Forgotten Realms Creator Ed Greenwood weighs in on Baldur's Gate trans controversy.

[death87]

https://www.facebook.com/TheEdVerse/?fref=nf

I am saddened by what I hear of the current kerfluffle raging about Siege of Dragonspear and the trans character Amber Scott designed and included in it.

Folks, the Realms have ALWAYS had characters (mortals and deities) who crossdressed, changed gender (and not just to sneak past guards in an adventure, by way of shapeshifting magic or illusions), were actively bisexual, and openly gay. How underscored this was by TSR and later Wizards varied over time, and was always softpedaled, because D&D wasn't a sex game, and we generally don't rub the reader's nose in sex unless there's a good in-story reason for it.

But even deities have changed gender, sometimes for good, and the servants of deities (Elminster, in ELMINSTER: THE MAKING OF A MAGE) have sometimes been forced by the deity to "spend time as the other" to learn what life is like.
So it has always been there, and is an integral part of the Realms. With that said, I've never met a gamer yet who doesn't tinker with every adventure to "make it their own" at their own gaming table, so if trans, LGBT, or sexual matters at all don't suit your tastes and needs in your gaming sessions, leave it out or change it.

But D&D has half-orcs, and half-dragons, and half-elves, and has magic items that specifically change gender, right there in the rules. Surely, if you can handle the basic notion of cross-SPECIES sex, having a full variety of gender roles should be something that doesn't blow your mind. If it's not for you, that's fine. I hate wearing certain shades of yellow. But I don't scream and yell at someone I see wearing those shades of yellow, and call them names, and threaten things. My right to dislike yellow applies to me; it doesn't extend to others. Because somehow, through an incredible oversight on the part of the universe that still hasn't been rectified, no one made me a god. (I'm still crushed.)

And another thing: I have always felt HONOURED to have met, worked with, and enjoyed the work of so many talented women in all of my professional fields (library work has traditionally been dominated by females, gaming hasn't, and fiction-writing was male-dominated when I was young, but has steadily shifted throughout my lifetime). Does Paul Jaquays becoming Jennell Jaquays rob his, now her, artwork or game design or prose of one iota of its richness and the enjoyment it gives me? NO! And how by the Nine flaming Hells does one human being made happier by being the gender they prefer to be lessen my own security, or happiness, or make my life the less?
Sheesh.

The world has REAL problems, people. Telling someone else how to behave in bed (or dress, or what jobs they can hold down) isn't one of them. Or shouldn't be.

For those saying it's not about transphobia here's a collection of steam and GoG reviews focusing on hating the character for being trans.

http://www.craveonline.com/entertain...te-controversy

http://www.craveonline.com/entertain...xual-character

and for those saying no minor npc ever forces their background..

I've definitely never, ever walked up to an NPC in a role-playing game and had them inexplicably dish out their life story to me.

Wait that happens all the time. "Hi I just stole all the bread off your shelf and rummaged through your dresser upstairs." "Oh, I've been living alone ever since my husband ran off with that lizard man a decade ago. My estranged son lives with his wife across the river, but I can't find the courage to go talk to him. Our family has a long history of witchcraft, you see, and..."

[Pengalor]

Oh look, another person who completely missed why people are angry and made it about some imagined transphobia.

[Toccs]

He sure is giving that straw man a right beating!

[Darkfie1d]

Once again people missed the entire point by attributing this to hate, harassment and transphobia, good job.

[Noradin]

Oh look, another person who completely missed why people are angry and made it about some imagined transphobia.

So, why are people angry?
(Yes, that is a genuine question. Explain it to me.)

[death87]

So, why are people angry?
(Yes, that is a genuine question. Explain it to me.)

the character mentioning that they're trans. So many gamers triggered over it and wants it to be censored.

[Acidbaron]

the character mentioning that they're trans. So many gamers triggered over it and wants it to be censored.

Reads as transphobia to me.

[Toccs]

the character mentioning that they're trans. So many gamers triggered over it and wants it to be censored.

No that's not it at all.

This is = http://nichegamer.com/2016/04/04/tal...riting-horrid/

[Deleted]

https://www.facebook.com/TheEdVerse/?fref=nf

Well he's not wrong. But if something is badly written and shoehorned in, it usually gets a bad reaction.
Transsexual it is a thing of the mind. Having a wand that turns you into the other gender, is NOT the same thing.

[Deleted]

How to make un unfailable game:

1) make a game (doesn't need to be good or anything)

2) add a trans character

3) as soon as someone complains about the bugs, shoddy programming, poor optimization, missing features, clunky UI, fanfiction.net level of writing and the mental gymnastics the writer is doing on twitter...

You stand up, grin maliciously at the opponents and yell: You have just activated my TRAP CARD (pun actually not intended but it fits, doesn't it?). By critisizing a game with a trans character you have allowed me to use my "Transmisogyny!" trap card, which enables me to demonize you forevermore online! MWARHARHARHARHARHAR!

4) VICTORY! (not profit though, because potential buyers will give you a cold and tired stare and mumble "notto disu shitto agen")

[Blayze]

"Hi! I'm trans!" followed by no option to select anything other than "you're stunning and brave" as a reply is not good writing or characterisation, and certainly not anything an IE RPG should contain.

[Strangebrew]

So, why are people angry?
(Yes, that is a genuine question. Explain it to me.)

You can start with that this is a clear cut case of developers trying to push an ideology onto people, then you can go on with how the developers is outright attacking their own customers and censoring them over complaints, wether those complaints are political driven or genuine technical complaints(because there is a shitload of technical issues)

Then you can start with how the developers is trying to claim that the complaints is GG harrasement(Which it isn't) and that they are now trying to engage the likes of fucking Jezebel into this.

People are angry because they wanted a nostalgia trip, what they got was a political driven garbage from the developers.
Not only that, but when they go as far as to fuck with the original characters, trying to claim how the original story and character's was sexist and blah blah, it show's how fucking clueless the developers are but who will force their ideology onto it nontheless, of course people are going to be pissed.


When even actual transsexuals are complaining about the trans characters, and calling the developers out on their bullshit, it should ring some fucking bells.


And no, regardless of how much Ed Greenwood trying to chimp in on this, having LGBT character's shout out their sexuality and the likes as the first thing when you interact with them, in a world where you can change gender's on the whims, does not make any sense.
And then there is the obvious GG joke, where instead of making a light hearted joke, the developers rather just outright attack GG with it.



Just to put emphasis on the attitude of the writer for the expansion, Amber Scott.
This is a real quote by her.

“If there was something for the original Baldur’s Gate that just doesn’t mesh for modern day gamers like the sexism, [we tried to address that],” […] “In the original there’s a lot of jokes at women’s expense. Or if not a lot, there’s a couple, like Safana was just a sex object in BG 1, and Jaheira was the nagging wife and that was played for comedy. We were able to say, ‘No, that’s not really the kind of story we want to make.’ In Siege of Dragonspear, Safana gets her own little storyline, she got a way better personality upgrade. If people don’t like that, then too bad.”

Safana a sex object? Jaheira a nagging wife?
Come the fuck on, give me a fucking break.

Someone already linked the Nichegamer article, read it.

[Pengalor]

So, why are people angry?
(Yes, that is a genuine question. Explain it to me.)

People aren't angry because the character is trans but because the character and the interaction with said character is so poorly written that it's clear she's only there as a token trans character. It completely ripped people out of the game because the character practically blurts out that they are trans when there's no real reason for it and your only options are to just randomly walk away or praise them. The writer has been quoted as saying (paraphrased) that they are happy to put in 'diversity', even if it feels forced.

So, in short, people are angry because their beloved series is now in the hands of people who want to use it to soapbox, even if it comes at the expense of quality. If the devs had created their own game and own world then no one would have cared but they used an existing IP in order to shoehorn in their personal agenda at the expense of the atmosphere of the game. On top of this, there's also a voice file for a character that randomly takes a mocking shot at Gamergate (which obviously feels very out of place in a high fantasy world).

Edit: It also doesn't help that the game has widely been considered a buggy piece of shit on top of everything and they are using claims of transphobia to deflect any of that criticism as well.

[death87]

No that's not it at all.

This is = http://nichegamer.com/2016/04/04/tal...riting-horrid/

Well those are valid complaints but most of the complaints are, alone, directed right at that trans character with gamers wanting the character to be removed. There's even a ton of youtube videos glorifying players outright killing said character.

[Moralgy]

People are raging that a character says they are trans in some game? Gasp! Never saw that coming >.>

Or is it something else I'm not getting from that fb post?

[nextormento]

This baldurgate-gate thing is a perfect example of missing the point entirely.

[Pengalor]

Well those are valid complaints but most of the complaints are, alone, directed right at that trans character with gamers wanting the character to be removed. There's even a ton of youtube videos glorifying players outright killing said character.

Yes, because the character is terribly written and a representation of the developers injecting their social politics soapboxing where it isn't wanted, not because the character is trans.

[Deleted]

People are raging that a character says they are trans in some game? Gasp! Never saw that coming >.>

Or is it something else I'm not getting from that fb post?

The other side maybe? Because that FB post is rather onesided.

[nextormento]

Well those are valid complaints but most of the complaints are, alone, directed right at that trans character with gamers wanting the character to be removed.

Could you source this to anything verifiable?
Some source that actually digs through the comments instead of decrying what they wished they were criticizing.

[Toccs]

Well those are valid complaints but most of the complaints are, alone, directed right at that trans character with gamers wanting the character to be removed. There's even a ton of youtube videos glorifying players outright killing said character.

The minority of idiots you get them everywhere. The link i posted hardly mentions the trans character so i can tell you didn't read it.