FemHype

Assassin's Creed

One of the recent issues in the gaming industry that has been at the forefront of arguments is representation, especially in terms of gender, sexuality, and race. Some developers, when asked about why there are not more women, people of color, or LGBTQIA+ characters, offer the same excuse: there were no people like that at that time and place, so it wouldn’t make sense to put them there. This shows up in games like Assassin’s Creed, The Witcher, and many others. Hearing this always sends a shiver of irritation up my spine as someone who was working on a Masters in History, focused on the Middle Ages. I can say that those developers are categorically wrong.

I think the problem lies in a few areas. One of the largest stumbling blocks in this is the white man-centric nature of the historical narrative that gets taught. When history becomes simply…

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Published by cypheroftyr

Tanya DePass is the founder and Director of I Need Diverse Games, a non-profit organization based in Chicago, which is dedicated to better diversification of all aspects of gaming. I Need Diverse Games serves the community by supporting marginalized developers attend the Game Developer Conference by participating in the GDC Scholarship program, helps assist attendance at other industry events, and is seeking partnership with organizations and initiatives. Tanya is a lifelong Chicagoan who loves everything about gaming, #INeedDiverseGames spawn point, and wants to make it better and more inclusive for everyone. She founded and was the EIC of Fresh Out of Tokens podcast where games culture was discussed and viewed through a lense of feminism, intersectionality and diversity. Now she’s a co-host on Spawn on Me Podcast. Along with all of that, she’s the Programming Coordinator for OrcaCon, she often speaks on issues of diversity, feminism, race, intersectionality & other topics at multiple conventions throughout the year. Her writing about games and games critique appears in Uncanny Magazine, Polygon, Wiscon Chronicles, Vice Gaming, Paste Games, Mic, and other publications.