Oblivion Creators Quizzed On Gender Issues
Via the Guilded Lilies blog, they've spotted an interview with Bethesda on Oblivion 'gender bias' issues which is, at the very least, intriguing.
This is odd, as the piece's intro points out, since: "Oblivion is one of those rare fantasy RPGs where female characters aren’t perpetually spilling forth from impossibly skimpy armor, and characters in positions of power and leadership are frequently women."
But, though the official Prima strategy guide comments: "Sadly, only three races offer females with power design advantages", Bethesda’s Pete Hines then commented of the 'controversy': "All the races are balanced equally for each gender. Talking about power design is different than balance. Essentially, for each race both genders have the exact same stats except for two: one where the male has a 10-point bonus, one where the female has a 10-point bonus." So... storm in a teacup?
Comments
People need to get over it. They're videogames. I tire of all the "gender" garbage going on. Stop taking VIDEOGAMES so seriously.
Posted by: 573 | April 6, 2006 8:06 PM
Sexist man dismisses sexism in videogames. More at 11.
To be honest, as they admit this really is a tiny tweaks and changes in stats. The stronger racers - Nords, for example - are just as strong in men and women. By even including women as an option, they're more inclusive than the vast majority of videogames.
They'd be better off for going for the race card. Of course "Fantasy games are racist" is kinda obvious to anyone who thinks about it for more than four seconds, but Morrowind's world is a particularly race-divided one in terms of physical and mental capacities abilities.
KG
Posted by: Kieron Gillen | April 7, 2006 3:14 AM
573: if they're just video games, what are you doing even reading GSW?
Was Blackface /a> just entertainment? Of course not. That's an extreme example, but things that seem un-serious are very.
Posted by: John Beeler | April 7, 2006 6:58 PM