Is Baldur's Gate 3 woke?

[Trevor Jacobson]

Is Baldur's Gate 3 woke?

[Just Another Gamer]

Nice chill topic that I am sure won't blow up and get out of hand....

;)

Personally, I think that label could be applied depending on your definition. This is coming from someone who has followed the various Forgotten Realms lore for many years and I can tell you that some of the things you see in BG3 would not have fit in the original lore.

1. Racial Diversity: as a mostly medieval European setting (but one that has magic that can aid travel although not on a mass scale), the original Realms that was focused on in the novels and games was pretty white. Which, getting the historical inspiration and lack of mass travel would make sense.

Sure, some place cosmopolitan and magic rich like the city of Baldurs Gate would have a better chance of greater diversity both ethnically but also non-humans. But the former I would suspect would be more visitors. That Wyll's dark skin father is a Duke with prominence seems unlikely... yet that is a position he could have earned through merit and adventure (a common trope in fantasy).

The racial diversity among the humans and even non-humans you see in the game is a recent retcon compared to what came before and thus might seem "woke."

2. LGBTQ+ representation: The Realms has never featured many LGBTQ+ couples, at least until relatively recently. You might see some of that in the drow societies but that is a decadent with strict gender roles/misandry under the thumb of an evil goddess so... not really the best representation

As a society that would be mostly agrarian, homosexuality would be looked down upon due to the need of labor. Magic of a positive manner doesn't really filter down to the common folk so you need human labor instead.

Again, as a wealthy and cosmopolitian city, Baldurs Gate would be a little freer in this manner yet historically, this would indicate decadence and a society in decline.

3. Trans options in the character creator: you can mix and match genitals with a different body. Also, you can (I believe) give a voice to a body that would not normally be associated with said body (like a masculine voice with a feminine body)

Again, you would not see this in the normal lore. That said, I am not aware of trans characters in the game nor is there is big deal made.

ON THE OTHER HAND....

There isn't any lecturing or "lessons" that are taught. You can be as bad or good as you want without the game (as opposed to individual characters) telling you how evil you are for subscribing to a certain political view. Nor is any ethnic, gender, or sexuality presented as inherently good or bad.

In conclusions... I think there are some "woke" ideas and retcons in the lore but the game doesn't enslave itself to it. You aren't forced down the "right path" but have the freedom to blaze your own trail.

And, the game is just INCREDIBLE. So I would encourage you to play it.

[hornsounder97]

Today I saw a bug lift a piece of bread up the stairs. It was crazy.

[Detective Costeau]

Originally posted by hornsounder97:

Today I saw a bug lift a piece of bread up the stairs. It was crazy.

I saw a mudcrab the other day.
Filthy creatures.

[seeker1]

Oh look. It's the weekly topic.

I mean, is it in somebody's contract this same dumb question must be asked over and over again, about once a week?

[Angel]

report, block, and move on guys

[Woke Buster]

Short asnwer: Yes.
Long answer: Yes, it is.

[Mr. Hanky]

lol... ANOTHER one? Why does everyone feed the trolls?

[artemisone]

Just stop please. It's one of the best 10 games in four decades. So who cares if its woke or not? If you can't stand that you can put a digital penis and a beard on an electronic character with boobs, well then that is really your craziness. You are free to avoid the game for having an option that you never have to use and would not notice if you were not looking for it.

[Metallicus]

It has gay porn and bestiality in the game so I guess I would consider it woke, but it is avoidable content so I don't see how it matters. It's a great game overall.

[In Search of the Golden Fleece]

Why is something being woke bad? I've never heard even Trump say why that is. They just say woke=bad and turn their brains off. Same with the people trying to ban books from libraries. They just say its bad that a teenager could read a book that has a gay character or even just mature themes, but don't explain why its bad. They certainly don't read these banned books. I've read both Mein Kampf and The Communist Manifesto in high school. You're allowed in a free society to engage with art, history , and yes, video games without becoming a ideological slug. Now, normal people know why its "bad", its because they have a childish worldview inspired by religious fundamentalism that explodes into manic authoritarianism once in a while. I can show all of you younger than 30, videos of christian preachers saying Pokemon and Harry Potter are satanic and should be banned. D&D and Heavy Metal were the satanic panic in the 80s. We had the red scare in the 50s. Before that the OG Salem Witch Trials. All of this was caused by religious authoritarian mania.

[giftedfox]

I mean, the game does encourage me to get out of bed to play it so sure.

[Lord Farquad]

hey, remember when this bait got a few bites 2-3 years ago? but now it rarely catches even a minnow?

[alanc9]

Originally posted by In Search of the Golden Fleece:

Why is something being woke bad?

Technically, the OP didn't say it is.

As for the question, I have no Idea. "Woke" has so many different definitions that I have no idea knowing which one is being used here.

[Fluffy_Llama]

you do have to be awake to play the game, i hope that helps

[The Godslain]

You can choose to have more "progressive" character choices and interactions, and you can choose not to, and it's entirely up to you. Also who cares, it takes place on a different plane entirely so your social definitions don't matter. Also who cares, just like, in general.