Bethesda’s Starfield Labeled Misogynist and Racist By Crazy People

Bethesda’s Starfield has been out for over a week now and the Drama surrounding this game will not stop. Although some controversy surrounding this game is dumber than others, it still does not stop the crazy people from crawling out of the woodwork. Bethesda games have always been known for having rocky launches. While they are responsible for some of the biggest titles in the world, many do feel that their best years are behind them. While I do not believe this statement is true, they are desperate for a win after the launch of Fallout 76.

Starfield is the first true Triple-A game that Bethesda released under the Xbox Banner. The entire selling point for this title is unlimited space exploration. The aim is to build a massive and vast universe for people to explore. You can choose how you want to play with nothing holding you back. For many, this is the ultimate dream concept. However, there were also some concerns regarding the size of the game. We have seen this concept tried before, and the results were less than favorable. However, despite all the concerns, Bethesda managed to pull off a relatively decent game for people to enjoy.

Sadly, this title has attracted crazy people who will find any excuse to hate the game. While some hate is warranted, other criticism is ridiculous. I covered the pronouns debate yesterday and some mods being banned by Nexus. Sadly, we have regressed since then, and the craziness has worsened. This time, it comes from journalists calling the game every ism you can think of. While this level of outrage is usually reserved for a couple of crazy people on Twitter, this time, the voices are much larger.

Crazy Starfield Accusations

One journalism site that has made quite the name for itself over the years with its crazy takes decided to go after fans again. This was for what they call racist behavior. While the posts they are referencing are small, how they have blown it up is extremely telling. As most people know, Starfield is riddled with bugs. It is not uncommon for fans to capture funny bugs and post them online. One of the funniest bugs within Starfield has been the facial expressions of some characters. Most of them have a weird twitch when you approach them.

It is very amusing, and people have been sharing their experiences online. However, certain journalists believe that pointing out these bugs is racist since most of the characters affected are none white. While I am sure you might find a couple of weirdoes who use this to be racists, for most, it is simply pointing out bugs. These bugs affect so many people of color because Bethesda made diversity a focus point in this game. They have more people of color than ever before, and thus, the bugs will affect them.

In addition, we are talking about a minimal number of people posting these pictures. The pictures received 17 likes, but the journalists covering it got thousands. While we are all guilty of doing this, myself included, it is still interesting to see the amount of reaching. This journalist stated that the poster made memes out of bugs affecting people of color. Unfortunately, I do not think they know what memes are. Most screenshots of bugs are not a meme. Secondly, if you do not want me to make fun of bugs, fix them in your game.

The Starfield Crazy Continues

However, if you think the crazy end here, you are mistaken. A prominent game developer with hundreds and thousands of followers decided to take things to the next level. The problem is with the way people are playing the game. They state that many misogynistic people are running around within the game and doing horrible things to women. I do not know what these awful things are, but he is distraught. Usually, I would avoid this level of crazy, but it forms part of a more extensive debate I want to cover. The entire argument behind this conversation boils down to more representation.

For ages now, Journalists have been complaining that there is not enough representation within video games. However, now that there is more representation, they are unhappy with their assigned roles. This developer is upset because people of color and women take villain roles and partake in bad acts. These things are bound to happen as we become more inclusive. You cannot simply cast white men in all the bad roles and cast them as villains.

This is a flawed way of thinking and this developer is not alone. He has hundreds and thousands of followers, and many agree. I agree with representation and believe that it is important. However, once we have achieved it in a video game, we have to accept the possibility that some roles will be reserved for bad guys. All races and genders will play these fictional bad people. I agree that sometimes people will do bad things to specific characters in the video game, but even this must be left alone. The game is designed for you to commit crimes, and unfortunately, no button says you can only commit crimes against certain people.

In Defence Of Bethesda’s Starfield

Despite all the nonsense, underneath it all, Starfield is not as bad as people think. For the most part, people seem to be genuinely enjoying their experience. While some decisions from Bethesda have left many fans not wanting to support the game, others genuinely enjoy their space adventure. It is easy to get caught up in all the external conversation and forget to enjoy the game in front of you. Journalists having meltdowns on Twitter should not prevent people from playing this game.

There are, of course, valid reasons why some would not feel comfortable supporting this game. Many fans do not like Bethesda because of past controversies and choose not to play Starfield. There has been plenty of debate about the inclusion of alternative pronouns. Some fans feel that this decision goes against their ideology and beliefs and thus will not be picking up a copy. No matter what losers online tell you, you are within your right to do that, just like others are within their right to support the game because of those inclusions.

If you are going to play this game, I would not buy myself a copy if I were you. Get a $10 game pass subscription and play it for 30 days. By then, you will be tired of the game, and you can cancel again. With all the current bugs and issues, it might not be worth your $70. The landscape and direction of games are changing. In fact, the entire entertainment space is shifting. Politics and social issues have always been in video games, but never to this extent. Things are only going to escalate further from this point forward.

Conclusion

There is an old saying that you cannot give them an inch. If you do, they will take a mile. This is the microtransaction debate all over again. We allowed new in-game purchases, and now we spend hundreds and sometimes thousands per game. For many, things like pronoun inclusion are that same battle. People are told it is no big deal, but if you allow one part of this to stand, it is only a matter of time before they push other agendas. While I do not mind this type of inclusion, many do, and each person will have to find their comfort level while respecting others’ right to be included.