Jill Murray, Assassin’s Creed 3: Liberation writer downplayed Ubisoft’s decision to feature a black female protagonist.
Speaking to Kotaku, Murray said some of those arguing in defense of all-white, all-male casts are being “creatively lazy.”
“[There’s a] fear that ‘diverse’ characters are risky and might offend or alienate players by their simple inclusion — that including them requires a magic touch, special bravery, a trembling sensitivity, or a mandate to ignore sales,” Murray added.
“Creating “diverse” characters is no different than creating any character, and I believe that those who struggle with it need to address deeper issues within their own creative process. I strongly believe that if an audience can’t connect to such a character, it’s not because women, brown people, old people, queer people, or any type of character at all doesn’t belong at the helm of a game; it’s because the creator didn’t dig deep enough to find a way to connect with that character,” she said.
“A good writer should be able to make you weep for, laugh with, even aspire to be an amoeba if necessary. Blaming a character for failure is like blaming a hockey stick for losing the game — a hockey stick you made with your own hands, to use in a game of your own invention. I call shenanigans.”
Murray and her co-writer at Ubisoft Montreal picked up a Writers Guild of America award for the Vita-exclusive Assassin’s Creed 3: Liberation.
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