Is DEI Really The Problem?

So over the course of the past year or so we have seen a lot of discourse surrounding DEI in games and games becoming too….woke. So before we dive in, let’s define some terms to make it easier for readers to understand.

The first of which is DEI. DEI stands for Diversity, Equity and Inclusivity. According to Wikipedia it is an organizational framework the fair treament and full participation of all people regardless of their background. In other words, it’s a hiring practice meant to ensure that people are represented and aren’t going to be turned down an opportunity because they’re a POC, female, LGBTQA, or disabled or other things that I’m forgetting. Now that doesn’t mean that they get the job automatically, they still have to be qualified to do the job. So what does this have to do with video games?

It’s probably due to a lot of developers wanting to make their games be more inclusive to a wider audience. Probably because the demographic of gamers has changed over the years. According to one such study, it seems that women now make up about half of the gaming population, which for a large part was made up by men. I noticed this shift in 2004, with games like Final Fantasy X-2, Pokemon Crystal and Mobile Light Force 2 being marketed to women.

But more often than not having a female protagonist would make many scream woke worse if that protagonist was a POC. So what exactly is woke? By the definition it was a term used by black people dating back to the 1930’s if not earlier to be used as an adjective to refer to being alert of racial prejudice and discrimination. It popped up again in the 1970’s and later in 2010’s. Though people have used it sarcastically to make mention of people’s virtue signaling, and meant it to encompass all of equality and equity which is honestly really fucking stupid.

I will be blunt, words have meaning. Words like woke have a very very specific meaning. And when you include things like gender equality, and equity and other things, you’re really making yourself look like an idiot. Especially when having equal representation of characters has been in video games since the 2000’s.

Which is why I included a screenshot from Shadow Hearts Covenant. Which would be a really woke game by today’s standards. There have been people who have ignored the fact that throughout the game you’re constantly looking for gay porn in random places to give to a gay dressmaker to give him inspiration to make dresses for doll.

In case people forgot what exactly the stud cards were, they were pictures of men usually half naked or fully naked save for a specific item covering their dick. If you talk to a gentleman I think in Florence that wanted Yuri to even pose for a stud card using his pendant. In the same game one of the sidequests has you take part in the Man Festival. Which the ending of has….well see for yourself.

Not to mention Yuri being called the Godslayer would probably make many Christians faint, also including him transforming into demons, the use of tarot cards, magic, Karin’s dating outfit, Veronica Vera, the Night Queen, and many other things that would be deemed as sacrilegious. So the irony would be that a lot of gamers would refuse to play this game just based on all of this. And don’t try to lie and say that you would. The game borders on edginess taken out of a Lovecraft novel and is set during World War I.

The sequel game is just as “woke” as the second game. Taking place in 1929 New York the game takes us on a road trip throughout North America and South America, trying to find the mysterious Lady before she drowns the world in malice. One of the main characters of the game is a Native American princess turned bounty hunter after the murder of her entire clan. She like Yuri in the previous game is a harmonixer. Though her power is a bit different because she uses fetish statues to become an avatar of a Native American deity, and she strips. Not kidding.

On top of the return of one of the Magimel’s brothers and his partner. So more gay people featured that would make many people cringe and cry. And again those who have played the games and would claim that these things aren’t a problem. don’t lie. You just never really paid attention that closely to what was going on with the games.

The big irony is that during 2004, when Final Fantasy X-2 came out, a lot of people despised it. I was 14 at the time and honestly, it was my favorite game. I loved the theme of the game, how Spira after being smacked by a cycle of never ending death and destruction, has grown and embraced life. With the introduction of spheres and a need to learn about the past or what the cause of the Great Machina War was. Yuna especially grew, and tried to find herself and her identity after becoming the first living High Summoner and going on a quest to trying to find Tidus or why the person in the sphere that Rikku founds looks like him. Not to mention the dressphere system was a good homage to the FFV’s and FFIII’s job class system.

Koda Kumi’s real Emotion has lived rent free in my head since I first heard it in a demo for FFX-2 on Unlimited Saga and probably a song that I have played on repeat during high school even though we got an English version from a different singer. Anyway, the same people who hated this game in 2004, would have called it too woke if it were to be released today.

It’s not the inclusion is somehow forced but it’s been a part of gaming since the 2000’s. People just listen to people complain about these games and re-regurgitate their opinions without just sitting down and playing the game. While yes it’s annoying for companies like Sweet Baby Inc to try and do what they do, but at the same time it’s more annoying to have someone complain about a game and not play it. Like I will complain endlessly about why I don’t like Shadow Hearts: From the New World, but that’s because not only have I played it. I beat it. I also got the good ending.

Same thing with Samurai Legend Musashi. I played the game and I beat it. I have things that I do not like about the game.

So in conclusion, DEI isn’t the problem. The problem is always going to be complaining about games just to complain about games. My recommendation is always going to be play the game, give it a chance and try to at least beat the game once. You don’t know about a game until you play it and you can’t judge the game based on it’s cover.

Take Mobile Force 2. I doubt anyone calling games slop or woke would ever wish to pick up this game just because of the cover featuring three women. It gives off the vibes of a Charlie’s Angels game but if you played it you would discover a better game.

Castle of Shikigami was a side scrolling shooter that was ported over to the US under a different name because it was likely that the publisher didn’t know how to market the game. Even it’s prequel Gunbird was also known as Mobile Light Force. But the moral of the story is: Don’t judge a book by its cover.

Just because a game is “woke” or has DEI doesn’t mean you don’t play it. Go give it a try. See for yourself what the game is about and form your own opinions.

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