To state that transgender individuals have no place in a fantasy story is to imply that those individuals have no interesting stories to tell. In my experience, nothing could be further from the truth.
Moreover, non-binary gender has been a part of Dungeons & Dragons since at least 1980. Corellon Larethian, god of the elves, was introduced in Deities & Demigods in 1980 with the following description: "Corellon is alternately male or female, both or neither."
Corellon was incorporated into the Realms as early as the original boxed set, so the idea of non-binary gender has pretty much always been a part of the published Forgotten Realms.
Having a transgender character is not a matter of checking a diversity box or going against established canon. It is only a sign that people are more willing to hear those stories in the current day and age.
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.
I've always hated this for either side of political preferences, or even issues like when people rate books poorly because there's no e-book. You should review the quality of the product. Occasionally there are books or other things where something is so pervasive that it impacts the quality of the product, but this is literally a couple of lines of dialogue in a minor character who does not matter at all to the quality of the whole product.
A note on political correctness, for the uninformed:
The term "tranny" is a derogatory slang word for someone who is transgendered. I see it being used in contexts that don't necessarily carry that meaning, but it's something that's worth paying attention to, as any transgendered person reading it in passing will undoubtedly be offended by it.
I would also categorize "mouthbreathers" in the same way. These forums expect a high level of respect for everyone in the community; don't tarnish that by throwing insults.
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.
Especially in an environment where people are pressured to hide their sexual identity, outward expression can be an important part of self-acceptance and self-realization. It may not be important to you, but it's probably important to them. And there are obviously many LGBTQ folks in the real world who wear their sexual identities on their sleeves, so I don't know why this should be surprising.
Non-white characters aren't an apt comparison when you're talking about outward expressions of minority status, because their appearance usually speaks for itself in conveying that aspect of their identity.
When POE was released I remember being annoyed by the loud complaints about a single line of text that didn't sit well with a single person in lgbt community. "Like the rest of the world cares that you don't like a single line of text in a game" I thought. It was pretty dumb that they changed the line of text just to silence this person.
Yet here we are with the tables turned. This time there is a single character in the game that is transgender and a bunch of people that are not lgbt are being loud mouthed about it and giving bad reviews on steam. You can't have it both ways. Unlike Obsidian, I highly doubt Beamdog is going to remove the character because you don't like it. But I guess never say never.
It may or may not be true that transgender people have a mental disorder but I do think it's funny that to some, it would be ok to include characters in the game with other mental disorders like dementia, suicidal, ect.. but not a transgender person. It's not like they are telling you do go out and get your junk snipped. They aren't going after traditional family values either. They are just representing people realistically. Transgender people do exist in the real world. Having a token gay guy in every game might be annoying to some but it's reality. I remember in the 80's Hollywood used to have a token black guy that died in every movie. Oh the humanity.
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.
Especially in an environment where people are pressured to hide their sexual identity, outward expression can be an important part of self-acceptance and self-realization. It may not be important to you, but it's probably important to them. And there are obviously many LGBTQ folks in the real world who wear their sexual identities on their sleeves, so I don't know why this should be surprising.
Non-white characters aren't an apt comparison when you're talking about outward expressions of minority status, because their appearance usually speaks for itself in conveying that aspect of their identity.
I'm definitely not trying to equate the experiences of characters who have no choice in their outward expression of minority status with those that do. I reference nonwhite characters to illustrate how a group went from being vastly underrepresented in BGI to finding broader representation in BGII and how being proud of that change would not have been comparatively controversial.
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.
Fortunately, I'm only seeing two Steam reviews that thumbs-down the game on account of its gender-oriented content; the others appear to have some legitimate gripes about bugs and/or stability. Ultimately, the game's still sitting in "very positive" territory in the Steam reviews, so I don't think we need to be too concerned about a few bad apples ruining the overall rating.
Metacritic's a bit worse - the only user review so far is an incomprehensible rant about SJWs (not unlike a certain troll that posted above), and the game overall is sitting at a 6.4 - but I think we can have faith in the overall gaming community to filter out the nonsense and judge the game on its merits, particularly since metacritic separates the (extremely positive, so far) professional reviews from its user-submitted counterparts.
I need to remind myself on a regular basis that the most close-minded and hostile members of the gaming community are simply a (extremely vocal) minority, and aren't representative of the community as a whole. Personally, I've always found the Baldur's Gate community, as well as D&D players in general, to be a fairly progressive bunch; the modding scene has always had its fair share of LGBT-friendly NPCs and scenarios, and even this thread - with a couple of exceptions - has managed to discuss multiple viewpoints in a reasonable, intelligent, mature way. Keep actively supporting quality and the irrational naysayers will, eventually, get drowned out by their quieter but more-reasonable counterparts.
A note on political correctness, for the uninformed:
The term "tranny" is a derogatory slang word for someone who is transgendered. I see it being used in contexts that don't necessarily carry that meaning, but it's something that's worth paying attention to, as any transgendered person reading it in passing will undoubtedly be offended by it.
I would also categorize "mouthbreathers" in the same way. These forums expect a high level of respect for everyone in the community; don't tarnish that by throwing insults.
My bad, guilty as charged. I was just trying to make light of the situation in hopes that things wouldn't get too heated. I edited my previous post out of respect.
I'm definitely not trying to equate the experiences of characters who have no choice in their outward expression of minority status with those that do. I reference nonwhite characters to illustrate how a group went from being vastly underrepresented in BGI to finding broader representation in BGII and how being proud of that change would not have been comparatively controversial.
I think we're on the same page here, @Purudaya. My comment was just in reference to the one I quoted.
I'm definitely not trying to equate the experiences of characters who have no choice in their outward expression of minority status with those that do. I reference nonwhite characters to illustrate how a group went from being vastly underrepresented in BGI to finding broader representation in BGII and how being proud of that change would not have been comparatively controversial.
I think we're on the same page here, @Purudaya. My comment was just in reference to the one I quoted.
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*.
Good for them, to bad Sword Coast is not really based on the "New World".
Stop glueing things upon something that is clearly inspired by Tolkien, who been inspired by Nordic and Celtic mythology. Im Nordic, I do not like when you glue things on to it : - ) You offend and trigger me. You know, we can play the game to, Especially when you litterally rape our culture and history by adapting Thor and other of our pagan gods to your silly comics and movies. Or when the Nazis did it.
Are you one of those who also proclaim that Doran was the first gay character ever? That one in Dragon Age Inc? And yes I would have a problem with it being a bunch of South-Africans or Japanese in a place based on Nordic mythology. Shoe horning or forcing things in is stupid. So yes, I would accuse her of having an agenda of changing things to fit her world view. I do not want to see a majority of Africans in a setting based or inspired by North-Central-East Europe, I do not want to see Meso-American indians in a setting based on Japan-Korea-China. I do not want to see a bunch of caucasoid in a setting based on India. The Sword Coast and Thay with neighbours are not the same places, not the same cultures, not the same kind of people in these regions. In Mass Effect it fits but when people want to be so diverse and welcoming they force it. It becomes rather odd and not realistic at all. If people are acceptant of each others in a culture, eventually this culture would grow to become a mix of all these cultures and races and not really be diverse at all eventually. I find it funny how you bring up this topic but do not seem to care that you comit manslaughter and genocide on "not so beautiful" races in 99 out of 100 RPGs. Like that Xvart village in Baldurs Gate 1.
I do not think you can convince me, that this is not forced. A person who worries about how transgender is portrayed or that the cast is to (insert colour) should not be working with entertainment or games but be a activist in some organisation. It is a non issue that can be removed if more people start to make their own games instead of trying to change existing worlds that is already well established. Make new worlds, do not change old to fit your agenda, it won't make you a fan favourite among those who been having fun in these worlds. But do go ahead, genocide the orcs and drow while you worry more about the skin colour of the human companions and think there is a need for more transgender characters.
EDIT: Be creative? That is Beamdogs job. I can fan fic a ton of things but it do not make it canon, Im not their writer.
As someone who is questioning their sexuality, I found Mizhena to be extremely insensitive and nigh insulting. This is not adding inclusiveness to the game, no this is stereotyping. This game is set in a world where a man can literally become a woman and a woman can literally become a man through use of magic. Mizhena is practically not even transgendered anymore. She is a woman. Why would she ever bring up her possibly traumatic past?
The stereotypes are strong with this one. One of the first things she says to more or less strangers is her history of how she changed genders which for the reasons I stated above are illogical for her to share with others. It stereotypes her as the transexual who can only talk about how they transitioned and their past. Secondly, she is stereotyped even more with how she chose her name. By making her out to be the multicultural, diversity character, it is only strawmaning transexuals into the role of the (I hate to use the term, but it works here), Social Justice Warrior.
Mizhena is not an inclusive character. She is a misguided attempt at inclusion that serves only to reinforce the negative stereotyping that is present toward transexuals.
As someone who is questioning their sexuality, I found Mizhena to be extremely insensitive and nigh insulting. This is not adding inclusiveness to the game, no this is stereotyping. This game is set in a world where a man can literally become a woman and a woman can literally become a man through use of magic. Mizhena is practically not even transgendered anymore. She is a woman. Why would she ever bring up her possibly traumatic past?
The stereotypes are strong with this one. One of the first things she says to more or less strangers is her history of how she changed genders which for the reasons I stated above are illogical for her to share with others. It stereotypes her as the transexual who can only talk about how they transitioned and their past. Secondly, she is stereotyped even more with how she chose her name. By making her out to be the multicultural, diversity character, it is only strawmaning transexuals into the role of the (I hate to use the term, but it works here), Social Justice Warrior.
Mizhena is not an inclusive character. She is a misguided attempt at inclusion that serves only to reinforce the negative stereotyping that is present toward transexuals.
I am sorry if something I said offended you.
But this is a bit of what I pointed to. If she is supposed to be in game, MAKE IT MORE than just "Lol im a female in a males body" character. There is so much more to explore about the setting and to tie her to it with the lore and so on.
Beamdog's writing has been consistently disappointing right from the release of BG:EE. Strange that one throwaway line about a trans person should be the dealbreaker for some people.
Beamdog's writing has been consistently disappointing right from the release of BG:EE. Strange that one throwaway line about a trans person should be the dealbreaker for some people.
I think the biggest issue that they have not aimed to lift their writing but hire a shit ton of voice actors for meaningless characters like this one and put in political statements from our real world modern ideologies instead of fixing the level of writing. Hell, if what I heard about the ending is true...it sounds like a bad episode of a Law and Order show or something.
Sorry, people, but I'm obliged to announce that the mere existence of this thread makes me sad.
I've gone back and forth on that. I read the lines of dialogue and thought: "nice, this NPC made up his / her (can't remember which really) name the same way I made up the name for my charname" by combining elements of names from different languages. And that's what lots us do -- right? There aren't that many charnames named 'robby' out there.
I smiled and then completely forgot about that NPC.
And then I came to the forum and got sad when I learned that some were objecting. But I also think that some of the discussion has been insightful -- discussion of these issue is important and we get to tolerance and/or acceptance through discussion.
So -- at first sad and now happy to see so many good posts.
Sorry, people, but I'm obliged to announce that the mere existence of this thread makes me sad.
I've gone back and forth on that. I read the lines of dialogue and thought: "nice, this NPC made up his / her (can't remember which really) name the same way I made up the name for my charname" by combining elements of names from different languages. And that's what lots us do -- right? There aren't that many charnames named 'robby' out there.
I smiled and then completely forgot about that NPC.
And then I came to the forum and got sad when I learned that some were objecting. But I also think that some of the discussion has been insightful -- discussion of these issue is important and we get to tolerance and/or acceptance through discussion.
So -- at first sad and now happy to see so many good posts.
The character is named Female-Male or something along those lines. Not sure if that name is really that "transgender friendly" since seeingly people been finding it tacky. Look a f ew posts up.
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*.
Good for them, to bad Sword Coast is not really based on the "New World".
Stop glueing things upon something that is clearly inspired by Tolkien, who been inspired by Nordic and Celtic mythology. Im Nordic, I do not like when you glue things on to it : - ) You offend and trigger me. You know, we can play the game to, Especially when you litterally rape our culture and history by adapting Thor and other of our pagan gods to your silly comics and movies. Or when the Nazis did it.
Are you one of those who also proclaim that Doran was the first gay character ever? That one in Dragon Age Inc? And yes I would have a problem with it being a bunch of South-Africans or Japanese in a place based on Nordic mythology. Shoe horning or forcing things in is stupid. So yes, I would accuse her of having an agenda of changing things to fit her world view. I do not want to see a majority of Africans in a setting based or inspired by North-Central-East Europe, I do not want to see Meso-American indians in a setting based on Japan-Korea-China. I do not want to see a bunch of caucasoid in a setting based on India. The Sword Coast and Thay with neighbours are not the same places, not the same cultures, not the same kind of people in these regions. In Mass Effect it fits but when people want to be so diverse and welcoming they force it. It becomes rather odd and not realistic at all. If people are acceptant of each others in a culture, eventually this culture would grow to become a mix of all these cultures and races and not really be diverse at all eventually. I find it funny how you bring up this topic but do not seem to care that you comit manslaughter and genocide on "not so beautiful" races in 99 out of 100 RPGs. Like that Xvart village in Baldurs Gate 1.
I do not think you can convince me, that this is not forced. A person who worries about how transgender is portrayed or that the cast is to (insert colour) should not be working with entertainment or games but be a activist in some organisation. It is a non issue that can be removed if more people start to make their own games instead of trying to change existing worlds that is already well established. Make new worlds, do not change old to fit your agenda, it won't make you a fan favourite among those who been having fun in these worlds. But do go ahead, genocide the orcs and drow while you worry more about the skin colour of the human companions and think there is a need for more transgender characters.
EDIT: Be creative? That is Beamdogs job. I can fan fic a ton of things but it do not make it canon, Im not their writer.
Yes, be creative – the game makes you use your imagination throughout, not just here. As for your rant about ethnic diversity, the Sword Coast is known for its trade and players should expect to see people from all over Faerun there. The fact that BGI had almost singularly white characters was a poor design choice in terms of representation AND lore – that doesn't change the fact that it was a great game.
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*.
Good for them, to bad Sword Coast is not really based on the "New World".
Stop glueing things upon something that is clearly inspired by Tolkien, who been inspired by Nordic and Celtic mythology. Im Nordic, I do not like when you glue things on to it : - ) You offend and trigger me. You know, we can play the game to, Especially when you litterally rape our culture and history by adapting Thor and other of our pagan gods to your silly comics and movies. Or when the Nazis did it.
Are you one of those who also proclaim that Doran was the first gay character ever? That one in Dragon Age Inc? And yes I would have a problem with it being a bunch of South-Africans or Japanese in a place based on Nordic mythology. Shoe horning or forcing things in is stupid. So yes, I would accuse her of having an agenda of changing things to fit her world view. I do not want to see a majority of Africans in a setting based or inspired by North-Central-East Europe, I do not want to see Meso-American indians in a setting based on Japan-Korea-China. I do not want to see a bunch of caucasoid in a setting based on India. The Sword Coast and Thay with neighbours are not the same places, not the same cultures, not the same kind of people in these regions. In Mass Effect it fits but when people want to be so diverse and welcoming they force it. It becomes rather odd and not realistic at all. If people are acceptant of each others in a culture, eventually this culture would grow to become a mix of all these cultures and races and not really be diverse at all eventually. I find it funny how you bring up this topic but do not seem to care that you comit manslaughter and genocide on "not so beautiful" races in 99 out of 100 RPGs. Like that Xvart village in Baldurs Gate 1.
I do not think you can convince me, that this is not forced. A person who worries about how transgender is portrayed or that the cast is to (insert colour) should not be working with entertainment or games but be a activist in some organisation. It is a non issue that can be removed if more people start to make their own games instead of trying to change existing worlds that is already well established. Make new worlds, do not change old to fit your agenda, it won't make you a fan favourite among those who been having fun in these worlds. But do go ahead, genocide the orcs and drow while you worry more about the skin colour of the human companions and think there is a need for more transgender characters.
EDIT: Be creative? That is Beamdogs job. I can fan fic a ton of things but it do not make it canon, Im not their writer.
Yes, be creative – the game makes you use your imagination throughout, not just here. As for your rant about ethnic diversity, the Sword Coast is known for its trade and players should expect to see people from all over Faerun there. The fact that BGI had almost singularly white characters was a poor design choice in terms of representation AND lore – that doesn't change the fact that it was a great game.
Do you always run around and ask for diversity? Dynaheir, Minsc, Viconia was not enough? They added Raasad now too and there is plenty of other races in the mix. "To white" is one of the dumbest things I ever read about. Lot of trading do not mean there is a large minority.
I'm pretty baffled with the amount of hate the game is getting about this at the moment... Hopefully, it wont affect game sales too much, but on steam it seems most of the negative reviews are about this (and a few about bugs, tbh) which hurts the score of a game which probably wont get a huge amount of reviews. Blanket statements like "this game is nothing more than an attempt to push liberal agenda," are completely ridiculous when its one minor character with a few lines of dialogue in a 30 hour + campaign.
Like others here, I simply don't care about it being in the game and don't think its a big deal. I will make my own mind up about the content when I play it..
"To white" is one of the dumbest things I ever read
Actually, that seems like a good place to end, too.
Well then, ingulfe us in your master knowledge why it is such a stigma when something is to white but people seemingly dont bitch on Mulan or similar being to Chinese.
Come on, didnt devs expected this shitstorm? Of course they were. And if they were expecting this and still gave a middle finger to people they dont like, means they care little about profits from its existing fan base. That base is already small, and at least 1/4 of it consists of Eastern Europeans - poles and post-soviets who are known to be socially conservative. So they are not afraid of alienating them. Were they hoping to gain some casual minority player in? Certainly not, as Sunset proved its nearly impossible and Minsc proves that devs pay attention to all the recent developments. So, its clear to me that they rely on outside funding from bigger entities who promised them grants for social work, as they call it in my country. Dont forget that Trent is some big person in IGDA now, probably has a few connections here an there.
Mizhena is unnecessary and only there to tick a box in the diversity checklist.
If we take your assertion at face value, why is that necessarily bad?
Principle, really, we have to define 'bad' before an accurate answer could be ascertained. I don't see the need to have transgendered folk represented in a world in which they would, canonically, most likely be shunned and shirked. Isn't that counterproductive either of the cause or of lore integrity?
Just my take, though, I didn't even realize she was transgendered. I thought she just had dickish parents.
I take it by your use of "Most Likely", that The Forgotten Realms have not actually been established to shun and shirk transgender people?
Not to my knowledge, no. Though I've little clue if there are specific notes to such things in newer literature.
Well then, ingulfe us in your master knowledge why it is such a stigma when something is to white but people seemingly dont bitch on Mulan or similar being to Chinese.
Come on, didnt devs expected this shitstorm? Of course they were. And if they were expecting this and still gave a middle finger to people they dont like, means they care little about profits from its existing fan base. That base is already small, and at least 1/4 of it consists of Eastern Europeans - poles and post-soviets who are known to be socially conservative. So they are not afraid of alienating them. Were they hoping to gain some casual minority player in? Certainly not, as Sunset proved its nearly impossible and Minsc proves that devs pay attention to all the recent developments. So, its clear to me that they rely on outside funding from bigger entities who promised them grants for social work, as they call it in my country. Dont forget that Trent is some big person in IGDA now, probably has a few connections here an there.
Haha, that must be it! A progressive conspiracy with secret agenda-pushing financial backers! Probably Illuminati, Lizard People, and/or Shadow Druids!
My goodness, you guys. It's possible to care about money and also want to include some diversity in games.
Comments
Moreover, non-binary gender has been a part of Dungeons & Dragons since at least 1980. Corellon Larethian, god of the elves, was introduced in Deities & Demigods in 1980 with the following description: "Corellon is alternately male or female, both or neither."
Corellon was incorporated into the Realms as early as the original boxed set, so the idea of non-binary gender has pretty much always been a part of the published Forgotten Realms.
Having a transgender character is not a matter of checking a diversity box or going against established canon. It is only a sign that people are more willing to hear those stories in the current day and age.
The term "tranny" is a derogatory slang word for someone who is transgendered. I see it being used in contexts that don't necessarily carry that meaning, but it's something that's worth paying attention to, as any transgendered person reading it in passing will undoubtedly be offended by it.
I would also categorize "mouthbreathers" in the same way. These forums expect a high level of respect for everyone in the community; don't tarnish that by throwing insults.
Non-white characters aren't an apt comparison when you're talking about outward expressions of minority status, because their appearance usually speaks for itself in conveying that aspect of their identity.
Yet here we are with the tables turned. This time there is a single character in the game that is transgender and a bunch of people that are not lgbt are being loud mouthed about it and giving bad reviews on steam. You can't have it both ways. Unlike Obsidian, I highly doubt Beamdog is going to remove the character because you don't like it. But I guess never say never.
It may or may not be true that transgender people have a mental disorder but I do think it's funny that to some, it would be ok to include characters in the game with other mental disorders like dementia, suicidal, ect.. but not a transgender person. It's not like they are telling you do go out and get your junk snipped. They aren't going after traditional family values either. They are just representing people realistically. Transgender people do exist in the real world. Having a token gay guy in every game might be annoying to some but it's reality. I remember in the 80's Hollywood used to have a token black guy that died in every movie. Oh the humanity.
Metacritic's a bit worse - the only user review so far is an incomprehensible rant about SJWs (not unlike a certain troll that posted above), and the game overall is sitting at a 6.4 - but I think we can have faith in the overall gaming community to filter out the nonsense and judge the game on its merits, particularly since metacritic separates the (extremely positive, so far) professional reviews from its user-submitted counterparts.
I need to remind myself on a regular basis that the most close-minded and hostile members of the gaming community are simply a (extremely vocal) minority, and aren't representative of the community as a whole. Personally, I've always found the Baldur's Gate community, as well as D&D players in general, to be a fairly progressive bunch; the modding scene has always had its fair share of LGBT-friendly NPCs and scenarios, and even this thread - with a couple of exceptions - has managed to discuss multiple viewpoints in a reasonable, intelligent, mature way. Keep actively supporting quality and the irrational naysayers will, eventually, get drowned out by their quieter but more-reasonable counterparts.
Stop glueing things upon something that is clearly inspired by Tolkien, who been inspired by Nordic and Celtic mythology. Im Nordic, I do not like when you glue things on to it : - ) You offend and trigger me. You know, we can play the game to, Especially when you litterally rape our culture and history by adapting Thor and other of our pagan gods to your silly comics and movies. Or when the Nazis did it.
Are you one of those who also proclaim that Doran was the first gay character ever? That one in Dragon Age Inc? And yes I would have a problem with it being a bunch of South-Africans or Japanese in a place based on Nordic mythology. Shoe horning or forcing things in is stupid. So yes, I would accuse her of having an agenda of changing things to fit her world view. I do not want to see a majority of Africans in a setting based or inspired by North-Central-East Europe, I do not want to see Meso-American indians in a setting based on Japan-Korea-China. I do not want to see a bunch of caucasoid in a setting based on India. The Sword Coast and Thay with neighbours are not the same places, not the same cultures, not the same kind of people in these regions. In Mass Effect it fits but when people want to be so diverse and welcoming they force it. It becomes rather odd and not realistic at all. If people are acceptant of each others in a culture, eventually this culture would grow to become a mix of all these cultures and races and not really be diverse at all eventually. I find it funny how you bring up this topic but do not seem to care that you comit manslaughter and genocide on "not so beautiful" races in 99 out of 100 RPGs. Like that Xvart village in Baldurs Gate 1.
I do not think you can convince me, that this is not forced. A person who worries about how transgender is portrayed or that the cast is to (insert colour) should not be working with entertainment or games but be a activist in some organisation. It is a non issue that can be removed if more people start to make their own games instead of trying to change existing worlds that is already well established. Make new worlds, do not change old to fit your agenda, it won't make you a fan favourite among those who been having fun in these worlds. But do go ahead, genocide the orcs and drow while you worry more about the skin colour of the human companions and think there is a need for more transgender characters.
EDIT: Be creative? That is Beamdogs job. I can fan fic a ton of things but it do not make it canon, Im not their writer.
The stereotypes are strong with this one. One of the first things she says to more or less strangers is her history of how she changed genders which for the reasons I stated above are illogical for her to share with others. It stereotypes her as the transexual who can only talk about how they transitioned and their past. Secondly, she is stereotyped even more with how she chose her name. By making her out to be the multicultural, diversity character, it is only strawmaning transexuals into the role of the (I hate to use the term, but it works here), Social Justice Warrior.
Mizhena is not an inclusive character. She is a misguided attempt at inclusion that serves only to reinforce the negative stereotyping that is present toward transexuals.
But this is a bit of what I pointed to. If she is supposed to be in game, MAKE IT MORE than just "Lol im a female in a males body" character. There is so much more to explore about the setting and to tie her to it with the lore and so on.
I smiled and then completely forgot about that NPC.
And then I came to the forum and got sad when I learned that some were objecting. But I also think that some of the discussion has been insightful -- discussion of these issue is important and we get to tolerance and/or acceptance through discussion.
So -- at first sad and now happy to see so many good posts.
Like others here, I simply don't care about it being in the game and don't think its a big deal. I will make my own mind up about the content when I play it..
My goodness, you guys. It's possible to care about money and also want to include some diversity in games.