I would really love to see some of the more problematic ethnic stereotypes in the game addressed. As an older player, I can parse problematic stuff and enjoy all the great and family-friendly aspects of the game, but it bugs me that the kids I play with (including family) are internalizing things that might seem silly on the surface, but harm real people around the world.
For instance, Pacific Islanders and other indigenous groups are still fighting the sorts of depictions that the Water-Moles embody, especially in the rain of fire spell, and there are very old Semitic stereotypes in the Manders. The Marleybonians are cheerfully colonialist, and do super unethical archaeology in a style that is still a huge issue in real life. There are other examples as well.
If I didn't love the game to bits I wouldn't bring this up here. There are so many great aspects to the gameplay and its ability to connect players with family members that are far away that I've loved the rest of my experience.
I have used the problematic elements of the game as teachable moments for my family, but I would love to see KingsIsle lead by example and show diversity rather than hollywood stereotypes.
I would really love to see some of the more problematic ethnic stereotypes in the game addressed. As an older player, I can parse problematic stuff and enjoy all the great and family-friendly aspects of the game, but it bugs me that the kids I play with (including family) are internalizing things that might seem silly on the surface, but harm real people around the world.
For instance, Pacific Islanders and other indigenous groups are still fighting the sorts of depictions that the Water-Moles embody, especially in the rain of fire spell, and there are very old Semitic stereotypes in the Manders. The Marleybonians are cheerfully colonialist, and do super unethical archaeology in a style that is still a huge issue in real life. There are other examples as well.
If I didn't love the game to bits I wouldn't bring this up here. There are so many great aspects to the gameplay and its ability to connect players with family members that are far away that I've loved the rest of my experience.
I have used the problematic elements of the game as teachable moments for my family, but I would love to see KingsIsle lead by example and show diversity rather than hollywood stereotypes.
No offense, but it's a game and to do what you ask would require reworking every aspect of its design. I have never seen anyone refer to being offended by any fantasy character depictions in this game. The message sent here is: have fun, play the game with your family and friends. It's really that simple. Quite frankly, it's a much better message than most games out there.
I strongly disagree with you. There is no group out of history that could be used that "something problematic" as you infer, could not be brought up by one group or another. I disagree on many things with KI, in their execution of this game,this however is not one of them. Their use of group models that reflect some aspects of other historical groups,or suggested stereotypical behavior, is both in good taste,and entertaining. I suggest stop looking for problems, where none exist.
I think the messages of fun and family in the game are fantastic-- and they are the reasons I play. They are also why I think it's fair to hold a great game geared toward kids to a high standard. I'm really happy to hear that no one has voiced direct offense to the game, but unfortunately that doesn't make its weak points any less problematic in the grand scheme of things.
We all unconsciously absorb attitudes from the stuff we spend a lot of time doing, and W101 is a marvelously addictive game with worlds that, while fantastic in nature, are directly and clearly based on world cultures. When ceremonies that are not only important to cultures now but have experienced brutal historical repression while being diminished in popular culture are treated as jokeworthy, that's not reflecting the best that W101 could be.
I think that there are several tweaks that could make a great start, short of a complete overhaul. KingsIsle likes to reuse animated puppets and tweak character designs for spells, NPCs, etc, and they add in new quests and areas fairly often, so why not tweak the designs for some of the characters? One of the Manders already voiced upset that the Marleybonians were taking their artifacts away, so why not create a side quest to bring them back? Rain of Fire could simply be shortened to a volcano, and the Water-Moles could speak with more careful accents like characters in Mooshu and Zafaria rather than in stereotypical broken English. I don't think that improving the game necessarily requires remaking it-- just reflecting on it with greater cultural sensitivity in a multicultural world.
I have talked about this with my kids and found it a good motivation for them to learn about different cultures. It is negative only if you can't differentiate between reality and cartoons, otherwise it's a teaching opportunity if you chose to make it one.
