BioWare Supports Beleaguered Writer

[tzimize]

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.

I dont really see why she shouldnt have said it. Shes a writer. I know not all people like games, and I dont need them to. If she was in charge of gameplay on games and didnt like playing games, then we'd have a problem. But shes not. Tbh, I often feel like she does. If a game has a shit story, I often cba to play it. That said I can enjoy pure gameplay experiences too like binding of isaac or super meat boy.

People are just as the always are. Dumb. (for clarity, not referring to you, referring to the internet hate campaign).

 

[I.Muir]

Ah, yes, I forgot to say this: I don't think that poor lady is a particularly (note the emphasis) good writer . She's no Terry Pratchet or R.R. Martin, but probably a much more decent one than most gaming writers.

Somebody has a similar position in the industry. I forgot her name, but she was Deus Ex 3's lead writer at Eidos Montreal. She only cares about the story, not the game, and I think that's what a decent writer should do - yes, even if writing for the game.

The story and the gameplay of a game are two different things. I'd go as far as saying they are somewhat disconnected. The story is an excuse to justify having people press buttons in a way that make sense; that is, play the game.

I'm finding it difficult to imagine a truly good game that has had a story slapped on when it's built around game play or visa versa, rather than built with one aim in mind.

 

[Bigeyez]

And people on the internet continue to renforce the negative stereotypes out there by doing this crap. Anyone who attacked this lady is indeed an effin moron. Crap like this is why even with awesome things like the SOPA/PIPA protests the internet is still seen as a place for basement dwelling nerds and creepy people.

 

[NotSoLoneWanderer]

I like games but I like a good story too. I'd rather skip all the gameplay and just watch the story of Star Wars Old Republic. I used to play 5 MMO games at a time but one day I realized that grinding sucks. It sucks a lot. I hate it so much. Then I never played the games again except with friends. Even if she doesn't like playing the games she still appreciates the story telling medium games provide.

 

[Bigeyez]

There Smash. Where's your source? Calling her "Hamburger Hepler" shows which camp you belong to by the way.

I cant remember, I read it somewhere on the Bioware forums, somebody who belonged to the staff there said it. I dunno, it doesnt really matter either way.

And yes, I belong to the camp that thinks Hamburger Helper is a bad writer with a fetish for Yaoi. The only sensible camp.

So the fact that a large part of your argument is completely false doesn't matter? /facepalm

Yup effin morons alright.

 

[Furism]

I'm finding it difficult to imagine a truly good game that has had a story slapped on when it's built around game play or visa versa, rather than built with one aim in mind.

Well for example Fallout worked perfectly in 2D/Tactical and works perfectly in FPS. The stories differ, obviously, but they are interchangeable, as is the gameplay of these games. You could use Fallout New Vegas' story in 2D, and Fallout 2's story in FPS.

Do note I said "somewhat" disconnected, not completely, though

 

[Furism]

I dont know if it matters. What am I even arguing? Im not making any point really. So yeah, tell me what exactly my argument is and what I am rooting for and I can tell you if it matters.

Pretty sure that when you don't know what your argument is anymore it's a sign you should stop posting in a thread.

 

[Bara_no_Hime]

Good to hear that Bioware is standing up for Jennifer Hepler.

I sent her a message of support (via a second party, to avoid the huge piles of unwarranted hatred) that I hope helps her realize that she has supporters.

I mean, she's a fucking awesome writer. The Dwarven plot from DA:O - that's all I need to say on the matter.

 

[I.Muir]

And people on the internet continue to renforce the negative stereotypes out there by doing this crap. Anyone who attacked this lady is indeed an effin moron. Crap like this is why even with awesome things like the SOPA/PIPA protests the internet is still seen as a place for basement dwelling nerds and creepy people.

Basement dwelling neck beard virgin is the insult of choice against anybody who is a regular on anything but facebook on the internet. A pity the acts of a few people has tainted the reputation of anybody with a reasonable argument. However the people trying to implement schemes like SOPA are rich plotters or people that held that opinion or some other negative opinion of the internet before they began and won't give that opinion until they die. Seeing as how I've yet to see any evidence of people in the world being reasonable and winning I'm going to say that the Jimquisition was right about this one and there's a growing mountain of evidence of people that won by being stupid. If SOPA wins it will join that mountain of evidence. Stupidity is a funny thing, no matter the quality of education or the intellect everybody is just as capable of being as stupid as everyone else.

 

[Andronicus]

snip

I have my own opinion, so i must be a troll, classy.

I apologise for calling you a troll. However, my analysis still stands. You did not word your original statement clearly enough, and it appears misinformed and disrespectful, which I wanted to point out. You are most certainly entitled to your own opinion, but you should do your best to make it clear when explaining it, otherwise people are not going to take you seriously.

 

[Andy Chalk]

But I thought that peoples beef with her was that she didn't like video games, and yet wrote stories for them.

Again, that's not relevant. It doesn't matter what the "beef" is. Disagreeing with her views on the function of gameplay is NOT a license to being a campaign of harassment and abuse. It's just that simple, yet it's a point that a lot of people seem to be missing.

 

[Andy Chalk]

She actually did a lot of writing to flesh out the background in the Mass Effect universe. She didnt write any of the characters but there are things in Mass Effect 2 that have a big, obvious Hamburger Helper stamp on them.

So she's not credited in Mass Effect, Ray Muzyka says she didn't work in Mass Effect but you see some imaginary "stamp" and that makes you the speaker of truth?

You're going to have to do a little better than that.

And to answer your previous question, yes, there is a way to ignore my posts and I will enjoy imagining your struggles to figure it out.

 

[I.Muir]

Eh wrong quote right guy oh well

Fair point
I think the best examples of how game play has helped story specifically are still found in survival horror games. Amnesia for example and Ive still haven't played silent hill but my friend tells me that it does something similar.

 

[Andy Chalk]

Andy, what exactly is your job here? I have been wondering this for a while now. Are you meant to report gaming related news in a matter of fact fashion or is this page just an excuse for you to spam a large audience with your own personal (and frankly irrelevant) views? Thats what the comment section is for, not the actual news article.

Im sorry, I just think its rather funny to see you talking about what is and isnt relevant.

(And if the news section of this site is indeed just a place where the people who write the articles do so ignoring a proper, matter of fact approach, then sorry, and continue on. If that is the case I will just stop visiting that section of the site altogether in the future.)

My job here is to encourage people like you to stop visiting.

 

[KingHodor]

but maybe she did manage to overcome her Yaoi Fangirl Fantasies and write a decent homosexual character for Mass Effect 3. Well, I may never know, thanks to Origin and EA... the latter being, of course, the far biggest tumor in Biowares pancreas.

As has been mentioned in both the original article and several times in this thread she is in no way involved in Mass Effect 3.

Sorry, mea culpa.

 

[Moonlight Butterfly]

I look at this thread and how most people are defending her then I cruise on over to the 'GIRL' initiative thread and how most people are complaining about women specifically being encouraged to get into the industry

and it makes me shake my head. How can you not see the connection...

 

[Darkmantle]

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.

I dont really see why she shouldnt have said it. Shes a writer. I know not all people like games, and I dont need them to. If she was in charge of gameplay on games and didnt like playing games, then we'd have a problem. But shes not. Tbh, I often feel like she does. If a game has a shit story, I often cba to play it. That said I can enjoy pure gameplay experiences too like binding of isaac or super meat boy.

People are just as the always are. Dumb. (for clarity, not referring to you, referring to the internet hate campaign).

That poster is referring to another bioware employee posting from his twitter account that the people attacking hepler were "fucking morons" it was not hepler herself.

Just clarifying, he wasn't talking about her story statement.