Elon Musk, the CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, has expressed his admiration for Japanese video games, stating that they are untainted by "woke DEI lies."
Musk's comments came in response to a meme shared on X, formerly Twitter, by a user who goes by the handle "Rothmus." The meme stated that "Games from Japan are still good, because they don't ruin the art with woke DEI lies." Musk replied to the meme, saying that he agreed with the statement.
However, not everyone agreed with Musk's assessment. Some users pointed out that Japanese developers have started self-censoring their games to cater to Western audiences. They also highlighted the issue of Western localizers rewriting game scripts to include "woke ideology" in Japanese games.
Musk's appreciation for Japanese video games is not new. In May 2022, he praised the hit video game "Elden Ring" as featuring the "most beautiful art" he had ever seen. Developed by Japanese studio FromSoftware, the game was released for all major gaming platforms.
Musk's recent comments on "woke DEI lies" are in line with his previous criticisms of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives. In January 2023, he branded the DEI agenda as "extremely anti-Semitic" and "dangerous" during an interview with Ben Shapiro.
The tech billionaire has also been vocal about his opposition to DEI policies in the corporate world, accusing companies like Disney of institutionalized racism and sexism.
Despite the controversy surrounding his views, Musk's influence in the gaming industry has been significant. His endorsement of "Elden Ring" in 2022 reportedly led to a surge in the game's popularity and sales.