Winter burrow SBI controversy

Submitted ⁨⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago⁩ by ⁨Isolde@lemmy.world⁩ to ⁨games@lemmy.world⁩

Winter burrow on steam is being released today, (Nov 12th). I went to the forums to see complete chaos. People arguing and calling out the developers about using sweet baby inc. and hiding it, others wondering what the big deal is like myself. It could just be the anti woke gamers, but there were other complaints. I got the demo and I think the game is amazing, and am not understanding why it’s such a flash point. If anyone has some context, that would quell my curiosity. I’m probably getting it later today, regardless.

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jordanlund@lemmy.world ⁨1⁩ ⁨hour⁩ ago
Bought the game on the strength of the “Mouse Guard” inspired imagery.

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Finished it tonight, it’s a delight and anyone complaining about “wokeness” clearly has not played the game. Demo is free guys, rest of it plays out just like that.

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actionjbone@sh.itjust.works ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago
Everyone who bitches about “wokeness” is, in fact, a bigot.

Bigotry is always evil. Bigots should be shunned and deplatformed.

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- Isolde@lemmy.world ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago
  100%
  
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- actionjbone@sh.itjust.works ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago
  I laugh at the person who downvoted me.
  
  The only reason someone would downvote me is if they are a bigot.
  
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  - Soupbreaker@lemmy.world ⁨2⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago
    I always downvote any post or comment that complains about downvotes, especially when the commenter claims that downvotes are somehow proving their point. This is probably the only exception I’ve ever made, because you’re right.
    
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lath@piefed.social ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago
As per my understanding, Sweet Baby Inc was/is a DEI consultant that would advise on accurate portrayal of minorities in games that wished to have them represented.

How accurate they were/are or how much their input is being used, I can’t say, however the easily swayed have taken to the idea they’re an evil shadowy cabal that mind controls companies and has them add brainwashing techniques meant to bring about the downfall of western society (the MAGAts that is).

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- slimerancher@lemmy.world ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago
  
  they’re an evil shadowy cabal that mind controls companies and has them add brainwashing techniques meant to bring about the downfall of western society
  
  I knew it!
  
  ~/s~
  
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  - RizzRustbolt@lemmy.world ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago
    The Rand Corporation?
    
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missingno@fedia.io ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago
Steam Forums are one of the worst unmoderated hellholes on the internet. It pains me that Valve keeps letting this shit keep happening.

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- Soupbreaker@lemmy.world ⁨2⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago
  I’ve read comments to this effect for years, and the only time I see objectionable shit on Steam is in reviews for intentionally political meme games like the recent one about putting up flags in the UK. Typically my only exposure to the forums is when I’m looking up obscure puzzle solutions, but the worst comments I ever see are just stupid or unhelpful. I imagine it’s worse for big multiplayer games, but I tend to avoid those, so maybe that’s why I don’t see the problem.
  
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  - missingno@fedia.io ⁨2⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago
    Two years ago, one of my favorite games made some very minor cosmetic tweaks, and that was enough to attract a horde of post-Gamergaters crying that this is the downfall of western civilization. Two years later, the board for that game is still under seige by trolls that have rendered it unusable for anyone who actually wants to talk about the game. Every now and then a Valve mod will lock one thread, and then the trolls just make another and it continues.
    
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- Katana314@lemmy.world ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago
  I understand Valve being libertarian about not moderating people excessively, what I’d like to see are better tools like shared blocklists or general moderation for any developer that doesn’t wish to control their own Community page.
  
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ComfortableRaspberry@feddit.org ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago
Your post made me look and boy are they butt hurt :D

I read through a few threads and what’s pretty telling it’s that they can’t name a specific thing that’s bad with the game and SBIs fault. It’s always “look it up”, “you can Google it”, “how come your haven’t heard yet?” but nothing substantial.

If you liked the demo, I’d go for the game. Have to admit it didn’t look half bad to me either, so I wishlisted it. Maybe let the community here know what you think about it, after a few more hours of playtime and if you found any shoehorned diversity.

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- Isolde@lemmy.world ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago
  Hahaha that’s priceless. I thought they were just wrong and loud, but I also don’t really pay attention to stuff like that. I more so didn’t want to give money to actually awful people (EA’s soon to be owners) and that would be the only thing that would stop me from getting it.
  
  I’ll let you know, but playing through the demo I feel like it’s going to be a really good game.
  
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verdi@feddit.org ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago
Nice try to rally the troops to grift some hate/simpathy sales from the dumb dumbs who can’t see this for the blatant exploitative marketing attempt it really is.

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- slimerancher@lemmy.world ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago
  Hmm… I was about to disregard this, but it’s only a day old account, so you might be right…
  
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  - Isolde@lemmy.world ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago
    Yeah, I joined this platform because I was sick of how caustic Reddit is, apparently it reaches all the corners of the internet. Thanks for the unwarranted doubt; and for contributing nothing.
    
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- Isolde@lemmy.world ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago
  Why should I care who buys it, and what do I get from marketing for them?
  
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  - verdi@feddit.org ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago
    Nice bait.
    
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BeerEnjoyer@lemmy.zip ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago
Can’t wait to see this game top the charts so all the anti-woke chuds will say “well it wasn’t woke to begin with, that’s why it sells well!”

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- Isolde@lemmy.world ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago
  People have lost the plot. It seems like a great cozy game with triple A quality. As someone who loves cozy games, there haven’t been too many to pick from recently. I think the current president has empowered shite people to believe their awful opinions should be honored. Like I said, unless buying this is putting blood money in someone’s hands I’m getting it come noon today. I absolutely think this game is going to win awards, and it looks like the kind with a story soft enough to make me cry.
  
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RightHandOfIkaros@lemmy.world ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago
I don’t understand why they feel the need to hide it.

I can liken my opinion on it to that of Generative AI: Consumers have the right to be informed. Hiding whether AI was used (or SBI/other similar agencies in this case) is not a good look. If a consumer doesn’t want to buy games that SBI has worked on, it is the consumer’s right to know if a game has been worked on by SBI so they can make an informed decision. In just the same way a person would want to know if Generative AI was used in a game, some consumers want to know if SBI or other similar companies were used during a game’s development. And this of course works opposite too. If someone wanted to buy a game specifically because SBI worked on it (which I personally can’t see being a real reason to buy a game, but to each their own) then they too should be able to be clearly informed on the matter.

Basically, hiding something like that is anti-consumer. It gives the impression that the developers are trying to trick consumers into buying something they don’t want.

For example, if there was a video game which directly funded something you didn’t like, let’s say something like directly funding Russia’s war against Ukraine, you would want to know that before you bought the game, right? When you find out where your money went, you probably wouldn’t be very happy, would you? If you had known that information before you bought the game, that likely would have changed your decision to buy the game, right? Now of course, war is a bit more extreme compared to social politics, but the idea is the same. You would feel tricked. You would feel upset. Its the same idea. Consumers want to be informed, and hiding information from consumers is not friendly to consumers. The developers should have just updated the game description to include that SBI worked on the game and left it at that. The drama would likely not have reached its current level.

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- Isolde@lemmy.world ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago
  This is stupid and it doesn’t make any sense. People should have a right to know if it’s inclusive? If other races are portrayed? If other sexual orientations are portrayed? The only people who mind are bigots, and they can just move on. What’s especially remarkable to me is that bigots aren’t satisfied with not partaking, they desperately and pathetically need others to share that view, because in their minds, then it isn’t wrong.
  
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  - RightHandOfIkaros@lemmy.world ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago
    People have a right to know if a company worked on the game or not, just like they have a right to know if Generative AI was used, or if it funds something they don’t like. It doesn’t matter if you or I think it’s stupid or not.
    
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- MajorasTerribleFate@lemmy.zip ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago
  I’m not sure I’d say the consumer has a right to know, per se, but they may well have an interest in knowing. Whether or not a developer/publisher/whoever opts to provide this kind of information may itself be a factor in consumers making a purchasing decision, and, if some information isn’t being provided up-front, consumers can and should ask questions. Ideally, those questions and the answers would be public-facing.
  
  I am a little miffed at responses down this comment chain somehow seeing your opinions as evidence of bigotry. It’s, like… people can disagree, people can have thoughts about things. Just because someone seems not to agree on one point doesn’t make them your polar opposite on everything, and surely shouldn’t lead to name-calling and gatekeeping. That’s the kind of behavior that leads folks to see everyone on “the other side” as extremists of some kind, if every time you interact with them they just jump to hard responses at the slightest provocation.
  
  To be clear, that part was all directed at the others’ behavior, not really yours.
  
  Signed,
  
  A lefty non-bigot who doesn’t think anyone in this thread (among those whose comments I read) is showing any actual signs of bigotry
  
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RizzRustbolt@lemmy.world ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago
The main character is a City Mouse?

Oh that is far too woke! It must be the work of some shadowy and nefarious game butchering group!

These dorks need to get a hobby.

I heard there’s a genre of video games that is all about being relaxed and cozy. Maybe they should those a try?

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hotdogcharmer@lemmy.zip ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago
It is so silly to me when people get this upset over sweet baby inc. collaborating on a game. I had a mate who got really upset over it years ago too. Just totally signposts who has fallen for some weird little creep’s right wing agenda.

That being said, I don’t like when companies try to hide things from consumers. I might 100% totally agree that sweet baby inc are not a problem and it’s an alt-right thing to say that they are, and everything else, but I still think it’s shady to hide stuff. IF they actually did try to hide it, of course.

Have the Devs denied using SBI?

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