A former BioWare employee says that EA’s new management wasn’t on board with the developer’s inclusiveness.
Fuck EA.
They allow insane amounts of racism. Like, thousands of n word mentions a week at least. I report this shit weekly and they reject me.
They don’t fucking care, and the game I play is a Star Wars game. So, Disney doesn’t care about the racism, either.
Is it like in the game chat people say it or is the n word in the game?
In the chat, bro. But it is against the rules, they just don’t enforce moderation.
I’ve watched a guy get muted by the game within idk about 2 minutes in gta5 online for saying it. I distinctly remember getting a notification immediately after I submitted a report that he had been muted from the lobby chat for everyome for inappropriate language.
On gta!?! But it’s okay on like the sims and soccer games? That’s nuts.
Yeah that’s ironic to say the least.
The issue isn’t just about a texture or a flag—it’s the corporate censorship and what it signals. If management is already stepping in to scrub a presentation video to avoid “offending” corporate masters, it makes you wonder what kind of creative compromises are happening behind closed doors during actual game development.
This, scrubbing a flag itself, if actually confined to that (it wouldn’t be) isn’t world ending.
But it’s just short edge of the wedge. Remove flags now, later remove some trans representation, then remove gay and lesbian representation and lastly might as well go full Imperial cult and remove any friendly relations with Xenos.
Suadi’s would probably LOVE Terra Firma…
“it’s not x {em dash} it’s y” hmm
Real people use em dashes. That is a common place in human writing to use an em dash, or it would not have become a trend in the averaging that is LLM-generated text.
We cannot assume this comment was written by a bot. It was short and only used one em dash in a normal place.
Maybe people should stop using “it isn’t x it’s y” and em dashes in the same way that people stopped using fasces and swastikas. Shits tainted now
It’s common English sentence structure, not a symbol of a group that killed six million Jews and many others.
Do not compare this to the holocaust. That is just remarkably immature.
I compared it to modern day american fascism actually. You brought up the holocaust in the same comment you’re saying not to compare it with 😭
And I mean I think it is pretty comparable to the holocaust, considering what data centers are doing to the environment
I compared it to modern day american fascism actually
You said that people should stop using em dashes the way people stopped using swastikas. You do realize swastikas stopped being used because of Nazi Germany, not because of American fascism? Nazi Germany put a far greater stain on the symbol than American fascism ever has. Also, if you mention swastikas, you cannot in good faith claim that you aren’t carrying the baggage of Holocaust in with it. The Holocaust is the event most closely associated with the swastika.
You brought up the holocaust in the same comment you’re saying not to compare it with
To bring up ≠ to compare. Also, aren’t emojis (you used 😭) also a sign of AI writing? (ㆆ_ㆆ)
Is generative AI a serious problem? Yes. Is the use of em dashes by human people comparable to the use of swastikas? Or is the use of em dashes as tainted or more tainted by AI than swastikas are by the horrors of fascism and Nazism? Absolutely not. The swastika is a uniquely shameful symbol; the use of a common English punctuation mark is not comparable. The fact that you seem to think they are comparable indicates that you either have a very warped view of the importance of punctuation style, or you have a very low view of the severity of fascism and the grave symbolism of the swastika. The former is disturbing, but the latter is damning.
Holy fuck that’s a lot of writing. Sure man, or no I disagree. Whichever served my point
- They did it right now which is well after the fact was established, on Lemmy out of all places where demographics obviously lean towards people that know this.
- It’s mostly transcriptions of physical books and academic papers rather than people who digitally use the right alt key.
The em dash is incredibly easy to access and use on mobile, so there’s no need to memorize an alt code or copy-paste it from the internet or whatever.
No alt code, you hold… Actually, I’m not going to say that for the good of the world.
You really are obsessed, aren’t you? You’re in for a wild ride when bots can pass for people, physically, in-person 😯
I use the em dash a lot. The codepoint is 2014 for the em dash and 2015 for the en dash. It’s quite easy to remember.
it’s more than corporate censorship, it’s theocratic censorship.
Is that the game where you can have sex with an insect alien and a rock monster? Sure glad they removed a flag or people would think sex between humans was normal 🤡
When one of the new spider man games came out, one of the most popular mods were one that removed a bunch of rainbow flags from the streets. People are fucking weird
The mod changed your region to one where the flag was illegal.
People just like censorship I suppose.
It’s so fucking embarrassing to be a gamer these days
I fucking knew it, hijabs for everyone! The game is better dead than mangled, I say.
Didn’t take long for Saudia Arabia to show its whole ass
It has been out the whole time. I’m not sure what people were expecting.
The anonymous employee mentioned a specific case where the developers were asked to remove a specific flag from a presentation video for “looking too much like the LGBTQIA+ flag,” in order “not to offend.”
God what a bunch of snowflakes.
For example, The Sims 2 physical edition cover shows different Sims in several poses, including a couple kissing and an alien. In Saudi Arabia, the cover art was completely modified to feature a handful of dull-looking male Sims standing emotionless.
Like this?
The covers in question:
Eh i was close
Spookily close!
lol like why would you even want to be in the entertainment business. Like making entertaining fun stuff? Just to make it all dull as fuck? Do you really need to buy a brand to do that? Couldn’t you just hire some devs and make your own shitty brand? Unless you were actively trying to destroy culture you don’t like…
I’m laughing hard but that’s so sad. Can’t even bring themselves to put a female on the cover.
Yeah, it doesn’t feel good seeing that shit. They hate women, I can’t believe my countrys advisor lives there.
im pretty sure most games already have to do this for their release in saudi arabia. the spider-man “mod” that removed those flags was just changing the map to the saudi arabia version
Of course it wasn’t. They’re owned by SA now. Used to jokingly refer to them as Evil Assholes, but they seem to want to really earn that moniker.
This is why foreign countries shouldn’t be allowed to own companies. Worker and citizen owned companies or gtfo
USA is the same level of shithole, enacting all sorts of anti-trans and anti-lgbt laws that their citizens celebrate.
Remember that Trump saw an increase in votes for the 2024 election - USA as a whole hates LGBT.
“Every foreign country in the world should not be allowed to own companies because I disagree with one of them” sure is a take of all time. But america (or wherever your from) is fine for seemingly no reason.
Yes, that’s not a stupid take at all. Governments all over the world have show over and over that they are terrible stewards of people’s interests. Why wouldn’t you want worker and citizen owned things instead?
That’s like saying the 5 richest dudes in the world have all the money and that’s how the world works right now, so they must be responsible and good at it, so we should give them all the control.
Just bcz things work a certain way now, doesn’t mean it’s the right way to run the world.
Hell, I would argue we’ve been doing it wrong for centuries.
I was saying more that specifying “foreign” means that you are ok with your own government doing the same but have an issue with foreign countries doing it which I find hypocritical
Yeah, it’s Saudi Arabia, they are Islamic and not quite as permissive as USA.
There’s no pride parade in Saudi Arabia or any Islamic state. You keep your head down and keep it to yourself or you get thrown off a roof.
Yup, white christians here in the south used to be the same until the secular and non-whites changed the law. You think the racist homophobes here at home are gone? You know sundown towns still exist? Lots of secular people in Saudi Arabia you aren’t aware of, though. Su
Did white christians from the south buy EA?
Turns out conservatism isn’t tied to one religion. But to paint all Arabs as religious and closed minded is like saying all white people are religious and closed minded. Lots of crazy people in all countries of all ethnicities it turns out.
At the current pace, the US will catch up soon though!
Yet another reason why we need to move the world off of its oil dependency.
fuck ea
i mean they were bought by Saudi Arabia(96%) and that country is not too fond of LGBTQ
they arent too fond of heterosexuality either, considering the recent execution of a husband and wife for the sin of a forehead kiss.
they think forehead kisses are bad???
Married Couple from Bangladesh, He gave her a kiss on the forehead at mecca in appreciation to god for bringing them together.
Saudi Arabia declared it public indecency and executed them for it.
a whole ass execution, wtf?
also i think its stupid that is forbidden.It is crazy, kind of like, say, doing 9/11
two whole ass executions.
thats even worse
It’s kinda weird that the US complains so much about theocracy in Iran, but is eager to do business with Saudi Arabia, which is even worse.
(Of course it has nothing to do with theocracy. It’s about oil.)
Public displays of affection, yes. The Saudi Arabian government is very oppressive.
true
Can’t spell “Saudi Arabia” without “SA!”
Forehead kisses can’t get a woman pregnant and are therefore gay.
lol
imHo, these companies are not problem on their own. Company follows money, companies provide product that sells more. They do research, how many happy queers will pay for a game with flags, how many will ignore game if there wont be any flag, vs how many bigots will not buy with flag. And queers are commonly losing on statistics, sadge. Ideology or supporting LGBTQ+ may not be even considered at company meetings, but money data only.
Sure, would be awesome, if some companies would support queers and do a slap, do a change against bigotry. Enough of such small details, optional texture at some optional costume, and gae visibility could be a norm, no more shocking no more disgus for norms near queers, just a norma… yet, that’s not exactly what big game companies are there for…
“You can fuck the aliens but only if they’re straight.”
Fucking Saudi Arabian govt.
As far as I understand they didn’t change being able to fuck non straight aliens. Only the flag had to be removed.
Bigots’ response to the flag is really interesting. It’s like conceding that it happens but that you shouldn’t be proud of it, or celebrate it or normalise it like straight romance.
It is normalized in the game. Removing the flag doesn’t change anything. There is no real compromise in story, characters, gameplay and interactions as far as I know. It might be a big deal for removing a flag, but for me it doesn’t matter. And that’s true for any flag or texture that looks similar.
Of course it doesn’t matter to you.
Congratulations for not being part of a marginalized group and for being completely ignorant to the privileges you have been arbitrarily bestowed.
Maybe you should care that other groups are being erased from society by hateful people.
You have no clue what I was saying. And accuse me of stuff I didn’t say or mean.
Congratulations.
It is an action with considerable symbolic weight. It means EA is taking a hostile stance toward LGBTQIA+ inclusivity.
If I weren’t already boycotting them, I would start now.
Perhaps this doesn’t matter to you for a lack of empathy and care for the representation of LGBTQIA+ folks. Try being an oppressed minority group. Or, you know, having empathy for others.
It means EA is taking a hostile stance toward LGBTQIA+ inclusivity.
No, they are forced to do it by the laws of where they are owned from. I don’t think EA has a word in this.
Perhaps this doesn’t matter to you for a lack of empathy and care for the representation of LGBTQIA+ folks.
Wrong. Freedom of LGBTQIA+ is important in games. I just think removing a flag doesn’t affect anything important, if the gameplay, story, characters and interactions in the game with LGBTQIA+ are intact. It could be just a different flag, it wouldn’t change anything about the freedom.
Saying I would not care about anything of this and would lack empathy is wrong. Maybe you lack reading comprehension of what I am saying.
Removing a pride flag is most definitely anti―LGBTQIA+ freedom. Whether the gameplay loop changes doesn’t modify that truth.
Whether the gameplay loop changes doesn’t modify that truth.
It does to me.
It might be a big deal for removing a flag, but for me it doesn’t matter.
Removing the flag is a symbolic victory for bigots. Even if the game still has queer representation, bigots still get to say, “We made you take down your flag to appease us” and that’s a big win in their eyes.
Agreed. They want people to see the flag and diversity in general to be seen as strange and intruding on their “normal” lives.
First they came for the Communists
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a Communist
EDIT: Moved to other comment.
“What the fuck are gay and straight, we just enjoy ourselves.”
– Aliens probably
As far as I understand they didn’t change being able to fuck non straight aliens.
I’m not entirely sure the house of Saud really cares about western video games enough to intervene like this. I always imagined they only cared about the money and diversification from oil, “deeply held beliefs” often can be overlooked for the right price. This could just as easily be because of the corporate weathervein pointing towards conservatism, lots of companies have made decisions like this recently without meddling from the middle east.
It’s less of them directly interfering and more like EAs management trying to appease their new masters.
Saudi Arabia currently owns EA.
Yes. That doesn’t inherently mean they’re endeavoring to implement Sharia in the games EA puts out.
In case the comment to which I am replying gets deleted, it said:
Yes. That doesn’t inherently mean they’re endeavoring to implement Sharia in the games EA puts out.
But that is literally what they’re demonstrably doing.
No, that is what EA is demonstrably doing because they have a marketing department and are aware of the massive backlash currently happening.
Trump, I will remind you, was a rare case of a republican winning the popular vote.
The western world is actively moving right, last year barely any company publicly celebrated pride, and politicians are actively attempting to distance themselves from being seen as hyperprogressive partisan actors (“woke 1.0 was crazy”).
EA has no values beyond money, their owners have no real interest in the social sphere beyond what makes them money, why would they stick their neck out to please a demographic that is consistently becoming less and less popular in the eyes of the general public?
“Okay I know ICE has been executing people publicly and it’s been on video, but that doesn’t mean immigration control in the US is getting more extreme.”
“okay I know Russian military assets are building up along the Ukranian border and they’re getting tons of aircraft ready and moving troops and armor across the country, but that doesn’t inherently mean they’re going to start something.”
“okay I know that bridge is actively in the process of crumbling and a chunk the size of a bus just crushed my car, but that doesn’t inherently mean it’s not safe to drive on”
All this tells me is that you didn’t even make it through the headline
Nowhere did they mention factually that SA requested this, as much as they tried to imply it by front loading the article with their acquisition of EA and the Sims cover business.
Without some sort of public statement or leak, it’s hearsay. Them meddling is plausible, but so is management feeling pressured of their own volition, or just one manager being an ass.
This only speaks to how little you know about Saudi Arabia if you think it’s going to be well documented.
Doesn’t seem like any of you know much if all you care to bring up is “vicious Muslim dictatorship” without going into the economics of why they picked up EA in the first place. As if their brutality takes some sort of special study to know about that you think I lack.
I’m tired of seeing notifications on this, give it up you losers.
Why did they buy EA then? So they could NOT make games? So they could close everything down and go out of business?
Survival. They know the death of the petrostate is inevitable and that they need to diversify their investments while they still have the cash to do so. EA is just one of many, many assets their sovereign wealth fund picked up across a number of industries but leaning towards “tech” in general. From this perspective, I don’t see why they would be motivated to involve themselves more than knowing what they pull in.
Do you seriously think they did this in an effort to win some sort of Islamic cultural victory over the degenerate west? If anything they’re looking to dump it all for AI investment now, like everyone else.
Do you seriously think they did this in an effort to win some sort of Islamic cultural victory over the degenerate west?
Not even remotely. Nobody brought this up except you in your first comment. I guess my question is why do YOU think that WE think that the UAE bought EA to implement sharia law?? Where did you hear that from?
And yes, I get the “diversification” angle. That makes sense. But wouldn’t that mean they would have to… keep making games? And based on the past censorship needed to sell games in the UAE wouldn’t it stand to reason they would want that same level of censorship in games they make themselves? They aren’t doing it to “secretly prime people to accept sharia law” but simply because not censoring the games would be against their beliefs?
That’s more the vibe I was getting from people commenting about it.
Do you seriously think buying EA with Jared Kushner is a backup plan to oil? Do you really think EA has enough growth potential to offside oil?
Missing the point.
Straight answer: no.
However, as one of many diversification options it’ll likely make more money than it cost(s), ergo…
In case this comment by @[email protected] gets deleted, this is what it said:
I’m not entirely sure the house of Saud really cares about western video games enough to intervene like this. I always imagined they only cared about the money and diversification from oil, “deeply held beliefs” often can be overlooked for the right price. This could just as easily be because of the corporate weathervein pointing towards conservatism, lots of companies have made decisions like this recently without meddling from the middle east.
I’m not deleting comments because they’re poorly received. If the mods take it then I don’t see why they wouldn’t also take yours.
Good. I am just posting these because @[email protected] removed his. I am glad you are open like this.
