Veilguard Isn’t the First Dragon Age Game to Face ‘Woke’ Criticism - eviltoast
  • Phegan@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    44
    arrow-down
    12
    ·
    2 months ago

    Anyone who doesn’t play a game because it’s woke, has their head so far up the culture war ass, they have lost all reason.

    It’s also the same people where the message behind more subtle media is lost on them. Starship troopers, for example.

    • bread@feddit.nl
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      28
      arrow-down
      13
      ·
      edit-2
      2 months ago

      There usually aren’t many complaints of something being woke if the product is actually good. I think the main takeaway is that nobody wants to be lectured, and told they are wrong for having a different opinion, and amateurish writing can easily come across as preachy or being a self-insert.

      • Case@lemmynsfw.com
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        5
        ·
        2 months ago

        I picked up Veilguard because I enjoyed Origins and Inquisition. The second game… at this point, I don’t think I took it right and its my problem and I need to give it another chance.

        I’m still very early into the game, but the only “woke” thing I’ve seen so far is variable gender identity during character creation.

        You want to play a “woman” who looks masculine, with atypical male traits, even a penis, and a deep voice? You know what, I’m glad the option is open to people. It doesn’t vibe with me personally, but I’m glad that people I care about can make a character that is “them,” because who hasn’t made themselves in an RPG at some point in their life, best they were able.

        Again, I’m early to it, but that is all of the “woke” shit I’ve seen.

        For the record, I have friends and family in the LGTBQ+(whatever, doesn’t matter) that I support.

        I don’t want hate in my heart, and I’ve worked very hard to overcome some biases that came from my more “southern” upbringing. Hell, one of those biased views from the past is now openly trans, and I was the only family member they talked to because they couldn’t talk to anyone else.

        I’m imperfect, as all humans are, but it isn’t hard to fucking TRY, just a little, to realize that someone else’s self image and happiness doesn’t affect mine other than what pronouns I use to refer to them. Fuck, its not hard. Just don’t be a dick.

      • PunchingWood@lemmy.world
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        12
        arrow-down
        7
        ·
        2 months ago

        Pretty much this.

        I will likely get downvoted into oblivion for saying this (as usual), and I will prelude by saying that I generally never care if there are gay, trans or whatever stuff in games. But transgenders and pronouns were never ever a thing in the Dragon Age franchise, and now they suddenly feature these so prominently. They just handled this very badly.

        The fact that writing is generally just plain bad for this game, these inclusive options also seems to affect the rest of the game as well. And it indeed makes it look like they focused on the wrong narrative so much. The way Skill Up reviewed the game was perfect, his best summary was “it’s as if HR is standing in every room” or something along those lines. Like nobody is allowed to insult, or be insulted, in this franchise that used to be pretty dark and grim.

        • november@lemmy.vg
          link
          fedilink
          English
          arrow-up
          8
          arrow-down
          4
          ·
          2 months ago

          But transgenders and pronouns were never ever a thing in the Dragon Age franchise, and now they suddenly feature these so prominently.

          https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Krem_(Dragon_Age)

          Every Dragon Age game has had pronouns because that’s how fucking language works. Your brain has just been poisoned by right-wing outrage over “pronouns”.

          Also, “transgenders” isn’t a word. “Transgender” is an adjective, not a noun, not that I expect that to mean anything to someone who freaks out about “pronouns”.

        • Semjaza@lemmynsfw.com
          link
          fedilink
          English
          arrow-up
          3
          arrow-down
          5
          ·
          2 months ago

          But Dragon Age was never good, either.

          The first one was mediocre at best with some good ideas, and it was all downhill from there.

      • Carighan Maconar@lemmy.world
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        11
        arrow-down
        11
        ·
        2 months ago

        Yeah but have you seen the cutscenes of DA:V?

        If that childish word salad sounds “preachy” to you, you need to go to a different preacher! Yours can’t even english.

        How can this sound preachy to anybody? Has the fascist right lowered their own standard of education enough to where they think Marvel-style dialogue is normal?!

    • acosmichippo@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      10
      arrow-down
      4
      ·
      edit-2
      2 months ago

      agreed, there is so much lore more to criticize about this game but of course this is what gets headlines and rage clicks.

      • Vega@feddit.it
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        14
        arrow-down
        7
        ·
        2 months ago

        Imho it’s marketing. The game is bad, writing is bad, gameplay is boring after a while, it seems (except for technical optimization) the game itself is a big mobile game. The “woke criticism” is exploited by ea to sell more, since it create engagement and hide the real flaws of the game

        • ms.lane@lemmy.world
          link
          fedilink
          English
          arrow-up
          3
          ·
          2 months ago

          Remember when EA did a whole gaywashing thing after being voted worst company in America, two times running.

          Pepperidge Farm remembers.

    • overload@sopuli.xyz
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      11
      arrow-down
      8
      ·
      2 months ago

      For some reason the second most followed curator on steam is Sweet Baby Inc Detected. Its pretty widespread brain rot.

      • Agent Karyo@lemmy.world
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        9
        arrow-down
        5
        ·
        edit-2
        2 months ago

        Sweet Baby Inc Detected

        Never heard of this. It took me some time to even figure what their comments meant.

        It’s almost comical to see how obsessed people are about this stuff.

        Don’t get me wrong, the commercialization of minority themes and the preachy attitude can get annoying, but it’s hardly a dealbreaker if the gameplay and/or story are good.

        Games are full of extremely stupid and lazy tropes.

        • overload@sopuli.xyz
          link
          fedilink
          English
          arrow-up
          6
          arrow-down
          3
          ·
          2 months ago

          That’s it. The Alan Wake 2 “race change” actually allows for some interesting links between Quantum Leap and the Alan Wake stories, but it was seen as a DEI situation. If a game is bad, it’s generally bad for reasons beyond DEI or wokeness.

  • zecg@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    18
    arrow-down
    7
    ·
    2 months ago

    Its problem is not that it’s woke, but that it’s shit.

    • Encrypt-Keeper@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      6
      ·
      2 months ago

      Are you sure? I’ve seen generally favorable responses to the game from critics and players alike. Literally the only criticisms I’ve seen levied against the game so far are that it’s woke.

      • Stovetop@lemmy.world
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        5
        ·
        2 months ago

        I’ve seen a few valid criticisms, which I get. It’s hard to make a choice-driven narrative in the post-BG3 market and not get held to a higher standard. “Written by committee” is one such descriptor I’ve heard.

        For me, as a fan of Dragon Age: Origins, I also can’t say I prefer the dip into the actiony, grindy sort of combat mechanics the game appears to have now.

  • TGhost [She/Her]@lemm.ee
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    12
    arrow-down
    6
    ·
    2 months ago

    I will play it but piracy version.

    I’m annoyed about EA and their LGBT washing to dump sells.

    Lgbt member speaking

  • Pachinkopete@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    7
    arrow-down
    3
    ·
    2 months ago

    Guarantee you the people complaining about woke don’t even know what the term means and probably never even played the series to begin with.

  • Hal-5700X@sh.itjust.works
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    7
    arrow-down
    24
    ·
    2 months ago

    Veilguard is shit and woke. Let gaming journalist love it. Gaming journalism is a fucking joke.

      • Hal-5700X@sh.itjust.works
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        7
        arrow-down
        18
        ·
        2 months ago

        I had to stop and think of a time. Something was woke but wasn’t shit. I couldn’t think of something, so yes.

          • Hal-5700X@sh.itjust.works
            link
            fedilink
            English
            arrow-up
            6
            arrow-down
            23
            ·
            edit-2
            2 months ago

            A piece of media who pushes politics. The politics doesn’t belong in the media’s story and world. Like the creator(s) just added it in to push an message.

            Before someone ask. Yes, Right wingers do this. But I mainly see the Left do this.

            • MarcomachtKuchen@feddit.org
              link
              fedilink
              English
              arrow-up
              18
              arrow-down
              4
              ·
              2 months ago

              Would you consider military operations in a foreign country a political theme?

              Also do you think it’s okay for artists include a message in their work, even if it feels “pushed” to you? Maybe it feels essential to the creator, but since you disagree with the message it feels pushed to you.

            • Rhynoplaz@lemmy.world
              link
              fedilink
              English
              arrow-up
              16
              arrow-down
              6
              ·
              edit-2
              2 months ago

              Ever stop to wonder who decided that sexuality was “political”?

              Sim City is a political game, because you’re the goddamn mayor.

              Please explain to me how and why my genitals should have ANYTHING to do with politics.

            • TGhost [She/Her]@lemm.ee
              link
              fedilink
              English
              arrow-up
              12
              arrow-down
              5
              ·
              2 months ago

              Lmao, you clearly don’t deserve your avatar.

              All the sci fi is majority woke and leftist, before we named things as “woke”. Tell me u don’t understand things without telling me 😂😂

              • ZeroHora@lemmy.ml
                link
                fedilink
                English
                arrow-up
                6
                arrow-down
                2
                ·
                2 months ago

                He need to watch some star trek to see some “woke” or Dune, one of the most powerful organization in the galaxy is just women, so “woke”, not even gonna say of the plot been about colonization, too much leftist wokerism on this series.

              • Hal-5700X@sh.itjust.works
                link
                fedilink
                English
                arrow-up
                6
                arrow-down
                11
                ·
                2 months ago

                Do you know the difference between a story who haves politics weaved into it, and a story who they just added to it without a care?

                • ZeroHora@lemmy.ml
                  link
                  fedilink
                  English
                  arrow-up
                  8
                  arrow-down
                  3
                  ·
                  2 months ago

                  How that is fault of woke and not bad fucking writing?

                  If you add a bad character in the story without a care is fucking awful and what I gonna say may surprise you: their genitalia doesn’t fucking matter.

            • acosmichippo@lemmy.world
              link
              fedilink
              English
              arrow-up
              11
              arrow-down
              4
              ·
              edit-2
              2 months ago

              The politics doesn’t belong in the media’s story and world. Like the creator(s) just added it in to push a message.

              literally all of literature is created to push a message. who are you to say what “belongs” and what doesn’t? it’s their story.

            • Semjaza@lemmynsfw.com
              link
              fedilink
              English
              arrow-up
              1
              ·
              2 months ago

              That’s a potentially interesting definition.

              Dream Daddy, the daddy dating sim isn’t a woke game in this context because the conceit of it being an LGBT friendly town with a bunch of single gay dads makes it all make sense.

              But a game set in 1300s Japan with a lesbian white protagonist would be woke because that seems incongruous?