BioWare Supports Beleaguered Writer

[lacktheknack]

They call this bullying? *facepalm* Fucking really? I understand and support Bioware's decision even though I don't understand - can she not get a writing job somewhere else? I don't even. But insulting (over the internet even) someone is not bullying, dammit. Have you been bullied before? Cry me a river.

Some people are sensitive to words and language more than physical contact or actions involving them. For someone like this, this right here is pretty much their absolute worst nightmare. Kids have COMMITTED SUICIDE over being a common name-calling target, even though they aren't attacked or constantly pranked. Seriously, don't discredit verbal abuse simply because it doesn't bother you or you're used to it. Sympathy, man.

 

[lacktheknack]

I kinda want to remind some things:

Mrs Hepler is not really talented in her domain: she wrote the abysmal M.I.T.H (http://www.amazon.com/M-I-T-H-Operation-Jennifer-Brandes-Hepler/dp/1582405158/ref=sr_1_5?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1329868011&sr=1-5) which had a scenario who made Armaggedon look like Catcher in the Rye, and which only highlight was the two male characters having buttsex at one moment.

I think the general hate directed towards her is not only because of her statement of being dispationate towards her medium, but also because she's kinda hold as a key writer in the bioware team for some reason...and can't really write that good it seems.

Not a great writer != "WHY HAVEN'T YOU KILLED YOURSELF YOU ****"

Except on the internet, apparently.

 

[Andy Chalk]

ever tried posting criticism, well researched, well argued criticism on the bioware forums? It gets a) pulled pretty fast by mods or b) you get shouted down by the people who spend all day there like drones. Yes, the criticism went way too far, but when it's done in the "official" setting of the BW forums, it's not there for long before it's pulled.

What does this have to do with anything? And it's not "criticism," it's abuse. The inability to tell the difference is one of the most basic problems facing an awful lot of people on the internet.

 

[draconiansundae]

What! Didn't she write the quest "A Paragon of Her Kind" in DA:O? I loved that quest line. And I quite liked her characterization of Anders in DA:2. Yes, I actually liked DA:2...

 

[ResonanceSD]

ever tried posting criticism, well researched, well argued criticism on the bioware forums? It gets a) pulled pretty fast by mods or b) you get shouted down by the people who spend all day there like drones. Yes, the criticism went way too far, but when it's done in the "official" setting of the BW forums, it's not there for long before it's pulled.

What does this have to do with anything? And it's not "criticism," it's abuse. The inability to tell the difference is one of the most basic problems facing an awful lot of people on the internet.

I'm perfectly aware of the difference and have spoken out about the appaling lack of respect that people have for Helper in multiple threads.


What I'm saying is that BW don't allow criticism in their own forums, then react in a way that gamers aren't used to seeing from companies on social media. When the shit inevitably hits the fan. A lot of people online now see a way to vent their frustrations that they have with BW as a whole, rather than with Hepler, and are going for it tooth and nail.

The fact that Hepler and Andy responded the way they did, didn't help matters. It was warranted, due to people like this charming individual https://twitter.com/#!/LukeParr/status/171422782389891072, but regardless of how someone feels about a situation, fanning the flames has been categorically proven, time and again, to not work. Once Hepler responded with "I have a vagina" etc., there was really no turning back because hey! all of a sudden, people saw Bioware (Not Hepler herself) responding to their abuse with abuse in kind.

 

[Darkmantle]

What! Didn't she write the quest "A Paragon of Her Kind" in DA:O? I loved that quest line. And I quite liked her characterization of Anders in DA:2. Yes, I actually liked DA:2...

apparently we both didn't get the memo because I guess that section of game is shit :/ I have yet to play DA2 though, not my kinda game it seems

 

[Flailing Escapist]

Some people are sensitive to words and language more than physical contact or actions involving them. For someone like this, this right here is pretty much their absolute worst nightmare. Kids have COMMITTED SUICIDE over being a common name-calling target, even though they aren't attacked or constantly pranked. Seriously, don't discredit verbal abuse simply because it doesn't bother you or you're used to it. Sympathy, man.

I'm just pointing out that simple name calling is just the tip of the iceberg.

Also don't insult me. I'm not that stupid or ignorant. I KNOW kids have committed suicide over it and I KNOW that it can completely crush people. I've seen it happen (who hasn't) and I don't condone bullying in the least.

Some people are sensitive to words and language more than physical contact or actions involving them.

I really doubt that. I can't imagine a single person that's more devastated by words than they would be by physical pain. Not that words can't be devastating but even though physical torture abuse is slightly less common it's much less desirable.

For someone like this, this right here is pretty much their absolute worst nightmare. Kids have COMMITTED SUICIDE over being a common name-calling target, even though they aren't attacked or constantly pranked.

I KNOW. But imagine if they were also beat up, stalked and harassed in every other way. Name calling wouldn't look so bad then would it?

Seriously, don't discredit verbal abuse simply because it doesn't bother you or you're used to it. Sympathy, man.

Right, I think there are worse things than verbal abuse so I must have no sympathy for it. I am NOT twelve years old - I have a good handle on what I'm talking about. My sympathy pours over to all.

 

[lacktheknack]

Some people are sensitive to words and language more than physical contact or actions involving them. For someone like this, this right here is pretty much their absolute worst nightmare. Kids have COMMITTED SUICIDE over being a common name-calling target, even though they aren't attacked or constantly pranked. Seriously, don't discredit verbal abuse simply because it doesn't bother you or you're used to it. Sympathy, man.

I'm just pointing out that simple name calling is just the tip of the iceberg.

Also don't insult me. I'm not that stupid or ignorant. I KNOW kids have committed suicide over it and I KNOW that it can completely crush people. I've seen it happen (who hasn't) and I don't condone bullying in the least.

Some people are sensitive to words and language more than physical contact or actions involving them.

I really doubt that. I can't imagine a single person that's more devastated by words than they would be by physical pain. Not that words can't be devastating but even though physical torture is slightly less common it's much less desirable.

For someone like this, this right here is pretty much their absolute worst nightmare. Kids have COMMITTED SUICIDE over being a common name-calling target, even though they aren't attacked or constantly pranked.

I KNOW. But imagine if they were also beat up, stalked and harassed in every other way. Name calling wouldn't look so bad then would it?

Seriously, don't discredit verbal abuse simply because it doesn't bother you or you're used to it. Sympathy, man.

Right, I think there are worse things than verbal abuse so I must have no sympathy for it. I am NOT twelve years old - I have a good handle on what I'm talking about. My sympathy pours over to all.

It's certainly not what you conveyed in your first post. I'll take your word for it, though.

 

[Irridium]

Those are called movies.
or at best "interactive storytelling experience"

So? If that's how some people want to play, why shouldn't they have the option to do that? Nobody is forcing anyone to skip anything. But I see no reason why we can't have options to do it if we want.

Maybe I want to skip a battle or two. Having the option to do that would be great.

Or, in Origin's case, maybe I want to skip the Deep Roads. God damn the Deep Roads...

But that's just it! That ISN'T playing!
Besides do you really want to give the developers another excuse to neglect combat? Or gamers to be lazy?
You VIL unlock ze Deep Roads
You VIL purge Zem of ze Dark Spawn impurity
Make way for ze glorious Reserection of ze Dwarven Empire!
UNT you will like it Grey Warden!

I'm not saying it should be an all-or-nothing deal, but a toggle-able option of some sort that lets us choose when we want to fight. Sometimes I want to fight, sometimes I don't and just want to get into the story.

Some may choose to just breeze through everything. Some developers may end up neglecting combat. But I'd rather have the option to skip a shitty combat system then be forced to put up with it for 30+ hours.

 

[Drago-Morph]

I heard about her new book, how piss poor it is, plus she wrote some really bad parts of DA:O and I just have to say this, the fact that they are adding male homosexuality in the last installment of Shepard's story seems very off if you ask me.

All the same, saw the title of this article, had to grab this.

Wow, there were so many things wrong with that sentence. A series that started off by advertising lesbian sex and it's a bad move that they appeal to women who like guy on guy action...the Hell?

OT: The guy is getting flamed like Hell...I don't really feel sorry for him.

do you people even read? I said MALE.

Did you read my post? I flat out stated that ME started by advertising lesbian sex, and now they're appealing to women by adding guy on guy action. (Yes girls like that, it's what girl on girl is to us)

http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/YaoiFangirl

Check the real life folder.

So what are you trying to say? Girl on girl is fine in ME but guy on guy is going too far? Word that in a way that actually makes sense please.

What im saying is that has been in there sense game one, and im fine with that, but Male Shepard has had no homosexual options for the first two games, it feels shoehorned in.

Really? Funny, I seem to recall that romancing Tali with a Femshep was impossible in the second game but now is possible in the first game. So is that shoehorned in? And can you remind me why adding things to a game is bad? Do you just want something to stay the same forever? Also it was aliens only, which was cheating.
http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/DiscountLesbians

By the way, you do know that it was originally going to be possible to romance Kaiden and Ashley in the first game right?

Ok, lets start this off by saying Tali is only able to be romanced with Male Shepard, 2, Now that im thinking about it, Is it a homosexual relationship with an alien of an asexual race? and 3, it did not make it in, so its non canon.

Yes, in the second game, in the third game it has been confirmed that a Femshep can woo her. Also, it means that they wanted it to be a part of the original game, of course they would work it in when they got the chance. Also what's the big deal? This is one of those things that you have to hunt for, they're not shoving it down your throat. You don't like it? Well...it wasn't for you.

Wait, where was it confirmed FemShep can romance Tali in ME3?

 

[Flailing Escapist]

It's certainly not what you conveyed in your first post. I'll take your word for it, though.

THIS is my problem with the internet. Don't assume sometime just because I didn't spell it out. Explaining how I see and feel about specific subjects in their specific topics would be several paragraphs of explanation in every thread.

Use some logic! Read what is written and come to conclusions on how they arrived there. THEN respond to them with an open mind in every conclusion you came too and an open mind all around. Sticking to one conclusion is definitely the wrong way to enter any conversation even if your assumption is right.

 

[Canadamus Prime]

I support this as well. Good job Bioware, way to stand behind your employees. The kind of crap that has been leveled against Hepler is ridiculous and there is absolutely no excusing that sort of behavior. It's shit like that that makes me ashamed to call myself a gamer often times.

I do have to admit that Hepler's suggestion that there be a feature to skip gameplay in games is pretty absurd. After all such a feature would defeat the purpose of playing the game. I mean I love a good story in a game too, but it's the gameplay that actually makes it a 'game'; if you're going to skip that then you might as well go read a book or watch a movie.
And I should also point out that she never actually said that she didn't like gaming or even that that was her least favorite part of the job. Going by the quote given, what she said was that she didn't seek her job with Bioware out of a love gaming, she sought it out of a love of writing. And then she went on to say that she likes the stories in games much more than the actual gameplay.

 

[Darkmantle]

This is somewhat unrelated, but can you imagine how much her requested feature would be abused by achievement whores

(and yes, that did come to mind because I am a little bit of an achievement whore)

 

[RazzleDazzle102]

Wait so the writer wants to play a game with more cutscenes then gameplay? Why doesn't she just watch the FFX movie?

 

[OtherSideofSky]

I'm glad to see them standing by their employees, it's the responsible thing for any company to do.

On the other hand, this has done nothing to change my opinion of Hepler as an inferior writer better suited to fanfiction than professional writing. Of course, this applies to most writers working in the games industry, but Bioware has made themselves a bit of an easy target by hyping up the story elements of their games so much. I do think that Hepler's attitude towards gameplay hurts her ability to craft engaging narratives within the medium because it effectively amounts to a refusal to make use of any of the tools and techniques which set games apart from novels or films, but she is entitled to her own approach and opinion just as I am entitled to criticize its results. In any case, I would consider that to be the least of her problems as a writer.

I also found her retorts to her detractors to be as disgustingly juvenile as the insults she was responding to. Professionals must hold themselves to a higher standard, and part of that is responding to criticism, however hateful or childish it may be, in a mature and reasonable manner. By engaging in ad hominem attacks in lieu of actual argument, she shows herself to be unworthy of attention.

 

[T-Dawg]

To all the people saying "watch a movie, or read a book" neither of those medium offer any audience participation in the narrative. The actual combat oriented gameplay of most RPGs has little effect on the narrative - most of those choices are in the cutscene portions.

These people are just more interested in interactive fiction.

Personally there are some games I'm more interested in the storyline than the weak gameplay - significant parts of first two Mass Effect games bored the crap out of me and I'd happily relished in the option to skip them.

Just saying it takes all kinds.

 

[Sarah Frazier]

I don't see why it's such a bad thing for someone to be working in an industry they don't fully support. In fact, wouldn't it make them better suited to it since they don't come with fanboy/girl obsessions that could interfere with their quality of work?

OT: She shouldn't have been so blunt in saying that she doesn't care for the gameplay compared to storyline, but at the same time the trolls and ragers of the internet shouldn't take what she said out of context. Everyone made mistakes, but I'm glad that this one isn't costing Jennifer her job right away. I hope she can keep on writing and the gaming community either comes to at least accept it, or STFU.

 

[Dragonpit]

For crying out loud...if she doesn't like video games, that's her business. Just leave her the #$%^ alone for it.

 

[Freechoice]

But what if she's not talented after all?

That's a moot point. We know she's not. They know she's not. Nobody's honestly saying she's a good writer.

Those are called movies.
or at best "interactive storytelling experience"

So? If that's how some people want to play, why shouldn't they have the option to do that? Nobody is forcing anyone to skip anything. But I see no reason why we can't have options to do it if we want.

Because then you're just ignoring gameplay/story integration as a skill that needs to be developed. Sure, most games are built on the grind, but there are certain aspects of it that make playing fun. If you want to watch an overly long cinematic production and bullshit interactions, go play FF13-2. Most games aren't built on the story and the kind of measure ME3 does (as you're suggesting) would basically turn most games into 45 minute strolls through poorly animated facial movements.

And there already is an option to make gameplay go by quickly. It's called the difficulty setting.


As for the gay thing in ME3, they're shoehorning it in to appease the fans. Of course, I bet this means that any character that is conceivably romanceable is bisexual just so players can impose themselves onto them via Shepard. That changes the dynamics of the characters that otherwise should have been done through gameplay, not through suggestions on some forum.

Why would you want to please the fans? Fans are clingy complaining dipshits who will never ever be grateful for any concession you make.

Herr Croshaw is still correct.

 

[SL33TBL1ND]

As much as those people are fucking morons, he shouldn't have come out and said it. But yeah, it is cute that we want our community to be taken seriously when stuff like this is still happening.

Huh? Of course he should have. They're a bunch of cunts. It should be highlighted, and as many people as possible should condemn them for it.

I know they are, but he needs to show professionalism.

I fail to see how backing your own member of staff, who has been subjected to an inordinate amount of online abuse, is unprofessional.

That is practically the definition of professional.

This is like working in customer support. It doesn't matter if a customer is yelling at you and being as obnoxious as possible, you never stoop down to their level. He could have defended her without calling someone a fucking moron.

He could've, sure. That's different to should. If someone is a fucking moron, I'd say it's the duty of people to let it be known. What's intrinsically wrong with calling someone a fucking moron if it's the truth?