Controversies

The Gabriel Knight series (like many other Sierra series) contains material which some have found controversial, and it has had its own share of controversies over the years.

This page discusses a number of aspects of the series that people have found controversial as defined by reviewers and players over the years. Note: the 'controversies' are just opinions by different individuals, commentators and writers (some maybe fallacy-ridden interpretation or biased projection, and therefore the accuracy of opinions cannot be vouched for).

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the cited authors, writers, commentators and other individuals, and do not reflect the official policies or positions of this wiki.

Background

Released in the '80s and '90s, Sierra Games have been accused of controversial subject matter over the years. The social sensibilities and political correctness of the 2010s and '20s are radically different from those when the games were released; in hindsight, players and critics reinterpreted some elements found in the games as including racist, sexist, or other subject matter by modern standards.

This page includes links to blogs, articles, forum posts, where people have accused or complained that a series had some controversial material in their mind (however legitimate or nitpicking). As well as anecdotes from Sierra's own days.

Political Correctness Policy

This wiki is not really a place to parse terminology and introduce new concepts or theories, or to advocate or be used as a soap box. The articles themselves must stick to topics, basded on terminology and descriptions used by the games, official guides or other official documentation (including development materials, where applicable), and limit any speculation concerning any subjects being discussed.

Discussion of the games from a modern perspective where subject matter is found 'offensive' should only be added to this article, and in this article only. Or in very limited fashion pointing to the 'controversies' page in the "Behind the scenes section' of an article. Note: However note that this page is restricted (changes by non-admins must be vetted and discussed first, before a decision is made). This policy was made due to trollish behaviour attemptingt to insert personal attacks (ad hominem) on the developers. While 'ad hominem' controversies might appear in other blogs, threads, and articles and will be referenced here. They are not to be directly introduced as that goes against the 'neutrality' position (and choosing a side). This page must remain as 'objective' as possible in displaying both arguements and rebuttals to accusations.

If you wish to discuss soapbox and advocacy against certain topics refer back to Number 1 of Advertising and Off-topic discussions (in GK Omnipedia:Canon Policy])...

1.Advocacy, propaganda, or recruitment of any kind: commercial, political, religious, sports-related, or otherwise. Of course, an article can report objectively about such things, as long as an attempt is made to describe the topic from a neutral point of view. You might wish to start a blog or visit a forum if you want to convince people of the merits of your favorite views.

Some might see this as a 'soapbox' in and of itself (based on their side of the 'arguements' being discussed, or related documentation). In that case, consider this article to be the exception to the rule. As it is the only location where critical comments, disagreements and related rebuttals are listed. Some sources may include supporting documentation, as in articles pertaining to history of why somthing might be found offensive based on current societal, cultural, or political trends).

However, remember that no side is taken by the wiki.

Minority Representation

Some reviewers, fans and critics accuse the series of racism, Stereotypes, & Cultural Appropriation, etc...

• Gabriel Knight 1 has been accused of racism in its portrayal of Vodou religion: "Gabriel stumbles unto a centuries-old voodoo cult which has a special motivation to make him their latest human sacrifice. Yikes. I can only wonder what actual adherents of Vodou would think of this (and of that climactic scene)."

• Of historical note: Dr. John's name is influenced by two figures named Dr. John in New Orleans history. The first was an African-American Voodoun Wizard who died in 1885. The other was a musicean/voodoo buff who died in 2019. It might be considered negative that respective cutural historical figure be converted into a negative evil figure

• The villains of Gabriel Knight 1 are predominately black or mixed heritage. The main character is white, his best friend and police detective is also white (causing accusations of white savior complex, and police brutality on the part of the police and his best friend, and most of the black villains sacrificial victims are white, or in case of Grace, Japanese (asians often of accused of being part of model minority myth, or a portrayal of negative racist stereotypical: anti-asian or black on asian violence.). Their power extends into practically everything. Several of the characters might be seen as stereotyped depictions of black characters, and culturally appropriated and exaggerated voodoo culture in general. The spirit of Witch has a long hatred of white people.

• One person comments: "I think it’s a mistake to go into this game’s #MeToo problem without at least mentioning the game’s problematic treatment of race. It seems to imply that the sexual harassment problems matter and that the race problems don’t...Probably neither kind of problem had “ill intent.” I don’t think Jane Jensen regards sexually harassing your staff to be appropriate, any more than she thinks it’s appropriate to steal a frock from a priest. I bet the “white savior” problems were completely unconscious. But that’s why it’s so important to talk about this stuff, to make people conscious of common racist tropes." Another reviewer commented that in their view; "I loved this game as a kid, but when I recently went to play it again about half way through the game it occurred to me that every single antagonist in the game was a black guy and every protagonist was a white guy. It would have thought it was just a coincidence if the game wasn't already so ignorant towards voodoo culture. Either way, I recommend this game if you're desperate for a sierra style adventure, but I have to give it the poorest of all rating for being ethnocentric and downright racist. I really didn't want to believe it was either, so this opinion is completely subjective and yes portraying every black character in a story as being a "bad guy" is racist no matter how subtle it seems. One rebuttal given to this kind of arguement was given: "Personally, to accuse this game of employing the white savior trope uncritically is to practice some kind of intellectual myopia. Gabriel actually fails to save the person he wants to in the end – Malia – and the fact that she chooses to die on her own terms is a restoration of her agency, symbolic of her severing the corrupting legacy of a history corroded by racism and knowing that having Gabriel save her is also not the path forward. This game is first and foremost about the tragedy of Malia Gedde. It is only Gabriel Knight’s story in a secondary capacity. The game ends without a sense of triumph and relief. Instead, there is defeat, the feeling that much work still needs to be done to prevent the tragedy of people like Malia Gedde, that the scars of racism still have to be reckoned with, and those who survive it – usually people who are not black, like Gabriel – still have much to answer for."
• Some critics find detective and police games like Gabriel Knight to being problematic especially now in a time of accusations of police brutality, America's racial reckocking' and the rise of Black Lives Matter One writer comments: "Most highly-regarded detective games (such as Gabriel Knight or LA Noire) revel in excess. The first Gabriel Knight has you fighting a voodoo cult in New Orleans... It’s fair to say that the bar for video games, thematically, is far lower than any other form of media generally, but especially so when it comes to something as overbearing as the justice system. Expecting larger examination of institutions in games, especially mainstream ones, is a very far-fetched idea even for this indie aficionados"..."And that brings me to the game that brought about my reckoning with my love for crime fiction. I bought it one month after #BlackLivesMatter protests erupted in the United States (reminder: they still continue amid constant police brutality) and spread to the rest of the world"... Life in games are "...black-and-white, real life isn’t. The moment we’re in, as I spoke about on CiTR 101.9 FM, is showing us what’s possible in this world, as everything teeters on an edge. We should aspire for one where racial and social justice comes to those who are most affected by deprivation, deprivation enforced by those who claim to enforce ‘justice’ right now. And the art we make should fight for that future."some have commented in particular that the ending sequence with the fight with Dr. John of being racialy disturbing by and possibly reminiscent of police brutality against black people.

Female Representation

• Some argue that the series is sexist, misogynistic, anti-Feminist, etc.
• Some reviewers criticize the game as being misygonistic based on its main character:

  "You see, Grabriel Knight is, well, a bit of a dick. He’s a sexist and a misogynist, and the game’s dialogue rarely misses a trick in portraying this. Throughout the game’s entirety, his bookshop assistant and on-call researcher Grace bears the brunt of his laddish ‘banter’, however the majority of these quips and ‘jokes’ are either unfunny, unnecessary, or both. In the original Sins of the Fathers, Grace’s tone was rather cutting, often frustrated with Gabriel, often putting him in his place. In the remake, the language remains the same, but the tone is now one far more endearing, which only serves to - or at least attempts to - validate his misogyny. It’s all a bit ‘Ah, that Gabriel, what’s he like?’ as opposed to ‘No, Gabriel. Fuck off.’ For those unaware, it probably should be noted here that Gabriel Knight was created by Jane Jenson of King’s Quest fame which, for me, makes it even more baffling as to why she decided to make her protagonist such a sexist prat in these ways, as it regularly feels forced. It could be argued that in 1993 this sort of narrative might have flown a little further under the radar than it does today - but that doesn’t mean it was acceptable then, and certainly doesn’t mean it’s acceptable now. "

• One response to the review: "It saddens me that the reviewer chooses to cloud his judgment about the game simply because he disagrees with the moral of a character...It is like criticizing Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby as a novel because a critic does not like Jay Gatsby as a flawed character because of his criminal past or his manipulative personality with Nick and Daisy...Shows a complete lack of basic understanding of the skills of being a media critic."
• I really can't get past how sexist the main character is, and from many of the reviews I've read this goes beyond the cringeworthy interactions in the first few minutes of the demo that prompted me to write this. The joke about him looking down the other characters shirt..not only is that not cool but it's also a really bad joke to use as a reason not to give people the option to climb the ladder. It kills whatever motivation I might have to buy this game despite having wanted to see what this series was like since I'm a big fan of adventure games. I'm not into playing a game that stars a dude who has a total lack of respect for other peoples personal boundaries, and who doesn't seem to know the meaning of consent.
• "For those who don’t know of Gabriel Knight, he starts off as a cad. He’s sexist, drunk, lazy, unkempt…the kind of guy women in mysteries love because they get to whip him into shape by story’s end. He’s an author, which explains most of his bad behavior, but not a successful one, which explains the rest. He also manages a book store in New Orleans, along with an assistant who puts up with his behavior because, well, someone has to.""Gabriel and his dialogue are cringe-worthy, and the portrayal of him as a sexist idiot is so ham-fistedly written and acted that it’s hard to take the game as anything other than a bad comedy. That’s fine for nostalgia, but its seems horribly out of place these days. It’s worth your time to get past this, though, because there’s a reason why this is considered one of the greatest adventure games of its age. Aging gamers such as I will have fun remembering why, and new adventure gamers will get the joy of discovery."
• "It’s a bit like opening a time capsule; for example, Gabriel doesn’t carry a cellphone, gets daily updates from a print newspaper, and unashamedly tosses out sexist come-ons to female characters that would make Duke Nukem blush. Some of the tone-setting dialogue that served to overcome the original’s visual shortcomings now come off as over the top and sometimes even silly. (The evolution of Gabriel’s relationship with socialite Malia Gedde now seems particularly sudden and overwrought.)"
• "I think it’s a mistake to go into this game’s #MeToo problem without at least mentioning the game’s problematic treatment of race. It seems to imply that the sexual harassment problems matter and that the race problems don’t."
• "Oh yeah, have we mentioned that hero Gabriel Knight is a total scum bag? He's a selfish, sexist pig and you'll want to punch him in the face (or tug on his ridiculous blonde mane) every time he opens his mouth. Anyone who says a protagonist doesn't have to be likeable should be forced to play this game."

• Some people find Gerde pealing potatoes to be sexist. This was changed in the 20th anniversary reimagining to her doing offic work.

• Jane Jensen at one time was accused of being an anti-feminist (which she disagreed with being called, but that she had certain issues with feminist positions): "Working within this corporate frame, Jane Jensen claims no feminist political agenda and openly expresses her frustration at two levels of feminist discourse. First, she considers the term archaic and associates feminism with an even older women's movement, that of the suffragettes. It is not, as she hastens to say, that she is anti-feminist. Rather, her own life experience proves to her that the opportunity to express oneself and to empower oneself financially within the industry is available for any woman who develops the skills and has the talent and the drive to do so. She regrets the general absence of women from the field of science and technology."
• Gabriel Knight is not the only series by Jane Jensen to be accused of sexism (with some seeing as a reflection of her style, and the developer's character). Some of her other series such as Moebius are criticized as well. "It's not difficult in the traditional sense — any determined player with an eye for adventure game logic will be able to complete it. No, I found it hard to get through because of its unlikable lead character, dopey writing, uneven puzzle design and omnipresent sexism." "Pretty much every woman character in Moebius: Empire Rising is a man-hungry shrew or a vapid Desperate Housewives reject. As if that weren't enough, the game contained the two most heinous acts of misogyny I've had to commit while playing a game. The first was baiting a working-class teenager — yeah, the fact that she comes from a poor family is part of the scheme — into showing off her ass to a creepy businessman in order to solve a puzzle. In the other, I had to threaten to cut a woman's face so that "no man will look at her again." Moebius positions these two horrible actions as solutions to puzzles. They are presented as justifiable things that the hero does. A means to an end that makes the poor treatment of women "okay." The framing makes it all the more unacceptable.

LGBT Representation

• Jane Jensen has caused oontroversy, and has been accused of being transphobic for her love of writing 'hot male characters' such as Gabriel Knight.
• Bruno is portrayed as a camp gay figure, and talks about his possible boyfriend, Cid. He is described in the novel as; "“Bruno was gay, which was fine, but he was also a flaming bitch, which was not."
• Several characters in GK2 appear to be gay or bisexual in nature. This possibly also due to the Werewolf curse.
• There is a lesbian couple in GK3.
• "Implicitly gay characters’ markers are a bit more ambiguous. Gabriel Knight: The Beast Within,for example, features a historian who helps the two lead characters. At one point, the historian mentions that he identifies with King Ludwig II (known to be gay) in certain respects but is glad he lives in a more tolerant time. The game also features a secret society of male werewolves and draws parallels between werewolves and homosexuality. Implicitly lesbian female characters are read by players as homosexual when they flirt with other female characters. For example, in Red Dead Redemptionan NPC woman dancing with afemale sex worker in a bar has been read as potentially a lesbian by many players."

Miscellenous

• https://adventuregamers.com/articles/view/17670
• GK2 was contentious to some players for its overuse of prescripted full motion video and streamlined gameplay and puzzles.
• Gk3 was controversial to some individuals for hits use of 3D camera, in a time of very early 3D. It's also famous for a few weird puzzles like the Cat-hair mustache puzzle.

See also

• Controvesies in King's Quest
• Controversies in Space Quest
• Controversies in Police Quest
• Controversies in EcoQuest
• Controversies in Quest For Glory
• Controversies in Conquests series
• Controversies in Leisure Suit Larry
• Controversies in Laura Bow
• Controversies in Phantasmagoria series
• Controversies in Freddy Pharkas