| Canofbier |
10-02-2024 09:14 AM |
Quote:
Originally Posted by Fishpicker
(Post 17719923)
I feel the same way about knights, samurai, monks and Jedi. I have been reading about them since I was a kid. Despite that, I had never heard of Yasuke until 2020 or so. He is now a historical figure, supposedly. Thomas Lockley is the scholar that discovered the obscure historical records of a black man in Edo era Japan. there's no problem there. but I believe Lockley embellished some of that story to proclaim that Yasuke was a samurai, and was on the verge of becoming a feudal lord. nevermind that samurai is/was a inheritable title. Yasuke is a legend that fought with the strength of ten men and took 20 wives, according to Lockley. I recognize that as woke tripe because it involves race essentialism which is a component of critical race theory. and thats just one scholars opinion. Ubisoft isnt constrained by history in a game setting. The game is fantasy and further engages in the fetishization of a black man, a slave, then a hired hand, then a bodygaurd, samurai, vassal, general, lord.
it is all kind of silly and overhyped. I dont care much about the culture war/controversy. I posted that video to show that the controversy exists and it is hurting Ubisoft stock because they are picking a fight with their own already-shrinking-fanbase.
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I don't think you're wrong that popular media focusing on non-white people is a lot more prevalent than it was 10 or even 5 years ago. But rather than an insidious social engineering scheme, as these types of creators like to imply, I suspect it's more "free-market reactions" changing, and media companies shifting to accommodate that to maximize their revenue.
There are times where that comes across as a little forced, I admit - studio executives forcing things into an existing script or setting, attempting to reach more consumers and generate more profit - but I think audiences (and ticket sales) usually react accordingly when the material feels inauthentic as a result.
Going with the samurai theme, Yasuke's story - however it might differ from true history - sounds pretty similar to plenty of other rags-to-riches samurai legends. The Shogun book & shows are a similar historical-fiction embellishment of a real non-Japanese historical figure in feudal Japan and those have been around for almost 50 years, and so I'm not sure I buy that it's "fetishization" just because the character is Black. Focusing on him rather than a native Japanese character (or even a white one, thanks to Shogun) gives the chance to do something that isn't just a repetition of other popular samurai games and movies that already exist, and I think audiences are more open to that than they used to be.
What annoys me about "influencers" like that guy is that they never really talk about the quality of the story, they just express outrage that it's not the same one they've already been told and were expecting. Everyone's entitled to their preferences, of course, but these assholes are just riding the coattails of political unrest to get clicks, and in the process are using the worst of cash-grab-diverse media to dissuade people from checking out other things that could be interesting or good. If good games or movies fail as a result, it's not a good thing for audiences. |
All Things Video Games & Game Reviews Part II
(https://www.chiefsplanet.com/BB/showthread.php?t=294504)