The Bill's Now Playing Video Game Thread (Now with Bames)

[copstache]

which is too bad because as far as knee-jerk feminism goes she's pretty harmless and levelheaded.

still, i'm not convinced feminism even needs to exist in the grand scheme of things

[copstache]

i mean as has been pointed out 8 million times ever video games are basically every literary cliche ever condensed into one medium so pulling one out seems pointless

and as someone who plays more games than any adult really should, there's probably more "strong female characters" per capita in games than pretty much anywhere else

[Necrometer]

and as someone who plays more games than any adult really should, there's probably more "strong female characters" per capita in games than pretty much anywhere else

I'm sure she'll deconstruct why your counter-argument is totally wrong in the "Man with Boobs" video she promised to make if she's funded for $13500 (it's currently at $39000)

[Spooky Apparition]

and as someone who plays more games than any adult really should, there's probably more "strong female characters" per capita in games than pretty much anywhere else

as another adult who plays more games than any adult should, and one who possesses a sadly though unsurprisingly useless post graduate degree in literature, it would seem you haven't read much literature from the last 20-30 years. female game characters are typically a joke and, while i don't agree with that video, i'm not surprised feminists (whatever that means nowadays) target videogames as a particularly egregious example of artistic failings. if anything, art from the last few decades emphasizes strong female characters TOO much.

although it's not like characters of either genre are "represented" well in games for the most part (i.e. in any way that meaningfully represents the complexity of human beings in real life). game developers invest very little money in hiring actual writers for their games, which i don't really care about, i just wish they'd drop the pretense of "mature" stories in games. i just want something that's fun to play, and if the person you control is semi-believable =person, then i guess that's a bonus

[Spooky Apparition]

also i was really hoping to start the 1000th page of this thread with that post and let everyone mock me, but i failed at that too

[Spooky Apparition]

can I get a trigger warning at least!?!?

the internet went fucking crazy over that video - basically trashing her wiki and messaging her with endless death/rape threads

that's not any different than any video with a chick espousing divergent views at odds with consensus though. don't think the presence of overwhelming outrage by internet nerds invalidates those expressions, my baby child

[Spooky Apparition]

oh wait, you said backed. i didn't click the spoiler because i'm somewhat toasted. i knew you were a sophisticated dude

i hope this finally starts page 1000.

[Necrometer]

but it's a loooooooooooong way to page 1000

can I get a trigger warning at least!?!?

the internet went fucking crazy over that video - basically trashing her wiki and messaging her with endless death/rape threads

that's not any different than any video with a chick espousing divergent views at odds with consensus though.

yeah well she herself has made loads of vids that take on movies, TV, Lego... but somehow this particular "consensus" got a bit more worked up

[Spooky Apparition]

but somehow this particular "consensus" got a bit more worked up

i think it's because gamers are particularly sensitive about this stuff because they believe the medium of games should be exempt from serious criticism because they're just games.

i think copstache was getting at the idea that if you really want to criticize game characters, the main characters from gears of war, for example, are just as stupid/shallow as any female game character. i guess that's mostly true. i just don't think that's an excuse

[copstache]

Also the games that are the easiest targets are going to be Japanese, who, hello, have strange views on gender roles.

If she complains about clothes being skintight I'm going to blow a gasket.

[Spooky Apparition]

i agree with that too... i hope it didn't come off like i was insulting you, because i sorta agree with your underlying point. BUT i still think it's dumb to get outraged at that girl for voicing what are fairly legit concerns about games in general (not saying you were doing that, but other people)

[Necrometer]

Also the games that are the easiest targets are going to be Japanese, who, hello, have strange views on gender roles.

I think a small chunk of that $40k should go towards her visiting to Japan to really get to the bottom of all this

If she complains about clothes being skintight I'm going to blow a gasket.

that's not an if, it's how many times?

[copstache]

Until games reach a level where they can be taken seriously on a literary level I really am not bothered by any of this nonsense. 90% of the reason I play a game is because I find it interesting on a purely mechanical level.

[Necrometer]

i think copstache was getting at the idea that if you really want to criticize game characters, the main characters from gears of war, for example, are just as stupid/shallow as any female game character. i guess that's mostly true. i just don't think that's an excuse

right but the idiotic/unrealistic/archetypal game characters of both genders/sexes/whatever are realized in a way that appeals to men almost exclusively and reinforces the pervasive institutionalized sexism known as "society"

[copstache]

If she complains about clothes being skintight I'm going to blow a gasket.

that's not an if, it's how many times?

I welcome her input on how to solve the technological hurdles behind animating realistic clothes/hair. I feel like if anybody can get to th root of this it's some doofus on YouTube.

[Necrometer]

hahaha

90% of the reason I play a game is because I find it interesting on a purely mechanical level.

which is why it's all the more retarded that idiotic stereotypes are piled on when they needn't be there at all

[copstache]

I guess I'm not seeing it. Which games/characters as we talking about being the worst offenders here? Ok yeah RE4 was pretty bad about it. But this generation? Ignoring lollipop chainsaw anyway.

And this is coming from a guy who plays female characters almost exclusively when given the chance.

[Spooky Apparition]

right but the idiotic/unrealistic/archetypal game characters of both genders/sexes/whatever are realized in a way that appeals to men almost exclusively and reinforces the pervasive institutionalized sexism known as "society"

yeah... that's completely true IMO. the default among game developers/writers seems to be characterization that reinforces those archetypes, even if it's unintentional and incidental in their minds. i think that's probably because they're mostly men. in the end, i'm not sure if a female writer could do any better, especially in the context of a game, but i still think it's interesting to have discussions like this

[Spooky Apparition]

stupid double post and still not page 1000

[Necrometer]

Uncharted 1+3 were written by a woman... some dudes get co-credit on 2

[Necrometer]

all you, spooky

[guardianoftheblind]

wtf I still really enjoyed UC1 I don't know what the serious hate is about

the story and cutscenes were kinda fun, but it lacks in execution SO hard

[Spooky Apparition]

DAMMIT. missed it.

nothing more to say here

although.... pisscubes, come on man. games aren't a boys club. a lot of girls play games, and i think the excuse of "it's a male industry" doesn't work anymore.

[Necrometer]

wtf I still really enjoyed UC1 I don't know what the serious hate is about

the story and cutscenes were kinda fun, but it lacks in execution SO hard

problem is probably that it was written by a stupid woman

And what the fuck is she going to say about most of these categories that haven't been said a billion times over the last... I dunno... 50 years? The damsel in distress through the lens of feminism? Holy fuck, there are LIBRARIES written on that subject since the 60s.

She's certainly not wrong, in my book, about the portrayal of women all mass-marketed media but what's the new bent? What is this going to say that hasn't been said and well documented in a whole host of other literature?

It'll be on youtube. How much exposure does any of that literature get? She's speaking the language of pop culture, which means people will actually be exposed to it and they'll be more likely to internalize something.

And, like spooky said, 40% of gamers are female now. They've been accustomed to simply dealing with what's available, but people thinking about this stuff (and again, the library doesn't get posted on Facebook) will lead to a more informed and critical batch of consumers and will increase odds that when young, hopeful game-designers-to-be grow up, they'll come up with something more meaningful and life-affirming than the same shitty stereotypes.

[Necrometer]

Of course girls play games, but it IS still a boy's club. The majority of those that play and create video games are males.

I'd love to hear your reaction to MLK's work... "it IS still a white man's world"