Next Mass Effect developer says games need to move beyond race, gender stereotypes

The only boring things are those stupid claims from this Bioware. First of all if we talk about RPG you MUST choice somethings and see consequences otherwise do FPS/Adventures without pretending to do RPG. Love adventures, just dont bore who want to play True RPG.

2nd Social Injustice ? God help us. Yeah it can be fun to help someones and see some of it in the game story, but its still a GAME. I want to entertain not to bore with everyday social issues. I just go out if i want to see that.....

This is for ENTERTAIN and merely for that. If you dont want to sell videogames anymore, do someother. As someone said too it seems too much like a totalitarian governement.

Dont pretend to tell us how we should entertain with such bad games... Or just do what you want, if we like we'll buy, otherwise goodbye. Thats free market.

The fact is games are targeted at at demographic. If the game is good and like by that demographic, then the firm will make money.

All the social political correctness rubbish fails to ignore the profit motive.

Just as Victoria Secret targets females, so do Game developers target surprise, surprise - gamers.

Both groups targeted want a good product, both do not want a political correctness lecture.

Mass Effect 4 vs Cyber Punk 2077 and The Witcher 3 Wild Hunt vs Dragon Age Inquisition! God help me if they release a new Fallout alongside any of those. I'm going to love rotting away getting all drunk and smelly for days on end playing these games LMAO! Gonna be good times....

In full agreement with M.H., love all M.E. (next please)

You just worry about making an ending that doesn't ruin your entire franchise in 5 minutes please.

My response to him is to stop trying to tell others how to make their video games, and make one himself if its that important to him.

I just wish all main characters could have a customizable race. I'm so tired of playing as a white guy (Nathaniel Drake, Last of Us guy, Far Cry 3 guy, Batman, Deus Ex, Dishonored, Hitman guy, Max Payne, Red Faction guy, Shadow Warrior guy, etc, etc., etc,). And these are just a few.

I have a brilliant idea. You read your market and make a game that you think people will want to pay you millions of dollars for. If we like it, we'll buy it. If we don't like it, we won't. Stop trying to tell us why we should buy games we may not want to just because "we need to move past current archetypes" or "it's only 45 minutes long but hours and hours and hours of hard work went into thinking it up and designing it". You are selling video games. The most luxurious of all items. Something that is literally used to waste time and nothing more. Mere entertainment. Stop trying to tell us how we should be entertaining ourselves and still expect us to pay for it. Sounds too much like the government.

You know I have to say this is a bit hypocritical of Bioware. I mean during the development of The Old Republic, the fans were crying out for the ability to be one of the many races represented in the Star Wars universe, including the non human looking races and BW said they were not going to do that because the players would not be able to "relate" to the characters. Isn't that a form of stereotyping?

Welcome to the day when personal agenda got in the way of making a game FUN. This game needs something....just can't quite figure....i know!....boobies! Everyone loves boobies right? Do it! ;]

Yes they need to reboot and change that stupid ending!!!!

I've got an idea: How about focusing on make fun, entertaining games instead of using them as a platform for socio-political activism?

Seriously. BioWare is already getting a negative reputation for hitting players with heavy-handed social and political statements in their games, and I think that's going to hurt them in the long run. Heck, it's even making me think twice about getting the next Mass Effect game, and I consider myself a fan of the series.

I think this article does a poor job of showing what Mr. Heir was trying to convey.

I strongly recommend to watch the Adam Sessler interview, especially all the way to the end to the last question he asks. Gives you much much better insight and clear argument as to what he is trying to make. and I personally think it's a perfectly understandable and reasonable argument.

you can find it on Youtube at Rev3Games (in case Gamespot won't allow me to do a direct link)

welcome to hell. i hope you have a lovely time here.

Ok, so maybe I've put way too much thought into this but here I go.

one thing I've learned in life, that really sucks but its life and we have to learn to grow up and deal with it, is that "life is high school". That means there will always be bullies, and there will always be stereo types, and their will always be stupid things that happen. That's not a good thing, but that's life sadly. When he talks about how its mankind social responsibility to reject all stereo types he is sadly delusional. Its a sad fact but there will always be stereotypes, but snowplow123 is correct in that if you create great characters you will overcome those stereotypes.

Also in Mass Effect didn't joker talk about how when you use stereotypes in your jokes you actually help connect with others? or something to that affect.

Videogames as an art form? sure, why not, I'd buy into that. But don't forget that video games are one of the only forms of media that we can interact with. Movies, books and comics are mostly a passive experience but video games, you can make your own stories (skyrim for example).

It's not like some Holy Crusade to change the minds of people, just make games that are fun and interesting and the people will come.

"I know there are others like me"

Assumption is the mother of all screw ups.

If you create proper and believable characters, then they'll naturally overcome the stereotypes.

Unfortunately, Bioware is so caught up in jamming LGBT characters into their games that it all comes off as amateurish and incompetent.

Also funny how they talk about stereotypes being bad when they made Dragon Age 2, a game with nothing but one dimensional stereotypes instead of characters.

Seriously, these guys have absolutely no authority to talk.

Its not Art , you are making Video GAMES for people to play. you are starting to sound like Hollywood along with their hidden agenda on what you try to sell as being"Normal". Just make makes, plain and simple.

Or be like South Park and embrace them , make sure no one is safe

Um, yeah? Is this "stereotypes are bad" thing new to anyone? 'Cause it shouldn't be.

Bioware, actually *do* this stuff and stop posturing.

Most of these comments are so lame and depressing, they can be summarized as:

"Don't make me think!"

"Don't make me relate to people that aren't like me!"

"Why can't we just have 'normal' games?"

what is he even complaining about, in mass effect shepard can be any race, sex or orientation, how much more do you want.

But I don't want to have sexual intercourse with a Krogan