More Woke Gaming...

Which word? 'Planet'? 'Journey'?

It ain’t perfect, but it’s got heart. It’s a succinct and loving throwback to the Metroid Prime series that fills a pretty specific niche in a sea full of service games that want to become your part-time job. But I have to be honest, I hate seeing the word “savage” in a game about exploration.

Oh. Of course.

My eyes rolled right the fuck out of my head when I read the title of this game at its reveal at the 2018 Game Awards. I know I sound like a wet blanket, but just… hear me out.

I have to admin, the tem 'wet blanket' wasn't the first to spring to mind. But this is a family blog...

The word savage has a long history being used to justify violent behaviour by colonisers.

*sighs*

I’m not asking for Journey to the Savage Planet to have some super poignant message at every turn, but according to Hutchinson, the game is meant to have a “tone of sort of early science-fiction of hopefulness.” But it’s worth asking whose hope it is we’re talking about.

The hope of gamers that this will be a game with few bugs and a sensible XP system?

I’m not going to die because of the title of this game or its story’s lack of conviction. Like I said, this ain’t new. I even thought the game was pretty fun! But that “emotional purchase” Hutchinson talks about hits a little differently when history paints some of us as savages – Columbus Day is still a national holiday.

And always will be.