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This kind of shit is why I'm sceptical of the value of representation in fiction. Especially when it comes from others.
Still not interested in the game, and I don't expect this to change as long as Rowling is involved at all...
...But if this game becomes a major force for trans positivity then I am absolutely going to enjoy that aspect from a distance. There's not enough trans inclusion in mainstream videogames anyway, *and* it will likely annoy the TERFs. This is good news! I'll take what I can get. Hopefully this is a trend that continues into other games that I feel up to supporting.
...But if this game becomes a major force for trans positivity then I am absolutely going to enjoy that aspect from a distance. There's not enough trans inclusion in mainstream videogames anyway, *and* it will likely annoy the TERFs. This is good news! I'll take what I can get. Hopefully this is a trend that continues into other games that I feel up to supporting.
Think of it like this:
You know how conservative owners sell LGBTQI+ merchs and features in their stores/games? This is basically that. It is profit at the end of the day and those people wouldn't mind profiting out of people they want to oppress.
You know how conservative owners sell LGBTQI+ merchs and features in their stores/games? This is basically that. It is profit at the end of the day and those people wouldn't mind profiting out of people they want to oppress.
I don't know if the poster is talking about this, but many companies have analytics teams that estimates the trends/projections of sales of the product... Starting from pre orders until a year or two in the market.
One of the inputs for these analysis is social media data. But so far that indicates very strong sales
If they are using social media buzz, then HL is absolutely going to be a multi-million seller then.
Smart to leak this, because WB is going to look even shittier if they cut the feature between now and release
"look we put representation into the game, $70 please"
"no"
"what do you want, a parade"
"already got one of those"
"no"
"what do you want, a parade"
"already got one of those"
It's the Harry Potter game most fans seem to want it always was.
Of course! It just feels like every piece of media i consume is worth boycotting for one reason or another :/
Personally, it feels like I need to take an all or nothing approach to stay sane. I can't just boycott Rowling while also buying shoes that were made by exploited workers, or watching a TV show funded by racist millionaires. I just have a hard time parsing that line when it comes to this stuff.
Fuck Rowling and fuck anti-trans bigotry.
The article does suggest that management was resistant to the changes proposed by the development staff. Why they changed their minds and when is anyone's guess but I can be certain that they are not stupid and know what direction the air is blowing.
Like I said, it's such a small change that gets people off their backs.
He gets his paycheque implementing this, while going "This'll shut em up."
It's a start at least.
They need to go further though — the lead dev hasn't faced any consequences for his abhorrent videos on YouTube.
They need to go further though — the lead dev hasn't faced any consequences for his abhorrent videos on YouTube.
This is a good move and all but it still doesn't stop signal boosting JK from profiting off the game. Still a no buy for me
It is nice to see that there are folk there that care enough to push back, but ultimately JKR is still profiting massively from the game, and -- outside of a miraculous change of heart -- will almost certainly use that profit to harm the trans community. So the game is still a no, personally.
The most I would hope for from this is that trans-inclusive character creation becomes the norm.
The most I would hope for from this is that trans-inclusive character creation becomes the norm.
On one hand, more games need to allow transgender characters to be created and I applaud the members of the development team that brought this up and got it into the game.
On my other hand, and on both of my feet, an avalanche of cinder blocks reminding me that JK Rowling will still make money from this game and will probably just grow increasingly vocal and vulgar in her transphobic views so fucking ouch.
On my other hand, and on both of my feet, an avalanche of cinder blocks reminding me that JK Rowling will still make money from this game and will probably just grow increasingly vocal and vulgar in her transphobic views so fucking ouch.
If it were any other studio... I'd be happy for this.
But this sounds so much like a PR move (considering now the leads are fine with it, after all the stuff that happened), I almost thought Avalanche was an Ubisoft studio.
But this sounds so much like a PR move (considering now the leads are fine with it, after all the stuff that happened), I almost thought Avalanche was an Ubisoft studio.
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Representation can have a positive influence regardless of the creator's intentions or beliefs, especially for the huge number of people who consume the media but probably know nothing about the creator as a person. I know it doesn't feel great, and it can easily be construed as a cynical ploy by the creator rather than genuine "goodness" but the social influence component is still there and matters. Frequent, positive representations will still change attitudes and normalize diversity, gradually, over time, on average.
I'm worried they people will use this an excuse to be like "look, she isn't transphobic. She allowed trans people in a Harry Potter game"
She has sold the rights to the IP to every Tom, Dick, and Harry imaginable and let's just say her quality of control is lacking. She likely is oblivious to it or simply won't care.
lol
(please don't consider this a drive-by post - this is my actual reaction and I don't have more to add than that)
(please don't consider this a drive-by post - this is my actual reaction and I don't have more to add than that)
At this point, anyone who thinks that she isn't a transphobic bigot are probably bigoted themselves.
It must suck to be a developer working on this. This game has def been in development since before all of the JK TERF stuff started happening. Imagine all of that hard work being tainted by the person behind the universe being such a horrid person.
Again, something like this isn't a small change. Given the state of the video game industry's workforce in general I can't imagine that the majority of the dev team working on conservatives who agree with JK Rowling's views.
I'm like, 1000% sure she has very little if any say when it comes to what goes into this game. This isn't akin to Disney SW project where they need to run ideas by her 24/7 and she gets final approval. She's likely had minimal to zero amount of input and can't magically veto any decisions.
All that said, the following sums up my feelings on the matter:
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Good for the trans kids that end up buying this but I'm not supporting all of the horrid people profiting from this
Yeah, I expect more character creators to separate out gender identity/body type/voice type etc. That's something that should be doable and is a relatively easy nod to representation for companies to take. It'd certainly be welcome too!
This is nothing but a vaguely nice gesture. How about doing something that'd actually help people?
Won't JK Rowling still get money even with this decision?
If there is even the slightest chance that she'd see one penny I'd spend on this, I'd rather just burn the money.
If there is even the slightest chance that she'd see one penny I'd spend on this, I'd rather just burn the money.
Yeah I feel like she'll be writing the publisher an email the soon as she finds out about this
Based on her writing on the subject it seems like this wouldn't be something she'd be prepared to let go
Yep, some devs seem to be pushing for good there. Leaking it now amid all this controversy makes it a surefire way to prevent it being cut
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