I think the theme song is only oft-overlooked because the game was a) terrible and b) forgotten within minutes of its release. But yes, that music is pretty impressive for that system.
There are a few reasons for the lack of diversity in games. One of the big ones is that mainstream games are often made by white dudes for white dudes. Maybe some of them can't relate to characters that are black, female, gay or whatever. Maybe they just think it would be disrespectful to create a character like that when you don't really understand the culture of that group from the inside out. Maybe it just never occurs to them that their main character could be anything if the story doesn't specifically require them to be a white male. Maybe they have marketing departments that tell them gamers don't want to play as Iranian lesbians or black guys in wheelchairs.
I think culturally, we're doing a better job of recognizing and respecting minorities. But I still think the entertainment media we consume--especially the stuff made by publicly traded corporations--will trail cultural advancements significantly. Just look at the Oscars, where we've only in recent years seen a black Best Actress and a woman Best Director. I think culturally we've been able to accept both of those things for decades, but commercially, studios haven't bankrolled many high-profile films with women directors, and movies with a substantial leading role for a black actresses have been written and produced less often than those with a meaty opportunity for, say, Meryl Streep.
I hear people blame it on piracy all the time. I think it also doesn't help that Sony has done a poor job supporting its own hardware with high-profile software.
Log in to comment