607
BioWare Was Asked to Remove LGBTQ Flag from Canceled Mass Effect Game, Report Says
(www.polygon.com)
this post was submitted on 28 Oct 2026
607 points (98.1% liked)
Games
51494 readers
1695 users here now
Welcome to the largest gaming community on Lemmy! Discussion for all kinds of games. Video games, tabletop games, card games etc.
Rules
1. Submissions have to be related to games
Video games, tabletop, or otherwise. Posts not related to games will be deleted.
This community is focused on games, of all kinds. Any news item or discussion should be related to gaming in some way.
2. No bigotry or harassment, be civil
No bigotry, hardline stance. Try not to get too heated when entering into a discussion or debate.
We are here to talk and discuss about one of our passions, not fight or be exposed to hate. Posts or responses that are hateful will be deleted to keep the atmosphere good. If repeatedly violated, not only will the comment be deleted but a ban will be handed out as well. We judge each case individually.
3. No excessive self-promotion
Try to keep it to 10% self-promotion / 90% other stuff in your post history.
This is to prevent people from posting for the sole purpose of promoting their own website or social media account.
4. Stay on-topic; no memes, funny videos, giveaways, reposts, or low-effort posts
This community is mostly for discussion and news. Remember to search for the thing you're submitting before posting to see if it's already been posted.
We want to keep the quality of posts high. Therefore, memes, funny videos, low-effort posts and reposts are not allowed. We prohibit giveaways because we cannot be sure that the person holding the giveaway will actually do what they promise.
5. Mark Spoilers and NSFW
Make sure to mark your stuff or it may be removed.
No one wants to be spoiled. Therefore, always mark spoilers. Similarly mark NSFW, in case anyone is browsing in a public space or at work.
6. No linking to piracy
Don't share it here, there are other places to find it. Discussion of piracy is fine.
We don't want us moderators or the admins of lemmy.world to get in trouble for linking to piracy. Therefore, any link to piracy will be removed. Discussion of it is of course allowed.
Authorized Regular Threads
Related communities
PM a mod to add your own
Video games
Generic
- !gaming@Lemmy.world: Our sister community, focused on PC and console gaming. Meme are allowed.
- !photomode@feddit.uk: For all your screenshots needs, to share your love for games graphics.
- !vgmusic@lemmy.world: A community to share your love for video games music
- !freegames@feddit.uk: A community sharing free games giveaways.
Help and suggestions
By platform
By type
- !AutomationGames@lemmy.zip
- !Incremental_Games@incremental.social
- !LifeSimulation@lemmy.world
- !CityBuilders@sh.itjust.works
- !CozyGames@Lemmy.world
- !CRPG@lemmy.world
- !horror_games@piefed.world
- !OtomeGames@ani.social
- !Shmups@lemmus.org
- !space_games@piefed.world
- !strategy_games@piefed.world
- !turnbasedstrategy@piefed.world
- !tycoon@lemmy.world
- !VisualNovels@ani.social
By games
- !Baldurs_Gate_3@lemmy.world
- !Cities_Skylines@lemmy.world
- !CassetteBeasts@Lemmy.world
- !Fallout@lemmy.world
- !FinalFantasyXIV@lemmy.world
- !Minecraft@Lemmy.world
- !NoMansSky@lemmy.world
- !Palia@Lemmy.world
- !Pokemon@lemm.ee
- !Silksong@indie-ver.se
- !Skyrim@lemmy.world
- !StardewValley@lemm.ee
- !Subnautica2@Lemmy.world
- !WorkersAndResources@lemmy.world
Language specific
- !JeuxVideo@jlai.lu: French
founded 3 years ago
MODERATORS
you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
view the rest of the comments
Bigots' response to the flag is really interesting. It's like conceding that it happens but that you shouldn't be proud of it, or celebrate it or normalise it like straight romance.
Removing the flag is a symbolic victory for bigots. Even if the game still has queer representation, bigots still get to say, "We made you take down your flag to appease us" and that's a big win in their eyes. Like earlier this year when Philz Coffee planned to remove all employee decor LGBT flags from their locations, but then reversed course after backlash citing, "We had no idea that symbols of support and solidarity mattered so much to an oppressed community!" They knew. They just hoped they could withdraw their support symbolically before then withdrawing their support entirely.
Agreed. They want people to see the flag and diversity in general to be seen as strange and intruding on their "normal" lives.
Of course it doesn't matter to you.
Congratulations for not being part of a marginalized group and for being completely ignorant to the privileges you have been arbitrarily bestowed.
Maybe you should care that other groups are being erased from society by hateful people.
It is an action with considerable symbolic weight. It means EA is taking a hostile stance toward LGBTQIA+ inclusivity.
If I weren't already boycotting them, I would start now.
Perhaps this doesn't matter to you for a lack of empathy and care for the representation of LGBTQIA+ folks. Try being an oppressed minority group. Or, you know, having empathy for others.
Edit:
The context was @thingsiplay@lemmmy.ml saying that it does not matter to them and implying that the removal was meaningless.
Removing a pride flag is most definitely anti―LGBTQIA+ freedom. Whether the gameplay loop changes doesn't modify that truth.
Removing the flag from Stonewall was still an anti-LGBTQIA+ action, despite gay marriage not being re-illegalized because of it. You are standing on fallacy in saying that the removal of the flag wasn't political because the gameplay didn't change.
Edit:
The context was @thingsiplay@lemmy.ml saying that the removal of the Pride flag from the game was not an anti-LGBTQIA+ action, because it doesn't hinder the rights of queer folk.
I did not argue that the flag changes rights. I said that the censorship of the flag (which is a symbol of LGBTQIA+ rights), before or after development, is therefore symbolically a censorship of LGBTQIA+ rights. It carries political weight because it is a symbolic opposition to LGBTQIA+ rights. This is irrespective of time of removal and gameplay. Those are irrelevant to my argument, and you cannot rebut an argument in a case that does not really involve the gameplay or time of removal with the gameplay or time of removal.
Edit:
The context was @thingsiplay@lemmy.ml saying that the censorship does not matter because it was before release and did not limit actual queer rights.
This is because so far, you have relied on fallacy to make those points.
Whether it matters to you does not change its meaning.
You argued that because it was not important to you, it was meaningless. That is a non sequitur. You did.
True. I am not changing its meaning. The meaning of the Pride Flag has always been a simple symbol of LGBTQIA+ rights. Its removal is symbolic of a removal thereof. That has nothing to do with my personal view; I am simply stating the existing meaning, not trying to modify the purpose of the flag as you are simply discarding its symbolic meaning.
First they came for the Communists
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a Communist