The Social Justice Warrior (SJW) culture is nothing new, but it is gaining some traction in the current political climate. As this overzealous concept of social “fairness” spreads its influence, is it ruining the gaming industry?
Generally speaking, western civilizations have largely conquered the atrocities of the past. Systemically and institutionally, we don’t view women as property or as lesser beings than the men, we do not see people of color as subservient to white people (despite the claims made by race peddlers), and we do not condemn people because of their sexuality. We’ve come a long way. We should celebrate that and keep moving forward, but alas… according to the social justice warriors (SJWs) of the world, we are as backwards as we have ever been.
Video games have historically been targeted toward young-ish males. This shouldn’t surprise anyone as most gamers are dudes. The stereotypical gamer is a young white male, even though the gaming community is pretty diverse. Although, if you have played any first-person shooters, you could be forgiven for believing all gamers are foul-mouthed, racist 14-year-old boys. So, like any other arena that has the appearance of being dominated by white males, the SJW community feels obligated to “destroy the patriarchy.”
To understand this particular SJW position, one must first understand and accept that all masculinity is pure evil (despite the butch appearance of many SJW females). Many video games and their advertisements feature explosions, lots of guns, and plenty of fast-paced action. These are designed to appeal to masculine individuals. Secondly, we also must understand that white people are the scourge of civilization. Once we accept these things, we can go forth and, with cause, purge the world of all things that are fun.
Toxic masculinity isn't the problem, masculinity is.
— Julie Bindel (@bindelj) November 29, 2018
SJW culture is everywhere these days and seems to destroy, or at least attempt to completely destroy, everything it touches. Comedians cannot be funny without offending someone, people’s careers and lives are ruined over bad or “inappropriate” jokes. Our favorite TV and movie characters are “rebooted” in silly and unnecessary ways in the name of diversity. Video games set in our past are attacked simply for being historically accurate. So, what threat does the SJW movement really pose to the gaming community besides simply being a thorn in the side of anyone trying to have a good time?
Soldier: 76 is Overwatch's next queer hero—but it's not enough for LGBTQ representation: https://t.co/b1cEHC1Pi8 pic.twitter.com/Wujm17Pgdf
— The Daily Dot (@dailydot) January 9, 2019
Video games are generally attacked by social justice warriors for one reason: a lack of diversity. What is wrong with period specific games being historically accurate? If a game is set in medieval Europe, it’s correct that most of the characters are white. If a game is set during World War I, then yeah there may not be any female soldiers fighting on the front lines — because this is historically accurate! Yes, women were treated like shit for most of human history… this is a fact. In many areas of the world, women are still regarded as property and expected to be subservient to their male counterparts. Nearly all prostitutes are female, so let’s try not to get upset when a game features a woman being a hooker. We cannot and should not shield ourselves from facts – even especially the facts that make us uncomfortable, just to appease a small group of loud activists.
This is important. If the teams are not willing to embrace inclusion and diversity, Blizzard should mandate a quota.
— Andy White (@white) January 11, 2018
No one is against having powerful female/black/gay characters in games, but if the premise or the setting of the game prohibits that, then it is counterproductive to shoehorn in a female/black/gay character that doesn’t belong just for the sake of diversity. While organic diversity is great, forced diversity is silly, misguided, and divisive. Separating people into various groups and pitting them against one another may be a great way to garner votes and hold on to governmental power, but it is not a unifying concept, nor is it a concept any civilization should embrace.
Make no mistake, the PC police are real, they are here, and they are most assuredly fascists. If we just sit back and let social justice win, we stand to lose much more than just good, entertaining video games.
