As a scandinavian person I fail to see the issue.
Woman or male on the cover, it makes no difference to the game.
And it definently isn't the first thing I'll end up discussing with one of my friends who also happens to like dragon age quite a lot, which I didn't know she did before recently.
Yes if having female representation is so important to you, that's exactly what I suggest.
If a game is terrible, there are not nearly enough of us in the world who would throw money at it "on principle" to keep it from failing. AAA games never make all of their money from just one demographic--they do what they do well enough to appeal to a wide variety of people. Why do women have to content themselves with bad games?
Me personally ? I rather like Niin found her engaging and interesting I liked the game too. I'm aware of the article where the gamemakers were told to change her to a male for sales reasons. I'd defer to a publisher since I'd have thought they would put a lot more effort and consequently be more aware of what does and does not sell.
As I said earlier in the thread. I bought the game, that's as far as my support can go. Putting myself in the publishers position where my actual money was on the line. I'd take the safe option unless I saw something compelling to change my mind.
The situation could be more complicated and a self-fulfilling prophecy.
http://penny-arcade....nt-support-them
If a game is terrible, there are not nearly enough of us in the world who would throw money at it "on principle" to keep it from failing. AAA games never make all of their money from just one demographic--they do what they do well enough to appeal to a wide variety of people. Why do women have to content themselves with bad games?
You would probably only have to do it once, twice at most. If you could gather together 8 million or so people to buy the next game to feature a female lead and then descend on their message boards and tell them why you bought they game, you bet they would take notice.
On the other hand, if your not buying the games anyway, the publishers have little reason to step outside their very profitable comfort zone.
You would probably only have to do it once, twice at most. If you could gather together 8 million or so people to buy the next game to feature a female lead and then descend on their message boards and tell them why you bought they game, you bet they would take notice.
On the other hand, if your not buying the games anyway, the publishers have little reason to step outside their very profitable comfort zone.
Oh, is that all? I'll get on that, then.
Final Fantasy 13 sold well and it had a female lead Remember Me was like a 6 hour game and was hardly marketed. I only heard about it because of the controversy but I didn't buy it because it's a 6 hour game. If everything else was the same, I would bet my life that switching the protagonist to a male would not have dramatically increased sales, it might have even decreased them.
It doesn't matter if a woman is the main character in a game. If it plays really badly with unlikable characters it will be badly received.
Hrm, some points here are pretty dang good, especially regarding people who've never played the dragon age games. I know a few of my guy friends who always create women players because...mostly because they say they prefer to stare at their butts and for the lesbian action scenes. The other half prefer women because it is a game and they can be whoever they want. When they release a female inquisitor trailer it will grab that audience's attention x3 but also new player females who doesn't want to play as a guy. I myself, as a straight female player don't mind playing as forced male characters, especially..good looking male characters
Having a female character on the cover of any game is a risk though..There will be people who won't buy a game because it'll have a girl on the cover. Some people are really one minded and'll say, "Oh..a girl game? *checks it out* But I don't wanna be no girl yo." People just don't use their head sometimes e__e it's good that the cover of Inquisitor is of the lead having their back turned, so that the person picking up the gamecase can turn it around and read about it..
Some women also strictly purchase games with only girls on the cover, or any indication that they can be themselves freely. Either way xD it is good that Bioware chose this idea for the games cover. You honestly can't please everyone, but I know Inquisition will gain alot of new fans and even people who are'nt really into rping games. That's how good of an impact the gameplay trailer had 
But then again, they did'nt care about if they could be a guy or a chick. The trailer captured their attention so anything else might be a must buy to them, including the genders, romancing and playing an evil necromancing blood magic character
Didn't Ubisoft port Assassin's Creed: Liberation to home consoles solely due to fan demand? I don't think they necessarily see having a male protagonist as the safe option.
Didn't Ubisoft port Assassin's Creed: Liberation to home consoles solely due to fan demand? I don't think they necessarily see having a male protagonist as the safe option.
Liberation was made for the Vita,the game had a lower cost, had lower sales projections and therefore could take more risks. Their big project WatchDogs and to a lesser extent AC4 played safe.
Liberation was made for the Vita,the game had a lower cost, had lower sales projections and therefore could take more risks. Their big project WatchDogs and to a lesser extent AC4 played safe.
I know, but they ported it to the home consoles because the demand for it from the fans was so great.
I know, but they ported it to the home consoles because the demand for it from the fans was so great.
Great is relative..It's a very cheap project so even a few hundred thousand sales could make it worth doing.
Aiden is what I would call a safe choice. Really no one has made a compelling arguement why it is in the publishers interests to deviate from that.It's clear that people have personal reasons. But I just don't see what is in it for the publisher.
Aiden isn't an asset. Being the safe choice isn't always good thing. A truly memorable protagonist makes a game better.
Additionally, if the compelling argument you are looking for is based on pre-existing monetary information, it doesn't exist. Because gaming hasn't really attempted it yet. The point of all of this, is that the straight white male audience isn't the majority of gamers, and greater inclusiveness is needed in every sense. We need more LGBT protagonists, we need more people of color as protagonists, we need more women. Hell, we need more LGBT women of color. We need intersectionality. The demographics are changing and everyone deserves to be represented. Believing games with new and different protagonists won't sell if given the same exact resources, time, and talent, seems to be arguing that the gaming audience is too homophobic, racist, and sexist to accept anything other then a straight/white/male. I refuse to believe I've devoted my time, energy, money, and enthusiasm to a medium run and consumed by people who truly think that way. At the very least, it is in the publishers best interests not to let their brand become antiquated or associated with sentiments of anti-inclusivity. And to do that, all they have to do is continue making badass games, only, add some diversity to their leading roles.
The solution is to market to both genders by appealing to both sexes. I think Dragon Age: Inquisition has started this marketing trend thus far; using a gender neutral cover. It is just the starting point. Now, all we need is more on the female Inquisitor. 
Aiden isn't an asset. Being the safe choice isn't always good thing. A truly memorable protagonist makes a game better.
Additionally, if the compelling argument you are looking for is based on pre-existing monetary information, it doesn't exist. Because gaming hasn't really attempted it yet. The point of all of this, is that the straight white male audience isn't the majority of gamers, and greater inclusiveness is needed in every sense. We need more LGBT protagonists, we need more people of color as protagonists, we need more women. Hell, we need more LGBT women of color. We need intersectionality. The demographics are changing and everyone deserves to be represented. Believing games with new and different protagonists won't sell if given the same exact resources, time, and talent, seems to be arguing that the gaming audience is too homophobic, racist, and sexist to accept anything other then a straight/white/male. I refuse to believe I've devoted my time, energy, money, and enthusiasm to a medium run and consumed by people who truly think that way. At the very least, it is in the publishers best interests not to let their brand become antiquated or associated with sentiments of anti-inclusivity. And to do that, all they have to do is continue making badass games, only, add some diversity to their leading roles.
If I could give this post a standing ovation, I would. I wish every dev and gamer could read this post.
It's true that we don't have the data on how a big budget game with a female lead would do. But we can look at a comparable industry. We're facing a similar issue of Hollywood making few female-led films. Even so, female-led films grossed higher than male-led films last year. The common sentiment is that women will still turn out for films aimed at men, while men will avoid films that appear to be aimed at women. Yet it turns out, if the film is good, men will pay money for it whether the lead is male or female.
Video games are becoming more mainstream, and appealing to a broader range of people. That means that as an industry, it no longer has to rely on pandering to just one group of people. I don't think the majority of gamers are so narrow-minded that they would balk at a good game that happened to feature something other than a 30-something white male.
It's true that we don't have the data on how a big budget game with a female lead would do. But we can look at a comparable industry. We're facing a similar issue of Hollywood making few female-led films. Even so, female-led films grossed higher than male-led films last year. The common sentiment is that women will still turn out for films aimed at men, while men will avoid films that appear to be aimed at women. Yet it turns out, if the film is good, men will pay money for it whether the lead is male or female.
Video games are becoming more mainstream, and appealing to a broader range of people. That means that as an industry, it no longer has to rely on pandering to just one group of people. I don't think the majority of gamers are so narrow-minded that they would balk at a good game that happened to feature something other than a 30-something white male.
Yeah, this absolutely isn't a gaming exclusive problem. For instance, my school hosted a talk with prominent women in film and television, including the director of Kung Fu Panda 2. She was the first woman to direct a feature length animated movie solo apparently. That we are still facing and overcoming seemingly outdated hurtles is both upsetting and an exciting reminder that progress is (oh so slowly) coming along. Women not being behind the camera is one of the other big problems film faces, since most directors are still men. In both gaming and in film, the problem of our media being created by only men is slowly dissipating, and certainly to see a change in the media we consume, we need to see change in the less apparent but equally important issue of who is creating that media.
Aiden isn't an asset. Being the safe choice isn't always good thing. A truly memorable protagonist makes a game better.
Additionally, if the compelling argument you are looking for is based on pre-existing monetary information, it doesn't exist. Because gaming hasn't really attempted it yet. The point of all of this, is that the straight white male audience isn't the majority of gamers, and greater inclusiveness is needed in every sense. We need more LGBT protagonists, we need more people of color as protagonists, we need more women. Hell, we need more LGBT women of color. We need intersectionality. The demographics are changing and everyone deserves to be represented. Believing games with new and different protagonists won't sell if given the same exact resources, time, and talent, seems to be arguing that the gaming audience is too homophobic, racist, and sexist to accept anything other then a straight/white/male. I refuse to believe I've devoted my time, energy, money, and enthusiasm to a medium run and consumed by people who truly think that way. At the very least, it is in the publishers best interests not to let their brand become antiquated or associated with sentiments of anti-inclusivity. And to do that, all they have to do is continue making badass games, only, add some diversity to their leading roles.
The comment is purely on the marketing of the protagonist. I can't really comment on how memorable (or not) he is until I finish the game.While I can't really fault your ideals, expecting someone to put their millions on the line for them, while offering no safety net (since any game can be perceived as a bad one) I can't really agree with
The comment is purely on the marketing of the protagonist. I can't really comment on how memorable (or not) he is until I finish the game.While I can't really fault your ideals, expecting someone to put their millions on the line for them, while offering no safety net (since any game can be perceived as a bad one) I can't really agree with
They're acting as a voice to make sure that it isn't forgotten. By speaking out, it's a reminder that they are there and provides a degree of impetus to give it a try.
They're acting as a voice to make sure that it isn't forgotten. By speaking out, it's a reminder that they are there and provides a degree of impetus to give it a try.
Can I ask you a hypothetical question ? Feel free not to answer if you think you may get into trouble.
If Bioware and by extension EA were in a situation where they had to choose a fixed protagonist rather than have a character creator, which way would they go and why?
Can I ask you a hypothetical question ? Feel free not to answer if you think you may get into trouble.
If Bioware and by extension EA were in a situation where they had to choose a fixed protagonist rather than have a character creator, which way would they go and why?
I don't know for certain. I wouldn't be surprised if we still went with a man. I'd love it if we went with a woman, however, because I like seeing where stuff like that goes. I know I wouldn't be alone. Would that be enough to make a compelling argument? I don't know.
It'd suck if it wasn't very successful - I'd probably wonder "what if." It'd be magnificent if it was successful though. I'd love to have more solid data points that say "This is just fine."
Final Fantasy 13 sold well and it had a female lead Remember Me was like a 6 hour game and was hardly marketed. I only heard about it because of the controversy but I didn't buy it because it's a 6 hour game. If everything else was the same, I would bet my life that switching the protagonist to a male would not have dramatically increased sales, it might have even decreased them.
You missed out, Remember Me was pretty good.
But as for this "all you need to do is convince 8 million people to buy one game with a female lead" nonsense, Tomb Raider is one of the best-selling franchises of all time. By AkiKishi's logic, female leads should already be commonplace.
But even if you did get 8 million people to buy one game with a female lead, that won't convince the industry to suddenly change tack. The truth is that the people in control of the industry don't want to invest in making female leads successful.
You missed out, Remember Me was pretty good.
But as for this "all you need to do is convince 8 million people to buy one game with a female lead" nonsense, Tomb Raider is one of the best-selling franchises of all time. By AkiKishi's logic, female leads should already be commonplace.
But even if you did get 8 million people to buy one game with a female lead, that won't convince the industry to suddenly change tack. The truth is that the people in control of the industry don't want to invest in making female leads successful.
The most recent TombRaider is around 6 mil. That's after many months and selling at a lower price point. Square Enix announced that the game failed to meet expectations and It's the best selling Tombraider of the franchise.
http://www.eurogamer...it-expectations
http://www.polygon.c...franchises-best
When you have to worry about how you portray them as well, which can be a landmine. Its little wonder the industry does not want to get involved.
The most recent TombRaider is around 6 mil. That's after many months and selling at a lower price point. Square Enix announced that the game failed to meet expectations and It's the best selling Tombraider of the franchise.
http://www.eurogamer...it-expectations
http://www.polygon.c...franchises-best
When you have to worry about how you portray them as well, which can be a landmine. Its little wonder the industry does not want to get involved.
It can be argued that it didn't sell as well at first because it wasn't marketed well, and word of mouth and good reviews brought sales up. So what is the point of trying to prove that other games have failed at doing what this thread is asking for?
And personally, I would like the Female Inquisitor to be portrayed just like the Male Inquisitor, no more, no less. It's not a landmine or a puzzle.
It can be argued that it didn't sell as well at first because it wasn't marketed well, and word of mouth and good reviews brought sales up. So what is the point of trying to prove that other games have failed at doing what this thread is asking for?
And personally, I would like the Female Inquisitor to be portrayed just like the Male Inquisitor, no more, no less. It's not a landmine or a puzzle.
It could be argued, but it would be just plain wrong.Tomb Raider was marketed very well. It's also high 80's on metacritic.
http://www.mcvuk.com...t-of-q1/0111456
“We’ve been supporting Tomb Raider from a media perspective ever since we first announced the title two years ago – this involved YouTube and social networking activity as well as online advertising around big Lara announcements,” added product manager Elizabeth Blackman.
“As we ran into the launch period, we sponsored the very successful Sky 1 show Arrow and also have a great cinema campaign around high profile movies.”
Ads will also run during the Champions League return leg between Man United and Real Madrid, and posters can be seen around London Underground stations and on buses.
The most recent TombRaider is around 6 mil. That's after many months and selling at a lower price point. Square Enix announced that the game failed to meet expectations and It's the best selling Tombraider of the franchise.
http://www.eurogamer...it-expectations
http://www.polygon.c...franchises-best
When you have to worry about how you portray them as well, which can be a landmine. Its little wonder the industry does not want to get involved.
Square considered it a failure because they expected it to make up for the huge losses a bunch of their crap games added to the books. The idea that a single game will balance your books is stupid.
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