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[Inuhanyou]

Since American pop culture took control of World War II as a narrative, it’s always been presented as a white man’s war. From Sands of Iwo Jima to The Great Escape, The Thin Red Line to Saving Private Ryan, that’s the perspective you get. Call of Duty: WWII isn’t going to change this, but it sure wants credit for trying.

Activision and Sledgehammer Games pulled the wrapper off their glamour franchise today, and despite the exclusively white and male makeup of those doing so on stage, they want you to think this is a more inclusive tale of World War II. It may yet be. We won’t know until Nov. 3.

For now, the tone-deaf manner in which this all-white production checked all the diversity boxes — “women, an African-American unit and even a child” — reduced everyone else to a bullet point on the back of a box, yet another feature. We’ve got a private multiplayer beta; we’ve got zombies; we’ve got black people, we’ve got women, we’ve got a Jew.

http://www.polygon.com/2017/4/26/15438184/call-of-duty-wwii-trailer-reveal-diversity

 

[AmyS]

At least it's not on Mars.

 

[xxMaximusxx]

Devs can't win either way

 

[ponpo]

For now, the tone-deaf manner in which this all-white production checked all the diversity boxes

From SolidSnakex in the other thread:

Simply epic.

 

[Kalentan]

As someone posted in the other thread.

Yes, an all-white production.

Edit: Goddamn ninjas.

 

[limination]

Call of Duty: WWII’s ‘diversity’ is nothing more than marketing

We won’t know until Nov. 3

That's some grade-a gaming journalism right there

 

[Deepwater]

This ain't the hill I'm dying on for the sake of representation of diversity in video games, you can have that one Polygon

 

[Resident_UA]

Polygon are true masters of trolling. Who reads them?

 

[nynt9]

Fucking Polygon as usual. Can't make them happy, and they're not even right. Straight up fake news.

 

[Massive Duck. C.M.]

I hate to say it but

Polygon

Even sadder when you consider the infrequent good, longform stuff that occasionally pops up.

 

[Madness]

I really hate Polygon's holier than thou way of writing. So much snide in the way they write as if they and they alone know what's best.

 

[koss424]

That's part of the problem with having games set in historical settings. Deviating too far from history can become an issue. However, I have't played the game yet so I will reserve judgement.

 

[ponpo]

Schofield followed this with a reference to the game’s female lead. “Rousseau, the powerful female leader of the French Resistance,” he said, as if reading from a cue card. Powerful female. We get it.

This article reads like satire.

 

[TheStruggler]

For now, the tone-deaf manner in which this all-white production checked all the diversity boxes

From SolidSnakex in the other thread:

Simply epic.

 

[jtb]

polygon v call of duty

no matter who wins, we lose

 

[Evolved1]

Wow super douchey article.

 

[Brian_FETO]

"People want diversity in games!"

"Oh what, they're just including diversity because people want it???"

I'm confused what the issue is here if we don't actually know what the campaign is like yet

 

[Garrett Hawke]

I hate to say it but

Polygon

Even sadder when you consider the infrequent good, longform stuff that occasionally pops up.

yeah...

lik ei've defended polygon on this site before but recently i feel like i am starting to agree with the complaints about their articles being poorly researched and too reactionary.

which is a shame, cus they occasionally put out good pieces.

this reminds me of when people complained about e3... 2015, was it? where there were a bunch of female protag games showing and people complained that companies were making too big of a deal out of the protagonists' genders. like they wanted these games to exist but simultaneously not parade around the fact that they have female protagonists, as if a game can avoid showing the protagonist in marketing material.

it's like...
yeah... they are showing female characters a lot... because those are the protagonists...

of their games...

 

[Gorilla Blade]

This article reads like satire.

Yeah I think its time to abandon the thread.

 

[BBboy20]

From SolidSnakex in the other thread:

Simply epic.

And we're done.

 

[Seyfert]

guess they just tried to make people click on their article without being responsiblity from what they published. what a shame. It's just blind blame without solid fact.

btw, if you do research enough, there IS all kind of peoples in this game. it's not white-wash/racist

 

[old manatee]

Goddamn. I love seeing COD dragged as much as the next person, but that is some shoddy 'journalism'. Even by gaming standards. Even by Polygon standards.

 

[Spyder_Monkey]

That's a bad hot take right there.

 

[mcrommert]

Polygon's gonna polygon

Article was probably ready to go before the game was even shown today

Edit: uh what "that tradition doesn’t genuinely include brothers of other races, or brothers who don’t identify as male."

 

[TheTylerRob]

Whatever it's a day 0 hot take that will get them a couple of clicks. You tried polygon writer.

 

[chillybright]

We won’t know until Nov. 3.

Yet you have to publish this article NOW.

 

[harmundo]

This is a new low for Polygon. I used to love their articles, but nowadays they just look like a bunch of crying kids...

 

[EASTC0AST_GH05T]

Polygon are true masters of trolling. Who reads them?

Xbox Fans

 

[Kibbles]

Goddamn. I love seeing COD dragged as much as the next person, but that is some shoddy 'journalism'. Even by gaming standards. Even by Polygon standards.

Pretty much this, what a dumb article.

 

[RoKKeR]

Another hot take from Polygon with next to zero information to back it up.

Smh

 

[Banjo-Kazooie]

From SolidSnakex in the other thread:

Simply epic.

Anddddddd just like that, Polygons article is now mute.

Such hack journalism

 

[ponpo]

A lot of different people are going to play Call of Duty: WWII. Just because brothers of different races didn't fight alongside each other doesn't mean that players in the year 2017 shouldn't inhabit and absorb all their experiences.

This is confusing as well since presenting those experiences is something Sledgehammer appears to be doing.

The article would be less dumb if the authors had some suggestions but right now it's just taking what the developers say and flipping a coin to decide whether the effort is genuine or just "marketing."

 

[farisr]

"COD WWII's ‘diversity' is nothing more than marketing"
"they want you to think this is a more inclusive tale of World War II. It may yet be. We won't know until Nov. 3."

This article is credited to not one, but two writers. Holy shit.

 

[Infernal Monkey]

Call of Duty: WWII’s ‘diversity’ is nothing more than marketing

they want you to think this is a more inclusive tale of World War II. It may yet be. We won’t know until Nov. 3.

Okay Polygon.

 

[Liliana Eileen]

On topic: Fuck this article. Polygon isn't a bad website but they need to stop writing stuff like this.

 

[Sola Scriptura]

Listen, my children, and let this situation be instructive:

This Polygon article is the new "Exhibit A" in answering the question, "What is 'virtue signaling'?"

Good lord.

 

[Platy]

And even if it was an all white making checkboxes, it is better than nothing.

 

[udivision]

So the problem isn't the lack of diversity, it's just that they've arbitrarily decided it's not genuine?

I should give it a read, but sounds like a waste of time.

 

[FriskyrumX]

Oh Polygon... you just keep going deeper and deeper everyday with these articles..

 

[SlimySnake]

Ban polygon. That is the only way to send a message. What a ridiculously racist article. Imagine if they had said all black production.

And it's not even true. Here is a dev going out of their way to include black people and women when saving private ryan and thin red line had like two combined. And they get ridiculed by some doychebag at polygon trying to create faux outrage.

Fucking Cunts.

 

[Bishop89]

And polygon articles are nothing but clickbait

 

[nynt9]

This yet again begs the question, how is Polygon not banned after posting all this dumb clickbait, their stupid charts, and this fake news? I mean I know a few of their writers post quality stuff from time to time but is it really worth this inane misinformation?

 

[Massive Duck. C.M.]

Chuckling at the idea of "inclusive tale of WWII" for some reason

 

[Loxley]

I'm not sure if the article in the OP tops this masterpiece about Shadow of Mordor:

Kissing vs. killing: How Shadow of Mordor fails at explaining the difference

It’s squandering the most powerful tools at our disposal. It’s even worse when a designer actually conflates the two contexts as Shadow of Mordor does, saying that a sneaky kiss and a stealth kill are the same, that one is training for the other. In doing so, it throws away any possibility of real emotional relation to your in-game-character’s wife.

Like, what?

 

[Garrett Hawke]

So the problem isn't the lack of diversity, it's just that they've arbitrarily decided it's not genuine?

apparently, which is silly, because no marketing is "genuine", it's there to convince people to buy a product.

yes, diversity sells (look at fast & furious)

yes, companies will capitalise on that

no, i'm not bothered, because the end result is still diversity

 

[EASTC0AST_GH05T]

What kind of fanboy bullshit is this?

I love my Xbox but despize Polygon, what kind of fanboy am I?

 

[TheDarkKnight774]

The cynic in me thinks Polygon had two articles and just published the one they could complain about something. Like they had a second article typed up before it aired that if COD showed only white males it'd be "where the diversity?"

 

[mieumieu]

Polygon 'article' is nothing more than clickbaiting, attempting to create news out of non news for profit. Shame on them.

 

[Jameson]

Xbox Fans

Seriously....

 

[Jangowuzhere]

Man, Polygon has been super annoying recently. They've never really been on my radar until recently. The articles and stuff they have been writing recently are truly awful.