#Diversity In Gaming

[videogamepoc]

From Abubakar Salim (@abzysalim) on Instagram

I shared this on Twitter/X as the discourse was much louder there than it is anywhere else, but I felt it was important to share it here also. Since the release of Tales of Kenzera: Zau, we’ve been subjected to a lot of targeted harassment, mainly the racist kind. We’ve kept our head down from it and turned the other cheek, but there’s a point where something needs to be said. So this is what I said.

Tales of Kenzera: Zau is available on Playstation, Xbox, Steam, and Nintendo Switch.

[mightymur]

[ISBW] Tanya DePass, Writing, and Gaming, Live from WorldCon, Glasgow!

[Please note that this podcast is explicit with a few swear words and CW- parental death discussed.] S20 Ep24: In Which Mur and Tanya DePass Discuss Fanfic, Diversity Consulting, and Creative Journeys Recorded ON ISBW’s birthday, in Glasgow, y’all. Nineteen years. I’d drop the mic, but it seems I’m committed now. I think people who turn up their nose at Fanfic are really A: missing out and B:…

[thedailydungeonmaster]

Cultural Representation: Incorporating Diverse Cultures Respectfully

To my American readers, Happy Freedom Day! May you end the day with as many fingers, toes, and eyes as you began the day with! Stay safe out there… Dear Readers, welcome back to our Dungeons & Dragons (D&D) blog! Today, we’re exploring a topic that is both important and complex: cultural representation. Incorporating diverse cultures into your D&D campaigns can enrich your storytelling, create a…

[androdragynous]

as my own direct immediate list of game grievances i hate that stardew valley expects you to side against a wheelchair user who is upset that he was moved without his consent. i hate that the mass effect trilogy gives you visible scarring as a direct result of choosing mean dialogue and heals it if you're nice. i hate that the vampire the masquerade ttrpg has a monstrous player class that can appear as horrible vampiric monsters or as visibly disabled people and both of these appearances are mechanically the same. i hate that dark souls games have a difficulty level implemented in a way that cannot be adjusted for disability. i hate that i can play as a mermaid or a werewolf or a horse in the sims games but can't use a wheelchair. i hate that the ace attorney games have so much flashing and not all of the games can disable it. i hate that disability is constantly something that happens to teach a lesson, i hate that disability is something that happens as a punishment, i hate that disability is either compensated perfectly with no drawbacks or something that is endlessly sought to be cured. i hate that no character customization will ever include the mobility aids i use, that the player avatars that represent me will never look like me. i am so goddamn annoyed and so goddamn tired.

[mollywilcoxvo]

On our way soon to Gamestorm. Hope to see you all there.

We'll be in two panels today -

10am - Women and LGBTQIA in Gaming

4pm - Representation In Gaming

[rabid-catboy]

yknow sometimes i see art of haurchefant and like. by all accounts its good art. but for some reason they fuck up his nose. and im like. its a simple nose you just gotta not invert it

like does this guy look like he has a little button nose to you

its weirdly common i think some of yall are just allergic to drawing cool facial features

[fastbrain]

I couldn't resist creating some dad content for Fathers' Day here in Aus yesterday.

(The Reddit post with more Palia-related puns)

[dendroaspis-viridis]

I'm begging you, BioWare... Learn from the mistakes of Baldur's Gates past...

[couple-o-commanders]

I can't remember if I've shared this or not, so here's an updated (albeit messy) reference of Via =u=/

[gummi-ships]

Kingdom Hearts 3 - Le Grand Bristot

[static-blossoms]

Swansea

🔧/🪓/🔧

🪓/🔧/🪓

🔧/🪓/🔧

[killjoy-prince]

Spaceship thoughts

[babygirlgiles]

Why does no one else see my vision for post-war Effie Trinket. Like that woman does NOT become a civil servant, she does not join the ranks of government service. She is 100% New Panem’s first influencer. She was already having her It Girl moment as the escort of District Twelve’s victors beforehand and now there’s public perception that she was this Hunger Games insider playing the long con to dismantle the system from within and paid this great sacrifice for it by being tortured by Snow’s cadre for her efforts. Which is not true at all because she had No Clue what was going on but Plutarch needs new programming to fill all the hours that used to be taken up by Hunger Games related media so he decides to capitalize on Effie having Her Moment. And with people being allowed to travel between districts for the first time in over a generation and newfound freedom of information, there would a nationwide fascination how other people live. Effie ends up with her own lifestyle/travel series where she visits different regions of Panem and even exotic far away places such as “England”. She’s posting beach selfies on Panemstigram to promote her upcoming episode on lobster fishing off District Thirteen’s revitalized coastline.

She even gets her own daytime talk show at one point. She tries (and fails) for years to get Peeta on the show as a guest. Katniss has never watched a single episode.

[thedisablednaturalist]

Theres a ton of inspiring game devs (and actual game devs) on this site and this is a message for them

Please include wheelchairs in customization. Include player characters who are in wheelchairs. I'm begging you.

There are less than a handful of playable characters in wheelchairs I can think of (and most of them are ableist haha funny characters like the guy from happy wheels)

I promise you, any extra work that needs to be done to make them playable IS worth it. I don't give a fuck if its not realistic. Most people can't fling fireballs in real life either.

Like I've seen prosthetics, I've seen glasses, when I've brought up wheelchairs to devs they say the best they can do is braces and maybe crutches or a cane. Maybe a hearing aid.

I've SEEN the amazing stuff that can be made, and I'm tired of devs whining that it's too hard. It's too late to add something that complex. Well maybe you should've thought about wheelchairs in the early stages instead of adding representation as an afterthought.

The only time we are thought of is when its a horror game or for a fucking joke.

[sjbattleangel]

Whenever discourse around cartoons like Steven Universe, She-Ra, The Owl House, The Legend Of Korra, video games like Spider-Man 2, Life Is Strange, Alan Wake 2, Forspoken, Usual June, Dustborn, comics like Ms. Marvel, Ironheart, Champions, Unstoppable Wasp and other diverse media pops up...

I'll leave this here:

Lisa Simpson presentation: 'Diverse Media made by and/or staring women and marginalized groups are always held to way higher, harsher, unrealistic standards compared to media made by and starring non-diverse groups of people (especially cishet white men).'

[zeldadiscussions]

The repeated use of the specific word imperialism in fandom discussions of TotK really bugs me because like… we know what imperialism looks like, right?

Genocide either by murder or assimilation, leadership that is either of the conquering race or loyal to it generally for personal gain, control of the conquered’s resources, and a social climate where the conquerors are considered superior.

But in this Hyrule none of the other races had their cultures erased, they aren’t governed by Hylian leaders and the local leaders’ first priority is taking care of their people, they manage their own trade affairs, and Hylians don’t constantly subject others to put downs about their race.

If a Hylian man dares enter Gerudo Town without the Chief’s permission, they kick him out or put him in jail. That’s how much control the Gerudo have over their own territory and how little being a Hylian matters if you mess with them.

Rauru is accused of hoarding power but he literally gave his secret stones out to the other races and they remain in possession of them to this day.

Basically the only time the other nations seem to actually follow Hyrule’s lead at all is when facing common threats or working towards common goals. Hyrule only ever meddles in other lands affairs either to lend them aid (Link and Zelda fighting for everyone, the folks at Tabantha Bridge Stable providing disaster releif to the Rito, etc.) or requesting aid from them (Rauru and Zelda asking the Sages and Champions to help them fight Ganon[dorf].) They lead like a team leader leads.

Sonia and Rauru didn’t found an empire.

They founded an alliance.

I know I’m beating a dead horse here but to my eyes at least (for now) there is zero solid evidence of Hyrule exerting control over the daily lives of non-Hylians or stealing their resources, two major defining traits of imperialistic rule. Hyrule is at the head of the alliance, yes, but an empire isn’t the only system of governance that has one group or individual at the helm of a coalition. The difference is in the details and the details here are that Hyrule leads the others but it does not dominate them, and that is key.

The only empire in the game would have been the one Ganondorf was trying to force on everyone and that was pretty bluntly depicted as being a bad thing. How can we say it’s pro-imperialistic if the main conflict is preventing the rise of an evil empire?

You can’t effectively analyze a narrative by completely ignoring everything about it and its meta that contradicts a knee-jerk viewpoint. What is even the point of analyzing it at all at that point?