Dominius: So, I better buy all the EE to support the evil all-encompassing SJW agenda which will destroying gaming for everyo... well, only for regressive idiots.
If there's more diversity in games, fine - even if it's for diversity's sake.
I can't imagine why someone should have a problem with that except s/he is homophobic/sexist/racist/etc.
Some characters are gay now, so what? That's great!
And including a trans character is a nice addition, especially if the story isn't a big deal - because it shouldn't be. There's loads of transphobia in the real world and too many of my friends are suffering because of it. So why is it bad if there's a trans char included in the game to make a stand against the exclusion of transpeople?
verus27: The problem isn't that there's a trans character. The problem is that it was not handled well. If they wanted to include a character that is trans, in a setting where it shouldn't matter as much as it does in the real world, there are better ways to do it.
Here's how I would have done it. Have the party come across a character that was cursed after innocently picking up an item in a cave. The item caused them to become a biological man. This character still has the mind of a woman, which is what they were born with. The character hasn't been able to find anybody to believe them, take them seriously or de-curse them in a few years (maybe they are far away from any wizards). After this much time, and knowing that their body is wrong, they are starting to have mental problems. They are getting close to a full break down when the party finds them. The party can then go on a quest, with this character, to break the curse and restore the character to how they want to be. This gives us more content, while also providing an in-universe way to bring up the idea/politics that the writer wanted to work with.
Now, there are problems with this, and it would have to be fleshed out considerably to be made a part of a game. That said, if handled right, this setup could be used as an allegory for what trans people go through. I am not a writer and I have zero experience with trans gendered people, but I'm willing to bet that this would be a way to handle the topic in a more subtle and dignified way than what Beamdog went with.
Which is the problem. They want to inject their own ideas, politics, issues, etc. into a game that is beloved by a lot of people. Then, they went and did it in one of the most hamfisted, blunt and, quite frankly, amateurish ways imaginable. Now, they don't understand why people are a bit upset about it.
If it is like you say (I haven't played the expansion yet), I can agree. You've pointed out a problem, analysed it and provided an alternative... That's what I expect from a qualified discussion.
The problem seems to be that many people here obviously are incapable off differentiating between criticism and the propagation of their own views. Or, the other way round: they seem to feel personally offended by something which goes against their VIEWS, but not against their persons themselves.
And frankly, don't ask art to be respectful. I'm a bit hesitant to call the BGs art, but if you do, beamdog has the right to add it's own interpretations just like anyone else. If you forbid that, you miss out on many great works of art (admittedly, you'd avoid much crap also, but there you go...)
