So, as it happens, Ben “Yahtzee” Croshaw of the often-great Zero Punctuation videogame vlog series turns out to a bit of a disappointment when it comes to facing the reality of the gender & sexism issues in AAA games & holding those who create them accountable.

The title of his Op-Ed at The Escapist, written in response to widespread critique of the lack of female protagonists in big-name game titles (among other things):

“If You Are Going to Hate on a Game Company, Do It For the Right Reasons”

Here’s a graf from that Op-Ed:

”[…] the fact is, the lack of diversity may well be a result of big companies not wanting to take risks. And I’m not saying female-driven games would definitely be a risk, but if white-dude-driven games are bringing in the cash, then it is the nature of the soulless corporation to not try to fix what isn’t broke. And why SHOULD they? It’s not something they can do casually, experimentally; the jobs of hundreds if not thousands may depend on a game’s success. Even more so with budgets being so ridiculously high these days. I don’t think you can blame a corporation for keeping things safe and bland out of the desire to maximize its chances of continued existence. More to the point, I don’t think you should be ‘blaming’ anyone.”

Thought experiment time. Okay Sherman, turn on the WABAC machine. Dateline: 1860.

If You Are Going to Hate on a Plantation Owner, Do It For the Right Reasons

The fact is, the lack of civil rights may well be a result of big plantations not wanting to take risks. And I’m not saying freeing slaves would definitely be a risk, but if black-slave-driven crops are bringing in the cash, then it is the nature of the soulless plantation to not try to fix what isn’t broke. And why SHOULD they? It’s not something they can do casually, experimentally; the jobs of hundreds if not thousands may depend on a plantation’s success. Even more so with the cost of labor being so ridiculously high these days. I don’t think you can blame a plantation for keeping things safe and black out of the desire to maximize its chances of continued existence. More to the point, I don’t think you should be ‘blaming’ anyone.

Hm. That’s got a different ring to it, eh? Maybe the appeal to “commercial realities” is, in fact, one of the weakest ethical & moral tactics around.