What bothers me more than anything else in the world is how so-called online progressives feel the need to mock you for liking a piece of media that doesn't align with their worldview. Let me explain by citing the drama that unfolded when the new  God of War game and the *Stellar Blade* sequel were announced simultaneously: on one side, left-leaning individuals criticized "incels" for disliking the protagonist's design simply because she didn't look like a fashion model; on the other, gamers, whether they intended to or not, immediately appreciated Evie's design because it was  objectively beautiful. That’s when the first group lost it: they compared the \*Stellar Blade\* protagonist to a teenager and accused the game of being "bait" for "gooners" (who knows if they would have reacted the same way had the protagonist been Black, Hispanic, or Latin American? I don't think so). They began attacking literally anyone who so much as complimented the game's graphics or the way the character was showcased.  
I view this kind of behavior as toxic and performative; you aren't fostering serious discussion, you're just chasing engagement to rack up likes and views. And forgive me for being a bit skeptical when I say that if she had been of a different race, everyone would have embraced Evie; people who fight for human rights tend to be less hypocritical when a minority character is portrayed as attractive and beautiful. Sure, the Right does it too, but my online feed is generally full of left-wing opinions, so you’ll have to forgive my one-sided judgment of these keyboard warriors.  
I decided to write this comment specifically in response to numerous posts on a gaming subreddit that blew up after this scandal: "You don't like Laufey because she looks like a real woman!"; "You prefer playing as younger, innocent characters because you have manipulation fantasies you can't satisfy in real life." "You don't like designs featuring strong women because you know that, at the slightest sign of violence, they could easily fight back", and other bullshit people use as a coping mechanism to feed their own sick egos.  
Let’s be clear: I don’t care for this kind of online debate. People on both sides are free to criticize specific aspects of a character; the problem arises when they attack those who do appreciate them, displaying hypocrisy, given how often we ourselves get insulted for our own opinions.  
Personally, I wouldn't want gaming standards to be based entirely on representation, creating fat or deliberately ugly characters under the guise of reflecting reality, just to prove that everyone deserves to be represented. I mean, chubby characters are fine, but not the way *Concord* did them; there are plenty that look good, but just as many that become an eyesore once you get a better look at them. In any case, though I might change my mind about this in the future, the duty to represent certain realities is not more important than art itself. 

the polarization of the debate on the representation of female characters in videogame online