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[Bboy AJ]

Stardew Valley is an amazing indie game on PC that's like a better Harvest Moon. It's been incredibly successful as far as I know, and lots of us on GAF love it. That said, one thing ticks me off and it's a lack of minorities in this game. It is so obvious to me and I can't ignore it. I think lack of diversity is a real issue, should be fixed, and I hoped indie devs would lead the way here.

There's one black character, Demetrius, not including your avatar and his half black daughter Maru. Everyone else is white. The black character sticks out so much. It's like here's the token minority, checked that box, be happy. To be clear, Maru doesn't stick out like Demetrius does. If there were more minority characters in the game, Demetrius would not be the sore thumb he is. But as is, he completely comes off as a, "Welp, better put a token black dude in the game," even if the developer totally did not intend that. And I'm sure he didn't.

I'd appreciate a more diverse cast in Stardew Valley. In gaming. Indie devs can easily implement this change to gaming. They're not subject to the Hollywood effect of AAA games. Help create a better, more diverse environment for the gaming community.

 

[Trace]

I mean it really depends, there's probably 95 white people to 1 black person where I live, it's not like it's racist by only having a few around, maybe that's just the demographics of where the developer lives or that's the demographics of his world.

Or maybe he just wasn't thinking about that when he was designing the game.

EDIT: Sorry checked the demographics, it's 52 to 1 but the point still stands.

 

[CryptiK]

Stardew Valley is an amazing indie game on PC that's like a better Harvest Moon. It's been incredibly successful as far as I know, and lots of us on GAF love it. That said, one thing ticks me off and it's a lack of minorities in this game. It is so obvious to me and I can't ignore it. I think lack of diversity is a real issue, should be fixed, and I hoped indie devs would lead the way here.

There's one black character, Demetrius, not including your avatar and his half black daughter Maru. Everyone else is white. The black character sticks out so much. It's like here's the token minority, checked that box, be happy. To be clear, Maru doesn't stick out like Demetrius does. If there were more minority characters in the game, Demetrius would not be the sore thumb he is. But as is, he completely comes off as a, "Welp, better put a token black dude in the game," even if the developer totally did not intend that. And I'm sure he didn't.

I'd appreciate a more diverse cast in Stardew Valley. In gaming. Indie devs can easily implement this change to gaming. They're not subject to the Hollywood effect of AAA games. Help create a better, more diverse environment for the gaming community.

So theres up to 3 Black characters?

 

[bobbychalkers]

So theres up to 3 Black characters?

That sounds like a back of the box blurb

 

[CryptiK]

That sounds like a back of the box blurb

I'm not saying there isn't a problem but I mean if you are going to call out a game on having a token black character, you'd better be right and in this case he is wrong.

 

[23qwerty]

I mean it really depends, there's probably 95 white people to 1 black person where I live, it's not like it's racist by only having a few around, maybe that's just the demographics of where the developer lives or that's the demographics of his world.

Or maybe he just wasn't thinking about that when he was designing the game.

EDIT: Sorry checked the demographics, it's 52 to 1 but the point still stands.

Does the point still stand though? How exactly is your point relevant? This is a video game.

 

[donutzsick]

I wish there were more black people in game development... Especially in the indie scene, that would help get more diversity in gaming.

 

[A-V-B]

There's also your children if you marry Maru.

 

[Trace]

Does the point still stand though? How exactly is your point relevant? This is a video game.

How is it not relevant? Fictional worlds don't need to be boundless diverse places "just because", they're fictional. I live in a place without very many ethnicities that aren't east/southeast asian or caucasian. If I was designing a game, I wouldn't think to put a bunch of black people around, because I don't often see them on a daily basis.

This is the same reason why don't see many black characters in a lot of Japanese games, there are very few black people in Japan and so they aren't in the public conscience.

 

[FiraB]

So the game has no Asians or Indians, games don't have to replicate life.

 

[Deques]

Being an Asian I don't find problems with games that have no Asians in them

 

[Scrooge McDuck]

I mean it really depends, there's probably 95 white people to 1 black person where I live, it's not like it's racist by only having a few around, maybe that's just the demographics of where the developer lives or that's the demographics of his world.

Or maybe he just wasn't thinking about that when he was designing the game.

Nobody is calling racism here. Maybe the developer not thinking about that when he was designing the game is exactly what's being lamented, and why there's a thread pointing this out so they could be aware of it.

 

[caleb1915]

MAybe you should send an email, tweet, facebook post to the developer if you feel that strongly about it and feel the issue NEEDS to be fixed in the indie scene.

See his thoughts about it, diversity isn't at the forefront of everyone's mind when they're developing a videogame, and it's not necessarily because they're a bad person.

 

[blankempathy]

So the game has no Asians or Indians, games don't have to replicate life.

Thats funny because I think that Stardew valley is supposed to take inspiration from the real world and is supposed to be some small sleepy town where everyone knows everyone else. Yes places like that still exist where there aren't too many minorities.

 

[CryptiK]

So the game has no Asians or Indians, games don't have to replicate life.

There are a few other characters that don't look particularly white like the Governor and Gus but they aren't black either.

 

[Deleted member 465307]

The developer has been pretty good about responding to fan feedback, right? Perhaps contacting them via whatever they frequent (Twitter, Reddit, etc.) will lead to some results (which is pretty cool). If they read GAF, this thread could be a good start. I'm all for more diversity in games, so this sounds like a good idea to me.

EDIT: I didn't get the impression that OP felt that the developer is a bad person or did it intentionally. In fact, OP even says that they don't think it was intentional. I think it's just a proposed change, posted here to get support and opinions.

 

[Vigilant Gambit]

So theres up to 3 Black characters?

I dunno that you can count the avatar when their look is decided by the player, though.

Anyway,

OP, I wouldn't hold your breath for this sort of thing changing anytime soon. Black game* developers are a very, very, very, very, very tiny minority. And even when we're in charge of making games, indie or AAA, we aren't necessarily always creating minority characters, either.

*: We're a small minority as software engineers, period. In the 3 jobs I've had in the last 6 years, I have counted exactly one other black developer. I am unaware of any at the AAA game studio I used to work for.

 

[caleb1915]

Nobody is calling racism here. Maybe the developer not thinking about that when he was designing the game is exactly what's being lamented, and why there's a thread pointing this out so they could be aware of it.

And how do we know that this will make him aware of it? By creating an issue before any thoughts can be brought forward from the guy?

You know that's how threads go here, on a consistent basis issues get brought up on a controversial topic. People take it and run with a personal bias against whoever the creator of that content is for somehow creating the issue.

 

[Darryl]

It could honestly be a lot worse for a game made by a single person. Most of the other people are of questionable descent. Are they white? Are they asian? Penny could be asian, I can't tell. Pam is definitely white trailer trash, so that's one white person for sure.

 

[NinjamicWZ]

To be clear, Maru doesn't stick out like Demetrius does

Does she feel that way?

 

[Kwigo]

There's not a single black person where my parents live, the only diversity we got is a small asian familly that owns the asian restaurant in our small town. So honestly, I don't care.

Diversity is great, but sometimes it feels like they force-feed it to you (By the way, Johnny Storm is now black ! The Ghostbusters are now all female !) just to be "politically correct", and that's a load of BS. At least the Ghostbusters movie seems awesome.

 

[Lanrutcon]

Indie game made entirely by 1 dude doesn't cater to the diversity spectrum?

...understandable. Nothing to see here, folks.

 

[Bboy AJ]

And how do we know that this will make him aware of it? By creating an issue before any thoughts can be brought forward from the guy?

You know that's how threads go here, on a consistent basis issues get brought up on a controversial topic. People take it and run with a personal bias against whoever the creator of that content is for somehow creating the issue.

Are you trying to post for me? I'm not sure what you're doing by making stuff up. Does my OP offend you somehow? Is it a bad thing to discuss lack of diversity in gaming? Yes, it is an issue. I'm not creating an issue. I'm identifying it.

Did you even read my OP? I ascribed nothing to the dev. I even mentioned it probably wasn't his intent.

 

[caleb1915]

Are you trying to post for me? I'm not sure what you're doing by making stuff up. Does my OP offend you somehow? Is it a bad thing to discuss lack of diversity in gaming? Yes, it is an issue. I'm not creating an issue. I'm identifying it.

Did you even read my OP? I ascribed nothing to the dev. I even mentioned it probably wasn't his intent.

Nowhere did I say OP, or that you shouldn't discuss it, just that threads usually turn into things like that with no context besides the title of the thread, so instead of jumping down my throat perhaps read my earlier suggestion of contacting the developer so we can have the discussion you want.

Edit: And yes, I read your OP, twice, and are you really thinking everyone who posts here will? Once again you know how threads like this go.

 

[Bboy AJ]

Nowhere did I say OP, or that you shouldn't discuss it, just that threads usually turn into things like that with no context besides the title of the thread, so instead of jumping down my throat perhaps read my earlier suggestion of contacting the developer so we can have the discussion you want.

We should contact each and every developer before posting anything at all. If this discussion makes you uncomfortable, or your position feel threatened, then great. I hope gaming becomes more inclusive and more diverse. I hope indie devs lead the way. PC gaming is amazing.

 

[caleb1915]

We should contact each and every developer before posting anything at all.

Yup thats what I said, what kinda discussion do you want to have again?

Other people have pointed out that he responds pretty well to fan feedback, and he's also one person so it's not like he'll have a PR response statement team ready for you.

We should contact each and every developer before posting anything at all. If this discussion makes you uncomfortable, or your position feel threatened, then great. I hope gaming becomes more inclusive and more diverse. I hope indie devs lead the way. PC gaming is amazing.

If I seem uncomfortable for suggesting that an issue so important to you maybe warrants you to contact the guy for better context in a thread with a title directly referencing a racial stereotype involving controversial issues in the game development world; then I guess I'm uncomfortable.

 

[WaterAstro]

The black character is a scientist. Not sure what more would you want.

He also controls bats, so maybe he's Batman?

 

[whyman]

So I am always suprised by threads like this. If there is a game with lots of black people in it, I don't complain about. (But yes I can agree there are too few of those) Usually I'm on the side of, if it fits the setting don't force something else on the game. This game takes place in a small farmers town. It seems to be in the western (northern) world. I don't know what country you live in, but in most, there would be 90% white people. So I have no problems with it.

 

[Scrooge McDuck]

And how do we know that this will make him aware of it? By creating an issue before any thoughts can be brought forward from the guy?

You know that's how threads go here, on a consistent basis issues get brought up on a controversial topic. People take it and run with a personal bias against whoever the creator of that content is for somehow creating the issue.

Maybe it will, maybe it won't. It's just... look at the OP. It's not inflammatory; it's even understanding. It's a simple "I wish the game could be more diverse". I feel like characterizing it as an "accusation of racism" is misplaced and would bring about some undeserved defensiveness.

 

[SolicitorPirate]

Concerned Ape, the dev, regularly interacts with the community and seems to be a nice guy, so you could always bring it up with him on Twitter or something.

Personally, I rather liked Dem and Maru, and appreciated the fact that the game didn't make stereotypes out of them. That said, I can certainly understand wishing they weren't the only people of colour either

 

[Teriyaki Blues]

I agree that games need more diversity in general.

I haven't gotten very far in Stardew Valley yet, but I appreciate the way that Demetrius has been treated so far (he's one of my favorite characters, but a world weary scientist always goes over well with me), and as I'm in a mixed race family myself (Asian/White American), I really enjoy seeing that reflected in a positive light or even mmm, treated as a perfectly normal thing (?) in my entertainment.

I mean, so far the game has treated him and the white hobo guy with a feeling of... "neat characters who also happen to be _____", (to me) but I am only on day 10 or so. Is there overt/covert racism in the game's script down the line that I should prepare myself for?

 

[Romars202129]

To be painfully frank, it is kinda accurate to country life.

 

[caleb1915]

Maybe it will, maybe it won't. It's just... look at the OP. It's not inflammatory; it's even understanding. It's a simple "I wish the game could be more diverse". I feel like characterizing it as an "accusation of racism" is misplaced and would bring about some undeserved defensiveness.

I'm not saying it's accusing in any way, but it's easy for people to take the intentions of the OP and go in a completely different direction of intent without any way to actually prove them wrong. Which is why I'm wondering how bringing it up will give a true non one-sided discussion without really knowing what the developer thinks about it.

 

[Darryl]

Are you trying to post for me? I'm not sure what you're doing by making stuff up. Does my OP offend you somehow? Is it a bad thing to discuss lack of diversity in gaming? Yes, it is an issue. I'm not creating an issue. I'm identifying it.

Did you even read my OP? I ascribed nothing to the dev. I even mentioned it probably wasn't his intent.

It's a weird argument when one of the key characters is Maru, his half-black daughter with an obviously dark skin tone. I mean you want her skin tone to be even darker for some reason? Isn't the way it is handled now actually make the game even more diverse?

 

[Bboy AJ]

I'm not saying it's accusing in any way, but it's easy for people to take the intentions of the OP and go in a completely different direction of intent without any way to actually prove them wrong. Which is why I'm wondering how bringing it up will give a true non one-sided discussion without really knowing what the developer thinks about it.

It doesn't matter what he thinks about it because I'm sure he had no ill intent. It's a discussion on lack of diversity in gaming and how in Stardew, the one black character feels so token.

Don't dictate to me what I can discuss. I won't jump through your hoops before engaging in a diversity in gaming discussion. Quit trying to stifle constructive discussion in this thread. It's such a disingenuous argument, like why don't we have photo IDs before we can vote.

 

[CryptiK]

Did you even read my OP? I ascribed nothing to the dev. I even mentioned it probably wasn't his intent.

Your title has a very click baity tone to it. You say token minority character but then in your OP you disporve the title by stating there are other minority characters that you don't count for some reason.

 

[Stilton Disco]

This just sounds like you're looking to be offended OP, I mean if this game is based on traditional western agricultural communities, particularly European ones, then an almost uniformly white native population is just accurate.

Although, saying that, I would like to see a more realistic modern approach to a Farm'em'Up, with an aging, contracting local village population that needs an influx of migrant workers each year to actually harvest any crops. Would be a good source of character interactions and narratives, I certainly know of a few Eastern Europeans that have made new lives for themselves in sleepy English villages after starting out as day labourers that way.

 

[Antiwhippy]

Would be nice to have Asian characters too.

 

[blankempathy]

So Demetrius is the token character because he was stuck in there to fulfill some type of representation yet you want more diverse characters in the game to fulfill your own want of race diversity? Am I the only one who read that?

 

[Enter the Dragon Punch]

To those who don't play Stardew Valley, here is Demetrius. He's a scientist married to a carpenter.

This is his hakf-black daughter, Maru. She's into machinery and works at the local clinic.


While I understand your grievances OP, I would not consider either of these characters "token" by any mean. I'd say they're positive representations, if anything. Token black character does not feel like it remotely lines up with a well-spoken black scientist who lives in a quiet farming community.

I believe that before adding more black characters, other races should be considered. I would like to see Asian and Indian characters, first and foremost.

 

[SolicitorPirate]

This just sounds like you're looking to be offended OP, I mean if this game is based on traditional western agricultural communities, particularly European ones, then an almost uniformly white native population is just accurate.

Although, saying that, I would like to see a more realistic modern approach to a Farm'em'Up, with an aging, contracting local village population that needs an influx of migrant workers each year to actually harvest any crops. Would be a good source of character interactions and narratives, I certainly know of a few Eastern Europeans that have made new lives for themselves in sleepy English villages after starting out as day labourers that way.

But the game isn't. Firstly, it takes place in a literal fantasy land. Secondly, it's based on Harvest Moon, a series where everyone is presumably Japanese.

 

[Romars202129]

To those who don't play Stardew Valley, here is Demetrius. He's a scientist married to a carpenter.

This is his hakf-black daughter, Maru. She's into machinery and works at the local clinic.


While I understand your grievances OP, I would not consider either of these characters "token" by any mean. I'd say they're positive representations, if anything. Token black character does not feel like it remotely lines up with a well-spoken black scientist who lives in a quiet farming community.

I believe that before adding more black characters, other races should be considered. I would like to see Asian and Indian characters, first and foremost.

"Token" doesn't mean racist or stereotypical . It simply means single or only, so , that is what the character is.

 

[Hoo-doo]

I can't feel what you feel on this issue, but if you think the diversity in this game is severely overlooked you have a right to call the developers out on it. Maybe you can reach them on Twitter? The game is made by a single guy so perhaps the in-game demographics are resembling the developers' actual demographic surroundings and experiences.

In my opinion, minorities as a whole are rather underrepresented in this game. I can't recall there being any asian, south-american, indian or middle-eastern characters either. The fact that there's two black characters is not much, but it is something. Not to mention that both characters are represented in a very positive light. You talk about 'token' minorities, but how would you have felt if there wouldn't be any black people in the game? Would it be worse or better?

While only a band-aid on a bigger issue, there is a very healthy modding community though. I expect there to be plenty of art packs out there that add some diversity to the in-game community.

 

[termickk]

This reminds me of the fabricated drama about Witcher 3 not having minorities. It seems that most og the time only people who cares about that are "guilty" white people from America. Not everything has to be diversified for diversification sake. Where is my token Polish person, eating pierogi and kielbasa, huh?

 

[Enter the Dragon Punch]

"Token" doesn't mean racist or stereotypical . It simply means single or only, so , that is what the character is.

Does it? My mistake, then.

 

[Supermanisdead]

Being an Asian I don't find problems with games that have no Asians in them

why not?

 

[Sakura]

But the game isn't. Firstly, it takes place in a literal fantasy land. Secondly, it's based on Harvest Moon, a series where everyone is presumably Japanese.

Nah, the majority of the characters are white in the Harvest Moon games.

 

[The Broken Ska Record]

Your title has a very click baity tone to it. You say token minority character but then in your OP you disporve the title by stating there are other minority characters that you don't count for some reason.

"Click baity tone?" It just said the name of the game and something regarding the name.

 

[Stilton Disco]

But the game isn't. Firstly, it takes place in a literal fantasy land. Secondly, it's based on Harvest Moon, a series where everyone is presumably Japanese.

I'd always considered Harvest Moon to be a Japanese interpretation of western style idealic farming life fantasies, the Little House on the Prairie, Darling Buds of May kind of fictional settings. Kinda like how Resident Evil was a Japanese take on western Horror fiction.

Also just because it's a fictional setting doesn't mean you have to shoe horn in a much of different races to everything. Especially in a rural setting, where the odds of large quantities for racial variety Would be very low realistically.

I mean sure, it is fiction, but that doesn't make it beholden to some ideal vision of forced racial equality when that's a world that doesn't actually exist.

 

[Zeyphersan]

This reminds me of the fabricated drama about Witcher 3 not having minorities. It seems that most og the time only people who cares about that are "guilty" white people from America. Not everything has to be diversified for diversification sake. Where is my token Polish person, eating pierogi and kielbasa, huh?

What does this mean, please explain