A few things - Political commentary belongs in all forms of media. Even if the majority of people dislike it, it shouldn't be cast out. The majority of people prefer 3D games with modern graphics over pixelated 2D, but that doesn't mean 2D games aren't worthy of being made. - I feel like you fail to acknowledge your bias here. I mean, it's not a coincidence that you find 2007-2015 the golden era of gaming. People older than you would consider earlier eras as "golden" and people younger than you would consider newer eras as "golden". So to use 2007-2015 as your gold standard to make such a broad statement is a little bit of a stretch. - Most games are going to have political messages in them, but some of them just aren't as relevant to you. Look at what you are playing. Black Ops, a game about the Cold War which was a war literally defined by political differences. The Russians and Viet Cong are viewed as evil, America is viewed as heroes. MW2 and MW3 is about modern Russians being evil. Advanced Warfare is a clear and overt political commentary on the Military Industrial Complex. If Black Ops II was released today, people would bitch about the female President being too woke. If it was released when BO6 got released, people would have claimed it promoted Kamala being elected. I think the problem is that when you played those games, you simply weren't old enough (like I wasn't old enough) to see these themes. You are just more aware of political commentary now. - Software/Game Devs are overwhelmingly liberal. I think that if a game development team wants to add representation for people that they identify with, they should be allowed to do so. - Again, just because you don't like a piece of media, doesn't mean it "doesn't belong". This is essentially saying "candy should be sweet and delicious, therefore black licorice doesn't belong in candy" in my opinion. That's my two cents.
I’m younger and also consider that period of gaming greater. The games had more effort based on the technology. Technology has improved and recent games are lacking
@@kodakdeanos1989 Whether or not less effort is being put into games (I would disagree that that is the case) I don't see any connection to politics. I don't think that games you perceive as "low effort" contain political commentary would somehow have high effort if they contained less political content. Games that make up for effort and quality while simply tying it into pop culture have existed for eons. There used to be dozens of low effort zombie games being made. In the early days there were low effort 2D platformers. My point is that politics is popular so naturally games that were already going to be bad are more often going to be political. If you honestly think Dragon Age would magically be better if it didn't have gender politics that's crazy. If you find a game bad because of "politics" and nothing else, that's a you problem.
I think it's important to note that although my video title is slightly misleading (click bait is the nature of RUclips, eh?) you'll find in my video I don't outright say that it shouldn't be present at all. Quite the contrary, I think representation is important but I also don't think it should be an opportunity to lecture a player that may disagree. For instance, Dragon Age Veilguard has a quest line that is linked to a companion that as it unfolds there is a lesson in pronouns. To me, that is political. It's forcing an ideal on your players. In the same way that if the roles were reversed and there was a genuine lecture on Christianity and how you must accept that Jesus Christ is Lord within Fallout 5 and in order to unlock the "good ending" of the game you had to sit through said companion quest line. To me, that is not fair to those who don't believe in Christ or don't want real world spirituality in their games. Like i said in the video, it's about how they utilize the inclusion not the fact that it is there at all. I hope that makes sense.
@@kodakdeanos1989The Last of Us: Part II was one of the most politically-controversial games of the last generation. It’s also a title that no one, no one would EVER accuse of being “low effort.”
@@loadedbuggy i don’t know if I have rose colored glasses but I just don’t see how a quest about gender is forcing an ideal. It’s a fantasy game. If it wants to establish that in this universe, gender is much less defined than it is in our own then I feel like that’s pretty par for the course. We already know of cultures in which gender was less black and white than it is now, so using that theme in your fantasy universe makes sense to me. Not to mention, religion is a very prominent theme in the Dragon Age games as well as most fantasy medieval games. Remember in Oblivion (in that golden era) that when you finished talking to an NPC they would say things like “blessing of Akatosh upon you”. Is that forcing religious ideals? Or what about the Grey Fox in Oblivion? That’s about corrupt government elites hoarding wealth and the Grey Fox working to redistribute the wealth. That’s an example of political issues from our world being established in this fantasy world. Same thing with racism in The Elder Scrolls. A lot of NPCs have problems with different races in the game, and usually these characters are seen as crass. Is that forcing the ideology of racism being bad? Throughout modern history there is a trend. Whenever social reform is sought out, it inevitably invades popular media. One flew over the cuckoos nest, gone with the wind, the outsiders, Star Trek, huckleberry Finn, etc. and etc.. These are often met with reactions similar to yours: “why are they forcing it?” The answer is that they care. They care about the issue. I always find it funny when people suggest that media does these things to “pander”. Why would they do that? They would clearly make more money if they didn’t include these themes. In my opinion, just let people make games they wanna make. There are so many fucking video games out there to play if you find one that you don’t like. See political commentary as world building, not as proselytism. Edit: I want to make clear that I am by no means suggesting that “soulless cash grabs” that use current political subjects to capture an audience don’t exist. They obviously do. I just disagree that it happens on the scale that people claim it does. And Dragon Age may even fit in that category, but this video isn’t a review of Dragon Age, it’s a commentary on the gaming industry as a whole
Most tech times lean hard left. At the same time those people typically don’t venture out into the world so they think what they’ve absorbed online is what everyone absorbes online or believes; so why wouldn’t they want it in a game?
You know nothing about tech if you think they lean left. They’re a bunch of self absorbed libertarians. They literally created the internet, the pinnacle of individualism literally called “the free market of ideas” On the other hand, artists and writers tend to lean left which are the people who are actually responsible for the story and meaning of a game.
@@loadedbuggy it literally isn’t a fair point, you and this guy are way dumber than you think you are. You try to speak like you have any real understanding of these issues but it’s painfully obvious to anyone who knows how the industry works that you’re just biased and annoyed. Hope this helps you in the future.
Sort of the whole point in gaming is to escape the real world, so it's always ironic when companies make politically charged games and plaster their ideologies in your face in a franchise or series that's already established itself as not so. Like you said Buggy, having options is great for everybody, but the player shouldn't feel or be forced something they don't want in this context
@@nicktherude It's not about being forced to be gay or trans, I don't know of any game that does that explicitly. We're describing the change to these pre-existing game series that do inclusivity poorly, when in the past they did it well. For me it's really about the narrative and how some games bleed into being woke now rather than what their original concepts were, which for long time fans of something is frustrating
While I agree that AAA games have gotten worse in recent years, I think putting that at the feet of contemporary culture war issues and not the increasing corporatization of the industry is a little shortsighted. I mean, you're literally playing political propaganda while talking about these issues - black ops 1's campaign in particular is jingoistic to the point of unintentional parody. From what I've heard over the years, it seems like the problem lies more with certain contentious topics (like trans stuff for example) than politics as a whole. I'm much more let down by the marvel dialogue and lack of save importing than a trans character.
I think that's an important point. All politics are not the problem (especially historical) and I think the difference for me is when a modern political agenda (left or right) is pushed and is expected to be accepted. For instance, if I were to play the next ______ game and there was a radical Christian main character that is constantly spouting about their faith and how it's important for everyone to accept Jesus, blah, blah, blah, I would be just as annoyed about it. It's always difficult making these videos because there are ALWAYS things I leave unsaid but I do think it's important to talk about and have these conversations with others even if they have differing opinions. I'm not the type of guy that will die on my hill out of stubbornness. I'm always listening to learn and understand ALL perspectives so I can be more informed or just be more understanding. Thanks for watching and commenting. 🙏🏻
You’re totally right. Games are an art form and, as such, have always been political to varying degrees. The difference is that much of today’s media is filled with sanitized corporate “politics” designed by committee to improve marketability, too shallow for any REAL political message borne of artistic intent or the desire to engage in any meaningful conversation. This is in no way related to one political side but is rather a systemic issue stemming from the financial realities of modern game development, as you’ve alluded to.
Games used to be made by teams of nerds who genuinely love the art form and just want to share their passion with the world. Now, games are made by committees of people who claim to be gamers because they own a “Nintendo”, and consultancy firms who openly admit that their mission is to bully developers into incorporating their personal political views into games, or else face the wrath of the mob. The well has been poisoned and game development has become less of a meritocracy.
I genuinely don’t see any modern video games that lean right, seems like almost every game today leans FAR left. But I agree unless it’s relevant to the plot I don’t see why an agenda should be present
Hey just watched the whole video! I understand the core of your argument in that you’d prefer video games to be something you can kinda turn your brain off for and just enjoy, but I think you’re discounting the fact that video games are an art form. Art has always reflected society, and society is largely dictated by politics. To say video games shouldn’t be allowed to do the same feels like a selfish preference. Should movies avoid politics? Should books avoid politics? Also I think your definition of politics may be too broad. You used Dragon Age as an example, specifically its LGBT themes. If you ask a gay person, they’d say their sexuality is not political, rather just who they are. So I’m not sure that’s a worthwhile argument, unless there’s a trans person running for office or doing a Watergate in the game lol. Conflating LGBT with politics is a right-wing talking point that directly plays into conspiracies about gay people being pedophiles, kids turning trans just by watching TV, drag queens casting spells on children through story time, etc. I’d recommend reading into this topic and challenging your viewpoint! Another reason I think your definition of “politics” is too broad is that while you use sexuality as an example, you also use the example of a Trump or Kamala DLC pack, which I agree would overtly on its face be a political statement. But again, is that really apples to apples as a LGBT relationship appearing on screen? I can’t think of any non-Steam slop game that would include direct mentions of politicians such as the example you’ve outline. It doesn’t seem like a helpful argument to make because simply put it’s not real - that scenario doesn’t happen in video games. Ultimately you can find a political angle in a loooooot of modern games if you look hard enough, but I believe by nature if it’s something we personally agree with we don’t even notice it. It’s only noticed if it puts a bad taste in your mouth. Video games are art, we should let them tell stories that challenge the player’s beliefs and represent the development team’s ideology. It’s a free market after all, right? If gamers dont want it, it will fail. Just look at Concord! (joking, joking)
Thank you for this response. It's nice to see a respectful and actually thought out counter argument. I stated in the video that I don't have a problem with the inclusion of LGBTQ+ themes being in games. That's happened for YEARS. My problem is when you get lectured within the game out a lifestyle choice. A person's sexuality is not inherently political, but weaponizing it in a manner that is demanding a certain response, is definitely political. If you've seen my other videos, you'll find that I am first to defend LGBTQ+ people because I hate how people target them as if they are ALL villains because of their sexuality. I do however believe that there should be a sense of escapism in video games and when you start block off a part of the game (Veilguard) that is linked to a companions story line and you must undergo a quest line where you get a (although short) lecture on the proper use of pronouns, I don't like that. I hope this makes a little more sense as to where I was coming from. I appreciate the response and have received your feedback! I'm not going to die on my own hill if I am convinced I'm wrong. 🙏🏻
I find it interesting that you always HAVE to say you don’t want whatever far right feature/concept in games before you say far left because in reality we all know there is no far right in games only far left, but you have to say you don’t want the right first or the leftards label you and stop listening
I agree because it isn’t just the people who publish it, it’s also the people who are doing what you do, you know? Just recently I’ve seen gamers post the President in BO2 and say something like, oh thank God Harris didn’t win otherwise the events that happened in black ops 2 2025 would’ve happened in real life 2025. And I have taken what Raul has said in black ops 2 into some consideration and realized that he didn’t do what he did just because America had a woman as a president. Edit: I don’t have the time to constantly keep up with the videos that are posted by the people I am subscribed to but hopefully my subscription to your channel helps your career on RUclips.
See, this is my biggest gripe with gaming discourse nowadays. I just find a lot of the discourse to be disingenuous, bad faith "criticism" veiled under a mask of bigotry. Im not attacking you here or singling you out, I'm just genuinely curious... How exactly is it being forced? I may be mistaken, but aren't the romance questlines optional? I mean, youd said it yourself, the previous game had prominent lgbt elemnts in it as well. Also, aren't the steam tags user generated too? I understand the pushback (to a degree though),"gamergate 2.0" talking points are gaining a lot traction right now with people who feel disenfranchised by studios being more inclusive, and anything that's not purely white male interacting with cartoonishly sexy/conventionally attractive white female will get relentlessly scrutinized for being DEI/woke slop... regardless of the game being well written, technically sound or fun. Generally speaking, within groups that spout this same rhetoric, the mere presence of a non-white or lgbt character is enough for a game to be written off these days and I find that so mind boggling lol. It's never been about politics, games ALWAYS had politics, it's just the unabashed way in which certain groups are now represented that rubs y'all the wrong way. Anyways enough of me rambling, I dont typically respond to these kinda arguments. While i disgree to an extent, I just wanna say Im still a fan of yours and will continue to watch your commentaries
My biggest example of what he's talking about in this video is Saints Row. The "reboot", if you can even call it that, was a major disappointment and didn't need to happen the way it did. Way too many unfunny dialogue quotes, an unintimidating cast of characters, and an incredibly drawn out story where the whole point is for them to be the new Saints, but it doesn't happen until over halfway through the game. There are an infinite number of options to customize your character and plenty of representation in the game, but making that the focal point in many areas of the game is not what Saints Row is about. I get where you're coming from and there's probably plenty of examples that do inclusiveness well (I think the Life is Strange series is phenomenal), but with an established franchise I think it needs to be done very carefully if you're going to make that change. I'd rather see new titles just come out instead, without bating old time players tbh
Totally get where you are coming from, and I don't feel attacked at all my friend! I use Baldur's Gate 3 as a prime example on how to be inclusive while keeping the narrative neutral. Yes, there are plenty of LGBTQ+ themes in BG3 including pronouns (Starfield did the same thing), which is fine with me. If a company wants to include those themes as an option, I'm not going to gripe and complain about that. Pronouns are easily ignored by me just choosing my preferred gender and moving on. No big deal. The difference between BG3 and DA: Veilguard is that yes although the romance options are optional, there are also companions that have a gender identity that is a crucial part of their character. Again, that's fine because if it is a problem for the player, simply ignore that companion. The issue with Veilguard is that (from what I've read and seen) is that parts of the map and what not are locked behind companion storylines and in the case of Veilguard, the ending of the game is determined by how much of the companion storyline you have completed. You can't get the "good" ending of the game unless you have done all of companion's storylines, so the game is kind of "forcing" (I use the term very lightly because you still have a choice) into playing through that story line in order to experience the full game. BG3 doesn't have any of that. The character's stories aren't tied to their gender identity and still feels HIGHLY inclusive. Even with the older Dragon Age games, you didn't experience the LGBTQ+ themes if you chose to not engage in the romances and you could still experience the full storyline of the game without having to do any of that. For me it's about how the game has structured their inclusivity rather than them being there at all. I hope that clears it up! I'm not dogging on that particular game more than any other, it was just the most recent example. I've come to the defense of the LGBTQ+ community on many occasions because of how hateful Christians and conservatives can be in general. I hope that makes a bit more sense! All love here my friend!
Buddy look at games like concord. That was an obvious lgbt agenda based game and look how it got destroyed. The success of games like space marine 2 shows you gamers want simple action packed titles like the old days.
@@loadedbuggy characters in video games are fictional, just because you don't identify with a character doesn't mean political ideals are being forced on you, you are experiencing a fictional person or living being's story
My favorite games have the most basic political messaging, i much prefer games that have a deep philosophical or social message rather than a game jam packed with modern identity politics
THIS. I think a lot of people have a problem with my blanket statement of "no politics in games" but I agree with this. If it's meaningful, I'm generally on board. I don't like slop. If the characters are gay/straight/bi/trans, that's whatever, but when their character is presented poorly it becomes cumbersome.
Remember gamergate? I agree with you politics is out of hand. What happened to the true American patriot that put his country first and politics second (Especially in a video game!)? I am from the UK and as an outsider we see politics turning into a false religion in America. Political ideas are being worshiped instead of God and their prophets message. Much love.
Well not everyone is a Christian/Catholic. There are even atheists out there. It’s not about God and the Bible it’s about the education of politics. The American people are just heavy followers of the rhetoric that politicians use when they should be heavy followers of the constitution, state/ federal law, and the rights that people have whether they are a citizen or not.
Seems like you didn't get the point of the video... It's not about the fact that it's there at all. When it is poorly used is when it becomes problematic. Everything on this planet can be political depending on how you spin it
i dont think having a character who is transgender, nonbinary or whatever in a video game is politically charged at all. i mean if its a game like elden ring or dragon age it wouldnt make much sense. it just depends on what you want to do with the story and characters.
Bro the weakest shit gets censored anymore. I cant even say FRICK anymore its rediculous. Even my enemies get annoyed that the shit gets censored, but when you censor a word with 6 or more letters it always looks worse
I can say for myself that I was in my early to mid 20's when those games came out and at least IMO those games were a lot better in so many ways than the Call of Duty games we've had in the last 5-6 years. They're now just soul-less vehicles for selling shitty micro-transactions and cosmetics. I know you said you were in your teens at the time but I'm sure you remember that back then the base game was so much better and all you paid extra for were the map packs.
Cod sucks ass now to me especially the campaign you are just shooting guys with ak's the whole game no variety except for the mext quick time event lol
@ Don’t need to because i can already tell ur ignorant of the topic. Video games have had political agenda since Bioshock 1 came out (not saying Bioshock was the 1st ever game having politics agenda but it did sure contribute to popularize it) and most games past that have had political messaging. Why is it an issue now?
@DX_YT_01 You can't make a fair judgement on someone's opinion based of a single sentence. You've already made your judgement about me and I can tell you are a VERY reasonable person. 🫠 I won't even entertain explaining when you haven't even given the video a chance. Farewell. 👋🏻
I am a gay man from Sweden, I support trans human rights etc.. but I am so sick of woke, it ruined movies and now gaming. All I can say is support the games that do come out that aren't like the modern slop. Lollipop Chainsaw repop, Shadow of the damned, Dead or Alive VV Prism, Stellar Blade, Onechanbara, Samurai Maiden, Earth Defense Force 6 to name a few.
![Noob To Max With DRAGON REWORK In Blox Fruits [FULL MOVIE]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/LnBMOinoOvA/mqdefault.jpg)
A few things
- Political commentary belongs in all forms of media. Even if the majority of people dislike it, it shouldn't be cast out. The majority of people prefer 3D games with modern graphics over pixelated 2D, but that doesn't mean 2D games aren't worthy of being made.
- I feel like you fail to acknowledge your bias here. I mean, it's not a coincidence that you find 2007-2015 the golden era of gaming. People older than you would consider earlier eras as "golden" and people younger than you would consider newer eras as "golden". So to use 2007-2015 as your gold standard to make such a broad statement is a little bit of a stretch.
- Most games are going to have political messages in them, but some of them just aren't as relevant to you. Look at what you are playing. Black Ops, a game about the Cold War which was a war literally defined by political differences. The Russians and Viet Cong are viewed as evil, America is viewed as heroes. MW2 and MW3 is about modern Russians being evil. Advanced Warfare is a clear and overt political commentary on the Military Industrial Complex. If Black Ops II was released today, people would bitch about the female President being too woke. If it was released when BO6 got released, people would have claimed it promoted Kamala being elected. I think the problem is that when you played those games, you simply weren't old enough (like I wasn't old enough) to see these themes. You are just more aware of political commentary now.
- Software/Game Devs are overwhelmingly liberal. I think that if a game development team wants to add representation for people that they identify with, they should be allowed to do so.
- Again, just because you don't like a piece of media, doesn't mean it "doesn't belong". This is essentially saying "candy should be sweet and delicious, therefore black licorice doesn't belong in candy" in my opinion.
That's my two cents.
I’m younger and also consider that period of gaming greater. The games had more effort based on the technology. Technology has improved and recent games are lacking
@@kodakdeanos1989 Whether or not less effort is being put into games (I would disagree that that is the case) I don't see any connection to politics. I don't think that games you perceive as "low effort" contain political commentary would somehow have high effort if they contained less political content. Games that make up for effort and quality while simply tying it into pop culture have existed for eons. There used to be dozens of low effort zombie games being made. In the early days there were low effort 2D platformers. My point is that politics is popular so naturally games that were already going to be bad are more often going to be political. If you honestly think Dragon Age would magically be better if it didn't have gender politics that's crazy. If you find a game bad because of "politics" and nothing else, that's a you problem.
I think it's important to note that although my video title is slightly misleading (click bait is the nature of RUclips, eh?) you'll find in my video I don't outright say that it shouldn't be present at all. Quite the contrary, I think representation is important but I also don't think it should be an opportunity to lecture a player that may disagree.
For instance, Dragon Age Veilguard has a quest line that is linked to a companion that as it unfolds there is a lesson in pronouns. To me, that is political. It's forcing an ideal on your players. In the same way that if the roles were reversed and there was a genuine lecture on Christianity and how you must accept that Jesus Christ is Lord within Fallout 5 and in order to unlock the "good ending" of the game you had to sit through said companion quest line. To me, that is not fair to those who don't believe in Christ or don't want real world spirituality in their games.
Like i said in the video, it's about how they utilize the inclusion not the fact that it is there at all. I hope that makes sense.
@@kodakdeanos1989The Last of Us: Part II was one of the most politically-controversial games of the last generation. It’s also a title that no one, no one would EVER accuse of being “low effort.”
@@loadedbuggy i don’t know if I have rose colored glasses but I just don’t see how a quest about gender is forcing an ideal. It’s a fantasy game. If it wants to establish that in this universe, gender is much less defined than it is in our own then I feel like that’s pretty par for the course. We already know of cultures in which gender was less black and white than it is now, so using that theme in your fantasy universe makes sense to me. Not to mention, religion is a very prominent theme in the Dragon Age games as well as most fantasy medieval games. Remember in Oblivion (in that golden era) that when you finished talking to an NPC they would say things like “blessing of Akatosh upon you”. Is that forcing religious ideals? Or what about the Grey Fox in Oblivion? That’s about corrupt government elites hoarding wealth and the Grey Fox working to redistribute the wealth. That’s an example of political issues from our world being established in this fantasy world. Same thing with racism in The Elder Scrolls. A lot of NPCs have problems with different races in the game, and usually these characters are seen as crass. Is that forcing the ideology of racism being bad?
Throughout modern history there is a trend. Whenever social reform is sought out, it inevitably invades popular media. One flew over the cuckoos nest, gone with the wind, the outsiders, Star Trek, huckleberry Finn, etc. and etc.. These are often met with reactions similar to yours: “why are they forcing it?” The answer is that they care. They care about the issue. I always find it funny when people suggest that media does these things to “pander”. Why would they do that? They would clearly make more money if they didn’t include these themes. In my opinion, just let people make games they wanna make. There are so many fucking video games out there to play if you find one that you don’t like. See political commentary as world building, not as proselytism.
Edit: I want to make clear that I am by no means suggesting that “soulless cash grabs” that use current political subjects to capture an audience don’t exist. They obviously do. I just disagree that it happens on the scale that people claim it does. And Dragon Age may even fit in that category, but this video isn’t a review of Dragon Age, it’s a commentary on the gaming industry as a whole
Most tech times lean hard left. At the same time those people typically don’t venture out into the world so they think what they’ve absorbed online is what everyone absorbes online or believes; so why wouldn’t they want it in a game?
You know nothing about tech if you think they lean left. They’re a bunch of self absorbed libertarians. They literally created the internet, the pinnacle of individualism literally called “the free market of ideas” On the other hand, artists and writers tend to lean left which are the people who are actually responsible for the story and meaning of a game.
lmaooo give one example of hard left ideology in a game....
@@dabeveryday9991 to them, replacing the Sex selector with a Gender selector in an RPG is hard left.
Fair point.
@@loadedbuggy it literally isn’t a fair point, you and this guy are way dumber than you think you are. You try to speak like you have any real understanding of these issues but it’s painfully obvious to anyone who knows how the industry works that you’re just biased and annoyed. Hope this helps you in the future.
I'm loving these commentary gameplay videos
🙏
Sort of the whole point in gaming is to escape the real world, so it's always ironic when companies make politically charged games and plaster their ideologies in your face in a franchise or series that's already established itself as not so. Like you said Buggy, having options is great for everybody, but the player shouldn't feel or be forced something they don't want in this context
🙏🏻
when exactly are you forced to be gay or trans in these games?
@@nicktherude It's not about being forced to be gay or trans, I don't know of any game that does that explicitly. We're describing the change to these pre-existing game series that do inclusivity poorly, when in the past they did it well. For me it's really about the narrative and how some games bleed into being woke now rather than what their original concepts were, which for long time fans of something is frustrating
give one example of this
@@dabeveryday9991 Saints Row. Compare that series and then the last edition of that game
I agree so much, been playing games from before 2018 mainly
While I agree that AAA games have gotten worse in recent years, I think putting that at the feet of contemporary culture war issues and not the increasing corporatization of the industry is a little shortsighted. I mean, you're literally playing political propaganda while talking about these issues - black ops 1's campaign in particular is jingoistic to the point of unintentional parody. From what I've heard over the years, it seems like the problem lies more with certain contentious topics (like trans stuff for example) than politics as a whole. I'm much more let down by the marvel dialogue and lack of save importing than a trans character.
I think that's an important point. All politics are not the problem (especially historical) and I think the difference for me is when a modern political agenda (left or right) is pushed and is expected to be accepted. For instance, if I were to play the next ______ game and there was a radical Christian main character that is constantly spouting about their faith and how it's important for everyone to accept Jesus, blah, blah, blah, I would be just as annoyed about it. It's always difficult making these videos because there are ALWAYS things I leave unsaid but I do think it's important to talk about and have these conversations with others even if they have differing opinions. I'm not the type of guy that will die on my hill out of stubbornness. I'm always listening to learn and understand ALL perspectives so I can be more informed or just be more understanding.
Thanks for watching and commenting. 🙏🏻
You’re totally right. Games are an art form and, as such, have always been political to varying degrees. The difference is that much of today’s media is filled with sanitized corporate “politics” designed by committee to improve marketability, too shallow for any REAL political message borne of artistic intent or the desire to engage in any meaningful conversation. This is in no way related to one political side but is rather a systemic issue stemming from the financial realities of modern game development, as you’ve alluded to.
Games used to be made by teams of nerds who genuinely love the art form and just want to share their passion with the world.
Now, games are made by committees of people who claim to be gamers because they own a “Nintendo”, and consultancy firms who openly admit that their mission is to bully developers into incorporating their personal political views into games, or else face the wrath of the mob.
The well has been poisoned and game development has become less of a meritocracy.
I genuinely don’t see any modern video games that lean right, seems like almost every game today leans FAR left. But I agree unless it’s relevant to the plot I don’t see why an agenda should be present
give one example of 'FAR left' ideology in a game....
@@dabeveryday9991 sure, call of duty and valorant
@@Nabil.j what's far left in them then?
Definitely my point! If they want to put it in the game, then at least make it meaningful and not a sloppy mess.
Hey just watched the whole video! I understand the core of your argument in that you’d prefer video games to be something you can kinda turn your brain off for and just enjoy, but I think you’re discounting the fact that video games are an art form. Art has always reflected society, and society is largely dictated by politics. To say video games shouldn’t be allowed to do the same feels like a selfish preference. Should movies avoid politics? Should books avoid politics?
Also I think your definition of politics may be too broad. You used Dragon Age as an example, specifically its LGBT themes. If you ask a gay person, they’d say their sexuality is not political, rather just who they are. So I’m not sure that’s a worthwhile argument, unless there’s a trans person running for office or doing a Watergate in the game lol. Conflating LGBT with politics is a right-wing talking point that directly plays into conspiracies about gay people being pedophiles, kids turning trans just by watching TV, drag queens casting spells on children through story time, etc. I’d recommend reading into this topic and challenging your viewpoint!
Another reason I think your definition of “politics” is too broad is that while you use sexuality as an example, you also use the example of a Trump or Kamala DLC pack, which I agree would overtly on its face be a political statement. But again, is that really apples to apples as a LGBT relationship appearing on screen? I can’t think of any non-Steam slop game that would include direct mentions of politicians such as the example you’ve outline. It doesn’t seem like a helpful argument to make because simply put it’s not real - that scenario doesn’t happen in video games.
Ultimately you can find a political angle in a loooooot of modern games if you look hard enough, but I believe by nature if it’s something we personally agree with we don’t even notice it. It’s only noticed if it puts a bad taste in your mouth. Video games are art, we should let them tell stories that challenge the player’s beliefs and represent the development team’s ideology. It’s a free market after all, right? If gamers dont want it, it will fail. Just look at Concord! (joking, joking)
Thank you for this response. It's nice to see a respectful and actually thought out counter argument. I stated in the video that I don't have a problem with the inclusion of LGBTQ+ themes being in games. That's happened for YEARS. My problem is when you get lectured within the game out a lifestyle choice. A person's sexuality is not inherently political, but weaponizing it in a manner that is demanding a certain response, is definitely political.
If you've seen my other videos, you'll find that I am first to defend LGBTQ+ people because I hate how people target them as if they are ALL villains because of their sexuality.
I do however believe that there should be a sense of escapism in video games and when you start block off a part of the game (Veilguard) that is linked to a companions story line and you must undergo a quest line where you get a (although short) lecture on the proper use of pronouns, I don't like that.
I hope this makes a little more sense as to where I was coming from.
I appreciate the response and have received your feedback! I'm not going to die on my own hill if I am convinced I'm wrong. 🙏🏻
If you haven’t already, I would make an account on Rumble and upload there too. The “woke” crowd here won’t be able to handle you being real.
🤔 something to consider for sure!
I find it interesting that you always HAVE to say you don’t want whatever far right feature/concept in games before you say far left because in reality we all know there is no far right in games only far left, but you have to say you don’t want the right first or the leftards label you and stop listening
give one example of far left ideology in games
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@@dabeveryday9991 Wolfenstein young blood
The game he's playing in the video is a perfect example of right-wing ideology in games
I agree because it isn’t just the people who publish it, it’s also the people who are doing what you do, you know? Just recently I’ve seen gamers post the President in BO2 and say something like, oh thank God Harris didn’t win otherwise the events that happened in black ops 2 2025 would’ve happened in real life 2025. And I have taken what Raul has said in black ops 2 into some consideration and realized that he didn’t do what he did just because America had a woman as a president.
Edit:
I don’t have the time to constantly keep up with the videos that are posted by the people I am subscribed to but hopefully my subscription to your channel helps your career on RUclips.
There are always extremists and that is an unfortunate fact.
See, this is my biggest gripe with gaming discourse nowadays. I just find a lot of the discourse to be disingenuous, bad faith "criticism" veiled under a mask of bigotry. Im not attacking you here or singling you out, I'm just genuinely curious... How exactly is it being forced? I may be mistaken, but aren't the romance questlines optional? I mean, youd said it yourself, the previous game had prominent lgbt elemnts in it as well. Also, aren't the steam tags user generated too?
I understand the pushback (to a degree though),"gamergate 2.0" talking points are gaining a lot traction right now with people who feel disenfranchised by studios being more inclusive, and anything that's not purely white male interacting with cartoonishly sexy/conventionally attractive white female will get relentlessly scrutinized for being DEI/woke slop... regardless of the game being well written, technically sound or fun. Generally speaking, within groups that spout this same rhetoric, the mere presence of a non-white or lgbt character is enough for a game to be written off these days and I find that so mind boggling lol. It's never been about politics, games ALWAYS had politics, it's just the unabashed way in which certain groups are now represented that rubs y'all the wrong way.
Anyways enough of me rambling, I dont typically respond to these kinda arguments. While i disgree to an extent, I just wanna say Im still a fan of yours and will continue to watch your commentaries
My biggest example of what he's talking about in this video is Saints Row. The "reboot", if you can even call it that, was a major disappointment and didn't need to happen the way it did. Way too many unfunny dialogue quotes, an unintimidating cast of characters, and an incredibly drawn out story where the whole point is for them to be the new Saints, but it doesn't happen until over halfway through the game. There are an infinite number of options to customize your character and plenty of representation in the game, but making that the focal point in many areas of the game is not what Saints Row is about. I get where you're coming from and there's probably plenty of examples that do inclusiveness well (I think the Life is Strange series is phenomenal), but with an established franchise I think it needs to be done very carefully if you're going to make that change. I'd rather see new titles just come out instead, without bating old time players tbh
Totally get where you are coming from, and I don't feel attacked at all my friend! I use Baldur's Gate 3 as a prime example on how to be inclusive while keeping the narrative neutral. Yes, there are plenty of LGBTQ+ themes in BG3 including pronouns (Starfield did the same thing), which is fine with me. If a company wants to include those themes as an option, I'm not going to gripe and complain about that. Pronouns are easily ignored by me just choosing my preferred gender and moving on. No big deal. The difference between BG3 and DA: Veilguard is that yes although the romance options are optional, there are also companions that have a gender identity that is a crucial part of their character. Again, that's fine because if it is a problem for the player, simply ignore that companion. The issue with Veilguard is that (from what I've read and seen) is that parts of the map and what not are locked behind companion storylines and in the case of Veilguard, the ending of the game is determined by how much of the companion storyline you have completed. You can't get the "good" ending of the game unless you have done all of companion's storylines, so the game is kind of "forcing" (I use the term very lightly because you still have a choice) into playing through that story line in order to experience the full game. BG3 doesn't have any of that. The character's stories aren't tied to their gender identity and still feels HIGHLY inclusive. Even with the older Dragon Age games, you didn't experience the LGBTQ+ themes if you chose to not engage in the romances and you could still experience the full storyline of the game without having to do any of that.
For me it's about how the game has structured their inclusivity rather than them being there at all. I hope that clears it up! I'm not dogging on that particular game more than any other, it was just the most recent example. I've come to the defense of the LGBTQ+ community on many occasions because of how hateful Christians and conservatives can be in general. I hope that makes a bit more sense! All love here my friend!
Buddy look at games like concord. That was an obvious lgbt agenda based game and look how it got destroyed. The success of games like space marine 2 shows you gamers want simple action packed titles like the old days.
@@loadedbuggy characters in video games are fictional, just because you don't identify with a character doesn't mean political ideals are being forced on you, you are experiencing a fictional person or living being's story
My favorite games have the most basic political messaging, i much prefer games that have a deep philosophical or social message rather than a game jam packed with modern identity politics
THIS. I think a lot of people have a problem with my blanket statement of "no politics in games" but I agree with this. If it's meaningful, I'm generally on board. I don't like slop. If the characters are gay/straight/bi/trans, that's whatever, but when their character is presented poorly it becomes cumbersome.
Remember gamergate? I agree with you politics is out of hand. What happened to the true American patriot that put his country first and politics second (Especially in a video game!)? I am from the UK and as an outsider we see politics turning into a false religion in America. Political ideas are being worshiped instead of God and their prophets message.
Much love.
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Well not everyone is a Christian/Catholic. There are even atheists out there. It’s not about God and the Bible it’s about the education of politics. The American people are just heavy followers of the rhetoric that politicians use when they should be heavy followers of the constitution, state/ federal law, and the rights that people have whether they are a citizen or not.
Call you of duty has literally been USA military propeganda since cod 4
You've missed my point...
Really interesting and insightful video, and nice work with the dual scorpions! 🦂
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political agenda’s what?
What is this question supposed to mean?
@ the apostrophe in the title is incorrect - implying ownership where there is none xD
All art is inherently political whether you like it/can understand it or not.
Seems like you didn't get the point of the video... It's not about the fact that it's there at all. When it is poorly used is when it becomes problematic. Everything on this planet can be political depending on how you spin it
My boy coming through with the based opinions 💪
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Hated how they made you get trans surgery scars in Veilguard, so fucked up!
Someone missed the entire point of the video... 🤣
@@loadedbuggy Nah I was just being a silly billy. Seriously though, how does The Veilguard force its ideology on people?
i dont think having a character who is transgender, nonbinary or whatever in a video game is politically charged at all. i mean if its a game like elden ring or dragon age it wouldnt make much sense. it just depends on what you want to do with the story and characters.
I never said it doesn't belong there at all, I said there should be more care in the inclusion of these characters. IE Baldurs Gate 3.
@@loadedbuggy your video is nonsense, inclusion is not political, trans people exist, nb people exist, minorities exist, you are crying at nothing
I just want the left to stop censoring shit talk.
Bro the weakest shit gets censored anymore. I cant even say FRICK anymore its rediculous.
Even my enemies get annoyed that the shit gets censored, but when you censor a word with 6 or more letters it always looks worse
@they censor the letter 8 lmfao its so ridiculous
@Edgelord_420_69 thats because 88 is close to HH, Which is close to heil austrian man. Its dumb, nobody sees 88 and thinks of hitler but here we are.
Agreed. Censorship is bad no matter the source, left or right.
Leftists ruin fucking everything and then they wonder why they always lose
muhgendas dont EXIST in gaming.
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I think enjoyed games like black ops 1 and mw2 2009 better only because I was 15 at the time. It’s probably just you aging and not the games
I can say for myself that I was in my early to mid 20's when those games came out and at least IMO those games were a lot better in so many ways than the Call of Duty games we've had in the last 5-6 years. They're now just soul-less vehicles for selling shitty micro-transactions and cosmetics. I know you said you were in your teens at the time but I'm sure you remember that back then the base game was so much better and all you paid extra for were the map packs.
Cod sucks ass now to me especially the campaign you are just shooting guys with ak's the whole game no variety except for the mext quick time event lol
That answer is definitely not out of the equation.
you're so embarrassing lmao
Lol, okay buddy. Don't let the door hit you on the way out. 🤣
I love how you’re attacking the hard subjects and staying neutral at the same time. Speaking the truth my man!👏
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”Politics agenda don’t belong in gaming unless it’s politics that fits with my views”’ ahh video
Seems like you didn't watch the video... 😃
@ Don’t need to because i can already tell ur ignorant of the topic.
Video games have had political agenda since Bioshock 1 came out (not saying Bioshock was the 1st ever game having politics agenda but it did sure contribute to popularize it) and most games past that have had political messaging. Why is it an issue now?
@DX_YT_01 You can't make a fair judgement on someone's opinion based of a single sentence. You've already made your judgement about me and I can tell you are a VERY reasonable person. 🫠 I won't even entertain explaining when you haven't even given the video a chance. Farewell. 👋🏻
@@DX_YT_01are you one of those people who makes passing judgments about every person you see based on a glance
I am a gay man from Sweden, I support trans human rights etc.. but I am so sick of woke, it ruined movies and now gaming. All I can say is support the games that do come out that aren't like the modern slop.
Lollipop Chainsaw repop, Shadow of the damned, Dead or Alive VV Prism, Stellar Blade, Onechanbara, Samurai Maiden, Earth Defense Force 6 to name a few.
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