The Pervgeld
A strange example of how not to deal with fanatics is here in this posting I saw on the twitter machine the other day. It is a tantrum about the alleged lack of diversity in the video game rackets. It is comedy gold.
BioWare’s attempt to depict a trans woman character in Mass Effect: Andromeda was a disaster. From a report that emerged about BioWare’s apparent failure to consult with actual trans people, to the developer’s unsubstantiated claim about its “diverse” workforce, its mishandling of the issue is highlighting a massive issue in the gaming industry: We don’t really know anything about the people who make the games we play.
I don’t know about this particular game, but many games have unicorns and elves in them. I doubt that the game makers consult with unicorns and elves about how they depict those characters. So-called “trans people” are just as mythical as elves. A man pretending to be a woman is no different than someone walking around thinking they are a hobbit from the shire. Are game makers required to consult with the people pretending to be hobbits?
To its credit, BioWare is updating the character, Hainly Abrams, to be a more sensitive, realistic depiction of a trans person’s lived experience. But the whole kerfuffle has made one thing clear: If game developers want to show they’re taking representation seriously, they should stop being so secretive about whom they hire.
Why this ridiculous weirdo thinks it is any of his business would make for an interesting interview, but neo-fascists like Tim Mulkerin tend to avoid these questions. They just take it for granted that they have the whip hand as cultural commissars.
Unfortunately, there’s simply not enough pressure on game developers to hire more marginalized folks at the moment — and that’s something diversity reports might kick-start. Right now, it’s easier to just maintain the status quo, to maintain employment devoid of actual diversity — because nobody will ever know the difference. Publishing diversity reports would be a great first step to shaking things up.
Maybe banks and law firms should do the same or perhaps Tim should demand diversity on the Supreme Court of the United States. After all, three lesbians and just one WASP male suggests a strong bias against the majority of the population. How about some diversity in the NBA? Not a lot of the majority population there either. Oh right. Never mind.
And it’s not as though the value of having a diverse staff is up for debate. It’s clear that diverse workforces improve companies and the economy at large. In fact, the benefits of a diverse workplace are evident when it comes to the writing of BioWare’s last game, Dragon Age: Inquisition.
There you go. The fact that there is no evidence that so-called diversity has any value is unimportant. What’s important is it is not up for debate you bigots. The fact that diversity is actually terrible for tech companies is besides the point.
What game companies like BioWare are about to learn is that the only response to the diversity lunatics is a hearty and enthusiastic “Go fuck yourself!” when they show up at the door. BioWare would make more money by having a character modeled after David Duke than they would by catering to mentally disturbed men in sundresses, who also like gaming. There’s zero benefit in paying the pervgeld to the trannies. You just end up with a bunch of perverts and deviants in your ranks.
Or worse. BioWare invested in diversity rather than producing a quality product and the result was a shit product they cannot give away. Lunatics like Tim Mulkerin will claim the reason is the game failed to include enough blue-haired lesbians on the development team or some such nonsense, because that is how the mind of a fanatic works. They can’t change their mind and they won’t change the subject. The reality is there is no market for this stuff. Gamers want to have fun, not be lectured by a lunatic.
To keep Z Man's voice alive for future generations, we’ve archived his writings from the original site at thezman.com. We’ve edited out ancillary links, advertisements, and donation requests to focus on his written content.
Comments (Historical)
The comments below were originally posted to thezman.com.
45 Comments