I was replaying Arcanum: Of Steamworks and Magick Obscura game recently after some years and I noticed it had modern day politics for the time the game was made. Intolerance against orcs or how industrialization has led to deforestation and pollution.I still enjoyed it and I found this topics to enhance the game. If politics has always been in games then why does it bother me so much now, what actually changed?
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Actually, It somewhat annoyed me in Arcanum too. Its just that, at the time, those politics weren't being shoved into us through every hole, so it just didnt really annoy me enough to matter.
IMO, There is one crucial question regarding politics in games : "Does the writer make the player feel bullied into the picking the writer's favorite side?". The answer is, unfortunaltely, quite subjective. However, if the player can pick either choice and feel like the game has treated him fairly with the natural consequences of that choice, then its politics done right.
Very good point.
On that I agree, I remember even in Witcher 3 one of the most anti-woke games I got this feeling when having to chose between the Nordic sister and brother (forgot their name) that the game was so pushing you to chose the chick and made the brother look like a freaking moron but somehow the people liked him cause he was a dude, even made a jab that the chick was not only smarter but could beat the buff as fuck warrior brother in a fist fight.
Yeah, that was somewhat annoying. But then again, it was one of the only moments.
Also its sort of explained that if you chose her, Skellige would eventally lose what makes it Skellige, and turn into just another realm like the ones on the continent. That in itself is quite a decent couterpoint to the other dude being a bit of a moron.