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150°

Why Are Game Developers Obsessed With ‘Average’ Heroes?

Who is the brown-haired white guy who stars in virtually every AAA action game? And how can we get rid of him?

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Christopher4045d ago WhoDisagree(0)Agree(1)
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WeAreLegion4045d ago

Mass appeal. It helps the largest portion of your audience relate to the character. It sucks, but catering to your audience is a smart business move.

Spotie4045d ago

I don't really see how this is a question that even needed asking. It's a subject that has been addressed time and again. It reflects the majority of devs, and the majority of gamers.

The end.

KonsoruMasuta4045d ago

Most of them are doing it because that's what come to their mind when they picture their hero. A lot of studios spend days trying to decide the perfect look for their character and it just so happens that they look like something you would call "average"

Wiggu4045d ago

Well that's a straight definition of what makes an "average" hero "average," but why is it that game developers are so obsessed with not trying to do something different? It's not like gamers are turned off by something new or exciting.

Just look at Mario - not every hero is an Italian plumber.

SaintAlpha1014045d ago

That's why some of my favorite games are the ones which let you create your own character to play as.
Your hero could be a red-haired female or even a guy with weird techno-colour hair and weird eyes, and it'd be unique to you as the player.

Palitera4045d ago (Edited 4045d ago )

Valid point.

Answer: Empathy.

Sketchy_Galore4045d ago

That was my main thought when I recently considered purchasing Murdered: Soul suspect. A lot of things about the game seemed interesting but I just can't take any more of playing as 'that guy' right now. That handsome guy in his mid-thirties with the gravelly voice and the five o'clock shadow.

Still, I really don't think the answer is deciding to arbitrarily make him a woman or a black guy or anything else. With most games that have a protagonist of another race or gender, let's face it, it's still 'that guy' just beneath the surface.

The skin tone, gender and hair colour are physical symptoms of the greater problem, which is that our protagonist is always the same 'cool' swaggering douche who just happens to be the best at everything, always happens to be totally impressing everyone in the room and never has a thought that isn't about completing the brave quest they have undertaken. Who also seems to be a great melodramatic poet too, stopping every now and then to deliver super-serious super melodramatic commentary on just how sad it is that bad things are happening and how good things should be happening instead.

By all means make the character another gender or race now and then but please don't just send that character out there to seek revenge or save the innocents and deliver gravelly poetic monologues to themselves while being an instant expert at everything they try. Make them terrible with guns, make them unable to aim because of nervous shaking hands, make them tell bad jokes that none of the other characters get. Make them get in over their head and be completely afraid. Give them completely uncool views on gender or race.

Just give us something to grab hold of as a character. I cannot take swaggering around any more game worlds as the statistically perfect man as chosen by the readers of Woman's weekly magazine.

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170°

Xbox Mass layoffs Are Expected To Hit On July 2, 2025

The previously rumored mass layoffs at Xbox are expected to happen on Wednesday, July 2, 2025, according to a new rumor.

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11h ago
lukasmain7h ago(Edited 7h ago)

They will have fired close to 20,000 people all up after this round of lay-offs coming, since the ABK deal announcement in January 2022. Shocking really

January 2023:
Microsoft laid off 10,000 employees, which was a significant workforce reduction.

January 2024:
Approximately 1,900 gaming employees were laid off following the Activision Blizzard acquisition.

May 2025:
Microsoft announced a further 6,000 layoffs as part of an organizational shift.

June 2025:
Additional layoffs, including 650 in the gaming business, focused on corporate and support functions

5h agoReplies(2)
Obscure_Observer5h ago

"They will have fired close to 20,000 people all up after this round of lay-offs coming, since the ABK deal announcement in January 2022. Shocking really"

It's not that shocking considering these numbers aren't just Xbox numbers as you're deliberately trying to make it seem for some reason.

Interestingly, another no shocking fact is that whenever Microsoft releases its quarterly earnings reports, you're quick to point out that those numbers aren't exclusive to Xbox. Yeah... go figure.

Ganif3h ago

They also fired around 2500 people across Microsoft's gaming divisions and Zenimax shortly after buying it, and before they closed down 4 studios including Arkane and Tango.

I remember Satya boasting about how compassionate he was for splitting the list 50/50 across the two companies.

3h ago
Obscure_Observer1h ago

"They also fired around 2500 people across Microsoft's gaming divisions and Zenimax shortly after buying it"

Bring your sources. I´ll wait.

Hereandthere4h ago

Let's hope its not as bad as socials are making it, good luck to those that unfortunately lose their jobs.

4h ago
Lightning773h ago

Could be not as bad could be horrible. But it's Ms so I'm expecting the absolute worst.

-Foxtrot3h ago

Sometimes I feel like they brought in Sarah to take the heat away from Phil.

Phil has always stuck his nose into everything Xbox related when it's something positive or at least neutral but as soon as they went the multiplatform root he's stood back and let Sarah do most of the talking in terms of PR. Now they are doing the same with layoffs.

The person who should be let go is Phil himself.

RhinoGamer8852m ago

Phil and his inner circle of circle jerk bros like AG.

Obscure_Observer40m ago

"Phil has always stuck his nose into everything Xbox related when it's something positive or at least neutral but as soon as they went the multiplatform root he's stood back and let Sarah do most of the talking in terms of PR. Now they are doing the same with layoffs."

You have no idea what you´re talking about.

*IF* Microsoft decides to address the upcoming layoffs, Matt Booty will be the one in the spotlight since he is the president of XGS.

Phil will probably be on some bs drama later doing interviews telling people how "devastated" and "sorry" he is for those affected while wiping away his tears with money.

Sarah is the President of Xbox (hardware) so she will be better off taking care of hers business and let both Matt and Phil face the backlash.

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300°

Looming Xbox layoffs threaten Microsoft's reputation

Even as the company sets out to overhaul the very definition of Xbox, cuts at its studios risk creating a negative image reminiscent of EA's worst era

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Jingsing4d ago (Edited 4d ago )

I appreciate the article but this guy must be living in a delayed universe, The reputation was ruined 10+ years ago and hasn't recovered since. As such people have voted with their wallets and stopped buying Xbox products in large amounts.

YourMommySpoils3d ago

Their reputation was lost way before that. From the moment Microsoft said they entering the console business, we all knew it would be a downgrade.

Bathyj2d ago (Edited 2d ago )

That's not true at all the OG Xbox had drive and they had hunger and they wanted to accomplish something. It was a great console.

they didn't quite reach their goals and they gave up prematurely because they couldn't win. It was halfway through the Xbox 360 when kinect released and that was when they lost their way and we're a rudderless ship ever since

Agent752d ago

In all fairness, Xbox had some great games with online play, Xbox 360 even better. Xbox consoles started to die with the Xbox One. Ditch consoles for the PC and PS.

YourMommySpoils2d ago

@Bathyj hard to compute ay. Xbox was never better than a PC and that's all they ever were. A demo box. Doesn't get more true than that.

4d ago Replies(1)
isarai4d ago

What reputation is this threatening exactly? 😂

Lightning774d ago

Rumors of Turn 10 being either shut down or hit with massive lay offs is on the horizon.

The issue is MS will do something right only to do something very, very wrong. And they do this what seems calculative at this point. Doesn't matter what they do the Investors and leadership want more and more money an endless bottomless pit of purr insatiable greed. A company that acts like it's broke or hurting is what really, really infuriates me. They've surpassed apple again well over 3 trillion who acts like they're a million dollar company is fk stupid. Pivots and changes for no reason and can't do things for more than a year with out a pivot or changing their metrics.

Christopher3d ago

That would be really bad since Phil just hyped up next year as a big Forza year at Summer Game Fest.

1Victor3d ago

@christopher: “ That would be really bad since Phil just hyped up next year as a big Forza year at Summer Game Fest”
The key word big can be ether good or bad 🤷🏿only time can tell

DarXyde3d ago

First Forza being generated entirely via AI?

If any company would do it, it'd be them.

Nacho_Z2d ago

Isn't the point that it's irrelevant how profitable MS is, the suits have decided it's time that the Xbox division started making them money. Hence the layoffs, the pivots.

hennessey862d ago

That wouldn't surprise me, as motorsport has been heading down hill since the great number 4. Where as playground have consistently put out better games. I think the two studios will be merged under playground games banner.

3d ago Replies(2)
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90°

The 'Stop Killing Games' initiative is close to its final deadline

Ross Scott—also known as Accursed Farms on YouTube—has been fighting tooth and nail for almost a full year to help spearhead game preservation. Starting after it was announced that Ubisoft's The Crew would be shutting down, permanently ending support for the game, Scott launched the "Stop Killing Games" initiative.

That makes a twofold deadline for the Stop Killing Games initiative. Or, at least, one headed up by Scott: The UK petition, which ends July 14, and the EU Citizens' Initiative, which ends July 3.

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M3talDiamond7d ago (Edited 7d ago )

If you live in the EU then Please sign this or our game ownership rights and game preservation is
at stake. I know there isnt much time left but please consider signing the petition

-Foxtrot6d ago

I never knew Ross Scott was doing this

I love Freemans Mind

Inverno6d ago (Edited 6d ago )

People whine and in the end don't do a thing. Then whine more when they get screwed some more smh. If this makes it then it'll be monumental for consumers. That Pirate software guy was no help either smh.

GazCBG5d ago

The EU Date is the 31st July not the 3rd

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