Subj : Jagged Alliance 3 developers decline to comment on use of ableist To : All From : TechnologyDaily Date : Thu Jul 13 2023 14:15:04 Jagged Alliance 3 developers decline to comment on use of ableist slur Date: Thu, 13 Jul 2023 13:00:52 +0000 Description: In 2023, Jagged Alliance 3 is launching with a character using a slur. FULL STORY ====================================================================== Strategy game Jagged Alliance 3 launches later this week, and when it does it will launch with a character using an ableist slur to describe a differently abled friend. The character, Headshot Hue, hangs out in a bar in one of the games early areas and uses it to describe his former mercenary colleague, Lurch, who runs one of the in-game bars. If asked whats wrong with Lurch, Hue will explain that Lurch too was the victim of the same event which left Headshot Hue shot in the head - hence the nickname - and then describes him with the slur. Afterward, the character mentions the transgressive language by saying I say it with love, hes my partner, hes my boy. It just makes it easier to use one of those old words when I gotta remind him he aint pissed in a while. Screenshots of the conversation are below but do contain bigoted language. The game is developed by Haemimont Games, best known for titles like the recent Stranded: Alien Dawn, the sublime Surviving Mars, and Tropico 3, 4, and 5 . When asked to comment on the studios inclusion of a slur, Haemimont Games declined to comment. Image 1 of 3 (Image credit: THQ Nordic) Image 2 of 3 (Image credit: THQ Nordic) Image 3 of 3 (Image credit: THQ Nordic) My feelings on this are pretty nuanced. Im reminded of a conversation I had with a narrative designer who said that writers should be free to write about bigoted characters. If you watch your HBO show of choice, youll see slurs tossed around all over the place, even. However, in this case, many of the characters, being outwardly hateful, are either portrayed as backward or meet sticky ends. In a game thats largely about embracing action movie excess, the line feels like a total tone shift, and a slap in the face In this case, Hue tells you this about Lurch before roping you in on a quest where you rob him, with your last interaction with the quest-giver being when you personally buy the stolen goods from him. None of your characters call him out for his behaviour, and as far as Ive played through the campaign (50 hours or so), hes still just kicking around at the bar without comeuppance. While thats not the magic trigger that would make using a slur okay, it is examined by the game would definitely give me more faith that it wasnt put in there as a punchline. In a game thats largely about embracing action movie excess, the line feels like a total tone shift, and a slap in the face. While theres no indication that the team is looking to use the word to be harmful, its a slur that has been weaponised against people around the world. We can and should be better than this, and it seems like it wouldnt be a huge step to have used something less offensive in this case. ====================================================================== Link to news story: https://www.techradar.com/gaming/jagged-alliance-3-developers-decline-to-comme nt-on-use-of-ableist-slur --- Mystic BBS v1.12 A47 (Linux/64) * Origin: tqwNet Technology News (1337:1/100) .