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Thing is: People used to just do this kind of stuff, thus normalizing it. These days, every fucking marketing department will drum up all the "hype" it can muster because LoOk At Us AnD hOw PrOgReSsIvE wE aRe! We DaRe To ShOw WhAt ShOuLd Be JuSt NoRmAl PeOpLe! We EvEn HaVe OnE oF tHeM hOmOsExUaLs AnD a WoMaN!
Yeah, congrats. I'm not complaining that we get female lead roles or homosexual romances or trans people or anything. I'm complaining that having those becomes the sole talking point about whatever medium they are in, and I'm complaining that while boasting how things have female leading roles, those female leading roles are written exactly like the dumbest male leading roles but with a woman portraying it. Think about it. The equivalent to Rey in Star Wars would be something along the lines of Silvester Stallone wielding 2 M-60-Machine guns while simultaneously mowing down nondescript Asian people in a nondescript and defintely not Vietnamese Jungle... Can I have lead female roles where the women are granted the right to be real fucking people for once?! You know... like women in real life who - and this has been scientifically proven - are real people?!
People absolutely did not used to do this sort of thing, the vast majority of video games were made by and for men and boys, starring men and boys. Just a completely delusional take on the history of video games.
They're trying to market games to additional groups now, it isn't just about you anymore, and that's what annoys you so much. You essentially admitted it in this post. So sick of reading these tantrums constantly
Oh no, women get to have unrealistic power fantasies now too? How horrible. Just a hint, but there was never anything realistic about god damn Rambo. Get a grip and grow tf up already.
Not OP, but as a man, I'd also love some more realistic portrayal of men, not always super hero dudes who can't show real emotion or "weakness" (aka vulnerability). While I love a good power fantasy, not every man in every movie has to be like that.
The problem is, that in movie, the women stronk archetype is toxic masculinity in a female package. I dislike the whole toxic masculinity because it is bland, boring and just overall not good for anyone. For example, Scully in The X Files is a strong female character without having to be demeaning, overpowered and just a plain twat. The problem is, and was, that certain things get crammed in your face and you are supposed to like it because otherwise you are INSERT_BAD_THING.
Anyone can be anything, but what if we treat people like people. Everyone is different. Labels are great for trying to understand each other but lately it has become very much a black and white kind of thing. For or against. If we can try to at least try to understand each others point of view, maybe the world can become less polarized.
I mean, I remember the PS1 era. Drag and somewhat-fleshed-out female characters and anticapitalism weren't exactly high on the list of common occurrences in games. It wasn't 'just done', the Final Fantasy series from 6 onward were outliers (or trailblazers, if you prefer), and highly praised for presenting comparatively full and varied worlds.
I feel you about tokenism being shit, but the situation nowadays is... not a step back from how it used to be. It used to be much worse.
Shit... Did I romanticize the past? Fuck... I'm getting old. You are right about that... That's how it begins, innit? Next, I'll start sentences with "back in my day".... Oh dear... Why do I feel the need to buy a useless sports car?
Kids today! Get off my damn lawn!
How dare people fantasize in my space fantasy!!!!
Why do you have a higher standard for characters that aren't straight white men? If you don't, then why specifically call out the poor writing you see in characters that aren't straight white men as though making them straight white men would be passable, even if poorly written?