Part of journalism is lending a platform to people whose voices are otherwise marginalized. And when you release a trailer to a game, it’s designed explicitly to elicit responses from the audience. That’s a feature, not a bug. Reporting on that response is part of the purview of a journalist.

Are we trying to argue…

wOn’T sOmEoNe ThInK oF tHe StRaIgHtS!?!?!?

Upton Sinclair would like a word with you.

Advocacy journalism has long been a strand of the larger journalistic conversation, and while some people might find it controversial, I think there’s justification in the notion that something can be factually objective while still reflecting the intentions of the journalist.…

Or to put it differently, people are responding passionately because they see a painful reflection of their lived experiences. To say that they shouldn’t feel that way demeans the value of those experiences but also demeans the power and intent (which I’m not suggesting is malicious) of the content CDPR included in…

But context is important here. Art and reality aren’t independent of one another, and when you release a trailer to one of the most anticipated games in the world, you do so not just with the understanding but the intent that people are going to analyze every little piece of it. You don’t plant controversial content…

I don’t think anyone here is suggesting malicious intent.

It’s fair to criticize an artist for anything, as long as that criticism is levied in good faith and doesn’t assume malicious intent unwarranted. That’s what criticism is.

My impression that it’s less a one and done game and more something you’re supposed to return to.

Oh lord there is so much to unpack here.

First off, the only manufactured outrage here I see is from people who take offense to the Polygon reporter’s question, the fact that Twitter commented on it, that CDPR issued a statement, or the article Heather wrote.

Dismissing those people, the only responses I’ve seen both…

True. But flip it in the other direction.

Before the rise of social media, the trans community was largely a non-entity in the public sphere. I’ve spoken to older people who seem to think “being trans” is some new fad that just appeared in the past few years. Spoiler alert: it’s not.

Without a Polygon reporter asking…

and it’s the one with elves and dragons and shit!

Terrorism! Bully tactics! Horse caca!

Boyyyyy...

I don’t see anyone bullying anyone here. I see a company presenting a product that, by its presentation is intended to elicit a response from fans. I see a journalist asking a question to a representative from that company, which is the job of journalists. I see people…

Yeah. And as Heather stated up there, gender reassignment in the tabletop game is treated as reducing your humanity. Just because something is popularly done in a genre doesn’t mean that people shouldn’t be concerned about whether or not it’s done well, especially when it speaks to their personal experience.

I think I should clarify. The “putting pressure on them” I was referring to was asking for some context on the in-game advertisement in question, not putting the screws to how genuine she was being. It’s about diligence - not inherently doubting that a developer has intent when they make a potentially controversial…

Is it okay to just condemn bigotry, or do you have an obligation to address it with some form of nuance by virtue of introducing it into your world?

I remember Arkham City including Catwoman as a playable character, and when you got into a fight, a significant of the comments made by enemies were them menacing her with…

Did I minimize the transphobia of the original tweet? If so, I’m sorry. That wasn’t my intent. Would you mind clarifying where my mistake was?

I think there are two points to be made here.

1) I don’t think the majority of people are excoriating CDPR for the inclusion. Instead, they’re asking questions about the world and its context. Those are valid questions to be asking for any work of art that’s shown to the world with the intent of being consumed and…

Yes. That’s exactly what I’m talking about, as well as the recent concerns about racial stereotypes in Cyberpunk. That .”.1%” has a voice too. Whether or not CDRP will listen to it is a different case, but that doesn’t make it any less true.

And then there’s the fact that we’re talking about a group of people who are disproportionately fetishized in the real world. So you have to ask yourself if you’re actually saying something satirical with your commentary or if you’re unnecessarily making already vulnerable people more vulnerable by replicating real…

You’re right. But CD Projekt Red has been called out for some troubling stances on race and transmisogyny before. We can hope that this is some incisive and cutting cultural commentary, but asking these questions is valid given CDPR’s past mistakes. I like CDPR, and I want to love this game, and putting pressure on…