A lot of white men are mad about “forced diversity” in video games, and this guy had the perfect response
Diversity and inclusion in video games—like diversity in most forms of mainstream entertainment—is a fairly new phenomenon. In most games, protagonists have traditionally been depicted as straight, cisgender, and white, and almost always male. However, in recent years, the gaming community has seen characters of more diverse backgrounds, genders, and sexual orientations—and it’s so refreshing. But not everyone is happy with the changing status quo. Specifically, a number of white guys are mad about what they consider to be “forced diversity” in games.
But one Twitter user by the name of FightinCowboy (who happens to be a straight, cisgender, white male himself) has something to say about all the griping.
"So lately there's been a lot of fuss over gaming 'forcing diversity' and people getting upset that a character is gay, trans, etc.," he wrote, "and I want to take a moment and try to explain this to folks that are having trouble understanding the issue, as a straight white dude myself."
So lately there's been a lot of fuss over gaming "forcing diversity" and people getting upset that a character is gay, trans, etc. and I want to take a moment and try to explain this to folks that are having trouble understanding the issue, as a straight white dude myself.
— FightinCowboy (@Fightincowboy) February 10, 2019
“As a straight white dude my whole life has been filled with cool white dudes in gaming and comics,” he continued.
As a straight white dude my whole life has been filled with cool white dudes in gaming and comics. Iron Man, He-Man, Spiderman, Cloud, you get the idea. There's literally a million different choices you could pick from and think "oh I want to be like them, I can relate to them".
— FightinCowboy (@Fightincowboy) February 10, 2019
And now we're seeing more women, more people of color, more people of varying sexual orientations, and dudes are asking, "Why does my character have to be gay?", "I like this character but why do I have to play as a black girl?"
— FightinCowboy (@Fightincowboy) February 10, 2019
“Y’all been playing as the “straight white dude” for so long you’re treating that as the default setting in life…The world isn’t made of nothing but straight white dudes.”
And to be honest, y'all been playing as the "straight white dude" for so long you're treating that as the default setting in life. But that's not true. The world isn't made of nothing but straight white dudes. There's billions of different people out there.
— FightinCowboy (@Fightincowboy) February 10, 2019
And you'll say "well why does my character have to be gay, it doesn't matter to the gameplay" and you're right, it doesn't, so why the fuck do you care? Playing as a gay character doesn't mean cocks start para-dropping into your room to assault you.
— FightinCowboy (@Fightincowboy) February 10, 2019
But to that 13 yr old kid that's gay and still in the closet, he suddenly has a role model. He has someone he can relate to the same way you looked up to Tony Stark or Mario or whoever. That little black girl who was too shy of gaming has a character she sees herself in.
— FightinCowboy (@Fightincowboy) February 10, 2019
“The point is while [diversity and representation] might not impact the gameplay AT ALL, it’s not hurting you and it’s potentially helping someone else,” he concluded. “And if you still disagree with that, then the real problem is just that you’re an asshole.”
The point is while it might not impact the gameplay AT ALL, it's not hurting you and it's potentially helping someone else. And if you still disagree with that, then the real problem is just that you're an asshole.
— FightinCowboy (@Fightincowboy) February 10, 2019
Fellow gamers who aren’t upset about the “forced diversity” appear to agree wholeheartedly. If these characters can help people feel seen and provide many gamers with a new kind of role model, then the changes should be welcome.
Nice explanation. In addition, from a programmer’s perspective, it gives the non-hetero/non-“white dude” developers the opportunity to feel more connected to their own creations. #BreakOutOfTheBox
— Jeremiah Whitehead (@dbzfan4awhile) February 13, 2019
THANK YOU I saw this post on Facebook and had to find you on twitter. Reading books with gay characters was instrumental in me accepting my identity and helping me rise above my depression. You don't know how toxic the thought "I just want to be normal" is to a child growing up♥️
— comrade squid 🏳️🌈 (@bromo_sexuality) February 12, 2019
false
https://twitter.com/udfredirect/status/1104680198606336000
This is a prime example of how one can use their platform and privilege for the greater good. Now, keep the diversity in video games coming.
