Why Is Diversity Important To You?

We have heard the discussion around diversity in the gaming industry, and there is also a thread about why Dudes should care about sexism in games. Yet, I want to gather thoughts on why diversity is important to people as gamers?

My answer is simple, because when I see someone who looks like me doing things I like to do, I feel included. Also, when I see someone who looks like me doing and talking about the things I like, I feel like its ok for me to like those things too. So it helps my self esteem overall and I feel more comfortable sharing my interests with others.

I can understand how people have a hard time understanding why diversity is important for people. Because as a guy, until recently I was unaware of many of the little misogynistic things that our male driven society has developed and ingrained in the culture. I was always a feminist, but I was simply missing most of the small sexist things in society until it was highlighted for me. Now I have a greater appreciation for diversity awareness, not just for people of color, but also for women, and people with different sexualities as well. I am an empathetic person by nature so when I see someone being excluded in something, it affects me in a way that makes me want to do something about it. If I can’t directly include them in something myself, then I feel like fighting for their inclusion to solve the problem. It’s obviously a character flaw. JK

Also, by allowing people to be exposed to people of different cultural experiences and backgrounds, it has been shown to help the younger generations be more accepting of people who may be different to them. Diversity is good for Humanity in more ways than one. It not only helped Human survival by allowing for better genetic variances and transmission of beneficial genetic traits, but it also allows for a better understanding of our fellow Terran.

So, why is diversity important to you? Do you have a story that helped you understand why diversity is important? Please share your thoughts.

(Extra Credit)

Just for informational purposes here are some studies on why diversity in media is not just politically correct but good for businesses as well. There have been many independent studies to demonstrate this. It is no longer theory, it is being supported and practiced by many large profitable corporations. There is even a FCC provision that mandates diversity in commercials, which many large multinational corporations endorse and subscribe to willingly due to the obvious monetary benefits, like diverse revenue streams from multiple social demographics.

Efforts to increase diversity came about for a reason. Affirmative Action, while not perfect, was aimed to solve the problem of institutionalized discrimination, which still exists. So while people may point out the flaws with Affirmative Action they tend to lose sight of the original intention of creating a counteracting force against institutionalized discrimination, of both a sexist and racist nature.

Lack of diversity is a national problem, not just in one industry, it’s everywhere. In this post we are obviously talking about the Video Game industry, but everything said here could be applied to any other industry.

The debate over diversity in games is a symptom of the maturing of the industry, now that Video Games are more profitable than Movies the conversation over what is and isn't acceptable in the media must happen. Just as it has been happening in movies for decades. We need diversity not only in the creation of games, but in the surrounding industries that support the Video Game industry like journalism and every job in between.

This is CBS's own site on its diversity program. http://diversity.cbscorporation.com/

Amctheatres.com,. 'Diversity And Inclusion - Our Commitment To Diversity - AMC Theatres'. N.p., 2015. Web. 24 Jan. 2015. <https://www.amctheatres.com/corporate/diversity-inclusion >

DeFife Ph.D., Jared. 'Diversity In Entertainment - Why It Matters'. Psychology Today. N.p., 2015. Web. 24 Jan. 2015. < https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-shrink-tank/200906/diversity-in-entertainment-why-it-matters >

Jackson, Daren. 'The Case For Diversity In Entertainment | Water Cooler Convos'.Watercoolerconvos.com. N.p., 2015. Web. 24 Jan. 2015. < http://watercoolerconvos.com/2013/12/04/the-case-for-diversity-in-entertainment/ >

Lee, Cynthia. 'Study Finds TV Shows With Ethnically Diverse Casts, Writers Have Higher Ratings | UCLA'. Newsroom.ucla.edu. N.p., 2013. Web. 24 Jan. 2015. < http://newsroom.ucla.edu/releases/study-finds-that-tv-shows-with-248757 >

Sonypictures.com,. 'Onboarding :: Diversity & Inclusion'. N.p., 2015. Web. 24 Jan. 2015. < http://www.sonypictures.com/onboarding/about-sony-pictures-entertainment/whats-important-to-us/diversity-and-inclusion.php >

It isn't important to me. I have no problems with playing as a character with different race, gender or sexual orientation, world views.

I do not identify or feel connected at all to my country, heritage, race, gender or age group. Not forming those kind of connections is part of being autistic, or so I've heard. I've always been baffled that identifying with something is important but I realise that I am very much an exception.

Tribalism is dumb. I'll be more than happy to play whatever comes my way whether there is diversity or not, but there are plenty of measurable, objective advantages to diversity in creative industries.

As a non-heterosexual male, I will echo this sentiment. I just don't care. It doesn't bother me in the slightest that AAA games are geared towards white, hetero males because I understand that they form the core market for those sorts of games. I won't buy the latest Assassins Creed or CoD because they don't interest me and here's the good news, you don't have to either.

I will say that I can't help but find the exceptional amount of hand-wringing over diversity in video games somewhat inane and irritating. As I have pointed out in other threads, video games have never been in a better place as far as diversity goes. Almost anyone can make a game and see that it has a wide release thanks to digital distribution and the result has been an enormous variety of characters, ideas and themes crossing numerous cultural, racial and sexuality-based boundaries.

I like diversity in my games because the last thing I would ever want is to play anything that is even remotely like me.

@crysack: Couldn't agree with you more, well said.

Defining diversity primarily as different gender identities and ethnical backgrounds seems very reductive to me. Those are merely some of the innumerable factors that can be used to describe humans. Though they tend to be the most important ones to superficial and primitive people.

Defining self esteem as the capability to stand your ground as long as you're part of the mainstream and get frequent pats on the back seems almost comical to me. I'd say self esteem is the exact opposite: confidence in your capabilities even when faced with stiff opposition.

Actual diversity is one of the most important things in life for me because constantly striving to learn about new concepts, ideas, opinions, cultures and perspectives makes it all worth it. Knowledge is power.

I care about diversity in games because I enjoy being exposed to other perspectives. However, on my list of Most Important Things About Games, this ranks pretty close to the bottom.

Why? It's so good.

Because sometimes it's nice not to play as a generic, Caucasian, angsty, male guy.

I grew up in the most multicultural city in the world. I grew up around a bajillion gazillion million pillion different religious faiths, creeds, ethnicities, and people of all shapes, sizes and stripes. This is why I do not give two shits about diversity as the term has come to be understood in gaming circles. What matters to me are your ideas, and whether or not you can make a good game out of them. What you look like, where you come from, or what colour your eyes are aren't worth a pot to piss in as far as I'm concerned. Maybe my perspective is unique, though I highly doubt it. If anything, growing up in a huge, diverse, urban environment has granted me a rather mundane insight; everyone, no matter who they are or what they believe or even what they look like, poops out of their butt. There are no exceptions. Everyone poops.

Everyone.

Actual diversity is important for sure, but actual diversity isn't something you can dictate, it's something that comes naturally.

When developers try and diversify the cast of their videogames we just end up with a bunch of different shitty stereotypes, much like the last Tomb Raider game. They should write what they're comfortable writing, regardless of if it's not diverse enough for the internet, better writing is way more important.

I think games have vastly improved on the diversity front. Most of the games I play now have a varied cast of characters from different backgrounds. Honestly, I don't think there is that much of a problem anymore.

Like many issues it's blown way out of proportion and to no small degree by people who want to make profit off of it.

This sounds like a question you'd give Miss America contestants.

Diversity is good. But trying to force others to adhere to pratices that stimulate diversity is bad. Events should follow a natural course, and should not be forced upon people, or it generates an aggressive countermovement, as most individuals aren't ready to the ideas and will push them back vigourously, antagonizing themselves with those ideas. Natural change is a better solution, than enforced change. Less painful, as a change that is for the better will naturally occur.

Because I love American! :D

That's a pretty great Miss American answer.

Yes.

And again, note that op has included links to CBS diversity program and has edited the post to include diversity in the industry and those who report on it. Is this effectively the same post as your previous topic trying to start some kind of action group to shame giant bomb into a forced diversity hire? Do you have anything else to bring to these forums, or will you just be re-assembling the exact same sentiment over and over?

Edit: I am annoyed about this because it is a bait and switch. The topic started out as about diversity of characters in the games themselves, then he makes a massive edit with links to studies that are all to do with video production and diversity. It's a totally different topic now. @Renegademike obviously has an agenda and it says a lot that you cannot be honest with what you want to initially post. This topic is now effectively the same as his previous one about starting a Group who were opposed to giantbomb's non existent anti-diversity stance when hiring staff.

Can we just post this in every thread ever. This is basically everything I think about this subject, with perhaps the addition that things can be lightly massaged to promote diversity, rather than dictating it.

I like diversity in gaming because it's refreshing and heartening to see aspects of myself reflected in media and disseminated to a larger audience, hopefully leading to a bigger understanding of people in my same situation. Heck, I could probably argue that Sleeping Dogs is a larger metaphor of living with and juggling concepts like face and guanxi, and the duality of West vs East.

I like diversity in gaming because it's sadly one of the few ways some people will experience diversity and therefore will never question their own biases and attitudes. They'll continue enforcing their "norm" without ever having an eye for people outside it. This is even more important the larger a game's audience is.

I like diversity in gaming because it will show that gaming is a safe environment for people of every persuasion, color or gender (and if the events of the past year have shown, it needs it more than ever now). Having game developers who are themselves diverse will prove that, yes, you can make big in gaming, even in AAA games.

Is this thread about diversity in games or is it about how cool affirmative action is?

I'm a straight, white, cisgendered dude, so increased diversity doesn't benefit me in any single way. But it shouldn't, because I've been catered to all my life. When I see more diverse material, I see who it benefits: the women who comprise the majority of my close friends, the gay, lesbian, bi, queer and trans people I know, acquaintances of non-white backgrounds, etc. This isn't me saying "look how diverse my friends are," just demonstrating I can see diversity's impact firsthand. They get to see their stories, or aspects of their stories, realized, and more importantly recognized, rather than made to feel secondary.

And from a creative perspective, avoiding diversity and sticking to the same old stories is just lazy. I'm pretty much done following grim, grizzled white warriors like Talion, Joel, Michael de Santa. I feel a lot of those stories have been told to death, though some of them very well. I want something new.

He made a massive edit and quite dishonestly changed the context.

There's nothing wrong with diversity in games, and games should exist with main protagonists of all different cultural, sexual, and racial backgrounds. That being said, attempting to shoehorn in characters that the writers on any given game can't properly tell a story about or build properly at times can be more insulting than helpful.

This is why I've never been a fan of people crying out that we need more __________ characters in games. There are so many great games coming out now with so much player agency, where you can be a man, a woman, transgender, black, white, asian, middle eastern, you name it...those games DO exist, and they are good. Sitting on the sidelines and asking a developer to hit a quota (OP mentioned affirmitive action) when said developer is not qualified to depict that character in anything but a stereotypical or otherwise offensive way will only upset people more than if they were left out.

Just give it time, guys. There are more people than ever making video games, more types of games coming out, and more diversity than there ever has been in games. Diversity is important, but ranks pretty low on my "oh god fire up the internet activist cannon" list.

The influences of the interview are strong with this one.

I'll keep it short: Monoculture leads to boring games.

How about we let things go as they are unless it violates someones rights as a human? Just a though, instead of affirmative actions bs.

@duckhunter: Affirmative action was and is a direct attempt to alleviate the violations of peoples' human rights, dude.

Humans should care about other humans.

@jeust: This is one of the most thought-provoking statements I've read on the internet in a long while. Thanks for that!

As for the topic of discussion. I'm a heterosexual, white male. Maybe this is why I've never felt like it's an issue. I just don't feel passionate about it at all. On the other hand, more different kinds of people playing games means more interesting perspectives and unique experiences for everyone to enjoy. And I'm all for that.

I see equal value in homogeneity as I do in diversity; the former is getting unfairly ignored for the latter in discussions like these

I completely disagree with affirmative action and most of the OPs points.

I think diversity is fantastic but to boil it down to merely race or gender etc is both boring and shows a lack of intellectual maturity as far as I am concerned.

@pcorb: Yes, an attempt, and a poor one at that. Why do white males, sitting in their ivory tower of privilege, get to decide and tell minorities how to act and react? Affirmative action is a white man telling everyone else they are not represented and that he will do his best to make sure this isn't the case. Many examples of this are prevalent in American society. Indians living on a reservation being told that they should be called Native Americans because the white feel guilty, yet it is the whites who told them they were Indians in the first place, people of non European ancestry (since race is a meaningless term) given scholarships to college by the government and schools because they are apparently "too stupid or incapable" to get there on their own merit, women being told they have internalized misogyny because they don't agree with radical feminists, and the list could go on. The main point resides in the inability for people to recognize race as the meaningless construct it truly is. What is race? Skin color? Ancestry? Heritage? Country of birth? The incessant application of race and gender (far from binary issues) to the human race, which is shades of grey. We can sit here and talk about these issues affecting people that we don't even know here in our ivory tower of the internet, but the only real way to solve all issues of discrimination is to get all people of the world to understand that the entire history of human behavior is based on incorrect generalizations.

I like variety; whether that means people, pie, games, or wine, it's all good. It broadens my horizons and challenges my preconceived notions.

@duckhunter:

I think you meant to post this in the favorite conspiracies thread but what do I know I could barely read this post i'm so high up in my tower :)

Nice post duder. I wish there were more people like you in threads whenever there's talks of GB hiring.

@giantstalker said:

Could you elaborate on that? I'm not sure you what you mean.

@duckhunter: "White men" did not tell people that they weren't represented. The entire history of the suffrage, civil rights, etc. movements is the history of white men purposefully ignoring every other group in society protesting the fact that they lack representation. It's very easy to dismiss the idea of affirmative action if you pretend the entire idea is the sole preserve of paternalistic white men, but that's not true. At all.

@renegademike: Well written reasoning and sources.

Diversity benefits everyone. Every fear about making games more inclusive is a false narrative created to justify the status quo that feels comfortable to the majority.

Traditional white heteronormative art has spent thousands of years writing stories about every kind of white dude imaginable. We have Harry Potter and He-Man and Frodo and Scrooge and Batman. Games have rewalked many of the zones of literature and film: the scrappy rogues, the beefy meat heads, the sensitive types, the grim anti-heroes, the thinkers, the doers. Fact is, it becomes trite and boring. White straight men only have so many stories.

So diversity is good in games because it represents the reality of Earth, it gives writers more avenues to confront the human condition, it gives more people a face in the art form, and it intrinsically teaches players that there is no one human shape.

So, everyone, stop trying to fight this. What you lose is boring; what you gain is enlivening. What you lose is simple; what you gain is complexity.

Everyone makes mistakes. Tomb Raider 2013 has some weak ass writing in it. But it's cast was on the right track. Better to try and slowly get better at representing human reality than to give up and pretend it's still 1930 with smartphones.

I like variety in all things.

Thanks. I felt like he was combining different things in the OP.

I don't really care about diversity in games. I have yet to identify with any protagonist, including the male characters, but have been able to empathize with many of them, including the female characters. Put simply, I don't care about the gender or race of the character I'm playing as. So if a developer chooses to make the protagonist a woman, I'll still play it. If they choose to make them a man, I'll play it and ignore the people whining about yet another white, heterosexual, cis-male.

I tell my nieces they can do anything they want to do regardless of their gender. If the OP wants to conflate that with diversity in the real world in general, then I'm for it.

I don't like reading news(unless it's about affecting my near term purchase decision, i.e video games) because its mostly just irrelevant noise, i'm more interested in science and history. But somehow I know what's been on the news without going because you get drones sent all over the place. All this "white male privilege" stuff is obviously some dogma people read in papers or watch on TV. I'm too lazy to respond but here's why your assumptions of discrimination are unlikely:

If you want to be coherent, at least credibly argue against her arguments because she is pretty convincing, here's a playlist of her videos:

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLytTJqkSQqtr7BqC1Jf4nv3g2yDfu7Xmd

Couldn't care less about diversity. I am me you are you. Your skin color has jack all to do with it, as does your gender. Two white males that are 30 are still two different people. Diversity is a non issue, EVERYONE is different from the get go so it doesn't get any more diverse than that.

Pew Research found it's about 84 cents, and that it's lessening drastically.

http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2014/04/08/on-equal-pay-day-everything-you-need-to-know-about-the-gender-pay-gap/

American Enterprise Institute is a conservative think tank that promotes some problematic traditionalism, with the above person in particular famously arguing that heterosexual men are under attack in media, that their masculinity is being attacked, which is a ridiculous claim.

If the wage gap that used to come primarily from discrimination now comes more from women taking off work to raise children, there's some progress there. But my rejoinder would be that that is a problem of paternity leave laws, of the fact that in the U.S. fathers are not given the same rights as mothers, nor the same societal expectations, to take off half a year to raise their kid. So, closing that wage gap may be about ending the patriarchal view that fathers do not need to spend as much time off of work as mothers and thus do not deserve the equivalent of maternity leave.

Even the woman above agrees, though, that discrimination and gender-bias exist and are a problem. Diversity in art and in hiring is one of the best ways, as proven, to combat these issues. Because, unfortunately, it can take a group of people feeling less alone to give them and their allies the strength to confront injustice.

@gamefreak9: So you don't pay attention to any non-videogame related news, but you do keep up to date with the youtube channel of an organisation that literally gives white supremacists a platform?

I don't not listen to a group just because of who they are, if you want to attack this stuff make fun of their content, not their people. I don't see why saying masculinity is under attack is a ridiculous claim, it seems plausible enough though I don't know what it means exactly, she seems pretty coherent i'm sure she defines it in a very specific way. Care to elaborate?

I'm not convinced that ending the wage gap is absolutely essential especially if it means mothers spend less time with their children. Not saying which is right and wrong but we should have some more evidence that its alright before we do. Do we have evidence that mom time is perfect a substitute with dad time? Maybe its just an argument of relative strengths, if guys do get more technical degrees then they are more productive at work and it costs the household more for the dad to stay home than the mom. This is the norm for probably the history of human civilization, you can't just assume its pointless or bad.

That video in the pew site seems to say that 10% of men say they are being discriminated against versus 18(unless I read that wrong)? Now I think women are much more in the spotlight for this sort of thing so if its happening they are more likely to see it and even if it doesn't they are still more likely to interpret it that way.

Here's what I know:

The BLS says women work less hours:

http://www.bls.gov/cps/wlftable21-2010.htm

Which can be combined with this study:

http://www.anderson.ucla.edu/faculty/keith.chen/papers/GenderNPV_WorkingPaper.pdf

Having spent some time at a law firm I find that they have the most objective criteria for compensation so I looked this up:

http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2050037

@pcorb: She's a woman who validates mens opinions about feminism, I'm surprised its taken this long for someone to post her videos tbh. Who cares what else she supports, or how many women disagree with her, she agrees with them. "it seems plausible enough [...] she seems pretty coherent". Thats good enough.

@pcorb: Keep up to date? Somebody on GB linked to it and I just put on the background while I was playing HS.

Give white supremacists a platform? Do you have any evidence before claiming an organization like AEI does such a thing? I've looked it up just now and there's some pretty credible people working there. They seem pretty evidence based to me, with a pro-market direction. Not sure I pick anything else up from them, i'd say they are inspired quite heavily by Thomas Sowell(whose 3-4 books that i've read, I enjoyed), he writes here I think: http://www.lewrockwell.com/author/thomas-sowell/