To some, Manveer Heir is a designer known for his work on the next installment in the Mass Effect series. To others, he’s the guy who shook up the GDC this year with a rallying cry to break down the walls of gaming stereotypes.
While we have touched on this subject at length here at CheatCC in the past, Heir also challenges the notion of boxing in certain groups as both uninteresting and “lazy.”
“Why should we reject stereotypes? Not only is it lazy, but it’s fairly boring. We play so many games that use the same stereotypes. I get fed up with the same old story and characters in every game. I know there are others like me, I talk to them all the time. For me, these stereotypes are contributing to the creative stagnation in our industry. But I also believe we need to reject stereotypes as a social responsibility to mankind.” He said.
While crossing these lines seems like the next logical step in all forms of art (an area that many claim games have fallen behind in when compared to other mediums like film). The real question is how? Heir feels that the responsibility falls to the game makers themselves. “This our way to challenge ourselves and others. Wherever we stand today as an industry, I am confident that we will stand somewhere far better tomorrow as long as you right here are willing to be an agent of change.” He passionately states.
However, the gap of gender inequality and sexual orientation is one that is not so easy to traverse. Is this call to arms really only in the hands of game developers? What role as gamers do we play?
Check back tomorrow as I explore this concept further.