Dr. Sachi Schmidt-Hori is an associate professor of Japanese literature and culture at Dartmouth College. Recently, she’s found herself at the center of a firestorm after serving as the narrative consultant on a video game that takes place in 16th century Japan. The game, developed by Ubisoft, features two playable protagonists: Naoe, a fictional Japanese female assassin, and Yasuke, a real-life Black samurai. Just as with the game’s debut trailer last year, fans were not pleased. They claimed the company was prioritizing “wokeness” over historical accuracy.
Aside from documenting specific aesthetic practices, Schmidt-Hori helped to orient the entire project through her research into historical customs and translation of scripts. She reiterated her non-involvement with character creation. Even with her considerable professional expertise behind her, she was still subjected to intense online vitriol. Opponents came for her scholarship, her looks, and even her marriage.
In the midst of this backlash, Dr. Schmidt-Hori met resistance with compassion. She had not forgotten the late civil rights leader John Lewis, from whom she took considerable inspiration. Her ambition was to inspire what he later called so memorably “good trouble.” She acknowledged the challenges posed by today’s polarizing culture, stating, “Nobody is unaffected by this very polarising culture.”
The shit storm hit the fan when Anik Talukder, a 28-year-old South Asian male, called her out for damaging work in a widely circulated Reddit post. After receiving an invitation from Schmidt-Hori to speak on a Zoom call, Talukder had a change of heart and apologized for his statements. He shared that as a result of their meeting, he had “learned a huge lesson.” He personally apologized to Schmidt-Hori on ten separate occasions.
Dr. Schmidt-Hori has faced personal attacks for her work, she is committed to ensuring constructive dialogue over confrontation. She hopes through frank exchanges of ideas that greater understanding can cure divisions that the culture war reaction to the game has raised.
Yasuke’s depiction within the game has been the most controversial aspect. Others criticize it as another self-congratulatory, white-washing layer of historical civic airing. Critics, on the other hand, claim it misrepresents life in 16th-century Japan. Critics took to social media platforms to voice their discontent, with one user remarking sarcastically, “Imagine that! Professional #WOKE SJW confirms fake history for Ubisoft.”
Dr. Schmidt-Hori’s story sheds some light on the complex issues of representation within video games. It further illustrates the greater importance of cultural narratives on today’s storytelling.
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