Critics Ruin Video Games? ?Good!

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JudgeGame

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I found this piece on how the business and culture interact and perpetuate the really ugly side of videogames. I think it's worth a read and worth discussing.
[link]http://howtonotsuckatgamedesign.com/?p=8393[/link]
 

Erttheking

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Draech said:
Not really feeling it I got to say.

The devotion to Sarkeesian's drivel as well fighting up imaginary enemies is making it hard for me to take this as serious as the author intended. I am sorry when you start critiquing the Cyberpunk 2077 without any sort of understanding of what the trailer is portraying and then start using it as springboard for another Sexism argument I am going to stop listening.
What was cyberpunk 2077 portraying? I'm sorry, I don't get the damn trailer at all. The premise seems to be "people are getting a lot of implants, people with implants want to kill the meatbags, men in combat gear shooting half naked lady with impractical looking blades coming out of her arms and massive honking tits. Oh and her skin is bulletproof apparently." I'm sorry but what the flying fuck was going on in that trailer? Why did she have to be half naked? Why did she need the F cup? I don't get why that trailer got everyone so hyped for the game, it couldn't turn me off faster.
 

dimensional

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Cool I think it is assuming in many respects article aside am I able to hate if their is no feeling behind it? Am I sexist if I act like men/women are superior but dont believe it?

I dont think people make games out of hate (or dliberately include it) especially not huge ones anyway, greed yup ill buy that big companies want big mulla, Enjoyment yup ill get behind that too but hate nah I dont think so maybe there is a few but these would be the minority. As for the sexist issue well I dont think the majority of games show women as inferior to men and even if they did, do they believe that are they hammering that home or is it incidental?

The stereotype of roles is more prevalent but then we get that on both sides in the real world and video games to quite a big degree but its nowhere near as bad as it used to be (talking RL here).

The article seemed very preachy to me and those diagrams seemed like they could apply to many entertainment mediums where big bucks are involved not specifically videogames.

People seem to not want any strong opinions either side or the other especially ones perceived as negative which sure I can understand but thats not going to happen videogames I would say are here to stay but as for specific types of videogames well they will either find their place or disappear just like a new type of music or film genre.

Critics are paid to criticise and look at the negative really and thats good we need naysayers take what they say into account but you dont have to act on everything they say if someone (or some people) make a game they can do what the hell they want with it its their creation fill it full of every hate filled idea you can come up with and really really mean it if you want I personally couldnt care but I believe you have that right but likewise dont expect everyone to agree with your hate even if they buy your game because lets say it is actually a good game, buying is not necessarily condoning all the contents.

I think most gamers are more chilled out though they dont care if there game is violent against anyone from aliens to men and women to small furry animals they just enjoy playing the game and dont really try and dig into any deeper hidden messages that may but probably arent there.
 

JudgeGame

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Draech said:
erttheking said:
Draech said:
Not really feeling it I got to say.

The devotion to Sarkeesian's drivel as well fighting up imaginary enemies is making it hard for me to take this as serious as the author intended. I am sorry when you start critiquing the Cyberpunk 2077 without any sort of understanding of what the trailer is portraying and then start using it as springboard for another Sexism argument I am going to stop listening.
What was cyberpunk 2077 portraying? I'm sorry, I don't get the damn trailer at all. The premise seems to be "people are getting a lot of implants, people with implants want to kill the meatbags, men in combat gear shooting half naked lady with impractical looking blades coming out of her arms and massive honking tits. Oh and her skin is bulletproof apparently." I'm sorry but what the flying fuck was going on in that trailer? Why did she have to be half naked? Why did she need the F cup?
Well you got the basics of the story right.

They got the story of Psycho's and the Psycho squad in visual representation as a nod to the people who are into the Cyberpunk 2077 setting. Essentially telling the story of a new hire for the Psycho Squad as well as showing what their job is.

The we go into the more symbolic representation. This stuff isn't as deep as it sounds. Essentially is it the basic premise of Chaos VS Order. The hooker represent hedonism and anarchy. A "pleasure" girl showing off different aspects of human carnal desires of lust and envy, and her augmentations showing human desires for everything from dominance and control to fear and the desire for safety. In the mean time we see the policeman in an uniform. His face is covered (half covered at least. Eyes gone, most important part. No eye's = no soul) representing ordered authority. "The Man" if you will. Meant as a symbol of conformity as well oppression. Finalized in the hooker becoming one of them, being "conformed" if you will.

The underlying message of the video is one that has been explored many times before in Sci Fi. If humans are given more or less free opportunity to indulge our every desire through technology we will show ugly sides of human nature, and our destructive and selfish tendencies. This is further enforced through the choice of music for the trailer.

That is what I see anyway.
Dude, that only makes it more disturbing. Executing a prostitute for her depraved ways is very touchy. It isn't cool. This isn't the kind of thing a normal person is supposed to be "hyped" over. It's a bunch of dudes killing a hooker because she's a slut. You seriously don't see why some people have a problem with that?

And yeah all the no soul and conformity. There's a thing called tone in fiction. The tone reflects the emotions and thoughts the creator wants the audience to experience. The tone is telling me "Look at how awesome this is!". Sorry. That isn't awesome. Some fascist cops killing a woman for her sins isn't awesome. It's sad and scary.

I'm not against the idea of a exploring that scenario, but telling me this is an awesome scenario is fucked up.
 

Erttheking

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Draech said:
erttheking said:
Draech said:
Not really feeling it I got to say.

The devotion to Sarkeesian's drivel as well fighting up imaginary enemies is making it hard for me to take this as serious as the author intended. I am sorry when you start critiquing the Cyberpunk 2077 without any sort of understanding of what the trailer is portraying and then start using it as springboard for another Sexism argument I am going to stop listening.
What was cyberpunk 2077 portraying? I'm sorry, I don't get the damn trailer at all. The premise seems to be "people are getting a lot of implants, people with implants want to kill the meatbags, men in combat gear shooting half naked lady with impractical looking blades coming out of her arms and massive honking tits. Oh and her skin is bulletproof apparently." I'm sorry but what the flying fuck was going on in that trailer? Why did she have to be half naked? Why did she need the F cup?
Well you got the basics of the story right.

They got the story of Psycho's and the Psycho squad in visual representation as a nod to the people who are into the Cyberpunk 2077 setting. Essentially telling the story of a new hire for the Psycho Squad as well as showing what their job is.

The we go into the more symbolic representation. This stuff isn't as deep as it sounds. Essentially is it the basic premise of Chaos VS Order. The hooker represent hedonism and anarchy. A "pleasure" girl showing off different aspects of human carnal desires of lust and envy, and her augmentations showing human desires for everything from dominance and control to fear and the desire for safety. In the mean time we see the policeman in an uniform. His face is covered (half covered at least. Eyes gone, most important part. No eye's = no soul) representing ordered authority. "The Man" if you will. Meant as a symbol of conformity as well oppression. Finalized in the hooker becoming one of them, being "conformed" if you will.

The underlying message of the video is one that has been explored many times before in Sci Fi. If humans are given more or less free opportunity to indulge our every desire through technology we will show ugly sides of human nature, and our destructive and selfish tendencies. This is further enforced through the choice of music for the trailer.

That is what I see anyway.
That's an interesting concept, I'll give you that, but I can't help but feel that if that is what they're going for, they could've been a little more classy about it. Symbolism or not, at the end of the day the poster for Cyberpunk 2077 is a half naked woman kneeling in the middle of the street with an SMG pointed at the back of her head with her making no effort to fight back. I mean if you're going for the order vs chaos thing, why did you have to go straight to sex and prostitutes? I mean why? Couldn't you show a line of organized soldiers firing on a horde of crazed augmented civilians charging them with no rhyme or reason?

If it seems like I'm bitching (and I probably am) it's only because I'm hopelessly confused because this website keeps giving me whiplash on how we should approach sexism. Saying that Dead Island is sexist because of the statue one day, but calling the Kickstarter girl a fraud and a scam artist for trying to address sexism. Also for some reason Hitman gets hit for showing scantily clad women, but for some reason Cyberpunk 2077 gets a free ride...I'm just hopelessly confused.
 

Erttheking

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Draech said:
erttheking said:
Draech said:
erttheking said:
Draech said:
Not really feeling it I got to say.

The devotion to Sarkeesian's drivel as well fighting up imaginary enemies is making it hard for me to take this as serious as the author intended. I am sorry when you start critiquing the Cyberpunk 2077 without any sort of understanding of what the trailer is portraying and then start using it as springboard for another Sexism argument I am going to stop listening.
What was cyberpunk 2077 portraying? I'm sorry, I don't get the damn trailer at all. The premise seems to be "people are getting a lot of implants, people with implants want to kill the meatbags, men in combat gear shooting half naked lady with impractical looking blades coming out of her arms and massive honking tits. Oh and her skin is bulletproof apparently." I'm sorry but what the flying fuck was going on in that trailer? Why did she have to be half naked? Why did she need the F cup?
Well you got the basics of the story right.

They got the story of Psycho's and the Psycho squad in visual representation as a nod to the people who are into the Cyberpunk 2077 setting. Essentially telling the story of a new hire for the Psycho Squad as well as showing what their job is.

The we go into the more symbolic representation. This stuff isn't as deep as it sounds. Essentially is it the basic premise of Chaos VS Order. The hooker represent hedonism and anarchy. A "pleasure" girl showing off different aspects of human carnal desires of lust and envy, and her augmentations showing human desires for everything from dominance and control to fear and the desire for safety. In the mean time we see the policeman in an uniform. His face is covered (half covered at least. Eyes gone, most important part. No eye's = no soul) representing ordered authority. "The Man" if you will. Meant as a symbol of conformity as well oppression. Finalized in the hooker becoming one of them, being "conformed" if you will.

The underlying message of the video is one that has been explored many times before in Sci Fi. If humans are given more or less free opportunity to indulge our every desire through technology we will show ugly sides of human nature, and our destructive and selfish tendencies. This is further enforced through the choice of music for the trailer.

That is what I see anyway.
That's an interesting concept, I'll give you that, but I can't help but feel that if that is what they're going for, they could've been a little more classy about it. Symbolism or not, at the end of the day the poster for Cyberpunk 2077 is a half naked woman kneeling in the middle of the street with an SMG pointed at the back of her head with her making no effort to fight back.

If it seems like I'm bitching (and I probably am) it's only because I'm hopelessly confused because this website keeps giving me whiplash on how we should approach sexism. Saying that Dead Island is sexist because of the statue one day, but calling the Kickstarter girl a fraud and a scam artist for trying to address sexism. Also for some reason Hitman gets hit for showing scantily clad women, but for some reason Cyberpunk 2077 gets a free ride...I'm just hopelessly confused.
I dont really blame you for being confused.

Sexism in general is a bloody minefield and what has been considered pro feminism before is considered anti now. And that a large part of the gaming community seems to handle the subject matter with the finesse and dignity of a primate flinging crap make the whole thing worse.

Anyway my main problem with the author of the article is that he just paint sexism as soon as there is possibility to do so much like Sarkeesian does. Not in a hope to actually to discuss the subject, but in an effort to make attention of themselves.

Now the reason why I am giving the Cyberpunk Trailer a pass here is because that the symbolism used does add to what is being told here. It isn't a misogynistic message going on here.

Hitman trailer and Dead Island statue. No such pass. This is just shock value with ass and titties. It is stupid and society as a whole is a little worse.
It does feel like a mine field, I know, I defended the Tomb Raider reboot when it was first announced. And I have to admit I do see where you're coming from on this one, and to your credit I view it in a much more positive light now that I can look at it from that angle, but I need to point out that you had to sit down and explain it to me before it made any sense, symbolism can backfire when it's too obscure for some people to notice, not to mention there's a chance you might be reading too much into it. It just could've been more tasteful and well executed (the f cup was going a little far and I would've liked to see the woman in action more, she is supposed to be going on a rampage right? Why is she just sitting on the ground?). But then again I'm not that hyped for this game at all (the logo looks stupid too) so maybe I'm just biased.
 

Aiddon_v1legacy

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very interesting; the article is basically telling gamers to grow some spine and stop thinking that criticizing sexism and juvenile behavior is somehow demanding that gaming be censored. For all the stock gamers put into the medium, they sure as hell don't take it all that seriously
 

Toy Master Typhus

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Aiddon said:
very interesting; the article is basically telling gamers to grow some spine and stop thinking that criticizing sexism and juvenile behavior is somehow demanding that gaming be censored. For all the stock gamers put into the medium, they sure as hell don't take it all that seriously
Because you can't live your life being serious all the time now can you? It kinda seems like most of the criticism goes over confusing ignorance for malicious intent. More over it isn't that hard to come to the conclusion people who criticize something want it removed. After all they wouldn't be criticizing it if it wasn't there in the first place right, nor would anyone dare voice their opinion if they didn't think it would have an effect.
 

Rawne1980

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A man in combat gear executing a kneeling female sex bot in lingerie with a bullet to the back of the head. How is this not misogyny?
Maybe, just maybe, because that "sex bot" has just murdered a few people....

He's right, that's sexist, LET THE KILLER GO. I can just imagine that conversation "Sorry chief, had to let the murderer go. Wouldn't want some moron on the internet getting upset now would we?".
 

Aiddon_v1legacy

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Toy Master Typhus said:
Because you can't live your life being serious all the time now can you? It kinda seems like most of the criticism goes over confusing ignorance for malicious intent. More over it isn't that hard to come to the conclusion people who criticize something want it removed. After all they wouldn't be criticizing it if it wasn't there in the first place right, nor would anyone dare voice their opinion if they didn't think it would have an effect.
What I mean "serious" is that gamers actually don't respect gaming that much. They're willing to reap BENEFITS of "victories" gaming has gotten (such as the Supreme Court saying gaming is protected by the First Amendment), but they're unwilling to actually start taking RESPONSIBILITY and willing to tell the medium to GROW UP. For all we demand that gaming be taken just as seriously as film or literature, we are unwilling to do so by acting like ADULTS. And until then, gaming is truly the bastion of children pretending to be adults
 

daveman247

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JudgeGame said:
Mate... Did you even watch the actual trailer? You can CLEARLY see the reason they want to shoot the lady is because she has gone mental and killed several people with ice-pick arms! NOTHING to do with prostitutes.


erttheking said:
Why did she have to be half naked? Why did she need the F cup? I don't get why that trailer got everyone so hyped for the game, it couldn't turn me off faster.
Just looks like a girl who went for a night out to me. Even now, in the present some women dress this way to go clubbing :p And as cyberpunk generally goes it takes things a little bit over the top.


As for the boobs. If you can get implants for blade-arms. Is it so weird to consider companies at that time doing several "beauty" implants (including boobs) to make yourself look like a supermodel? I think not. The ideas been done in several different sci-fi stories. If people can: they WILL make themselves look as attractive as possible.

Plus yeah, shock value. But thats marketing for ya.
 

Erttheking

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daveman247 said:
JudgeGame said:
Mate... Did you even watch the actual trailer? You can CLEARLY see the reason they want to shoot the lady is because she has gone mental and killed several people with ice-pick arms! NOTHING to do with prostitutes.


erttheking said:
Why did she have to be half naked? Why did she need the F cup? I don't get why that trailer got everyone so hyped for the game, it couldn't turn me off faster.
Just looks like a girl who went for a night out to me. Even now, in the present some women dress this way to go clubbing :p And as cyberpunk generally goes it takes things a little bit over the top.


As for the boobs. If you can get implants for blade-arms. Is it so weird to consider companies at that time doing several "beauty" implants (including boobs) to make yourself look like a supermodel? I think not. The ideas been done in several different sci-fi stories. If people can: they WILL make themselves look as attractive as possible.

Plus yeah, shock value. But thats marketing for ya.
Yeah, but blood soaked blade arms and massive (pretty fake looking) tits clash pretty horribly IMHO
 

daveman247

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erttheking said:
Yeah, but blood soaked blade arms and massive (pretty fake looking) tits clash pretty horribly IMHO
Yup, they do. That is the point! As i said before as with most settings like this (think 2000AD, judge dredd type stuff) DO go over the top with things. But if its not your cup of tea, thats cool :)

To be honest i never thought about anything to do with the ladies boobs, too busy looking at all the other cool stuff going on. Theres more going on in the background than you first think.