In an interview with IGN, Final Fantasy XVI producer Naoki Yoshida addressed the apparent lack of racial diversity in the game’s trailers. “This is a difficult question, but not a surprise,” said Yoshida.
“This is a difficult question, but not an unexpected one, as diversity in entertainment media has been a much-discussed topic ever since,” Yoshida began.
“Our design ideas from the early stages of development have always been deeply European in the Middle Ages, incorporating the historical, cultural, political and anthropological standards prevailing at the time. When deciding on a setting that best suited the story we wanted to tell – the story of a land besieged by Blight – we felt that instead of creating something on a global scale, it was necessary to create something on a global scale. limited in scope to a single land – a land that is geographically and culturally isolated from the rest of the world in an age without airplanes, televisions or telephones.”
As Yoshida had predicted, I was disappointed with the answer. In particular, invoking medieval Europe as a reason for homogeneity in a fantasy setting is infuriating. Partly because medieval Europe was diverse, and because messy history and middle age is weird.
However, Yoshida’s reaction didn’t stop there. “Ultimately, we feel that while incorporating ethnic diversity into Valistthea is important, over-incorporating into a single corner of a much larger world can lead to problems,” he said. violating the narrative boundaries we had originally set for ourselves,” he said. “The story we are telling is fantasy, yes, but it is also rooted in reality.
“By contrast, the Final Fantasy series of games has inherently always dealt with conflict and struggle, especially between those who are empowered and those who are used and/or exploited by a privileged few – a penny. prominent direction in human history.In a game that, by design, allows the player to experience that conflict and struggle directly through realistic, live battles, which can be a challenge when attributing particular ethnicities to villains or protagonists without causing prejudice to the audience, inviting unfounded speculation and ultimately stoking the flames of controversy. However, the direct inspiration from history is that it allows us to revisit and reconsider our own past, while also allowing us to create something new.
“Ultimately, we just wanted to focus less on the physical appearance of our characters and more on who they are – people who are complex and diverse in nature, backgrounds, beliefs, and personalities. beliefs, personalities and motives People whose stories we can resonate with There is diversity at Valistea Diversity, though not all-encompassing, is synergistic with the contexts in which they are located. I created and stayed true to the inspiration we were drawing.”
That just covers all the bad idea bases, from “we left people empty-handed because of controversial alternatives” to “our game of magic is only historically true” to total self-defeating ‘the appearance of our characters is completely irrelevant anyway’. Even if you believe the lie that medieval Europe lacked all the diversity in terms of race: Final Fantasy 16, a game about crystals in trouble, clearly paints history only in extremely selective ways.Makes everyone or almost everyone white. is a choice.
The full interview with IGN is substantive, including other members of the development team and worth your time. Interview conducted by Kat Bailey, who definitely know her RPG.
