The aggressively misogynistic gamer is probably the worst kind of person imaginable. You know, the kind of person that tries REALLY hard to refute pro-fem arguments on the internet at every opportunity? They are annoying and make me sick.
Worth Reading: 06/22/12
I'm surprised you didn't mention Receiver, made by Overgrowth developers, the FPS made in 7 days with crazy gun handling mechanics and roguelike qualities. Makes for highly memorable experiences, even if it's just a prototype right now.
I really liked I Am Alive, the ideas and mechanics were refreshing and I give it more credit for originality than in the lack of polish it has. Plus, Adam Jensen's in it.
If you think I Am Alive is interesting, Patrick, go hunt down a copy of Disaster Report for PS2. Or it's sequel, Raw Danger. They're much better "disaster survival" games, plus with the added *charm* of a cheap Japanese production like Deadly Premonition! Which gives each game approximately 1000x the personality of Ubi Soft's depressingly bland downloadable game.
It also makes me sad that you're a game journalist and never heard of Nintendo's Satellaview before. Tsk, tsk, tsk. What the hell were you doing in the 80's/90's? Clearly, not reading Nintendo Power.
Metal Gear Online's shutting down is just more proof that competitive online multiplayer shooters are stupid, disposable, wastes of time. Single player games are forever. No one gives a crap about how many headshots you got in "Generic Military Shooter No.362" - especially when said game shuts down. And to think some people want ALL games to be online all the time, with microtransactions and DLC packs. Ugh...what a horrible future. When that happens to all mainstream game, I'm sticking exclusively to indie games on PC.
Frame 4 of http://sci-ence.org/on-playing-well-with-others/ is quite possibly the best analogy ever.
With 'A Story About My Uncle' it looks like Little Orbit who are supposed to be making 'Mistborn-Birthright' have been beaten to the punch with the flying mechanic.
'Perspective' looks very interesting.
Never played System Shock 2 but love Bioshock. Didn't want to jump through the hopes that were required to get it to run. Let me know how it is tricky
@RVonE: Its sad that this day and age anyone gets treated like that by any anyone. From little kids are annoying as hell, to this, and beyond. People are just getting shitty.
These stories about the verbal abuse of women by so many different institutions of the medium are just leaving me at a loss. I look at them and the reversal of major gender equality legislation in several states and know there's no fucking way they're not connected by the lessons of a rotten culture. How the hell can we be so far down this road and still claim to be an advancing civilization?
@Hailinel said:
@Gordo789 said:
I had no idea that kickstarter suspended the Tentacle Bento project on their site. Even though the game is not my thing and I can see how it is totally offensive and in bad taste, it still seems like a pretty shitty thing to do.
Yeah, but the company behind it is still moving forward with it. They moved the fundraiser to their own website, and it managed to earn back all of the funds that Kickstarter cancelled on them plus extra. There's no doubt in my mind that it ended up getting as much funding as it did because of Kickstarter's unilateral cancellation of the project. From my understanding, it doesn't even sound like they gave the company behind Tentacle Bento the opportunity make their case beforehand. They just blocked funding and then forced a cancellation. Whether or not you agree with the context and content of the game, I don't believe that Kickstarter was in the right in terms of how they handled the situation.
EDIT: I should also note that, for as awful as the game supposedly is, is it really any worse than say, Cards Against Humanity?
Agreed, well said. I did notice that Soda Pop went on to raise their own money for the game on their own site and more power to them. The whole thing reminds me a lot of the penny arcade dickwolves fiasco. I guess joking about the imaginary rape of cartoon characters by fake monsters is just too much for the internet sensitivity troll brigade.
These experiences are giving me (and Ryan) some good ideas about what we could do here at Giant Bomb to help "celebrate" Halloween later this year.
BREAKING TRICKY: PREMIUM VIDEO, THIS HALLOWEEN!
I think it'd be awesome if Ryan and Patrick had to go to some old abandoned house (Or just some creepy old cemetery!) with like a generator hooked up to play scary ass games together. They could also hook up a camera or two (With only the light from the screen illuminating them.) and we'd get to enjoy them pissing their pants together!
Katie Williams needed to immediately step up and say "no, I know how to play video games, let me control it like everyone else", or pose the question to the PR guy as to why he had to play it for her. She should have embarrassed the PR guy for making a stupid assumption and should have refused to view their game if he wasn't going to let her have the same experience as everyone else. Then name the guy and the company he works for, and the game she was being shown. Stop tip-toeing.
I'm absolutely not blaming her for what happened, but it does no good to sit there and end up with no information (as she stated), and then make a complaint on the internet after the fact. If someone is being rude to you, stand up to them and put them in their place. Someone made the comment on the article that women are afraid of looking like a "bitch" if they stand up for themselves, so it's not as "easy" as it is for men. Not if you're reasonable about it. Furthermore, if some asshat who clearly thinks less of you in the first place will think of you as a bitch for standing up for yourself, who the fuck cares? Let him think you're a bitch, just as he'd think you were a prick if you were a man standing up to him over something. If you're in the right you have nothing to worry about.
Don't agree with her about the Hitman thing though, but she doesn't really go into that.
Edit: Also: why in the fuck did Kotaku shine a spotlight on a guy who cheats in video games? Why not have an in-depth review with the 14 year old kid who called you a faggot on XBL while you're at it. Don't give these retards the time of day.
It's great how Kate Williams automatically assumed it was her sex that made the PR guy play the game for her. Seriously, that was her first and only conclusion? Talk about jumping the gun.
The world is out to get you, Ms. Williams, stay strong!
Disclaimer: I am not attacking her, nor am I blaming her for her poor experience at E3. I am, however, disappointed that she did not once stick up for herself, nor she did find out the real reason for her supposed inability to play the game herself.
A whole series of post mortem interviews with former Looking Glass Studios? You mean the ones that I really in retrospective should have posted on the forums but didn't because I feel as though a contribution of that stature would be way in over my head so I just kept the reference to it in a simple blog post? Hmm, perhaps I should have probably sent one of you guys the links to them. Oh well!
I really detest all of this politically-driven bullshit about women and games. It's fucking disgusting to me that an entire group of journalists is so ready to leap into a group of barely-feminists' arms simply because they are women.
You see one group of children shouting obscenities and slurs and you are too damn afraid to look at every side of the picture. Either you're an INTERNET ASSHOLE or a GLORIOUS NEW-AGE FEMINIST HERALDING IN THE NEW ERA.
The fact that all these would-be-feminists get a free fucking pass because they are women completely undermines the true nature of feminism in the first place.
I would love to see one professional journalist, JUST FUCKING ONE, take a moment to look at the big picture and analyze from all angles, not be afraid to criticize a woman, and come to a realistic and thought-out conclusion, even if he/she still sides on the pseudo-feminists.
At least then it would be an educated opinion instead of a shouting of holier-than-though platitudes of "This needs to stop" or "Gaming needs to grow up."
@Goldanas said:
I really detest all of this politically-driven bullshit about women and games. It's fucking disgusting to me that an entire group of journalists is so ready to leap into a group of barely-feminists' arms simply because they are women.
You see one group of children shouting obscenities and slurs and you are too damn afraid to look at every side of the picture. Either you're an INTERNET ASSHOLE or a GLORIOUS NEW-AGE FEMINIST HERALDING IN THE NEW ERA.
The fact that all these would-be-feminists get a free fucking pass because they are women completely undermines the true nature of feminism in the first place.
I would love to see one professional journalist, JUST FUCKING ONE, take a moment to look at the big picture and analyze from all angles, not be afraid to criticize a woman, and come to a realistic and thought-out conclusion, even if he/she still sides on the pseudo-feminists.
At least then it would be an educated opinion instead of a shouting of holier-than-though platitudes of "This needs to stop" or "Gaming needs to grow up."
Sigh.
@Binman88 said:
Katie Williams needed to immediately step up and say "no, I know how to play video games, let me control it like everyone else", or pose the question to the PR guy as to why he had to play it for her. She should have embarrassed the PR guy for making a stupid assumption and should have refused to view their game if he wasn't going to let her have the same experience as everyone else. Then name the guy and the company he works for, and the game she was being shown. Stop tip-toeing.
I'm absolutely not blaming her for what happened, but it does no good to sit there and end up with no information (as she stated), and then make a complaint on the internet after the fact. If someone is being rude to you, stand up to them and put them in their place. Someone made the comment on the article that women are afraid of looking like a "bitch" if they stand up for themselves, so it's not as "easy" as it is for men. Not if you're reasonable about it. Furthermore, if some asshat who clearly thinks less of you in the first place will think of you as a bitch for standing up for yourself, who the fuck cares? Let him think you're a bitch, just as he'd think you were a prick if you were a man standing up to him over something. If you're in the right you have nothing to worry about.
Don't agree with her about the Hitman thing though, but she doesn't really go into that.
Edit: Also: why in the fuck did Kotaku shine a spotlight on a guy who cheats in video games? Why not have an in-depth review with the 14 year old kid who called you a faggot on XBL while you're at it. Don't give these retards the time of day.
No doubt, it is disappointing that a professional journalist would let an under paid PR person treat them like a tourist. It doesn't change the fact that it clearly illustrates stupidity and sexism of the event. But at the same time my B.S. meter is getting a tickle. What do I mean? Let's face it what makes a better story, the one where she shuts the PR guy down with a sentence or to be a passive, take notes and write a story about it. Because the fact is if she actually confronted any of these PR guys with a sentence she could have shut them down and got her demo. So yes, I see a little of the writer purposely riding an experience for the purpose of a story.
On the other hand sometimes, you have to sit back and let people talk to find out what they are really up to so being a detached writer in this case might not be such a bad thing. On the other hand, here is cold hard fact kids, you have to fight for what you believe. So next time, confront the guy in the moment.
@King9999 said:
@Allison: IMO, linking anything from Kotaku should be a crime in itself.
I disagree: it's the easiest way to circumvent their front page, I think he should get a damn medal.
@Undeadpool said:
@King9999 said:
@Allison: IMO, linking anything from Kotaku should be a crime in itself.
I disagree: it's the easiest way to circumvent their front page, I think he should get a damn medal.
Only if it doesn't require clicking the link to actually read the text. I refused to visit Kotaku unless it can't be avoided under any other circumstance.
@Undeadpool said:
@King9999 said:
@Allison: IMO, linking anything from Kotaku should be a crime in itself.
I disagree: it's the easiest way to circumvent their front page, I think he should get a damn medal.
Personally the best method I've seen is for someone to just screen cap the page and then copy the text into a paste bin.
When a blogger writes articles like these, they're just aiming for all the negative hits, because regardless of the feelings of animosity, it drives up their numbers with current controversy and they get paid more. It's journalism that's worse than even those gossip rags you find in the super market, because those rags don't pretend to be something that merits any intellectual value, whereas Kotaku . . .
@Luthorcrow:
@Binman88
Agreed. It doesn't excuse the PR guys for being shitty, but people need to assert themselves when they're confronted by bullshit. PR is acting in a way, that while ignorant, doesn't seem like it's out of spite or malice towards women. The time to confront people is when a thing is actually happening and not after the fact when they've already moved past it.
@Luthorcrow said:
@Binman88 said:
Katie Williams needed to immediately step up and say "no, I know how to play video games, let me control it like everyone else", or pose the question to the PR guy as to why he had to play it for her. She should have embarrassed the PR guy for making a stupid assumption and should have refused to view their game if he wasn't going to let her have the same experience as everyone else. Then name the guy and the company he works for, and the game she was being shown. Stop tip-toeing.
I'm absolutely not blaming her for what happened, but it does no good to sit there and end up with no information (as she stated), and then make a complaint on the internet after the fact. If someone is being rude to you, stand up to them and put them in their place. Someone made the comment on the article that women are afraid of looking like a "bitch" if they stand up for themselves, so it's not as "easy" as it is for men. Not if you're reasonable about it. Furthermore, if some asshat who clearly thinks less of you in the first place will think of you as a bitch for standing up for yourself, who the fuck cares? Let him think you're a bitch, just as he'd think you were a prick if you were a man standing up to him over something. If you're in the right you have nothing to worry about.
Don't agree with her about the Hitman thing though, but she doesn't really go into that.
Edit: Also: why in the fuck did Kotaku shine a spotlight on a guy who cheats in video games? Why not have an in-depth review with the 14 year old kid who called you a faggot on XBL while you're at it. Don't give these retards the time of day.
No doubt, it is disappointing that a professional journalist would let an under paid PR person treat them like a tourist. It doesn't change the fact that it clearly illustrates stupidity and sexism of the event. But at the same time my B.S. meter is getting a tickle. What do I mean? Let's face it what makes a better story, the one where she shuts the PR guy down with a sentence or to be a passive, take notes and write a story about it. Because the fact is if she actually confronted any of these PR guys with a sentence she could have shut them down and got her demo. So yes, I see a little of the writer purposely riding an experience for the purpose of a story.
On the other hand sometimes, you have to sit back and let people talk to find out what they are really up to so being a detached writer in this case might not be such a bad thing. On the other hand, here is cold hard fact kids, you have to fight for what you believe. So next time, confront the guy in the moment.
My initial reaction to the Katie Williams story was the same. She should have stood up for herself, however, as she wrote, it was her first time at E3 and being treated that way caught her off guard. She wrote that the condescending treatment continued throughout E3 but didn't elaborate on how she reacted to it. I hope she took control and asked about the games she cared about, but that isn't the point.
Time is a valuable commodity at E3 and she has every right to be upset about having to justify her existence at the event to PR person after PR person. Yes, she should expect to be treated different, it's a fact of life when you choose to work in a field traditionally dominated by people who look different than you, but that doesn't make it OK and it doesn't mean she should just shut up and accept it as her fate. It's E3 2012, not the Seven Kingdoms of Westeros.
I'm journalist in a field where women are the minority and often have to work twice as hard to do the same job I do through no fault of their own. When I interview people there's a certain amount of knowledge they assume I have because I'm a male who writes about sports. Young female sports journalists often have to work harder and dig deeper because many of the people they interview assume they won't understand an in-depth answer. No matter how much I prepare for an interview, I usually get the most interesting information and anecdotes through follow up questions, but her coverage of a game will certainly be hurt if the PR person dumbs down their answers because she is female.
It's disheartening when talent is held back by people's assumptions, fortunately, talented people usually find a way to succeed despite the obstacles and that's how change happens.
That's the odd thing of multiplayer game preservation. Does a multiplayer game exist if there is no one there to play it? /philosophical. What would there be to preserve? The maps? The character models? It's not an experience you can truly replicate again.
That Demon's Souls quote is tragic to me though. The servers continue to live on past their expiration date, but who knows when the plug will finally be pulled. The game is still fantastic without online, but it was such a unique and key part of the experience. They were the first to pull off that kind of seamless "online singleplayer" type of game as far as I know; more and more games like Journey are basing their online systems on the work that Demon's Souls started.
These experiences are giving me (and Ryan) some good ideas about what we could do here at Giant Bomb to help "celebrate" Halloween later this year.
I don't even know what this means, but color me very excited.
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