Good.
'DEI' the way these big corporations have been pushing it since 2020, isn't actual diversity, equality (the E doesn't even stand for equality btw, but equity), or inclusion. Certainly not in terms of ideas or thought, but even in terms of just genuine racial/gender/sexual diversity. I won't say that diversity/representation was perfect in the '90s or '00s, but it was there, it kept getting better, and didn't come at the expense of common sense or demonizing other groups, either. I loved (and still love) various stuff from Will Smith, Denzel Washington, Jennifer Lopez (before she started only doing rom-coms) etc. growing up. Loved the first few seasons of Power Rangers, have enjoyed many of Gregg Araki's films (Doom Generation, Nowhere, Mysterious Skin etc.), enjoyed shows like Scrubs (had a decently diverse cast), etc.
Also a lot of the "firsts" that people try celebrating as big deals today, already happened years ago and most people either liked it or weren't upset about it. For the vast majority, ethnic/sexual/gender diversity was never the problem; doing that in lieu of common sense or respect for others was. Take race-swaps for example: I'm not a fan of it, but it goes both ways. If you want to add some diversity to a cast, then make a new character for the person to play. That simple. Add to the story, rather than stagnate or shrink it. Most people aren't going to believe in nine million genders, aren't going to believe every single non-intentional "microaggression" they're somehow guilty of is them being racist just because it might incidentally be with someone of a different color, aren't going to accept biological men who obviously still look mannish attempt competing as women in women's sports. That's not people being hateful; that's just them using common sense.
Worth also saying, Take-Two had arguably the worst "conference" of 2021 during SGF, if anyone remembers. It was basically a livestream of corporate HR meetings going over things like DEI. Even at the time of watching it, I couldn't believe what I was seeing, and kept laughing throughout the whole thing. It almost felt like a parody on their part...maybe it was. Like I've no problem with companies having those types of meeting BTS, but that is NOT something people tuning in to see new games want to actually watch. Again, not because most people "hate" it, but because putting that stuff in a big gaming showcase event, doesn't make any common sense.
FWIW, I'm sure T2 will still have some DEI initiatives corporate-side BTS, as they probably should, keyword there being "some". They just won't be shouting about it from the rooftops or acting like it's some grand thing worth celebrating. It's just, like with everything else, be sensible with it. Always pick people based on their merits and, yes, even in gaming sometimes (in some cases somewhat regularly) those are going to be non-white, non-straight or non-male people. It's been that way since the '80s. Even so, just remember to put artistry and fun ahead of ideology. That's how you succeed in most areas of life.
www.gamefile.news
www.take2games.com
