“Humans are the dominant race of Thedas,”
February 27, 2015 10:01 AM   Subscribe

 
I have always played Dragon Age as a female dwarf. (Duster, preferably.) Why? Because I could. Most games give you a few choices: male/female, human/elf/dwarf. But DA:O let me be a female dwarf, so why not? I have never regretted it. My characters are smart, tough and indestructible. Yeah, my Aria may be a backstabbing, dual-wielding bitch, but her heart is pure.
posted by SPrintF at 10:21 AM on February 27, 2015 [3 favorites]


I was surprised to see Animal Farm referenced in the article - it's been a couple of decades since I last read it, but I don't recall race featuring as a distinction at all. It was all about politics. Have I forgotten something?

That being said, no, the game does not address racism very much or well. Nor does it address ableism. Or ageism. I'd debate the point on sexism. The article just seemed to be a little empty to me.
posted by YAMWAK at 10:22 AM on February 27, 2015 [1 favorite]


There are far too many fantasy RPGs where you can't even make a... human of color. (Unless it's blue.) Or at least not a convincing one.
posted by Foosnark at 10:23 AM on February 27, 2015 [5 favorites]


So, not to deride or dismiss the thrust of the article -- because I think it's a great point -- but the reason why race doesn't matter so much in fiction when you have a variety of species in the mix seems pretty obvious to me: once you have more than one species, you have someone to "other." There seems to be a persistent, awful need for that in a great many societies (not just the US).

It's easy to imagine that once we find some aliens out there, or once they find us, we'll have an easier time seeing all the things we have in common, because we'll have something even more different to contrast ourselves against.

But it would be good to see some examples of what this article proposes. I was always a little surprised that Shadowrun took the route of "What difference does human skin color make when you're on a subway car with a troll?" because it wasn't set so far into the future that people would forget about race relations and racial oppression. Hell, some of the setting is still grounded in that, what with the divide between Native Americans & non-native peoples...but for the most part, I always saw a lot of "ethnicity just isn't as much of a divider anymore," and all the ugliness of racism was projected onto inter-species tension as a major, major aspect of the setting.
posted by scaryblackdeath at 10:24 AM on February 27, 2015 [16 favorites]


Related:

Fantasy writer N.K. Jemisin responds over at her blog.
"I’ve been thinking about this article for the last day or so. I posted a link to it on my Twitter feed yesterday, and saw a few reactions to it that seemed… confused. Part of the problem is that the article gets a little muddled at points, I think because it’s talking about a complicated concept: race as identity, versus race as socioeconomic marker within in the modern (racist) political structure. But part of the problem, IMO, is the misconceptions that readers were bringing to the article themselves. A couple even asked (paraphrase, since I didn’t ask them about posting their comment), does this person actually want racism added to their Dragon Age? Which is when I realized that, to a lot of people, race should only exist, or matter, where there is racism."
posted by Fizz at 10:25 AM on February 27, 2015 [17 favorites]


Also: far as I'm concerned, BioWare deserves all the credit in the world for being as progressive as they are (and for writing as well as they do), and every other gaming company out there should try desperately to emulate them. They may fall short in a few areas, but holy shit, do they soar where so many other companies are still wallowing in mud like that's something to aspire to.
posted by scaryblackdeath at 10:26 AM on February 27, 2015 [16 favorites]


once you have more than one species, you have someone to "other."

As Terry Pratchett wrote in Witches Abroad: "Black and white lived together in perfect harmony and ganged up on green."
posted by Faint of Butt at 10:28 AM on February 27, 2015 [22 favorites]


My previous comment has been favorited by both scaryblackdeath and TheWhiteSkull, which... proves the point? Somehow?
posted by Faint of Butt at 10:37 AM on February 27, 2015 [7 favorites]


My previous comment has been favorited by both scaryblackdeath and TheWhiteSkull, which... proves the point? Somehow?

Dogs and cats living together! Mass hysteria!
posted by scaryblackdeath at 10:48 AM on February 27, 2015 [6 favorites]


When I first read this article, I viewed it as nitpicking, after all Bioware's games do include thoughtful discussions of racism and class, at least in a fantasy setting, which puts them far beyond any other mainstream game company (and in light of things like GamerGate, deserves admiration). On reflection, and on reading Jemisin's wonderful piece, I realized that I was wrong in my initial impression in a few ways.

First, Jesmin's discussion of racism versus race was an important distinction. I hadn't thought about Vivienne's (written by Mary Kirby) lack of background relative to other characters in that way before. I also read a few more accounts by PoC about their issues with Vivienne, from her hair to her romance, which was illuminating as well. Seeing part of yourself represented in games can be very powerful, if it is done thoughtfully.

More importantly, I thought the point made by the article that games can do more to help us understand issues of race, and of gender, in ways other media can't was especially powerful. I think it is ultimately a hopeful point, even if there is more work to do. Indeed, to even be having a nuanced discussion is a good sign that we have come far, but have farther to go.

Though it is not about race, I would also suggest taking a look at Anita Sarkeesian's analysis of the 7 ways in which games can do better in depicting women.
posted by blahblahblah at 11:00 AM on February 27, 2015 [3 favorites]


I'm reminded of Ursula K. LeGuin's Lathe of Heaven, where George's dream about ending racism turns everyone gray.

It's funny that role-playing games use the terms "race" and "class" more than any other genre, but even in the most progressive settings (of which I'd count Bioware), these concepts are depressingly reactionary. Race and class pretty much determine your abilities and personalities. Dwarves are greedy and good at engineering. They're dwarves - what did you expect? And classes are options (usually) restricted by your race. Gnome with magical aspirations? Hope you enjoy illusion spells. And watch your valuables around halflings - you know how they are.

Humans, on the other hand, transcend race-based inherent special abilities (a natural a sports, inherently good at math, +25% against ranged attacks) and limitations, and can just be what they want to be by effort (leveling up) alone. Regardless of their skin color, they're "white" in the same way that white athletes are praised for being "hard workers" and black athletes are considered just "naturally gifted."

So I would argue that any discussion about race in role-playing games needs to include the assumptions about race and essential difference that underlie their world-building system.
posted by bibliowench at 11:15 AM on February 27, 2015 [12 favorites]


I have always played Dragon Age as a female dwarf. (Duster, preferably.) Why? Because I could.

I've never actually finished a BioWare RPG, but every time I start one of the fantasy entries I end up making a dwarf. Not sure why.
posted by Holy Zarquon's Singing Fish at 11:19 AM on February 27, 2015 [3 favorites]


Not sure why.

How do you feel about brewing, mining, and smithing?
posted by curious nu at 11:27 AM on February 27, 2015 [6 favorites]


I don't really get it. The article notes that species-ism is a proxy for racism, yet concludes that Dragon Age has nothing to say about race? I've only played the first game so far, but I found quite a bit dealing with race, culture, religion, and "the other" in my interactions with characters throughout the journey. Far more than most games (which don't deal with it at all.) Seems like a rather shallow criticism of a game that actually does engage quite a bit with the topic, albeit in a somewhat oblique way.
posted by naju at 11:32 AM on February 27, 2015 [3 favorites]


How do you feel about brewing, mining, and smithing?

Opposed, neutral and neutral, but I am short.
posted by Holy Zarquon's Singing Fish at 11:43 AM on February 27, 2015


I think Bioware's tone-deaf delivery of shallow political metaphors strikes me as all the more irritating because I agree with them, but still don't like for those ideas to be simplified to coerced choices on a dialogue wheel and incongruously chained to a game mechanic of mass homicide. It's like Michael Bay doing a remake of The Color Purple.

It probably doesn't help that I dipped my toes into the fandom this week to find that they managed to take one of those shallow political metaphors into a completely stupid direction of intra-community harassment. No, romance-unlock mods are not an issue of erasure or representation. No, characters don't have a reality beyond an act of interpretation between your ears, and can't have their consent violated.
posted by CBrachyrhynchos at 11:48 AM on February 27, 2015 [5 favorites]


Also, maybe a little off-topic, but:

...while the sex-positive Vivienne, refreshingly, won’t simply sit around waiting for the Inquisitor’s erotic gaze to fall on her.

So I was absolutely all about Vivienne when she first turned up. But I thought it was so freakin' great that when I tried to flirt with her, the dialogue had me just kinda babbling like a 13-year-old boy. And she patronized me for it. And then I honestly felt like the only thing to do was turn around and walk away and try to hide my shame.

Later on, I found out there was a reason why she wasn't a romance option, but dammit, I really wanted it to stay right where it had ended for me: she's not an option because I fucked it all up like a dork. Because that shit happens, y'know?
posted by scaryblackdeath at 11:52 AM on February 27, 2015 [5 favorites]


CBrachyrhynchos: what's this bit about fandom & intra-community harassment?
posted by scaryblackdeath at 11:58 AM on February 27, 2015 [1 favorite]


Big flamewar leaking onto my dash about bi!cassandra, bi!carver, and bi!dorian mods. I'm a mod and let mod kinda guy, but I've been around long enough to remember the evil Imoen incest mod.
posted by CBrachyrhynchos at 12:07 PM on February 27, 2015


I'm destroying authorial intent right now with an increased inventory size mod.

So sinful. So hot.
posted by squinty at 12:13 PM on February 27, 2015 [8 favorites]


Jemisin's article is fantastic!
"When we deny the reality of race — not racism but race, we have to shed this dumbass notion that the way to kill the former is to erase the latter — we also deny some of the complexity and richness of human existence. It’s one of the things that makes us who we are. And like sexuality, like gender, like ability or anything else, race should be part of good characterization, in writing or any other creative medium."
It would have been wonderful had Dragon Age given Vivienne some backstory that dealt her different skin color, seeing as we haven't really seen non-white characters in Thedas before. And especially since she lives in Orlais, which is the whitest, most racist place on the map.

Seriously, why did we save them again?
posted by bibliowench at 12:14 PM on February 27, 2015


I'm only halfway through but give me forty more hours and I'll come back and say my piece.
posted by josher71 at 12:37 PM on February 27, 2015


I audibly chuckled as my (male, human, mage) inquisitor when I asked my Cassandra why I couldn't be the next Divine (Magic Pope):

"Because you're a man, for one"
posted by Oktober at 12:39 PM on February 27, 2015 [3 favorites]


One of the things I love most about Dragon Age is that it manages to be about systemic oppression while at the same time conspicuously excluding most of the common prejudices of our world (racism, sexism, homophobia). To my mind, that unreality is part of what makes it such an appealing fantasy world.

For example, How great is it that no one ever questions my female Inquistor's competence or ability to lead? So great. While stories of overcoming adversity and prejudice are all well and good, it's incredibly refreshing to have gender just not be an issue at all (unless, as Oktober pointed out, you're a man who wants to be the Divine).

I'd be interested to read or play other stories where race and sex play more of a role. But I'm also so, so glad that Dragon Age is not that kind of story.
posted by Kilter at 12:43 PM on February 27, 2015 [2 favorites]


Per N.K. Jemisin's comment, I find myself falling into that category...somewhat, at any rate.

If you are removing racism from the table (either because of black and white united against the green or because you're in a magically happy Federation, or whatever), then in what ways is having separate races distinct from having separate cultures? (Okay, leaving aside what strike me as *relatively* minor practical/aesthetic issues, such as the mentioned differences in hair care.)

I mean, I get that it's very important to have representation, but if you're in a fantasy world without racism and you portray Culture A with no direct real-world analogue as looking Nordic and Culture B with no direct real-world analogue as looking Tutsi, is that enough, or is something more sought?

I'm still in DA: Origins (female Duster dual-wielders unite!) myself, apart from a minimal bit of play in Inquisition alongside my son (who is very much into playing himself, and so resisted heavily playing anything other than a male human; he was willing to try male Qunari for the badass factor, but gave up after less than 5 minutes), so I don't have any direct experience with Vivienne. When I saw (via this discussion) that there was a chromatic character (love that phrase), I was very interested to learn what culture she came from, assuming that even if the racism is absent, per the original article, there would still be a culture for her, and I'm very disappointed to learn there isn't.
posted by Four Ds at 12:55 PM on February 27, 2015


One of the things I love most about Dragon Age is that it manages to be about systemic oppression while at the same time conspicuously excluding most of the common prejudices of our world (racism, sexism, homophobia). To my mind, that unreality is part of what makes it such an appealing fantasy world.

The only thing that bothers me about is that by doing it the way they have, at least for the mages-vs-everyone else dynamic, they basically make the racism make sense and be, if not justified as it's presented, at least justifiable in another form. If you're going to construct these elaborate metaphors for oppressed groups and vectors of oppression, don't do it in a way that, if translated to the real world cross metaphor, would make you go "well, I don't know, maybe the racists have a point, [group] are incredibly dangerous". The prejudice, fear, and oppression are all explicitly justified by the way the world works. That's fucked up. If it's really "about" systemic oppression, it is directly wrong about systemic oppression, in origin and purpose. And this is in a game that, by and large, is still made by and marketed to white men. It's like a reverse Magneto Was Right situation.

human female mage always and forever in every game
posted by The Master and Margarita Mix at 1:10 PM on February 27, 2015 [3 favorites]


Of course a human female mage would ignore the elf situation.
posted by squinty at 1:16 PM on February 27, 2015 [7 favorites]


One of the most interesting parts of Inquisition for me is near the end. Typically in games like these, by the time you approach the endgame you've got your team together and are ready for the grand finale against the big bad.

If you're playing an elf, though, which I have for the majority of my mumble-mumble playthroughs, there's a story beat in which you find out something hugely important about your people's religion/culture.

And no one else knows. And thank the Creators for that.

There are two other elves in your group. One follows the human religion (Andrastrianism, think Christianity with Jesus replaced by Joan of Arc as the main figure) and mocks you (and will dump you if you're in a relationship with her) if you don't agree with her. The other won't discuss this with you for reasons of his own.

Everyone else, save for the Iron Bull, is also Andrastian, even the dwarf.

You've just spent an enormous amount of time running around the world, including two major areas that used to belong to elves but were stolen by humans, using their religion as an excuse. One is literally named the Emerald Graves for everyone who was killed there.

So I wander through Skyhold and wonder who my Inquisitor would feel comfortable talking to about this. You know that your deeds are being written down, and though your companions are your friends, what happens a couple of hundred years down the road when some Sister picks up a book in which this was written down, probably by Cass, and decides that this is a good reason for yet another holy war? Is it worth trusting someone with this information? It's very isolating at a point where you'd normally be close with your team.

The in-game writing doesn't really address it, sadly, but it's all I can think about post-What Pride Has Wrought.

(On the "no non- white companions other than Vivienne" thing, there's fandom debate on whether the Antivan, Riviani and Tevinter companions count. It seems like every day there's a new dustup on whether a fanart is accurate or portrayed as entirely too pale. People are aware of it.)
posted by rewil at 1:18 PM on February 27, 2015 [1 favorite]


I figure the mages are more analogous to, say, the severely mentally ill. Many are fine on their own, but for some institutionalization may be the only safe option.
posted by Kilter at 1:20 PM on February 27, 2015


It seemed like the inner society of the Circles of Magi sidestepped the racial stratification of the world outside. As far as I know you never encounter anyone claiming Grant Enchanter Orsino shouldn't be in charge because he is an elf.

This could be because mages get taken in at a young age, so they socialize with elven and human children. And to outsiders, the fact that they are mages is much more worthy of hatred than the shape of their ears.
posted by squinty at 1:29 PM on February 27, 2015 [1 favorite]


I find the question of race in fantasy pretty interesting, especially with regards to the "racist murder hobos" conventions of killing all the subhumans, so I want to like this.

But it seems to me that metaphors gonna metaphor: if you want to map white supremacy onto the racial subjugation of elves by humans, you can't also have humans be "chromatically" divided and hierarchized without ruining the metaphorical work that species is doing in your world.

There's still plenty of room to criticize the way actual Black people or Arabs are represented (viz. Vivienne and Dorian) but keep the metaphors straight, I think.
posted by anotherpanacea at 1:53 PM on February 27, 2015


But it seems to me that metaphors gonna metaphor: if you want to map white supremacy onto the racial subjugation of elves by humans, you can't also have humans be "chromatically" divided and hierarchized without ruining the metaphorical work that species is doing in your world.

Why not? Humans are really good at subdividing and being super judgmental about differences that people not within the larger group wouldn't be able to notice. Catholics and Protestants spent centuries hating each other even though both would also look down on Jews, for one. And there's plenty of prejudice within Black, Indian, and Mexican communities based on skin color, even though there are plenty of white folks who wouldn't even think of it.

I would have loved if there was a whole thing about dwarves not really understanding the difference between Orlesian and Tevinter chantries, or if there was a racially based hierarchy that outsiders didn't even notice.
posted by dinty_moore at 2:00 PM on February 27, 2015 [1 favorite]


How does Elder Scrolls work, with Imperials, Nords, and Redguards being considered as distinct from each other as they are from elves, Khajiits, and Argonians?
posted by Apocryphon at 2:08 PM on February 27, 2015


How does Elder Scrolls work, with Imperials, Nords, and Redguards being considered as distinct from each other as they are from elves, Khajiits, and Argonians?

There's some racially based stuff (people referring to you by your ethnicity or race and making assumptions, being suspicious if you're a Khajit, ect.), but the game is so open world that there's not much characterization at all. There was some talk from NPCs about how hard it was to be in the North. But I remembered when I was playing I wished that there were more consequences to choosing one of the races that was discriminated against.
posted by dinty_moore at 2:11 PM on February 27, 2015


When I played Dragon Age 2, I remember coming across a quest where you have to help an elf living in poverty who's the former lover of a mage (and victimised by him). Say what you will about Dragon Age and I may chime in too, but not many rpgs make me think "Intersectionality!" while playing.
posted by ersatz at 2:14 PM on February 27, 2015 [2 favorites]


How do you feel about brewing, mining, and smithing?

Don't forget mushroom growing and nug wrangling.
posted by homunculus at 5:48 PM on February 27, 2015 [2 favorites]


Don't forget mushroom growing and nug wrangling.

You'd never find one of those on the surface, though. Too necessary in Orzammar. And too embarrassing.
posted by kythuen at 6:51 PM on February 27, 2015 [1 favorite]


I'm playing as an elf, and the "racism" (speciesism) is really bumming me out, which adds an interesting dimension to the game. Some NPCs have called me a "knife-ear" and a few other characters referenced discrimination that we have both experienced when talking to me. One of the other elfs in my party (Solas) drew me aside to let me know about a spoiler which I won't detail, but which he warned could have very negative consequences for people accepting an elf as inquisitor. And I actually found myself, when redesigning my castle, which as far as I know has no plot consequences, reluctant to use the elf flag or emblems in case that caused a backlash among my supporters.

As I don't personally experience racism (generally) in my everyday life, the effect of being a minority in the game is interesting, and a bit disheartening, but not especially upsetting. I probably wouldn't play an elf again, though. And I imagine that if racism is part of your daily experience in real life, you don't particularly want to experience it in your fantasy life too.
posted by lollusc at 8:29 PM on February 27, 2015 [2 favorites]


Oh, and I've had merchants greet me with something like, "You aren't what I expected" and then refuse to elaborate, which makes me laugh a bit because I've heard from black friends that they get this shit all the time in real life. So I guess someone at Bioware does too.
posted by lollusc at 8:31 PM on February 27, 2015 [2 favorites]


A lot of this is reminding me of what I've always suspected would happen should aliens ever land here:
(a) Maybe the slight racial differences between other humans will no longer matter, because you may be X but at least you don't have tentacles out your nose, and
(b) We will absolutely nuke any and all aliens that ever land here, even if they have friendly intentions and hurt no one.

"Black and white lived together in perfect harmony and ganged up on green."

Indeed.
posted by jenfullmoon at 10:26 PM on February 27, 2015


Everything would be so much simpler under the Qun...
posted by SageLeVoid at 4:53 AM on February 28, 2015 [2 favorites]


If anyone is interested, I mentioned this post to N.K. Jemisin on twitter and she wanted me to pass on the following:
Please pass along that ppl are welcome to shoot me brief questions here; I'll try to answer between Doing Stuff.
via: @nkjemisin
posted by Fizz at 7:29 AM on February 28, 2015 [2 favorites]




If I remember right, Bioware teased a new universe/property and engine at E3 last year without giving any details.
posted by CBrachyrhynchos at 9:57 AM on March 4, 2015


I wonder if it'll have a collection of states with long-standing racial tensions and an ancient looming threat that appears in cycles!
posted by Holy Zarquon's Singing Fish at 9:59 AM on March 4, 2015


(I hope it will have a dog with six limbs and a janitor with a sniper rifle strapped to his face)
posted by Holy Zarquon's Singing Fish at 10:07 AM on March 4, 2015


I think my problem with Bioware is that their writing seems to be creeping forward from generic fantasy plot which peaked with SoU and HotU to "metaphor for ..." which was just overbearing in DA2, ME3, and shows up in the weirdest places in TOR where it's more fun playing the Marvin-The-Martian Dark Side than taking their presentation of extrajudicial rendition and civilian landmine causalities seriously.

But their fundamental gameplay mechanics have not changed (I've not touched DA:I). Most of their levels involve some flavor of creative mass murder, punctuated by incongruous speeches about doing the right thing. Often this reaches a climax with graceless points where you're coerced to make a choice about puppy-kicking, only to have the entire cast give you their opinion about puppy-kicking.

And I find that a problem when you've just spent the last hour figuring out how to creatively kick someone's puppy, over and over again, with graphics of blood as a reward. That's not so big a deal when the final boss is Mephistopheles, but it is a big deal when your final bosses represent minority rights vs. public safety.
posted by CBrachyrhynchos at 10:19 AM on March 4, 2015


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