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[Spirit Keeper]

tl;dr version at bottom.

 

The media really favours straight white men and as has been pointed out about DAI, it's not different. The amount of 'straight white men' that are the main focus in media is kind of sad. There is a general issue but why can't we have more black female leads (Ororo Munroe anyone?) or gay men or if you really want to break the mold, have a trans person as the star. What i'm looking for is some equal representation for all kinds of people.

 

 

Take mass effect for example as the straight white male. One of the trailers for Mass Effect 1 had the default male Shepard and at one part of the trailer he does that huge embrace kiss with Ashley. Why not show two women or men doing the same thing for example. Now we look at Dragon Age Origins, DA2 and DAIs trailers. White men who, at least in the case of DA2, are straight (Isabela).

 

 

The issues are similar but also vary depending on the group. For women it mainly seems as underrepresentation, there just isn't much of a spotlight on them, which especially for games that have the choice of gender, it makes it comes across as the female characters being an afterthought. I'm not saying that they ARE an afterthought, only that is the impression it gives. I will gives props to Bioware for not using the 'if the main character is a woman then she must make sure everyone knows and be a b*tch about it'. Because that, quite frankly, is rubbish. It it still doesn't excuse the underrepresentation.

 

 

Take non-straight characters. If there is a guy on a TV show, he's never just a man who is gay. He is 'the gay guy'. but what does this mean? Well, 9 times out of 10 this character's purpose is to cause drama between people and to make sure they've slept with every other non-straight man (probably some of the straight characters too). Is any of that bad? Possibly, it depends you see. Game of Thrones changed a book character (Olyvar Frey) so he can be gay and cause drams and sleep with people.

 

Two characters on a British soap opera called Coronation Street recently went through a plot line where the gay guy tricks the "gay guy who likes women" (seriously that's how he's described in the show) into sleeping with him. Effectively cause the BI guy to cheat on his girlfriend for a few months. I'll admit that this is my pet peeve, as a gay man myself and someone who is 21 and still a virgin as i'm waiting for a committed relationship first i'm bothered that according to the media I must be a sex-crazed, deceptive individual who spends my free time working on ways to cause drama for people and find my next sexual conquest. (That's ridiculous, if I did than I wouldn't have time to play my RPGs). But it's not as if it's limited to gay men, it's practically any non-straight character. If you're lesbian than what you really are is all of the above and the desire for all men AND not really gay. If you're bisexual then what you really are is either straight or gay and you haven't decided OR just...'greedy' >_> yeah, uh huh, whatever  The sexuality just isn't a part of the character, the sexuality IS the character and a totally stereotyped one at that.

 

 

Look at black characters. They are mostly portrayed as thugs and if they play any main role it's always some loud, rude individual who is generally up to no good OR a character that was white and changed to be black instead of being a black character. This seems to apply to any not white, not Caucasian character. This mostly occurs in film adaptation of superhero stories for some reason. This is again a big issue with the media, they portrays groups using narrow stereotypes which people watch and then think that's how all people of that group are like.

 

 

I'd just like to see equal representation for all people not one specific group of people. Furthermore, i'd like it to be non-stereotyped representation (using the non-straight and black example). I don't want to make this thread about equal rights because that is a different subject, I only wish to discuss the even and fair representation of all people. There are a lot of different people in this world, be it straight, bi, gay, trans, pan, male or female and everyone deserves to be included without people overlooking their issues just because they are a minority or a woman or a man or black or asian or mexican or every-other-possible-reason-for-someone-to-be-a-pain-in-the-as*. What I am asking Bioware is to careful consider representing all people in marketing, we have enough straight white men as the 'face' of a game or show in marketing. If you can't do this for Inquisition then keep in in mind for future games when thinking about trailers and other such marketing. But please, don't just do stereotypes there is enough of that already and it doesn't need to be added to (and remember that there is no such thing as a good stereotype). I know this was extremely long winded and many people may just want to skip past it but if you did read it all then kudos, you deserve a cookie! 

 

 

tl;dr - People from all walks of life should get equal and non-stereotyped representation in media regardless of gender, sexuality or ethnicity and Bioware should be on that like hotcakes.

 

[AlanC9]

What are you asking from Bio, exactly? Multiple Inquisitors in marketing materials?

[Spirit Keeper]

What are you asking from Bio, exactly? Multiple Inquisitors in marketing materials?

I am. Show some same sex kissing. Show a black inquisitor getting things done, show a female inquisitor being a boss. There is enough straight white men in marketing to last a lifetime.

[SwobyJ]

I've given less of a damn what marketing does with every year.

[slimgrin]

It's about time we had a thread on this.

[Stelae]

Too damn right, OP.  What's the point of having a games engine that'll give you photo-quality heroes and heroines, if you aren't going to show them in all their glorious diversity.

 

When BW gets it right, they do really well - Joker is a terrific character, and his physical impairment adds depth to his character without being its defining characteristic.  Wade and Herren were a sweet, bickering ... well, I thought they were sweet, anyhow ... couple.  It wasn't signposted, but it was there.

 

I was pondering, when last I lost an afternoon to TV tropes, that these days there's a lot of information in the public domain on stereotypes and cliches.  I'm really hoping that will help writers identify when they are being lazy and boring.  We can aggregate data so much more quickly these days, and the first step to better representation is seeing what bad representation looks like. (Oh, look -- it turns out that gay man is a villain, again ... yawn ... and so on).

 

I know that in a game where you define your protagonist, it's as diverse as you care to make it, but I think the advertising and publicity doesn't make enough of a virtue of it.  BW should be shouting from the rooftops that your black, female Inquisitor is a world-class arse-kicker.  Or your musclebound Qunari, when he's not laying waste to his enemies, like to spend time with his boyfriend.  This stuff makes for better stories.  It gives people not only better representation, but a more diverse group of characters to choose from. 

 

I also want to see more background characters who are black, Asian, Hispanic, gay, straight, single parents, people with a disability, you name it, living effective, complicated lives. 

[TurretSyndrome]

Only going to happen when "minorities" become the majority. Catering will always be towards the majority, that's how the world works. This is the same for everything, not just gaming. You can "demand" all you want that things change, but they won't. All you can do is hope that they change.

[spirosz]

Question... are you planning to pick up the game, regardless of the marketing because if so.... 

[SwobyJ]

(Default Male) Shepard looks vaguely middle-eastern to me. Like, he's white, but in a different world and with longer hair he could be a mix of several ethnicity. Not quite the same thing as Mark Vanderloo himself.

 

But yeah, sure. I'm all for stories that have a full range of options.

 

Too bad that the money doesn't seem to want to fully support it yet. I think the day will come though, and sooner than most activists even think.

[Knight of Dane]

It's about time we had a thread on this.

We've had it many other times. But I think it's a topic worth restoring regardless.

 

And me: Yes I agree, there is underrepresentation. But I don't feel like Bioware should represent anything at all since they make role playing games. Show as little of the main character as possible and let it be up to the imagination of the player to decide who the hero is.

 

The trouble with that is that it doesn't really relate to anyone besides CC and RPG fans. Anyone who wants to make a successful product is going to attept to market it to the largest audience.

[SwobyJ]

Only going to happen when "minorities" become the majority. Catering will always be towards the majority, that's how the world works. This is the same for everything, not just gaming. You can "demand" all you want that things change, but they won't. All you can do is hope that they change.

 

This is true. My last post above is more in reference to the idea that eventually, even the majority and overwhelming opinion will be some degree of wanting variety over the same thing over and over. I may be white, but I'm part of one of the first generations that look at a skin color and just go 'cool, skin color' above any other thought. And the heterosexual children of today will also be more likely go to 'oh, you like other guys' towards my sexual orientation above any other thought, in their adulthood.

 

While enclaves of exclusive (as in 'I don't want association with the Other') thought may always exist, networking and communication technology enables us to see the alien as familiar over time, and eventually *not* seeing difference in others becomes the weird and possibly boring exception. That's not to say that 'white straight' protagonists can't happen. I'm completely for them. But for that to be the seemingly 'go to' position... I really think that's on its way out, over the next couple decades. I know people want it NOW, but progress usually happens at a pace.

[AresKeith]

The Inquisitor currently used in marketing atm looks black (or atleast darker skin tone) to me

[Nocte ad Mortem]

Wait, there are still gay dudes in Game of Thrones? I thought they killed off the only gay couple in the first season. Maybe I should give watching it a second consideration. lol

[daveliam]

Wait, there are still gay dudes in Game of Thrones? I thought they killed off the only gay couple in the first season. Maybe I should give watching it a second consideration. lol

 

The gay content isn't worth watching for.  It's minimal.  Right now, there is one gay guy and two bisexual guys (one of whom is a prostitute), all of whom are supporting characters.

 

That being said, it's totally worth watching for many other reasons.

[EkhidnaDrakaina]

This minority is tired of all these social justice threads.

OP, the reason we do not get these things is due to mass appeal marketing. The Marketing Team has to make Dragon Age: Inquisition look like the coolest flippin' game out there, gotta-buy-it to everybody. Not just those that agree with your sweet sentiments, but the bigots and closed minded individuals who judge minorities like us- and they have a limited budget to do it with.

So they do a marketing campaign with a stereotypical white male Inquisitor because according to surveys, charts and lots and lots of consumer studies- that's what the majority of buyers are.

[PSUHammer]

Unfortunately, history has shown that money is the main determining factor in marketing, not equality.  So, marketing to the largest common denominator is status quo.

 

That being said, Bioware should be applauded for advancing minority representation in their games.  I yearn for a day where this simply isn't an issue any more.

[Steppenwolf]

I am. Show some same sex kissing. Show a black inquisitor getting things done, show a female inquisitor being a boss. There is enough straight white men in marketing to last a lifetime.

 

Good Lord...

Aside from the fact that that would be a cluster**** of a marketing campaign, having so many different protagonists, this is so inherently dumb.

 

"BioWare needs to include everybody in their marketing materials, except white men, because if they don't then they're not being inclusive!"

 

Where does it end? Dozens of trailers, each showing a different combination of race, gender and sexual orientation(except straight white male, obviously)? It's beyond obnoxious. It's marketing, not oppression. It's not BioWare's marketing department's job to promote women, trans people, every minority, and every sexual orientation. For crap's sake, BioWare is already more inclusive than pretty much any developer. Give them a freaking break. Marketing is just marketing. It doesn't impact the way you play the game at all.

[Aimi]

Only going to happen when "minorities" become the majority.

They are. White heterosexual males are definitely a minority on Earth.

[TurretSyndrome]

They are. White heterosexual males are definitely a minority on Earth.

 

All good then? 

 

 

Was waiting for someone to say that.

[Hanako Ikezawa]

They are. White heterosexual males are definitely a minority on Earth.

Earth as a whole, yes. The parts of Earth where the games are mostly sold, no. 

[Nefla]

I for one would love some freaking variety in video games and video game marketing. I already know you can play other races/genders/ethnicities/orientations/etc...in Inquisition so I will buy it. If I didn't know anything about the company's history, based on current trailers it would not grab my attention. "Straight white guy chosen one saving the world" is what's being peddled in the trailers. I have played games like that a thousand times before and I'm sick of them. What the trailers don't show you are the things important to me: choice, character building, roleplaying, companion and npc interaction, relationships, drama, customization etc...The "safe" choice, the "sure bet" choice of a generic straight Caucasian guy with dark hair and stubble or a beard is so done to death that it actually puts me off a game. It's gotten so ridiculous that these days I actively avoid games with Mr. "safe" as the protagonist (or where you are tricked into thinking he's the set protagonist like DA:I and ME series).

[AlanC9]

I am. Show some same sex kissing. Show a black inquisitor getting things done, show a female inquisitor being a boss. There is enough straight white men in marketing to last a lifetime.

What would this ad look like to people who aren't us? How would the average viewer know that those random people are all the PC?

[DaySeeker]

My protagonist is always gay in Bioware games.  I agree with the OP's point, but think it is misdirected.  Bioware games have had gay controversy almost every time through (the controversy being they had gay content).  The DA developers have been kind and open with their various fans throughout, having conversations, seeking guidance.  Women play very important roles in the Dragon Age universe, and the current cover has a figure of indeterminate gender.  In the games there have been various skin tones represented, granted, some of them are strange and the nonwhite ones are the strangest.  If anything I am hoping they can create more realistic tones, but looking at Vivienne (who is fabulous) seems to prove they have this down too.

[Kaibe]

I agree with OP, but I feel that Bioware is taking steps in the right direction.

[spirosz]

My protagonist is always gay in Bioware games.  I agree with the OP's point, but think it is misdirected.  Bioware games have had gay controversy almost every time through (the controversy being they had gay content).  The DA developers have been kind and open with their various fans throughout, having conversations, seeking guidance.  Women play very important roles in the Dragon Age universe, and the current cover has a figure of indeterminate gender.  In the games there have been various skin tones represented, granted, some of them are strange and the nonwhite ones are the strangest.  If anything I am hoping they can create more realistic tones, but looking at Vivienne (who is fabulous) seems to prove they have this down too.

 

Word... good mindset towards it.

 

Plus, if you know Bioware... you should realize what Bioware does with their PC characters - you'll be able to change your skin tone, be a female, etc... I understand the intention of these threads and I agree to an extent, but I bet most of you have been long time Bioware fans or at least recently and realize what they do with their games for the past few years.

 

But "we" want more... ha.