Political correctness in the Witcher 3

[Blothulfur]

Personally I think it would have been interesting if Rayla had survived the first game and took Roche's role in the second, more than tough and skilled enough and would have formed an even more interesting dynamic with Iorveth and the Aedirn plot considering her role in Demavend's special forces.

Edit: Also no real need for Ves then.

 

[Garrison72]

You call it that PROTECTION? Well, definitively you have not. It's a pretty design for working in the city or going to a party but for fighting?

Still, the design is just so goddamn well done, aesthetically.

*swoons*

 

[cmdr_silverbolt]

And Geralt carries swords on his back, which is just as super realistic as Saskia's armour. It's counter-productive to ask for some types of realism in games.

I don't think it's appropriate for us to decide what should and shouldn't be included in the game- we can wish for certain things, but we shouldn't count on our wishes to be applicable to the game.

The arguments for and against the issue are all here, so we should think of them as available for consideration. From my pov, there's no further reason to keep going on about this, unless this is not just a plea for consideration, but an agenda to control someone else's creative vision.

 

[Mihura]

Well show me an Olympic runner or swimmer who looks like a model then we'll talk and while there might be a few exceptions ( I wouldn't surprised if there were ) on the whole they are rather rare.



Besides the cleavage yes I would say it's rather good armor. What she has on her chest is armor padding, as Bloth mentioned pretty good against sword slashes.

Furthermore Saskia uses a shield to protect her chest.

Fair enough, yes it is more a exception then something else but then we agree that they should make more warriors looking like warriors.

This is what truly annoys me when it comes to Bioware.

They use these things as a marketing tool, and I find it abhorrent. Even if their portrayal of women and minority groups was great, which it's not, you should not use it to excuse your shit writing.

They use it, and pretty recently I might add, as damage control.

And that's what I cannot abide by them. The intentions of writers may be sincere, I will not make pronouncements on that regard, but the impression that the company (bioware and EA) is giving is that of exploitation of important issues for marketing.

And that is exactly why I move to The Witcher after ME 2, they have somethings that I like but others that are just so stupid. Just like CDPR, no one is perfect my problem is people defending stupid decisions made by CDPR and accusing Bioware of the same. But the fact remains that they do stupid main stories but I enjoy enough of the characters to buy their games besides of being included, with TW sometimes I fell like I am playing a game that is not for me and it makes a big difference but TW2 has a superior main story I am not bias on that.

 

[prince_of_nothing]

Asha Greyjoy.
Arya Stark.
Meera Reed.

Asha Greyjoy is definitely a politically correct character, but she's handled extremely well by Martin. Being Ironborn, she has to face tremendous adversity to be considered capable of leadership. In the end, she also fails.

Well I hope CDPR continues to "pander" us with characters like Ves, I will be looking forward to it.

The heterosexual in me agrees with this comment. As unbelievable a character as she was, I honestly liked Ves. Brigida was a much more believable character, and so was Cynthia.

 

[vivaxardas2015]

To be honest I don't much care myself about the cleavage. Why? Because I cannot take the notion of female characters looking like a sexy model while wearing mail, plate, leather and fighting in battle with a medieval swords seriously.

Considering the physical effort required to do that they should all be muscular women one way or another with small tits and narrow hips, yet I don't think I've ever seen a character who matches this description besides perhaps Rayla in TW1 ( and no Aveline doesn't match this description either, she simply hides it better with her armor ).

I have spent years of my life around women in the military. I can safely say for a fact that none of them have ever looked close to the bloody models we get in video games. The cleavage is irrelevant compared to that: Stop portraying warrior women in video games like bloody fashion models then we'll talk about what they are wearing.

Bro, I am with you on this. All women I ever met looked nothing like models. People, think Olympic champs, or just pro athletes, like runners, and not barbies. This is just a frigging reality of our physiology. If we ever have women in special forces, they will more look like men without cocks than female models. So yes, video game industry presents women as frigging sex symbols with swords, and this has nothing to do with reality.

That's why I do not like any PC - it is often screwed up beyond belief, and what presented as feministic is actually rather insulting. In my opinion Bioware screws up whatever it touches, be that a story, characters, or attempts to present equality. I hope CDPR just forget about PC and do what they are doing best - great story with great characters. If in TW3 we have some lame sexy armor, I can look past that as long as characters who are wearing it are great.

 

[Thendarion]

ABOUT 50% OF MANKIND ARE WOMEN

No, because they are the WOMANKIND.
Just teasin'.

 

[KnightofPhoenix]

The heterosexual in me agrees with this comment.

Annnnd this is where I stop taking you seriously and will avoid replying to your comments henceforth.

 

[wichat]

Still, the design is just so goddamn well done, aesthetically.

*swoons*

I love it, it's LOVELY and beautiful... but , but you must agree it's not at all realistic. That metal peak just below the sternum makes it unfeasible a painless inclination of torso or deep breath. And the breasts lack any protection whatsoever against a blow gun or arrow.

 

[prince_of_nothing]

I disagree that the mere presence of these characters was the source of the problem, rather than lazy writing. I think what some writers don't realize is that just putting representation in the media doesn't make these characters miraculously write themselves. Ticking off boxes is not enough, you have to give them the same attention and characterization you would give to your straight white male hero.

Good writing can make up for a lot of flaws, but it cannot hide the blatant FORCED inclusion of females and LGBT in the Dragon Age series imo..

Saskia is the Witcheverse equivalent to Joan of Arc so she is believable to me in this aspect. Yeah, she could use a better armour, but I don't have any major qualms with her. As to Ves... um, I'm not the biggest fan of how they have written her. I appreciate the thought, kinda (gotta have the Smurfette in the dude-bro squad, right?), but everything surrounding her, from her backstory, her role in the group and the plot (she serves as a sexy bait most of the time) to her exit... Do I wish she wasn't in the game at all? No, but I vastly prefer Brigida to her, much more likable and better suited for the story. It would be perfect if they made some kind of composite of these two.

I liked Ves a lot, but I agree Brigida was a better written and more believable character.

 

[blueteainfusion]

Rereading the discussion, now I wonder what exactly people who have voted for "less politically correct" have in mind. What do they think the series has too much of? Would they like to see less empowered, independent women? More sexualization? Maybe child porn? Should all villains be presented as vile, disgusting gay so they would feel justified hating them? I'm at loss how you would want the games to be "less PC". Please explain.

 

[addar]

why saskia should wear any sort of armor beside being sexy and fashion ?, no one besides mutated witcher can really hurt her, u know scales and others stuff, she just dont care being stub by any weaklings humans

 

[Blothulfur]

This is what truly annoys me when it comes to Bioware.

They use these things as a marketing tool, and I find it abhorrent. Even if their portrayal of women and minority groups was great, which it's not, you should not use it to excuse your shit writing.

They use it, and pretty recently I might add, as damage control.

And that's what I cannot abide by them. The intentions of writers may be sincere, I will not make pronouncements on that regard, but the impression that the company (bioware and EA) is giving is that of exploitation of important issues for marketing.

Yep funny that CDPR who are creating strong empowered females who don't just sit around for years at a time at the protagonists say so are silent on these issues, while the designers of Bioware shout about equality while creating caricatures insultive to all women. Actions speak louder than words I suppose.

 

[darcler]

This atitude is exactly the reason why I despise Political Correctenss. If I disagree with someone, I'll ridiclue that person as much as I can. If it offends him/her, so much the better.
Well, at least in real life, on internet forums it tends to get me banned, so I try not to respond in topics I feel strongly about, where I'd have hard time to stop myself from lashing out.

I believe you are mistaking political correctness (i.e. avoiding criticism because someone might be offended) with simple politeness (criticizing does not require ridicule, it's just low).

Err, no. The United States Special Forces have not yet opened any positions for women in the special forces. The ban on women in combat roles was lifted but that's related to regular infantry positions.

The truth is I don't think I've ever heard of a country with women in the military special forces. Infantry roles sure, biggest example is Israel, but special forces? No.

I know of at least one SF (considered to be on par with SEALs) that has women in its ranks. But that's besides the point, frankly. Modern warfare requires more technical skills rather than sheer strength, unlike the Medieval warfare where it was just opposite. And here women are in disadvantage, obviously, and no wonder they did not participate in battles, were not knighted and so on. There are obviously exceptions, but only as instances, not as a rule.

 

[kitta]

Annnnd this is where I stop taking you seriously and will avoid replying to your comments henceforth.

Why shouldn't he be allowed to appreciate female sexuality?

 

[M4xw0lf.978]

No, because they are the WOMANKIND. />
Just teasin'. />

Actually I stopped during tiping this and thought about whether I should use "humanity" instead of "mankind" ^^

 

[KnightofPhoenix]

And that is exactly why I move to The Witcher after ME 2, they have somethings that I like but others that are just so stupid. Just like CDPR, no one is perfect my problem is people defending stupid decisions made by CDPR and accusing Bioware of the same. But the fact remains that they do stupid main stories but I enjoy enough of the characters to buy their games besides of being included, with TW sometimes I fell like I am playing a game that is not for me and it makes a big difference but TW2 has a superior main story I am not bias on that.

A sentiment I completely sympathize with, and even share, when it comes to media representation in general.

I think The Witcher has a lot to gain from diversity, as long as it is combined with good writing and not "lol let's put this race here and this gender here, we'll figure out the rest later."

For instance, I'd love to have a Zerrikeanean character (Azar Javed barely qualifies as a character). A merchant or adventurer, who has a role in the story and plot, and a cool and interesting personality, while also offering more lore info on Zerrikeanea.

TW3 being open world is especially amenable to sub-plots like this.

 

[prince_of_nothing]

Sorry, I can't take you quite seriously if you describe women (NEWSFLASH: ABOUT 50% OF MANKIND ARE WOMEN) as 'certain social group'...

NEWSFLASH, despite being 50% of the human population, women have been marginalized throughout much of human history..

I suppose in your little bubble world, feminism doesn't exist and women have never been discriminated against..

 

[wichat]

Rereading the discussion, now I wonder what exactly people who have voted for "less politically correct" have in mind. What do they think the series has too much of? Would they like to see less empowered, independent women? More sexualization? Maybe child porn? Should all villains be presented as vile, disgusting gay so they would feel justified hating them? I'm at loss how you would want the games to be "less PC". Please explain.

As I've said before, If a creator of a game are in the knowlodge that his product contains ofenssive material his only obligation is labeling it with the relevant legal notice. Sexuality, nudity, obscene language, violence, pegi... must be indicated on the label, so that the desicion to buy or not this product is in final stay freedom of the buyer.A video game of a private entity for private commercial purposes can not be subject to such limitations.

 

[KnightofPhoenix]

Why shouldn't he be allowed to appreciate female sexuality?

Do you have any idea how much I fantasize over Philippa?

Anyways that's not the problem. The problem is "well I think her role is unrealistic because she is a woman, but since she satisfies my dick, I can live with it."

No, Ves or Philippa are not here to appeal to your sexual desires. They are characters, with their own story and role in the plot. Appreciate them for that first and foremost.