JesterPC238

My PSN is the same as my GB name, feel free to add me! If we can get a large enough group I'd probably be willing to spring for a server. At the very least we could run some community events here and there, I think you can get a server for a couple bucks for just an evening.

So I stopped playing Battlefield 3 because of the voice chat junk, but the new maps and premium have gotten me back into it (the VOIP stuff seems to be fixed too). Anyway, my old platoon appears to have splintered, so I figured I'd see if any duders were playing together. If there are any PS3 community platoons out there let me know! If not I'd be happy to make one. Post here if interested.

@DoctorDanger99

I totally agree, when I was in middle school I used to hang out at a LAN party place and play Battlefield, language was allowed and the management didn't really moderate it, but because you were in the same room with other people (mostly strangers) things rarely got out of hand.

@laserbolts

Personally, I don't entirely disagree with you. When I boot up a game I don't think "great, another male character," but there are people that do, and since it makes very little difference to me, I tend to support their feelings. I'd rather everyone be happy. Furthermore, sex typically sells to men, not as much to women. Also, it comes off as very shallow, often belying the depth of the product (such as with fighting games). You and I may be able to see past it, but a lot of consumers don't. Your argument is perfectly valid though, and the "sex sells" thing is one of the greater issues facing society, I'd like to see gaming act as a force for change in that arena. Thanks for the shout out about the avatar! One among the fence!

Hey all,

Sorry I haven't posted in a while. Work has been pretty busy, I'm thinking about taking the blog down to a post a week. We'll see. After last week's "worth reading" and all the runoff from E3, gender equality in gaming has been on my mind. I think the issue is a deep seated thing, and is informed by the way women are portrayed and treated in society at large. That said, gaming can be a subculture that progresses gender relations rather than hinders it. Right now, it still comes off as a boy's club. Now I want to make it clear that I disagree with the notion that the ESA should outlaw booth babes, because I don't think some sort of governing body is in a position to quell the issue. Instead I think the solution lies with the gaming community, developers, publishers, and press. The press, first of all, can stop engaging positively with sexist behavior. I shouldn't see pictures of editors with booth babes in Game Informer, models reading from teleprompters on G4, or similar models telling athletes that they are "so hardcore" because they play Call of Duty on Spike. The burden, of course, partially lies on the consumer, because by consuming that media we only encourage this kind of behavior. Next, developers need to stop type casting women so much. Why is it that practically every female video game character is under dressed and under written? And why aren't there more female Master Chiefs, Marcus Fenixs and Nathan Drakes? This isn't to say that the occasional DOA or Lollypop Chainsaw shouldn't exist. There's a time and place for T&A, but we need it in much more moderation.

Next, publishers could stop pandering. Yes, games often have polygonal boobs in them, but how about showing me what makes the game good. I play DOA because I like the fighting system. If all I cared about was scantily clad women then there's an entire Internet of swimsuit photos and porn out there. Publishers could also stand to push for more realistic, strong female leads.

Finally, and most importantly, the community needs to be more accepting and friendly in general. This goes beyond the sexism issue. I can't tell you how many times I've been called a faggy dickweed by some stoned-out-of-his-mind teenager, or the times I've heard some 12 year old telling his mom to "fuck off bitch," during a game on XBLA. Usually people just stay quiet, but enough is enough. We, as adult, mature, well adjusted consumers of gaming media need to start speaking up on these services and make our voiced be heard as loud as them. There's nothing wrong with some language, but when it becomes derogatory, something needs to change.

I'm honestly really pleased about this. This fall already has a host of big games that really deserve the player's full attention (Dishonored, XCOM, AC III, etc.) it would be a shame for the Last of Us to not have room to breathe.

While I personally will have nothing to do with the booth babe thing, I have to respectfully disagree that this is an issue that should be engaged by the ESA. The problem is that while sites like Giant Bomb may decry these practices, major media outlets (G4 TV comes to mind) encourage this type of behavior. Furthermore, a lot of fans enjoy seeing skimpily dressed women parading games around. I've seen that picture of the Tekken women across the Internet, probably 20 times. The extra buzz and attention (even negative) that they have received will probably sell enough copies to make it worth it for them. I think the grander solution is for the people who dislike this kind of thing, press and developer alike, to go somewhere else (*cough* PAX *cough*), E3 will re-calibrate, or go under. That is, of course, if the people complaining about this issue are more than just the vocal minority, which I suspect they may not be.

And that, my friends, is the depressing part. The real problem is not E3, it's the people who, by and large, consume the media.

@patrickklepek I tried to impart this via Twitter, but I imagine that is extremely crowded, so I'll say it again in response to requests for not so great games that make you think. If you haven't played it, Pathologic is something I think you'd get a lot out of. It's made by a Russian developer (developer of Cargo actually), is extremely rough around the edges, and isn't "fun" per-say. The developers refer to it as a "decision making simulator" in which you play as one of 4 types of doctors trying to save a rural European town from a horrible plague, all the while trying to keep yourself alive. The graphics, combat, dialogue, and story are all crazy, however it puts you into a state of mind that nothing I have played has ever matched, aside from perhaps the tiny bit of Amnesia I have played. Pathologic is not a particularly scary game from a suspense stand point, however it is frightening and disturbing from a psychological standpoint. I really think you'd enjoy it, and it's only $10 on Amazon download (the only place I've found it).

It's the only game I've played where I found a gun and thought "this will be worth at least a loaf of bread." Pretty interesting stuff.

You aren't wrong, and I totally agree with you. For me, I wasn't at the show, and I sadly haven't had the time to dig in to the lesser publicized stuff. As such, I was mostly just exposed to the AC IIIs and the Halo 4s like many others. I think there was plenty to get excited about, it just lacked the shock and awe that I remember from E3s last generation. I was also younger then though, so that might have something to do with it.

I know, I know, the show ended Thursday, but my weekend got eaten up by the Guild Wars 2 beta (more on that later this week, in a word, it's good). I wanted to start this week off with my thoughts on the show as a whole. What I liked most about this E3 was the great mix of old and new. On the one hand, you had new IPs like the Last of Us, Playstation All Stars, Watch Dogs, and Zombi U. On the other hand, there were plenty of sequels like Halo 4, Assassin's Creed III, and Rayman Legends. Finally, there were some great "re-imaginings" of some classic games like XCOM: Enemy Unknown and SimCity. Overall, I felt like the mix of new IPs and old were pretty good, obviously I'd like to see even more new stuff, but it's hard to complain.

My least favorite aspect was the lack of any real surprises outside of Watch Dogs. We all knew the sequels were going to be there, we knew Quantic Dream's new game would get a reveal, we knew the Wii U would have more sequels to old games, nothing real got my goosebumps going (again, aside from Watch Dogs). This was disappointing, I had no "oh shit!" Moments like at E3s of yore. At any rate though, I should probably talk about my favorite games shouldn't I?

I'm not going to name my best of show, mostly because I would have to list four games. First of all, the Last of Us looks absolutely stunning, and I have no doubt it will be everything it promises. Naughty Dog has never made a misstep in my opinion, and this looks like the best work they've ever done. Next, Assassin's Creed III looks killer. I want that game so bad, and the fact that there's something of a companion piece on Vita is super exciting as well. Third, Watch Dogs does look very promising. Yes, the shooter sequence was a bit of a turn off, but as discussed on the day 3 Bombcast, I have a feeling that combat might be something you can avoid if you play your cards right. Finally, XCOM: Enemy Unknown is easily my most anticipated game of the year at this point. Firaxis has never done wrong, and that game looks like a wonderful adaptation of one of the greatest strategy games ever conceived. My only concern is the console port, as I will be playing it on Xbox, I'd also love some kind of co-op option, as this is a game I'd love to enjoy with my dad over the interwebs.

So there it is, what I loved and didn't love at yet another Electronic Entertainment Expo. This year looks pretty stacked, and I can't wait for holidays to be honest!

Here's one situation where I'm more OK with the swearing. The few times I've been in a serious spot of trouble (car accident, car dying in a bad neighborhood late at night, etc.) I've sworn a ton myself. In fact while playing the demo I was swearing like a sailor. I don't mind language, even very heavy language, in games when it's appropriate. They built the characters in your VT to seem like real people, they are scared shitless by what's going on and so the language makes sense. Not once did I think "man, they are swearing a lot" because I was right there with them.

It bothers me when you have the "I hate fucking computers" moments, where language is injected in order to seem edgy.