How do you picture the video game community? Depending on who you are, you’ll have a different answer than others. But for the most part, many would like to think that the gaming community is a place where people can come together, have fun, play games with friends or family, and just “escape” from reality. To be fair, that is what happens in many cases. However, there are many instances, especially with the rise of the internet and social media, where that is only part of the picture. The other part is the gaming culture’s negative, hateful, and downright abusive side, which can be seen in full via Horizon Forbidden West The Burning Shores.
The DLC expansion is very much a “tale of two perceptions.” For those who play the content and try to see it simply through the “DLC perspective,” it’s an enjoyable time with Aloy in a new part of her wondrous world. However, a group of people hyper-fixated on a choice made in the DLC, and those people “raged against the machine” as a result. If you don’t recall, Aloy can be in a romance with a new female character named Seyka. Unfortunately, many people hate the idea of a lesbian relationship for Aloy and went on a rampage at the scene of the two kissing.
So much so that vocalist Julie Elven, who sings on a certain track during that scene in Horizon Forbidden West The Burning Shores, is getting harassed by gamers. On Twitter, Elven posted a long message about what happened. She stated that since the DLC’s release last month:
“I’ve continuously received angry DMs from gamers, as my vocals are featured on a scene in the DLC that they see as ‘LGBTQ propaganda’, she tweeted. “[I’ve been] receiving puking emojis, ‘God won’t forgive you’, ‘you destroyed Horizon’ and more. The positive comments and influx of love absolutely outweigh the negative ones, but the continuous hateful DMs show how much still needs to change. Love is love. Story-wise, this scene made so much sense and I continue to stand with Guerrilla and am proud to be a part of it.”
She’s not wrong on the “we need to change” part. To attack a developer for a plotline is one thing, as they’re the ones who made the choices to include that scene. But to attack the singer whose song was used during the scene? That’s low, and it doesn’t even make sense. Be better, gaming community.
