Rust Backlash Over Gender & Race
Last week the online survival game Rust received an update that sparked controversy throughout social media. The developers implemented a female character model for the first time while adding varying shades of skin colour, but what has people upset is the feature that randomly selects a permanent gender based on your SteamID.
Previously, the playable character was limited to a bald white man because developers wanted to focus on the games core mechanics. The decision to include gender and race has brought outcry from some who believe a political agenda is being forced on them. Some from the transgender community felt that assigning a permanent gender was transphobic.
Garry Newman is the lead developer for Rust and he responded through his article posted at The Guardian:
“Ultimately the decision comes down to gameplay. We don’t believe that letting you choose your race and gender would improve the game. On the other hand, randomizing everyone’s gender and race meets all our requirements. We get an even spread of races and genders that make players more identifiable”
Some are seeing the other side of the argument, even going as far as thanking the developers.
“Inevitably, there are people who like it and people who don’t. Some players have praised what we’re doing. Like us, they think that who you are in the game, your race and gender, makes no difference to the actual gameplay” Garry said.