Pridefest™ Reviews – Page 6

Difficult to make progress & culturally insensitive :/

Sitthetrot

Not only does it take a loooooong time to fill the fun meter on buildings in this game, meaning you’re stuck with a town that’s about 75% flat gray buildings for days (how long I’ve been playing), I was also pretty put off by the role given to protestors. It’s never made clear that the protestors are anti-LGBTQ or that there’s a valid reason for making them the “enemy.” They’re portrayed as little crowds of people with blank signs who players have to avoid when planning their parade routes. One page of the quest booklet shows a punching fist and “Love Wins” opposite the text “Protestors have reared their ugly heads in your fair city. It’s time to show them the true meaning of pride.” To me, this sounds a lot like the anti-protest rhetoric cishets and white cis gays love: stop politicizing pride, let uniformed cops march in the parade, just have fun, go buy some cheap alcohol, etc. All of this ignores that the first Pride was a riot, the Stonewall Riots, and that riots have always been an integral part of fighting for LGBTQ rights. Overall the game feels more like you’re planning some random city event’s parades than Pride.

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