A Love Letter to Colonialism
November 23, 2020 2:04 PM Subscribe
Bret Deveraux critiques Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla’s sanitisation of history, including Viking colonialism, slave trading, gender roles, and its continuation of the Fremen Mirage trope. “It blushes at showing the player anything like the reality of this historical period and in the process constructs a deceptive apology for colonialism. It is a decently fun, but deeply irresponsible game.”
Previously:
Previously:
I'm playing Valhalla now. I completely agree with the article linked here, and it's overall very frustrating to me. I want Ubisoft to just go fantasy RPG and drop the fake-ass historic pretense. These games already include so much sci-fi and fantasy, mythological monsters, magic, ludicrous superpowers, etc., that the real-world settings often get in the way of the fun.
I enjoyed Odyssey quite a bit, and at (only) 11 hours into Valhalla, I already think Odyssey is the better game (though Valhalla has improved upon the formula in some ways). The historical whitewashing in Valhalla is absurd and breaks my willing suspension of disbelief over and over in a way that (the also ludicrous, but more zany-ludicrous) Odyssey just did not. Odyssey was silly in an ahistorical way, but leaned into the silliness more and it was easier to swallow. Valhalla is going for more "realism" and Grimdark and it just does not work for me.
I like these games because they are fun to play. But Valhalla is really wearing on my nerves with its bullshit, much more so than Odyssey ever did. Kassandra was a much more fun hero than Eivor. Odyssey could get grating with an over-reliance on silly characters, "funny" NPCs with exaggerated "greek" accents and such... but mostly those were peripheral issues. But who knows? I'm still at the beginning and my opinion might change, but I'm doubtful that it will.
posted by SoberHighland at 4:04 PM on November 23, 2020 [1 favorite]
I enjoyed Odyssey quite a bit, and at (only) 11 hours into Valhalla, I already think Odyssey is the better game (though Valhalla has improved upon the formula in some ways). The historical whitewashing in Valhalla is absurd and breaks my willing suspension of disbelief over and over in a way that (the also ludicrous, but more zany-ludicrous) Odyssey just did not. Odyssey was silly in an ahistorical way, but leaned into the silliness more and it was easier to swallow. Valhalla is going for more "realism" and Grimdark and it just does not work for me.
I like these games because they are fun to play. But Valhalla is really wearing on my nerves with its bullshit, much more so than Odyssey ever did. Kassandra was a much more fun hero than Eivor. Odyssey could get grating with an over-reliance on silly characters, "funny" NPCs with exaggerated "greek" accents and such... but mostly those were peripheral issues. But who knows? I'm still at the beginning and my opinion might change, but I'm doubtful that it will.
posted by SoberHighland at 4:04 PM on November 23, 2020 [1 favorite]
I enjoyed Odyssey because it leaned heavily into the fantasy elements, but this definitely makes me reluctant to purchase Valhalla. Well, that and I wish the developers would give up the ghost on the animus/it's all a simulation thing. I know it's a part of the franchise history, but man does it ever break immersion.
posted by BigHeartedGuy at 4:11 PM on November 23, 2020
posted by BigHeartedGuy at 4:11 PM on November 23, 2020
Opinion: the male hero voice acting is better in Valhalla than the female hero voice acting (opposite of the way it was in Odyssey). Fem-Eivor is so consistently rough and gravelly sounding that it comes off as pretty phony. Though the He-Eivor is almost too soft spoken, mellow and tuneful in his acting. Kassandra still beats all of them! I may switch back to Fem-Eivor again (you can switch genders any time during the game, but I think it needs a re-load) as she's really badass looking where He-Eivor looks kinda generic.
posted by SoberHighland at 4:17 PM on November 23, 2020
posted by SoberHighland at 4:17 PM on November 23, 2020
The Fremen Mirage article reminds me, oddly, of Sex At Dawn, which may as well have been subtitled How Agriculture Ruined Everything. I hadn't considered its arguments from the viewpoint of war and violence, but of course the history of property and the patriarchy is basically that. I'll have to send this on the work Slack (i work at an RTS game developer, so this is extremely relevant)
posted by Jon Mitchell at 4:47 PM on November 23, 2020
posted by Jon Mitchell at 4:47 PM on November 23, 2020
Thanks SoberHighland, I feel a lot less bad for not dropping money on Valhalla while waiting for CP2077 to drop (I got Metro Exodus on sale instead) to feast on raytracing after luckily getting my hands on a new gpu.
I caught an editorial on Tom's Guide earlier today lamenting that AC has strayed from it's roots and should be put to pasture - and has retirement options baked in already.
Wonder if anyone would be interested in an AC-style platformer/ brawler set in the Planescape universe? Planescape: Torment had gorgeous art. The special effects you could get away with using in this setting would be mad sick.
It's built in having Shadows of Mordor-like open-field brawling as well as urban (and otherwise) settings for subterfuge/ stealth (and brawling). The platforming could be glorious, with different planes having different rules.
posted by porpoise at 8:15 PM on November 23, 2020
I caught an editorial on Tom's Guide earlier today lamenting that AC has strayed from it's roots and should be put to pasture - and has retirement options baked in already.
Wonder if anyone would be interested in an AC-style platformer/ brawler set in the Planescape universe? Planescape: Torment had gorgeous art. The special effects you could get away with using in this setting would be mad sick.
It's built in having Shadows of Mordor-like open-field brawling as well as urban (and otherwise) settings for subterfuge/ stealth (and brawling). The platforming could be glorious, with different planes having different rules.
posted by porpoise at 8:15 PM on November 23, 2020
That Fremen trope article series seems pretty good. I'm not well-read in this area though so I'm wondering if it's missing anything.
I like the takedown he does. The Fremen Mirage is popular among political ideolgies that like to point to "decadence" as a cause of social decline. Witness accusations of decadent art by fascists and communists in the early part of the 20th century.
posted by storybored at 9:18 PM on November 23, 2020 [1 favorite]
I like the takedown he does. The Fremen Mirage is popular among political ideolgies that like to point to "decadence" as a cause of social decline. Witness accusations of decadent art by fascists and communists in the early part of the 20th century.
posted by storybored at 9:18 PM on November 23, 2020 [1 favorite]
It's weird how "decadent" went from describing the supposed collapse of empire to describing chocolate.
Anyway, if you're looking for historical revisionism in your AAA games of 2020, the new Call of Duty casts Ronald Reagan as a steely-eyed fighter for Truth, Justice and Freedom and all the warcrimes were actually committed by rogue Russians
posted by Merus at 9:52 PM on November 23, 2020 [4 favorites]
Anyway, if you're looking for historical revisionism in your AAA games of 2020, the new Call of Duty casts Ronald Reagan as a steely-eyed fighter for Truth, Justice and Freedom and all the warcrimes were actually committed by rogue Russians
posted by Merus at 9:52 PM on November 23, 2020 [4 favorites]
Why would you spend time creating or sustaining an empire if you already have yummy sauces?
I'm more or less serious. Empire building is hard work and limited profitability. If your core is safe and has sufficient material goods that ambitious youths aren't dragging you into war in Hispania or by raiding the Byzantines, then better to spend your time building libraries or aqueducts.
This isn't "soft", it's the way it should go, according to our founders:
I'm more or less serious. Empire building is hard work and limited profitability. If your core is safe and has sufficient material goods that ambitious youths aren't dragging you into war in Hispania or by raiding the Byzantines, then better to spend your time building libraries or aqueducts.
This isn't "soft", it's the way it should go, according to our founders:
I must study politics and war, that our sons may have liberty to study mathematics and philosophy. Our sons ought to study mathematics and philosophy, geography, natural history and naval architecture, navigation, commerce and agriculture in order to give their children a right to study painting, poetry, music, architecture, statuary, tapestry and porcelain.posted by mark k at 10:38 PM on November 23, 2020 [3 favorites]
But having been a bit glib I should add the whole point of the Fremen Mirage collection is that the "softness" idea is a mirage. The Greatest Generation came out of the Jazz Age, for example, and did fine under pressure.
There are academic references on the subject scattered throughout that set of articles.
posted by mark k at 10:45 PM on November 23, 2020 [5 favorites]
There are academic references on the subject scattered throughout that set of articles.
posted by mark k at 10:45 PM on November 23, 2020 [5 favorites]
I've been reading "Aelfred's Britain" by Max Adams recently. One thing that book makes clear is that the stereotype of weak, peace-loving Anglo-Saxons overwhelmed by violent vikings isn't accurate. The Anglo-Saxons had a pretty capable military who'd been fighting wars forever, they were capable of winning land battles and even some sea battles. They were overwhelmed for a time by the high mobility of the Danes, and the difficulty of mobilizing their farmer-soldiers at some times of year. Once Alfred and his successors managed to build some fortifications and block some rivers, they started to get the upper hand.
Also has this cool Viking-age travel map showing how they got around.
posted by TheophileEscargot at 2:43 AM on November 24, 2020 [3 favorites]
Also has this cool Viking-age travel map showing how they got around.
posted by TheophileEscargot at 2:43 AM on November 24, 2020 [3 favorites]
The Anglo-Saxons also effectively genocided the Celtic speakers all the way to the Welsh/Scottish borders, leaving Old English a more or less purely Germanic language with little Celtic influence. The Vikings didn't make anywhere near as deep an impression on language in the Danelaw.
posted by acb at 3:34 AM on November 24, 2020 [1 favorite]
posted by acb at 3:34 AM on November 24, 2020 [1 favorite]
I caught an editorial on Tom's Guide earlier today lamenting that AC has strayed from it's roots and should be put to pasture - and has retirement options baked in already.
I've often thought that AC should have had their first non-Desmond game be set so the "real world" stuff is in like 2430 on a habitat or something like that, in a setting recovering from an unspecified disaster, while the memories are all from some random American city in the 1990s.
But then I've also often thought that Fargo should have a season where the intro text is "This is a true story. The events depicted will take place in Townsville in 2028..." and that the second season of True Detective should have been set in pharaonic Egypt.
posted by GCU Sweet and Full of Grace at 4:54 AM on November 24, 2020 [4 favorites]
I've often thought that AC should have had their first non-Desmond game be set so the "real world" stuff is in like 2430 on a habitat or something like that, in a setting recovering from an unspecified disaster, while the memories are all from some random American city in the 1990s.
But then I've also often thought that Fargo should have a season where the intro text is "This is a true story. The events depicted will take place in Townsville in 2028..." and that the second season of True Detective should have been set in pharaonic Egypt.
posted by GCU Sweet and Full of Grace at 4:54 AM on November 24, 2020 [4 favorites]
I am reading all uses of AC in this thread as Animal Crossing. Thank you for your time.
posted by zamboni at 6:34 AM on November 24, 2020 [4 favorites]
posted by zamboni at 6:34 AM on November 24, 2020 [4 favorites]
The game's definitely got some issues with its history and presentation, but on the other hand, all the flyting is giving me warm fuzzy flashbacks to the insult swordfighting in The Secret of Monkey Island, so...
posted by Mr. Bad Example at 8:05 AM on November 24, 2020 [1 favorite]
posted by Mr. Bad Example at 8:05 AM on November 24, 2020 [1 favorite]
The Anglo-Saxons also effectively genocided the Celtic speakers all the way to the Welsh/Scottish borders
Read better history/archaeology. There isn't either direct evidence for genocide, nor any indirect evidence in the form of things like population movement which would suggest genocide (ie if you wipe out people you either have to replace them or have depopulated areas). We know that the royalty of Celtic-speaking and English-speaking kingdoms intermarried, formed alliances, sheltered each other's wayward sons, loads of stuff like that. Which is not to say that either side were by any means nice, nor to deny that the linguistic dominance of Old English suggests some hardcore hegemony. But if you're going to casually toss around a word like genocide you do need some evidence to support it.
stereotype of weak, peace-loving Anglo-Saxons overwhelmed by violent vikings isn't accurate
Is that really a stereotype in some places? Wow. But then it does chime with the dominance of voices about Early Medieval England who are basically King Alfred/Wessex fanboys, who I can see being willing to kick the military achievements of Mercia, Northumbria and everyone who wasn't Wessex under the carpet to make their boy look better.
posted by Vortisaur at 8:25 AM on November 24, 2020 [4 favorites]
Read better history/archaeology. There isn't either direct evidence for genocide, nor any indirect evidence in the form of things like population movement which would suggest genocide (ie if you wipe out people you either have to replace them or have depopulated areas). We know that the royalty of Celtic-speaking and English-speaking kingdoms intermarried, formed alliances, sheltered each other's wayward sons, loads of stuff like that. Which is not to say that either side were by any means nice, nor to deny that the linguistic dominance of Old English suggests some hardcore hegemony. But if you're going to casually toss around a word like genocide you do need some evidence to support it.
stereotype of weak, peace-loving Anglo-Saxons overwhelmed by violent vikings isn't accurate
Is that really a stereotype in some places? Wow. But then it does chime with the dominance of voices about Early Medieval England who are basically King Alfred/Wessex fanboys, who I can see being willing to kick the military achievements of Mercia, Northumbria and everyone who wasn't Wessex under the carpet to make their boy look better.
posted by Vortisaur at 8:25 AM on November 24, 2020 [4 favorites]
The Anglo-Saxons also effectively genocided the Celtic speakers all the way to the Welsh/Scottish borders, leaving Old English a more or less purely Germanic language with little Celtic influence. The Vikings didn't make anywhere near as deep an impression on language in the Danelaw.
I read a post on R/AskHistorians a few months ago that argued that this is a popular misconception: https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/4bhnn6/were_the_anglosaxon_invasions_a_catastrophic/
posted by armadillo1224 at 8:44 AM on November 24, 2020
I read a post on R/AskHistorians a few months ago that argued that this is a popular misconception: https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/4bhnn6/were_the_anglosaxon_invasions_a_catastrophic/
posted by armadillo1224 at 8:44 AM on November 24, 2020
Awkward, because I already know I've been gifted this for Christmas, but I think this is kind of...I'm not sure I'm going to enjoy this that much. Like the author, I get how this happened as people were like 'people won't empathize with the character if they do this', and they're not even wrong, but to just cut it out entirely does seem irresponsible, especially because the AC franchise has worked so hard on little historical tidbits that people have the feeling they're learning about history by playing them. So I think the odds people will believe it altogether are fairly high.
posted by corb at 9:41 AM on November 24, 2020 [1 favorite]
posted by corb at 9:41 AM on November 24, 2020 [1 favorite]
I just wanted to chime in (no pun intended) and say the bit about Norse churches of the time would have been more decorative and elaborate, so I had to go look at the inside of a stave church (I've never thought about what the inside looked like, ya know? Just "oh cool, stave church") but yeah, Damn those are some beautifully ornate buildings inside (even without the stained glass). IDK how much of that is restoration, but certainly some of that style holds from the old days, no?
posted by symbioid at 10:09 AM on November 24, 2020 [1 favorite]
posted by symbioid at 10:09 AM on November 24, 2020 [1 favorite]
I've never played the game or any others in the series, but I wonder how much of this is the unthinking result of taking on a complex historical situation, but dumbing it down to simplify the game story. For example, choose to slaughter all monks in a monastery => get more loot and conquer more land and villages; show some amount of restraint => such-and-such Saxon king is willing to negotiate peace with you. If you're forced to restrict the game storyline to be more limited or more linear, just by practicality of workload/deadlines/whatever, it is easy to just go with good guys strong and destined for success/bad guys weak themes. (Same as colonialist virgin land/favored by God/etc histories.)
posted by thefool at 11:17 AM on November 24, 2020
posted by thefool at 11:17 AM on November 24, 2020
I don't play AC, but I think for 90% of Anglophones the anti-Christian, intolerant-Saxon framing is going to read like punching up. As in of course we know "our side" wasn't really that bad compared to anyone else but this is what a fantasy world Viking might think about them and it's fun to play around with. And gameplay wise? Hell no, I do not want missions to kill civilians or collect thralls*. The point that there are racists for whom the idea that Norsemen, specifically, are a superior race that makes this pernicious would have gone way over my head. Yeah, that's an issue.
*There was a fun game, not-AAA, called Expeditions: Vikings that had thralls and massacres. You could (and I did) play as one of the "good guys" and which is really equally ahistorical and its own set of problems. It's not like your followers would be all into the no-thralls policy.
In general I assume most "historical" games are in fact set in an alternate timeline that might have more literacy, less slavery, and something like gender equality rather than on Earth Prime.
posted by mark k at 1:10 PM on November 24, 2020 [1 favorite]
*There was a fun game, not-AAA, called Expeditions: Vikings that had thralls and massacres. You could (and I did) play as one of the "good guys" and which is really equally ahistorical and its own set of problems. It's not like your followers would be all into the no-thralls policy.
In general I assume most "historical" games are in fact set in an alternate timeline that might have more literacy, less slavery, and something like gender equality rather than on Earth Prime.
posted by mark k at 1:10 PM on November 24, 2020 [1 favorite]
Bret Devereaux has a follow-up post with a response from the game developers and his own reply.
posted by TheophileEscargot at 1:40 AM on November 27, 2020
posted by TheophileEscargot at 1:40 AM on November 27, 2020
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posted by bq at 4:03 PM on November 23, 2020