Historic injustice isn't the only reason for representation in media.
Is your position that flattering representation is aimed at countering historical injustice?
If, say, hypothetically, in the past Asians were perceived as shy and meek, having an Asian PC that is the opposite will do some good, is that it?
Yes, fight a real cliché with a virtual counter-cliché.
That ought to work.
It's also reasonable.
-Economic: With demographic change there is demand for more diverse characters
You'd have to show that one of the decisive or even significant factors determining purchase is how relatable the PC feels to the gamer on any given arbitrary dimension, gender, sexual orientation, age, ethnicity, etc.
And if you were to show that, then you would have to explain why in areas where majorities would not recognize themselves in the PC, why on Earth would they even consider buying the game then.
And you would also have to show there's good reasons to prioritize any of these dimensions over others, lest you include them all.
-Citizenship: A general sense of belonging is formed by participation in society whether that is democratic institutions or entertainment
You'd have to show a sense of belonging [to the nation as a whole] is significantly affected by having a fictional character going about his fictional life in a fictional setting, a character you would be able to relate to in any of the arbitrary dimensions already mentioned.
-Understanding: If treatment of minority populations is important in a liberal society it would help to have a broader set of perspectives and experiences in media
Treatment of minorities is entrusted to the Law, not to videogames.
No one is stopping anyone from making their own games and using them as vehicles to shed light on any perspective. No one is. What is preposterous is this notion that some groups are owned reparations, owed something in relation to the work of others just because they are who they are.
-Acceptance: If there is widespread prejudice against some groups reflecting their perspectives could help reduce that prejudice
Yes, and we have documentaries, news articles and cover stories, also known as journalism, or even social activism, both of which are much better suited for that.
-Fairness: if people tend to self segregate and that leads to networking effects it won't do to assume outcomes are merely merit based.
I don't understand what you're trying to say here.
Efforts to diversify media with social pressure would then be justified
I don't understand what you're trying to say here.
Obviously those values are in tension with others and also tied up with interests that are never pure, so yeah there's an agenda that needs some pushback where it becomes overzealous but I don' think it's a problem if you take the goal of activism to be to make you feel uncomfortable not so much to offer solutions as make us think about those issues collectively.
Creators can do whatever they feel like. If they want to turn their games into manifestos, so be it. But if they build their games around real-life ideas and goals, then it's only fair to expect negative reactions from people who oppose those very same ideas and goals and people who, although their support those ideas and goals, find the execution lacking.
The issue of what makes me unconformable never enters my mind when discussing these topics.
It's completely irrelevant.
