Games featuring black protagonists and characters were ridiculed as forced. Female characters who were deemed unattractive or unmanly suffered from “DEI chins.” Dragon Age: The Veilguard was criticized by far-right trolls for its customization options, which allow players to create characters with extensive surgical scars and play with non-binary companions. After the reviews were published, conspiracy theorists clung to platitudes and other language as evidence that studio BioWare was dictating how reviewers should talk about their games.
Even titles that had not yet been released came under fire. Compulsion Games’ South of Midnight, about a young black woman in the Deep South, drew the ire of anti-DEI crowds on platforms like X. So they photoshopped the heroine’s appearance to make it less “disgusting,” and uttered conspiracy theories. About Sweet Baby’s influence on the game’s development.
But the pressure to remain apolitical is a strange challenge for an entertainment form that marries the artistic tastes of storytelling and fantasy worlds with the agency afforded to the players who inhabit them, but it is a vocally It didn’t just come from a minority of people who did. After the release of Black Myth: Wukong, some streamers were told to avoid talking about COVID-19 and “feminist propaganda.” The guidelines were counterproductive, encouraging streamers to use prohibited slang, and working against standards that were actually intended to censor players.
For the future Despite the generally pessimistic sentiment surrounding 2025, Ball says, “I’m tired of even thinking about it, let alone predicting it.” If there’s a plus, he says, it’s that “there’s a lot more hiring going on than people think.” The downside is that there is little compensation overall, especially for indies. ”
As 2024 draws to a close, the industry is operating with a business-as-usual mentality from the outside. In early December, developers gathered in Los Angeles to celebrate The Game Awards. On stage, host Jeff Keathley gave a small speech amid game announcements, accolades, and a performance by Snoop Dogg.
“The sad reality is that over the past few years, the gaming industry has experienced massive and unprecedented industry-wide layoffs,” Keiley said. “They affect the games we play, but more importantly, they affect the people who make the games we love. We can argue why, and , there are certainly things I don’t agree with, but honestly, as a show, we’re struggling a little bit with how to address these topics in a constructive way.
Mr. Keighley used this corner to introduce TGA’s inaugural “Game Changer” award, which honors individuals who have made a positive impact on the industry. The show then continued, with headlines dominated by announcements about major projects such as The Witcher 4 and the next game from The Last of Us developer Naughty Dog.
Amidst all this is the specter of AI. There is still little insight into how much AI will continue to grow and how it will be used in future games, but concerns are growing as civilian workers are laid off. No one knows when or if the industry will recover with sustainable employment and compensation. Yes, there are games to play. It is difficult to say how many people can make it.
