I am seriously considering sending in a bogus question just for a jumping off point for a Susan rant.
Escapist Podcast: 077: J.J. Abrams and The End of THQ
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One of the better podcasts I've heard so far, and it even got the Doctor Who reference in too! Susan, I must mention how much I love it when you place a Who reference in, particularly for the Classic stories. Being an American with very few to make jokes with regarding Who, it's lovely to come across them when I do.
First of all, I agree on Abrams directing Star Wars. I, however, was never a fan of his Star Trek reboot (unlike many), so giving him reins of Star Wars was an automatic "meh" for me. However, with the points you brought up, it's hard for me to see Abrams pulling on Star Wars off when he's still in Star Trek land. They are, as you said, too very different universes and, although I believe he brought the reboot Star Trek more in-line with Star Wars a la the action, the ethos of each franchise are almost polar opposites of the other. As much as I love both franchises, I don't want him to do both. Even if we all love Abrams' and worship the ground he walks on, getting in a mix of new ideas and flavor to a franchise that is being rebooted is almost a requirement.
As for Tomb Raider, even when the PR man said the sentence of doom regarding "protecting" Laura, I still didn't feel a lot of angst towards the game or even the idea. What made the whole thing outrageous were the gamers, and more importantly the feminists, who made me feel like a bad person for not boycotting a game that was still in production. Although it irks me when people do not mention that men can and are raped every day, albeit on a much lower level than women, the cultural attitude world-over makes rape/sexual assault a very real danger for women of all types in any situation. I do not see how this can be a negative (in a storyline concept, not rape as a whole) when a game is simulating the high-probability outcome of a young woman being held captive, on an island and alone, by a big, male captor. As a woman who wants to play this as her first Tomb Raider game, I'm more than intrigued by this whole notion and am waiting for the game to come out before passing complete judgement.
Heavy Rain did it, well almost did, and I was scared so badly I was shaking afterwards. Even if it was terrifying, I am glad the developers/Cage put that scene in (which most likely meant a lot more than what was shown regarding that character, for those who have played the game) and it's one that I will nver forget.
Neither game, at least it appears, is glorifying rape/sexual assault but, instead, is using it as a character development point that has been used so many times in other mediums. As long as they do it right, ie no victim blaming and nothing explicit on screen (imo or else I couldn't play it), then I think the subject will be moot. People who have been placed in such situation are called survivors, not victims, for a reason.
Overall, fantastic podcast. And has it ever been said if Susan has a favorite Doctor? I'm suddenly overly curious. I have a huge soft-spot for Five. He had such a hard time of it too.
First of all, I agree on Abrams directing Star Wars. I, however, was never a fan of his Star Trek reboot (unlike many), so giving him reins of Star Wars was an automatic "meh" for me. However, with the points you brought up, it's hard for me to see Abrams pulling on Star Wars off when he's still in Star Trek land. They are, as you said, too very different universes and, although I believe he brought the reboot Star Trek more in-line with Star Wars a la the action, the ethos of each franchise are almost polar opposites of the other. As much as I love both franchises, I don't want him to do both. Even if we all love Abrams' and worship the ground he walks on, getting in a mix of new ideas and flavor to a franchise that is being rebooted is almost a requirement.
As for Tomb Raider, even when the PR man said the sentence of doom regarding "protecting" Laura, I still didn't feel a lot of angst towards the game or even the idea. What made the whole thing outrageous were the gamers, and more importantly the feminists, who made me feel like a bad person for not boycotting a game that was still in production. Although it irks me when people do not mention that men can and are raped every day, albeit on a much lower level than women, the cultural attitude world-over makes rape/sexual assault a very real danger for women of all types in any situation. I do not see how this can be a negative (in a storyline concept, not rape as a whole) when a game is simulating the high-probability outcome of a young woman being held captive, on an island and alone, by a big, male captor. As a woman who wants to play this as her first Tomb Raider game, I'm more than intrigued by this whole notion and am waiting for the game to come out before passing complete judgement.
Heavy Rain did it, well almost did, and I was scared so badly I was shaking afterwards. Even if it was terrifying, I am glad the developers/Cage put that scene in (which most likely meant a lot more than what was shown regarding that character, for those who have played the game) and it's one that I will nver forget.
Neither game, at least it appears, is glorifying rape/sexual assault but, instead, is using it as a character development point that has been used so many times in other mediums. As long as they do it right, ie no victim blaming and nothing explicit on screen (imo or else I couldn't play it), then I think the subject will be moot. People who have been placed in such situation are called survivors, not victims, for a reason.
Overall, fantastic podcast. And has it ever been said if Susan has a favorite Doctor? I'm suddenly overly curious. I have a huge soft-spot for Five. He had such a hard time of it too.
Hate to say it, but using a service that you're not paying for to enjoy content IS piracy.
"But it's no different from borrowing a DVD from someone?" and that's no different from making a quick copy of it, and well, you could just download it now since your friend has bought it anyway. Two people are enjoying the content of HBO but the studio is only seeing one slice of revenue.
It's like 3 people going to an all you can eat buffet but only paying for one plate.
I'm not saying I wouldn't do it, and it's obviously a much more limited and self contained form of piracy. But perhaps just recognize that it isn't "Absolutely fine" (as Susan said) in the eyes of HBO or their EULA, thus making it piracy
"But it's no different from borrowing a DVD from someone?" and that's no different from making a quick copy of it, and well, you could just download it now since your friend has bought it anyway. Two people are enjoying the content of HBO but the studio is only seeing one slice of revenue.
It's like 3 people going to an all you can eat buffet but only paying for one plate.
I'm not saying I wouldn't do it, and it's obviously a much more limited and self contained form of piracy. But perhaps just recognize that it isn't "Absolutely fine" (as Susan said) in the eyes of HBO or their EULA, thus making it piracy
We did make the distinction between legally and morally. Legally, I'm sure HBO would take issue with it. But morally? No problem. It's something that's been bought and paid for, and if It stops being paid for, it goes away. It gets a bit more gray if the friend is also using the HBO Go part of his subscription, but that's not what's happening here.LordFish said:
I agree it's morally fine, that was kinda the point I was getting at. For example, I will download a TV program that I had recorded on my PVR but I wanna watch on my PC. In a previous discussion I was faced with "But what if someone had deleted it, what if you forgot to record it, what if it isn't out yet in your country but it will be soon?"Susan Arendt said:
I was caricaturing that 'holier than thou' attitude, in reality it's more likely to net HBO one more subscription in the long run.
Anyway, enough of semantics. I LOVE LOVE LOVE the podcat, listen to each one at least twice. I know I'm guilty of not letting you guys know what an awesome job you do each and every week.
I have to disagree violently with the team about Fringe. The show was much, much better as a narrative vehicle than as a procedural. The build-up to the alternate universe reveal and parts of Season 2 were the best part of the series. The procedural episodes failed because the 'science' behind Walter's insights was laughable, and the monster-of-the-week aspect frequently suffered from bad costuming and visual effects.
Stay warm, guys!
Stay warm, guys!
I have one of those APB bullet USB drives! Along with an APB T-Shirt.
Because Realtime Worlds were (since they are unfortunately no more) based in my home city of Dundee, I got to visit their studios as part of a computer game making competition, and they were very awesome people. Shame they went out of business although APB wasn't the best second game for a developer.
Because Realtime Worlds were (since they are unfortunately no more) based in my home city of Dundee, I got to visit their studios as part of a computer game making competition, and they were very awesome people. Shame they went out of business although APB wasn't the best second game for a developer.
And my point was that it's much less likely for a male character to be put in a rape-situation for fanservice. They said in the podcast that Nathan Drake goes through all the same stuff, after all, and this was not about rape in real life, but rape as presented in video-games.Skyweir said:
I don't really understand why you quoted me anyway.
I'm not uncomfortable with women being put in a situation where they are hurt, I dislike rape being presented in a sexualised way and for fanservice, and I'm sceptical of the game's ability to handle the idea in a way that doesn't turn exploitative. But I haven't played the game yet, maybe it will turn out okay.
The Fringe finale did air last week, as did X-Play and AoTS, 3 shows that I will miss. I am happy that Fringe actually completed its run, something that was doubtful with FOX doing their "sabotage the good show" thing and some episodes airing out of order. But it did wrap up nicely. Oh and Spoiler (but not really)
I'm glad the show wasn't just an X-Files rehash. They did jump the shark a bit with the last season but it all went toward explaining who came from where, or when, why they are who they are, and what their purpose is. I will now always beware of bald men in bowler hats. I did not know that Anna Torv voiced Nariko. I did know Andy Serkis voiced/mocaped Bohan. That was pretty obvious. Great game, too bad a sequel was never released.
I think the "women in traumatic events" thing is going to be an ongoing theme this year with Tomb Raider and Beyond: Two Souls. It does not personally offend me like it does some people. It just makes for good drama and adds to the argument that games are art.
On Abrams, some think he will be great, some think his fondness of lens flare will blind the audience the first time a lightsaber is used. I'm going to be cautiously optimistic. He can make good drama (See Fringe) but his visual style really needs to take a backseat. Who knows, maybe this will be that movie like Dark of the Moon was for Michael Bay. Bay as you might recall was forced to do the slow sweeping shots rather than his regular shaky/splosion schlok because he was using brand new 3D tech that he didn't want to accidentally break.
I think the "women in traumatic events" thing is going to be an ongoing theme this year with Tomb Raider and Beyond: Two Souls. It does not personally offend me like it does some people. It just makes for good drama and adds to the argument that games are art.
On Abrams, some think he will be great, some think his fondness of lens flare will blind the audience the first time a lightsaber is used. I'm going to be cautiously optimistic. He can make good drama (See Fringe) but his visual style really needs to take a backseat. Who knows, maybe this will be that movie like Dark of the Moon was for Michael Bay. Bay as you might recall was forced to do the slow sweeping shots rather than his regular shaky/splosion schlok because he was using brand new 3D tech that he didn't want to accidentally break.
Who said anything about this being presented as fanservice? Does a movie/tv show/book/video game glorify or exploit child pornography simply by mentioning that it exists? What some of you people seem to be ignoring is that it's not the presence of a rape scene in an adult story that you should be worrying about, it's how it is presented that's the important thing. And the little bit I've seen of it seems to present it as the disgusting, horrifying experience that no one would ever want to go through. Or it would be if the whole point of the scene wasn't to PREVENT IT FROM HAPPENING. Seriously, I think you need to go back and listen to that part of the podcast again. You're honestly sounding like one of the people they were talking about where all you heard was "rape, rape, rape, rape, rape, rape, rape, rape, rape, rape, rape," and didn't even begin to take things like "context", "situation" and "possible outcome" into account. The fact that you've for the most part dismissed this as just some gimmick to titillate the perverted section of the fanbase simply because, "What other reason would it be in a video game?", and it now needs to be proven wrong just to be deemed "okay" in your mind really irks me.Lieju said:
I can't believe this. You've actually got me defending a game that, despite being a Tomb Raider fan, I have absolutely no intention or desire to buy.
And, to be honest, you're sounding like one of those people that get annoyed if someone dares to criticise how rape is presented...goliath6711 said:
If I hear a book/movie/video game/opera has rape in it, my first reaction is to be hesitant, because it's a weighty subject that is way too often put in just to get sex/nudity, or worse, played for laughs.
You don't have to show rape for it to be exploitative.
This is what the executive producer of the game said:
Which was not only totally idiotic (and many people are mad about this statement, not just that there might be rape), but also highlight a big problem with rape and violence towards female characters. Often the bad things happening to them is not about how it affects them, it's how it affects the hero. In this case where the female character is the hero, we still can't identify with her?
Because obviously women don't play video-games and men can't identify with female characters.
I stand by what I said.
I'm going to judge the game and how this stuff is presented AFTER I've played it.
I am sceptical, (as I tend to be), but I wish it will turn out more than okay, that it will be great.
And you're defending a game that not only have you not played, you aren't even going to play.
Rape (or even sexual violence, or child pornography) is a weighty subject, and I'm of the opinion that unless you know how to handle it well, you should not put it in, because even if you condemn it, you still might end up representing it in a simplified way, or as a lazy shorthand for 'this guy is evil'.
Some of my favourite books have rape scenes in them, I'm not against handling the subject, I'm sceptical of the most writer's ability to handle it.
A big problem with the new Tomb Raider is we have very little to go on thus far, and given what we've seen people have stomped their feet and shouted their beliefs, on both sides. Very little has been shown, yet the podcast is saying they're right, doing just what the nay-sayers are doing, looking at the released footage and basing opinion on it, and what they think might happen in the rest of the game. You say that it's about Lara over coming all these problems and set backs, and it may very well be so, but the footage is mostly her in pain, being beaten, falling down - and I cannot think of a male character who has been hurt or injured (in their whole game) as much as Lara was in just the released footage, never mind the whole of the game.
You bring up Drake, Drake laughs at everything, takes it all, laughs it off and keeps going, same with other Male characters, usually less laughing but still, ooops, got shot, moving on, which IS bullshit, but it's still what is some what expected of games, to then have a character in pain, and they look like they're in pain is a difference, and by all means could be a really good step (not that it hasn't been done before). But it's a change, and it's not a guy crying out for his mommy, and still maintaining an awesome aura about himself. The major character in question, being dragged through the mud and taking damage, is The Female Heroine Lara Croft - reboot teenage girl or not, it is Lara - who only knows how to kick ass.
IF it were a guy I think more people would be talking about how weak he would appear, which is what is being asked of female characters not to be, yes she's getting up (hopefully) from all these downfalls, but she's still being a punching bag, more so than many (most?) male characters. Nathan Drake falls out of an Airplane, lands in the desert, no water, starts tripping over his own feet, is fairly weak, and then minutes later is running around with a gun shootin' shit up, in a same situation this new Lara seems like she would die - it makes more sense, but Lara Croft is a damn hero.
I'm not trying to say the new Tomb Raider looks bad, or that Lara will be a broken shell, beaten, raped, humiliated, it's just these things take faith in the writers and devs, and can easily go wrong, and questions are only reasonable.
You bring up Drake, Drake laughs at everything, takes it all, laughs it off and keeps going, same with other Male characters, usually less laughing but still, ooops, got shot, moving on, which IS bullshit, but it's still what is some what expected of games, to then have a character in pain, and they look like they're in pain is a difference, and by all means could be a really good step (not that it hasn't been done before). But it's a change, and it's not a guy crying out for his mommy, and still maintaining an awesome aura about himself. The major character in question, being dragged through the mud and taking damage, is The Female Heroine Lara Croft - reboot teenage girl or not, it is Lara - who only knows how to kick ass.
IF it were a guy I think more people would be talking about how weak he would appear, which is what is being asked of female characters not to be, yes she's getting up (hopefully) from all these downfalls, but she's still being a punching bag, more so than many (most?) male characters. Nathan Drake falls out of an Airplane, lands in the desert, no water, starts tripping over his own feet, is fairly weak, and then minutes later is running around with a gun shootin' shit up, in a same situation this new Lara seems like she would die - it makes more sense, but Lara Croft is a damn hero.
I'm not trying to say the new Tomb Raider looks bad, or that Lara will be a broken shell, beaten, raped, humiliated, it's just these things take faith in the writers and devs, and can easily go wrong, and questions are only reasonable.
Great new picture.
As for streamign services.... you know.... im yet to find one that provides service in eastern europe. i went though, like, 50 services and it all went "not available in your country". so if you want peopel to stop piratin, maybe actually do something to give the a choice, because when there is NO legal way to get a movie save for importing it via ebay for the price that you earn in a whole month, saying "dont pirate" doesnt really work. give us netflix and our piracy rate will drop in half, because thats the reason we pirate for anyway - no such service.
Oh, enough rambling.
Yep, i agree that its good idea that studios are sold separately, makes much more possibility for all of them to live on. Hopefully Saint rows continue, the rest i dont really care that much about.
@Lara Croft comment - awesome response. fully agree.
As for streamign services.... you know.... im yet to find one that provides service in eastern europe. i went though, like, 50 services and it all went "not available in your country". so if you want peopel to stop piratin, maybe actually do something to give the a choice, because when there is NO legal way to get a movie save for importing it via ebay for the price that you earn in a whole month, saying "dont pirate" doesnt really work. give us netflix and our piracy rate will drop in half, because thats the reason we pirate for anyway - no such service.
Oh, enough rambling.
Yep, i agree that its good idea that studios are sold separately, makes much more possibility for all of them to live on. Hopefully Saint rows continue, the rest i dont really care that much about.
@Lara Croft comment - awesome response. fully agree.