!g*mers

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context

Crystal Dynamics has added a content warning to Tomb Raider 1-3 Remastered flagging what it described as racial and ethnic stereotypes.

Tomb Raider 1-3 Remastered includes new versions of the first three Tomb Raider games, developed by defunct UK studio Core Design in the mid-to-late ‘90s to massive sales success.

Tomb Raider 1-3 Remastered, out this week on modern consoles and PC, includes a message from current Tomb Raider custodian Crystal Dynamics that warns against some of the content in the games and explains why the developer chose to leave it in.

Does anyone even remember what these harmful and inexcusable things were???

apparently this

hahahaha no

As usual Kotaku is MAD

https://archive.ph/BEAbl

Oof. Yes, the reason that—when updating aspects of Tomb Raider such as the art, sound and controls—they felt it important to leave in the “harmful” and “inexcusable” prejudice is because they want you to jolly well learn your lesson. This is such a spectacularly disingenuous message, seemingly an attempt to gobble down the racist cake without either a) thinking better of it, or b) altering the content to better reflect these claimed values. I've checked, and none of the game's marketing material mentions its woefully harmful content before you buy.

A cynic might surmise the developers don't actually care at all, but thought this quick screen would cover their backs. Although—and let's not mince words here—given Crystal Dynamics spent 2013 through 2018 making some of the most white-savior-promoting games in modern history, it's hard to exactly pin down where these values lie. Yes, sure, flag up-front that the games feel dated in their depictions of some cultures, absolutely. But pretending that selling them unadjusted is a virtuous act on the developers' part to offer us a vital and excoriating sociology lesson is gross and dishonest.

TRIANGLE BOOBS ARE GOONEEEE !coomers THEY ARE GONE

R/GAMES thread https://old.reddit.com/r/Games/comments/1apyfwt/tomb_raider_13_remastered_includes_racial_and/

“The games in this collection contain offensive depictions of people and cultures rooted in racial and ethnic prejudices. These stereotypes are deeply harmful, inexcusable, and do not align with our values at Crystal Dynamics." "Rather than removing this content, we have chosen to present it here in its original form, unaltered, in the hopes that we may acknowledge its harmful impact and learn from it.”

I prefer a message, like this, instead of them going full on 4kids, but I find this part of the message funny:

and do not align with our values at Crystal Dynamics.

Implying these "harmful and inexcusable" stereotypes did align with Core Design and Eidos's values back in the day.

I am sure the person who wrote this didn't want this implication, but it's awkward how no one else noticed this. If they simply remove this part and keep it ambiguous, it would have been fine. I could see a number of former Core Design members complain about defamation thanks to this message.

The Warner Bros racism warning works because they were the ones that always published those cartoons, while Crystal Dynamics are the current caretakers thanks to Eidos.

i guarantee this'll be modded out day 1

i guarantee nexus mods will remove that mod day 5

i guarantee the mod will be archived and spread 10x more because of that.

Imagine being such a sad person that you would use a mod to take out a content warning screen.

someone get their feelings hurt?

Yeah. By the looks of it, you did.

Now we come to our transistors

https://old.reddit.com/r/Gamingcirclejerk/comments/1aq1ld6/the_tomb_raider_collection_has_a_content_warning/

Its pure

Wait until that guy who is excited about FF VII Remake learns they edited Tifa's lines so she no longer calls Barret the R word and also made the female characters actual characters and changed 90% of Wall Market so it's no longer an offensive gay joke but actually celebrates queer and drag culture

WTF SHOOT THOSE R-SLURS

KIA Thread thread https://old.reddit.com/r/KotakuInAction/comments/1apuop8/from_tomb_raider_iiii_remastered_coming_out/

LOTS OF CONFUSION AND ANGER

now lets see XITTER

LOTS more if you go into the QTs and replies of this

https://x.com/tombraidertweet/status/1757313706294149241

https://x.com/tombraidertweet/status/1757313706294149241/quotes

It still Fresh so I will keep adding more if worthy

@A pls pin for an hour

updates

I did a little buy copy pasting the Kotaku text on GCJ

https://old.reddit.com/r/Gamingcirclejerk/comments/1aq1ld6/the_tomb_raider_collection_has_a_content_warning/kqaf3vv/?context=8

@cabalist reports

PCG*mer also be seething

Worst of all, the trilogy's depictions of anyone who isn't a sassy British tomb raider with a fondness for teal tank tops has, at best, aged like milk left out in the midday sun, and at their lowest points are nothing less than racist.

The remaster's accuracy does confirm that some parts of these games should have stayed buried, or at least not been uncritically reproduced without some official acknowledgement of their thoughtlessly offensive fumbles. So—same as always—this collection is the very best, and very worst, of Lara Croft's adventures.

Look at all the goodwill your stupid little disclaimer bought you, Crystal

https://archive.is/nMySg