In a recent interview with the Polish newspaper, Rzeczpospolita, CD Projekt’s Adam Badowski and Adam Kiciński gave their take on some important issues.
They spoke out about the need for mutual respect and tolerance and the impact on creative work and diversity in the video game industry. They also spoke a little on how these values are making their way into the much-anticipated Cyberpunk 2077.
We’ve covered some of the key points of the interview, but you can read the whole thing on CD Projekt’s website.
Why CD Projekt Speaks Out About Social Issues
On issues like race and LGBTQ rights, more and more companies are coming out in support of diversity and acceptance.
When asked why they were speaking out on social issues, Adam Kiciński said:
“Because these are important matters. People come to CD PROJEKT not just to earn a living. Our business has always been rooted in a specific system of values.”
“We pride ourselves on our diversity, but we also realize that efficient operation requires active measures promoting mutual respect and tolerance.”
Openness, Tolerance, and Creativity
Badowski and Kiciński suggest that openness and tolerance aren’t just important for a fairer society, but are crucial to the creative process too.
“There is strong correlation between openness to “the other” and its effect on creativity and motivation. In my opinion this results mainly from an increased feeling of security. In an environment where you can simply be yourself it becomes easier to have frank discussions, share ideas and express opinions — and that provides a starting point for many interesting activities.”
Part of CD Projekt Group’s philosophy and aims states:
“We stand for tolerance. We combat all forms of racism, homophobia and xenophobia, as we believe tolerance is the foundation of creativity and innovation.”
Tolerance in CD Projekt Red’s Video Games
The Witcher
Badowski highlighted that The Witcher books have strong anti-racist undertones and that the video games try to reflect this.
“In his literature Andrzej Sapkowski has dealt with racism in a fairly harsh manner. Much like his books, the video games acknowledge the antagonism between humans and “non-humans”, i.e. elves, dwarves etc. Our games depict the consequences of stigmatizing otherness, reveal the link between social inequality and xenophobic sentiment, and show what humans are capable of when they believe they can act with impunity.”
Cyberpunk 2077
Cyberpunk 2077 got everyone’s attention not long ago with regard to the gender fluidity of the characters.
Players won’t be able to pick male or female, but rather a body type instead. Different aspects such as body type, hairstyles, voices, and clothes can be mixed and matched. This means that players aren’t tied down by binary gender choices.
Marthe Jonkers, lead concept artist on Cyberpunk 2077 said:
“We want you to feel free to create any character you want. So we really want to give people the freedom to make their own character and play the way they want to play.”
Diversity in the Video Games Industry
Badowski and Kiciński suggest that the video games industry is ahead of the curve when compared to other industries.
“We learn a lot from the shortcomings and accomplishments of our colleagues from the motion picture, literature and music industries, and I suppose we may be faster at implementing certain novel mechanisms.”
This doesn’t mean that the video game industry is perfect by any means. However, Kiciński went on to say that steps were being taken in the right direction.
“Yes, there are other problems, such as sexualization of female characters, but they are discussed in the open and bold steps are being taken to mitigate them.”
Sexual orientation is another thing that video games have been addressing for a while. This is something that other forms of media have been a bit more hesitant to explore.
“Sexual orientation is in a similar position. What had long been taboo in mainstream motion pictures is now turning what it should have been from the outset: stories of human romance rather than accounts of the struggle for the right to be accepted.”
It’s great that companies are increasingly open about change and tolerance. We hope that more companies within the gaming community take note.
Like most of us, we can’t wait to see what Cyberpunk 2077 will be like. Cyberpunk 2077 is due for release on November 19th, 2020 on PC, PS4, Xbox One, and Google Stadia.