shane's regalia should not be for profit
while i obviously don't speak for all natives as we all have different views [i am not affiliated with the anishinaabek peoples, i am mississippi choctaw by descent (halito!)] i don't think shane's regalia should be locked behind auric cells. for one, regalia is a deeply personal and involved collection of, essentially, someone's life that they wear at powwows or other ceremonies. it feels wrong to me that something like this is not being offered, at minimum, as both auric and shards. profiting entirely off of this portion of our culture with it being as significant as it is feels like bhvr is saying "pay me to have this personal part of yourself represented" and it feels really scummy. especially as a canadian company.
i'm happy that shane wiigwaas is in the game, i really am. i love that our culture is being seen more. i also understand that he's an original character, but i think something that can be sensitive like this demands way more respect and care. i didn't expect regalia to be referenced in this game and i'm excited that it is, but given bhvr's history of not really being too respectful to cultures from the get-go (e.g, the launch of trickster's delusion and the misuse of korean [and unfortunately japanese] culture/language quite recently), this is really concerning for how future cultural representation is going to be used and how bhvr may monetize off of what means a lot to us natives, and eventually other cultures as well.
idk if this was the result of consulting with other natives and what they had to say, but please reconsider this decision and make these cosmetics accessible to all. you are already selling someone that is a representation of a people and are making money off of it. at least donate some of the proceeds you gained from sales to reserves, particularly the peoples you're referencing the most.
edit: i walk it back. it feels wrong that this is being profited off of in general. such a symbol should not be profited off of period.
edit 2: updated the title for more clarity. better elaboration of my point in replies below.
Comments
Would you rather he dress and sound like a white guy who has no pride in his background/heritage? I hate putting words in peoples mouths but I TRULY struggle to see what you would've wanted our first Indigenous rep to look like. He's not a stereotype, caricature, or symbol. He is a fully realized character that just so happens to be Indigenous and proud of that fact, all the while, avoiding any sort of whitewashing.
His clothes (not the traditional ones) look like drip with tribal symbols. It doesn't make me take him very seriously. I'd have the same opinion if Orela wore a trans flag hoodie or if Claudette wore jeans with an Autism Speaks patch. There's nothing wrong with them being diverse—it's that there's zero subtlety or depth in presenting it that way. It reads as inhuman.
So yeah, I think I'm done arguing with you. How dare you call someone who is representing their tribe and their culture by wearing clothing with a specific design as inhuman?
To be honest I'm not big on any ethnic/religious clothing being involved in a game where said characters are brutalized/desecrated.
It feels pretty wrong imo.
I think BHVR should just stick to more subtle nods and accents in the character's outfit instead.
I'm talking about character development. I'm saying he's being used as a symbol. And so far you're only arguing that he is a symbol and not a character. If that's what people want, then that's fine. But I still find it to be dull and lazy character development.
i dont think that's what unicorn meant.
however while i can agree that the character development is a little lacking with shane, native design on modern flare is something that does exist and i think his casual tone is fine. someone can be a representation of their culture without being super thematic about it. you see it in other cultures as well.
plus, since he just released, more information about him will come out the longer he's in the game. the backstory is just the starting point.
subtle reminder to everyone else to please keep the topic on the thread/op. id really hate for this thread to get locked or people getting punished when it's a good teaching opportunity for all parties. i want this to be constructive
I really have no idea how else to interpret a comment that blatantly asks for our one and only Indigenous character to be subtle and not a "symbol" despite him being a great opportunity to highlight the importance of heritage and Indigenous customs and culture. He is not a cardboard standee that has the words "this is an Indigenous person" on it and nothing else. I agree, let's not get this thread locked, but I think it's WILD to basically ask, point-blank, for Shane to basically show no connection to his Anishinaabe heritage because "there's zero subtlety or depth in presenting it that way. It reads as inhuman". That just feels wrong.
it's just a 1 month fomo for people who need to flex new outfits on day 1
"i do still reserve the right to at least share criticism and my viewpoint as feedback"
Absolutely. And I'm surprised your feedback is apparently so controversial to a lot of people. Saying you feel it should have been available for shards instead of auric cells is valid. I would assume the reason they're charging for it is because they probably paid for consultancy when designing the cosmetic, and also want it to be easily accessible for newcomers. But even so, selling for shards wouldn't mean the company gets nothing for their efforts. Shards are earned through time spent in game (*a lot* of time if we're being honest), which is immensely valuable to any gaming company.
thank you. ;w;
It's an original cosmetic for an original character. I'm not informed enough on indigenous culture or regalia to warrant taking a stance on that front, but idk why it isn't at least available for shards to begin with by nature of being unlicenced, even if it is how things have been for awhile.
What? You and your culture are not entitled to royalties of fictional works based on your culture. Imagine if this logic was applied to all peoples cultures.
i mean, in my opinion that's how it should be within reason. anything that has high significance should be compensated by giving back to the people they got that inspiration from if they're monetizing it. for years marginalized communities have had cultural aspects exploited and reused for purposes that only benefited the people that took it for their own gain.
the "fictional work" you're talking about is a very real concept that actively gets mocked, stereotyped, and pieces of it resold by people who intend to profit off of our long and hard fought identity on the regular. i would feel the same exact way if middle eastern hijabs (albeit controversial), grand boubous from senegal, kimonos from japan, or other identifying pieces of cultures went through the same thing. and they do experience this.
i think it's right for a culture that was repeatedly being destroyed, converted, and erased to ask for more than just exposure. there's a balance between giving and taking. you can share a culture without taking away from them, especially with an already crippled peoples
Immediately. I bought him with shards the day he released.