DragonBloodthirsty

I think it depends on the game and the details of the scene. I think it is difficult to have a non-pornographic sex scene in gaming (particularly when your list reads like a porn checklist), but I don't think it's completely impossible. The only example I can think of off the top of my head was in the original God of War, where Kratos gets greatly rewarded if he satisfies Venus in bed. At first I interpreted it as "gratuitous", but the fact that it's a game that can be repeated endlessly (and if you fail the first few times, you start being impressed by his stamina), and the only reward comes from her satisfaction (not yours) seemed to build Kratos's character and emphasized his frustration. Removing the player view from the bed and putting it instead on the vase on the nightstand pushed the scene away from pornographic and into artistic. I haven't played the other God of War games, and cannot comment on anything they contained, but some basic clips of the scenes out of context looked decidedly less artistic.

Spore had some "sex scenes" of the most abstract sort that played between generations... but they were really boring after watching them the first time.

The Sims 2 had some pretty dramatic intimate scenes, particularly for a game with its rating. There was some artistic license to the interpretation of sex in it (what did you think those fireworks exploding were?), but there was never any doubt what was happening. There were even sims whose goal was to Woo-Hoo with as many people as possible, which is like a script for a porno, but the game managed to avoid being pornographic. I mention this because there's not anything too significant to the sim who wants another conquest -- nothing intimate or romantic about it. They are literally like "Seventeen down, three more to go!"

In general, sex scenes are there to let us look into a character's intimate life. I think these scenes fit more into the story-telling side of gaming. I have difficulty imagining a game that includes the copulation in detail that isn't pornographic on some level, but it's clearly possible.

@CL60 said:

Now don't take this as a "BLARRGGHHH COMPLAIN ABOUT PATRICK!!!!" thread, because it's not. I like Patrick, I like what he has to say about things. But his quick looks are boring as fuck for 1 reason. He literally does NOTHING for a good portion of the entire video. He runs in circles and talks, he sits in menus flicking the stick to different options while he talks. It's not compelling to watch somebody run around in circles in the same spot for 10 minutes while he talks about the game, I want to see him actually playing the game.

I had to turn off the quicklook for Dishonored for this very reason, at the beginning he literally did nothing, and when he finally does continue, at the next part he once again just stops doing anything and talks.

Play and talk Patrick...play and talk.

Sometimes the slowness of the videos bores me too. I decided that not all the content on the website was aimed at me, but the community seems solid so I stick around.

@Cincaid said:

It's the same on GameSpot if you're not logged in. I smell a conspiracy!

Ah, then the upper level company may have told them they don't get to run their site as they see fit and have to toe the line. That would explain why they end up looking like the people they were trying to be different from.

@heraldthemoth said:

I was just wondering why so many Americans seem to dislike Socialism - many call it "European Socialism". Many equate it to Communism (which it isn't: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Socialism). Are a lot of Americans selfish? Are most okay with not giving money to the government to take care of other people who are down on their luck as long as they are doing well themselves? I get the feeling that the mentality is "Fuck the poor, jobless, or sick people. They can go kill themselves for all I care, because as long as I get my HDTV and nice car I don't give a crap." What are your thoughts on this?

There is a grain of truth to the argument that we shouldn't bother taking care of people who aren't trying and who are lazy, but the problems in our country are systematic and run deep. I also like being able to set my own priorities and choose what I do and don't want. My brother told me that in China, everyone in his area had heating but they all had to pay for everyone's heating -- there was no incentive to individually improve your insulation to bring down heating costs, because you couldn't save money in the long run doing so. There are some "socialist" benefits like public schools and functioning roads that I think are either well worth their cost or could be if they were being done right (and it depends on the specifics of the school/road in question). I think the people who oppose "socialism" completely are most often rich, ignorant of the problems faced by the poor, or just plain stupid and fail to understand how they benefit from "socialism".

We also have a severely broken economy in our country. The only big money being made is made by either the computer/tech industry in California or the Stock Market in New York. Social mobility is at a very low point, so the people who are currently rich have always been rich and will likely always be rich, because in America we have refused to allow people to fail if they happen to be rich. We used to prevent the flow of wealth from one generation to the next through high inheritance taxes, but calling them the "estate tax" or the "death tax" has made people less friendly to them.

I've not moved that far away before, but I know people who have so I'll share what I learned from them. Moving that far, my big concerns would be "How am I going to be taken care of". Do you have a job yet? Is your friend looking for a room mate (who brings rent with them), or are you lucky enough to have a friend who is willing to support you while you look for work (estimated 4-6 months even if you take "anything I can get")? Make sure you work out the social details now so there's less fighting later; get your agreement in writing if you can (an email record will usually work fine if it comes to legal down the road).

For the actual moving part, carrying things with you is going to be expensive. Take only the super-expensive and light items (e.g. a computer/laptop that is easily carried but costs hundreds or thousands to replace) while leaving heavy and easily replaced items behind. With a college degree you probably know that already, but Uhaul across country is prohibitively expensive, and shipping by train is doable but it's usually cheaper to replace the furniture when you get there.

Nepotism is the only way to get a job these days, I won't hold it against her. Maybe her employer, but not her.

OMG LOL that's hilarious. It's like they put their original text through Translation Party and posted the result. Who do they have writing these things, some 14 year old kid?

Actually, that might be what they did. Suddenly it makes sense...

I am still fascinated by the "Mystery of the Barbarians" part. What the heck is mysterious about the Diablo II barbs?

I am pleased to see that some people have not forgotten how to negotiate and compromise.

I think "Blizzard All-Stars" is a dumb name, but I've never really been a fan of "All-Stars" as a name. It's adequate, and that's good enough.

I have extremely mixed feelings about level scaling. I despised Diablo II in particular for making all the skills increase in cost as well as power when they were leveled.

I do like being able to challenge myself with stronger foes, so I kinda like a fairly hand-crafted world with breadcrumbs that lead me around, but don't force me to go anywhere in particular. One of my major frustrations with Freelancer was how it confined you terribly at the start of the game, so that when you replay it you have to play all through the game again.

@SadPatrol: She wants to be your friend. It's not clear what you want, but if you can't get what you want from the relationship why would you have it? I'd send a polite response, but if you don't want to be her friend you're both probably better off looking elsewhere.