And you somehow proclaim transgender is common in Forgotten Realms? As of Advanced Dungeons and Dragons WHICH this game belong to, Im pretty sure it is not. Current "Sex" table in 5th Edition is all just catering and shoe horning and not interesting to this debate.
How many NPCs does Siege of Dragonspear have? Do you really think one of them being trans is "common" or overrepresented?
Everything starts small. If you want to change something? Don't, make your own setting or use a fiting one (see 5th Edition in DnD, it is more open to this) if you gonna sell a product in that setting.
I really dont see how this could be unacceptable yet something like Larry, Darryl and Darryl in the original Baldurs Gate or that cute reference to those two childrens storytelling fun in SoD isnt a massive issue. They actually reference real world events with those.
This one character spends a few seconds (unnecessarily in my opinion but i dont mind) talking about their personal life and somehow the setting is being eroded at its core? Nah, sorry I dont view it that way.
Its a small piece of backstory for a small NPC. Like I said, its no different in my view than the Innkeeper whose place had burnt down and his wife left him. A trivial piece of info on a small characters personal life.
And you somehow proclaim transgender is common in Forgotten Realms? As of Advanced Dungeons and Dragons WHICH this game belong to, Im pretty sure it is not. Current "Sex" table in 5th Edition is all just catering and shoe horning and not interesting to this debate.
How many NPCs does Siege of Dragonspear have? Do you really think one of them being trans is "common" or overrepresented?
No, I simply wonder why one is. It indicates that it is more common than we think when the PC character answers are not that curious about it and the whole conversation about it sound more or less like a modern day family who accept it. If the son is a son of 2 farmers, then this is a big loss for the family. The son probably wont aim to get children of their own either and take over the farm. Social justice mindset in a world where people are gutted over the wrong god, the wrong skin colour (wrong race, orcs, drow, goblin) is a bit...awkward that this one thing is something no one cares about but one orc inside Baldurs Gate would cause panic. How racist.
Everything starts small. If you want to change something? Don't, make your own setting or use a fiting one (see 5th Edition in DnD, it is more open to this) if you gonna sell a product in that setting.
I really dont see how this could be unacceptable yet something like Larry, Darryl and Darryl in the original Baldurs Gate or that cute reference to those two childrens storytelling fun in SoD isnt a massive issue. They actually reference real world events with those.
This one character spends a few seconds (unnecessarily in my opinion but i dont mind) talking about their personal life and somehow the setting is being eroded at its core? Nah, sorry I dont view it that way.
Its a small piece of backstory for a small NPC. Like I said, its no different in my view than the Innkeeper whose place had burnt down and his wife left him. A trivial piece of info on a small characters personal life.
Comedy relief is super cheesy and silly, yes, probably not sure it should be there.
Pushing our political viewpoints and such, is not something I think is at home in a game.
Comedy relief is super cheesy and silly, yes, probably not sure it should be there.
Pushing our political viewpoints and such, is not something I think is at home in a game.
Well I respect your opinion but for me personally I could never call that pushing any viewpoint, much less political.
If the games antagonist was trans, was pushing some kind of massive trans agenda and the plot railroaded and berated you into submission and it was a crux of the plot I could definitely see where youre coming from.
For me Im happy just to take it that on a certain day a writer tried to give a character something small to make it so a character wasnt just "press buttons to recieve healing".
I dont respond well to pushy liberal agendas any more than conservative ones, but I just shrugged my shoulders and carried on with the game after that one characters little tidbit on backstory didnt quite interest me. Its happened to me hundreds of times across hundreds of games. Its just a consequence of packing so much writing into a game that not everything appeals to everyone.
I can not believe there is such a negative reaction to this character. When she told me of her story I was like 'Huh? Cool. Good for you, sis! Happy for it all worked out for you.' For she was clearly confident, and happy with her life and was one of the good people fighting by our side. And then never even thought about it. I actually liked her name too, sounded like Xena to me which was also cool. Guess I am a bit more accepting than most.
Then I saw videos on youtube of people attacking and chunking her after talking to her. Wow. Such virtual hatred. Ofcourse she is just a minor convenience npc in a video game, but if people react to such a minor npc that gravely, I wonder what they would do in real life, if one of their acquantances, a friend or family member would turn out to become a transgendered individual. So sad.
Nothing would happen. Why would they act worse in real life? You make it sound that people who kill something in a game is even worse in real life. I mean, do you try to communicate with the orcs, drows and tasloi in game? Do you put hold spells on them not to put them in place so you can avoid killing them? I hope you do since killing them without talking sound a bit racist to me. They are just missunderstood and you do not understand them since you never put your time down to learn their language. What do you do in real life when you don't understand a language and someone gesticulate around their hands and meant to warn you of something and you just killed them? You see where I am going right?
This is entirely different than killing kobolds or zombies or whatever monster in the game. They are hostile and want to attack you so in order to continue playing the game you kill them. There is no need to attack or kill Mizhena.
Yet the video I mentioned shows the player talking to Mizhena, finding out she is a transgender, but not hostile and is actually a helpful npc, and yet then still promptly attacking her out of spite, killing her viciously.
I don't think people who do abhorent acts of violence, steal/murder in video games do so or worse in real life. But I still find this particular event sad. I am sure there are lots of videos of players backstabbing/fireballing commoners and killing helpful npcs even children in the game in entertaining ways, and I am sure most of those players are really nice people in real life-ie:they don't really murder people or children. It is just a game and all that. But the Mizhena case is a bit different.
Imagine a modern day action game, where a player posts a video:in which his character meets a helpful and kind npc that clearly is a minority of sorts in real life, and the player slaughters the npc when he learns he belongs to that minority. This is not a random-kill all npcs for the fun of it hey it is just a game!- kind of thing. It seems to send out a spesific message of hate, and unacceptance, no? It is the exact same thing. Maybe I am reading too deep into this
Comedy relief is super cheesy and silly, yes, probably not sure it should be there.
Pushing our political viewpoints and such, is not something I think is at home in a game.
Everything is political.
Females having the same stats as male was introduced when switching from 1st to 2nd edition. That was controversial back then, and still is, at least when you look at the codex people.
Viconia being persecuted was always political. So were Salvanas and the elf hater in the promenade.
Ignoring groups of people that exist, is political as well.
Comedy relief is super cheesy and silly, yes, probably not sure it should be there.
Pushing our political viewpoints and such, is not something I think is at home in a game.
Well I respect your opinion but for me personally I could never call that pushing any viewpoint, much less political.
If the games antagonist was trans, was pushing some kind of massive trans agenda and the plot railroaded and berated you into submission and it was a crux of the plot I could definitely see where youre coming from.
For me Im happy just to take it that on a certain day a writer tried to give a character something small to make it so a character wasnt just "press buttons to recieve healing".
I dont respond well to pushy liberal agendas any more than conservative ones, but I just shrugged my shoulders and carried on with the game after that one characters little tidbit on backstory didnt quite interest me. Its happened to me hundreds of times across hundreds of games. Its just a consequence of packing so much writing into a game that not everything appeals to everyone.
I honestly just find it forced and silly. I rather have the antagonist be the crazy crossdressing one instead. It be more interesting then some cleric of Tempus being a catalyst for some young writer trying to push their view point in life on us via a game based of a magical middle ages.
I can not believe there is such a negative reaction to this character. When she told me of her story I was like 'Huh? Cool. Good for you, sis! Happy for it all worked out for you.' For she was clearly confident, and happy with her life and was one of the good people fighting by our side. And then never even thought about it. I actually liked her name too, sounded like Xena to me which was also cool. Guess I am a bit more accepting than most.
Then I saw videos on youtube of people attacking and chunking her after talking to her. Wow. Such virtual hatred. Ofcourse she is just a minor convenience npc in a video game, but if people react to such a minor npc that gravely, I wonder what they would do in real life, if one of their acquantances, a friend or family member would turn out to become a transgendered individual. So sad.
Nothing would happen. Why would they act worse in real life? You make it sound that people who kill something in a game is even worse in real life. I mean, do you try to communicate with the orcs, drows and tasloi in game? Do you put hold spells on them not to put them in place so you can avoid killing them? I hope you do since killing them without talking sound a bit racist to me. They are just missunderstood and you do not understand them since you never put your time down to learn their language. What do you do in real life when you don't understand a language and someone gesticulate around their hands and meant to warn you of something and you just killed them? You see where I am going right?
This is entirely different than killing kobolds or zombies or whatever monster in the game. They are hostile and want to attack you so in order to continue playing the game you kill them. There is no need to attack or kill Mizhena.
Yet the video I mentioned shows the player talking to Mizhena, finding out she is a transgender, but not hostile and is actually a helpful npc, and yet then still promptly attacking her out of spite, killing her viciously.
I don't think people who do abhorent acts of violence, steal/murder in video games do so or worse in real life. But I still find this particular event sad. I am sure there are lots of videos of players backstabbing/fireballing commoners and killing helpful npcs even children in the game in entertaining ways, and I am sure most of those players are really nice people in real life-ie:they don't really murder people or children. It is just a game and all that. But the Mizhena case is a bit different.
Imagine a modern day action game, where a player posts a video:in which his character meets a helpful and kind npc that clearly is a minority of sorts in real life, and the player slaughters the npc when he learns he belongs to that minority. This is not a random-kill all npcs for the fun of it hey it is just a game!- kind of thing. It seems to send out a spesific message of hate, and unacceptance, no? It is the exact same thing. Maybe I am reading too deep into this
How do you know those kobolds or orcs are evil? Maybe you provoked them with your way of moving?
What does it matter if they smash this character to pieces? It matters 0.
Why do you fight the antagonist of this game? Or Icewind Dale II? They seem to unify a lot of races who are enemies to one cause. Maybe they really are the good people and you work for the old and decadent old lords? I killed a lot of characters in game out of spite, Chuck and Buck in Fallout 2 for example.
How do you know those kobolds or orcs are evil? Maybe you provoked them with your way of moving?
I mean, off the top of my head there's literally a spell called "Detect Evil" you can use to confirm.
And you can turn your gender to female and stop being transgender.
To me, I think the biggest problem how it is formulate. It sounds so modern with that whole "me and my parents came to an understanding". The only missing words are triggering, safezones and so on to make it really just another pushed political statement. They could written it to more fit into the world and have the character have this come after the playing convincing them to speak about it in relation to their god and how Tempus views genders. It would be more interesting and also lift forward the diety and how diffrent they can be from each others. Lolth would clearly not accept a male priest of Lolth who proclaims himself female. This is the whole ordeal here, it is poorly put forward and do not deepen your knowledge of the world more than "okay transgenders is something people is okay with, not orcs, not goblins, not demons" No, no the world do not accept it overall. Lolth do not, probably not either a bunch of other gods. They could have swayed it into the setting better. Now it just comes off as a cheap poke at modern day families "They raised me like a boy" hell, some dumb farmers raised you in whatever manner you could. And Tempus? Tempus is a very northern god so she might come from a town in Icewind Dale. A totally diffrent culture. Her name is litterally female-male in Czech to. Which makes it even more of a forced statement rather than a show case of deepening the worlds lore and telling us about it overall.
Like give us this conversation, fiting to the world, lore and culture of this character, her god and her position in the Sword Coast. How they see it. If you should have it in, make it feel one with the world. Like they did in Witcher 3 with the homosexual hunter and so on. Or the crossdressing elf who is already of an outcast race so it makes it less of a bad thing to do when you already are hated.
@Gelmarty Well then all I can say is that I dont envy how many different political viewpoints being forced on that you have to sift through each time you play any game, let alone this one.
Playing through the early game with all those different actions to take on refugees, the rule of law and place of justice in society.
I personally just view them as bits of narrative to either explore my own created character with or to simply enjoy for their own sake (or ignore if I dont - such as with Mizhena). Not as insidious political propaganda designed to subvert my own views. To each their own.
@Gelmarty Well then all I can say is that I dont envy how many different political viewpoints being forced on that you have to sift each time you play any game, let alone this one.
Playing through the early game with all those different actions to take on refugees, the rule of law and place of justice in society.
I personally just view them as bits of narrative to either explore my own created character with or to simply enjoy for their own sake (or ignore if I dont such as with Mizhena). Not as insidious political propaganda designed to subvert my own views. To each their own.
Just view my post above yours. This is how I rather see them do this. They did not give all the refugess Syrian names to make us think about that either. Refugees are common in ALL conflicts.
There are quite a number of refugees with names in the game.
Also, names on NPC serve a purpose: to let you know that it's worthwhile to speak to them, as they have unique content. Giving every refugee a name would thus make SoD's gameplay suffer. The same is not true for one single NPC you do not even have to have a conservation with.
There are quite a number of refugees with names in the game.
Also, names on NPC serve a purpose: to let you know that it's worthwhile to speak to them, as they have unique content. Giving every refugee a name would thus make SoD's gameplay suffer. The same is not true for one single NPC you do not even have to have a conservation with.
Well, refugees is nothing new. The other guy wrote as if it was a statement about helping Syrian Refugees.
Well, refugees is nothing new. The other guy wrote as if it was a statement about helping Syrian Refugees.
I did no such thing. You drew that conclusion yourself and highlighted my point exactly. You obviously draw conclusions to real life far too easily if I say so.
Does Viconias backstory in BG2 contain some political message about torture or (depending on you interpretation of what she said) rape in real life? No its just stuff that is concerned with her as a character in the game.
Does Jaheiras romance in BG2 make some kind of statement on women who lose their husbands or the disposability of men in society?
Listen you can draw as many conclusions to real life as you want, but I dont. Im an escapist at heart. When I play games the only thing Im concerned with is about the game itself, not how everything is alegory or subtext referencing real life.
Well, refugees is nothing new. The other guy wrote as if it was a statement about helping Syrian Refugees.
I did no such thing. You drew that conclusion yourself and highlighted my point exactly. You obviously draw conclusions to real life far too easily if I say so.
Does Viconias backstory in BG2 contain some political message about torture or (depending on you interpretation of what she said) rape in real life? No its just stuff that is concerned with her as a character in the game.
Does Jaheiras romance in BG2 make some kind of statement on women who lose their husbands or the disposability of men in society?
Listen you can draw as many conclusions to real life as you want, but I dont. Im an escapist at heart. When I play games the only thing Im concerned with is about the game itself, not how everything is alegory or subtext referencing real life.
Yes I get it, but you did aim to put someone in this trap and I saw it and triggered the trap to close. Maybe you yourself do it aswell?
Well, refugees is nothing new. The other guy wrote as if it was a statement about helping Syrian Refugees.
I did no such thing. You drew that conclusion yourself and highlighted my point exactly. You obviously draw conclusions to real life far too easily if I say so.
Does Viconias backstory in BG2 contain some political message about torture or (depending on you interpretation of what she said) rape in real life? No its just stuff that is concerned with her as a character in the game.
Does Jaheiras romance in BG2 make some kind of statement on women who lose their husbands or the disposability of men in society?
Listen you can draw as many conclusions to real life as you want, but I dont. Im an escapist at heart. When I play games the only thing Im concerned with is about the game itself, not how everything is alegory or subtext referencing real life.
There's nothing wrong with seeing such interpretations, or even the writer putting subtle nods towards them.
The problem arises when the writer's political views are shoehorned into the writing in a very clumsy or obvious way.
There's nothing wrong with seeing such interpretations, or even the writer putting subtle nods towards them.
The problem arises when the writer's political views are shoehorned into the writing in a very clumsy or obvious way.
Yes I know that and youre perfectly entitled to view and to dislike it. I dislike it because I thought in conversational sense it lacks tact and isnt very interesting, but I react the same way to lots of other backstories.
Im just not sure why this requires a small crusade when its so easily ignored. Well, I am sure why actually but thats no important.
Yes I get it, but you did aim to put someone in this trap and I saw it and triggered the trap to close. Maybe you yourself do it aswell?
Nope sorry. No trap, it was actually brought up as a point of comparison to how these ideas can be easily ties to political motivations and that was all. My actual view is the same as what you wrote and its because refugees are an EVER PRESENT moral and societal issue that has existed for millenia. Not because Syrian refugees are a political hot potato.
I kind of agree with both sides of the argument here On one hand, it's pretty transparently tokenistic On the other hand, it's pretty tastefully written, and is relatively unintrusive, so it doesn't feel shoehorned in.
There are plenty of aspects of the new writing I don't like, but overall I feel that this one just about gets a pass mark
There's nothing wrong with seeing such interpretations, or even the writer putting subtle nods towards them.
The problem arises when the writer's political views are shoehorned into the writing in a very clumsy or obvious way.
Yes I know that and youre perfectly entitled to view and to dislike it. I dislike it because I thought in conversational sense it lacks tact and isnt very interesting, but I react the same way to lots of other backstories.
Im just not sure why this requires a small crusade when its so easily ignored. Well, I am sure why actually but thats no important.
Yes I get it, but you did aim to put someone in this trap and I saw it and triggered the trap to close. Maybe you yourself do it aswell?
Nope sorry. No trap, it was actually brought up as a point of comparison to how these ideas can be easily ties to political motivations and that was all. My actual view is the same as what you wrote and its because refugees are an EVER PRESENT moral and societal issue that has existed for millenia. Not because Syrian refugees are a political hot potato.
Okay then mate! But you do know that many people out there will be like "MAN ITS A REPRESENTATION OF SYRIA" when peolpe who read some books about history will know, no, no it is not.
Okay then mate! But you do know that many people out there will be like "MAN ITS A REPRESENTATION OF SYRIA" when peolpe who read some books about history will know, no, no it is not.
Ajwz got a good point also.
Sure I know that. Or Jews fleeing the holocaust. Or (insert group here) fleeing (insert war here).
Its just like when people see slavery in tv/games/other fiction they automatically think of the brief period western nations engaged in the african slave trade, rather than think of the real period when slavery existed known as "the beginning of human civilisation" up until round about "continuing even today".
Thats what I mean about drawing these kind of conclusions. Youve got one helluva mess of a real world to draw from and everyone and their mother can have a take on it and trying to score points with it.
Okay then mate! But you do know that many people out there will be like "MAN ITS A REPRESENTATION OF SYRIA" when peolpe who read some books about history will know, no, no it is not.
Ajwz got a good point also.
Sure I know that. Or Jews fleeing the holocaust. Or (insert group here) fleeing (insert war here).
Its just like when people see slavery in tv/games/other fiction they automatically think of the brief period western nations engaged in the african slave trade, rather than think of the real period when slavery existed known as "the beginning of human civilisation" up until round about "continuing even today".
Thats what I mean about drawing these kind of conclusions. Youve got one helluva mess of a real world to draw from and everyone and their mother can have a take on it and trying to score points with it.
It seems unclear why the character in question would make a big deal of their sexuality upon being asked their name.
Thats just bad writing. This character could of been made interesting but is just spouting a sob story which we are only given an option to emphasise with. The lack of role playing available in conversation options just confirms this is bad writing. Remember the suicidal noble outside Candlekeep by the cliff and the responses you could dole out from sarcastic to indifferent to sympathy? Where were these options in the mentioned conversation? Why does this conversation not feel like a conversation?
Further when asked about companions Amber is most proud of how many bi/gay companions are in the game not excited to be writing about an interesting ranger or thief character or whatever in the Forgotten Realms. Shows where her focus is really; there's not much to read between the lines as this is pretty blatant.
For a lot of people in the transgender community, the selection of a new name is integral to the process of coming to terms with one's identity. I have a trans friend who I know would respond exactly like Mizhena did if you asked him about his unique name. So no, it's not unrealistic at all – quote the opposite.
As for everybody beating up on Amber Scott, let's do a little exercise:
In BGI, there were almost 0 non-white characters. It's pretty glaring if you think about it. Then BGII came along and gave us a more ethnically diverse palette of NPCs. If a developer had said she was proud of that fact, would you have a problem with that? Would you accuse her of having an agenda? I'm guessing not.
I know it's hard for a lot of people to accept, but trans people exist. And just like other minorities, you're occasionally going to see representations of them in video games, books, television, etc. It's not because these mediums are trying to check off a diversity box – they're just being representative of a growing reality. It makes me really sad that people could be so up in arms over that.
These people play games too, and you're only going to see more of them as they become less marginalized. Try to imagine what it would be like to live their experience and ask what the inclusion of a character like Mizhena might mean. When the first gay characters started appearing in video games, the benefit to gamers who could now *truly* roleplay their characters for the first time was worth the vitriol from people like the ones opposing the Mizhena character. In a few years, we will look back on this with the same incredulity.
I agree with @Purudaya, and would like to add that it shouldn't matter. A character's sexual orientation or gender identity is not important, because it is their choice. They don't wear it on their sleeves, because people are more than a gender or sexual preference. When minorities were added to games, they were other things than their race, and that's the way I think Mizhena could have been handled.
Also, If gods and evil exist. People probably worry about other things. I find it very silly that people have time to worry about their god damn gender when they live in turnips and goblins run rampant. You think the farmers of the real middle ages could do that? "Man I am a woman now":
If there is anything people always care about, regardless of the circumstances, sex and their self-image qualify.
Thinking confusion about your gender identity is a trivial thing that you can only worry about in modern society is revealing.
Okay, I still do not see how this is relevant to Baldurs Gate and why no one think the person is crazy.
Maybe they do – maybe the character has had to fight tooth and nail to gain acceptance in the Fist against overwhelming odds. She's a really tough character, as revealed during an unrelated later dialogue: maybe she tells people the truth about her name and beats the **** out of them if they have a problem with it. Mizhena's story is left pretty vague... if you're wondering what her experience has been like in the world of Forgotten Realms, get creative.
As far as the supposed lack of "historical" realism goes re: trans acceptance, the Iroquois and Omani tribes were hip on this issue hundreds of years ago. Fortunately, we don't actually need real world examples because the a Forgotten Realms *isn't the real world*.
There's a transgender character in SOD... I am not terribly surprised. Disappointed but not surprised. These days, it's like every single gaming company must pander to the SJW lunatics. Why aren't there any companies that support traditional values and gender roles? If they had to include a token mentally ill person, couldn't we have gotten a character suffering from dementia or schizophrenia? And not gender dysphoria? They at least have the potential to be funny.
Finding out Beamdog is one of those rabid SJW developers completely ruined my day... I will of course not be buying Siege of Dragonspear. I refuse to support a company that feels the need to promote such a cancerous ideology. Had they kept it out of their games, I would not have minded but they have not and I want nothing more to do with them. This Amber Scott looks and behaves like the stereotypical SJW feminist. It would be funny if it wasn't so sad...
I've had a bit of an epiphany. I, and others, keep saying "Why add it if it doesn't really matter?" I think that's the point. It's such a minor detail, meant to not really matter, that lets acceptance grow, and that is what the writers were trying to do. I hadn't realized that until now. I was wrong. Adding her was a good call, because, as @Purudaya was saying, trans people in games need to work their way in, until eventually, through enough exposure, they are part of the accepted norm.
The Steam reviews are infuriating. Beamdog is a small company and this game needs to do well if we're going to see more Baldur's Gate content - if you have a problem with the inclusion of one line of dialogue, come hash it out on the forums or make a mod to remove it. Don't try to deter people from buying the game.
Comments
This one character spends a few seconds (unnecessarily in my opinion but i dont mind) talking about their personal life and somehow the setting is being eroded at its core? Nah, sorry I dont view it that way.
Its a small piece of backstory for a small NPC. Like I said, its no different in my view than the Innkeeper whose place had burnt down and his wife left him. A trivial piece of info on a small characters personal life.
Pushing our political viewpoints and such, is not something I think is at home in a game.
If the games antagonist was trans, was pushing some kind of massive trans agenda and the plot railroaded and berated you into submission and it was a crux of the plot I could definitely see where youre coming from.
For me Im happy just to take it that on a certain day a writer tried to give a character something small to make it so a character wasnt just "press buttons to recieve healing".
I dont respond well to pushy liberal agendas any more than conservative ones, but I just shrugged my shoulders and carried on with the game after that one characters little tidbit on backstory didnt quite interest me. Its happened to me hundreds of times across hundreds of games. Its just a consequence of packing so much writing into a game that not everything appeals to everyone.
Yet the video I mentioned shows the player talking to Mizhena, finding out she is a transgender, but not hostile and is actually a helpful npc, and yet then still promptly attacking her out of spite, killing her viciously.
I don't think people who do abhorent acts of violence, steal/murder in video games do so or worse in real life. But I still find this particular event sad. I am sure there are lots of videos of players backstabbing/fireballing commoners and killing helpful npcs even children in the game in entertaining ways, and I am sure most of those players are really nice people in real life-ie:they don't really murder people or children. It is just a game and all that. But the Mizhena case is a bit different.
Imagine a modern day action game, where a player posts a video:in which his character meets a helpful and kind npc that clearly is a minority of sorts in real life, and the player slaughters the npc when he learns he belongs to that minority. This is not a random-kill all npcs for the fun of it hey it is just a game!- kind of thing. It seems to send out a spesific message of hate, and unacceptance, no? It is the exact same thing. Maybe I am reading too deep into this
Females having the same stats as male was introduced when switching from 1st to 2nd edition. That was controversial back then, and still is, at least when you look at the codex people.
Viconia being persecuted was always political. So were Salvanas and the elf hater in the promenade.
Ignoring groups of people that exist, is political as well.
What does it matter if they smash this character to pieces? It matters 0.
Why do you fight the antagonist of this game? Or Icewind Dale II? They seem to unify a lot of races who are enemies to one cause. Maybe they really are the good people and you work for the old and decadent old lords? I killed a lot of characters in game out of spite, Chuck and Buck in Fallout 2 for example.
To me, I think the biggest problem how it is formulate. It sounds so modern with that whole "me and my parents came to an understanding". The only missing words are triggering, safezones and so on to make it really just another pushed political statement. They could written it to more fit into the world and have the character have this come after the playing convincing them to speak about it in relation to their god and how Tempus views genders. It would be more interesting and also lift forward the diety and how diffrent they can be from each others. Lolth would clearly not accept a male priest of Lolth who proclaims himself female. This is the whole ordeal here, it is poorly put forward and do not deepen your knowledge of the world more than "okay transgenders is something people is okay with, not orcs, not goblins, not demons" No, no the world do not accept it overall. Lolth do not, probably not either a bunch of other gods. They could have swayed it into the setting better. Now it just comes off as a cheap poke at modern day families "They raised me like a boy" hell, some dumb farmers raised you in whatever manner you could. And Tempus? Tempus is a very northern god so she might come from a town in Icewind Dale. A totally diffrent culture. Her name is litterally female-male in Czech to. Which makes it even more of a forced statement rather than a show case of deepening the worlds lore and telling us about it overall.
Like give us this conversation, fiting to the world, lore and culture of this character, her god and her position in the Sword Coast. How they see it. If you should have it in, make it feel one with the world. Like they did in Witcher 3 with the homosexual hunter and so on. Or the crossdressing elf who is already of an outcast race so it makes it less of a bad thing to do when you already are hated.
Playing through the early game with all those different actions to take on refugees, the rule of law and place of justice in society.
I personally just view them as bits of narrative to either explore my own created character with or to simply enjoy for their own sake (or ignore if I dont - such as with Mizhena). Not as insidious political propaganda designed to subvert my own views. To each their own.
Also, names on NPC serve a purpose: to let you know that it's worthwhile to speak to them, as they have unique content. Giving every refugee a name would thus make SoD's gameplay suffer. The same is not true for one single NPC you do not even have to have a conservation with.
Does Viconias backstory in BG2 contain some political message about torture or (depending on you interpretation of what she said) rape in real life? No its just stuff that is concerned with her as a character in the game.
Does Jaheiras romance in BG2 make some kind of statement on women who lose their husbands or the disposability of men in society?
Listen you can draw as many conclusions to real life as you want, but I dont. Im an escapist at heart. When I play games the only thing Im concerned with is about the game itself, not how everything is alegory or subtext referencing real life.
The problem arises when the writer's political views are shoehorned into the writing in a very clumsy or obvious way.
Im just not sure why this requires a small crusade when its so easily ignored. Well, I am sure why actually but thats no important. Nope sorry. No trap, it was actually brought up as a point of comparison to how these ideas can be easily ties to political motivations and that was all. My actual view is the same as what you wrote and its because refugees are an EVER PRESENT moral and societal issue that has existed for millenia. Not because Syrian refugees are a political hot potato.
On one hand, it's pretty transparently tokenistic
On the other hand, it's pretty tastefully written, and is relatively unintrusive, so it doesn't feel shoehorned in.
There are plenty of aspects of the new writing I don't like, but overall I feel that this one just about gets a pass mark
Ajwz got a good point also.
Its just like when people see slavery in tv/games/other fiction they automatically think of the brief period western nations engaged in the african slave trade, rather than think of the real period when slavery existed known as "the beginning of human civilisation" up until round about "continuing even today".
Thats what I mean about drawing these kind of conclusions. Youve got one helluva mess of a real world to draw from and everyone and their mother can have a take on it and trying to score points with it.
As for everybody beating up on Amber Scott, let's do a little exercise:
In BGI, there were almost 0 non-white characters. It's pretty glaring if you think about it. Then BGII came along and gave us a more ethnically diverse palette of NPCs. If a developer had said she was proud of that fact, would you have a problem with that? Would you accuse her of having an agenda? I'm guessing not.
I know it's hard for a lot of people to accept, but trans people exist. And just like other minorities, you're occasionally going to see representations of them in video games, books, television, etc. It's not because these mediums are trying to check off a diversity box – they're just being representative of a growing reality. It makes me really sad that people could be so up in arms over that.
These people play games too, and you're only going to see more of them as they become less marginalized. Try to imagine what it would be like to live their experience and ask what the inclusion of a character like Mizhena might mean. When the first gay characters started appearing in video games, the benefit to gamers who could now *truly* roleplay their characters for the first time was worth the vitriol from people like the ones opposing the Mizhena character. In a few years, we will look back on this with the same incredulity.
As far as the supposed lack of "historical" realism goes re: trans acceptance, the Iroquois and Omani tribes were hip on this issue hundreds of years ago. Fortunately, we don't actually need real world examples because the a Forgotten Realms *isn't the real world*.
loving 2.0 patch and what little of SoD I've seen so far btw Beamdog keep up the great work
Finding out Beamdog is one of those rabid SJW developers completely ruined my day... I will of course not be buying Siege of Dragonspear. I refuse to support a company that feels the need to promote such a cancerous ideology. Had they kept it out of their games, I would not have minded but they have not and I want nothing more to do with them. This Amber Scott looks and behaves like the stereotypical SJW feminist. It would be funny if it wasn't so sad...