Fans of Spider-Man 2 have been going rampant on social media regarding the diversity and inclusivity featured in the sequel. While some have praised Insomniac for the representation, others feel the “intent” is not genuine and have taken issue with it.
Spider-Man 2 is already one of the biggest games of 2023. So far, gamers have been smashing through the game, sharing their thoughts on the storyline, the gameplay and more. With more villains, developed heroes and more to offer, Spider-Man 2 has been received well critically and commercially.
However, some fans have taken issue with the “inclusivity” of the game, sparking a debate online with those who believe the more progressive nature is the right step forward for the franchise.
In multiple Reddit threads, players have been discussing the “woke” nature of Spider-Man 2. While some have been applauding developer Insomniac for making the game more diverse, others feel less positively about it.
One Redditor posted the thread “If inclusivity in the new Spider-Man game bothers you, I really don’t know what to tell you.” They go on to explain in their post why they’re struggling to understand players who think this aspect of the new Spidey game is unnecessary.
“I just watched a full play-through of Spider-Man 2 because I don’t have a PS5, but I thought the game was great! The story was super cool and had some great moments I think!” they began. “But right after finishing it, there was a glaring video about “Spider-Man 2’s wokeness propaganda” and it was hilarious to me that people would actually complain about having inclusive characters that are deaf, blind, gay, etc. in a video game.”
“I think it makes the world a bit more realistic and overall done well enough. It never really came across as tasteless to me either, it just came across as how that character was and it was perfectly fine?”
Spider-Man 2 fans debate the inclusion of greater diversity
Another user commented, “I kinda feel like the reason that it feels like a checklist/out of place is just because we’re not used to the representation in gaming until the last few years of the media so it intrinsically feels off.”
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However, others have expressed how they feel as though the inclusive of LGBTQ+ characters and people of color is not a problem. More so, the way in which the devs removed this content for releases in the Middle East and more conservative countries show their “intent” wasn’t as authentic as it could have been.
“I don’t care about the content I care about the intent,” one player explained. “If you include these things and then so easily remove them for Middle Eastern versions then you didn’t really care about the message at all, you care about the money. Either stand your ground or don’t put something in that you will roll over for so easily.”
“Now granted it may not be 100% insomniacs decision but the Last Of Us Part II is banned in the Middle East for LGBT themes so there has to be SOME studio involvement in the decision,” they concluded.
Furthermore, some Spider-Man fans are even defensive of the idea of Miles Morales, a character of color, taking over the role as the main Spidey from Peter Parker.
“Wild how the entire media is trying to set up Miles as the main Spider-Man and completely throw away Peter Parker. A character that has been created entirely for the sake of diversity taking the spotlight is just disgusting,” said one YouTube commenter.
Given that the game has just been released, there is a good chance that these conversations are likely to increase in the coming weeks and months.
For all the latest Spider-Man 2 news and updates, be sure to check out Dexerto’s full coverage here.