DarthOrange

Played some Smash Bros online and managed to get a win in my first match with Pokemon Trainer. That has to be a good sign right?

I appreciated you delving into the problematic elements behind the development of The Last of Us and Cyberpunk. You spelled it all out for Cyberpunk so I'm not going to touch it. But Neil Druckmann has been showing his entire asshole on Twitter and for some fucking reason so has Cory Barlog. It sucks and soured me hard on all Sony stuff. Then there is the whole thing with Ubisoft and sexual abuse.

It sucks and it is a question of "where do I want to draw the line." There are so many other games out there, and while a lot of these AAA games seem neat I can't shake the icky feeling of giving these shitlords $60 (now $70 lol) and rewarding their shit behavior.

Will I pick them up down the line later at a heavy discount? Maybe. (I want to enjoy hot girl shit too!) I have also been having an itch to play Borderlands 3 and Red Dead Redemption 2, which I skipped at launch because of the standard gross AAA shitty exploitation. But even if I do pick these up, the icky feelings remain all the same as does the constant desire to do better and expect better.

Like, my purchasing decisions ain't gonna make a dent in capitalism, but I don't know that that absolves me from rewarding the exploitation with my own money. Are my complaints just "performative wokeness" if I don't change my behavior? Or are they a necessary step towards eventually getting to a place where I say "nah fuck all this gross shit, I don't need it and I don't want to be a part of it." I also don't want to be one of those shitlords saying "there is no ethical consumption under capitalism" as an excuse for not giving a shit.

I don't know, I'm rambling at this point but it feels good to get it out all the same as I try to process my own feelings on the matter.

@ronindrummer200: Thanks! I hadn't really put that much thought into it, but you are totally right. Every game in my top ten, with the exception of South of the Circle, is playable on Switch.

@dr_unorthadox: I did not play Creaks. It was on the huge pile of "games to play" for 2020. Both that and Signs of the Sojourner seemed like games I probably would have enjoyed if I had gotten around to them.

Sorry your experience with Animal Crossing was tainted by people getting toxic. I have never played any of them but it seems strange people would get angry over a game that looks so peaceful.

Also this bit right here is some real fucking truth:

Everything I have read from random people online about Bugsnax makes it sound like a stupid meme game, so hearing that it has heart has raised some interest from me. Also Call of the Sea was not on my radar at all but I'm totally going to have to check that out.

Awesome write up. Congrats on the house! Going stir crazy in a small apartment is no joke, I've been here since March. :(

Treachery in Beatdown City looks like a game I totally would have loved. Good to know that it does justice to the heavy topics it explores.

Honestly, fuck any studio exploiting their workers, and if something comes out add them to the list until you are able to confirm that things have actually changed for the better. One would hope more sites taking the issue of working conditions seriously would encourage more people at other studios to speak out. That said, Naughty Dog and Rockstar are special in that they are vocally proud of their shitty working conditions. They brag about the abuse they put their workers through, and make it sound like that is the norm. Trying to normalize such toxic conditions is incredibly fucking harmful to society. Like big picture bad for humanity, not just for people in the video game industry.

The most ethical thing video game coverage sites could do is just not review these games. Focus any coverage on these shitty conditions and challenge the complacency of consumers. Otherwise, covering the game without adequately talking about the working conditions perpetuates the notion that this is "not a big deal" which again, is harmful for more than just the video game industry.

Rename Once Upon a Coma to Neversong.

@bobafettjm: @thechris: Not sure how I missed the giant pinned threads at the top of the page... my bad. Thanks for pointing me in the right direction, I will make sure future requests go to the right place!!!