880°

Meet Tyler Ronan, the first transgender triple-A video game protagonist

While flashpoints of gender in gaming are characterised by controversy, the medium is becoming more inclusive. In recent years, character diversity has been on the rise, but there’s still a long way to go. One game seeking to be truly groundbreaking though is the upcoming PC and Xbox One game Tell Me Why, developed by DONTNOD, the studio which brought you Life Is Strange.

1524d ago Replies(5)
moriarty18891524d ago

could care less about gender. Just make a solid game.

LoveSpuds1524d ago

Agreed 100 percent. If it weaves an interesting tale with interesting characters then that's what should count.

Eonjay1524d ago (Edited 1524d ago )

Right. I'm all for inclusion because why not, but I don't want to see token characters simply for the sake of being edgy. Just make it good. A good story transcends crap like gender and sexuality. A good writer is supposed to make you feel understand the character without actually being them. It's apart of escapism. It's why God of War was game of the year.

Gaming1011524d ago (Edited 1524d ago )

This is likely going to be a political statement about transgender people, displaying them is morally exemplary people who are downtrodden by society, and shame on any of us who don't wish to use their made up pronouns like Xe and Xhe, and the 67 other pronouns for the 71 other genders.

Beyond Two Souls did the same thing with homeless people, condescending the audience by displaying them as the most moral and ethical members of society, and are just downtrodden by the rest of society.

This is is condescending and patronizing, and assumes everyone in a given group identity is a victim (they aren't) and that victimhood status makes someone morally exemplary (they aren't). This is like gay people on Glee. Always displayed as perfect people who are just being victimized.

People are more complex than this. No one is all good or all bad, that's one dimensional and is the reason so many characters are uninteresting. They don't reflect humanity.

Chaos_Order1523d ago (Edited 1523d ago )

I'm sure some will think "you're saying that but you're actually just covering up your bigotry with a weak excuse!" But... You're right. Good stories will just be good stories and viewed as such by most people.

This made me think of two manga series: Wandering Son and Real. Wandering Son is about two teens, a boy and a girl, who wish they were the other gender and form a friendship/romance over their willingness to find their way in life. Real is about a group of disabled men who play wheelchair basketball. But do people roll their eyes at "muh inclusivity?" No. Because the stories are actually good.

Like Gamer101 said, so many of these Western pieces paint minorities as heavenly angels that can do no wrong who eventually rise up against the big bad bigots with a smug grin. But in Real, the characters are flawed. They make bad decisions. They can be arrogant. They can be lazy and wallow in self-pity. They can even be straight up a**holes. Because of this their struggles feel... Wait for it... Real. And that's the difference.

PeaSFor1523d ago

A depressive chinese albino trans with a severe left arm deformity would be way more interesting, im not impressed.

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Segata1524d ago

Could care less means you care. Couldn't care less means you don't.

darthv721524d ago

so many people make that mistake. They also make the mistake of supposably vs supposedly.

Elda1524d ago

Could or couldn't care less is a sarcastic way of saying you don't care.

fr0sty1524d ago (Edited 1524d ago )

Could care less is an uneducated way of saying you don't care.

1524d ago
Smitty20201524d ago

Haha there’s always one

Eonjay1524d ago

What if you could care less but don't because it's not worth the effort of even ignoring? Does that make sense?

KillBill1524d ago (Edited 1524d ago )

Actually both work perfectly fine within the context of their use. "Couldn't care less" is the normal phrasing and simply means that you have reached the limits of being able to care for it at all.

While the phrase "Could care less" tends to most to imply there might actually be the ability to care for it less... but it does actually also imply such a non-caring attitude that won't even go as far as trying to care even less because it is not worth their time to do so.

The latter phrase is just a shortening of "I could care less, but it just isn't worth the time to do so".

specialguest1524d ago

@KillBill
I disagree. When people say "could care less", they say it with the original meaning of the phrase "couldn't care less" in mind. The primary reason why people get this phrase wrong is because they read and hear the incorrect version used by celebrities, public figures, and the average person time and time again to the point where it overshadowed the correct version of the phrase. The incorrect version becomes the norm, and some people even try arguing that it's not incorrect. This phenomenon isn't new and language tends to evolve(or devolve) over time based on where people live. A lot of today's words or slangs lost their original meaning through the ages

FullDiveDerail1523d ago

I couldn't care less about grammar corrections.

+ Show (6) more repliesLast reply 1523d ago
gamer78041524d ago

Judging by the dumpster fire they created with the second game, I don’t have much confidence in don’t nod anymore. I’ve not seen such a steep decline for a company’s storytelling capability in quite some time.

The_Sage1524d ago

Why couldn't they have just made Remember Me 2? I like that game.

rainslacker1524d ago

Yep. If it has a good story that's all that matters. In this case, since it's a dontnod game, chances are the story has something to do with the characters identity. So in this case, I dont see much of a problem. If their identity is incidental to the story, then I wouldnt really care unless it becomes some sort of focal point for some reason. If there is no relevance to the story, I'd question why they're bringing it up, because why would it matter?

Elda1524d ago

Someone that gets it!!!

Fluttershy771524d ago

To be different is part of being good... Maybe will be good, maybe not, who knows. But is trying to do something different

_Decadent_Descent1523d ago

'Different' isn't inherently good or bad.

sawoosevens1524d ago

I can tell you why this game won't be good because they pushing trans ideas instead of highlighting great features of the game or how fun it will be

Gunstar751524d ago

The correct expression is "couldn't care less"

Why can't people get this right ?

whitbyfox1524d ago

True. American teenagers are dumb.

Don’t get me started on aluminium vs aloominum.

Godmars2901524d ago

Yeah.

If it doesn't figure into the plot, is only affirmation of that one thing, then it of no value to the game. Worse if narrative or gameplay have to be compromised for it.

The only thing I really see is that if this game doesn't do well, the Twitter crowd is going to throw a fit.

cnote001524d ago

I think they want you to care

1524d ago Replies(1)
neutralgamer19921524d ago

Keep it to yourself and make a great game. We play video games to get away from reality and juts lose ourselves in awesome worlds but now even video games have agendas, politics etc

moriarty18891523d ago

exactly neutralgamer1992..

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Kaedro1524d ago ShowReplies(3)
Elda1524d ago (Edited 1524d ago )

Cool. Possibly this is a game the trans community can get into,relate & support including most of the gaming community.

Blastoise1524d ago

Trans people can get into any game. You don't need to be a dragon to enjoy Spyro. Not that I'm necessarily against a trans protagonist, for the record

Imalwaysright1524d ago (Edited 1524d ago )

"Trans people can get into any game"

That was back in the day when people were defined by their humane qualities, character flaws, actions and choices. Today, apparently, the only thing that defines us is what we have between our legs and our sexual orientation and those are the only things we can relate to.

Elda1524d ago (Edited 1524d ago )

There may be trans folks that don't play video games but once someone introduce them to this game & the subject matter they may be curious to play which may lead them to enjoy story driven video games & support the hobby of videogames. `The world is filled with different folks may it be their culture,their race,their gender,their orientation & all the above...so why not have a story driven game where the characters background is part of the story.Why folks "still" have a problem with this is beyond me especially in 2020. Smh.

SmielmaN1524d ago

Lmao. Best response!

I didn’t need inherit billions of dollars after my parents were murdered to enjoy Batman either!

Rebel_Scum1524d ago

Yeah but Spyro is much more relatable if you are a dragon lol.

NecrumOddBoy1524d ago

Blastoise,

Are you being Mythophobic?

🤔

+ Show (2) more repliesLast reply 1524d ago
Hungryalpaca1524d ago

So you’re saying trans people can’t empathize.

1524d ago Replies(1)
Hungryalpaca1524d ago

This is super condescending.

Trans people are just people. Treat them as such. They don’t “need” someone like them to relate to. Are you implying they can’t empathize?

And no. Most of the gaming community won’t get into it because they don’t care. People generally do not care what’s between your legs. Those who do care drive people crazy.

Elda1524d ago (Edited 1524d ago )

It's not about what's between their legs it's about them being a human being first & foremost & their transitioning which is a part of the story just like a characters background is introduced & part of a story in a movie. Some folks here are just making a fuss because the character is trans. If folks don't like it why bitch & moan about it knowing one didn't have to enter the article that they supposedly have no interest in..in the first place. Then talking about it's being shoved in their face when they're basically choosing the subject matter to be shoved in their faces knowing no one put a gun to their head & said...look you better read this. Smh.

Imalwaysright1524d ago (Edited 1524d ago )

Elda

"this game"

Yes, it could be this game or ANY of the thousands of games that are available on the market for us to buy today. Games are entertainment, they don't exist to validate us but if trans people were looking to be validated what's stopping them from relating to characters that are kind, caring, courageous, funny, obnoxious, loud etc regardless of their gender, culture and whatever other reductive characteristics you mentioned in your comment? Here's a hint for you: trans people aren't defined by just the fact that they're trans. None of us is defined by just one single characteristic and this is what you woke crowd that only care about the social woke point for the day fail to understand.

Elda1524d ago (Edited 1524d ago )

What is it you guys don't get?? It's a story driven game that introduces the characters bio/background which is a part of the games story just like characters backgrounds are introduced & may play a part in a story that's carried out in a movie. Seeing some of you guys who don't understand don't have to buy it or play it.

1523d ago
Imalwaysright1524d ago (Edited 1524d ago )

And so what if it is a story driven game that focuses on the characters? What's stopping a white trans woman from empathizing with Lee from telltale's Walking Dead game? What's stopping me as a white man from empathizing with the main character of this game if he happens to face some of the struggles I faced throughout my life? Please do tell why you, a trans person, me or anyone else couldn't relate to or any character regardless of their gender, culture, skin color etc?

Traecy1524d ago (Edited 1524d ago )

What are you going on about? Elda just stated that the game is about a fictional protagonist that happens to be trans & the protagonist character background may play a part in the story. What does emphasizing has to do with that. Once one plays the game & hear the story one may emphasize with the characters in the game but I don't think that was Elda's point. Dontnod makes games that are heavy on story,the protagonist background evidently plays a part of the story. What is it one doesn't understand? Just like the movie The Crying Game a big part of the co star/character story in the movie was that the fictional character was trans. The movie won several awards.

SlagWolf1524d ago

First game I ever played was PAC-MAN
I played it because it looked fun
I didn’t think “man I wish PAC-MAN was a half Indian half Irish man do I can identify with it”
GTFO

Dirtnapstor1524d ago

And maybe there will be a Surgeon Simulator component to this game....ya never know!
Having an emphasis as such as the crux of the game will only kill it altogether. Anything presented will never be enough to appease that crowd. All this will do, if at all, will fuel the controversy that continues to divide the community at large.

Mr Logic1524d ago

So trans people can't relate to a protagonist of the gender they believe themselves to be? Why is that?

1523d ago
Rachel_Alucard1523d ago (Edited 1523d ago )

We've had games exist where a character's only defining trait was being gay/lesbian/handicap/mental/et c. and nobody cared about them or even remembered them beyond being that identity. We've also had characters exist where they exist as anyone else but if you look between the lines you can figure out some background on them, like Bill from Last of Us, who is well regarded as a well written gay man. Imagine if there was game where the protags hook was being Vegan. This type of thing never works in any media because it always paints the character as one dimensional. Dontnod can attempt to make a trans character non one dimensional but they sealed their fate from the get go by making the game all about being trans. They could've just written a blank slate and removed all mention of sexuality or identity and then just added it in after the fact and it would've been better. But their initial standing point has already ruined that.

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ZeekQuattro3d ago (Edited 3d ago )

Turned based Phantasy Star and Shinning Force remain at the top of my list of Sega IPs that need to return. At the very least I'd take a Shining Force collection that has 1,2,3, CD and the Game Gear entries.

FinalBoss3d ago

I was hesitant to put these two on. I've personally played more PSO than the RPG version. And shame on me, I don't remember much about Shining Force to talk about it properly.

That said, so many Sega licences deserve their place in this list.

jznrpg1d 7h ago

A new Phantasy Star in the numbered series would be amazing. Shining Force too. But I’d settle on some collections as that’s probably the best we will get

anast3d ago

I don't trust Sega to do a proper comeback. The games will be just remastered and/or monetized to death.

gold_drake2d ago

shining force.

but indont see that happening unfortunately.