360°

Star Wars Battlefront 2's Janina Gavankar on Diversity, the Voice Actor Strike

USGamer: "There aren't many of us Indians around the gaming industry, much less so in leading roles in blockbuster, triple-A games. So when I sat down to talk with Janina Gavankar recently, I was intrigued as to how her heritage had impacted her gaming in childhood, as it did mine, as well as how she landed the role of Commander Iden Versio in Star Wars Battlefront 2. "

EatCrow2378d ago

There would be if thats what people cared about.
We dont care about diversity. Just good games. You want a lead indian chick thats fine but make it a good game first and foremost. Nobody identifies with these characters...they can perhaps identify with the story surrounding the character but not with the physical appearance of the character.

Same with movies. You dont watch them because you identify with the lead roles. You watch it for the story.

And im not sure you want to compare hollywood to gaming. A bunch of pedophiles in that industry so i wouldnt take it as a good thing if this actress thinks gaming is ahead of hollywood...definitely ahead with all the bullshit though.

tactfool282378d ago

Interesting theory. But you are wrong about character development. Where do you think a story comes from? Without a character, their would be no story. The "hero's journey" is what most games are about.

I agree that diversity is a non issue in games, and only matters to minorities looking for jobs... But your lack of basic plot structure tells me you are unsure of what you say.

The_Kills2378d ago (Edited 2378d ago )

"diversity is a non issue in games, and only matters to minorities looking for jobs"

This proves better than any of my words that you have absolutely no idea what you're talking about.

fsydow12378d ago

You would be called a minority in india too...But your lack of basic knowledge tells me your an idiot.

bluefox7552378d ago (Edited 2378d ago )

Yet, Indian-Americans, the group the article is written about, are the highest paid ethnic group in the US. So, despite their minority status, I think they're doing okay in the jobs department.

Soulst0rmer2378d ago

She should play Chloe Fraser's sister in an Uncharted game

EatCrow2378d ago (Edited 2378d ago )

Actually I never talked about character development in my comment. So I cant be wrong about something i didnt get into in my comment. I talked about the story surrounding the character which includes development as characters do not develop on their own....events trigger development.

Skull5212378d ago

Game is set in the Star Wars galaxy so the character isn’t Indian at all. Disney is ruining Star Wars with its pc and diversity bullshit. I have no problem with diversity except when it is forced and not natural. I mean Disney’s first major 3 Star Wars projects all feature a female lead? Give me a break... (VII, Rogue One, BF2)

battlegrog2377d ago

Yes but with video games he's right. Character development is a much more rare thing. He's right it's more about the story. Not nearly as many games that get you behind the characters like in last of us. But even with that game it's still more about the story.

With movies it's the actors ability to embody the character that will drive a good story or not. A good story can be terrible if the characters are bad in a movie but people don't but notice that nearly as much in games because it's harder to emotionally connect

+ Show (4) more repliesLast reply 2377d ago
d3nworth12378d ago

We have games half demon, demi gods, robots, foxes, aliens etc. Diversity in games is not an issue.

Kratos_Kart20072378d ago

because those are real right??

subtenko2378d ago

I hope you are an Asian commenter, we need more of those on N4G. Btw I didnt read your comment, I just think its something we need....

^see what I did there...

just-joe2377d ago

"You dont watch them because you identify with the lead roles"

Well yes and no. You can want to watch a movie because a character appeals or even identifies with your personality wise. I do believe that very little identify with a character solely because of their gender, race, or even creed.

+ Show (1) more replyLast reply 2377d ago
Retard2378d ago

Good for you. *slow clap*

2378d ago
Diffraction_Fos2378d ago

Agreed.

I read the title and thought - "Oh good. A 'diversity' headline yet again. We definitely definitely need more of those...... /s".

Funny because, as an Asian gamer, my enjoyment of games do not depend on how many digital Asian faces or Asian-looking faces they put in front of me. This inability of some people to separate video games and identity politics is annoying to the extreme. Unlike those people, I don't jump up and exclaim, "An Asian character. YESS. Victory!" or some such retarded nonsense. I couldn't care less if a game has or hasn't got characters of oriental origins. That is not why I play games.

Apparently as a "discriminated minority"(the words of lib-tards), I'm supposed to be insulted if there happens to be a group of friends without a single Asian person. It seems we're expected to be omni-present according to these over-sensitive morons on the left.

Doomster19712378d ago

Bloody hell. She's bloody hot. Now I suppose I better read the story :)

andrewsquall2378d ago

Who would have thought it with that atrocious generic Frostbite 2.0 engine female character model they actually went with in the game.

xenz2378d ago

Frostbite is a great engine. Care to explain why you think its not?

bluefox7552378d ago (Edited 2378d ago )

"There aren't many of us Indians around the gaming industry, much less so in leading roles in blockbuster, triple-A games."
This might have something to do with Indians making up only 1% of the US population. Interestingly enough though, despite the relative shortage of forced diversity by progressives, Indian-Americans are still the highest income earning ethnic group in the US. With the average Indian household making $107,000 per year, compared to the average "white" household making about $60,000 a year.

MadLad2378d ago

It's why I am always "that guy" arguing the merit of so-called "white privilege" throughout the Americas and Europe. I always say, before you even try to justify that stance, you need to then address Asian/Indian-American "privilege".

bluefox7552378d ago

It's a fair point. If we're supposed to accept the idea that all non-whites are being "systemically oppressed" by a "white supremacist patriarchal society", then we should be able to explain why this oppression has failed to stop non whites from rising to the top echelons of society. It's not even limited to just Asians, even Nigerian-Americans make a bit more than white people do.

ZombieGamerMan2378d ago

bluefox755 That's because "diversity" just means anti-white. When people call for a more "diverse" gaming, movie, work place, schools etc what they are really is saying that there should be less white people. Look at what happened to Apple's vp of diversity, said white people are also diverse and got fired for it, and she was a black woman.

Show all comments (48)
250°

Neil Druckmann clarifies true intent of new Naughty Dog game comments

Following a recent interview with Sony, Naughty Dog head Neil Druckmann claims the original intent was “unfortunately lost” in the process.

just_looken1d 2h ago

He can take dog shit put it in a oven with seasoning then call it waistland cookies the sony fans will pay $40 a cookie give them a medal of cooking.

No mater what trash this sobs puts out/talks about it will sell.

The true fact in the 8 years sense uncharted 4 his first time in the main seat to a point all this "amazing" team did was get 2 dudes to fuck in a van then destroy a franchise they never created.

But being a port studio they are decent at they should keep in there lane at being just that a glorified port studio.

fr0sty1d 1h ago

Salty Bots... gotta love it.

just_looken1d ago

@frosty

Over what? naught dog under his command is a glorified port team tlou2 was mostly tlou 1 asset's with the same game play loop but forced a trans down your throat.

I would gladly help pay for this blight and his team to get removed from gaming in general.

fr0sty21h ago

Seeing a LGBT person exist in a work of fiction isn't "forcing them down your throat". Nobody is forcing you to play it. Nobody is forcing you to agree with it. If you think that just seeing a LGBT person exist is "force", it sounds like they make you very uncomfortable, and maybe you need to be doing some serious reflecting on exactly why... looks to me like you're suppressing something with all that fear.

just_looken20h ago

@fro

When i think of the last of us i think of a group of survivors crossing the apocalypse wasteland with a growing bond between 2 people that end up with Joel making ellie his new daughter.

Then you fire up the 2nd one bang joel is dead oh that comic series? bang dead

Oh you want to continue all that we grew in the first one? na f that toss it in the trash

Now here is a trans woman so strong superboy would blush go out there kill all what made tlou1 then halfway get a forced sex scene that you can not skip between 2 dudes.

The gameplay? just like the first game the combat/backpack system crafting sytem? 0 changes/improvements.

I could go on but lets face it they copy pasted that tlou 1 assets bin a shit ton of times.

There is nothing on the box or the ads or anything before the game that said you would going to spend most of the game controlling a new trans character that has no ties to anything of the first game the only existence was to kill what the first game made.

Oh but hey there is a mp mode coming out before 2022 wait what is that? oh we made it its own game then cancelled it now go but the game again as we port it a few times.

https://www.youtube.com/wat...

mkis00719h ago(Edited 19h ago)

What has Straley or Henig released since they left ND? Not a thing! stop scapegoating! Which of them is credited with co-writing a majorly successful show?

just_looken18h ago

@mkis007

You bring up Bruce Straley really? someone that gave us 4 generations of amazing games and was there in the creation of 4 legendary franchises but was tossed in the trash for the pos niel druckmann not 7? years ago

So yeah in those 7? years you right all he has done is get 2 awards one is a game award for a puzzle game he made oh boy right like for fuck sake's all niel has done is one game that was a overhyped fan boy orgasm underneath all that ps jizz was just a typical 5/10 game.

Then you drag Amy Hennig that poor woman was also kicked out then became this century's Brendan Fraser with her sexual misconduct information coming out.

We all know how horrible people are treated behind the scenes she might have been sexual attacked groped or something.

So yeah all she did after was battlefield hardline forspoken now that new marvel 1945 game but hey Brendan Fraser was a great actor till he also said he was sexually attacked just now he is allowed back in no doubt she also had to take a leave of absence out and or was forced out on ice.

Man there are way to many out there that look at niel at the new gaming jesus when all he had done is some work on uncharted 4 then tlou2

Oh also the tvhshow? for real all they did was use stuff from the 2013 game its like saying GOT was a 10/10 but never watching past season 3

-Foxtrot15h ago

@mkis007

That's highly unfair to them both

Amy Hennig got messed around working on projects that got cancelled by the publishers (EA) and then ended up on a awful game (Forspoken) where you had 4 other writers working on it which is just a recipe for disaster. She is now working on Marvel 1943: Rise of Hydra. Not her fault she was pushed out of NaughtyDog, something both Nolan North and Richard McGonagle have both said in interviews.

Bruce Straley left after burn out, the rest of the story we don't know and will never know just like what happened with Amy Hennig. He decided to take a break and wasn't sure if he wanted to come back to gaming however he had an idea he wanted to make so he founded Wildflower Interactive, a smaller studio where they are currently working on a new game.

Tacoboto14h ago

@the obvious stain of a commenter

The trans character wasn't Abby. Try playing Part 2 instead of gatekeeping what you think Part 1 was about and meant.

Maybe try watching the show while you're at it, because you're terribly off with your opinion on that too

MajorLazer11h ago

Naughty Dog is better than all the MS studios put together.

derek11h ago(Edited 11h ago)

@just he has been behind 2 of the greatest games ever made. Tlou2 was easily the best non-vr game made last gen. Losers just can't get over Joel's death, mixed with the usual console war nonsense. The fact that you so casually call him a sob shows how deranged some gamers have become about Drunkmann.

derek11h ago

@frosty, for people like Just, including anyone that can be categorized as being a minority in any kind of media is "forcing it down his throat " lol. I to don't care for poor "checking box" inclusion for inclusion sake but that was not the case with tlou2.

fr0sty10h ago(Edited 10h ago)

The pathetic part about it is, you can tell just_looken never even played TLOU, because that was the game where Ellie's sexuality was first brought to light... No "that was forced down our throats" to be said about that.

Only terrified folks in the closet that use their hatred as cover from outing themselves fear LGBT people that much. They exist. They will exist in all aspects of life, including popular media. Get over it.

just_looken3h ago

@all

Once again you drag out something like its a big win

Here is my old channel a clip of me playing TLOU on ps3
https://www.youtube.com/wat...

Search my channel for more clips

Proof its my channel? look at this profiles banner that is 7yrs old then look at other vids on that channel like my bf3 clips to see my psn id. But knowing this group that is way to much work.

Also elle being a lesbian is another trump card? one dlc is all we got of that a dlc that took over a year to be tossed out.

Rainbowcookie1h ago

Hey at least we have cookies to eat 😄

+ Show (12) more repliesLast reply 1h ago
Rangerman12081d 9h ago

Glad he clarified it but i'm still somewhat skeptical. Plus, his comments about how Ai will revolutionize storytelling were still pretty iffy.

anast1d 9h ago

No need to bow down, Stan your ground. The AI comments were gross though.

S2Killinit1d 9h ago

Pretty excited as I read these. I just cant wait to see what ND is up to.

Export1d 6h ago

put a chick in it and make her gay !

shadowknight2031d 4h ago

Next they need a diverse couple, and perhaps some climate activists

StormSnooper12h ago(Edited 12h ago)

I would love that if only to piss off all the lunatics. Lol

Show all comments (25)
170°

Naughty Dog Boss Neil Druckmann Says AI Will 'Revolutionize' Development

Druckmann claims the tech could 'push the boundaries of storytelling in games.'

Read Full Story >>
gamedeveloper.com
Jin_Sakai3d ago

I’m more interested in what else he said.

“Neil Druckmann says new Naughty Dog title could ‘redefine mainstream perceptions of gaming’

2d ago Replies(6)
H92d ago

It will be something like "we erased gameplay all together it's just a movie now"

purple1012d ago

every time naughty dog make a game, you play it and get the feeling "this is not possible'

from the boulder running towards you in crash, on ps1,
to the massive open world of jak and daxter, on ps2,
to the QuickTime events sequences of uncharted on ps3/4

and now we will see what they do with ps5,

H92d ago

Press X for doubt at "PS5"

-Foxtrot2d ago (Edited 2d ago )

Arrogant asshole who sniffs his own farts bigs up next game…sounds like typical PR to me

You know what I find interesting? Almost every site reporting this as the main title where the REAL interesting bit of the interview is Neil praising AI and saying it will be used to help push story, characters, dialogue and more.

It’s super shitty to big up AI especially when it comes to story telling and other creative elements.

senorfartcushion2d ago

Just because someone says this type of stuff, it doesn't mean that it's guaranteed to be good news.

You can say this about microtransactions. MXTs revolutionised the gaming industry.

+ Show (2) more repliesLast reply 2d ago
Levii_922d ago

Geez how full of themselves are these guys.

Einhander19722d ago

He also said it has "ethical issues we need to address" but of course that doesn't get the clicks.

CrimsonWing692d ago

I’m all for it. Cuts the time to make a game. Look, Hellblade 2 took 5 years to make, if AI can do that in half the time, as a consumer, I support it.

Chard2d ago

Things will get far sloppier brother

Show all comments (24)
70°

The Witcher 3 REDkit Q&A - CDPR & Yigsoft Confirm Steam Workshop Support; Further Changes Planned

CD Projekt RED and Yigsoft have launched The Witcher 3 REDkit on PC. We interviewed both studios to discuss the release of these mod tools.

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wccftech.com