Saints Row Empowers Women and Minorities says Producer
"I think our game actually does represent women in a positive way...."
A screen from the SR4 site, August 6 2013
Saints Row 4 associate producer Kate Nelson is taking a stand against the way that former game publisher THQ used porn stars and demeaned women to sell the title in the past.
"I did not always love how much THQ put an emphasis on porn stars", she says now working under the ownership of Koch (pronounced Ko-tch) Media. She continues:
"In Saints Row 2 and Saints Row 3 there was an emphasis on the penthouse girls, and earlier Tera Patrick. I think it’s important in marketing games to make sure that the essence of the game is what’s being marketed, and I think the porn star angle didn’t really fit in with what Saints Row is at heart, which is a parody. We like to poke fun.”
So, has the new title Saints Row IV, progressed? She tells Edge, "I think our game actually does represent women in a positive way, but the press will focus on, oh hey, there are strippers, or there’s a dildo bat – it’s unfortunate from my perspective that that doesn’t come through."
Ok, but she goes even further, "Saints Row, in lots of ways, has empowered minorities and empowered women, which I think is important to get across.”
We're a little stumped here as to how a fantastical title based mostly around doing damage can empower or even why it should empower anybody... but, hell, we're open to it. What do you think? Tell us in the comments below or over on the SPOnG Forum.
"I did not always love how much THQ put an emphasis on porn stars", she says now working under the ownership of Koch (pronounced Ko-tch) Media. She continues:
"In Saints Row 2 and Saints Row 3 there was an emphasis on the penthouse girls, and earlier Tera Patrick. I think it’s important in marketing games to make sure that the essence of the game is what’s being marketed, and I think the porn star angle didn’t really fit in with what Saints Row is at heart, which is a parody. We like to poke fun.”
So, has the new title Saints Row IV, progressed? She tells Edge, "I think our game actually does represent women in a positive way, but the press will focus on, oh hey, there are strippers, or there’s a dildo bat – it’s unfortunate from my perspective that that doesn’t come through."
Ok, but she goes even further, "Saints Row, in lots of ways, has empowered minorities and empowered women, which I think is important to get across.”
We're a little stumped here as to how a fantastical title based mostly around doing damage can empower or even why it should empower anybody... but, hell, we're open to it. What do you think? Tell us in the comments below or over on the SPOnG Forum.
Games:
Saints Row Saints Row IV
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