EU Politician Critiques Gaming Industry Wokeness

The European Parliament is currently grappling with the Stop Killing Games movement, which challenges game publishers on their obligation to maintain online access to titles long after players have purchased them. In a surprising turn, Slovakian politician Milan Uhrik diverted the focus toward his criticism of the gaming industry, specifically targeting issues of 'wokeness.'

Uhrik stated, "Wokeness and aggressive monetization is destroying videogames," expressing concerns over the portrayal of characters based on race and gender. His comments were sparked by the recent controversy surrounding the game Assassin's Creed Shadows, which featured Yasuke, a samurai of African descent, as a playable character.

In response to Ubisoft's closure of certain games, the Stop Killing Games movement emerged, rallying against the industry's practice of shutting down titles. However, the EU lobbying group Video Games Europe argues that keeping older games available could impose significant costs on developers.