Wednesday 8 October 2014

If you need diverse games, then make them.

I can't believe it but #GamerGate is still a thing after all this time.  I at first thought it wouldn't get very far because the corruption behind games journalism has been a thing going back ALLLLLL the way to the Commodore 64 but after checking in with it for the last few days shit has been getting real.  Certain companies have pulled their advertising for certain websites after some certain hateful comments on twitter and many interesting people have joined the fray.

However I'm not commenting on #GamerGate, I'll leave my opinion on that whole situation for another day but very recently another twitter tag popped up which was #INeedDiverseGames.  To a degree I agree, the idea of more diverse story and characters in games is absolutely a good thing.  More writers exploring more ideas for plots and exploring ways to make these ideas work within a good game is a great thing.  More innovation in both story and game play is definitely what the games industry needs.

However, while I agree with the core idea, it still manages to piss me off.  Developers have spent a long time with a lot of hard work making games to entertain people and that hard work has paid off and they've been rewarded with loyal fanbases.  These companies know what their fans like and will try to make games that their fans will enjoy and hopefully while aiming to make entertaining games they will draw in more fans and do more business.

Then this group of people come along demanding more diverse games like they are entitled to a game about trans people or whatever and SOMEONE should accommodate that idea just because.  Well no, that's not how this shit works and throwing around demands (and in some cases insults) towards developers just makes you look like a childish idiot.

If there's one thing #GamerGate has showed me it's that there seems to be a group of people on the internet who somehow think that gaming is this thing that only straight white men can enjoy and it's something only straight white men have any say in.  This couldn't be further from the truth and quite frankly if there is anyone who believes that gaming is sexist/racist/homophobic or whatever then you are a moron of the highest calibre. 

If you NEED more diverse games then put down your phone, stop tweeting, learn to code or whatever and MAKE one.  No one is stopping you and no one will be against the idea of having certain main characters/story elements or game play mechanics if you make them FUN.  Remember, people don't hate Gone Home because it's about lesbians, they hate it because it's a shit none game which requires no skill and has shit writing.

Hell, if you wanted to make a game about same sex couples, rip off Castlevania Portrait of Ruin or something.  Have your same sex couple going around killing demons and tagging each other out with their unique powers, people will love that shit.  Make the whole thing a metaphor for gay people having to fight for the right for same sex marriage or something, as long as it's a good GAME then people will dig it. 

No ones excluding you from making games and the reason games with these themes and characters don't get made is because no one who knows enough about that stuff is in game development.  So go learn to code, make something entertaining to play and tell a good story then people will be more open to the idea of these games.

Stop demanding shit from developers like a spoilt little child and do some goddamn work.

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