Pride flag in Marvel's new Spider-Man game sparks diversity debate
Marvel has sparked a debate with players over the Pride flag which is featured in the new Spider-Man game.
Fans of the wall-crawler have only had a short amount of time to digest the game, which was released on Friday morning, but hundreds have noticed the Pride flag surrounding many buildings in New York.
The PlayStation 4 exclusive game is currently the fastest selling game of the year so far, according to Eurogamer, and many players have commented on the inclusion of the rainbow flag in the new Spider-Man game.
People have praised the game for "its much-appreciated message" of inclusion for the LGBTQ community, but have also made reference to places where it would "not be safe to put that flag up".
One of the developers, Ryan Benno responded to a popular social media post highlighting Spider-Man in front of the flag saying: "Representation is so important - it's something we wanted to put in this game."
The senior environment artist on the PS4 exclusive said the flag is in Boystown in Greenwich before adding, "It's diverse, it's distinct, it's accurate and it's the right thing to do."
Reports have also emerged that one of the game’s achievements relies on taking a selfie with one of the pride flags with the game’s 'selfie mode'.
It may seem like a small detail in the game but with same-sex marriage only being legalised three years ago across America, players including 35-year-old Berrak have called this "a moment".
Some gamers have also pointed out the inclusion of the Pride flag is in line with what the surrounding areas in the Lower-East side represent.
It is not clear how many Pride flags there are featured in the game’s version of New York City.
There are several in and around more residential districts, but there could be a whole lot more.