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WaffleTaco

Community Resettler
Avenger
Oct 25, 2017
2,908
Could be better. How about having more non straight character? I dare you name a single AAA with a gay man set protagonist, cause I can only think of AC odyssey
To be fair can you name many network shows (even cable) or big movies with the main protagonist being a member of the LGBT?
 

ClickyCal'

Member
Oct 25, 2017
59,467
I actually think days gone looks good, but they definitely could have made the main character PoC. Black, hispanic, asian, etc.
 

Kin5290

Member
Oct 26, 2017
3,390
I actually think days gone looks good, but they definitely could have made the main character PoC. Black, hispanic, asian, etc.
A big part of why I'm not that interested in it is it's white male biker protagonist, which seems like the most boring combination of attributes the developer could have chosen.
 

XR.

Member
Nov 22, 2018
6,576
It is, mate. It's frankly insulting that developers or writers (thinking about tv shows or movies) just paste a latinamerican or black face over an old character that was created as a white representation.
It's like saying: "look guys! Remember The Flash? You could be like him! Imagine that? You could be as good as this white male character!"
Why not create a completely new one?
You can't just create new characters on a whim. It's not inherently insulting for writers or developers to change a character, I don't see how you came to that conclusion at all
 
Oct 29, 2017
4,721
Honestly? It's an improvement over previous years. At least we're actually really starting to see some women on the cover as protagonists.

Considering how inherently misogynistic this industry is and how much it has struggled to shake that off? That alone is a big accomplishment for it.

Better representation for POC will no doubt come in time.

Could be better. How about having more non straight character? I dare you name a single AAA with a gay man set protagonist, cause I can only think of AC odyssey

TLOU2 stars a lesbian woman.
 

Paquete_PT

Avenger
Oct 27, 2017
5,316
I think, when I type it in on Google that image popped up
Here's a better one

NXnHirE.jpg
Lol, no he isn't :p you gotta see they're different right?
 

Static

Avenger
Oct 25, 2017
6,107
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Richter1887

Banned
Oct 27, 2017
39,146
Naw that's Cesar Vialpando.

Wikipedia claims this is CJ
220px-CarlJohnsonGTA.jpg

But I have my doubts about that too. He has the top button only look you see on the hispanic gangs in the game like the Vagos. I think it's more likely there's just no art of CJ in that style.
Nah that's CJ. (the guy in the art you posted)

Same starter hair, same facial hair and he looks really close. I forgot if CJ could wear these shirts or not but everything else fits.
 

Static

Avenger
Oct 25, 2017
6,107
Nah that's CJ. (the guy in the art you posted)

Same starter hair, same facial hair and he looks really close. I forgot if CJ could wear these shirts or not but everything else fits.
I think you're right. That is him in every other way.

EDIT: In other ways I'm wrong about things, I can't actually find any images of the Vagos or VLA doing that style either.
 

thediamondage

Member
Oct 25, 2017
11,229
Are there any stats on how games with POC leads do $$ wise vs games with white leads? I know in movies there have recently been stats that say women in blockbusters earn more than men although I'm not sure how stuff like Infinite War translate, would Gamora be considered a lead or just Thanos, Iron Man and Thor?

I know there have been stats in the past on when games offer the users a choice on who to play, an overwhelming number of people tend to pick male (Mass Effect, Dragons Age) although I would be curious to hear how the stats line up in Assassins Creed Odyssey or Fortnite.
 

floridaguy954

Member
Oct 29, 2017
3,631
Im 100% for more diversity in video games, but a lot of those characters are old as hell, can't expect Leon to be a person of color suddenly, though i would be 100% fine with RE8 having a POC protag, in fact it's about time really, RE7 might have been a good opportunity for that since it took place in a pretty diverse state.
They really need to bring back Sheva.

Why the fuck did they only have her in one game?
 

Static

Avenger
Oct 25, 2017
6,107
Can I just come in here to say I really wish we were playing as these girls.
They look badass! Why do they have to be the bad guys?
The Far Cry bad guys are always scenery chewing scene stealing stars with way more interesting shit goin on than the protags.

VsTX6DB.png


a6vgj07.png


far-cry-5-joseph-seed.jpg


They're outrageous in a way that might not be super tolerable as player characters.

Far Cry 4 came the closest we would get before customizable avatars to a cool PC, Ajay Ghale.

ELO69OG.jpg


But he still a kinda dull plucky do-gooder. I think that's part of what makes the villains work so well, though. They get your mundane character as a foil so they can hog all that lime light. Plus, Far Cry is an FPS series. If we were playing as the most visually and theatrically interesting characters, we'd never get to see them ham it up.

FOOTNOTE: I haven't played FC5 so I can only assume Joseph Seed continues the trend.
 

Pagoto93

Banned
Nov 3, 2017
776
She is Greek, and Greeks are Mediterranean just like the people of the Levant, Berbers, Iberians, Southern Italians and Sicilians, Turks, and Egyptians.

Not to forget Syrians, Turks and Lebanese. :(

The theory of a Mediterranean race is long dead and as has been said, was a way of contrasting northern and southern Europeans.

The only group here that's ethnically close to Greeks is southern Italians. I wouldn't feel any more represented playing a Syrian than I would a Scandinavian.
 

Ronin1138

Banned
Jan 10, 2019
246
Well post some examples! I don't know if OP is against it though, but I would find it interesting to look even beyond AAA. Making another thread for it would be bit silly and maybe even be closed.
Elle from last of us, the guy from mafia 3, several assassins creed leads, ghosts of tsushima, and watch dogs 2 come to mind right away. Going back a little further there was also sleeping dogs and uncharted lost legacy.
 

Kozy

Member
Dec 4, 2017
1,005
Im 100% for more diversity in video games, but a lot of those characters are old as hell, can't expect Leon to be a person of color suddenly, though i would be 100% fine with RE8 having a POC protag, in fact it's about time really, RE7 might have been a good opportunity for that since it took place in a pretty diverse state.

I don't think the OP is complaining about any of the characters, just compiling a list of all AAA games they think are coming this year. No one is suggesting changing Leon's race.
 

NoKisum

Member
Nov 11, 2017
4,913
DMV Area, USA
I still don't understand why AAA devs hate Afrocentric hairstyles so much.

Then again, I still don't understand why character creator systems hate Afrocentric hairstyles either.
 

Dewin

Member
Oct 26, 2017
627
I agree that there should be a wide variety of cultures in games OP. But you're selection of 2019 AAA games is piss poor. When you talk about AAA games, but you "forget" about games like Crackdown 3 and Far Cry: New Dawn you kinda miss the mark.
 
Oct 27, 2017
15,010
I think that OP seems like relatively good representation in terms of gender, there's also at least one homosexual character in there (Ellie from TLoU) and throw in the protagonist from Crackdown and you have a black guy in the line-up. Admittedly representation for black people is underwhelming and the likes of Central/South American, Indian or African is pretty much nonexistent as per usual, but we've only really started getting solid representation for women in the last gen or so, so hopefully in a few years things will be looking better for minority protagonists in games as well.
 

vestan

#REFANTAZIO SWEEP
Member
Dec 28, 2017
24,605
I think that OP seems like relatively good representation in terms of gender, there's also at least one homosexual character in there (Ellie from TLoU) and throw in the protagonist from Crackdown and you have a black guy in the line-up. Admittedly representation for black people is underwhelming and the likes of Central/South American, Indian or African is pretty much nonexistent as per usual, but we've only really started getting solid representation for women in the last gen or so, so hopefully in a few years things will be looking better for minority protagonists in games as well.
Crackdown 3 doesn't have a set protagonist like the other games. You choose between a pool of readily-available agents.

E32017_Xbox_Crackdown3-7.png
 
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Shark

Member
Oct 28, 2017
8,126
Raleigh, NC
I can count the number of times I've played as a black woman in video games on one hand. It seems far and away the most lacking perspective and representation iright now and I don't see much sign of that changing.

It stands out even more with how many great films last year had no problem putting those women front and center.
 

Moose the Mooche

User-Requested Ban
Banned
Oct 27, 2017
1,538
Netherlands
About cultures representation... do we count religion as a culture? If we do. Do we need more focus on that as well? Some poster earlier posted that we need more muslim heroes and i can see why he/she would post that.
 

floridaguy954

Member
Oct 29, 2017
3,631
I can count the number of times I've played as a black woman in video games on one hand. It seems far and away the most lacking perspective and representation iright now and I don't see much sign of that changing.

It stands out even more with how many great films last year had no problem putting those women front and center.
I know right? Why does gaming have to hate on our black women?

Like I said earlier, they need more representation, starting with Sheva in Resident Evil 8.
 

ShinUltramanJ

Member
Oct 27, 2017
12,949
Can I just come in here to say I really wish we were playing as these girls.
They look badass! Why do they have to be the bad guys?

Are they confirmed to be the villains? I don't know anything about the new Far Cry, but I'm thinking there's an emphasis on co-op like the upcoming Wolfenstein.

Also, has anyone mentioned Beyond Good and Evil 2?

snaps-trailer-beyond-good-and-evil-about-ign-e3-on-ign-7i-1497302345356_1280w.jpg

Beyond-Good-Evil-2-Demo-Shot-02.jpg
 

JahIthBer

Member
Jan 27, 2018
10,376
I don't think the OP is complaining about any of the characters, just compiling a list of all AAA games they think are coming this year. No one is suggesting changing Leon's race.
I know, im just pointing out there is a lot of sequels & remakes in there. Sora & Leon are old characters, though that's another issue with the lack of diversity in the industry, too many sequels & remakes shut down anything new, of course im just as guilty since im gonna buy em.
 

Rotobit

Editor at Nintendo Wire
Verified
Oct 27, 2017
10,196
I know, im just pointing out there is a lot of sequels & remakes in there. Sora & Leon are old characters, though that's another issue with the lack of diversity in the industry, too many sequels & remakes shut down anything new, of course im just as guilty since im gonna buy em.

At least with KH3 closing out the Xehanort saga there's a chance whatever KH does next has a whole new protagonist, hopefully a new female character (Aqua is great but I'm expecting a prequel or a timeskip)
 

JahIthBer

Member
Jan 27, 2018
10,376
At least with KH3 closing out the Xehanort saga there's a chance whatever KH does next has a whole new protagonist, hopefully a new female character (Aqua is great but I'm expecting a prequel or a timeskip)
It better be a sequel lol, KH timeline is too confusing with the multiple prequels.
 

Mr. Capo

Banned
Oct 26, 2017
527
Might as well give my two cents. Personally I want to see some more black representation from companies other than Nintendo. I think both western and eastern devs can include black protagonists here and there, oh and give me some Turkish representation while they are at it.
 
Oct 27, 2017
3,579
Wasn't talking about race.

Diversity is about different cultures and groups being represented.

Mexicans in contrast to other countries have no reason for diversity-begging, since, to me as a German, they're already represented fairly well in pop-culture: Speedy Gonzales, Zorro, Machete, Desperados, etc. Just to get the facts right: Germany is the 4th/5th biggest gaming market and has zero representation in pop-culture. Thank you Adolf, I guess.

How about a German protagonist who isn't a WWII Nazi, or an Albanian, Croatian, Swiss, Indian, Nigerian, Dutch protagonist?
Some people who are fighting for diversity completely overlook the fact that white people don't necessarily identify with other white people the way you assume - they're staying in their "The USA are the centre of the world"-bubble and this applies to Americans with all backgrounds.
If you're giving me a black protagonist who is supposed to be an American - that's not diversity for someone coming from Europe, because black people from America already had waaay more influence on pop-culture in countries outside the US than most indigenous artists. For example: Germany has had a handful of good comedians, but compared to what've gotten from the US over the years: Richard Pryer, Bill Cosby, Eddy Murphy, Chapelle, Chris Rock, etc. no competition.

Let's turn this around - can you guys name a well-known German outside of Adolf Hitler, maybe Angela Merkel and Heidi Klum? (many Germans would love to see her associated with another country tho).
 

Deleted member 47318

User requested account closure
Banned
Sep 1, 2018
994
Why don't publishers use black people? I don't get it.
Some combination of black people not being conditioned to expect (nor demand) representation in such a manner, and publishers figuring that an attractive white female protagonist is ultimately still white and thusly relatable (or desirable) to the white target audience.
 

rochellepaws

Member
Oct 25, 2017
3,451
Ireland
I never really like these threads that seem to put select high budget games on a pedestal as if they're the only games that exist or matter, it'd be interesting to do some sort of analysis on the two or three hundred games that receive votes on era's game of the year for some sort of broader conclusion on diversity in protagonists as I think it's much more important to support and highlight games which are currently embracing diversity rather than allowing the ones that aren't to define gaming simply because of budgets.