Current Events > kotaku: " Sorry, Your Cis White Woman Protagonist Isn't Progressive"

(+) Yeah! (+)

https://kotaku.com/sorry-your-cis-white-woman-protagonist-isn-t-progressi-1846792503

you guys kind of agree? I do get what shes saying a bit

I don't read Kotaku

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Who cares? As long as the story and gameplay is immersive does it really matter what color or sexuality the protagonist is?
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Yes, the true protagonist of Resident Evil: Vampire Mommy

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I agree, that is on Kotaku.

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In other words "Waaaaaaaa!!!"

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Why did they include a character that's clearly not a protagonist in that banner?


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without caring enough to click the link - nah. some amount of protags should be cis white women. the issue would be if there are too many, or not enough.

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Shepard isn't necessarily cis. Considering the games try SUPER hard to push Liara as the love interest, I daresay femshep is more often than not NOT cis.

And forgive me, I dont play Resident Evil but... looking at the character they picked, I dont think "protagonist" applies there, either

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MC_BatCommander posted...

Why did they include a character that's clearly not a protagonist in that banner?

They probably didnt even play the game. Assuming youre talking about RE8.

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MC_BatCommander posted...

Why did they include a character that's clearly not a protagonist in that banner?

lmao

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Kotaku sucks

I disagree.

Boom roasted.

It sucks when games forget about you. It also sucks to be constantly told to wait your turn. Almost five years after its launch, Overwatcha game in which its colorful, disabled, and queer characters are a large part of its appealstill doesnt have a playable Black woman. (Sojourns coming, I know. But Overwatch 2 still doesnt have a release date, and weve been waiting almost five years now.) Yesterday, the Overwatch League announced an MMA-themed skin that features cornrows for one of its female characters. After seeing the skin, I joked that cornrowsa style worn and popularized by Black womengot added to the game before there was even a Black woman to wear them.

I understand that any change is better than what the video game industry was like before. Theres nothing wrong with being excited about a skin or a video game starring a cis white woman. Id just caution against seeing those games as indicative of real progress. And when people do, theres an unintentional erasing effect that can make marginalized people in the community feel invisible.

While I am glad to see the shift away from its dude-dominated history, I think we can still want more for ourselves. Game makers should push beyond the safety of white men and women and create protagonists of all races, shapes, orientations, and abilities.

I say all this fully aware that diversity in video game protagonists isnt as dire as it was. Life is Strange: True Colors, Kena: Bridge of Spirits, and the hilariously named but damn cool looking Forspoken come to mind when evaluating upcoming AAA offerings. The indie scene features an even deeper wealth of diversity (and by diverse creators too!) Progress is often a game of inches, but it doesnt have to be.

This...all seems reasonable

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Flauros posted...

They probably didnt even play the game. Assuming youre talking about RE8.

Well the article is from before it came out, so, yes, correct

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Antifar posted...

Well the article is from before it came out, so, yes, correct

even by that point it was well known she was not a protag and was only a very small part of the game.

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how addicted to this websight are you to make five billion alts

MC_BatCommander posted...

Why did they include a character that's clearly not a protagonist in that banner?

Other people are excited for these games, because, in their eyes, these games speak to a welcome shift in video game culture as every one of these titles either stars or prominently features women.

Irony posted...

I don't read Kotaku

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lol, kotaku is still around?

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DarkBuster22904 posted...

Shepard isn't necessarily cis. Considering the games try SUPER hard to push Liara as the love interest, I daresay femshep is more often than not NOT cis.

What does this have to do with whether or not she's cisgender?

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Antifar posted...

This...all seems reasonable

When people encounter a social or political argument/statement that makes them uncomfortable the kneejerk reaction is to mock and dismiss it

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BLAKUboy posted...

What does this have to do with whether or not she's cisgender?

"Sorry, Your Cis White Woman Protagonist Isn't Progressive"

TBH Shepard isn't necessarily white, either, though I will admit I see far more white shepards from other players than nonwhite ones.

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DarkBuster22904 posted...

"Sorry, Your Cis White Woman Protagonist Isn't Progressive"

TBH Shepard isn't necessarily white, either, though I will admit I see far more white shepards from other players than nonwhite ones.

1. I think youre conflating cisgender with heteronormative. Shepard is 100% cisgender but may not be heterosexual depending on your choices.

2. She addresses that as well

This is one of the more reasonable kotaku articles tbh

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DezDroppedFreak posted...

1. I think youre conflating cisgender with heteronormative. Shepard is 100% cisgender but may not be heterosexual depending on your choices.

2. She addresses that as well

This is one of the more reasonable kotaku articles tbh

I stand corrected

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Do they list Aloy from Horizon?

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DarkBuster22904 posted...

TBH Shepard isn't necessarily white, either, though I will admit I see far more white shepards from other players than nonwhite ones.

We're talking about the default, marketable one, not the one you create.

I agree with her, by the way. It's funny that she calls cis white women the 'safe' option, when they had to fight for _years_ to get away from the dudebro frontman on every video game. The VG industry is fucking glacial when it comes to change like that, and it doesn't help that developers have to balance between making money and making content that they want to make.

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the title is click-baity of course, but she makes a valid point

I honestly cannot think of a single video game that has a non-white female protagonist... Shantae perhaps?

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HylianFox posted...

the title is click-baity of course, but she makes a valid point

I honestly cannot think of a single video game that has a non-white female protagonist... Shantae perhaps?

Remember the trailer for Beyond Good and Evil 2?

https://youtu.be/C9VPnI34dPw

I still really hope this gets made, and that it's good.

Other than that, I can't think of any major game that had a non-white female in any position of protagonist.

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HylianFox posted...

the title is click-baity of course, but she makes a valid point

I honestly cannot think of a single video game that has a non-white female protagonist... Shantae perhaps?

If we were to count cartoony games like shantae, then strictly speaking just about any anime game would technically count, as they're more often than not Japanese. Though even with that very generous read of the situation, I dont imagine anyone would look at games with an anime style and say "progressive representation of minorities/women." For good reason.

If we were to look at more photo realistic games, or games grounded closer to reality, then yeah, they're in pretty damn short supply.

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Irony posted...

I don't read Kotaku

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HylianFox posted...

I honestly cannot think of a single video game that has a non-white female protagonist... Shantae perhaps?

Chloe Frazer would count. I mean I think she's half white, but

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RebelElite791 posted...

Chloe Frazer would count. I mean I think she's half white, but

Nathan Drake won't be upstaged in his own game.

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Alucard188 posted...

Nathan Drake won't be upstaged in his own game.

Lost Legacy tho

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Play games with customizable characters. Make character black. Enjoy playing black character.

I been doing this since the 90s why everyone else so less progressive than I?

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Who gives a shit? Dont play them then. You have enough time to bitch about it in your stupid article. Bitching isnt progressive.

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Just clickbait. And I swear I've seen this article before.

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LordMarshal posted...

Who gives a shit? Dont play them then. You have enough time to bitch about it in your stupid article. Bitching isnt progressive.

Someone's upset

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Is the TC the newest SMAL alt?

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RebelElite791 posted...

Someone's upset

Im progressively pissed off but my cis white male rage is holding me back!

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RebelElite791 posted...

Lost Legacy tho

I feel that one's too easy, because by then they had already been established another games, and even then, her screen space was shared.

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Alucard188 posted...

Other than that, I can't think of any major game that had a non-white female in any position of protagonist.

RE5 did have sheva and the game does try to present her as chris's equal in that game and co lead in the series as a whole she is a one shot character likely to never be seen again
but it does give us a rare black female protagonist
but the story is still all about chris and wesker with sheva being there to ask questions and be the audience surrogate for new players who are just starting with RE5

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Shadowplay posted...

Is the TC the newest SMAL alt?

I admit I dont really notice when the main character is nonwhite to begin with but I also admit, upon reflection, that theres really very few of them.

Black gamer women is and never will be a large target audience. However, now that black women characters appeal to woke white people there is likely to be one soon.

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I mean, the article may come off a little dumb, but I too wish there was more diversity in video game protagonists. Even the games with cis white women have to fight and claw with the publishers to allow that to happen. Non-white protags of either gender are barely existent

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hockeybub89 posted...

I mean, the article may come off a little dumb, but I too wish there was more diversity in video game protagonists. Even the games with cis white women have to fight and claw with the publishers to allow that to happen. Non-white protags of either gender are barely existent

That's because white men make up the vast majority of gamers. Followed by Japanese guys and then black guys. White women make up an even higher percentage of female gamers, but are still just a tiny fraction compared to men. It's like bitching that romantic comedies aren't made for men. You cater to your audience.

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Kotaku being shit again

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Gamerguymass posted...

That's because white men make up the vast majority of gamers. Followed by Japanese guys and then black guys. White women make up an even higher percentage of female gamers, but are still just a tiny fraction compared to men. It's like bitching that romantic comedies aren't made for men. You cater to your audience.

this is a pretty cringe way of viewing the world lol

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