I follow Woke Content Detector to find great games.

Not Recommended that are fantastic, too name a few;

• Hunt
• Dredge
• Citizen Sleeper
• Not Tonight

A recommended game is simply based on not having “woke”.

The best review is for Space Marine 2. https://steamcommunity.com/groups/Woke_Content_Detector/discussions/1/4763207947399842071/

The initial pitch:

-Your squad in this game consists of a black man and an Asian man instead of being all-white like the first. Clear DEI positioning. Two of the multiplayer classes is also black with no option to choose a different ethnicity, only to cover his head with a helmet and pretend he isn’t (which doesn’t count). There is no explanation for this. The Asian man in the campaign in particular treats the white protagonist with suspicion, though he comes to trust them by the end of the game.

-Main guard commander is female (a position usually occupied by males), but defers to the all-male Astartes. Mixed point since the main Guard character was female in the first game but wasn’t a full commander unlike the Major here.

-The Imperial Guard present in the game also has women on the frontlines in combat gear.

-At least one of the developers is on record of having pro-woke opinions. https://boundingintocomics.com/2021/12/13/warhammer-40000-space-marine-ii-senior-writers-support-for-defunding-police-and-blacklisting-cis-white-men-sparks-concerns-over-games-narrative-creative-director-insists-team-will-honor-lor/

-The Warhammer franchise in general has been noted for going woke with the introduction of female Custodes, previously also an all-male faction.

Some counterpoints that I don’t feel overwrite the woke sentiment but are worth mentioning:

-The enemies of the game are either inhuman insect-like monsters or humans who have fallen to worship of a god of change. While change may include a certain change (transgenderism), that mainly falls into the purview of another Chaos God in the lore that is not present; the game therefore avoids killing transgenders/hermaphrodites/what have you but that cannot be considered to make it woke on its own due to them not being present in the game at all.

-The protagonist is a white man, and so are his superiors. The Astartes are general are an all-male faction, but the recent decision to include other races when previous depictions were all-white with no explanation is a red flag.

Any addditonal points or opinions?

EDIT: Okay, so there are external lore factors I was not aware of. Thank you for letting me know.

I say leave it open in case someone finds something more definitive to mark it as woke, since there might have been something I missed.

The confirmation of why Space Marine 2 is “woke”:

For the record, I’ve held off on adding this game until I get a better understanding of the lore. I don’t know much about Warhammer 40K so trying to research this game has felt like venturing into a quagmire.

Every discussion I’ve seen about the diversity in this game has just been people arguing over the lore.

All that being said, this game will likely be added as not recommended.

Here’s where I currently stand:

It seems to me there are lore explanations for why the space marines would be ethnically diverse. On the other hand, the diversity seen in this game appears to be improbably diverse (artificial).

The support squad (Valius’s squad) has the exact same ethnic diversity as Titus’s: 1 white, 1 black, 1 asian.

Unless the Ultramarines have a diversity quota for 3-man teams, that seems extremely unlikely. Even when you account for the large pool of recruits from many different worlds. If anything, it suggests the Ultramarines do have a diversity quota.

Furthermore, while there was a female front-line combatant who worked with the space marines in the first game (2nd Lt. Mira), she was a junior officer who became the most senior officer still alive due to heavy casualties. By contrast, this game features Major Sarkaana, a female officer who is not just a front-line combatant, but a senior officer as well.

Major Sarkaana is much older than Lt. Mira was, so it is possible she has simply been in war for a long time. However, this too is unlikely. Not only do these wars have extremely high attrition rates, they push humanity to the brink (hence the necessity of the space marines). I find it rather hard to believe a woman fighting on the front-lines of such a war would be able to (on merit) stay alive and rise through the ranks.

Possible? Maybe. Probable? I don’t think so.

I’m still looking into the game so let me know what you guys think.

Addendum:

Major Sarkaana introduces herself as a member of the 8th Cadian regiment. From what I’ve read, the Cadian Shock Troops are considered the most elite members of the Imperial Guard. Without technological enhancement, I don’t see how a woman could possibly be among the most elite front-line combatants of the entire Astra Militarum.