Because things like black protagonists with hip-hop music in the background make no sense in a feudal japanese setting and people are sick of games being abused as vehicles for morality preaching.

But games about dudes in medieval-looking sci-fo power armor stomping around WW1-styled soldiers do?

And that doesn't preach any morals? But a black guy in a samurai setting does? How come one does, but the other does not?

Also...

An example from borderlanfs two could be Sir Hammerlock, who was introduced as a normal (for borderlands) character early on and later in a side quest was revealed to be gay in passing.

Maybe don't make it as readily apparent how much you internalized gayness being abnormal. Telling. You wouldn't write sentences like this if that wasn't a normal thought process for you, since you did probably not have to actively consider your wording.

[–] ichbinjasokreativ@lemmy.world -4 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Bullshit. Normalization means not making a big deal out of it, which goes contrary to the woke standard of putting it front and center.

[–] Carighan@lemmy.world 5 points 1 month ago (1 children)

But like you say, if you want to normalize it, shouldn't it be front and center then? Since that's part of being normal, also being front and center?

[–] ichbinjasokreativ@lemmy.world -2 points 1 month ago (1 children)

It cannot be front and center and normal at the same time. It cannot be the main part of a character's identity, else it will always be perceived as "special" and "extra", but not "normal". Devs can make whatever game with whatever chars they want ofc, but the result is what we're seeing with ubisoft.

I'm just ranting at this point.

[–] Carighan@lemmy.world 5 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (1 children)

It cannot be front and center and normal at the same time.

Why not? If it's normal, any possible identity and any possible element will be front and center every so often, no? That's what normality means after all? Something has to be front and center, and if everything is normal, everything will appear there repeatedly?

[–] AFC1886VCC@reddthat.com 2 points 1 month ago (1 children)

You'll get nowhere with these people and their epic Olympic level mental gymnastics. Ultimately, only heterosexual white male characters are allowed to play prominent roles in video games.

[–] ichbinjasokreativ@lemmy.world 0 points 1 month ago

I'm not saying that lgbtq characters cannot play prominent roles, I'm saying that people will roll their eyes if being lgbtq is their primary attribute.