‘Halo’ composer and politician says anti-woke battle in gaming mirrors US politics

Marty O’Donnell, the online game composer behind the “Halo” and “Destiny” collection, in contrast the battles in opposition to “woke” ideology in each video video games and politics as he discussed operating for Congress once more in a weblog submit Monday.

Amid his second bid for Congress in Nevada’s third congressional district and the upcoming remake of the primary “Halo” sport, O’Donnell argued in a submit on DEIDetected, a client consciousness group of players who opposes DEI in video video games, that politics and leisure are deeply related.

The “Halo” video games, centered on humanity’s battle in opposition to alien invaders, have bought tens of tens of millions of copies, changing into probably the most recognizable and enduring online game franchises since 2001. 

“I believe the enthusiasm for the re-release of the original ‘Halo’ is in large part due to the wokification of the gaming industry,” he wrote. “After years of gamers fighting the infiltration of DEI in the industry, we are finally winning.”

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An individual portraying the character Master Chief of the Halo franchise at an E3 gaming convention on June 5, 2012 in Los Angeles, California. (Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)

“I saw firsthand the beginning of DEI in the industry,” he wrote, describing how the business has confronted backlash over video games that alienated gamers with identification politics. “How did gamers react to having things forced on them by non-gamers developing these characters in the studio? They revolted.”

O’Donnell additionally cited video games comparable to “Dragon Age,” which started as a darkish fantasy collection with “Dragon Age: Origins” however whose newest installment, “Dragon Age: The Veilguard,” featured transgender and nonbinary characters. The new title drew on-line backlash for a scene by which a personality performs a bodily show to atone for misgendering one other character.

Several gaming websites concluded that the sport was a flop that pandered to trendy politics. Forbes senior contributor Erik Kain called the viral misgendering scene “written so poorly that it comes across as self-parody.”

O’Donnell additionally pointed to “Concord,” which drew heavy criticism for its flamboyant character designs and perceived pandering to left-wing identification politics.

“Concord, which Sony spent hundreds of millions of dollars developing for nearly a decade, lasted less than two weeks on the market before being pulled offline last year. The game felt like it was created to check DEI boxes instead of appeal to gamers,” he wrote. “It was riddled with woke nonsense such as progressive characters and pronouns. It is estimated that less than 25,000 copies were sold during its brief time on the market.”

O’Donnell in contrast the sport’s flop to then–Vice President Kamala Harris’ electoral defeat.

“I don’t think it is a coincidence that Concord crashed and burned two months before Donald Trump was re-elected to the White House. The downfall of DEI in gaming feels very similar to the 2024 elections. At the same time that gamers fought and took back the gaming industry from woke leftists, voters fought and took back our country from woke leftists,” he wrote. “I am happy and excited that the movement to bring fun back into our games while taking politics out of them is winning. But believe me, the cancer that infected the industry has not been fully removed.”

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Composer and audio director for Highwire Games Marty O’Donnell attends the twentieth annual D.I.C.E (Design, Innovate, Communicate, Entertain) Awards on the Mandalay Bay Convention Center on Feb. 23, 2017, in Las Vegas, Nevada.  (Gabe Ginsberg/Getty Images)

But the battle, he stated, is way from over, saying that is why he is once more determined to run for Congress. He completed fourth within the GOP major in his district in 2024.

“We can’t just sit back and let woke policies rear their ugly head again. That’s why I’ve stepped up to run for Congress in my home state of Nevada,” he wrote. “I love this country and anything worth loving is worth fighting for.”

He urged players to maintain pushing again and voicing their opinions till firms exchange workers who dislike gaming with passionate creators who genuinely take pleasure in making and taking part in video games, expressing confidence that the business could be restored to its former glory.

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Video video games have been probably the most contentious arenas of contemporary tradition wars. (Adobe Stock)

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