don't even notice the "wokeness" until someone else points it out. But even then, woke means different things for everybody nowadays. Hell, I'm sure games released 10-15 years ago would be considered woke if released today. That's not to say there isn't a clear as day agenda in some cases.

 

[DelireMan7]

No.

I play games if I like what I see in it. Gender, skin colors, sexuality doesn't play a role in my decision.

As an example, I don't get all the controversy about the new Assassin's Creed Shadows. People are like "HO NO ! Black samurai, wokeness, bullshit history,..." and I am like "Ho cool, an assassin and a samurai game !"

Same for company making the game.
I solely judge a game on its content, gameplay and the pleasure I can find playing it.

 

[nemiroff]

Of course it has. And with an abundance of options it doesn't cost me that much.

..But no; I'm not talking about knee-jerking Fable's and Perfect Dark's character design. My principles goes slightly deeper than a stupid notion.

 

[Jesb]

Yes. I won’t buy anything with SBI or their shell companies involvement. It’s also important to look beyond SBI though. Luckily this ideology is always implemented in a very hamfisted and blatant way, so it’s not difficult to avoid: e.g one look at Joanna Dark’s new design tells me everything I need to know.

Luckily there’s thousands of actual good games coming out of Asia and Eastern Europe which makes avoiding Western AAA publishers laughably easy.

I know what you mean. I got that impression immediately from fable. I had thoughts that Indiana jones would be another one.

 

[Zheph]

No

I don't see why something so meaningless should affect my passion for video games. I don't even see it most of the time or don't care about some of the things that people are calling woke

 

[drganon]

No.

 

[TransTrender]

Yes absolutely.

 

[TheSHEEEP]

Absolutely, yes.

I'd still buy a game with really good gameplay, even if it has a political agenda behind it.
But the chances of a game made to spread an agenda also having really good gameplay are exceedingly small.

Some games have obvious political agenda-driven parts to them, but at least personally, I can manage to look past those and enjoy the rest - if, again, the rest is enjoyable to me.

 

[ahtlas7]

It affects more than just a character design or skin color so yes. I have some standards and I don’t consume shit.

 

[DirtyBast8rd]

Yes. I steer clear of most recent AAA titles. Same unimaginative and monetization DEI infested sheit.

I can barely feel excited for Gears of War EDay because I don't trust these big companies to deliver just a good game without any bullshit. Luckily on pc there are many hidden gems to be found.

 

[Thief1987]

Yes, I don't buy western AAA games anymore

 

[blue velvet]

I only buy games from developers I want to support, I avoid those made by political hacks in the industry. If I'm really interested in the game but don't support the dev, I just pirate them. I don't care I have zero remorse doing that. Maybe don't shove your personal politics on us. I saved a lot of money with this type of mindset.

 

[Fess]

I have no issues with Perfect Dark, plus it’s first person.

But some games just go too far trying to hammer in some political agenda in my head that I just have no interest in. I still play the games if they’re good but you won’t see me raving about them.

 

[alienator]

Yes, because it really puts me off when they inject their real life woke agendas into my purely fictional fantasy games, which are a way for me to escape the real world lunacy.

 

[Hero of Spielberg]

Not actively. I mean in most cases when they try to push it, the game ends up shit like the last Saints Row and it becomes a pass by default

 

[Killjoy-NL]

No. Couldn't give two shits as long as the game is good.

What's also funny, is that this thread is mostly anti-Woke drivel, because nobody is complaining about Helldivers 2 taking the piss with US/NATO geopolitics.

Edit:

And for the record, I'm tired of Woke. But I'm also getting tired of "anti-Woke".

 

[nkarafo]

The combination of the industry being infiltrated by the woke and PC hardware being so expensive these days has driven me to Retro gaming and emulation almost exclusively. With a few exceptions like the odd Elden Ring or Nightdive Studios remaster/remake.

Thankfully, there are enough pre-2014 games in my backlog to last me for the rest of my lifetime. So the industry can crash and burn for all i care.

 

[The Cockatrice]

not yet.

 

[makaveli60]

Yes it does. I refuse to pay for bullshit woke propaganda and even if it’s a game I really want to play despite this propaganda I just wait and buy a used copy.

 

[Interfectum]

For sure. This massive trans infiltration into pop culture has changed how I consume a lot of entertainment.

 

[AltogetherAndrews]

Nope. For one, I’m not some delicate flower who needs everything around me to fit my own views. Also, I know what the game dev scene looks like, so it’s hardly shocking if games lean in certain directions and carry certain values. It’s nowhere near as nefarious as some people seem to think it is, but I think that’s more telling of their own nature than anything.

Now, if it’s enforced censorship on the devs, that’s a different story. And I’m vehemently against quota hiring regulations and incentives.

 

[tommib]

The AAA mentality of making a super global product that reaches everyone has more than anything else.

It’s the ultra-pop mentality that puts me off and sometimes that intersects with politics.

 

[Soodanim]

Nothing has changed. If a game looks like something I will enjoy, I will buy it. If not, I won't. It's possible that bad writing will be a factor, but I don't choose to not buy out of protest.

 

[{insert code here}]

I don't give them my money. If I really want to play their game I buy it used. It's really simple and requires no extra effort from me.

 

[Barakov]

To An Extent. My interest is basically rather tempered with western games. Thankfully, it's pretty easy to spot games with obnoxious political overtones.

 

[Varteras]

It has. Gamers have a very powerful tool to cause change within these companies and the industry. Money. These companies cannot survive without yours. They need you. You don't need them.

If I see a company that is doing things I don't like, standing for things I personally despise, then I don't give them my money. Sure, my money alone won't hurt them. But, I can be an example to others.

I will know they got nothing from me for what I view as their stupidity. I can abide some things, but I have limits. If more people feel the way I do and stop paying, these companies will have no choice but to correct course or burn to the ground.

The good news is that there are tons of options for entertainment. Both in gaming and out of it. Just because I refuse to buy a game that is clearly mired in things like identity politics, does not mean I will come close to being bored.

 

[kunonabi]

Yep, I've pretty much cut as much of that stuff in the media I consume as much as I can. I've got a big enough backlog and other games to play that I'll still have plenty to keep my occupied the rest of my life. A game having pronouns or a nonbinary character creation option is an instant skip for me.

 

[Wolfpact1983]

Sure it did.

 

[Jesb]

The AAA mentality of making a super global product that reaches everyone has more than anything else.

It’s the ultra-pop mentality that puts me off and sometimes that intersects with politics.

This is about how I feel. I feel like sometimes videogames turning mainstream and becoming a super budget has ruined gaming. Gaming felt better when all they had to worry about was their audience, and not needing to cater to everyone.

 

[thief183]

Yes, a lot, no more DEI, no more story driven written by 40 yo that never had real life before, also no more animation driven combat.

 

[kyussman]

Yea,it's prevented me from engaging at all this gen.....PlayStation have lost a lot of money from me this gen,I used to spend very well with them....they are all in on identity politics and the alphabet people crusade.The fact I know 90% of modern game devs are blue haired freaks with some very fucked up views of the world has put me off gaming altogether tbh.....I'm usually able to separate art from the artist but the fact so many of these devs support child mutilation under the guise of gender identity bothers me a great deal and I will not support shit like that.

 

[Esppiral]

I bought Saints Row for 1€, like literally 1 € steam code.

 

[Lucifers Beard]

I basically avoid almost all AAA titles now. Needless padding, too much focus on animation and visuals at the detriment of fun and a lot of the forced DEI stuff.

I don't mind diverse characters at all, but things like pronouns and sexual identity in shooters or competitive multiplayer titles is fucking ridiculous, it never needed to be there. Inclusion of all that kind of stuff should fit within the games narrative (if it has one) to be meaningful, not just shoehorned in to tick some boxes and prevent recieving death threats from legitimately mental cunts.

 

[Red5]

Lame character designs, Fortnite art style mimicry, cringe inducing modern dialogue and the perpetual drive for GAAS is what's negatively affecting my decision to buy a lot of games these days.

 

[SJRB]

It was not the main reason I haven't picked up Spider-Man 2 but it sure as shit didn't help.

 

[Fess]

Nope. For one, I’m not some delicate flower who needs everything around me to fit my own views.

You mean like the LGTVQP+- community who need fictional worlds to fit their views?

It goes both ways. Like, imagine if every game had religious views pushed, maybe islam to make things fresh, with stories about how people are converting left and right from atheism or christianity to islam, and all women wear burqa so all you see is the eyes, etc. Lovely right? You would just sit quiet and enjoy it?

Also, I know what the game dev scene looks like, so it’s hardly shocking if games lean in certain directions and carry certain values.

In the US I assume. It’s a big planet, I’d say that’s the main reason we see this pushback, plus polarized views in the US.
Like where I live I would be just as surprised to see an alien walking on the streets like a trans person. Never seen either irl. So from my perspective the progressive sliders should probably be tuned down a bit to truly fit a global audience. Or just make fictional games for escapism.

 

[FunkMiller]

No.

It’s all about implementation, not concept.

It’d be dumb to pass over a game, simply because it has political content in it.

If a game does it badly though, then I won’t buy it.

I sold Spider-man 2 because it was fucking boring, in large part due to poor implementation of political and social messaging. But it was the boring part that was important.

 

[Starbuck2907]

Yes. Fairly often.

 

[Bernardougf]

Yes definitely, in everything media related... its not so much about making a statement or taking a stance, but I just cant cope with what DEI and wokeness brings to the table .... different people have different sensibilities... our brians are different... some dont even notice difference between 30 or 60 fps and 1080p pr 4k (wich for me is absurd) but it happens...some dont notice or care for giant plot holes or other serious narrative issues....

My brain just see pretty quickly any kind of DEI, wokeness, feminist, etc etc, agenda ... and this just gets me out of any story driven media, I immediately roll my eyes and say "nope"... unfortunately my tolerance level for this bullshit is too short and I just cant enjoy most things this touches... sometimes something is so good that it gets a bye... but fact is that most things that contain heavily DEI is normally pure shit because the writing priorities are in the wrong place.

And I think general quality in western entertainment has been diminishing drastically... theres a reason for this... as also theres a reason for delays, unfinished games, longer develp times .... years of diversity hiring and this bubble mentality has finally shown its face in recent games .. and things will only get shittier.

 

[Eimran]

Absolutely. The while point of games is escapism of daily life.

I don't care about the developers political opinion and I certainly don't need to be preached about it.

Moreover it definitely affects the Quality of games. You see much of it in the movie industry and people are getting tired of it. In the last months/year the silent majority has become much more vocal about it.

 

[balls of snow]

Never.
If I'm interested in a game then I'm just interested in the game, simple.
Most of the time I don't even notice the "wokeness" until someone else points it out. But even then, woke means different things for everybody nowadays. Hell, I'm sure games released 10-15 years ago would be considered woke if released today. That's not to say there isn't a clear as day agenda in some cases.

Yep if it interest me its on the wishlist.

 

[Hypereides]

I've become more weary about it, yes. When the push for "diversity" was starting up, I was positive about it. I assumed it was an initiative to give overlooked characters (e.g. Shadowman) more exposure while adding a new repertoire of badass characters to what we already had. I expected it to be a complimentary addition. Instead, it appears to be wildly more malign than that. its almost like there's an active push to overturn gaming/nerd culture and legacy characters like they once was. That's not cool at all.

Not to mention, you got gaming "press" outlets that seems to actively roast, rake and shame video games for not kowtowing to a specific political stance. Days gone being an example. As well as gaslight gamers.

Its become a thing I get negative association to, sadly. Especially, in the wake of redundant DEI consultancy bureaus that now go in to meddle/interfere with creators' work. There's absolutely no valid reason for such to exist. Its money thrown straight outta the window.

How the hell did gaming come down to this.

A perfect example of this is the wokeness in videogames. When it’s fairly obviously present in a videogame and if your totally against any wokness has it affected your buying decision to support that game and developer? We can use seeetbaby inc as an example here. Have you decided that you won’t be buying games that was influenced by sweet baby inc.

I’d be lying if I said my enthusiasm to play some games that are working with this scummy company hasn’t been deflated somewhat. Are you taking a stand on these games and decided not to buy them? Is the best way to get rid of this to vote with our wallets? If these games that are completely woke but are still moving the needle and becoming successful with sales how does that even help from getting this poison out of videogames.

I’d like to see a day when videogames is just about creating the best games and it didn’t matter what was in the game. We use to have that. How do we get there if we’re still supporting the bs.

Btw, I agree with you on this part.

 

[STARSBarry]

I mean yeah, because experience has taught me they will force in some immersion breaking quest or dialog that feels completely out of place with the rest of the narrative/tone or just make it the focus of the game... which much like the argument to include it (diverse people feel like their not included and therefore don't want to play games not including them) makes me feel like a game is not including me and I don't want to play it.

So yeah just like anything else, it's my money and it's one of the things I look for. From a product perspective it's a stupid idea, from an artform perspective, go for it.

I think that's the core difference, if it's included as part of pandering as something intended to large audiences (see Suicide Squad) no I don't buy it.

But if it's included as part of some small tight project created by the developers with a specific vision of "this is the story we want to tell" then I'm more open to it and do buy them. (Read Only Memories)

 

[Thyuda]

Yes, but I have 100s of great games in my backlog, so I really don't care about recent releases anymore.