Disturbing the Peace: Diversity in Fiction Part 2 - Video games

So last time we talked briefly about why diversity is important in fiction. The short answer is that the world is full of more than just Straight White Dudes, which means that there are a billion stories to tell in which a SWD doesn't have to be the main character. Video game creators don't seem to get that memo too often, but there are a few who do.

Bioware is one of the best for this. They get a lot of flack for stuff, deservedly, but they do manage to do a few things right. The relationship systems in both Dragon Age and Mass Effect are evidence of what they do right.

When Bioware released Mass Effect in 2007, they took a lot of criticism for featuring an alien character named Liara T'soni who can be romanced by both genders. Not only because she can be with MaleShep or FemShep but also because there is a love scene.

You slut, you.

All of Bioware's games, from Knights of the Old Republic to the most recent Mass Effect installment, feature same-sex relationships. Mass Effect 3 features the first strictly gay romances with Samantha Traynor and Steve Cortez. And those are actually my favorite romances out of the entire series. 

LOVE IT. SO MUCH. 

*Ahem* Sorry. So anyway, Bioware is awesome for that much at least. Although we still have yet to have a gay main character, but they seem to not care about having same-sex relationships.

They did pretty well in Dragon Age: Origins with giving the player different race options, which I discussed here. But primarily, except for Sten, all your companions are white.

So let's move on to a game that gets it right. I've espoused the awesomeness that is Telltale's The Walking Dead plenty of times, but I haven't quite gotten into quite how it corresponds with the diversity issue. The main character, Lee Everett, is amazing. He starts out as almost stereotypical, as he's on his way to prison at the game's start, but by the end of episode 5? He's one of the most well-rounded characters there is. He's at times ruthless, and at others incredibly compassionate. You can play him a number of different ways due to the game's choice system (similar to the conversation wheel in Dragon Age and Mass Effect), but regardless of what you choose, Lee isn't the same by the end of the game. And for that matter, neither is Clementine, who becomes the protagonist of the 2nd game (I REFUSE TO GIVE YOU SPOILERS). Both characters are African American. The game also features two other non-white characters who, depending on your choices, become Clem's caregivers. It's....pretty awesome.

OMG THE ADORABLE IS TOO MUCH

Would the experience been the same had the characters been another race? Probably not. The game creators chose Lee, Clem, Christa, and Omid for a reason. 

For another fantastic and exciting development in gaming diversity, check out this piece from the Mary Sue about an upcoming and awesome-sounding game and the statement from the game's creators about what they're doing and why. Pretty uplifting stuff. Also, they've done a great piece on storytelling in video games in general.

Next time on Disturbing the Peace - Diversity in TV and movies.

Disturbing the Peace: Diversity in Fiction Part 1 - Video games

Recently there's been a bit of a stir around the Internet regarding the importance of diversity in fiction. Not just in books, but also in movies, tv shows, comics and video games, where the default setting is white and straight. In regard to video games, the default setting is straight white dude--abbreviated SWD from here on out--a point this Tumblr post sums up perfectly. To keep this from getting long, I'm going to do a few installments.

So why is diversity important?

The simple answer: Because we're not all straight, white males.

The more complex answer: Because we live in a day and age when media is doing more parenting than actual parents. Kids need people to look up to, and if they can't get it from their parents, they'll get it from TV, comics, or video games (and often the WORST POSSIBLE GAMES [I'm looking at you Grand Theft Auto]).

Where video games are concerned (and this is a soap box I've climbed on top of time and again), everyone who's not a straight white male is completely underrepresented, and the woman, if there is one, is the goal, the prize at the bottom of the Cracker Jack box, or whatever prizes come in nowadays. In games like Shadow of the Colossus (which is beautiful and wonderful and otherwise perfect), resurrecting Wander's lover is the goal. Yeah, you get memorable battles and you develop a relationship to your horse because he's literally the only creature you communicate with besides some random disembodied voice. In the early Legend of Zelda games, Zelda doesn't even get to be part of her own legend. It's Link's story. He sets out on a quest to free/cure her (thinking LoZ 2 here). We get little characterization. To be fair, the more recent games give Zelda a larger role. Ocarina of Time cast her as one of the last surviving Sheikah, a warrior tribe in Hyrule. She has some fancy tricks and then LITERALLY OUT OF NOWHERE, she gets imprisoned in a giant rupee as soon as she reveals her true identity to Link.



For the entirety of the game until that point, you don't know that Sheik is Zelda (though most of us figured it out). Zelda is also a pirate going under another name in one of the other games. But almost every time, you end up having to save her to complete the game.

The Final Fantasy franchise is terrible for stuff like this. The earlier games were great (VI is awesome because Terra), but when the series went next-gen to PSone, we got FF7. In all rights a fantastic freaking game and, again, one of my favorites, but it isn't perfect.

What could be wrong with so hallowed a game you ask? Look at your cast. Cloud, the main character, is blond haired and green eyed (which is a plot point; you don't know Cloud's original eye color but it's likely blue), SWD. Your one character of color (because I'm not sure Yuffie counts, though her influences are typical Asian) is Barret, an angry black man who swears nearly every time he has a dialogue box. Also, in this clip, he seems to be channeling his inner Mr. T.



You also have Tifa, whose breast size defies all logic; Red XIII, a lab experiment; Vincent, another lab experiment; Cid, your resident angry white guy; Yuffie, the aforementioned possibly Asian-based character; and Aeris/Aerith, the character whose sole purpose is to go into the refrigerator to cause Cloud manpain, though the story behind the scene is that one of the game creators lost his wife, so he used this as a method of dealing with his grief. Either way, regardless of having the ability to level up the same way as the others Aeris dies. Cloud gets to show us that he's not a soulless, emotionless monster.



After that, Cloud vows revenge and blah, blah, blah. Also, Aeris is the worst character to have in a fight, ever, period. She is literally only good for healing.

Which brings me to another point, for which I'll be using another of my favorite games, Legend of Dragoon, a game I know inside and out.

Your cast of characters is predominantly white (your main character Dart is also blond w/ blue eyes, SWD), with the exception of Haschel, your bronze-skinned martial arts instructor, and Kongol, the last of a race called Gigantos who talks like a caveman. The women? Light and Dark, literally. (All pics via http://legendofdragoon.wikia.com/)

At a certain point, Shana becomes useless and comatose (not that she was really that useful to begin with), while Rose gets to be all broody and mysterious, a spot typically reserved for men which is quite interesting, except for the fact that she gets called out on it all the time, so it's actually less interesting than it could've been. Men are broody and mysterious, they're damaged souls in need of wuv. Women are broody and mysterious, they're PMSing.

Once Shana is out of the game, you get Miranda, who is described as "abrasive." As an orphan she has loads of issues because of course.

Four women who fall into stereotypes. The virginal huntress (bow and arrow), the dark and mysterious stranger, the manic pixie who wears next to nothing and has temper tantrums, and the orphan with severe anger issues. Congratulations, ladies!

Next time, I'll cover who's doing this right in some current games and where gaming needs to go in the future.

Visiting!

Today I'm over at Sara Brookes' blog talking about my favorite video game boss fights, including one that lasted for almost eight hours.

Oh yeah. I got endurance.

Why I love my Xbox AND an award!

As many of you know, I've entered into a loving relationship with my Xbox360. I tweet about it, I spend every night with it (unless I have to work early), and I quite enjoy the company. The hum while it works; the worlds it takes me to; the joys we share when killing aliens; the men it introduces me to and doesn't get jealous of... It's a beautiful relationship.

It also helps me cultivate new ideas by introducing me to new ideas and ways of thinking. Xbox (and video games in general) facilitates creativity like a mofo. Like books, video games transport us to places we aren't able to go ourselves.

For the last several weeks, I've been playing the Mass Effect games (like a BAUS), and it's sparked a totally unrelated idea. If you're not familiar, Mass Effect takes place 150 years into the future. Your hero/heroine is Shepard, a soldier tasked with saving the universe from a threat known as the Reapers, a race of sentient machines (that, yes, look like shrimp) that destroys organic life every 50K years or so. Shepard gathers a team of specialists, miscreants, and other some-such who all have different talents and abilities that aid you on your journey.

The real gem of the game is the story and, most importantly, character interaction. You have the chance to get to know your companions through different dialogues (unless it's Garrus, and he's always EFFING CALIBRATING. I'm better now). You learn their histories, get a feel for their personalities, and there's the option of starting a romance. Plus, you can shape Shepard in the way you want him/her to be. Do you want to be the nice one? Then go for it. Want to be the hardass you're incapable of being in real life? Push a guy out of a window and watch him plummet to his death.

Unfortunately not every game is Mass Effect or even Dragon Age (dear Bioware...you are teh awsums), but then again, not every book is the best book EVAR. However, it's all a learning experience. Through reading (and in my case, through reading + gaming), I'm learning what to do and what not to do, how to help characters behave in a more natural way as well as how to shape them so their personalities and their actions make sense. Characters and dialogue are one of the most important aspects of your writing--right up there with plot. Believable characters, believable dialogue, all extremely important.

**This is totally intended to make my video gaming hours valid. Someday, I'll figure out how to write VG purchases off on my taxes.**

And now for an award!

Jackie over at Bouquet of Books is awesome and has graced me with the Liebster Blog award. This award is given to bloggers who have less than 200 followers and to help more bloggers find their blog. Thanks, Jax!!!

The rules for accepting the award are as follows:

1. Thank the person who gave you the award and link back to them.
2. Nominate up to 5 others for the Liebster Award.
3. Let said bloggers know via comment on their blog (or Twitter or Facebook).
4. Post the award on your blog.
5. Consider signing up for the A - Z Challenge. It's a great way to find new and interesting blogs.

My choices:

1. Confessions of an Animal Junkie - Animal stories galore from a former vet tech who has a farm of her own and a lot of guest posts from animal lovers.
2. Alison at Adventures of the Cautionary Tale - Where every Saturday is Vladurday
3. Sarah at Blurb is a Verb - An awesome blog for newly published authors who feel like a deer caught in headlights
4. Beckah Rah! - One of my favoritest people in the world. She'll even help you tame your synopsis!
5. Jessica Knauss Famous Writer - Jess is an awesome romantic author who deserves some love of her own.

Please go check out their blogs AND Jackie's! These are some awesomely wonderful ladies.

I HAZ GAME REVIEWS Part Deux - Fable 3

Very few games give you the opportunity to watch your decisions directly affect the world around you. In most of them, what you do doesn't matter.

The Fable franchise provides such an opportunity. Also, it gives you the chance to kick chickens to the delight of those around you.

Admittedly, when I saw the following advert for Fable 3, I knew that I HAD to have that game. I loooooved Fable 2 to the point of playing it half to death, so getting the third installment was a given.

I laughed my head off.

Summary

Your brother, the King of Albion, is NUTS. He's turned the kingdom into a mess of poverty. Your job is to gather enough support to lead a revolution and overthrow him. To do this, you make promises and gain the support of important people within the kingdom who will lend you their people to amass your army.

And then the game starts.

You have to figure out if you really have to be cruel to be kind in order to save your people from the creepy threat from the south, or if you can have your cake and eat it too by keeping your promises. You will either be popular or a tyrant. One way or the other. And your people will either be dead or alive after the attack.

Game-y stuff in no particular order (AKA why not to write reviews on sleep meds)

One of the coolest, and definitely most innovative, parts of Fable 3 is that it builds off your Fable 2 file. Meaning that if you were a just and good ruler, your reputation follows suit. If you were...well, evil, then... I don't know. My Hero from F2 was a goody two shoes. I have no issue replaying F2 just to get an evil ruler person. It's fun for me.

One of the other new and super-cool parts of F3 is that your Hero actually talks. It's pretty nice to control a character who actually interacts...

There's a lot of greatness in F3. Compelling story, a slight bit of pressure, and a fab upgrade system as well. Instead of the confusion of an upgrade screen, you get the Road to Rule. Guided by the blind seeress Teresa, you upgrade by spending guild seals on whatever you want. I'm definitely a fan of magic. And rifles. Upgrading easier makes me happy.

There's a lot that I'm not a fan of, though. For me, Fable 2 is a FANTABULOUS game. I think I played through it 4 or 5 times in a row (did the exact same thing with Assassin's Creed 1). A lot of the nuances from F2 are missing in F3. Simple things, like interacting with your dog. Animal lover that I am, I'm a fan of being able to do tricks with your dog, feed him treats, pet him when he's scared, etc. I loved that. But with F3, it seems that interaction has been traded for interaction with people. Holding hands (making all kinds of plaaaaaans), dancing, playing pat-a-cake, etc. is fun, but I like the interaction with the dog more... That's just me...

A lot has carried over from F2, though. Demon doors, Sam and Max, doing ridiculous crap dressed as a chicken...oh, no, that's totally new. I love Fable because it's quirky. It doesn't take itself too seriously in parts while evoking somberness and depth in others.

I made it all the way to the end without dying. So it's not terribly difficult if you learn how to milk the healing system. Think Call of Duty, where if you lay low long enough, you'll heal. Pretty simple to just evade.

Buying stuff feels more difficult, too. But after you become ruler of Albion, you don't really need to spend money at all.

And honestly, some of the meatiest parts of the game come after you overthrow your crazy brother.

The last boss was too easy, though. A lot of magic and a lot of shooting, and he was dead. I was a little angry. I like my final bosses to feel nigh impossible, in the mold of Final Fantasy or even Legend of Dragoon. Boss fights that can last for an hour. I LOVE those because I feel like everything I've done up to that point has been worth doing.

The game can also get glitchy in spots, especially where the dog's concerned. It almost feels like he's an afterthought rather than a vital part of the game (like in F2). When he finds dig spots or treasure, most of the time, he doesn't or can't go near it. He gets stuck behind boulders or mountains, or something ridiculous. And he doesn't always take opportunities to attack. If they'd put as much thought into this one as they did to the mutt in F2, then there wouldn't be this huge disconnect between the dog and the player. Seems like it wouldn't be a big deal, but as I mentioned before, I'm an animal lover.

Overall, the game is worth getting and playing. These games have serious replay value. Just to get either high moral standing and popularity OR to become a tyrant.