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[#Phonepunk#]

im sure this is a YAS moment for some people. i don't care. i have owned this game and played and enjoyed it and frankly saw no content about gender or trans or anything while playing the game.

so if they want to make an announcement now, when coincidentally they have released a new DLC, in order to fluff some game journalist's SJW creds and ensure good reviews, that is their right. at this point i see every act like this as an marketing decision. in this market going woke ensures good media treatment and a good press cycle for a new release. don't hate the player, hate the game.

so long as it doesn't drastically change the actual game, i could care less.

 

[Hinedorf]

I do believe at the last awards show which they won an award for Celeste the musical composer for this game was a trans individual.

Regardless of gender, the game has received tons of praise and if it turns out the Madeline is trans, who cares, does it change the game?

 

[DrJohnGalt]

They talk the talk about representation but when it comes down to it they would rather have the money first and "retcon" the representation later on.

Bingo.

 

[ROMhack]

I guess games are a good escape for people who don't really "fit" in general. Played with a few gays/lesbians in my old WoW guild back in the day. They weren't the activist types, so it was cool. Although this whole activism thing wasn't so in-your-face back then.

Yep. Everything about online activism makes sense when you realise it's a bunch of nerds angry at not being accepted for who they are.

It used to be cool not to fit in, which I think is the main difference I see between then and now.

 

[kraspkibble]

i'm not against it but this just stinks so much of trying hard to appease the rabid SJW's. "look!! look.... see we're woke!! please don't hurt or accuse us!!"

 

[#Phonepunk#]

they just released a new DLC. this is game journalist flattering PR. they probably already have template "character comes out as trans" articles ready for this type of reveal by now.

 

[Murdoch]

This is honestly the best news I've read all day. Absolutely fantastic for him/her/they!

 

[Saruhashi]

I do believe at the last awards show which they won an award for Celeste the musical composer for this game was a trans individual.

Regardless of gender, the game has received tons of praise and if it turns out the Madeline is trans, who cares, does it change the game?

I would say it doesn't change the game in terms of gameplay but it would change the community reception of the game.

For me it is a fantastic game and it got great, and well deserved, critical acclaim.

I believe that if they went "all in" with this at the beginning and were open with this idea that Madeline is trans then I honestly believe that it could have been a massive win for them AND the people in the community they want to represent.

DEFINITELY you would have had people moaning about "SJWs" or whatever BUT I think the core game here is so good that people would have been willing to open up a bit.

Obviously it would need to be presented in a tasteful and thoughtful way and not "hahahahaha the alt-right and GG hates our game but we hate them and TERFs can go to hell".
Realistically this game could have had a prominent trans character and due to the underlying quality of the game people would have embraced that.

Instead it's like "we added a wee snippet at the end of the DLC, 2 years later" and that comes across as very cheap. It's just an afterthought. If people like it though then whatever.

It's a missed opportunity, in my opinion.

 

[#Phonepunk#]

whenever a story like this drops, all you need to do is look at the context. usually the person is selling something. here, they are selling a new DLC, which just dropped a week ago. it happens in all industries. Taylor Swift just did a huge interview about how she is all political now. she also released her first album in 2 years and has a starring role in an upcoming movie. coincidence?

none of this is coincidence. most of it is marketing.

 

[Gargus]

This is seriously amazing. We need more trans representation in games. Trans gamers rise up! People think the pill bottle might contain hormone pills. Let's hope so!

IF it turned out to be then I would immediately lose interest in the game and probably never ever play it again.

Reason being is I am fucking so good damn sick and tired of always hearing about trans this, gay that, racist this, or meetoo that. I am so sick of seeing and hearing it everywhere all the time that if I see or hear it in a game or movie I immediately lose 100% of my interest and have no desire to keep subjecting myself to it. I watch movies and play games to escape reality, not be even more involved in it.

If rachel weisz and Ronda rousey wanted to have a 3 way with me and as they were taking off their clothes they started talking about trans people, or politics I'd go limp and be yelling "why can't I have the fantasy just for an hour without bullshit reality ruining. Just get out the both of you".

 

[WindomURL]

Spent ages running and jumping to and fro, avoiding all manner of spikes, pits, and traps

But it was I who was the trap all along. All that time I was running....



from myself



CELESTE™

 

[Spukc]

haha fuck you i need to clean my monitor now
fucking beer jizzed my screen

 

[MrTroubleMaker]

Maybe devs should integrate a “trans mode“ in every game, that changes all male NPCs to wear feminine clothing, have long hair and female animations.
Maybe then they will shut up.

 

[meirl]

We need good games. We do not need trans, or whatever. Just good games.

 

[Orta]

Great news.

Who the fuck is Madeline and what the fuck is Celeste?

 

[brap]

I think games still need more LGBTQIA+ representation.

I agree. LGBTQIA+ folks are about 1% of the population and aren't in enough games.

 

[Wolf Murder]

Celeste is an amazing game, so this doesn't really bother me. Who the hell said she is trans anyway? Maybe she is just an LGBT ally. Maybe if the Twitter trans community and OneAngryGamer thought this through just a bit more, they would realize that instead of screeching "OH MY GOD YES MADELINE IS TRANS YASSSS SLAY" or "OH MY GOD SJWS ARE INFECTING MUH VIDEOGAMES" they could spend their time playing the game instead.

 

[HarryKS]

Can my 1080p tv identify as an 8k Oled?

I feel like everything is possible now. Glorious age.

 

[Ballthyrm]

Can my 1080p tv identify as an 8k Oled?

I feel like everything is possible now. Glorious age.

I guess an 8k Oled can identify as a 1080p TV but the opposite will be tricky.
It would be the trans athlete debate all over again xD.

 

[MisterHero]

Who the fuck cares?

I do.

I'll be clear; I'm not an ally. I do not applaud representation for the sake of it. However, I do endorse the ideal that anyone who can combine graphics, sound and gameplay into competent, entertaining games can also make whatever they want and use whatever themes. They have earned it.

Consider this: I would rather have underrepresented gamers/creators making games for themselves and potentially profitable underserved audiences than certain infamous whiny individuals shaming established developers into doing things they don't want to.

White men are not the best people to depict minorities and women. That's just how it is and that's fine. That means there's business opportunity in the industry for everyone else.

There's so many tools and resources this day and age that anyone could make a game if they worked hard enough. It's up to these underserved audiences to see that though.

 

[PSFan]

So they think girls are born with long hair and it could never be that short when they were 2 or 3 years, huh?

 

[Mista]

I do.

I'll be clear; I'm not an ally. I do not applaud representation for the sake of it. However, I do endorse the ideal that anyone who can combine graphics, sound and gameplay into competent, entertaining games can also make whatever they want and use whatever themes. They have earned it.

Consider this: I would rather have underrepresented gamers/creators making games for themselves and potentially profitable underserved audiences than certain infamous whiny individuals shaming established developers into doing things they don't want to.

White men are not the best people to depict minorities and women. That's just how it is and that's fine. That means there's business opportunity in the industry for everyone else.

There's so many tools and resources this day and age that anyone could make a game if they worked hard enough. It's up to these underserved audiences to see that though.

To me I don’t care about all that. Straight, gay, trans...etc

I’m here for the quality of the games. If something is big time story related I don’t mind, but if it’s forced for the fuck of it then that’s a problem.

I also don’t care if you’re white, brown or black. What matters to me is how much of a human you are, everything else doesn’t matter at all.

So yeah, thought of writing this just for the sake of being clear and not misunderstood.

 

[Fushitsusha]

WTF I love Celeste now!

 

[alabtrosMyster]

Yes! I knew it, I could just feel how she used to be a dude! This is so courageous, I bet even the dev didn't know while developing the game and its characters! What a day for gaming.

There is only one problem, they should have made her a black trans person, they have exponentially more victhood points and erasing their existance should be a felony.

 

[Komatsu]

I agree. LGBTQIA+ folks are about 1% of the population and aren't in enough games.

The actual % of LGBTQ+ of LGBTQ+ folks is about 4.5% in the US adult population, according to Gallup.

But let's follow that train of thought. There were about 20,000+ games released last year, between the consoles, iOS, Android and PC. I'm willing to bet that we did not have 800 games (4% of 20K) tackling LBGTQ themes across all major platforms coming out last year. We're not really getting bombarded with LGBTQ-themed interactive entertainment, regardless of the impression one gets from skimming Kotaku.

I mean, if this is really an Easter Egg, so what? Does the fact that a very talented team with a very talented trans composer added a little nod to their community compromise it in any way? What is the purpose of this thread? Are we to mock Lena Raine and her beautiful music because of her gender? I don't get it.

 

[Dr. Claus]

The actual % of LGBTQ+ of LGBTQ+ folks is about 4.5% in the US adult population, according to Gallup.

But let's follow that train of thought. There were about 20,000+ games released last year, between the consoles, iOS, Android and PC. I'm willing to bet that we did not have 800 games (4% of 20K) tackling LBGTQ themes across all major platforms coming out last year. We're not really getting bombarded with LGBTQ-themed interactive entertainment, regardless of the impression one gets from skimming Kotaku.

I mean, if this is really an Easter Egg, so what? Does the fact that a very talented team with a very talented trans composer added a little nod to their community compromise it in any way? What is the purpose of this thread? Are we to mock Lena Raine and her beautiful music because of her gender? I don't get it.

Brap is trolling. Normally he puts a bit more effort into it, but this time he went super low quality. Rather disappointed in him, all told.

The issue with the LGBT+ stuff in gaming is not how many games have it (as you had pointed out), as they are in the minority. The issue is that they seem to be more common in the larger AAA titles coming out of major studios as well as being seen and praised across gaming journalism, even if the games themselves are absolute shite (2064: Read Only Memories is a fantastic example).

 

[Whitesnake]

But let's follow that train of thought. There were about 20,000+ games released last year, between the consoles, iOS, Android and PC. I'm willing to bet that we did not have 800 games (4% of 20K) tackling LBGTQ themes across all major platforms coming out last year.

The discussion is on “representation” , not “tackling themes”. One involves having/featuring a character with one of those labels, the other involves a part of the game’s narrative being about those sexualities/gender whatevers.

If we’re including all released games regardless of budget or quality, I’m willing to bet there are a ton of games that had characters that could fall under at least one of the LGBTQIAA2SP+ labels.

Probably way more than 800, honestly.

I mean, if this is really an Easter Egg, so what? Does the fact that a very talented team with a very talented trans composer added a little nod to their community compromise it in any way? What is the purpose of this thread? Are we to mock Lena Raine and her beautiful music because of her gender? I don't get it.

You didn’t actually read the thread, did you?

 

[Portugeezer]

First Control and now this.

 

[brap]

The actual % of LGBTQ+ of LGBTQ+ folks is about 4.5% in the US adult population, according to Gallup.

I'm sorry I was talking about trans people being around 1%. Got confused.

But let's follow that train of thought. There were about 20,000+ games released last year, between the consoles, iOS, Android and PC.

Please don't count a bunch of those shitty shovelware adware scam games on android. There's no way there were about 20k real games out last year.

 

[pedoera is gay]

I'd be delighted to find out today that alex kidd has been trans all along but no one ever knew because they never told anyone, because it's no one's business and sega didn't care about woke points.

 

[Danny Dudekisser]

I'd be delighted to find out today that alex kidd has been trans all along but no one ever knew because they never told anyone, because it's no one's business and sega didn't care about woke points.

Alex Kidd, like most people in the video game industry, would only come out as trans to get attention.