Is it in bad taste to include Russia and Ukraine in a game about running a restaurant chain?

This may not be the time. Or if you feel strongly about it, write a statement of purpose (a manifesto, if you will) for including the present hot zone in your game about a different time. Maybe the statement will show you some ideas to include in the game to reinforce the statement.

Is it necessary to have countries in your game? While we have them in reality and they differ significantly in many ways, if your game is not using those differences, then may be just major cities where you can open an restaurant is enough.

@Tom Sloper OK! I guess I will just have to create my own world and say it's an Earth-like planet that was discovered after years of space travel then. That would also save me the work of creating models for real-world landmarks.

Who is to say that Russia as a state will still be around in 2100? Just break it up into smaller states.

@a light breeze but then I would have to explain what happened to Russia in-game. And I don't know what I would have to do about Ukraine.

a light breeze said:
Who is to say that Russia as a state will still be around in 2100? Just break it up into smaller states.

So you predict the fall of the Russian empire. That's a political statement bordering propaganda!

(Just wanted to reply with the joke: ‘If you have a question about good taste, ask anyone - but no gamedevs!’ :D )

BradleyAuerbach said:
OK! I guess I will just have to create my own world and say it's an Earth-like planet that was discovered after years of space travel then. That would also save me the work of creating models for real-world landmarks.

You could also do like GTA does. Car brands and cities names similar to real world names, but still fictional.
But not sure if that's enough for political correctness, as i'm a gamedev myself. : )

These days it can be in bad taste to sneeze. Do what you want but setting it on another world probably gets rid of some issues. For instance all my “humans” will have green skin. If you do include Russia there is nothing inherently wrong with that. Russia certainly isn't the first nation to invade another country.

JoeJ said:

a light breeze said:
Who is to say that Russia as a state will still be around in 2100? Just break it up into smaller states.

So you predict the fall of the Russian empire. That's a political statement bordering propaganda!

Well, yeah. That's the idea. I'd rather make a stand for what I feel is right than to try to please everybody. I have no ill will toward the Russian people, but Putin needs to die and his dream of a new Soviet Union with him. Luckily for us, Putin's Russian empire is already well on its way toward self-destruction.

Now if I were feeling vindictive, I would expand the borders of Ukraine at the expense of Russia in my hypothetical non-dystopian map of the world in the year 2100.

By the time you finish the game, the war will be probably over. Then you can adjust the maps.

What if I just have Russia and Ukraine have different names and borders and say that this is an alternate version of Earth where is has always been like that?

Why stop there? What status are you going to give Chinese-occupied Tibet in the year 2100? Are you taking a position on the Israel/Palestine occupation? I suspect that with this kind of topic the only winning move is not to play. Just make up fake countries, and focus on the gameplay.

1992: if people dislike a country, they put them into the game as enemies and/or playable character for sure

2022: if people dislike a country, they will not put it to the game

In my previous reply in this thread, I suggested avoiding real-world goings-on. How about the other direction? Embrace the news.

Have restaurants in Ukraine. Blow them up with Russian missiles.

Have restaurants in Russia. Have soldiers come in and haul off young adult customers to conscript them into the military.

In American restaurants, have wackos with assault rifles come in and shoot the customers and staff.

@BradleyAuerbach I think it's totally fine. Unless you are taking sides and politically supporting one or the other. The fact is there is a country called Russia and a country called Ukraine. Mentioning either means nothing. You still include the US when they are in the middle east etc. War is always going on.

It's a game that has no real impact in the end.

@Tom Sloper The only “combat”-type behavior I will have is sabotage that doesn't involve weapons, such as installing monitoring devices, putting flies in soup (really!), messing with equipment, or even starting fires.

No, why should it be?

Geri said:

By the time you finish the game, the war will be probably over. Then you can adjust the maps.

Likely true,

• Then there will be another war that will be equally if not more divisive.
• I wouldn't worry about it. It's not like your game will be boycotted for how it represents countries.

JulsAnnie said:
p.s. I will be pleased to see the cuisine of these countries, because they are similar in many ways)

Food, the great equalizer!

@Geri really I hope so