• Ever wanted an RSS feed of all your favorite gaming news sites? Go check out our new Gaming Headlines feed! Read more about it here.

Richter1887

Banned
Oct 27, 2017
39,146
Both games where queer women endure trauma and don't exactly get happy endings. 😂 (Not a reflection on you.)

Gotta lookout for a fellow lesbian. Chloe and Max are my number one ship after all *glances at tag*, always looking to convert. 😉 The ending of the game is a dumpster fire, but it supercharged the fandom with a plethora of fanction.

"Farewell" is a terrible send off for Max and Chloe. I'm doing a replay of Before the Storm and it's truly best to play it before the game proper.
anigif_sub-buzz-19423-1480974957-4.gif


Makes sense now that I think about it. Especially cause it compliments Chloe's attitude throughout Before the Storm and makes you relate to her even more.
 

Conditional-Pancakes

The GIFs of Us
Member
Jun 25, 2020
10,826
the wilderness
Both games where queer women endure trauma and don't exactly get happy endings. 😂 (Not a reflection on you.)

Well I don't know... As a queer woman myself, do you think it means anything? lol!

I think I just like tragic and emotional stories. And narratives in which I can find sensible and meaningful representation might naturally appeal to me.
 

Samiya

Alt Account
Banned
Nov 30, 2019
4,811
since you all are talking about Life is Strange, I read this open-access game studies article that might be of interest to you LiS fans:

Life Is Bleak (in Particular for Women Who Exert Power and Try to Change the World): The Poetics and Politics of Life Is Strange

The present paper conducts a critical analysis of the poetics, psychology, and politics of Dontnod's choice-based and story-driven adventure game Life is Strange (2015). The reading is based on extended periods of play by three different players that were followed by discussions and analyses. The article centres upon the narrative development and framing of the two lead characters that is assessed through the lens of Aristotelian poetics and psychology of trauma. Adjusting focus from poetics and psychology to politics, we then argue for an expansion of the notion of catharsis beyond diegetic frames, thus asserting a political relevance of games and play. The article criticizes Life is Strange for reducing the agency and influence of strong female and queer protagonists by reverting to worn conventions in the last two episodes of the 5-part series, thus ultimately subverting its significant potential for political critique.

 

Princess Bubblegum

I'll be the one who puts you in the ground.
On Break
Oct 25, 2017
10,267
A Cavern Shaped Like Home
Well I don't know... As a queer woman myself, do you think it means anything? lol!

I think I just like tragic and emotional stories. And narratives in which I can find sensible and meaningful representation might naturally appeal to me.
Obviously it reflects your tastes and it's okay to like tragic media. (Us queer women and folk sure like being hurt to a degree. *looks at all the hurt/comfort fics out there* I just threw in that side comment because I didn't want to make it seem like I'm judging you or anything, especially since I know you are queer too. I love/hate both games, it's just a shame that mainstream queer women protags in video games are largely tied to tragedy and trauma.
since you all are talking about Life is Strange, I read this open-access game studies article that might be of interest to you LiS fans:



Shit I haven't read anything academic in a long ass time but this is relevant to my interests.

Edit: Finished it. A really good read if you can get past some academia conventions. "The Politics of Life is Strange: Heroines, Agency, and the Pitfalls of Tragedy" is the real meat of the paper and points out some problems with the last two episodes I hadn't even considered or couldn't put into words. In summary: Dontnod squandered a good foundation for rebellion and reform by reinforcing the status quo, and also "Dare to be pirates"!
 
Last edited:

crienne

Member
Oct 25, 2017
5,167
THPS Remake's create-a-skater lets you make such better looking women than it has in the past.
EhW6b_AVgAAndE3
 

timedesk

Member
Oct 27, 2017
4,937
LiS has some truly great performances, and Chloe and Max are very fun but flawed protagonists. The art is sometimes gorgeous, and the character designs are pretty great while still feeling grounded. Still, it is a very flawed game, and the ending really lowered my opinion of game overall. Maybe playing Before the Storm would help, but I've had a hard time coming back to the series since I first finished it. One of these days I should probably check out the fanfic surrounding it. If any of you know of any good ones let me know.
 

Princess Bubblegum

I'll be the one who puts you in the ground.
On Break
Oct 25, 2017
10,267
A Cavern Shaped Like Home
All Wounds is my instant recommendation for LiS fan fiction, Bae ending epilogue and sequel. It's a commitment though. A bit self indulgent at times but it's as long as at least three novels.
 

Vert1

Banned
Sep 1, 2018
335

Wow. This may be pushing the upper limits of purpose given to screen space taken up by the player's character. Within the third person shooter genre, there is a lack of real consideration placed towards the frequent exposure of destruction to the human body. The developers who do have this in mind have replaced persons to be shot at with robots. Here there is consideration placed towards the frequent exposure to eroticism of the human body.

From a gamer perspective there is something amusing historically on the emphasis of a camera moved in closely. The behind-the-back camera started with P.N.03, which also stars a female character, then Resident Evil 4 ⇒ massive proliferation throughout the videogame industry. As this is a mobile game it will have reductions impacting the overall quality of action. 'Jiggle Mechanic' can be seen as using a visual stimuli in efforts to make up for lack of rumble pack recoil for reverberation sensation / feedback. This is another item of accomplishment of the the closed-in perspective sitting alongside Dead Space's and Vanquish's health "meter" displayed on the back of bodysuits. While the camera view can be referred either as over-the-shoulder or behind-the-back perspective, it really seems more fitting here solely for the latter use.

What lies ahead of the player! - In God Hand, the zoomed-in camera allowed the player to better observe enemy attack motions. In Resident Evil 4, it allowed for precision aiming and closer-felt aggression. There was no attempt in this trailer at fully showing the system [combat]. Character Design looks good in comparison to other handheld games of similar battle themes, such as Girls' Frontline. Consistent visual design across the 4 shown characters. For myself as a console-minded player, it strikes a stark contrast seeing this all girls unit as opposed to popular cover shooter Gears of War's all guys squad. Nikke: Goddess of Victory's new jiggle mechanic is impressive -- repeated exposure could significantly dull the effect -- as it takes into account body cognizance, in showing dynamism of the front/forwards and behind/backwards. Having moved beyond the sensible we have witnessed this new presence.
 
Last edited:

HockeyBird

Member
Oct 27, 2017
12,585
Jack from ME2 being a grimdark, scantily clad antihero with a dark past with a proclivity towards casual sex
gamers: wow, uh...can you tone it down a bit? this is kind of cringe

Kratos: *exists*
gamers: YOU ARE SO FUCKING COOL

I never liked Kratos because he embodies weakness disguised as masculinity. There are multiple times where he defeated and rather than accepting it, he begs, literally begs, for someone or something to save his life. That's how he got his powers in the first place. The plot of God of War 2 begins him throwing a temper tantrum. At the end of 2, he is only able to defeat Zeus by begging for his life and then backstabbing Zeus when he lets his guard down. I don't see how anyone could perceive Kratos as anything but weak. Even your generic JRPG protagonist exudes more confidence and willingness to overcome problems through their own endurance.
 

timedesk

Member
Oct 27, 2017
4,937
All Wounds is my instant recommendation for LiS fan fiction, Bae ending epilogue and sequel. It's a commitment though. A bit self indulgent at times but it's as long as at least three novels.

Thanks for the recommendation. This game meant a lot to me when I played it, but the last two chapters really soured me on it. but I still kind of miss the characters, so reading fanfic might be good. I finally have some time to read now, so I will definitely check this story out, so thanks again.
 

spman2099

Member
Oct 25, 2017
10,891

Umm, actually... if you follow the plot of Street Fighter, Cammy's thong is clearly satirical. It is a metacommentary on human sexuality. More importantly, it serves as a metaphor for how Cammy is, herself, divided (much like how her thong divides her ass). You see, she was once a pawn for Shadaloo, but now she is attempting establish an autonomous existence for herself. It makes sense in context. There is a lot of subtlety in play here that is clearly going way over your head.


I never liked Kratos because he embodies weakness disguised as masculinity. There are multiple times where he defeated and rather than accepting it, he begs, literally begs, for someone or something to save his life. That's how he got his powers in the first place. The plot of God of War 2 begins him throwing a temper tantrum. At the end of 2, he is only able to defeat Zeus by begging for his life and then backstabbing Zeus when he lets his guard down. I don't see how anyone could perceive Kratos as anything but weak. Even your generic JRPG protagonist exudes more confidence and willingness to overcome problems through their own endurance.

The kind of masculinity that is depicted in those games is classic toxic masculinity (if there even is another form of masculinity). So, even if Kratos was never depicted as begging for his life, he would still be displaying extremely weak characteristics. Toxic masculinity is nothing but weakness.

This is what I appreciate about the most recent God of War game. It shows how incredibly easy it is to slip into that kind of toxic idea of masculinity (and as a direct result, giving over to anger and violence). This is not framed as being a good thing.
 
Last edited:

RedHoodedOwl

Member
Nov 3, 2017
14,244
Umm, actually... if you follow the plot of Street Fighter, Cammy's thong is clearly satirical. It is a metacommentary on human sexuality. More importantly, it serves as a metaphor for how Cammy is, herself, divided (much like how her thong divides her ass). You see, she was once a pawn for Shadaloo, but now she is attempting establish an autonomous existence for herself. It makes sense in context. There is a lot of subtlety in play here that is clearly going way over your head.

When I read this, I immediately thought about ProZD's parody of anime nerds.
 

SchrodingerC

Member
Oct 25, 2017
5,854
Reminds me of the reception to Emily from Until Dawn. Such a great character depsised by people because she wasn't "nice." The Youtube thumbnails that popped up in my recommendations showing her corpse after a certain scene (keep in mind that the player has to make the choice to kill her no full well there's no risk to keeping her alive) was disgusting. Hell it's currently the second image on Google when you search Until Dawn Emily.

People who hate Emily are certified heathens. She's the mean girl archetype played amazingly and I enjoyed most of her scenes.

Still my favorite scene from Until Dawn:

 

Deleted member 66837

User requested account closure
Banned
Apr 24, 2020
1,650
Umm, actually... if you follow the plot of Street Fighter, Cammy's thong is clearly satirical. It is a metacommentary on human sexuality. More importantly, it serves as a metaphor for how Cammy is, herself, divided (much like how her thong divides her ass). You see, she was once a pawn for Shadaloo, but now she is attempting establish an autonomous existence for herself. It makes sense in context. There is a lot of subtlety in play here that is clearly going way over your head.

But once you recognize the secret reason for her exposure, you will feel ashamed of your words & deeds.
 

RedSwirl

Member
Oct 25, 2017
10,051
People who hate Emily are certified heathens. She's the mean girl archetype played amazingly and I enjoyed most of her scenes.

Still my favorite scene from Until Dawn:


I felt the same way! That game was actually really smart with how it played on horror character archetypes. My only complaint is that
it's surprisingly hard to keep the black guy alive. He's the only one whose death trigger isn't straightforward at all.
 

RedHoodedOwl

Member
Nov 3, 2017
14,244
Lol, there may be a reason for that... ;)

Hold on, I'm adding the /s. It is important to remember that enough people actually write shit like that sincerely that you have to clarify if you are being satirical.

Yes, I knew you were being satiricial.
I felt the same way! That game was actually really smart with how it played on horror character archetypes. My only complaint is that
it's surprisingly hard to keep the black guy alive. He's the only one whose death trigger isn't straightforward at all.

I was definitely more upset about Matt's choices throughout the game.
 

esserius

Member
Oct 26, 2017
7,276
Yall should see the other game they had on that channel

I really wish this wasn't the trajectory Kim Hyung-tae took. I really love his style but Destiny Child and now this... it's just very much been a downward spiral.

Like, he can design characters like this,
bs-female-design9.jpg

and this
concept-art-video-game-costume-design-artist.jpg


but as time has gone on, it's just become more and more of this
18012713514524-e1517117375824.jpg
Ugh. So frustrating.
 
Last edited:

spman2099

Member
Oct 25, 2017
10,891
People who hate Emily are certified heathens. She's the mean girl archetype played amazingly and I enjoyed most of her scenes.

Yes! I honestly think it is hilarious when people attack Until Dawn for its writing. Personally, I feel like the writers NAILED the classic horror conventions and had a lot of fun with the script. Though it plays it completely straight, I feel like the game does act as a critique of those well-worn genre conventions (while also being a love letter to them). I loved all the characters in UD. Especially the ones I hated.

Yes, I knew you were being satiricial.

Yeah, well... I knew that you knew that I was being satirical.

Actually, I was 50/50 on that. I just wanted to make sure to clarify so that nobody misunderstood, especially since it can be pretty hard to track intent.

I really wish this wasn't the trajectory Kim Hyung-tae took. I really love his style but Destiny Child and now this... it's just very much been a downward spiral.

Like, he can design characters like this,
bs-female-design9.jpg


but as time has gone on, it's just become more and more of this
18012713514524-e1517117375824.jpg
Ugh. So frustrating.

It makes you wonder how many of these artists feel obligated to move further and further towards appealing to weeby shits...
 

esserius

Member
Oct 26, 2017
7,276
It makes you wonder how many of these artists feel obligated to move further and further towards appealing to weeby shits...
I dunno, there was some plausible deniability when he was working for NCSoft and Softmax, but ShiftUp is a company he fuckin' owns. I don't think this is an "obligation" at this point. He's deciding that's what he wants to put out there. And for as much as I love his style I just... can't support that shit.

Again, it's disappointing. I thought there were some really great designs in Blade and Soul, some of the best he's done yet; and for however many horrible designs there were, there were at least some mitigating factors. But Destiny Child is just... awful; a culmination of all the worst things about video games. And this new stuff doesn't look any better.
 

spman2099

Member
Oct 25, 2017
10,891
I dunno, there was some plausible deniability when he was working for NCSoft and Softmax, but ShiftUp is a company he fuckin' owns. I don't think this is an "obligation" at this point. He's deciding that's what he wants to put out there. And for as much as I love his style I just... can't support that shit.

Again, it's disappointing. I thought there were some really great designs in Blade and Soul, some of the best he's done yet; and for however many horrible designs there were, there were at least some mitigating factors. But Destiny Child is just... awful; a culmination of all the worst things about games. And this new stuff doesn't look any better.

I don't want to go down the rabbit hole of defending artists producing shitty, awful designs. So I won't. However, I suspect that there are artists who aren't happy with the work they are producing. That being said, there are people who work in the industry who don't draw sexist nonsense, so clearly there is a path available for people who don't want to be associated with rampant chauvinism.

It is always super disappointing when you see the work of artists (you had previously really enjoyed) become smuttier and smuttier.
 

esserius

Member
Oct 26, 2017
7,276
I don't want to go down the rabbit hole of defending artists producing shitty, awful designs. So I won't. However, I suspect that there are artists who aren't happy with the work they are producing. That being said, there are people who work in the industry who don't draw sexist nonsense, so clearly there is a path available for people who don't want to be associated with rampant chauvinism.

It is always super disappointing when you see the work of artists (you had previously really enjoyed) become smuttier and smuttier.
Agreed, it definitely is. And there is clearly a lot of pressure, especially in Korea, to appeal to young male demographics.
bizztech.io

Key Insights into South Korea’s Gaming Market - BizzTech - Virtual Business Events & Business Communities

It is a well-known fact that the gaming industry is thriving in Asia. China, Japan and Taiwan have made their mark among the top gaming markets in the world. However, this article intends to emphasize on key facts related to South Korea’s gaming market. Read further for in-depth insights...
But even so, that doesn't excuse shitty and exploitative designs. There are paths forward where you don't need to do that to be wildly successful. If stuff like Fortnite's taught us anything it's that "the loop" (the gameplay and presentation) and the community is what's going to sell people and keep them coming back. Then again, that's always been true, and it's just sad that so much of toxic male culture has deeply rooted itself into modern games.
 

Kentsui

Member
Oct 26, 2017
1,514
It makes you wonder how many of these artists feel obligated to move further and further towards appealing to weeby shits...
Don't know if it's really the case here, his videogame related stuff which is the only thing I'm familiar with when it comes to this artist always appeared to be mostly destiny child-like.

That cover-shooter video is hilariously bad xD
Is that supposed a game he works on ? I wouldn't have guessed.
 

Darkstorne

Member
Oct 26, 2017
6,812
England
Hello,

I haven't posted in here yet but is that quote in the title real?
Yeah, it comes from the most recent Cammy thread.
It's a pretty versatile quote too. Could also apply to Overwatch's Widowmaker, and Mass Effect 2's Miranda. Heck, even Bioware might agree with the statement. At least the 2012 Bioware who wrote her.
lrovpe0aucs11.jpg

No, it's totally okay, because she was genetically enhanced to look like this and had no say in the matter and feels conflicted about it. That's why she wears skin tight lycra and the game loves these camera angles when you speak to her... uh... wait...
 

SchrodingerC

Member
Oct 25, 2017
5,854
I felt the same way! That game was actually really smart with how it played on horror character archetypes. My only complaint is that
it's surprisingly hard to keep the black guy alive. He's the only one whose death trigger isn't straightforward at all.

It's kinda strange really.

Matt's survival being tied to Emily's potential death is rather screwed up. Matt has to abandon Emily on the fiery death trap in order to get his better route.
 

ClickyCal'

Member
Oct 25, 2017
59,487
Hyrule Warriors-BOTW got announced. Which means playable Zelda, but also Urbosa who probably has the best design for a woman in the series.
 

Kemono

▲ Legend ▲
Banned
Oct 27, 2017
7,669
Yall should see the other game they had on that channel


Wow, that's blatantly in your face as hell.

Imo this isn't needed in such a kind of game and rather distracting tbh. I just can't understand the reason to design a game like that. If i want to play a good cover-shooter i don't need theese distractions taking over so much of the screen. If they just want to jerk off there's so much more out there readily available just one or two clicks away.

I don't understand why this stuff is selling as good as it is. The same with gachas in general. People pay up to thousands of dollars to get a shitty jpg.

There's to be more about this than just selling "thicc" images and ingame models. At least there's no "borderline pedo bullshit" jumping right at you...
 

Godfather

Game on motherfuckers
Avenger
Oct 25, 2017
3,475
The original isn't even that bad. Maybe a little bland. New one is much more punk.
 

esserius

Member
Oct 26, 2017
7,276
I don't understand why this stuff is selling as good as it is. The same with gachas in general. People pay up to thousands of dollars to get a shitty jpg.
I understand it in the context of horny teenage males, what I have a hard time understanding is whales. The only explanation I can come up with for them is compulsion / addiction. They're doing it because they're gambling and are basically addicted to it. Because it's hard to believe that people would spend as much as some of these people have without addictive tendencies. And that's really why gacha is just the lowest of the low. It's not a game at that point, it's just exploitation and intentionally manipulating people into spending. You simply did not hear about this kind of behavior all that often before gacha, and now it's commonplace. That's really the most damning evidence.

Additionally, there's also the deeply fucked up idol culture in Asia as well, and while I'd like to say it's another matter entirely, it's almost assuredly linked to the deep toxicity of male culture in Asia. Enabling males to "purity test" any public female figure is awful, and companies kowtowing to such behavior has only made it worse as time has gone on.
 
Last edited:

Veezy

Member
Oct 27, 2017
283
I don't have a lot to add, I just wanted to throw my hat in to say, I understand as best I can.

I'm a 35 year old Cishet White man. But, I have two very young nieces and two sisters. Now, that isn't the only reason I hate this shit, but I refuse to play games in front of my nieces that will ever make them think "you have to be like this." I'm pretty sensitive to how women are portrayed in media due to my political beliefs, but some of this shit is disgusting.

Like, I get sex appeal. Truly, I do. However, I understand the shame a person can feel seeing some of these images constantly pushed and what it might do to their self image. It's terrible, and it needs to stop.

I can't help much, besides signal boosting, but if you need a White dude without social media to stand with you in V formation against this shit, you've got me.
 

Rae

Member
Mar 7, 2019
984
IIRC the main audience from a GBF survey was middle-aged salarymen who don't mind grinding 1000 mats for levels. I doubt teens have that much disposable income for gacha games compared to adults.

I once read that some people spend up to $2k for just one TCG mobage so it appeals to someone out there.
 

esserius

Member
Oct 26, 2017
7,276
IIRC the main audience from a GBF survey was middle-aged salarymen who don't mind grinding 1000 mats for levels. I doubt teens have that much disposable income for gacha games compared to adults.

I once read that some people spend up to $2k for just one TCG mobage so it appeals to someone out there.
And the unfortunate thing about this is that what it indicates is a behavioral regression. That people are playing these games to feel childish in some way, but in addition to that, that their childishness is in some way justified when it comes at the expense of others. It's that last part that's deeply problematic. I get escapism, but escapism that encourages oppression is... well, let's say bad; though I'd rather use a less flattering term. And this was extant in idol culture before all this, but gacha has definitely been promoting the behavior as acceptable (one of many contributors, I suspect, to why it's gotten so much worse lately).
 

Platy

Member
Oct 25, 2017
27,634
Brazil
So the rumor was that the Switch and PS4 will receive the Ninja Gaiden trilogy .. so i was talking to a friend how i think it will also reach the PC because of how much koei loves steam and liked him the literal 460 dlcs for Dead or Alive 6

And he was like "yeah but this has nothing to do with ninja gaiden"

and i was like "yeah it does, ryu hayabusa is one of the characters"

and a few times later he was like

"i scrolled this dlc list and i haven't found a single costume for him"

and as i scrolled the list of dlcs and i was like "holy shit is this game so horny that it is gaslighting me into believe that hayabusa is not in the game ???"

and here, ladies and gentleman and others, is ALL the hayabusa related dlc in the 460 pieces of dlc avaliable in the game

aJ7MfZY.jpeg
HrfhoI5.jpg

27z2gVL.jpg
VaCk4ZW.jpg

Zovt5Jp.jpeg
MqAlmqi.jpg

Ontwc2H.jpg
EG49RFL.jpeg



it is a 15 matches of hayabusa in the control+f
(7 matches that are title+description and a pack of the wedding costumes)

Mario Rose (the "barely legal" swedish character made because of sweden baning DoA) has 43 matches in the control+f
 

Famassu

Member
Oct 27, 2017
9,186
WuIK0lR.png


deadoralive.fandom.com

Marie Rose

"Even the smallest of roses have their thorns." —Marie Rose in Dead or Alive 6 Marie Rose is the servant of Helena Douglas, who debuted in the 2013 title, Dead or Alive 5 Ultimate Arcade. Details on her past are unknown, other than that she was hired as Helena's servant and that, according to...
Imagine being that scummy of a person that you object to child porn laws so much that you create a character to spite it. Like, holy shit, how does anyone involved still have a job.
 

Princess Bubblegum

I'll be the one who puts you in the ground.
On Break
Oct 25, 2017
10,267
A Cavern Shaped Like Home
Maglam-Lord-Famitsu_09-08-20_001.jpg

www.gematsu.com

D3 Publisher and Felistella announce action RPG Maglam Lord for PS4, Switch [Update]

D3 Publisher and developer Felistella have announced single-player “magic sword creation action RPG” Maglam Lord for PlayStation 4 and Switch. It will launch this winter in Japan.

I'm like ok the one stocking is weird but we can work with it. I just wish her face was less super young overall.
I expect this to be trashy but if it has same gender romance/marriage and gets localized
Hohr4kH.jpg
 

Ctrl Alt Del

Banned
Jun 10, 2018
4,312
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
I agree the hate on Vivienne is overblown, but that shouldn't discount the valid arguments against her. I think she's a good character but not a good person. She comes from a place of considerable privilege, and her viewpoint is basically "My experience in the mage circle was just fine, what are you complaining about?" I basically put her on the exact opposite of Anders, whom I regard in a similar fashion. He's willing to destroy whatever it takes for the sake of the mages, not really caring who gets caught in the crossfire. Meanwhile Vivienne would prefer if nothing changes for the sake of her own comfort, regardless of the suffering inflicted on other mages.
Mages in DA are an oppressed minority whilst Templars are like a police force cracking down on them. I always align myself with the mages in DA:I.
 

Ctrl Alt Del

Banned
Jun 10, 2018
4,312
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
If anyone wants an awesome Metroidvania, I'd highly recommend TimeSpinner. Easily one of my favorite new games.
tmp_2F1580250198559-75huq8prvfj-bfda94b7f8b257330c814d52b5704472_2Fa2163654765_10.jpg
I'll second this. Great game and hits all the right notes in regards to gender and sexual orientation representation, most characters are PoC, and there's even vastly different relationship depictions. It does get a tad preachy about it but it's okay because games like this are so hard to come by. And yeah, super cool metroidvania too!
 

Morrigan

Spear of the Metal Church
Member
Oct 24, 2017
34,306
I believe it's on Gamepass, though I don't use this service myself. But I considered getting the trial just to try that and The Outer Worlds