Writing about this topic feels tiring for me. It’s tiring because I feel so weary of the insensitivity that those who oppose the call for diversity in games exhibit. I can’t deny that our side has some holier-than-thou members who get a tad unfair in their quest for equal representation. But the arguments against are just willfully ignorant much of the time. When close-minded jerks like Youtuber TheInternetAristocrat snidely tell me that I should quit whining and make my own games…well, first of all, many of us (including myself) already TRY to make our own content across all kinds of media, including games. We just get rejected by executives and publishers because they’re too afraid to support us. And when we go indie? We struggle to be seen at all, and even get accused by fundamentalist gamers as not “producing real games” like Gone Home was so unfairly told.
We aren’t trying to hijack the gaming industry. Do you want your cishet white guy protagonist, and your tired misogynist plot-lines? Sure! Go ahead! But many of us want games we can relate to as well, and we shouldn’t be mocked or threatened by individuals who refuse to see things from our perspective. And by “our”, I mean women, people of color, LGBT, people of various faiths, and so so much more. I don’t hate white people. I don’t hate video games. I love video games. That’s why I want to see them excel. Video games have shown that they can and are an art form, and studies have shown a growing diversity among its consumers. Game developers should be encouraging that growth, not ignoring it.
As a hispanic bisexual woman, I would like to see more games produced that show positive examples of women in central roles, LGBT characters who aren’t vilified or caricatured, and PoCs that achieve more than speaking like stereotypes and engaging in acts of crime.
As I said on Twitter, I want the video game industry to be something that broadens my son’s view of the world, not narrows it.
If you feel the same way, please check out this hashtag stream on Twitter. Talk about it on your blogs. Hell, reblog this post. Because we need a change. And soon.
So for my international readers: the U.S. Presidential Election is done. Obama has won again, and I’m glad. Believe me. Romney was going to be the worst thing ever.
As some of you may remember, I work at a country club here in Georgia, and lemme tell you, the mood here for the Romney supporters is quite subdued. Now, I’m not gloating or anything, but there was one moment I found particularly amusing.
You see, I asked my supervisor what event we are working today, and he mumbled, “Some luncheon, fundraiser…thing.”
Poor guy. You know its bad when the management is apathetic. XD
I said it. (Though my choice was obvious I thought, from the get go.) After watching the DNC speeches and catching up on the news, I just can’t stay quiet about this. I didn’t want to make anyone feel attacked for their beliefs, so this is a general message to everyone. If you don’t want to muck around with politics? That’s fine, don’t read this. Sorry for wasting your time. But if you care about this stuff as much as I do? Hear me out. But understand, I’m a liberal and I feel very strongly about all of this, so some of my wording may not be as diplomatic as you might want it to be.
Romney is an idiot who will just further the agendas that got this country in trouble to begin with. He is a puppet who has no views of his own, and the extreme right have their hands firmly shoved up his ass to get him to do whatever silly nonsense they want him to do.
Did Romney want to save the auto industry? NO:
Does he care about the working class poor? NO:
Does he flip flop on everything? YES:
Does he like firing people? Apparently? …YES:
It may not be conclusive that Romney was involved in Bain Capital’s lay-offs and outsourcing jobs, but his being “retired” from Bain in 1999 is questionable enough to make one wonder, “Why is a guy who is for making jobs and improving the economy associated with a company that is the antithesis of that?”
Apparently we’re all just a bunch of whiners to him. As Bill Clinton so excellently stated in his speech at the DNC, the Republicans have only one thing to say to the middle class and the poor, “You’re on your own.” But in my honest opinion? Further equal opportunity and fostering a mentality of “We’re all in this together,” is far better than screwing people over to make the rich even comfier than they are.
Once upon a time in Massachusetts, Romney had these health care ideas that some people disagreed with. He went through with it, and even boasted that it was a good national model for health care. Obama took him up on that offer. Now? Suddenly Obama care is terrible! This health care plan our president based off of ROMNEY’S LEGISLATION, which gives healthcare to those who wouldn’t have received it otherwise, and allows senior citizens to afford their medication is suddenly bad.
Romney and his running mate, Paul Ryan, want to attack women’s health care:
And you students out there like me? Romney is AGAINST increasing funds for pell grants. His belief is that two-year degrees are more beneficial than four-year degrees. America is the 16TH country in the world for students with bachelor degrees. WHAT!? And this sucker wants to basically make it harder for students to pay off their loans, let alone get approved for one? Apparently, the issue isn’t that we need to create more accessibility to college, but we need to improve college retention. Romney….dude….you know that most people drop out because they CAN’T PAY FOR SCHOOL right?http://www.usnews.com/education/blogs/student-loan-ranger/2012/06/06/what-romneys-education-plan-means-for-college-students
Look…whatever you guys may think, Romney is NOT the answer for our nation. He has no firm positions of his own, and his backwards thinking will just land us in hot water. Nevermind that Paul Ryan is a Tea Party monstrosity that will hang civil liberties for the vultures to peck at.
Barack Obama is not perfect. That is not the argument I’m making here. What I’m trying to say is that Romney and Ryan are NOT THE ANSWER. 4 years is not enough to fix an economy as damaged as Obama found it, and you know what? If you’re mad about the bailouts, I’d just like to note that Bush had started those BEFORE Obama even got into office. So let’s not go there. Living down here in Georgia, I get sick to my stomach hearing from people shitting on Obama’s health care, and how he’s not a real Christian, and how he scammed his way into college, how he’s a socialist, and his birth certificate is fake, etc…..
Wake up and smell the coffee, people. You want Romney in office? Then your values are in the wrong place, and I’m prepared to argue my point with anyone who responds to this post.
...Prepare to Die. 