And I'd argue that it's impossible to do so. We carry our social context with us. It defines how we interpret beauty in the first place, according to the values we've acquired. Even landscapes may inspire or draw inspiration from social or historical contexts. It's inescapable and should always be considered. It's the…

Not for a video game, they don't. Every step of the process is reviewed, altered, and collaborated in anything larger than the tiniest indie firm. And the integrity-of-art argument only applies if the artistic choice is conscious and relevant to the statement. Defaulting to base demographics is rarely an artistic…

Because it's bad business. See The Prego example - customers didn't KNOW they wanted more options until they were on the shelves. Suddenly? The whole sauce market shifted.

Except that 1) Art is not divorced from its social context, quite the opposite and 2) Businesses are bigger than artists and put millions of dollars into their shared worlds.

...yes, because lots of Japanese talking robots speak in haiku and call random people sensei.

Sorry, that was Global Beet. My bad!

Umm... that is not "uncle tom" stuff. It's addressing the ignorance of stereotypes and the erasure of individual identity. The world will mark us no matter what, but we're under no obligation to fit inside the lines of an internalized coloring book. Black culture isn't some magical, universal force that springs forth…

That was in reference to the general theme of the article. And your "she doesn't look black, maybe Latina to me" statement is 1) ignorant, and 2) the kind of stuff I expect to hear in one of the Dakotas, not from a person of color. There is a full spectrum out there and this sort of paper bag test mentality is not…

The top picture was also lightened by photo editing, probably at the time it was taken. Proof of sickening colorism? Yes, it is. But it doesn't excuse this "black enough" nonsense.

While colorism is real, this blanket rejection of biracial or lighter-skinned women is also pretty fucking problematic and an ongoing problem in black AND white culture. Can we find a better path to walk on both of these? Because I was straight-up disgusted here.

I'm not speaking to your experiences - I'm speaking to your words. You can do a lot of things to help people while still being a bigot. Thomas Jefferson comes to mind...

That person you dealt with is either an idiot or a figment of your imagination. I apologize if you had to deal with an idiot. I hope you get help if a figment - that isn't feminism. Like, at all. There is a place for men around women. It's side by side. Equally. Sheesh.

In the vast majority of cases? Yes. The indie market is a massive lottery of trends.

Didn't stop Call of Duty. And there are games with gay hermaphrodites. When you are trying to move a game to as large a market as possible? You have to expect part of that market to go 'hey, wait a minute' when you plan to include something, then cut it for cost/dev time. They cut corners - there's even only ONE…

All right, last try. Representation isn't about the majority. It's about providing mirrors to a broad variety of people - all people who play a game. Unless you believe that including women (even in freaking multiplayer skins?) costs more than those role models are worth? When there are so very few of them in the…

Bigotry does not require intent. Bigotry does not require intent. Bigotry does not require intent.

Cutting a female lead out of the game to make more money is actually kind of maniacal.

A game about liberty and resistance against the oppressive forces that shape society and has already addressed racism, classism, imperialism, religious conflict... isn't about inclusion, social issues, or minorities. I really, really hope you're just trolling. Cause...wow.

No, it's all green. Their response was a PR decision - most statements from grown-up companies are. It was a justification for their investment and choice. A poor one. Unless you are telling me that it would be technologically impossible to code women on their platforms and engines of choice? It comes down to…

...It is a straw man argument to point out how corporate decision making works? Dude. understand you. I just think you're wrong. This isn't a puzzle. It's not an equation. It's points of view. I feel that your may be either underdeveloped or just plain wrong. Ubisoft had the opportunity and technology to make a more…