ESO Goes Woke... with a Non-Binary Elf?
Summary
TLDRThe video discusses the introduction of a gender-fluid, non-binary character in 'Elder Scrolls Online,' causing controversy among players. The script compares this to the criticism of Amazon's 'Rings of Power' for its portrayal of orcs, suggesting that while not lore-inaccurate, the character's inclusion feels agenda-driven rather than organic. The speaker expresses disappointment in the game developers' approach, advocating for more player customization and less forced representation. They argue that fantasy games should be an escape from real-world issues, not a platform for sociopolitical agendas, and emphasize the importance of developers prioritizing player enjoyment over meeting diversity quotas.
Takeaways
- đź The Elder Scrolls Online (ESO) is introducing a new companion character that is gender-fluid and non-binary, which has caused controversy among the gaming community.
- đș The speaker compares the ESO situation to the backlash against Amazon's 'Rings of Power' for its portrayal of orcs with human-like relationships, suggesting that such portrayals can be seen as inauthentic or agenda-driven.
- đ§ The speaker questions the motivations behind including a gender non-binary character in ESO, suggesting it may be more about meeting diversity quotas than about enriching the game world.
- đ The script discusses the broader issue of how real-world sociopolitical concerns are increasingly finding their way into fantasy games, which traditionally have been an escape from such issues.
- đ The speaker argues that while it's not inherently wrong to include diverse characters, it should be done organically and not just to tick boxes or push an agenda.
- đ« The speaker expresses disappointment that the game developers seem to be prioritizing an agenda over creating a compelling and inclusive gaming experience.
- đĄ A suggestion is made for a more inclusive approach: allowing players to fully customize their companions, which could satisfy a wider range of player preferences without seeming forced.
- đ€ The script reflects on the changing nature of the gaming industry, where live service models and larger player bases may be leading to a shift in how developers interact with their audience.
- đ There's a warning about the potential loss of customers if game developers continue to prioritize their own agendas over what the players enjoy.
- đ Despite the controversy, the speaker still appreciates ESO for its world-building and immersive qualities, suggesting that not everything needs to be perfect for a game to be enjoyable.
Q & A
What is the main topic of discussion in the video script?
-The main topic of discussion is the introduction of a gender fluid, non-binary character as a companion in the game Elder Scrolls Online and the community's reaction to it.
Why does the mention of Amazon's Rings of Power in the script serve as an analogy?
-Amazon's Rings of Power is mentioned as an analogy to illustrate the issue of introducing elements into a fantasy world that may not align with the original lore or the expectations of the fanbase.
What is the speaker's stance on the portrayal of orcs in the Rings of Power?
-The speaker agrees with the criticism that the portrayal of orcs with human-like family dynamics in Rings of Power is questionable and not in line with Tolkien's original depiction of orcs.
How does the speaker feel about the fantasy genre's traditional role?
-The speaker believes that the fantasy genre has traditionally served as an escape from real-world issues, and they appreciate it for not overtly bringing sociopolitical concerns into the narrative.
What concern does the speaker express about the new companion in Elder Scrolls Online?
-The speaker is concerned that the introduction of a non-binary character seems to be more about meeting diversity quotas and pushing an agenda rather than enhancing the game world organically.
What does the speaker suggest as an alternative approach for inclusivity in games?
-The speaker suggests allowing for more player customization as an alternative approach for inclusivity, which could allow players to create companions that reflect their own preferences without imposing a specific agenda.
What is the speaker's opinion on the importance of customer satisfaction in game development?
-The speaker believes that game developers should prioritize customer satisfaction and the interests of their player base over pushing their own agendas.
Why does the speaker feel disappointed with the new companion's introduction?
-The speaker feels disappointed because the new companion's introduction seems insincere and like a 'woke' checkbox, rather than a genuine addition to the game's world-building.
What does the speaker suggest as a moral or lesson from the discussion?
-The speaker suggests that while it's okay to not make a big issue out of things that bother us, it's also important to have conversations about how companies should reflect the interests of their customers.
How does the speaker reconcile their love for Elder Scrolls Online despite the new companion's introduction?
-The speaker reconciles their love for the game by focusing on the aspects they enjoy, such as the world-building and environment, and choosing not to let the introduction of the new companion significantly impact their experience.
Outlines
đ Controversy over a Gender Fluid Character in ESO
The speaker begins by addressing the controversy surrounding the introduction of a gender fluid, non-binary character as a companion in the game Elder Scrolls Online. They express their own disapproval and compare the situation to the mixed reactions from fans of Amazon's 'Rings of Power'. The speaker highlights a particular scene in the show that was criticized for humanizing orcs, which are traditionally depicted as evil creatures without human-like connections. They delve into J.R.R. Tolkien's writings to argue that while orcs do have some form of society, the show's portrayal might be pushing an agenda rather than staying true to the lore.
đ€ The Impact of Sociopolitical Agendas in Fantasy Games
This paragraph continues the discussion on the introduction of a non-binary character in ESO, questioning the necessity and the manner in which it was done. The speaker suggests that while the character doesn't necessarily violate the game's lore, the approach seems more like fulfilling a quota for diversity and inclusion rather than a natural part of the game's development. They argue that this can lead to a disingenuous representation, where the focus shifts from creating a quality game to meeting sociopolitical standards, which can detract from the immersive fantasy experience players seek.
đ The Risk of Alienating Players with Controversial Representations
The speaker expresses disappointment over the new companion's introduction, suggesting it feels like a 'diversity checkbox' rather than a natural addition to the game. They propose that more traditional or customizable companions could have been better received. The paragraph touches on the broader issue of game developers potentially prioritizing agendas over player enjoyment, which could lead to losing their customer base. The speaker advocates for a more inclusive approach that doesn't alienate players but rather enhances the game experience for all.
đ§ Balancing Inclusivity with Player Expectations
The speaker acknowledges the long history of the Elder Scrolls franchise and their personal attachment to it, despite not agreeing with every decision made by the developers. They emphasize the importance of world-building and the immersive experience that the game provides, which they value more than the combat mechanics. They also discuss the player's desire for a 'home' in the gaming world and the importance of developers not taking their loyal player base for granted. The speaker suggests that the game's world doesn't have to be perfect, but it should respect the player's emotional investment and not use it to push an agenda.
đ€ The Importance of Customer-Centric Game Development
In the final paragraph, the speaker reflects on the changing landscape of game development, from boxed software to live services, and the impact of larger studios and player bases. They express concern over developers potentially becoming complacent and prioritizing their own agendas over player satisfaction. The speaker concludes by emphasizing the importance of genuine storytelling and organic development that resonates with players, rather than forced representations for the sake of appearing inclusive or meeting current societal standards.
Mindmap
Keywords
đĄElder Scrolls Online
đĄGender Fluid
đĄRings of Power
đĄTolkien Purists
đĄAgenda
đĄInclusivity
đĄDiversity
đĄTamriel
đĄCustomer Base
đĄCultural War
đĄEscapism
Highlights
Announcement of a gender fluid, non-binary character as a new companion in Elder Scrolls Online has stirred controversy.
Comparison of the character's introduction to the depiction of orcs in Amazon's Rings of Power.
Criticism that the Rings of Power's portrayal of orcs as having human-like connections is inconsistent with Tolkien's lore.
Analysis of Tolkien's writings which suggest orcs had some form of societal organization.
Concern that the inclusion of a non-binary character in ESO may be driven by an agenda rather than narrative necessity.
Argument that the fantasy genre's appeal lies in its escape from real-world issues.
Suggestion that the new companion's introduction feels like a 'diversity checkbox' rather than organic storytelling.
Discussion on how to be more inclusive without sacrificing the quality or appeal of the game.
Proposal of a completely player-customizable companion as an example of inclusive game design.
Reflection on the importance of not letting current issues overshadow the enjoyment of a fantasy game.
Acknowledgment that the new companion is not a significant issue but reflects a larger trend in game development.
Warning to game developers about prioritizing agendas over customer satisfaction.
Observation that despite imperfections, the world of Tamriel remains a meaningful journey for the player.
Call for developers to respect the source material and the expectations of the player base.
Final thoughts on the importance of genuine storytelling and the potential toxicity of hidden agendas in game development.
Transcripts
today we're going to talk about the new
companion that has been announced for
Elder Scrolls online and it has been
announced that this is going to be a
gender fluid
character non-binary character and
that's caused a certain degree
of uproar amongst the community at least
some players don't like it and I don't
like it either so let's talk about why
let's talk about what it is that's
frustrating about this and why why does
it matter
so first of all I want to bring up
something a little bit unrelated and
that's season two
of Amazon's rings of power
and that's a show that I like actually I
don't watch that much TV and rings of
power has been one show that I actually
look forward to and I'm a fan of it
despite the fact that a lot of tolken
purists will say that it's
not very well written and it's not
faithful to the lore of The Lord of the
Rings I personally feel like it's it's
fine it's not a big
deal and yet the concerns of fans are
not completely meritless either and
there was a scene in the fourth episode
of season 2 where there's an orc
family and it's what appears to be a
male orc and a female orc with a baby
and it's like a warrior getting to go
off
into battle saying goodbye to his family
sort of a thing and that seems kind of
ridiculous because Orcs aren't really
like that like they're not like humans
they're
these corrupted evil creatures that are
presented as not having any sort of
empathy or human Connections in a normal
way so people saw this and they pounced
on it and they said you know this is
just another example of this show
turning the franchise into a
mockery and I kind of agree I kind of
agree in the sense that it just seems
like a
questionable thing to put into the show
I kind of Wonder you know why would you
do that so somebody dissected this and
made a video about it which is actually
a really good video video and they deep
dived into what tolken actually wrote
and and tolken did allude in his
writings about Orcs that they had
relations in the same way as humans did
and that they were capable of having
societies to some degree not that they
were like human societies but they were
still organizing themselves in a way
that would prove that they were
something more than just
Mindless
evil drones that didn't have any ability
to make any kind of connections or have
self-determination so I guess the bottom
line
was it isn't
necessarily lore inaccurate for that
show to have that scene in
there and yet the question can still be
brought up why was it put in why did the
writers feel like that was the angle
that they wanted to
present in the limited amount of time
that they had
to have the viewers attention why that
and if it's because
of genuine storytelling reasons then
sure I guess that's fine but if it's
because there's some sort of a sense of
wanting
to try
to present some sort of an agenda to try
to make it seem like the bad guys are
actually the good guys because we want
to be for some reason
ambiguous that could be not in keeping
with the premise of The Lord of the
Rings which was very much a story
about a clear division between Darkness
and Light Between good and evil and very
little room for
interpretation of
whether evil was evil it just was evil
and the viewer was not asked
to make that an interpretive experience
the viewer was just supposed to accept
the fact and not overthink the fact that
Orcs
are are evil corrupted
creatures but if we start to say well
let's let's unpack this some more and
try to present them in a sympathetic
way is not necessarily wrong but but
it's also not probably very
productive and I feel like that's kind
of what's happened in the case of this
new character being introduced in Elder
Scrolls online now is it necessarily
lore inaccurate well no no it's not
because the truth of the matter is
there's all kinds of different looking
characters in the world of
Tamriel if you look at the different
characters that people themselves create
there's all sorts of weird looking stuff
in tamel if you want to say that a a
gender non-binary character is somehow
not something that fits into the world
of Tamriel you also would have to
explain
how some um you know weird magical
glowing Mount skin makes sense in the
world of tamri like the the truth is if
you want to just be technical about it
it it's it is a fantasy world and
there's a lot of latitude that we have
to interpret that however we want so
what's to really say that the non-binary
character doesn't fit in it it really
doesn't matter it's it's
fine
but it's kind of not fine and it's not
fine
because the cart was put be before the
horse and so you know it's it's like
when
you in the workplace because we have all
this the diversity equity and inclusion
initiatives and and then you'll have
this desire to include the the groups
that you have to include
so people will look down the list and
see well okay let's find somebody
who's a person of color let's find
somebody who is not straight and if we
can find somebody that's both then we
will hire that person and once you go
down that path it's not about
qualification at all nobody cares
whether that person can do the job the
best nobody cares about any of it all
they care is that we have to meet the
quota we have to we have to figure out
how to do the inclusivity thing right
and so that's where it becomes
disingenuous because it's not the
process that's supposed to happen it's
it's an agenda that's
being masqueraded as the process and and
I I think that we used to we you know we
used to have a lot of products that
existed that were
they weren't really built around any
kind of sociopolitical concerns of the
time like that's a big part of why
fantasy genre has been so popular
because it is a place where you can
escape from
The Real World issues that you see on TV
every day and you can have this
interpretive experience which is
uplifting and and maybe it does make you
think about real world issues but it
doesn't overtly bring them up it doesn't
shove them in your face and and
make the whole experience about that and
and when we see something like like this
new com companion being rolled out
that's exactly what it feels like it
feels like we're
just taking an issue that is a current
thing that's on the minds of people
people and we're
making that something
that the game is now having a stance on
and it really doesn't need to
be you know there's so many better
things that the devs could have
done you know like I I would love to see
a Wood Elf companion or you know there's
just so many different things like just
normal normal companions that look cool
that are attractive to people of all
play types like why can't we just have
that you know why why does it have to be
something that
is unusual why does it have to be
something that is contentious where
people just look at it and the first
thing they see is oh yep okay well I
guess we're not going to get a good
companion this time because we had to do
a diversity check box this time maybe
next time you know like that's just you
know and that's the disappointing thing
it's not that I don't like inclusion is
that I don't like it when inclusion
excludes something that could have been
so much better and maybe in there
there's the warning the warning to to
game developers and companies of All
Sorts if you have this attitude that you
can
make customer service a game and not
feel like you have any need to
win by producing a product that the
customer enjoys then at some point you
lose your customers because they're
going to do the things that they enjoy
now is this a huge issue I I would say
it reflects a bigger issue but it in and
of itself is not all that big of a deal
one way or the
other but I do think that it's something
that should be talked about because I
think it's a bigger issue that is adding
toxicity
to a genre that should be pretty free of
toxicity fantasy should be a place where
we can escape the issues of the world
and feel like we can just disconnect
from all of that stuff you know I'm
totally happy to
experience politics I like politics and
and I I all those issues they are things
that I enjoy talking about and thinking
about and listening to commentary on but
I don't want to load into the Elder
Scrolls and feel
like some sort of culture war is
happening in a game that is something I
play for a Zen peaceful happy experience
right so how how could we be more
inclusive well I don't know I I think we
could be more inclusive in in in a way
where you create a tide that lifts All
Ships right like let's say
hypothetically that in ESO we made a
completely player customizable companion
where the player could design the
companion using the Character Creator
and completely determine that
companions facial appearance hairstyle
name gender etc etc just end and
customization would players like that
well I would think so I'm pretty sure
that players would love to have more
customization options and not less right
I'm not saying that that's what they
need to do but I think that that would
be an easy example of
where if you wanted to just create a
more inclusive
community all you really have to do is
give players a a bigger toolbox so that
they can do more
things that they want to do and then you
let the players Express
themselves and
that isn't going to offend
anybody but instead of doing something
that would actually improve the quality
of life of all players the company
decides it's going to do something which
visibly appears to just be pushing some
sort of agenda which it's become
popular to
do I think that's I think that's
disappointing
now what I will
say is
that the world of tamel goes back 30
years back to Daggerfall Arena I
believe
and I'm not going to make a huge issue
out of something that is not really
ultimately that big of a deal because
the truth is if you just if you don't
like that compan and then just don't get
it and I don't really intend
to it's
still Elder Scrolls is a game that I
play because it's a beautiful game the
environmentals are very
nice it's just a chill experience to
immerse in the world
and hang out in the
game so I like it and I don't really see
that
changing when something is ultimately
good it doesn't have to be perfect so
I'm willing to forgive something that
gets on my nerves here and
there forg goodness sakes I mean I
really don't like the combat in
ESO it's it doesn't feel impactful to me
it
doesn't feel meaningful because of level
scaling and I know that different people
have different thoughts on
it but I don't really care for the
combat in the game but I'm there because
the World building is something that's
meaningful to me and I like the place I
like being in the game and it doesn't
have to be
perfect so you know I think that that's
probably something
to
maybe talk about because when things
don't go our way we tend to have this
knee-jerk reaction to say oh well you
know if it's going to be like that then
count me
out and it's kind of like having a
relationship with somebody who's not
perfect but they're still foundationally
good right
and there's a point I think
where as players we just we want to find
a place to call home we want to be able
to stop searching and at some point
especially for MMO players you kind of
you you stop thinking you want to switch
to a new game and you start wanting to
finish some of those Journeys that were
really meaningful that uh you already
began some time ago
and for me I think I think Tamriel is a
is a place that feels like that feels
like a meaningful Journey that I want to
be part of even if the game world isn't
always perfect in
every
way and yet maybe that's also part of
why I think making this video having
this discussion
about why the the woke um stuff is not
something I want to see in the game
because you're taking a game that
was building
a meaningful world for players for
decades and hijacking it for the purpose
of checking a box
today and that feels like it
cheapens the franchise it feels like it
cheapens the world in some way when when
people do
that that's why people are so sensitive
about things like Amazon's rings of
power because the Lord of the Rings
franchise is something that goes back
all the way back
before
television adaptations were even a
thing so people are very sensitive about
respecting the vibe of the source
material and I think that
that's it's kind of shady when you take
something that you know is loved by
players and then you use that to to to
bundle it with some sort of a
agenda so like if you couldn't sell the
idea on its
own then you think to yourself
well I can sell it bundled with
something that players do want and it'll
be
fine because they're not really going to
leave over that right
and and that that can be a toxic thing I
mean you see that in relationships too
right where people are like well I don't
know you know it's like
that person that is going to try to be
physically fit they're going to try to
take care of thems until they get
married and then they're going to say
well you know what now I'm married so I
guess I can eat more cake now right cuz
what are you going to do you going to
leave because I got fat
right so it's kind of like that though I
think developers start to get lazy they
start to say well you know we got our
player base we got our loyal fans we can
just do what we want
now
and what a what a contrast that is when
you compare that to the old days when
software came in boxes and people bought
it and they installed it offline and a
product had to be released in a finished
State and Studios were smaller so there
was more of a sense that we have to make
this launch work
and it really was all about finding
something that would resonate with the
players and something that would be a
good
experience and then we went live service
and companies got bigger and player
bases got larger
and in many ways where're we have it
better than we ever had it before as
Gamers but I also think that we we start
to get into the weeds
when developers start to think that the
customer should take the back
seat
and then they they drive an agenda that
they have whatever that may
be not in an effort to serve the
interests of the players but in an
effort to manipulate them in some
way unfortunately that's kind
of well maybe the lesson here is that no
matter how much you want to say that a
fantasy world is something separate from
reality it's still made by real people
who have
all of
the failings and all of the weaknesses
and all of the Tendencies of mortal
beings
so all things considered it's not a huge
surprise
when Real
World Life stuff makes its way
into a game doesn't mean we can't enjoy
the
game but
when it feels like the motive behind
something
is not
genuine that's when it feels it feels
disappointing and I think that that's
really the bottom line because you can
have you can have two people doing
exactly the same
thing
and one of those things
feels like a positive and the other
feels like a negative because one
person's doing it for different reasons
than the other one and I think that
that's what it really boils down to you
can tell when something
is organic something is done and it's
coming from the right place a desire for
good storytelling or something like that
and and when something is just just
checking a box because you know it's
2024 that's what we do
well anyway love to hear your thoughts
about it but uh I guess if there's a
moral to the story
it's don't make too big of an issue out
of things even if they get on your
nerves but
also I think
that there's a conversation worth having
and that is that
customers
matter
and companies should should care a
little bit more about reflecting the
interests of their customer base instead
of putting their own a agendas first as
always good luck on your adventure till
next time thanks for watching
[Music]
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[Music]
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