Earlier today, we reported on something pretty spicy that the legendary Jennifer Hale happened to say. She revealed to Polygon which scene from the Mass Effect trilogy affected her the most.
But Hale is always great for insightful commentary, and a lot more came out of that same interview. But what struck me as strongly as her emotional response to a certain turian farewell was her take on how powerful Mass Effect's commitment to inclusivity is.
“Something Made Me Grab My Phone”
Speaking of legendary… um, legendary edition. That's the subtitle of the excellent 2021 remaster of the entire trilogy, and just watching the trailer for it, which featured “FemShep” in particular, despite the relative lack of original-era marketing material for the non-male variant, Jennifer Hale hit home very hard. “Something made me pick up the phone because I wanted to be with everyone in the Mass Effect community at that moment. And by the way, he is bullish when he calls it a commonwealthrather than all of us as “fans”.
“I don't use the word 'fans'. I find that very uncomfortable because everyone there is a community. You're on the other end of the experience, if you will. It's unbelievable what the game means to them.” -Jennifer Hale, to Polygon
So once again we find Jennifer Hale ruling the roost. Let's jump to the mass of things, maybe. As soon as she picked up the phone, she witnessed the community's first reaction. “They said: This is what the national team looks like. And it just hit me.” This representation means a lot to Hale on a deeply personal basis. She grew up in a time when women were often treated as “second-class citizens,” as she puts it, so the trailer puts things into sharper perspective on the steps that have been taken toward ending it:
“You just get used to being second class and you don't even realize it until someone puts you in first class and you're like, 'Oh my God, that's the feeling.' And then suddenly you see everything you've been missing.”
But Mass Effect, even if the ads were initially frustrating in showcasing Shepard's female choice, has always pushed for inclusivity overall. Consider when particularly extensive sequels came out: 2010 and 2012. It was a different time, as many of us remember well. The first post was not too steep for all this, but many fans – sorry, community members! – found real solace in a pair of AAA titles through ME2 and ME3 that offered real options for romantic arcs that didn't conform to the so-called heterosexual norm.
“[I] I immediately realized where my representation was and where all these other people were not represented. […] This game made so many people feel represented. I don't think you can underestimate that.”
Looking back, yes. BioWare was on the ball. There were character-rich romantic paths for a few preferences, and while I'm straight as an arrow myself, it was great to watch some of my friends' reactions to the steady realization that a big-budget space adventure video game trilogy actually allowed them to feel seen at a time when such things were still pretty risky.
Mass Effect's Jennifer Hale reveals which emotional scene hit her the hardest
Mine too, tbh.
