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Helldivers 2’s Politics Appear To Be Flying Over The Heads Of Some (www.forbes.com)
submitted 7 months ago by Stopthatgirl7@lemmy.world to c/games@sh.itjust.works
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There is currently a very funny, kind of sad dust-up over Helldivers 2, in which self-proclaimed “anti-woke” gamers have previously heralded it as a rare game where they believe “politics” does not play a factor. Their faith was been shaken by an Arrowhead community manager they believed they found to be (gasp) progressive who was then subsequently harassed, but their head-scratching reading of Helldivers 2 as a “non-political” game is worth examining.

The only thing that makes sense is that these players have the shallowest of surface-level readings of the game. You are a patriotic soldier serving Super Earth. You must kill bugs and evil robots trying to hurt your brothers-in-arms and innocent citizens. There are no storylines to insert progressive causes into, everyone wears helmets so no “forced diversity.” Therefore, no politics.

Of course, this is…wildly off the mark, as Helldivers 2 is about the most blatantly obvious satire of militaristic fascism since the film that inspired it, Starship Troopers.

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[-] MolochAlter@lemmy.world -2 points 7 months ago

I never actually mentioned Bethesda so I don’t know why you went straight there.

When someone says "fallout is not political" what I hear is "the fallout games I played are not political."

The Bethesda games are the ones most people have played, and those have absolutely shit political depth, so the idea that "fallout is not political" is valid. It technically is but the message is so dirt simple it would make Will Smith's musical career look like the epitome of edgy content.

Fallout is inherently political, it’s a gigantic criticism of the US after all, politics and everything.

Technically so is calling americans fat and lazy, doesn't make it insightful or particularly complex, which is my point: if a "political" dilemma is shallow enough it decays into a moral one or simply into a non-issue.

It’s 100% a black and white choice that’s there because it’s memorable and nothing else.

I was being exceedingly charitable but my point stands, this is the caliber of choices you have to "think" about in the bethesda fallout games: cartoonish evil or sensible normal person.

I’m not going to bother with the rest, it’s too long.

Sorry for trying to have an actual in depth conversation and not a soundbyte like "hurr durr the people who disagree with me are media illiterates." Don't let the door hit your ass on the way out.

this post was submitted on 07 Apr 2024
626 points (94.8% liked)

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