What do you think of Mass Effect referencing political and socioeconomic problems?
Aug 13, 2019 16:06:28 GMT
Post by Deleted on Aug 13, 2019 16:06:28 GMT
Most fiction references current trends of the time it is written there is no doubt about that, but there is an appreciable difference between those narratives that do it well and those that do not.
Stories with a subtle approach to topics of the day. Tales that attempt to take a nuanced approach with the subject matter in question while taking a neutral/observational stance on things. Settings that don't allow the consistency of the crafted universe become jeopardized, or otherwise warped, just to fit with trending headlines of the day. These are the examples of a fictional work tackling social/political issues in a nuanced and mature fashion.
On the other hand, those stories that shoehorn in talking points with little to no regard to the established IP. Inserts that only serve as biased soapboxes for the author to preach to their audience about what their espoused beliefs are, and are willing to radically alter the fictional setting to fit those beliefs if need be are immature and frankly amateurish examples of writing prowess.
Unfortunately for BioWare they have been pulling from the later in their more recent titles.
It's incredibly lazy to look at the current headlines, hastily cram them into a given work, and then expect that to make said setting at all nuanced or relevant for anything beyond the immediate present.
Who is going to look at Batwoman's feminist bent as anything more than just social/political white noise five or ten years down the line? Is anyone going to remember it for being a quality superhero show?
Meanwhile, the original Star Trek series episode of "The Devil in the Dark" is faithful to the universe it's set in, while also having a theme that can still be relevant for audiences today.
Sure the production values are higher in Batwoman than the original Star Trek, but the quality of the writing is impacted trying to shoehorn in a political message above all else.
So in answer to the OP's question: I don't personally like it when BioWare references current social political topics in their works. Why? Because it's cringy, preachy, and detracts from the setting when it happens. Mass Effect 1 and Dragon Age: Origins/Awakening were a bit more subtle about their take on things, but Andromeda and Inquisition are practically bringing the background narrative to a screeching halt so an after school special can be crammed in.
BioWare for ME 1 was all about creating a fresh new sci-fi IP that also paid homage to classic franchises like Star Trek and Babylon 5, whereas for Andromeda they seemed to really only care about #PrettyGoodBanging and #MakeJallBi.