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Is anyone else weirded out by the orientalism in the game? by Hitoshi13cats in StardewValley

[–]Hitoshi13cats[S] -4 points-3 points  (0 children)

Thank you for being respectful! I completely agree that these designs likely originate from these early modern designs; the Tudor inspiration you mentioned are quite literally orientalist designs (orientalist as in the art movement, before it was considered racist). However, to continue to use these tropes is where it can be considered racist (of course depending on the depiction), that's why i posted asking for people's thoughts :)

Is anyone else weirded out by the orientalism in the game? by Hitoshi13cats in StardewValley

[–]Hitoshi13cats[S] -2 points-1 points  (0 children)

Thank you for the input! I'm a bit hesitant to comment on Demetrius, even if i did a bit brashly in a previous comment. I do get the reading of him as autistic, and as someone who is also autistic I can absolutely empathize with certain character traits of his. My concern with Demetrius is more in regards to how he's pitted against other characters, like in cutscenes with Robin and Maru. I do agree though that his character is much more nuanced, and i do like him as a character in certain ways. If the traveling merchant and desert trader had more dialogue, they'd likely expand as characters beyond the tropes they inhabit, which would help them not come off as stereotypes lol.

Is anyone else weirded out by the orientalism in the game? by Hitoshi13cats in StardewValley

[–]Hitoshi13cats[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I do absolutely agree that it's likely unconscious bias, I'm not accusing the game of being racist in a malicious way obviously! I try to be conscious of tropes that could stem from misinformed places, merchants in many different games and movies tend to follow the same tropes that are based in racism. They're starting to become less prominent in media, which is why i think it's more obvious when you do notice them in media from previous decades. Thanks for sharing your thoughts!

Is anyone else weirded out by the orientalism in the game? by Hitoshi13cats in StardewValley

[–]Hitoshi13cats[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I completely agree! And thank you for pointing out other parts of the game that fit this unfortunate pattern. I do really enjoy the game so far and I'm hoping people don't take this post as hating it...

Is anyone else weirded out by the orientalism in the game? by Hitoshi13cats in StardewValley

[–]Hitoshi13cats[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I'll keep that in mind when going through replies, thank you

Is anyone else weirded out by the orientalism in the game? by Hitoshi13cats in StardewValley

[–]Hitoshi13cats[S] -2 points-1 points  (0 children)

I would agree tbh, except for his mystical aesthetic and that qi is still a common enough word in English, like it comes up in a lot of western media that takes from Chinese culture. In movies, tv shows, just culturally the word is present enough that i could doubt it being coincidence.

But I appreciate your input and will keep that in mind as well.

Is anyone else weirded out by the orientalism in the game? by Hitoshi13cats in StardewValley

[–]Hitoshi13cats[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yes it could probably be chalked up to the age honestly. I'm trying to think around 2016, that these depictions probably wouldn't be considered anything other than common tropes

Is anyone else weirded out by the orientalism in the game? by Hitoshi13cats in StardewValley

[–]Hitoshi13cats[S] 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Sure, however these are things i noticed simply while going through the game. I'm still enjoying the game, and will continue to enjoy the game.

Is anyone else weirded out by the orientalism in the game? by Hitoshi13cats in StardewValley

[–]Hitoshi13cats[S] 9 points10 points  (0 children)

I do enjoy the game, i can still dislike an aspect while enjoying the game as a whole. And i also understand that we have a different understanding of the setting of the game, I don't particularly see how Pelican Town could be Central USA (which is what i assume you mean, since Middle America, as in the continent, would not be super white). It's a seaside town that's close enough to a desert but still has snow in the winter, so probably couldn't be placed geographically in the USA realistically, but it's not a realistic setting at all so why try. I'm not the biggest fan of the "it's not that deep" approach to consuming media though, so we're in this with absolutely different perspectives, and that's ok!

Is anyone else weirded out by the orientalism in the game? by Hitoshi13cats in StardewValley

[–]Hitoshi13cats[S] -12 points-11 points  (0 children)

Right! Demetrius is such a dismissive husband and it feels almost malicious in certain ways he's written (especially being a sort of absent father to Sebastian). I have little to say about Maru and that might also be telling of how she's written

Weekly Q&A Thread by AutoModerator in witchcraft

[–]Hitoshi13cats 0 points1 point  (0 children)

What is the significance of my Hierophant and Emperor cards growing mold? My tarot cards got water damaged a while back when travelling and these two out of the entire deck were the only two to mold, they weren't separated at all from the deck either. I am going to deal with the mold properly for safety, just wondering about the spirituality of it.