Gay Gamer Turns Down EA

[Dahemo]

So EA's contest is so popular that they had to select pictures from PAX 2008 as runner ups?

Completely at random, yes.

I feel bad for EA; can't catch a break lately. A lot of people hate on them for whoring out the same franchises, but they're a few years behind the times when you look at how many new IPs EA has launched in the last few years as well as having completely re-imagined Burnout and making huge inroads on the Wii and advancements in Madden and some other sports games.

Don't feel bad for the multi-billion dollar corporate monster spewing out annual sequels that made a PR decision so morally questionable it belongs in an episode of The Wire. Now, I know most of us can see the difference, but as with anything there will be the those of poor social adjustment that take "act of lust" quite literally, essentially inciting sexual harrasment from those stupid or ignorant enough to attempt it. It's playing with fire.

Now EA did well to include this picture, intially I was impressed by this man for submitting the photograph, and his membership in GayGamers was understandable, but when the atypical:

"Ha, this'll show them, for not overtly promoting LGBT involvement"

reared its head, I let forth a heavy sigh. Not only is this action ironic, by implication this homosexual image is intended to annoy/shock/provoke which is the antithesis of LGBT ideals, but it's the same tired mantra that no longer washes with anyone with the intelligence to see through it.

The only things we should take away from this are:

1. Yes, EA was wrong to ask for "acts of lust" from attendees on their booth babes

2. He should have accepted the prize then publicly donated it to an LGBT cause of his choice

3. He, and every other campaigner for miorities, the niche and marginalised groups needs to learn is to pick their battles. Expend your energies fighting for equal treatment of LGBT people in the games industry and their representations in games (as he is a games oriented campaigner) but don't expect the world to change, we live in a predominantly heterosexual society and while we must all ensure fair treatment, not everything can be universally inclusive...

 

[Low Key]

Just because something comes together so easily it may seem like a conspiracy doesn't actually make it one. EA is known for being a massive conglomerate who could very well have rigged the contest, but as of late, they have been saying and doing a lot of the right things. To throw it all away because Microsoft, not EA, that had an issue with gays seems a little too far fetched. Sometimes random shit happens in a random drawing, as painfully coincidental as it can be.

 

[Sparrow]

I'n with EA on this one. That guy tried to poke fun at them, so they poked fun at him. All square.

 

[Mackinator]

Somebody actually won a contest? I thought those were myths like Chuck Norris.

 

[theultimateend]

I don't see why EA can't just have an obviously stupid promotion without every fucker out there pointing out how stupid it is. It's not like they had a big display for a thought provoking and intelligent contest of photography, no they wanted some stupid pictures of some gamers with girls that dress sexy for money, just let people have fun with it.

Yeah I pointed this out on another post.

It looked to me like they were trying to make a joke contest and a bunch of anal retentive people took it way out of context.

You can't have any fun these days because it's going to offend one tight assed person and they are going to fuck it up for everyone.

Had the contest been "rape a random person" I could see the problem. However this to me looked no different than 99% of all jokes by just about all comedians in the last 20 years. It's just something that was supposed to get people laughing, doing something silly with a stranger, and everyone leaving feeling better about the day and a little less annoyed when that one pissy guy who hates games hands you the pamphlet about how they are causing you to murder.

As far as I know all instances of violent crime are at at least a decade low if not two or three decades. Property crimes are down as well as a plethora of other problems.

Yes quite a few people get sexually abused and I'm not making light of that, it is terrible and people need to stop, but the amount of people abused annually compared to the amount of people alive annually is far too large a gap for people to act like ANY contest that even eludes to sexuality is going to get 90 people raped or assaulted at a convention.

But that's just me, I don't quite understand everyone trying to hide in a cubby because 1 out of every 100,000 people you meet 'might' punch you in the chest.

 

[Guitarmasterx7]

I have a great comment for that but it would probably get me banned

 

[Akai Shizuku]

People are so, so so, so stupid. Why can't everyone just stop giving a damn about things that don't matter? Why does this guy have to go out of his way to do this, and why does anybody have to give two squirts of piss? Why is EA even paying attention?

I'm indifferent on the matter of homosexuality, but sometimes I see people doing extremely stupid things. And the shirt isn't helping. I'm sorry, it's hard to explain, but I can't look at this situation and think anything but wtf?

And this contest is one of the stupidest things I've ever seen.

 

[not a zaar]

Hah, he was literally sinning to win this contest.

 

[Soxafloppin]

What ones the gay one?

and wow, i never turn down free stuff, its espcially wierd when you consider hes a gamer.

 

[Sayvara]

I don't get this... he's pissed of att EA for being heteronormative... the result shows that they are not (100% anyway)... and for that he stomps off in a huff?!

This is kind of like debating nuclear power with environmentalists.

Green: "Nuclear power is BAAAD because it has problems with the waste!"
Me: "Well, no, it doesn't anymore because Swedish nuclear companies put 4 billion USD (equiv) and 30 years of research into it and came up with a viable solution [http://www.skb.se/Templates/Standard____24109.aspx]"
Greens: "What?! Noooo, they are REALLY bad now because we don't like the solution because it's bad because nuclear power is bad!!!" *foamy mouths and the sound of aneurysms popping"


When people have decided to be offended, nothing you do can mollify them it seems.

/S

 

[Xanadu84]

EA does some bad things. This time, they tried to do a tongue in cheek publicity stunt, and realized it was a screw up. I'm not offended. And I think it was a good idea that they offered a prize to him. Shows a principled stand against homophobia. I take this as evidence that EA isn't the great Satan. They're a company that it not immune to being a bunch of screw ups in the name of the almighty dollar, and deserve a good smack across the head from time to time...okay, often... but when it comes right down to it, there a bunch of normal people trying to not be assholes.

 

[Treblaine]

Well if you consider the homosexual factor the way I see it for every gay man that is turned off by female booth babes you get one lesbian who is attracted to it so in the end it all balances out!

 

[DeathWyrmNexus]

If you read some of the responses on his blog to the letter, the hypocrisy is rather amusing. I'm going to have to buy the game on principle now. Though I was technically already planning to get it.

 

[Chibz]

"...the hetero-normative ideal," he wrote.

AKA one is either gay, or a 1984 citizen who worships the Thought Police. Don't these people read what they write?

Either that, or you've got no idea what you're even talking about.

The heteronormative view is that physical sex, gender identity, and gender roles should, in any given person, align to either all-male or all-female cultural norms.

Yeah, it's not just something made up by the homosexual community to pout in your face.

I'd retract such a statement, if I were you. Your ignorance is showing

 

[EchetusXe]

errr, he wanted to show how gays were being overlooked, but EA completely slapped that down by handing him second place.

In the first place EA should have been gender neutral, avoiding the term 'babe' etc. Or just said babe/hunk. EA realized their error and awarded two blokes the second place prize as a means of showing that.

If the ad read: 'Commit act of lust with a sexy person of your choice'. Then it would be cool.

 

[Chibz]

errr, he wanted to show how gays were being overlooked, but EA completely slapped that down by handing him second place.

In the first place EA should have been gender neutral, avoiding the term 'babe' etc. Or just said babe/hunk. EA realized their error and awarded two blokes the second place prize as a means of showing that.

If the ad read: 'Commit act of lust with a sexy person of your choice'. Then it would be cool.

And, finally someone gets it.

Besides, basing it on Dante's Inferno was an incredibly bad idea.

 

[Nargleblarg]

I don't like how this guy thinks EA specifically overlooked the LGBT. I don't this guy understands that the contest wasn't made for everyone. It's not like EA just did this to piss off the LGBT.

 

[Strategia]

I understand where he's coming from, I never could get that POS EA online store to work either.

(disclaimer: this is a lighthearted joke and a jab at what is currently the second most evil company in the industry, I support his protest)