BioWare Supports Beleaguered Writer

[FangShadow]

(Allow me to apologize in advance if you are offended)

Man, I've been reading this thread for 2 days and gotten out of hand is a big understatement...

Regarding Ms.Helper herself, I can't really speak to the quality of writing as I do not read her books and am not a player of the dragon age series (tried to start DA2 and couldn't get to deep into it, plus got stuck on the deep road boss fight...plus meeting anders was the first time I said a character could F*#k right off), but her comments on how she would like the ability to skip gameplay seem to make it out that she would rather work on or at least prefers less interactive forms of media. Which is fair, after all she is a writer and having to work your story with gameplay sections may be more difficult than I previously thought it was. But if so, she may need to consider her work and/or try not to involve herself to deep in the gameplay design process discussion.

To be honest, she may even have a point somewhat. Sometimes, maybe your playing a second or third playthrough and while the section of the story is awesome, the gameplay is crap. I think bioware is trying to work this out in ME3 with the multiple playstyles things, and IMHO I think that might be the best way to do it as you don't totally remove gameplay, just make it easier and less complex, then later when you want it back to normal, shift it back.

Now going from what I've heard about the quality of her writing, if it is that bad, then yes someone should bring it up.

HOWEVER, one needs not to be an ass to do it. Constructive criticism is the way to go. Now, If she being an ass first about said constructive criticism, then simply let it go. If said person isn't willing to understand your properly presented points and try to understand or at least acknowledge them in a considerate way, then I'm sure you'll be able to find a better use
of your time. So the idiots sending death threats and misogyny to her twitter are wasting their time with their idiocy.

Now as to her response as well as the other bioware employee, they could have handled that better. Being an ass back to the asses only encourages more assery. Dr.Muzyka had the right idea.

TLR - She may have some validity in her game statements, The twitter flamers should stop and try to be more intelligent about it, and she could've handled it better than she did.

 

[Andy Chalk]

But she should have had the sense not to say something like she wants to skip gameplay in... video games. Sure, hold whatever opinion you like, but anyone with some sense would know that would be a pretty controversial opinion to hold.

You realize that you're effectively saying that this is all her fault because she was too stupid to keep her opinion to herself, right?

 

[Excedrin]

But she should have had the sense not to say something like she wants to skip gameplay in... video games. Sure, hold whatever opinion you like, but anyone with some sense would know that would be a pretty controversial opinion to hold.

You realize that you're effectively saying that this is all her fault because she was too stupid to keep her opinion to herself, right?

No, I'm not in the least saying that. You quoted a small portion of my post and then asserted that I was saying it. No one deserves to be attacked like this and the culpability primarily rests on the people who are actually doing the attacking. However, yes, not keeping that opinion to herself was a stupid move and it's not crazy to expect the internet to react in such a way. I'm not saying that serves as any sort of justification, so please don't misconstrue my post in a way that suggests that. Thank you.

 

[KingHodor]

No argument about that... I think it's kind of nonsensical to even debate that point. I think I even said something to that effect. Let me check...

No, it's definitely not debatable, but a surprising and disappointing number of people have offered "yes, but..." responses, as though there's some possible bit of justification for hurling a concentrated stream of abuse at someone because they hold a different opinion about videogames. This is really a very black-and-white situation: it's wrong, it's inexcusable and for anyone who wants to see videogames taken seriously as a mature medium, it's embarrassing.

I don't recall ever insulting the lady with crude photoshopped images or derogatory tweets.

I do, however, recall shelling out 50 Euros of my hard-earned cash for a game named "Dragon Age 2", suffering from serious bugs and subpar writing, the latter of which would be something I can atleast partially blame on Ms Hepler.

Now, is that a justification for sending this disgusting torrent of hate towards her? Obviously not.
However, it is no secret that in recent years, Bioware has fallen from grace in the eyes of the gaming community, not just the vitriolically screeching ones, so yes, there is room for a debate, and Ms Hepler's statement's about basically wanting to skip the gameplay in a GAME might be a good starting point.

 

[IamLEAM1983]

I thinks this warrants a slow handclap of utter dismay. For every success that the Internet's communal nature causes, there's always one stinking fiasco involving the worst representatives of the gaming community investing their energies into something that's utterly trivial.

So what if she doesn't like games? Her job isn't to *play*, her job is to *write*. The game designers have to work *around* her storyline and design gameplay that's interesting enough for those folks who don't give two shits about story, but also have to create a system that lets her work shine through. How hard is that to understand, for some people?

Take the janitors at any given game studio, for instance. Do you think some guy applied for a cruddy janitorial position at Ubisoft/Squeenix Montreal or whatever because he likes games? Not necessarily. Janitors clean stuff. Loving games if they work in a game studio is not a prerequisite.

Some people really need to get off their high horses and realize that not *everything* and *everyone* revolves around the gaming scene. Not everything is designed so us gamers get our game on.

I certainly don't agree with Mrs. Hepler, but it's still her opinion. She has a right to it.

 

[Woodsey]

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 professionalism.

He's talking about "Whatever, fucking moron."

Which was quite unprofessional, but they've made up for it with this update.

Yeah, I was talking about Ray Muz- Ray Muz-... Ray.

Still, personal attacks from individual people on personal accounts? What he said's fine by me.

 

[OniaPL]

I don't like Jennifer Hepler very much and I do think that the fact that she wants to basically skip the gameplay does not do good to the games she works on, but it's still no reason to get out pitchforks and torches. If we just resort to brute force and idiotic verbal abuse- tactics we will get nowhere.
But then again, this attitude is created by the internet itself, as anonymity brings the shadow out of people.
Like many people have said here, there is no excuse for the behaviour people have shown.

But I do have to admit that I see the point that someone (I think it was Root of all evil?) presented, which is that all this happening now is quite a coincidence.

But I also do have to say that (and I'm not starting a flamewar here, try to understand) Escapist's news stories sometimes are more like opinions in writing rather than actual news articles. If this is written as a news piece, please keep your own opinion out of it. Sure this article tells us what happened, but involving a personal opinion into it is not a part of a news article.

Just my 2 cents.

 

[Orks da best]

Just a little note to all of you people, who were gleefuly a part of this little campaign (and I know you guys will come visit this to see this, heck you probably won't be able to resist responding to this post I bet considering what an utter lack of self-control you have)

Jennifer Hepler is not the cancer killing Bioware. Nor is that retarted Bioware 'story chart' you people keep posting around on message boards to pump your own egoes. Nor is it your slavering obedience to certain alternative gaming companies, whose stories are, by the way, by now just as predictable as those of Bioware's only that you choose to be willfully blind to this reality because you happen to love their 'alternative' and 'edgy' tropes moreso.

You want to know who the real cancer of Bioware right now is? It's 'fans' like you. Self-entitled 'fans' with nothing better to do but cry about 'back-in-the-day'.

Now reply to this post to 'prove me wrong' again and, in doing so, totally validate my own point. Go on...everyone loves to see you 'fight the good fight' for the 'back-in-the-day' Bioware (which, by the way, never existed because you missed the real strong point of their stories to begin with). Everyone loves to see you argue on forums after all...because you are a joke of the biggest kind. Especially when you resort to desperate primitivism, such as this, and completely prove the opposite point right - that Bioware's spirits, for whatever faults it does indeed have and has had since Baldur's Gate, still lives.

And if you still think that isn't the case (as I know you don't), then think on how Muzyka's response to yours makes you look like anything but 'intelligent' and anything but as rational as the fictional state of Bioware's old stories that existed nowhere else but in your own deluded heads.

"fires the party cannon!"

Woohoo someone on the internet with sense in their head!

For me the term "fanboy" only really applies to bronies, who love their show, and I am a brony, but the bioware fans, as well as many others "cough" star wars fans "cough" are looking more like critics or outright haters... its just plain annoying.

 

[Mouse One]

Given that what most people complain about in Bioware games is the dumbing-down of gameplay, how is it the fault of a writer who only like to write, rather than game, that there's a problem with what Bioware is producing? That doesn't even make sense.

Bingo. Basically, it comes down to "you can't please everyone." Bioware made its reputation with its writing team. Yet oddly, there's a significant part of the fanbase who prefers to skip the cutscenes and such to get to the game. But you know what? That's okay, they bought the game, they get to play it in whatever way is the most fun for them. And allowing options like skipping cutscenes is a smart way for game companies to accomodate that demographic.

But God forbid someone might suggest doing something for the folks who maybe want to have an interactive story but aren't so good (or just don't like) the combat sections.

I guess for some folks, even the thought that there's someone out there with different tastes in gameplay is seen as a personal insult.

 

[esperandote]

I call BS on the whole jennifer helper "games should have a fast forward button" being something that only just exploded in interest the last 2 week, I've been seeing that image+ helper being denounced as one of the signs that bioware is slipping for....Well since Dragon age 2 came out.

Guess bioware only just caught on the hate that was brewing with the jennifer twitter. Nothing they can do besides let the storm blow over and hope the growing anti bioware crusade loses focus and steam.

Edit: Helper didn't exactly help by saying things like "I just figure they're jealous that I get to have both a vagina AND a games industry job, and they can't get either." though.
That's just the exact kinda crap people would expect her to say based on the popular (negative)image of her. Not to mention rather insulting as I know for a fact the anti helper mob isn't 100% male inclusive.

Her last name is Hepler, Helper (Hamburguer Helper) is the name people give her to make fun of her... hehe.

 

[Tanakh]

No, it's definitely not debatable, but a surprising and disappointing number of people have offered "yes, but..." responses, as though there's some possible bit of justification for hurling a concentrated stream of abuse at someone because they hold a different opinion about videogames.This is really a very black-and-white situation

Not being debatable is your opinion, and if you didn't wanted a debate I suggest to leave out your own poitns of view and opinions out of the opening post, when you wrote them, you turned this into an editorial column and made it TOTALLY debatable.

As for the situation itself, well, yeah obv the people in the campaing against that writer are immature and being jerks, the thing is that we all know that, we know what would happen with her responses. For me it's like seeing a guy getting done by a bull in Pamplona, sure, it's tragic, but he should know what could happen if you do get into a pamplonada, and as a person that has been working on videogames and using internet for a couple of years it is expected for her to known not to be chidlish taunt a group of angry internet users.

If it's black and white, then how would her statements and reactions qualify? Because she can't be left on the side when the whole incident it's about her.

it's wrong, it's inexcusable and for anyone who wants to see videogames taken seriously as a mature medium, it's embarrassing.

lolololol, tell me dear friend, how the two relate? Has cinema history not plaged with imature feuds? Do you know all the political and childish implications of the Divine Comedy, the letters from apostols, a lot of Newton's non scientific writtings or Juana Ines de la Cruz poems? Do you know Grigori Perelman history? Videogames being taken "seriously" will or won't happen based on videogames merits, what the masses and developers say in between can only help or hurt the company, not videogames on a long run.

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.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Columnist

That should clear it right up for you. You'll also see pieces like that in newspapers and news channels. There are different types of news stories including human interest pieces, hard news pieces and opinion pieces. Most publications will have them because they lend a voice and personality magazine/channel/paper/whatever.

This, he is an editorial columnist on a public forum, wich is fine, but it's utter nonsense for him to say "this is black or white" or "definitely not debatable"... if you don't want to debate, report facts as accurately as you can and leave your personal thoughts outside, once you say "the cool guy said XXX" you have expressed your opinion and that opinion is totally debatable.

 

[The Blind Prophet]

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.

I don't usually read the news articles on this forum, but seeing this post makes me think I definitely should. I salute you.

OT: All this is completely and utterly ridiculous. A writer can pen a story for a game and then play games solely for the story if they want too, and all it seems she said in the original interview was that difficult encounters could prevent her from enjoying the story and wishing there was a way to bypass them. That doesn't seem like too terrible an opinion to hold.

Oh, and the complaints about homosexuality in games are completely ridiculous when this homosexuality is OPTIONAL to the player. You don't -have- to pursue those options if you're not interested in them.

 

[The Blind Prophet]

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.

I don't usually read the news articles on this forum, but seeing this post makes me think I definitely should. I salute you.

OT: All this is completely and utterly ridiculous. A writer can pen a story for a game and then play games solely for the story if they want too, and all it seems she said in the original interview was that difficult encounters could prevent her from enjoying the story and wishing there was a way to bypass them. That doesn't seem like too terrible an opinion to hold.

Oh, and the complaints about homosexuality in games are completely ridiculous when this homosexuality is OPTIONAL to the player. You don't -have- to pursue those options if you're not interested in them.

 

[Michael Connell]

It's stuff like this that makes you wish the sun could turn trolls like into stone

 

[Tanakh]

So these articles are indeed meant to be columns? Well, that does clear it right up for me. Its just rather surprising, since I have been told they are meant to be matter of fact reports and nothing else more than once. Thats why I think Andy's style was rather unfitting.

But hey, then all is good. Lets see how long it takes before The Escapist decides they are doing matter of fact reports again.

I thought it was pretty obvious, they are columns, what else can they be?

As for reporting facts alone... i don't think that is the best choice for this site, it has a large teen-eary 20's audience and it's a forum, editorial's work better to increase traffic. Especially sensationalism titled ones like this. If they work better for the traffic and fit the readers best, why not?

 

[Andy Chalk]

No, I'm not in the least saying that. You quoted a small portion of my post and then asserted that I was saying it. No one deserves to be attacked like this and the culpability primarily rests on the people who are actually doing the attacking. However, yes, not keeping that opinion to herself was a stupid move and it's not crazy to expect the internet to react in such a way. I'm not saying that serves as any sort of justification, so please don't misconstrue my post in a way that suggests that. Thank you.

The implication seems pretty clear to me - expressing a "controversial" opinion is an invitation to trouble. And yes, the internet being what it is, that's true, but that doesn't make it right and it doesn't make it in any way justifiable. It's like a cop saying that a woman deserved to be raped because she dressed like a slut.

I'm not picking on you, I don't think that you personally are all that's wrong with the internet, but opinions about Hepler's work aren't relevant to the matter at hand. We're not talking BioWare or Dragon Age (and believe me, I'm no Dragon Age fan), we're talking about calling a woman a "cancer," an "obese ****" and worse because she doesn't like videogames the way we like videogames.

That's just plain wrong, man.