This past weekend, I woke up to a text message asking if I saw a review for The King of Fighters XIII published on The Penny Arcade Report. From the start, I knew I was in for click-baiting press coverage; after all, the headline was “King of Fighters XIII PC improves online play, doesn’t improve casual racism, sexism“. I could go on about the review’s thesis, but I believe enough discussion has been had in the review’s comments and various message boards and sites that linked the article.

As I searched my brain for any opinion whatsoever, I concluded that Andrew Groen’s review (and any conversation around it) is yet another cyclical debate about political correctness in an overly sensitive world. Although discourse over sexism, racism and media portrayal thereof is important to have, I believe Groen picked the wrong battle; especially considering SNK’s reasons behind their characters’ designs and other content’s more overt sexual and racial themes. Continue reading →