Dead Island Riptide Offers Up Bikini-Laden Statue, Publisher Quickly Apologizes

@TheKing said:

@leinad44 said:

Sexist? - I dunno, maybe a little bit

Fucked up? - Most definitely, who would want this?

Well put.

yep, i can get behind this thinking as well.

It's just a statue of boobs, guys. No need to panic.

Regardless of their intentions, whether they were naive to how offensive this could be or simply didn't think it was that bad (Europe and Australia have vastly differing cultural responses to the human body than the US) it's still awful design. Simply who would want to own this, and what sculptor thought this was a good prototype? it's just a poorly thought out piece to begin with.

@Video_Game_King: A statue of a chewed up dong, probably. That'll be next year's statue.

That looks like my perfect zombie girlfriend.

Sexism in the games industry! Worry not, Patrick is on the case!

@ShatterShock said:

I don't know what to say, I'm honestly torn here. On one hand, you'd think somebody would realize that something like this would be very unfortunately timed with what's going on in America, even if it was only meant for Europe and Australia.

On the other hand, it's just a statue that plays on the theme of the game, zombies on a tropical island. There's no reason to flip out and go into white knight mode over it.

I agree. Since when does dumb pulp in pop-culture need to incite political debate at every turn? For decades people have just been acknowledging dumb shit as dumb shit. It's much better to rise above the banality than to want a world where this can't be sold. Which would be an incredibly hypocritical double standard anyway, considering you can't ban one thing without setting precedent for banning another until there is no personal judgment left.

I honestly see a lot of this as video game press dealing with their medium's relatively infantile state by overcompensating in the ethics department. But of course, no one gave a shit about Chun Li's thighs, because it was in the context of a silly fighting game, and they hadn't yet found the need to be pseudo-intellectual about media ethics every other week.

I can laugh at Rambo, why can't I laugh at a fighting game girl. Same fucking thing, and it's equally degrading and empowering in both cases. I can look at stylized humans without losing respect for women, but I guess I need to point out boobs to truly be in the clear. Fuck this shit.

this story was posted like a few mins ago and its already over 100 comments?!

oh boy prepare for another shitstorm.

so im just gonna place this here and run away

@tremors: That was my point entirely.

They're a little creepy and sexist, in my opinion, yes. But they'd be really creepy and sexist if they sold and marketed blow up dolls that are naked, bloody, and tied up.

@patrickklepek

"Here's the problem with this statement: it doesn't even begin to address how this even happened in the first place."

What do you expect them to say, "It was Ted's idea"? Because in this situation it's pretty clear that a multitude of people fucked up, and short of naming and shaming I don't see how they're going to publicly respond to that. It's an internal issue, if they've issued a public statement you can be sure that they're internally addressing this. Other than announcing that the items won't be sold and will be ritualistically burned, I don't see what else they could have done here.

@everybody asking why it's different because it's a girl

Because 9 out of 10 rape victims are women and 99 out of 100 rapists are men. There are very unfortunate implications to a battered, large breasted, bikini laden, cadaver. Seriously don't be wilfully ignorant, you know why it's different.

The idea of sexism never crossed my mind.

You can make the argument that no one would be outraged if this was a male torso with the same lack of bodily features, but c'mon. It’s different when it’s a woman, this is over the line, and Deep Silver should have known better.

Actually, I was disappointed and disturbed when I heard about this package and those feelings didn't change a bit when I saw it. The fact that it's a female torso doesn't increase its offensiveness any more than an identical male torso would diminish it. It's simply a tasteless, tacky reminder to the video-game unknowledgeable that their notions about the people who play them are probably accurate.

Well, they warned you that it may cause offence.

@JoeyRavn said:

@LikeaSsur said:

Excuse me, Patrick, but is sexism really the issue here?

A woman's torso with her boobs squeezed by a tight bikini top? That's adding salt to the wound. Do they really need to sexualize a cut-up torso? I don't think so.

Is it sexualized, or is it appropriate for the setting? I think that's the key difference here, and given that Dead Island takes place on a tropical island resort, I'm willing to believe that a cut up zombie torso would be wearing a bikini. Actually, I'm questioning how the top would stay on if there's no head, but...that's a different topic.

This little collectible manages to objectify women by reducing them (literally, in this case) to tits while also making light of grotesque violence by giving you something to proudly display in your living room.

Oh, but keep calling people who write things that you disagree with "hacks." It really reflects well on your argument.

Oh boy. More misguided faux outrage.

Semi on the go for that statue TBH

@Sweeps said:

@Clonedzero said:

@dr_mantas said:

@hurtfulmadmax said:

@NMC2008 said:

"It’s different when it’s a woman, this is over the line." - PK

Why?

QFT

QFT x2

its cus he's a hypocrite who loves double standards and flashy headlines that make him look like he's standing up for a cause when he's just a sensationalist hack. im probably being alittle harsh, but screw it ive had a rough day.

nah ur just a sexist

You guys should do a little reading. I can recommend some things, if you would like. But there are very specific reasons why it is different when it's a woman and a man. The most obvious problem here is the clear objectification, she wasn't even given a face. And, men's chests aren't incorrectly sexualized, as are women's. It comes down to the basic issue with sexism in media 'you want to be him/you want to be with her'. This is the question you can ask yourself whenever you're unsure if something is crossing the line: What are they trying to make me feel by showing me this? If the answer can be simplified to "they're using her body, or the fact that she has a woman's body, as a method of selling me on something/eliciting arousal/defining what she is," then there is a problem.

This is literally a set of tits attached to a mount, there is very fucking obviously something wrong with this.

Can I get it on a pillow?

Am I the only one disturbed by what looks like a bit of bone protruding out of the neck and arms still?

Had no idea there was a new Dead Island game, so good job marketing I guess.

I'm more interested in why everyone thinks it's a zombified torso and not a normal chopped up torso. It could just as well be a normal body that was chopped up and put in a collectors edition of Dead Island Riptide. The lack of decomposition makes me think this woman was still a normal human when she was so brutally murdered.

I've obviously put too much thought into this.

Calling it the Zombie Bait edition implies things that make me uncomfortable.

they obviously knew what they were doing making it a lady torso with bewbs. i don't quite find it an outrage and a sickening example of sexism, but it is pretty tacky. even if you're a B-horror fan it just looks like a lazy tchotchke. if it were a male torso in the same fashion people would basically be "uh, okay..."

Looks like there will a couple a vacancies at Deep Silver in the VERY near future.

Who cares if it's a woman? It's a bloody, limbless torso wearing Union Jack underwear. It's gross because of that fact alone. All I'm reading from this (and I'm sure this isn't the intention) is that Patrick doesn't care that it's grossly violent and tasteless, just that it's a woman being depicted in a bikini. Give me a break.

This thing is kinda gross even before the sexism argument, I wouldn't want that on my shelves.

@HatKing said:

@Sweeps said:

@Clonedzero said:

@dr_mantas said:

@hurtfulmadmax said:

@NMC2008 said:

"It’s different when it’s a woman, this is over the line." - PK

Why?

QFT

QFT x2

its cus he's a hypocrite who loves double standards and flashy headlines that make him look like he's standing up for a cause when he's just a sensationalist hack. im probably being alittle harsh, but screw it ive had a rough day.

nah ur just a sexist

You guys should do a little reading. I can recommend some things, if you would like. But there are very specific reasons why it is different when it's a woman and a man. The most obvious problem here is the clear objectification, she wasn't even given a face. And, men's chests aren't incorrectly sexualized, as are women's. It comes down to the basic issue with sexism in media 'you want to be him/you want to be with her'. This is the question you can ask yourself whenever you're unsure if something is crossing the line: What are they trying to make me feel by showing me this? If the answer can be simplified to "they're using her body, or the fact that she has a woman's body, as a method of selling me on something/eliciting arousal/defining what she is," then there is a problem.

This is literally a set of tits attached to a mount, there is very fucking obviously something wrong with this.

Maybe they only know dudes with sweet racks and can't tell gender difference?

@HatKing said:

@Sweeps said:

@Clonedzero said:

@dr_mantas said:

@hurtfulmadmax said:

@NMC2008 said:

"It’s different when it’s a woman, this is over the line." - PK

Why?

QFT

QFT x2

its cus he's a hypocrite who loves double standards and flashy headlines that make him look like he's standing up for a cause when he's just a sensationalist hack. im probably being alittle harsh, but screw it ive had a rough day.

nah ur just a sexist

You guys should do a little reading. I can recommend some things, if you would like. But there are very specific reasons why it is different when it's a woman and a man. The most obvious problem here is the clear objectification, she wasn't even given a face. And, men's chests aren't incorrectly sexualized, as are women's. It comes down to the basic issue with sexism in media 'you want to be him/you want to be with her'. This is the question you can ask yourself whenever you're unsure if something is crossing the line: What are they trying to make me feel by showing me this? If the answer can be simplified to "they're using her body, or the fact that she has a woman's body, as a method of selling me on something/eliciting arousal/defining what she is," then there is a problem.

This is literally a set of tits attached to a mount, there is very fucking obviously something wrong with this.

What he said.

whyboner

This is stupid but to pin sexism on this is even worse. It's just a stupid collectible, no need to pile on more stuff that isn't really there.

Meanwhile, in Japan, a statue of some 14 year old female game character with lovingly detailed panties is released to little comment. Until Brian Crecente posts a bunch of photos of it.

I am one of the people that doesn't find sexism connotations to that, but I also do wonder how this happened. I mean, are the publishers so surprised that the idea of including the torso of a bikini mannequin would not raise any eyebrows? Are the people that wrote that apology the same people that approved this item's production?

Sometimes I wonder what goes through the heads of marketing people... Are these the same people that approve stuff like the "Sin to Win" contest?

@LikeaSsur said:

Excuse me, Patrick, but is sexism really the issue here?

Well would this even exist unless it was a female torso. If the male torso was even up to debate words "but we could also sell them tits" most definitely happened. That's the problem.

@Hawkerace said:

whyboner

That is an amazing hashtag. :)

@HatKing said:

And, men's chests aren't incorrectly sexualized, as are women's.

You're telling me you don't think titties are sexy?

I know straight women that find titties sexy.

That statement is very weird to me.

I mean, if you're looking for some extra Halloween decorations, I guess this would be ok to put on your lawn? Especially if you're in, like, Hawaii or some shit.

Which weirdly makes it way more useful than most crap statue things come with games.

I like looking at boobs and asses. If 5% of the commercials I see on TV have a nice cleavage shot, I'm a happy man. But if 80% of the commercials on TV had a nice cleavage shot, I'd have serious concerns about what kind of message that sends about the place of women in society.

All things in balance. The video game industry has lost that balance, and they use sex to excess.

@papercut said:

I'm more interested in why everyone thinks it's a zombified torso and not a normal chopped up torso. It could just as well be a normal body that was chopped up and put in a collectors edition of Dead Island Riptide. The lack of decomposition makes me think this woman was still a normal human when she was so brutally murdered.

I've obviously put too much thought into this.

I thought the same thing. I mean it is called Zombie Bait Edition. That implies fresh meat, not zombie meat. Zombies only eat the freshest of meats.

Also; sexism... again. Here we go. IMO: Only sexist to those looking for offense; the real issue here is that it is tacky and dumb.

Boobs? RAAAGGGHH.

Never mind the fact it's a cut up fucking torso.

@HatKing said:

@Sweeps said:

@Clonedzero said:

@dr_mantas said:

@hurtfulmadmax said:

@NMC2008 said:

"It’s different when it’s a woman, this is over the line." - PK

Why?

QFT

QFT x2

its cus he's a hypocrite who loves double standards and flashy headlines that make him look like he's standing up for a cause when he's just a sensationalist hack. im probably being alittle harsh, but screw it ive had a rough day.

nah ur just a sexist

You guys should do a little reading. I can recommend some things, if you would like. But there are very specific reasons why it is different when it's a woman and a man. The most obvious problem here is the clear objectification, she wasn't even given a face. And, men's chests aren't incorrectly sexualized, as are women's. It comes down to the basic issue with sexism in media 'you want to be him/you want to be with her'. This is the question you can ask yourself whenever you're unsure if something is crossing the line: What are they trying to make me feel by showing me this? If the answer can be simplified to "they're using her body, or the fact that she has a woman's body, as a method of selling me on something/eliciting arousal/defining what she is," then there is a problem.

This is literally a set of tits attached to a mount, there is very fucking obviously something wrong with this.

The statue is clearly terrible. I would not wish my greatest enemy to have something as bad as this statue.

But the problem is that Patrick think it's different because it's a woman, and you agree.

Feminists, woman's rights activists, have spent decades saying that female breasts shouldn't be sexualised - they want the right to be topless wherever men are topless. They want the right to breastfeed in public, they have it. You are the ones who are sexualising breasts.

It would be the same with a male or female version of a statue - it's grotesque and in poor taste. Don't bring sex into this.

@TMThomsen said:

Sexism in the games industry! Worry not, Patrick is on the case!

It makes him sleep better at night.

This website is becoming agenda driven by one person. No one else would have ran this non-story.

Here's the problem with this statement: it doesn't even begin to address how this even happened in the first place. The deeper problem with the video game industry isn't that it makes mistakes that result in offensive, sexist incidents like this one, it's a lack of transparency and reflection on how this could be allowed to happen.

This. A million times this.

When it comes down to it, in a business there is always at the very least, one person who has to sign off on the idea.

@Canteu said:

@HatKing said:

And, men's chests aren't incorrectly sexualized, as are women's.

You're telling me you don't think titties are sexy?

I know straight women that find titties sexy.

That statement is very weird to me.

That's purely a product of media and society though. A woman's breasts have nothing to do with sex, and shouldn't be any sexier than, say, her ears. I'm not denying what society has constructed, I'm just saying we can't do that and put the blinders on. We have to at least acknowledge that women have it very differently for men in that department, among others.

@HatKing said:

@Sweeps said:

@Clonedzero said:

@dr_mantas said:

@hurtfulmadmax said:

@NMC2008 said:

"It’s different when it’s a woman, this is over the line." - PK

Why?

QFT

QFT x2

its cus he's a hypocrite who loves double standards and flashy headlines that make him look like he's standing up for a cause when he's just a sensationalist hack. im probably being alittle harsh, but screw it ive had a rough day.

nah ur just a sexist

You guys should do a little reading. I can recommend some things, if you would like. But there are very specific reasons why it is different when it's a woman and a man. The most obvious problem here is the clear objectification, she wasn't even given a face. And, men's chests aren't incorrectly sexualized, as are women's. It comes down to the basic issue with sexism in media 'you want to be him/you want to be with her'. This is the question you can ask yourself whenever you're unsure if something is crossing the line: What are they trying to make me feel by showing me this? If the answer can be simplified to "they're using her body, or the fact that she has a woman's body, as a method of selling me on something/eliciting arousal/defining what she is," then there is a problem.

This is literally a set of tits attached to a mount, there is very fucking obviously something wrong with this.

sex is used to sell things to both sexes every damn day. if you're going to write an article about sexism in media, theres alot bigger fish to fry. a stupid shitty collectors edition collectable isn't something ANYONE should care about.

and there is nothing wrong with using sexuality to sell stuff. sexuality is a HUGE part of being a human. stop being ashamed of it.

its crazy how overly sensitive people are. its super dumb and tacky, its nothing to launch a crusade about or get upset over

*Apologies to Brian Crecente, I meant Brian Ashcraft. I would edit but the mobile site can't do that.

This statue is sexist. Patrick isn't a sexist who has just made a hilariously sexist comment through naive ignorance.

Also, this statue is gross and the links between grotesque violence and potentially sexual imagery is the problem, not either/or, both together.

@ManMadeGod said:

@TMThomsen said:

Sexism in the games industry! Worry not, Patrick is on the case!

It makes him sleep better at night.

This website is becoming agenda driven by one person. No one else would have ran this non-story.

You mean except every other gaming website there is?

Didn't think that this statue is that bad except for maybe should have been used a few games down the road not right after the first one. For me these kind of collectibles are best for rather well established/popular franchises where people are going to buy that version, also after Arkham City/Fallout3 & many other CE versions lately, I'm running out of room on the desk/bookshelf for this stuff. Would have preferred that they just put this idea on as the cover for the steelcase instead of a silly resin statue.

Why do I ever bother reading the comment section of any site on the internet.