Fuz
Banned
...lol
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Ubisoft Massive COO: "We don't want to take a stance in current politics".
- Thread starter IbizaPocholo
- Start date
...lol
Red Crayon Aristocrat
Member
Well said.
Such phenomenally fucking stupid times we live, what the fuck's wrong with people?
Finally finally giving GTAV a full playthrough back in August was an interesting experience, the game is almost as much as a period piece as Vice City and San Andreas were, showcasing the early part of this decade, a lot's changed over the last 5 years.
A lot of the satire was also hilariously ironic when looked at in a modern light, one thing made me almost fall out of seat with surprise, the "strangers and freaks" with the Minutemen where you capture illegal immigrants, one dude is the typical redneck but then his buddy is a Russian (I think) guy, that's eerily prescient.
In fact a lot of stuff in the game deals with immigration and it's certainly something you see in a much different light today.
Shmunter
Member
We need to be conscious of political stories vs the entertainment pushing political agendas. One should be encouraged, like any thoughtful topic, the other will simply divide communities, create issues, and is simply bad for business.
Paracelsus
Member
With the next game, which is due in a year, when everybody has forgotten all about what they said yesterday and they will put the exact same agenda, again.
HotPocket69
Banned
That’s cool. Then these should be expected to disappear, correct?
Hendrick's
If only my penis was as big as my GamerScore!
I don't believe him.
ROMhack
Member
I think in today's climate you have to be smart about it, which means better writing and design. AAA games struggle because they like to fall back on making general ideological points that reflect the people who made the game rather than enriching the player. It's self-centred game design. It's also quite defensive.
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The_Mike
I cry about SonyGaf from my chair in Redmond, WA
Wouldn’t surprise me. They are French after all.
But they are stll doing this but they do not try to push an ideology. They do not try to tell you who you should support which ideology is the best etc.
Mattyp
Gold Member
Gender identities? This is a title screen in an actual game?
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HotPocket69
Banned
Its what you see before you start playing Ass Creed Syndicate. Cant remember if they added anything to it for Origins. I need someone to screencap whatever Odyssey's says
michaelius
Banned
Its what you see before you start playing Ass Creed Syndicate. Cant remember if they added anything to it for Origins. I need someone to screencap whatever Odyssey's says
This got me thinking does anyone have screenshots of those messages from Ubi games? Would be interesting how they were in earlier parts vs now.
Shai-Tan
Banned
That’s cool. Then these should be expected to disappear, correct?
seems like internet outrage is bipartisan
HotPocket69
Banned
The first game was simply "made by a group of people with various religious backgrounds"
Seemed unique at the time considering we were at war in Iraq/Afghanistan
It stayed that way through the Desmond era. Don't remember Black Flag's and I never played Unity. Syndicate was when I noticed they started going super progressive.
BANGS
Banned
I have no problems with games having a political message so long as it's not one sided propaganda and it adds to a great story. I also have no problem with games just being games with no political messages shoehorned in. Gaming companies should be under no obligation to have a political stance and stick to them when producing games, that only stifles creativity and diversity...
FranXico
Member
It's really pathetic to display a disclaimer for something that naturally occurs in collaborative creative work.That’s cool. Then these should be expected to disappear, correct?
Insane Metal
Member
I agree with your post just above this, but slightly disagree with this one. I say slightly because I agree Ubisoft is pandering to the same crowd as you, but I think the honest description of said crowd is "most" of it is just sick of left leaning politics being shoved down their throat, which probably would not even have been noticed if it were not the way certain tech related places operated the last few years (even this place until a year ago).
I am, in honesty, one of those people. I've just had enough, but I do still support devs making any games they want, and I am a little worried about the pendulum going too far back in the other direction. A lot of the great creators do have a left leaning ideology and it would be a shame if they become truly hindered from creating new experiences if their company is worried about a backlash from moderates or the right leaning folks (which sales numbers, IMO, suggest comprise most of the people buying AAA games). So in short, if they seem (to me) to be making left leaning politics a core part of the game design I will likely shy away because I'm just tired of the agenda and think it does more harm than good in many respects and will not support it being pushed as hard as it was before. But if the game seems, to me, to be a game with political undertones but not designed specifically around it, that's perfectly cool regardless of the political themes, barring of course things that make me shudder like actual support for Nazi's, etc.
royox
Member
That’s cool. Then these should be expected to disappear, correct?
My gosh last time I played an AC that only reached the "various beliefs and religion". This world is going to shit.
mckmas8808
Mckmaster uses MasterCard to buy Slave drives
That’s cool. Then these should be expected to disappear, correct?
And this is why Ubisoft will never achieve their goal. These days literally EVERYTHING can be considered "political". You can't even put the above disclaimer in the game without some people having internet rage and getting pissed at that one sentence.
HotPocket69
Banned
No one is pissed. It's just funny, dumb and pointless. No one fucking cares that someone that identifies as a lizard made your fucking game.
Alebrije
Member
Kittehkraken
Member
Some people seem to be confusing the developer Ubisoft Massive with Ubisoft as a whole.
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mckmas8808
Mckmaster uses MasterCard to buy Slave drives
But you do seem upset. The fact that you even said "identifies as a lizard" says something. You can't even use real identities to make your point because the real identities upsets you so much.
HotPocket69
Banned
I’m not “upset” in any way at all dude lol
mckmas8808
Mckmaster uses MasterCard to buy Slave drives
Oh okay. Saying people are full of internet rage is the cool thing to say these days.
HotPocket69
Banned
Are you the Lime or Excelsior of this new GAF or what? What’s your deal dude?
How about this: don’t address me anymore, and I won’t address you anymore. I’ve seen you give people shit on here for having different opinions or ways of thought than you for awhile. Surprised no ones kicked your ass back to Era where you’re more of a proper fit.
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mckmas8808
Mckmaster uses MasterCard to buy Slave drives
LOL! I've disagreed with some folks on here, but this is a forum so that's par for the course. I've also agreed with those same people on similar subjects after having some dialogue with them. I'm using GAF the way it was intended to be used. I don't fit on ERA because I don't like the quick bans and the obvious one-sided thinking.
Do you feel uneasy when someone simply disagrees with you on something? You are the one that's linking their one sentence disclaimer to being about politics.
HotPocket69
Banned
No. I just don’t care if you don’t approve of my opinion or what I say and I’m not looking to debate you about it. I’m not looking to debate you on anything.
Vtecomega
Banned
Era have not approved your email address yet?
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HotPocket69
Banned
Just not here to get into beefs over politics in or out of videogames. Most of what I say is in jest anyway.
Now if you want to come at me on what the best 2D Megaman is (2 obviously) or why you think re4 ISN’T one of the absolute best games ever made then hell yes we can get a battle going.
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Gray Rentable
Member
Or the other side of "pandering to the crowd" -- Ubisoft is a corporate entity engaged in business and needs to hit targets for its shareholders. How do they do that? By making products that appeal to the market. Until the woke crowd makes the most money and buys the most stuff, businesses won't pander to them, as you like to put it.
Gray Rentable
Member
That’s cool. Then these should be expected to disappear, correct?
i found this month's facebook profile banner!
GribbleGrunger
Dreams in Digital
Common sense being restored, one game at a time.
KonradLaw
Member
Yep. This is swedish studio. So expecting them to take a strong stance based on current american politics is utterly insane. Some journos seem to be convinced they picked Washington as a setting of Division 2 as some sort of Trump commentary. They never entertain the idea it's just a cool city, rarely used in videogames, that has tons of iconic places that will look cool when destroyed/abandoned. Massive has been blowing up virtual american cities since 2007
Was World in Conflict a commentary of fragility of american situation of that period? Heck, with Far Cry 5 it was likelly the same. It was done by Canadians and they picked up the rural american setting and cult villains likelly because it was a change of pace for the franchise and allowed for a lot of cool pulpy ideas to be realized, not because they wanted to somehow create an interactive critique of modern american political situation
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Because the only thing fiction would have to say would be inherently political, right?
So, having overt politics is a brave conscious stance, but not having any is necessarily pandering?
Yes, anything can be considered political. And anyone can claim they've been abducted by aliens.
I can't shake off trhe feeling that when some call for overt political content in games, they have a very specific idea in mind. Their politics, their views on politics, their political stance. I have a feeling that all the alleged bravery associated with having overt politics in games would suddenly vanish into thin air if the politics in question were, say, aligned with Trump's.
KonradLaw
Member
Except they aren't. There's plenty of politics in many Ubisioft games. What Ubisoft is avoiding is turning their games into interactive propaganda meant to influence the next voting season, bashing you over the head with what's right and what's not. Instead they present politics like all good fiction does, without strawmens, leaving the judgement to the audience.
mckmas8808
Mckmaster uses MasterCard to buy Slave drives
It's pandering when you have politics in your games, but act as if you don't. And don't confuse me with some other people from ERA, I don't run or hide when someone says or believes something that I don't believe in. We are all grown here and I feel like we can handle it. I'd love it if a game came out with overt politics that aligned with Trump's. As long as it was a quality game and the story made sense.........I'd be interested.
You're right at the end of the day and I wish Ubisoft would have just said that instead of pandering to a specific crowd that they don't want to wade into politics. They worded it like this to get a reaction from a certain body of people. What they are really doing is what you said that I bolded. I wish they would have just flatly said it the way you put it. It'll be the full truth.
This was actually a really good response.
Thanks. And I do mean it.
Look forward to more of these. You and I disagree on many things, but it can't be denied that you are not merely following the herd.
danielberg
Neophyte
They can do whatever they want but its not that difficult to see that going far left or right in any preachy way would lose them some customers on one side or the other.
Doesnt mean that they should shy away from politics if its in service of the game best case would be they dont give a crap for any side like in the 90s-2000s days lol
Doesnt mean that they should shy away from politics if its in service of the game best case would be they dont give a crap for any side like in the 90s-2000s days lol
FranXico
Member
mckmas8808
@Cosmogony thank you for the passionate, but mature debate. You are setting a good example for us all.
Pot Meet Kettle
Member
You see, the people triggered the most with Ubisoft claiming "we don't want to be political", are the ones that are upset by the existence of Tom Clancy license games, how Far Cry 5 isn't a 2016 personal most hated political party murder simulator, how the latest Assassin's Creed doesn't FORCE players to select a female lead, and little things like that.
Literally rewriting history to distort schoolchildren's view of ancient civilizations (and normalize some of the weirdest hollywood fantasies, like multicultural NY Poland in the Witcher, black Cleopatra, gender equality utopia in Rome, as factual history) isn't political, it's natural, and it didn't go far enough for their tastes.
Art isn't inherently political.
That's a dangerous assertation. Most of the examples presented to prove something like Mario or Tetris is political are dangerous secondary readings into the implications, causes (that "toxic", dreaded status-quo), and perceived harmful influences the work has on society (because games totally make people sexist, racist, violent, and what may you... a wacko position by itself) and then try to accuse the author of endorsing that openly.
Suddenly Star Citizen (over casting the likeliness of hollywood actors, who happen to be white, and even though they had more than enough PoC NPCs that didn't save them) and racist developers of troll games on Steam about mowing black people, are the same thing, "white supremacists". It doesn't matter if the crime of one is inferred through some critic's far-fetched, ill-will interpretations, and if the crime of the other is actual racial supremacy talk made purely to further politics.
If you can't see how high the stakes are, for future artistic expression that's threatened to either openly do political advocacy for one side to further real life politics into random people's entertainment (and the way game journalists advocate this, the more predatory, invasive and roundabout the influence is, the better), or to be lumped with the enemy, even through silence (that's equal to approval of the status quo, because everyone has to screech about politics 24/24), and so you get Kotaku's articles about Mario's "conservative politics in game design".
There's one big flaw in Kotaku's argument. They were complaining in a podcast why Ubisoft games AVOIDED politics, and said they would love a game to challenge their politics. Then if games are inherently political, why are they particularly upset that they have nothing to work with to write articles all about that game's politics? It seems like apolitical games ARE possible. If anything, they're the wisest business choice these days.
Games with political messages shouldn't be only about US elections either, like Kotaku wants them when they complain about missed opportunities in Persona 5 to make it about the US election by adjusting the localization a bit (again, to further personal politics and undermine/overshadow everything else in that message or the game at large) and cut everything that doesn't gel well with their politics (which in Persona 5, is a LOT)
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mckmas8808
Mckmaster uses MasterCard to buy Slave drives
The bolded is something that is annoying. While I'm all for gender equality and diversity, it is stupid that people and companies want to rewrite history for ancient times with the policies and beliefs of today. I'd hate to see a movie, game, or TV show about America in the 1920s that made it seem as if black and white people were being treated the same. That's not accurate so why fake the funk just to make things "look" better in your 2018 content library? People have to learn and understand that everything wasn't equal back in the 20s, so it's okay that the content that is being done about that doesn't reflect an era that's 100 years afterward.
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KonradLaw
Member
They actually did say exactly that. This is from that article:
"That is political, but we're not going out and saying you should vote for that person, or you should not do this; but it's a political statement of course, and we think that it's important, but we're not writing it on somebody's nose."
It's just that unfortunatelly forums posts and websites news focus on just some elements of the talk, those that will get the rise out of readers, instead of discussing the whole thing.
UltimateUnknown
Member
What's political about Rainbow 6 Siege? Legit question.
I haven't really played any other TC games and this one is the most popular one that I know of.