I started typing this in another thread but it became fleshed out enough that I think it warrants its own discussion.
Hardly anything surprises me anymore, but I have to admit that I'm a bit perplexed by the net positive reactions to Summer Lesson.
"Yup, I'll buy that." "For sure", "I'm looking forward to it", "Very interested", etc. Some phrases I've heard on various podcasts and GAF posts.
Now, I get that this is probably the first big-budget "human interaction" experience, and most people at least claim to be interested purely from that standpoint. That's fine, but the fact that this game isn't being met by-and-large with an awkward shudder or at least an eye roll paints a very sad picture of the mindset of the gaming audience at large, as well as publishers' perception of what people want.
--Just to get it out of the way; I wouldn't consider myself conservative at all in terms of sexuality or 'artistic expression' or anything like that. I'm not offended by boobs in God of War or shirtless dudes in El Shaddai. People should be free to seek out whatever experiences they want so long as nobody is negatively affected. I also haven't actually played Summer Lesson for whatever that's worth. --
However, I do think it's a bit depressing that this specific kind of experience seems to have been pushed near to the forefront of the VR zeitgeist (at least in Japan) with seemingly little backlash. Importantly, it isn't like there is any confusion as to what this game actually is; the promotional material makes it clear to us "We went to the pool recently! Wanna see a picture?" that this is a game about ogling a young girl, designed to look just a hair old enough not to be morally or legally verboten.
And that isn't even the part that disturbs me. Personally, I think it would be easier to swallow if the game was so transparently sexual that it could be considered fantasy. Say for example this was a game solely about a sexual stereotype who exists for no other reason than to flirt with the player. If it were strip poker for example, or even a girlfriend simulator, my reaction would be "Well, that's not for me, but I can see why someone would want to experience that. So be it."
Where Summer Lesson turns particularly dark for me, from what I've seen so far, is how the game goes out of it's way to really humanize the student. Sure, she's still a Japanese Schoolgirl, and stereotypical as hell, but she also talks about her friends and her family, her interests and her life. She's as close to a human being as anything else we've seen in VR so far.
But here's why that's fucked up: The game is essentially asking the player to dehumanize this girl, mentally, and secretly. When the student says "We went to the pool, wanna see a picture?" - the suggestion doesn't seem to be "This girl is flirting with you." but rather "this girl is oblivious to the sexual suggestions created by the scenario, and you, dear player, are reaping the benefits." In a real world scenario, surely, there would be some tinge of guilt, or at least an uncomfortable feeling as we ponder our motivations for being there in the first place. Is the fact that this is VR supposed to negate said guilt? Is this the same sense of fantastic escapism that we feel when we jack cars and shoot people in GTA? I'm not so sure.
I can imagine a grown adult man, wearing a VR headset, listening to this virtual teen girl talk to him about her academics, her interest in piano, her favourite movie, and all the while his brain is engaged in a veritable psychological magic show, desperately trying to reassure himself that when he bought this game, he was very sincerely interested in experiencing a simulation of what it's like to be a tutor.
It's a depressing thought. And granted, I might be hypersensitive to this type of thing since I just recently started teaching. I find teaching to be an extremely rewarding experience, and maintaining professionalism in that role is something in which I, and likely most teachers, take a great deal of pride. We've all probably heard stories about the creepy high school teacher who shamelessly flirts with their students, and how revolting it seems to us in the real world. But are we revolted purely because of the potential damage to the students? Are we not also reacting to the feeling that fundamentally, we aren't okay with the motivation behind this behaviour? Are we meant to take the headset off and pat ourselves on the back: "I was a perfect gentleman! I feel good about myself."
The existence (and big name publisher support) of Summer Lesson would seem to argue that we truly do value our sexual urges more so than the accomplishment of being a good educator, and that the only reason this doesn't come to light is that, until VR came along, we lacked a context wherein these tendencies could be experienced without the moral repercussions. Personally I would really prefer to believe that isn't' true.
To be clear, I'm not saying this game shouldn't exist. There are tons of games, books, and movies that don't appeal to me, and I'm fine with their existence so long as I retain the right to openly criticize them. Summer Lesson is no different. It is depressing, though, that this is what we (as consumers of video games) are being served out of the gate for VR (at least in Japan). Looking at the technology involved in creating this game makes me inspired for what could potentially be made in the future. Just off the top of my head, why not a game where you meet an alien, and you have to figure out how to communicate with the creature without language, slowly learning about its species and culture and history through makeshift modes of communication. How about a game where you help a disabled individual who can't walk or see or hear? How about a game where you are the disabled person and you experience what it's like to socialize when everyone around you is fully-abled? How about any number of creative experiences that aren't a stones' throw away from a chikan simulator?
Obviously, if VR succeeds, these games are on their way. But it would have been nice for something like that to carry the flag first, and for Summer Lesson to creep out after the fact, and under the radar.
Again, this is just my first gut-reaction to what I've seen in trailers as well as discussions I've heard on podcasts. So maybe the promotional materials are misleading. Maybe Summer Lesson will ultimately have a surprising heart of gold. Here's hoping.
edit: including this later post in the OP to try to clarify where I think the moral ambiguity stems from:
Hardly anything surprises me anymore, but I have to admit that I'm a bit perplexed by the net positive reactions to Summer Lesson.
"Yup, I'll buy that." "For sure", "I'm looking forward to it", "Very interested", etc. Some phrases I've heard on various podcasts and GAF posts.
Now, I get that this is probably the first big-budget "human interaction" experience, and most people at least claim to be interested purely from that standpoint. That's fine, but the fact that this game isn't being met by-and-large with an awkward shudder or at least an eye roll paints a very sad picture of the mindset of the gaming audience at large, as well as publishers' perception of what people want.
--Just to get it out of the way; I wouldn't consider myself conservative at all in terms of sexuality or 'artistic expression' or anything like that. I'm not offended by boobs in God of War or shirtless dudes in El Shaddai. People should be free to seek out whatever experiences they want so long as nobody is negatively affected. I also haven't actually played Summer Lesson for whatever that's worth. --
However, I do think it's a bit depressing that this specific kind of experience seems to have been pushed near to the forefront of the VR zeitgeist (at least in Japan) with seemingly little backlash. Importantly, it isn't like there is any confusion as to what this game actually is; the promotional material makes it clear to us "We went to the pool recently! Wanna see a picture?" that this is a game about ogling a young girl, designed to look just a hair old enough not to be morally or legally verboten.
And that isn't even the part that disturbs me. Personally, I think it would be easier to swallow if the game was so transparently sexual that it could be considered fantasy. Say for example this was a game solely about a sexual stereotype who exists for no other reason than to flirt with the player. If it were strip poker for example, or even a girlfriend simulator, my reaction would be "Well, that's not for me, but I can see why someone would want to experience that. So be it."
Where Summer Lesson turns particularly dark for me, from what I've seen so far, is how the game goes out of it's way to really humanize the student. Sure, she's still a Japanese Schoolgirl, and stereotypical as hell, but she also talks about her friends and her family, her interests and her life. She's as close to a human being as anything else we've seen in VR so far.
But here's why that's fucked up: The game is essentially asking the player to dehumanize this girl, mentally, and secretly. When the student says "We went to the pool, wanna see a picture?" - the suggestion doesn't seem to be "This girl is flirting with you." but rather "this girl is oblivious to the sexual suggestions created by the scenario, and you, dear player, are reaping the benefits." In a real world scenario, surely, there would be some tinge of guilt, or at least an uncomfortable feeling as we ponder our motivations for being there in the first place. Is the fact that this is VR supposed to negate said guilt? Is this the same sense of fantastic escapism that we feel when we jack cars and shoot people in GTA? I'm not so sure.
I can imagine a grown adult man, wearing a VR headset, listening to this virtual teen girl talk to him about her academics, her interest in piano, her favourite movie, and all the while his brain is engaged in a veritable psychological magic show, desperately trying to reassure himself that when he bought this game, he was very sincerely interested in experiencing a simulation of what it's like to be a tutor.
It's a depressing thought. And granted, I might be hypersensitive to this type of thing since I just recently started teaching. I find teaching to be an extremely rewarding experience, and maintaining professionalism in that role is something in which I, and likely most teachers, take a great deal of pride. We've all probably heard stories about the creepy high school teacher who shamelessly flirts with their students, and how revolting it seems to us in the real world. But are we revolted purely because of the potential damage to the students? Are we not also reacting to the feeling that fundamentally, we aren't okay with the motivation behind this behaviour? Are we meant to take the headset off and pat ourselves on the back: "I was a perfect gentleman! I feel good about myself."
The existence (and big name publisher support) of Summer Lesson would seem to argue that we truly do value our sexual urges more so than the accomplishment of being a good educator, and that the only reason this doesn't come to light is that, until VR came along, we lacked a context wherein these tendencies could be experienced without the moral repercussions. Personally I would really prefer to believe that isn't' true.
To be clear, I'm not saying this game shouldn't exist. There are tons of games, books, and movies that don't appeal to me, and I'm fine with their existence so long as I retain the right to openly criticize them. Summer Lesson is no different. It is depressing, though, that this is what we (as consumers of video games) are being served out of the gate for VR (at least in Japan). Looking at the technology involved in creating this game makes me inspired for what could potentially be made in the future. Just off the top of my head, why not a game where you meet an alien, and you have to figure out how to communicate with the creature without language, slowly learning about its species and culture and history through makeshift modes of communication. How about a game where you help a disabled individual who can't walk or see or hear? How about a game where you are the disabled person and you experience what it's like to socialize when everyone around you is fully-abled? How about any number of creative experiences that aren't a stones' throw away from a chikan simulator?
Obviously, if VR succeeds, these games are on their way. But it would have been nice for something like that to carry the flag first, and for Summer Lesson to creep out after the fact, and under the radar.
Again, this is just my first gut-reaction to what I've seen in trailers as well as discussions I've heard on podcasts. So maybe the promotional materials are misleading. Maybe Summer Lesson will ultimately have a surprising heart of gold. Here's hoping.
edit: including this later post in the OP to try to clarify where I think the moral ambiguity stems from:
