2CUTURL
Published May 12, 2023, 4:08 p.m. by Naomi Charles
When it comes to video games, there’s no escaping politics. Whether it’s the latest big budget release or an indie darling, chances are there’s some sort of political message hidden within. And that’s not necessarily a bad thing. In fact, some of the best video games out there use their platform to tackle important social and political issues.
But why are so many games starting to include woke politics? Well, there are a few reasons. For one, the gaming industry is becoming more and more diverse. That means that developers are starting to create games that reflect the experiences of a wider range of people. And as we all know, politics is a huge part of our lives.
Another reason is that the world is becoming more and more connected. With social media and the internet, it’s easier than ever for people to share their opinions on the world around them. And as we’ve seen in recent years, there’s a growing appetite for social and political commentary in our entertainment.
So, what does this all mean for the future of gaming? Well, it’s hard to say for sure. But one thing is certain: we can expect to see more and more games tackling important social and political issues. And that can only be a good thing.
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what's up everyone it's Indie me on and
today I want to ask a question that's
been debated for years can we take
politics out of video games and if not
why well that's what I want to explore
today as I'm sure you're well aware the
world is divided you almost can't watch
or play something without having someone
talking down to you or trying to feed
you their Politics as gospel in the past
you could largely enjoy your favorite
hobby without the nonsense that we deal
with today but nowadays companies are
just as concerned with their political
stances as they are with things like
Graphics or gameplay if your game has
the right politics it can mean big
rewards and nominations being showered
upon your studio with examples like The
Last of Us Part 2 being considered by
the modern gaming industry to be one of
the best games of all time while there's
many people out there who equally hate
the game because it ruins Joel and
Sidelines him in favor of Ellie and
characters like Abby or Lev who all
conveniently takes certain identity
political checkboxes then you have
companies like Warner Bros with Hogwarts
Legacy which selectively chose which
were viewers to give review codes to and
they had to constantly remind these
journalists that the game had no ties to
JK Rowling but that game's quality spoke
for itself and now it's a critical and
Commercial Success I mean Legacy sold
over 12 million copies in two weeks
that's nuts I bet the woke activists are
mad about that one
on the other hand you have companies
that are currently in the dumps who
can't seem to keep themselves from
digging deeper Graves recently Ubisoft
has made headlines for teaming up with
UK police when it comes to in-game
speech that's considered hateful Ubisoft
has even said they're doing this to be
on the right side of History basically
this team up is designed so that Ubisoft
can relay any hate mongering in their
online games that could escalate to real
world harm so if you no scope headshots
some dude and he calls you a racial slur
Ubisoft wants to make sure there their
own ass is covered so nobody blames
their games for inciting violence but as
a millennial myself I grew up in the
fires of early Call of Duty multiplayer
lobbies and trust me those were more
toxic and hilarious than anything these
new kids could do how do you even do
Grand Masters I can barely do the
legendary campaign my teammates keep
telling me to build craft but I don't
even know what that is just go back to
bed sleepy Joe and leave the destiny
grind to the professionals apparently
this joint operation Ubisoft has had
with UK police has only resulted in 0.01
percent of reported cases actually
needing a police investigation ubisoft's
Andrew Holiday told the BBC quote this
isn't just a gaming problem it's an
internet problem there's a real appetite
to make the whole ecosystem a better
place what we're working on closely with
police on is triaging where we look at a
case and decide is this one we can deal
with in-house or is this something we
need to pass on end quote another
Ubisoft employee Damian glorio who's the
senior director of relations between
Ubisoft and UK police said quote we want
to be on the right side of History we
have millions of players and tens of
millions of interactions so how can we
spot incidents it is daunting but at the
same time it is very important which is
why we wanted to sign this deal and try
to make things right we wanted to focus
on the most extreme cases make sure we
do the right thing there because it
gives us a solid foundation to build the
rest of our work around and quote I
think this is all ridiculous myself and
if you want a easier and cheaper
solution just don't use your mic in game
seriously just mute people if they're
spewing garbage but what do I know I've
only been playing video games since
online gaming began God I'm old this
political discourse in gaming seems to
be getting fueled almost every other day
with sites now having concerns with
atomic heart the recently released
Russian Bioshock meets Wolfenstein game
I've already done a whole video diving
into to that Russian controversy but now
something else has happened in the
game's promotions you've no doubt seeing
the robot twins well it turns out their
hair is now problematic the hairstyle
that the robot twins have is actually
identical to Ukraine's former prime
minister Yulia timeoshenko one Twitter
user even compiles some images to
further Drive the point that Atomic
Hearts developers designed the twins as
sex slave robots that looked like
Ukraine's former prime minister the
haircut by the way is Iconic in Ukraine
and is directly associated with Yulia
timeoshenko so this coincidence as some
would like to think it is might actually
be legit this time and this design could
be Atomic Hearts Russian devs trying to
defame someone who opposes their
government the entire atomic heart
scenario has even led to Ukraine
officials urging companies like Sony
Microsoft Steam and more to boycott the
game and not sell it but that's Fallen
mostly on deaf ears at atomic heart has
also been criticized for having a racist
depiction of black people in their save
rooms it's from a supposed beloved
cartoon that many Russian people watch
growing up called new pagadi which is
basically the Russian version of Tom and
Jerry in the game you can view entire
episodes of this cartoon when you're in
a saved room and that's where you can
see the racist caricature and review
sites yet again are demanding Atomic
heart's developer remove the footage due
to the political backlash but again like
the twin robots looking like a prime
minister this too will likely just be
kept in and this is the part of the
video where I get spicy but before you
crucify me hear me out I think it's also
important to remember that the politics
and cultural differences between
countries seems to almost never be taken
into account when boycotts are concerned
as in Russia their cartoons may seem
harmless to them but outside of their
country it's now problematic the reality
is that atomic heart as a game is
designed to be inspired heavily by
Russian culture which makes sense and I
think demanding a company that's made a
game that encapsulates a lot of their
own culture and then being ordered to
change it to fit another country's
culture is counter-intuitive it would be
like asking a Holocaust documentary to
not use any footage that would be
problematic or offensive but in order to
retain the authenticity of what that
experience is about it needs to Showcase
what actually is instead of what you
want it to be even if that means the
media in question is problematic or
could be seen as Politically Incorrect
by certain groups basically changing
things that are representative of how
things actually are in certain cultures
is not the right way to go about this if
you sanitize and bend over backwards to
appeal to everyone's problems you'll
appease nobody and end up with a product
that says nothing and has no reason to
exist because any real Nuance or unique
perspective it could have held has been
sanded off in order to not offend anyone
and that's a big problem with today's
gaming as well as all entertainment
there's a constant debate online that
games need more perspectives more varied
locations and games being made by people
that aren't just westerners mostly so
when you end up with a game that
uniquely retains their culture warts and
all like atomic heart I don't think
telling the devs to mold it to fit
Western values makes any sense that
would be like walking into a Japanese
restaurant and demanding a burger and
fries when all they sell is Sushi and
Teriyaki you're asking for more
diversity and storytelling and design
yet when a game comes along that fits
that bill like atomic heart has it's as
if the activist game journalists are mad
because it doesn't fit their beliefs or
push their politics whether the racist
caricature and the haircut the robot
twins have are obviously problematic in
the eyes of the West removing them would
remove the authenticity city of the game
and the culture of what it's about to
begin with besides atomic heart is also
critical of the Soviet Union it's sort
of how in BioShock Infinite they have
separate bathrooms for black and white
people just ignoring the racial tensions
to fit a narrative would be disingenuous
but tackling it head on and displaying
the Grim reality is what art is supposed
to do in the first place and not all
Arts should be politically correct and
it shouldn't be up to the journals and
their homogenized World Views who decide
whether a game should exist or not but
the players who actually support the
games am I making any sense to you if
you sanitize everything but also want
diversity when it comes to storytelling
then you have to be accepting that not
every story or game will be what you
want and when games that try to appeal
to other groups happen like ghostwire
Tokyo for example you end up with a game
that lives in this middle ground that
doesn't capitalize on its unique
cultural Roots enough because because
it's so concerned with checking boxes
that Western Gamers would like such as
having an open world when that game
design idea doesn't fit what the game
should be going for which is being a
horror first person game set in a
Japanese folklore setting what could
have been a cool Focus Japanese game
that plays to the developer's strengths
instead you end up with a game that
doesn't appeal to either horror fans or
open world fans and that's what I'm
talking about if atomic heart bent the
knee to Western political ideals then it
wouldn't be atomic heart anymore and
just another pointless watered-down
product that doesn't say anything of
value or offer a unique perspective the
truth is that video games have always
been political because as soon as your
game has any plot involving religion
governments or War your game will have a
political angle there's no denying that
games like Metal Gear Solid for example
are insanely political but the
difference here is that MGS doesn't talk
down to the audience Kojima used
Concepts like Shadow governments
prisoners of war and generational trauma
in order to tell a story that resonated
with fans Metal Gear Solid is not a good
series because of its politics alone but
because it fearlessly Embraces what
makes it unique even if by today's
standards I'm sure Eva's outfit and
Snake Eater would be problematic to game
journalists I mean remember the whole
controversy surrounding quiet and her
design Kojima could have bent the knee
when it came to quiet but he didn't and
good for him because when you do bend a
knee like Call of Duty does you end up
with games like Vanguard which is a game
set during World War II yet in
multiplayer all Nazi imagery is removed
and the teams are not allies and Nazis
but instead my team and enemy team which
is stupid as hell if I'm being perfectly
honest with you games like Red Dead
Redemption 2 are also political because
they showcase an era of America where
old ways are dying and being replaced by
new Concepts like the industrial Rev
Evolution and it also tackles racism in
the wild west but again it's because it
confidently shows these Concepts as they
are that the game's impact lasts because
it actually has something to say many of
the best games have politics woven into
their identity and honestly it's for the
better games like Metal Gear Rising
Revengeance has you fighting a literal
senator for the future of America which
is both hilarious and amazing nice
argument Senator why don't you back it
up with a source my source is that I
made it the up then you have games
like Mass Effect which is full of
xenophobia cultural politics and morally
gray decision making I mean Mass Effect
3's entire plot is about trying to unite
the Galaxy by getting these different
species who hate one another to look
past their history for the greater good
of the Galaxy and then you have games
like Corey in the House on Nintendo DS
which literally takes place in the White
House you don't get more political than
that even outside of games I would argue
one of the best comics of the last two
decades was Marvel's Civil War which was
probably one of the most political
stories they've ever done and while it
did Pit characters like Captain America
and Iron Man on opposing sides the
actual conflict was deeper than just
punches and explosions it's probably
also why I found Captain America Civil
War to be to this day one of the mcu's
best by a long shot because whether it's
within the confines of Captain America
and Iron Man fighting or movies like
Schindler's List or games like Metal
Gear Solid you have to accept that these
entertainment mediums will always be
political to varying degrees hell even
Elden ring could be seen as political
since the entire dilemma of that Game's
plot is about deciding which outer God's
power will become the next ruler of the
upcoming era do you side with the golden
order and enforce their beliefs or maybe
usher in what Ronnie wants sure they may
not all be sitting in a room together
having a meeting or rallying with signs
on front porches but the reality is that
politics are so interwoven into every
game it's almost impossible to remove
them then there's Executives like Tim
Sweeney CEO of epic games you know the
creators of fortnite he believes that
Wild games are inevitably political
companies should do their best to stay
out of politics which sounds a little
contradicting well Tim had this to say
quote if a game tackles Politics as To
Kill a Mockingbird did as a novel it
should come from the heart of creatives
and not from marketing departments
seeking to capitalize on division we
should get the marketing departments out
of politics we live in a world where
your political affiliation determines
what chicken restaurant you go to
there's no reason to drag divisive
topics like that into gaming we need to
create a very clear separation between
church and state employees customers and
everyone else should be able to express
themselves we as companies need to
divorce ourselves from politics
platforms should be neutral end quote
and in his defense fortnite has largely
stayed politically neutral they don't
really talk down to anyone one but
instead just collaborate with many
different games and Publishers in order
to make money it's likely why fortnite
continues to remain a cultural
phenomenon so many years after its
release but if fortnite were too
suddenly let's say hypothetically have a
black lives matter event where every
white player would need to bend their
knee to black players in solidarity well
yeah that would be Financial suicide for
fortnite and epic and it's refreshing
that epic understands this and wants no
part in it because when you have
developers or companies virtue signal
for clout it never works as they
intended that's why when a Hogwarts
Legacy Dev openly boycotted the game
that mind you they worked on as protest
not only is it hypocritical it's
hilariously tone deaf too like you got
paid to work on the game and now it's
done and you have your money and now
it's suddenly problematic all those
years of working on Hogwarts and you
never once thought to yourself how
working on it would make your woke
activist friends feel like idiots all of
them I'm tired of mincing my words it's
just plain stupidity at this point and
just further solidifies the politics for
many people are just performative acts
with their beliefs being about as
shallow as their personalities
unfortunately many grifters are out
there and I'm sure there are some who
think I'm a part of that group too I
like to think of myself like epic games
does I exist in a neutral space where I
will call out and criticize any side of
what they're doing is insane the only
way forward as a society is to be open
and understanding not to put up walls
and gatekeep like so many Legacy media
sites do these days it's also why I
won't support games like OverWatch
because of their blatant insane
practices where they filter their
characters through algorithms to ensure
new heroes are politically diverse in
case you haven't heard that crazy story
blizzard actually has a program that
rates their characters with things like
skin color sexual orientation and body
shape all having varying values it's why
you haven't seen a straight white male
hero in OverWatch watching years because
being straight white and a man are like
Kryptonite to overwatch's diversity tool
but if you swap that character to say
Asian and a woman or muscular lady who's
probably gay well that character is most
likely going to be made instead it's why
a large majority of AAA games anyways
feel so homogenized and frankly
forgettable because they're too afraid
to step on toes afraid that if they say
something some activist hack will crap
their pants in protests and call them
something phobic it's why Ubisoft didn't
make Far Cry 5 political at all because
they didn't want to piss off the people
who like Trump but because they didn't
take a political stance to hack
activists got belly hurt and said Far
Cry 5 sucks because it didn't attack
Trump you can't seem to win these days
when it comes to Modern gaming and
politics I genuinely believe that art in
all of its forms should be
unapologetically authentic even if that
means it offends people because the
point of art is to say something so even
though atomic heart is clearly very
politically driven and it may or may not
be attacking Ukrainian values the harsh
truth is that just because it doesn't
portray what you think is politically
correct it doesn't mean it needs to be
boycotted or removed from sales fronts
like I'm not a big fan of furries or any
weird stuff like that but you won't see
me telling people to boycott goodbye
Volcano High and I can already guess
that game will have its politics too the
same way atomic heart or Metal Gear
Solid do as well the undeniable truth is
that you simply cannot separate politics
from games or any entertainment medium
for that matter because the reality is
that art is the collective creation of
those whose hands were used to make it
and those hands are Guided by their
minds which have all been influenced by
varying levels of ideologies and
Concepts even those you may or may not
agree with video games without politics
is like Seinfeld without George Costanza
it just can't exist and like I've said
so many times in the past it's not the
politics and video games that are bad
but when creators believe it's their
Duty and right to use their art in order
to talk down to their audience you
should never assume you know better than
everyone else when it comes to any topic
I guarantee you there's someone watching
this right now that knows more about the
stuff than I do and they likely disagree
with me at points and you know what
that's totally fine in fact I encourage
it I hope something I said in this video
has pissed you off or made you think
because that's what art and
entertainment is meant to do if you're
not thinking you're not living in my
opinion hell maybe even me saying that
will piss someone off which if it does
good I'm glad I made you angry now go
use that anger and make something out of
it because the world will never just be
black and white liberal and conservative
but instead you should look at the world
like a peanut butter sandwich on one
side you got jelly the other peanut
butter on their own they're pretty good
but smash those suckers to together and
you got yourself a Bonafide combo that
really hits the spine so if you take
anything away from this video it's that
video games will always be political and
I don't want to hear people saying keep
politics out of gaming when in reality
what they're trying to say is just don't
push it in my face and talk down to me
which I agree with and to the
hacktivists out there who piss and moan
when something is released that they
don't agree with just know it's in your
right to speak and debate it but it's
not your right to demand a culture you
know nothing about personally into
changing their art because it offends
you if you don't like something ignore
it vote with your wallet but don't cry
that things need to be changed because
they don't follow your politics to a t
because when art is told to follow only
one set of ideologies otherwise is
considered problematic that's how you
end up with an industry where so many
games all feel and play the exact same
spewing the same BS we need less
homogenized experiences in more games
movies and whatever else giving unique
perspectives even if they don't agree
with me or you and whether a piece of
art succeeds or doesn't will come down
to whether people support that art
because in the end even if places like
Games Done Quick decide to ban Hogwarts
Legacy and other Harry Potter games
because of JK Rowling the market will
clearly speak volumes by action alone
politics Will Always exist in games
whether we wanted to or not because
ultimately politics are like Humanity
itself it's flawed and it's endless and
you won't change that by crying or
complaining but by using your own
politics to change the world around you
and if you think silencing others is the
only way to strengthen your own personal
beliefs then your politics are probably
so what do you think about politics
and gaming let me know in the comments
thanks for watching and I'll see you
guys in the next one
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