Let's talk about the games that don't use mysogynistic, transphobic or racist tropes.

[grassgremlin]

Edit: I edited this post to make the topic more relevant to the discussion. Feel free to suggest a better wording for this topic if you think this one isn't relevant enough.

This is my first forum topic and the discussion is simple.
I want to open the door to the positive aspects of video games. Let's discuss the games that don't fall into the usual lazy tropes.

With the nature of this subject, I accept topics on specific characters as well as entire games. Not all games mentioned are 100% progressive, but this thread can be used as a suggestion to recommend certain kinds of games that are a lot less offensive, but don't seem to get talked about as much.

I'll throw my hat in the ring, by discussing the game Megaman ZX.
Megaman ZX allows you to play both male or female who don't seem to play much different.
While one would assume they are simple palette swaps, in actuality you still gain a different narrative depending on the character you play, to the point it encourages you play the game twice.

Aile isn't so much a female Vent, which seems to only be illustrated by her appearance, but from what I experienced she has a very different personality. She's portrayed as kind of a hot blooded tomboy. Even more aggressive then her male counterpart. I also like to add the game doesn't have anything to do with saving princess and even features a female character who is in a position of authority and acts as a mentor somewhat.

Heck, even the villains seem to get on with this having too primary rivals that you have to face at the same time, Pandora and Prometheus.

To add, in the sequel ZX advent we have Atlas http://megaman.wikia.com/wiki/Atlas, a super strong female megaman and Thetis, http://megaman.wikia.com/wiki/Thetis, a kind of feminine male megaman. The art doesn't seem to care much about gender roles with these two. http://img3.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20101014042045/megaman/images/3/3b/ZXAFL.png

Here's a few characters in this series who also seem to not follow gender norms.
Hurricaune the Wolveroid - http://megaman.wikia.com/wiki/Hurricaune_the_Wolveroid
Hedgeshock the Erinaceroid - http://megaman.wikia.com/wiki/Hedgeshock_the_Erinaceroid
Rospark the Floroid - http://megaman.wikia.com/wiki/Rospark_the_Floroid (He's kind of a offensive stereotype though, unfortunately)
Argoyle & Ugoyle the Shisaroid - http://megaman.wikia.com/wiki/Argoyle_%26_Ugoyle_the_Shisaroids


That's most of what I got and I probably got a few things wrong, but that should open the discussion nicely. I add that I know the Megaman series has shaken up gender a lot, especially adding to the fact they are all robots. If it's not obvious, I really loved the ZX series.

 

[Strain42]

Pong: Pong is one of the most pure, innocent, clean games that exists. Impossible to argue that Pong is offensive in anyway*

*People will find a way...

 

[grassgremlin]

Pong: Pong is one of the most pure, innocent, clean games that exists. Impossible to argue that Pong is offensive in anyway*

*People will find a way...

The paddles are oppressing the ball, not allowing it to past. I call it's ballism.
In all seriousness, that makes a pretty hilariously fair case.

Pong started it all, so to speak. The first commercial video game didn't follow any other binary laws other then playing the game.

 

[thundra]

Spacewar, snake and tetris only games i can think of

 

[runequester]

Among all the talk of bad things, it's easy to forget that we've made a lot of progress too.
Fallout New Vegas had at least one gay character and didn't make any big fuss about it.
Skyrim lets you marry another dude (lady) and it's no big deal.

Heck, the old Ultima games let you get it on with a same-sex partner and at least one of them had "other" as a gender option


Now, if the discussion is games that aren't about murdering people, that's a little harder

 

[Tragedy's Rebellion]

Maybe The Sims? They've always included same-sex relationships (I think, I've forgotten how the first Sims did things) and all interactions are gender neutral, at least the majority, I can't think of a thing you can't do with one gender, but you can with the other (even pregnancy). I don't remember if you could change sexes while playing, but it doesn't really matter since all sims are interchangeable and gender is superficial.

For all the shit The Sims gets nowadays (deserved, because EA) it at least is inclusive and fun and doesn't bar you from having fun, no matter how and with what sims you want to play.

 

[Darth Rosenberg]

It's a tad subjective depending on one's individuals tastes, sure, but I'd say Saints Row IV felt remarkably inclusive/progressive.

Gender norms are another matter, though, and I couldn't really name any games that I've played and enjoyed which treat that in anything else but heteronormative contexts.

Well, I suppose Shale in Dragon Age Origins counts... They don't really have a gender anymore, and the script pokes fun at that (through other characters, or your own chosen dialogue), whilst embracing and normalising it.

 

[clinicalPsychologist]

Maybe The Sims? They've always included same-sex relationships (I think, I've forgotten how the first Sims did things) and all interactions are gender neutral, at least the majority, I can't think of a thing you can't do with one gender, but you can with the other (even pregnancy). I don't remember if you could change sexes while playing, but it doesn't really matter since all sims are interchangeable and gender is superficial.

For all the shit The Sims gets nowadays (deserved, because EA) it at least is inclusive and fun and doesn't bar you from having fun, no matter how and with what sims you want to play.

Definetly the Sims!
I also liked The Walking Dead for having diverse characters that didn't feel like running tropes (well, except for the bad guys).

 

[Guerilla]

Spacewar, snake and tetris only games i can think of

Snake glorifies masculinity as you play with a phallic symbol that keeps growing. Where is the female representation in that game? WHERE?

 

[veloper]

UFO: enemy unknown.
The boys and girls get an equal share of killing aliens. No skimpy armor sets or stuff like that. Specieist maybe, but that's not the same as racist, so it counts.
Also it's a great classic strategy game that didn't need any of this pandering bullshit.

Thomas was alone. There boy blocks and girl blocks and all are necessary to complete the levels.

The Blackwell series. The first 2 games are really good AGs. The blackwell ladies aren't guys with boobs on, or sluts, or damsels and they succeed in not being boring either. So just plain good characters.

For just the genderless games (when Pong counts) there's a gazillion games and many great ones too, like Total Annihilation, Enemy Mind, Space Manbow, Antichamber, Atom Zombie Smasher, Defense Grid, Shatter...

 

[DaWaffledude]

Pong: Pong is one of the most pure, innocent, clean games that exists. Impossible to argue that Pong is offensive in anyway*

*People will find a way...

Both paddles are white.

OT: I noticed in Tomb Raider 2013, that all the survivors that die happen to be the white ones (excluding Lara, of course), in contrast to the cliché of "the minorities die first". Granted, none of the characters in Tomb Raider were very fleshed out, but it was a nice change of scenery, at least.

Also, X-Com, which I played a couple of hours of and gave up (curse you RNG and unpredictable enemy spawns), had soldiers of varying size, race and gender, which was again, a nice change in scenery if nothing else.

 

[Guerilla]

Spacewar, snake and tetris only games i can think of

Snake glorifies masculinity as you play with a phallic symbol that keeps getting larger and larger. Where is the female representation in that game? WHERE?

HAHAHA HA YOU SO FUNNY

I agree, sexism and misogynism are NOT funny. We're trying to free society from the tyranny of men here, there's no room for humor or the so-called "fun".

 

[Guerilla]

Yes, that's the way to disprove the claims that you guys have no tolerance for humor, by telling me to fuck off when I'm just kidding.

 

[thundra]

Yes, that's the way to disprove the claims that you have no tolerance for humor, by telling me to fuck off when I'm just kidding.

I literally find you boring. You are not George Carling. If you had least little originality i might consider. You are not funny in the slightest

 

[Guerilla]

Yes, that's the way to disprove the claims that you have no tolerance for humor, by telling me to fuck off when I'm just kidding.

I literally find you boring. You are not George Carling. If you had least little originality i might consider. You are not funny in the slightest

Oh, so do you always tell people that you find boring to fuck off and go away? So you're in a group of friends, let's say 10 people, and someone makes a joke which you find boring; what you immediately do, naturally, is to tell them to fuck off, right?

 

[DaWaffledude]

Pong: Pong is one of the most pure, innocent, clean games that exists. Impossible to argue that Pong is offensive in anyway*

*People will find a way...

Both paddles are white.

I've only ever seen it portrayed in black and white, so it'd be a shockingly difficult game if one was black and the other white.

Even if the game had a black character, the very graphics of the game would make them an inferior character to play, through no fault of their own. Racism is hard-coded into that game.

 

[thundra]

Yes, that's the way to disprove the claims that you have no tolerance for humor, by telling me to fuck off when I'm just kidding.

I literally find you boring. You are not George Carling. If you had least little originality i might consider. You are not funny in the slightest

Oh, so do you always tell people that you find boring to fuck off and go away? So you're in a group of friends, let's say 10 people, and someone makes a joke which you find boring; what you immediately do, naturally, is to tell them to fuck off, right?

On the internet yes. Now leave me alone or i will report you for annoying me on purpose i don't want to talk to you.