KilroywasNOTHere
"BEEP!"
At what point did we learn whining our way to the top actually does anything cause this seems to be common in the digital space in general whether it be gaming politics, etc.
The Verge said:Character creators are also a place in which I am uniquely made aware of my race. Make no mistake, America delights in reminding me daily that I am a Black woman and that it, through the systems that spawned and continue to define it, utterly hates me and other marginalized people. Character creators contribute to that weird feeling of awareness of one’s “difference” through the options its developers deem worthy of inclusion. Hair is one of those options. Nothing makes me feel more different than when a game fails to include at least some kinky hairstyles. A game will, as Elden Ring does, have over 20 different styles of straight hair, accounting for different lengths, styles of curl, parts, braids, even the complete absence of hair. But will it not include a type that an entire continent of people have? That math is not mathing.
THIS ISN’T JUST AN ‘ELDEN RING’ PROBLEM; IT’S A VIDEO GAME PROBLEM
Elden Ring’s hair omission is glaring within its own system. How is it that I, through the prolific number of sliders and color wheels, can create the proudest-looking, Negro nose with Jackson 5 nostril-having character who ever walked the Lands Between, but I can’t give her baby hairs to match?
This isn’t just an Elden Ring problem; it’s a video game problem. For many years, players of color have had to mod in things like kinky hairstyles and better, more authentic-looking skin tones in order to have the kind of representation that white players get by default. Games with a customizable protagonist are nearly always represented with a white-passing avatar. And when games do include Black hairstyles, it’s almost always only a fade and an afro, which are the go-to styles whenever a character creator wants to give the appearance of inclusivity while not actually being all that inclusive. (Looking at you, Mass Effect.)
I, THROUGH THE PROLIFIC NUMBER OF SLIDERS AND COLOR WHEELS, CAN CREATE THE PROUDEST-LOOKING, NEGRO NOSE WITH JACKSON 5 NOSTRIL-HAVING CHARACTER WHO EVER WALKED THE LANDS BETWEEN, BUT I CAN’T GIVE HER BABY HAIRS TO MATCH
The situation is improving. I’m heartened by games like Baldur’s Gate 3 and Cyberpunk 2077, which have a decent amount of diverse and accurate-looking hairstyles.
What's a black, sorry, "Black" hairstyle?According to The Verge's Ash Parrish, specifically there is a lack of Black Hairstyles.
Given her thing seems to be specifically kinky black hair; afros, dreadlocks, and probably niche styles like flat tops.What's a black, sorry, "Black" hairstyle?
it, through the systems that spawned and continue to define it, utterly hates me
The question with hairstyles if if fits the intended style of the game. Something like, say dreadlocks has been around forever but, it has not been around forever in every culture at all times, so if a game is aiming for the tone a certain time and place, hairstyles should match. I doubt Eldan Ring has a 50s pompodour either.
And when they think of a person with dark skin, they think of a Pacific Islander first, rather than an African.Like, let's not pretend that the Japanese devs were actually sitting around thinking about that. Its likely that they simply never considered black hairstyles at all; the average Japanese person could probably count the number of black people they've met IRL on one hand.
Net-running crafts expert with some sniper and stealth skills is where it is at, yo!They're not wrong; it is disappointing that I can't do an Afro-Samurai build.
Also, now that I've heard this, an Afro-Samurai playthrough is added to my plans for Cyberpunk 2077 runs.
Net-running crafts expert with some sniper and stealth skills is where it is at, yo!
Sorry, I just can't bring myself to bring fists or a knife to a gun/hack your opponent's brains until they fry fight.
Even for 3, several of it's DLC revolve around other places like Pittsburgh and Alaska or a UFO in space.
You can even argue that Broken Steel also doesn't take place in DC, because it's in the historical fanfiction of Anchorage or whatever the place was called.All of the DLC for 3 save Broken Steel is somewhere other than DC, actually.
You can even argue that Broken Steel also doesn't take place in DC, because it's in the historical fanfiction of Anchorage or whatever the place was called.