"haneul;c-17701040" wrote:
@Raevyn You are clearly unfamiliar with both Japan and Korea. As much as it stinks to have something removed from the game, adding a shrine for ancestor worship doesn't make sense as it doesn't fit the theme of the pack (Snowy Japanese Escape) at all. I apologize for not being able to explain properly, but that would be too random and too close to being religious and not even super Japanese (when this is supposed to be a Japanese and not Asian themed world).
I do agree though, that NOT much information about that particular object was given as to what it was for and what its functions were to be aside from doing a bow to it and perhaps we should have waited to see what it was called & its other functions before jumping into conclusions.
If EA wants to be successful in Korea, it can't having rising suns and awkward/automated Shinto rituals in its happy life simulator game. The Korean market will not have it and that's why EA quickly addressed the issue and tried to correct it. Anyone who knows anything about Korea, knows this is just no ... Also, Japanese culture isn't defined by those things either, so it's fine to remove them. It's not offensive to Japan to remove them. Maybe Westerners don't understand and need more information, but to others, it's obvious and there's no need for stuff about functions because we already know enough.
Again, it's too bad that there's nothing to replace it, but it can't just be replaced with ancestor worship because that'd be weird, random, and out of place.
I don't mean this in a condescending way, but you seem to know more about Japanese/Korean culture. What is the connection between the Shrine EA had in the trailer (where the lady was bowing to it), and the Snowy Japanese Escape theme they went for? If they went for this theme, then wouldn't putting a Shrine in the game in general already be out of place and weird?
I was merely making a suggestion as to how they could bring that aspect of 'prayer' or 'shrines' or whatever they were going for, to the game in a less offensive way. Which the Eastern player base might appreciate. While not specifically being 'super Japanese', it might bring some more representation and understanding of Eastern culture. Particularly when we look and see as default, things like Christmas & Easter (Christian Religious holidays, mind you), so clearly represented in the game (even though they are renamed).
We really need to stop thinking about culture and religion as separate, more often than not culture and religion overlap and the majority of a person's cultural practices tie into their religious roots, whether they know it or not. They obviously wanted to include cultural aspects of Japan but not 'religious' aspects. Although when they put Hijabs in the game, they basically were adding a good example of a cultural/religious overlap as Islamic people wear the Hijab as more often than not, dictated by their religion, so already they kinda fail. Same with Christmas, something which is 'cultural' but has its roots in religion.
It's almost impossible to separate the two, let alone do it & not offend anyone.
