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General Category => Blog => Topic started by: kat on June 17, 2016, 09:26:49 AM

Title: BBC & "Finally some progress on diversity" at E3
Post by: kat on June 17, 2016, 09:26:49 AM
Dear BBC, please don't patronize good game or character design, made for contextual reasons (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-36546355), with the Corporations disingenuous, self-serving motivations to be at the forefront of the New Political (http://www.spectator.co.uk/2016/04/the-politically-correct-way-to-do-racism/) Correct Movement (http://www.katsbits.com/smforum/index.php?topic=824.0) simply because that's an expedient tool to obfuscate the Company's own long-standing failings[1]. The process of deciding 'why' a given character is designed a particular way often takes years of development, discussion and refinement, not something readily subject to superficial whims of fancy or three-day news-cycle jingoism.

The broader context of the above relates to this years E3 (Electronic Entertainment Expo (https://www.e3expo.com/)), about which a number of self-proclaim 'progressive' news and media outlets vociferously expressed the opinion that many of the games on show lacked "diversity"[2], they (press/media) were tired seeing the same old "underwear as armor" character design[3], or were just too violent[4]. Games fulfilling the media led quotas were praised, others languish in the relative, irony-not-lost, safety of obscurity, or are heavily criticised and shamed as examples of exactly the kind of thing that justifies the rhetoric in the first place. Developers just can't win, the same statement can be perfectly sensible in one outlet, and completely monstrous in another depending, not on the speakers 'original truth', but the subsequent author proclivities.

Quote
"The only way to win the game is not to play".

Additional Reading
- The dark side of diversity: "positive discrimination" (reverse discrimination) (http://www.katsbits.com/smforum/index.php?topic=824.0).
- Paris terrorists (may have) used PlayStation 4's (http://www.katsbits.com/smforum/index.php?topic=872.0).
- Charlie Hebdo, terrorism and freedom of speech (http://www.katsbits.com/smforum/index.php?topic=881.0).
- Does media violence predict societal violence? (study) (http://www.katsbits.com/smforum/index.php?topic=852.0).
- Terrorism, web sites, games and privacy (anonymity) (http://www.katsbits.com/smforum/index.php?topic=53.0).
- Aggression from video games 'linked to incompetence' (http://www.katsbits.com/smforum/index.php?topic=853.0).
- Long-term Effects of Violent Video Games on Aggressive Behavior (http://www.katsbits.com/smforum/index.php?topic=854.0).
- The Benefits of Playing Video Games (http://www.katsbits.com/smforum/index.php?topic=856.0).



Footnotes:
[1] "BBC accused of ‘racism’ for turning away white applicants from BAME diversity scheme (http://metro.co.uk/2016/06/02/bbc-accused-of-racism-for-turning-away-white-applicants-from-bame-diversity-scheme-5919782/#ixzz4BpcSeSWe)", "BBC promises to hire more women and ethnic minorities (http://metro.co.uk/2016/04/23/bbc-promises-to-hire-more-women-and-ethnic-minorities-5837023/#ixzz4BpchjmhM)", "Top of the Pops: How BBC show was a breeding ground for **** abusers including Jimmy Savile (http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/top-of-the-pops-how-bbc-show-was-a-breeding-ground-for-****-abusers-including-jimmy-savile-a6900816.html)", "All Saints claim BBC told them to strip topless during Top of the Pops performance (http://www.dailystar.co.uk/showbiz/507935/All-Saints-claim-BBC-asked-them-go-topless-Top-of-the-pops)", "ITV investigation: Politician Sir Clement Freud accused of child **** abuse (http://www.itv.com/news/2016-06-14/late-politician-sir-clement-freud-accused-of-child-****-abuse/)" etc.

[2] "diversity" as understood by an ideologically motivated 'progressive' mindset typically of a (pseudo)intellectual elite(ist), i.e. "E3 diversity report - so was it a white guy-fest again? | Technology ... (https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2016/jun/15/black-female-video-game-heroes-e3-diversity-report-microsoft-bethesda-sony-ubisoft-ea)", "Guardian: 'E3 diversity report - so was it a white guy-fest again ... (http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?p=207175520)", "E3 2015: Diversity the big winner at E3 | Develop (http://www.develop-online.net/opinions/e3-2015-diversity-the-big-winner-at-e3/0207905)", "Gender and Diversity at E3 and so on... (http://www.cs.northwestern.edu/%7Ehunicke/photos/E32004/diversity/)", "Black video game heroes and failed Bechdel tests – the E3 diversity report (http://www.techsite.io/p/364514)", and about 600,000 other returns (https://www.google.co.uk/#q=e3+diversity&start=10) (a good percentage of which appear to be unrelated junk it should be noted, as is common with most search online).

[3] Absent context, which is often conveniently omitted from discussion on the subject, anything can be argued as inappropriate. In other words "Underwear of Power", "Chainmail Bikini", "Bulletproof Vest", "Lingerie as Armor" all being expressions of the same basic idea or 'trope', that of whether skimpy clothing is adequate battle garb deconstructed as reinforcing negative stereotypes rather than a positive expression of what makes us human, our bipedal upright physicality.

[4] this issue of game related violence took centre-stage in this years media due to a number of significant and tragic shootings this year, Orlando being the most egregious at time of writing. Press and media used the event to push an anti-gun, "games-cause-violence" narrative through ostensibly click-bait headlines - "How do you sell violent games after a tragedy? Pretend like it didn't happen (http://www.theverge.com/2016/6/12/11914658/electronic-arts-e3-press-conference-gun-violence)", "Video Game Trade Show Kicks Off Under Cloud Of Real-Life Violence (http://www.npr.org/sections/alltechconsidered/2016/06/14/481408474/video-game-trade-show-kicks-off-under-cloud-of-real-life-violence)" et al - which are in stark contrast to the numbers; about 15% of games at this years (2016) E3 were FPS that included the use of guns, c. 20% were non-FPS but still used guns, and 65% of games shown had no guns at all (source unconfirmed/unverified (https://twitter.com/SuperNerdLand/status/743547438603059201)).