I agree with the OP's assertion that DA:O does a fairly good job of being inclusive although other posters have made some good points to the contrary. Having said that, I strongly believe that it is NOT the responsiblity of devs to be inclusive. DA:O's inclusiveness adds to the enjoyment of playing the game; the danger is that game creators will value inclusiveness over entertainment. A game of this scope needs to have diverse options in order to assist in suspension of disbelief, but some game simply do not.
Thank you, Bioware, for setting the example.
Débuté par
Kamitto
, déc. 07 2009 01:33
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#52
Posté 11 décembre 2009 - 02:19
Wolfva2
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- Members
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Kalcalan wrote...
Back on topic: there is a strong case for likening city elves to Jews as the alienage is in many ways similar to ghettos.
Could be because the alienages ARE ghettoes. Just sayin, is all.
#53
Posté 11 décembre 2009 - 02:43
purplesunset
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Praise is fine. My hope, however, is that Bioware wouldn't just read the first post, pat themselves on the back and rest on their laurels.
There is room for improvement, and there are lessons to be learned. I tried...goodness knows I tried... to bring up these points in this thread and in the previous threads concerning this issue.
Dragon Age is a unique game concerning the race/inclusion question because of the nature of the Origin stories. As others have pointed out, because of the strong narrative focus of the Origins, you are not really allowed to roleplay anyone you want.
Sure, it was nice of Bioware to give people the freedom to look however they want in the Origin stories, but ultimately you are just an actor in a role that was already written out by Bioware. They allowed a black/asian person to play Hamlet in their theater, so to speak. If Bioware had made it clearer at the outset that you're basically filling in a pre-written role, it would have prevented threads like the "Black Human Noble" thread and blogs like the "Dragon Age: White Origins" blog.
This Origins style was chosen by Bioware because they wanted to ensure high quality writing. This style contrasts with the Bethesda style where they grant a lot more freedom, but many feel that the freedom comes at the expense of good writing.
So if Bioware wants to continue using origin stories in the future, they should take these things into consideration or make a big disclaimer that says, "We strongly recommend you make a character that fits in with our pre-written narrative if being the odd man out would be a detriment to your enjoyment of the game"
There is room for improvement, and there are lessons to be learned. I tried...goodness knows I tried... to bring up these points in this thread and in the previous threads concerning this issue.
Dragon Age is a unique game concerning the race/inclusion question because of the nature of the Origin stories. As others have pointed out, because of the strong narrative focus of the Origins, you are not really allowed to roleplay anyone you want.
Sure, it was nice of Bioware to give people the freedom to look however they want in the Origin stories, but ultimately you are just an actor in a role that was already written out by Bioware. They allowed a black/asian person to play Hamlet in their theater, so to speak. If Bioware had made it clearer at the outset that you're basically filling in a pre-written role, it would have prevented threads like the "Black Human Noble" thread and blogs like the "Dragon Age: White Origins" blog.
This Origins style was chosen by Bioware because they wanted to ensure high quality writing. This style contrasts with the Bethesda style where they grant a lot more freedom, but many feel that the freedom comes at the expense of good writing.
So if Bioware wants to continue using origin stories in the future, they should take these things into consideration or make a big disclaimer that says, "We strongly recommend you make a character that fits in with our pre-written narrative if being the odd man out would be a detriment to your enjoyment of the game"
Modifié par purplesunset, 11 décembre 2009 - 03:03 .
