I want to preface this with I fully support LGBTQ+ rights, I think they’re human rights, and I’d rather see preachy inclusion than no inclusion or attacks on LGBTQ+ people.
That said, I can’t think of an example in games but if you’re familiar with Doctor Who then Rose Noble (Donna Nobles’ daughter) from the 60th anniversary specials is I think an example I see often held up as preachy inclusion instead of just inclusion; especially since it comes after what I think is a better handling of it in the same show.
Explanation for those who haven't seen
In the episode (The Star Beast), Donna’s daughter is trans, portrayed by a trans actress (side note, I need to watch Cassie Workman Is Witchy AF, I hear the trans representation in there is fantastic and that it’s a good show).
Towards the end of the episode the show takes like ten minutes to stop and preach that she’s trans and it’s good. One of the actual lines (talking to the Doctor) is
“DONNA: And you know nothing. It’s a shame you’re not a woman any more, cos she’d have understood.
ROSE: We’ve got all that power, but there is a way to get rid of it. Something a male-presenting Time Lord will never understand.”
They make a big deal about them being nonbinary and woman and the last ten minutes of the episode feel like a sermon about how we should be more open and it’s okay to be trans.
In the context of the episode it killed momentum, wasn’t really telegraphed ahead of time, and just kind of felt like the writer wanted to preach about trans inclusion.
This in a show where, as referenced, the doctor has been both a man and then a woman already and handles that transition in a less preachy manner. With Jodie Whittaker as the doctor they still talked about (in episode dialogues) how she was going to handle things differently than her male predecessors. The male to female transition was part of the show without just preaching about the gender change. The transition was the story without having to stop and flag itself as a good thing we needed to accept and understand.
Tedesche@lemmy.world 1 day ago
Against my better judgment, since you seem to be trying to set me up for your judgment, I’ll cite the recent Dragon Age RPG—The veilguard. There’s a trans character in that who is insufferably preachy.
If you eat to tell me that character is completely fine and anyone who complains is just being bigoted, just know I think you’re the one who’s nuts.
PhoenixDog@lemmy.world 1 day ago
Was the character preachy because she was trans? Or was she just a preachy character and she was written that way who happened to be trans.
I know a lot of trans folk. I’m married to one and one of my girlfriends is. I certainly know trans people who are just assholes in real life because that’s why they are. They just also happen to be trans.
Most well adjusted people can completely separate the two. Clearly you cannot as one “preachy character” in one game caused you to have an opinion such as “It’s the preachy, political language that often comes with it.”.
Games cannot have marginalized characters in them for you because one poorly written character who happened to be trans caused you to assume all marginalized characters as “preachy”.
Tedesche@lemmy.world 1 day ago
PhoenixDog@lemmy.world 1 day ago
The fact you use the phrase “have plenty of tolerance for trans people” says you don’t respect trans people. You just tolerate their existence.
I would hate for them to see who I would assume is a friend of their to say “I tolerate their existence”.
You’re genuinely a horrible person. And no one is “shoving political opinions” down your throat. Trans people exist and have the right to exist. If their existence is political, you’re a fucking asshole.
blartcap_@lemmy.dbzer0.com 1 day ago
Do you believe that character spends their entire time in the game proselytizing about their sex or are you saying this just because they have one in-depth conversation about it where they state their opinions?
Tedesche@lemmy.world 1 day ago
No, it’s not just that one conversation, there are comments littered throughout.
odindev@lemmus.org 1 day ago
There was a lot more wrong with the writing than one poorly managed character. Nobody cared about cortez because the mass effect trilogy is a certified banger. It’s just too bad that by the time dragon age came along bioware didn’t have the chops to produce a proper compelling narrative any longer. The tumultuous development didn’t help things. The writing is just the most obvious thing to point at.
blartcap_@lemmy.dbzer0.com 1 day ago
That’s not what the person I replied to was arguing.
boudica@lemmy.world 1 day ago
There are plenty of examples of immature and brash teenagers struggling with parental expectations in video games. I can come up with many examples but an easy one is Atreus in God of War. He is a little punk for the most part. Kratos interacts with him with barely suppressed exasperation, and that game is widely loved.
Taash is nonbinary so their teenage coming of age story will naturally have elements about their gender identity. There is really only one conversation where that identity is one of the main topics. Other personal conversations are about their complicated relationship with their mother, trying to fit in especially after being raised in a different culture, and dragons. Standard topics for a young adult learning to navigate the world.
TLDR: if you complain about Taash but don’t complain about other stories with teenage angst, its because you’re bigoted.
Tedesche@lemmy.world 1 day ago
I know plenty of trans people and their coming of age stories. Most don’t behave the way Taash does in the game. They’re a political mouthpiece, not a representative of trans people. If anything, you’re the one alleging all trans people have this narrative, in this specific voice, with this specific rhetoric. Your comment honestly seems performative.
boudica@lemmy.world 1 day ago
This should be obvious but people with nontraditional gender identities are not a monolith. No group is. Maybe take a step back and do some introspection about why you feel this strongly about sitting through one conversation where a character talks about their struggles from being part of a marginalized group. A conversation you can literally skip through.