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[Marshmallow]

All the article does is to point out the propaganda in the Last of Us 2 reveal and past Druckmann comments on "diversity".

You are free to disagree with him, but there is nothing wrong with it.

What's the agenda/propaganda in Tlou 2? The interracial one? Or the lesbian one? Hard to keep up with all the "agendas" you keep seeing everywhere.

For all those Sony fanboys who at one point argued that Ellie from The Last Us wasn’t actually a lesbian, and that the interracial kiss she shared with her dying friend in The Last of Us: Left Behind was just a moment of intense emotional reactions, it was revealed during this year’s E3 showcase that Ellie is indeed a full-on, hardcore, need-no-man lesbian.

The author further comments are also interesting:

lol... that's a darn good point.
While humanity is on the brink of extinction, you've got a bunch of LGBTQIA concerned about hooking up with their own sex rather than procreating. Hilarious.

Not entirely. Lesbians would be forced into breeding programs.
Gay dudes? Yeah they would probably be burned or exiled.

This is a good reply.

And you're right... gay men with utilitarian skillsets would likely be used to retain, teach or utilize those skillsets to help the community.

Interior designers? Marketers? Lawyers (especially)? They would probably get the rope.

In this one he straights up links homosexuality and pedophilia:

So not sure where you get your silly ideas from...​

https://borngay.procon.org/view.answers.php?questionID=000029​

​

Kotaku complaing about boobs=Bad
Right wing site implying LGBT existence is an agenda and a SJW one to boot, as well an interracial agenda one= Just their opinion man.


Why don't you tell us how you really feel? Should we start to link stormfront too? Maybe /pol/?

And he’s not the only person to think that too (ex. RobinGaming’s “Naughty Dog Agenda” video).

You mean there is more than only homophobe? Shocking!

 

[The Mad Draklor]

You mean there is more than only homophobe? Shocking!

Can tell how much thought you put into this response based on how rushed it was. Low quality bait is low quality.

 

[Marshmallow]

Can tell how much thought you put into this response based

That's rich coming from someone who keeps repeating the world "agenda" like it makes sense. Hint: My existence is not an agenda.

 

[Enygger_Tzu]

It is quite funny how M Marshmallow seems free to disquallify an article or series of articles based on the author(s)/site(s) position, yet, he considers anathema when the opposite opinion disqualifies certain game choices from a certain journalists or certain game developers (Duckman in this case) based on the persons they profoused they admire, like Anita Sarkessian, you know, the well-known con-artist Anita Sarkeesian.

 

[Thiagosc777]

What's the agenda/propaganda in Tlou 2? The interracial one? Or the lesbian one? Hard to keep up with all the "agendas" you keep seeing everywhere.

The fact that used a gay relationship front and center in a videogame reveal. It doesn't say anything about the game, it's just a political statement.

Was a romance between a man and a woman ever used in the same manner? No, because it is irrelevant to the gameplay.

 

[DeleteriousObnoxious]

I don’t think it’s fair to people, just saying they should shrug their shoulders and look on while their values learned through years of dedication to the medium starts crumbling due to loud speaker group of journalists, who wants to drown artistic values in political agendas, which are let’s face it pretty weak on a artistic expression level. Because it’s forced, and it’s fake. If it was real I assure you people wouldn’t be as annoyed

 

[Marshmallow]

It is quite funny how M Marshmallow seems free to disquallify an article or series of articles based on the author(s)/site(s) position, yet, he considers anathema when the opposite opinion disqualifies certain game choices from a certain journalists or certain game developers (Duckman in this case) based on the persons they profoused they admire, like Anita Sarkessian, you know, the well-known con-artist Anita Sarkeesian.

The really funny stuff is that you wrote a post that doesn't make any sense full of stuff about me you made up.

The fact that used a gay relationship front and center in a videogame reveal. It doesn't say anything about the game, it's just a political statement.

No, it isn't. Being gay is not political. Being gay is not an agenda. You have an agenda. You are annoyed gay people exist and get the same treatment as straight couples.

Was a romance between a man and a woman ever used in the same manner? No, because it is irrelevant to the gameplay.

Uh, yes? FFVIII? Max Paine? A lot of trailers featuring romantic moments from various games through the years? A lot of games feauting romance? And what does the gameplay even have to do with it anything? Squall and Rinoa's romance has nothing to do with FFVIII's gameplay, but it still central to the game and gets slapped to the cover. Why would the story even have anything to do with the gameplay anyway? Is the concept of "story heavy game" alien to you?

 

[Enygger_Tzu]

The really funny stuff is that you wrote a post that doesn't make any sense full of stuff about me you made up.

Which could be said about your entire contribution to this thread.

 

[Marshmallow]

Which could be said about your entire contribution to this thread.

Not really, given I provided plenty of posts with facts. Is making posts without any sense a specialty of yours?

 

[Thiagosc777]

No, it isn't. Being gay is not political. Being gay is not an agenda. You have an agenda. You are annoyed gay people exist and get the same treatment as straight couples.

You need a shrink.

Uh, yes? FFVIII? Max Paine? A lot of trailers featuring romantic moments from various games through the years? A lot of games feauting romance? And what does the gameplay even have to do with it anything? Squall and Rinoa's romance has nothing to do with FFVIII's gameplay, but it still central to the gameand gets slapped to the cover. Why would the story even have anything to do with the gameplay?

You are being obtuse on purpose. None of those games were revealed or marketed with a relationship front and center. Final Fantasy is the usual stuff with an emo character, and its starts with a battle between Squall and Seifer. The guy is literally in the infirmary when the game starts. In Max Payne it his motivation.

Many games have contained sex or relationships, but that was never their selling point. Mass Effect isn't about banging aliens, but defeating the Reapers. And so on.

 

[DeleteriousObnoxious]

For me, it comes back to the topic this thread is about. I love a certain type of art and design in these games and it's constantly being put down, insulted and pressured to change by the gaming press. I get depressed when things I loved just stop being made, like the romance in Bioware games or sexy outfits in western fighting games. I don't see who benefits from taking this content out.

If people just liked what they liked I don't think we'd even need a topic like this. It's the people (almost always game journalists) who don't like what I like acting like I'm wrong for liking it. It creates a hostile environment where so much of what I want and pay for is met with vitriol.

More importantly the developers who created the content liked it as well

 

[Enygger_Tzu]

Not really, given I provided plenty of posts with facts. Is making posts without any sense a specialty of yours?

Like your above post to Thiagosc777 where you contradict yourself in the same sentence by saying being gay is not an agenda by being non-gay is?

 

[The Mad Draklor]

That's rich coming from someone who keeps repeating the world "agenda" like it makes sense. Hint: My existence is not an agenda.

How about you CTRL + F “agenda” and see who uses that word more? Arguing in bad faith is your absolute forte, apparently.

 

[mckmas8808]

I don’t think it’s fair to people, just saying they should shrug their shoulders and look on while their values learned through years of dedication to the medium starts crumbling due to loud speaker group of journalists, who wants to drown artistic values in political agendas, which are let’s face it pretty weak on a artistic expression level. Because it’s forced, and it’s fake. If it was real I assure you people wouldn’t be as annoyed

Your opinion is that it's fake artistic values. Luckily we live in a world where other people are seeing the true value of that artistic expression and love it.

 

[Kadayi]

I'm amused at this idea that some gaming journalist speaking about politics in games or making things in games political is ruining the video game industry. That's possibly one of the dumbest things/articles that I've ever read in a long time.

False equivalence much? A poster here made a shitty argument that didn't hold up to scrutiny and got called on it. It has fuck and all to do with the pros and cons of the OP itself (I haven't even commented on that so far). What inspires a man to fail this much?

As regards your assertion to imply that game journalism doesn't have any influence on game development is a fallacy. There have been several instances of developers adjusting a game to appease the wants of the gaming press. A scene in The Witcher 2 was adjusted further to feedback by RPS, and similarly Hotline Miami 2 Wrong Number was altered due to a Game Journalist taking exception to a scene.

 

[Lionel Richie]

I don’t think it’s fair to people, just saying they should shrug their shoulders and look on while their values learned through years of dedication to the medium starts crumbling due to loud speaker group of journalists, who wants to drown artistic values in political agendas, which are let’s face it pretty weak on a artistic expression level. Because it’s forced, and it’s fake. If it was real I assure you people wouldn’t be as annoyed

Wait, what? When has the underlined ever happened? I dislike a lot of things about gaming journalism, but let's keep things in perspective. Anti-SJWism is truly getting as hyperbolic as anything you could find in Tumblr right now.

 

[DeleteriousObnoxious]

Your opinion is that it's fake artistic values. Luckily we live in a world where other people are seeing the true value of that artistic expression and love it.

It’s not my opinion and I am able to prove that by comparing it to historic factual data, people that enjoys a degrading of artistic value is due to doctrine methods that refuses the development of decades in human self conscious development. I refuse to hide arguments as IMO nonsense when their are so much proof around the subject.

 

[Cactuarman]

Rather than debate the existence of an agenda and the severity of it - I'm curious as to why it's seen as something that is "ruining" anything. Books can have an agenda. Movies can have an agenda. Music. Paintings. Comics. Statues. Architecture. And, obviously, artistic criticism.

Are those mediums "ruined" or lessor an in any way because agendas exist?

- Nier: Automata sold and reviewed well despite some criticism of 2B's and A2's outfit
- Horizon: Zero Dawn sold and reviewed well despite some on GAF and OAG thinking Aloy is ugly, it's agenda driven, etc.

Similarly:
- Soul Calibur 6's review scores and sales will not be brought down because of Ivy's outfit
- The Last of Us Part 2's review scores and sales will not be brought down because of Druckmann's agenda

A good game is a good game. But stop taking people bitching so personally. People always find something to complain about.


Also, side note: Comments on OAG are some of the most triggered bullshit I've seen on the internet. IMO the real upsetting thing about all of this is this type of discourse. If we want to talk about these issues we should also strive to elevate the way we're talking about them. And I'm fully aware that it happens on both sides.

 

[CatCouch]

I really think there are too many different issues being discussed at once which seems to be a pretty common issue these days. Just because I like sexy art and fight against the journalists that try to get rid of it does not mean I am against gay representation in games. It does not mean I don't support minorities in lead roles. It does not mean I don't support more variety for women. One does not come at the expense of the other. The path to more representation of women in games is not getting rid of sexy character designs. Why that is so often the ultimatum presented, I'll never understand.

I want the freedom to create it all without shaming and insulting. Just because some people think The Last of Us Part II having gay themes fairly visible in the promotion of the game is an "agenda" does not mean every person who criticizes the game does. I'm pretty tired of this guilt by association mentality that seems so prevalent in forums and articles, especially when it combines two separate issues like female character designs and gay representation. To clarify again, I can like both sexy women with skimpy outfits and grounded gay characters like Ellie. One does not cancel the other out. White people in a game is not the rejection of black people and black people in a game is not an agenda, etc. I think those are pretty true statements, maybe not 100% of the time but pretty close to it.

My 2 cents on why discussion has degraded over the years is due to the lack of leadership. There are very few game developers or writers who try to calm tensions. So much of the game journalism (and politics as a whole, it seems) is about turning people against each other, grouping them into "right" and "wrong" while applying the aforementioned guilt by association. Over the last few months there's been a noticeable uptick in the amount of hostility game developers themselves have shown towards gamers which I believe is making things much worse. I don't think it's going to slow down until either bigger game developers or some of the game sites try to calm the tension instead of remaining silent or pouring fuel on the fire.

Smaller sites like One Angry Gamer aren't going to be step up we need, the divide is too deep for these kinds of articles to push things forward. Representation of gender, race, sexuality and what already exists in gaming are big topics (which, again, I do not believe have to be in conflict with each other). I hope they get the attention they deserves at some point but I don't think it will be soon. Forums like this are nice but it's not enough to change anything, especially since it's plausible this whole site will be written off as a problem by some.

Sorry for the big rambley mess. It's just these are topics I've been discussing for 6 years~

 

[Dabaus]

The problem isn't just SJW journalists, the real problem are the reviewers. Game reviewers will dock review points for not pushing a radical leftist agenda. Look at far cry 5 for not going "far enough" with its story and dragon quest 11 of all games because the main character likes girls, I think. Either way developers have to reach certain metacritic scores to get bonuses or fully paid so of course they will add whatever they need to to the story or character design to reach to it so they get good reviews.

 

[Rhazer Fusion]

Rather than debate the existence of an agenda and the severity of it - I'm curious as to why it's seen as something that is "ruining" anything. Books can have an agenda. Movies can have an agenda. Music. Paintings. Comics. Statues. Architecture. And, obviously, artistic criticism.

Are those mediums "ruined" or lessor an in any way because agendas exist?

- Nier: Automata sold and reviewed well despite some criticism of 2B's and A2's outfit
- Horizon: Zero Dawn sold and reviewed well despite some on GAF and OAG thinking Aloy is ugly, it's agenda driven, etc.

Similarly:
- Soul Calibur 6's review scores and sales will not be brought down because of Ivy's outfit
- The Last of Us Part 2's review scores and sales will not be brought down because of Druckmann's agenda

A good game is a good game. But stop taking people bitching so personally. People always find something to complain about.


Also, side note: Comments on OAG are some of the most triggered bullshit I've seen on the internet. IMO the real upsetting thing about all of this is this type of discourse. If we want to talk about these issues we should also strive to elevate the way we're talking about them. And I'm fully aware that it happens on both sides.

Good points, but I’ve actually seen reviewers and journalists deduct points from games due to fan service or what they deemed as inappropriate. For example, look at the criticism dragon quest 11 is receiving over some of the OPTIONAL outfits. I think Dragon’s Crown garnered plenty of controversy as well. Wasn’t king of fighters heroines labeled, “creepy” by a reviewer or two recently which probably contributed to its final score?

 

[Thiagosc777]

I'm curious as to why it's seen as something that is "ruining" anything.

I think you are missing the forest for the trees. Right now activists openly bully developers with defamation, blacklisting or online lynch mobs. Many developers might be hesistant to challenge them in order to avoid their careers ruined and companies attacked.

Here is another example that just happened the other day.

In gaming especifically, it has happened with Doom Eternal recently. Let's wait and see if the developers will remove the "offensive" joke when the game is out. If they do, then that's irrefutable evidence of the media's direct influence in how games are made.

 

[mckmas8808]

As regards your assertion to imply that game journalism doesn't have any influence on game development is a fallacy. There have been several instances of developers adjusting a game to appease the wants of the gaming press. A scene in The Witcher 2 was adjusted further to feedback by RPS, and similarly Hotline Miami 2 Wrong Number was altered due to a Game Journalist taking exception to a scene.

But how do you know it was to "appease" the gaming press. What makes you think that there weren't devs on the team that felt that way too (and were bypassed) and it was changed after people on the outside voiced those same opinions? The gaming press does have some sway, but some here make it out to be that the gaming press is single handley changing all games that we love/loved.

It’s not my opinion and I am able to prove that by comparing it to historic factual data, people that enjoys a degrading of artistic value is due to doctrine methods that refuses the development of decades in human self conscious development. I refuse to hide arguments as IMO nonsense when their are so much proof around the subject.

No it is an opinion. You can't say that representation changes in games and topics that are talked about, are happening because people are "faking" how much they care about artistic values in games. You simply can't know that to be a fact. It's just your guess or hunch.

Rather than debate the existence of an agenda and the severity of it - I'm curious as to why it's seen as something that is "ruining" anything. Books can have an agenda. Movies can have an agenda. Music. Paintings. Comics. Statues. Architecture. And, obviously, artistic criticism.

Are those mediums "ruined" or lessor an in any way because agendas exist?

- Nier: Automata sold and reviewed well despite some criticism of 2B's and A2's outfit
- Horizon: Zero Dawn sold and reviewed well despite some on GAF and OAG thinking Aloy is ugly, it's agenda driven, etc.

Similarly:
- Soul Calibur 6's review scores and sales will not be brought down because of Ivy's outfit
- The Last of Us Part 2's review scores and sales will not be brought down because of Druckmann's agenda

A good game is a good game. But stop taking people bitching so personally. People always find something to complain about.


Also, side note: Comments on OAG are some of the most triggered bullshit I've seen on the internet. IMO the real upsetting thing about all of this is this type of discourse. If we want to talk about these issues we should also strive to elevate the way we're talking about them. And I'm fully aware that it happens on both sides.

I really think there are too many different issues being discussed at once which seems to be a pretty common issue these days. Just because I like sexy art and fight against the journalists that try to get rid of it does not mean I am against gay representation in games. It does not mean I don't support minorities in lead roles. It does not mean I don't support more variety for women. One does not come at the expense of the other. The path to more representation of women in games is not getting rid of sexy character designs. Why that is so often the ultimatum presented, I'll never understand.

I want the freedom to create it all without shaming and insulting. Just because some people think The Last of Us Part II having gay themes fairly visible in the promotion of the game is an "agenda" does not mean every person who criticizes the game does. I'm pretty tired of this guilt by association mentality that seems so prevalent in forums and articles, especially when it combines two separate issues like female character designs and gay representation. To clarify again, I can like both sexy women with skimpy outfits and grounded gay characters like Ellie. One does not cancel the other out. White people in a game is not the rejection of black people and black people in a game is not an agenda, etc. I think those are pretty true statements, maybe not 100% of the time but pretty close to it.

My 2 cents on why discussion has degraded over the years is due to the lack of leadership. There are very few game developers or writers who try to calm tensions. So much of the game journalism (and politics as a whole, it seems) is about turning people against each other, grouping them into "right" and "wrong" while applying the aforementioned guilt by association. Over the last few months there's been a noticeable uptick in the amount of hostility game developers themselves have shown towards gamers which I believe is making things much worse. I don't think it's going to slow down until either bigger game developers or some of the game sites try to calm the tension instead of remaining silent or pouring fuel on the fire.

Smaller sites like One Angry Gamer aren't going to be step up we need, the divide is too deep for these kinds of articles to push things forward. Representation of gender, race, sexuality and what already exists in gaming are big topics (which, again, I do not believe have to be in conflict with each other). I hope they get the attention they deserves at some point but I don't think it will be soon. Forums like this are nice but it's not enough to change anything, especially since it's plausible this whole site will be written off as a problem by some.

Sorry for the big rambley mess. It's just these are topics I've been discussing for 6 years~

Amazing back to back post.

 

[Redneckerz]

False equivalence much? A poster here made a shitty argument that didn't hold up to scrutiny and got called on it. It has fuck and all to do with the pros and cons of the OP itself (I haven't even commented on that so far). What inspires a man to fail this much?

Usually when someone is going to make the ''Tell us how you really feel'' comment its a sign of intellectual dishonesty.

 

[petran79]

Rather than debate the existence of an agenda and the severity of it - I'm curious as to why it's seen as something that is "ruining" anything. Books can have an agenda. Movies can have an agenda. Music. Paintings. Comics. Statues. Architecture. And, obviously, artistic criticism.

If video game debates are about Battlefield, TLOU2, Lara Croft and game character editors, I do not see much hope. Also paintings, comics, books, statues and cinema have no issues with nudity and eroticism

 

[Cactuarman]

Good points, but I’ve actually seen reviewers and journalists deduct points from games due to fan service or what they deemed as inappropriate. For example, look at the criticism dragon quest 11 is receiving over some of the OPTIONAL outfits. I think Dragon’s Crown garnered plenty of controversy as well. Wasn’t king of fighters heroines labeled, “creepy” by a reviewer or two recently which probably contributed to its final score?

Fair point. I should have clarified what I meant by reviewed well - adding "overall" or "average" or something. I know this happens, but I don't think it's ultimately a big deal. Some of the best movies and books of all time have negative reviews. I think there will always be a few reviewers/reviews that I really disagree with. Fucking Cole Smithey, who I swear just hates things that are popular, gave Logan an F and started his review like this: "If indoctrinating child audiences into accepting, and enjoying, brutal deadly violence was the intent of the filmmakers responsible for making “Logan,” then their mission is accomplished...How much senseless killing can an audience member be expected to endure, especially when it's committed by a child?"

I can get all worked up about about Logan's 7% negative on Rotten Tomatoes or I can just remember that it still has a 93% and go about my day. That's ultimately my point but you're certainly not wrong that those types of reviews are annoying.

I think you are missing the forest for the trees. Right now activists openly bully developers with defamation, blacklisting or online lynch mobs. Many developers might be hesistant to challenge them in order to avoid their careers ruined and companies attacked.

Here is another example that just happened the other day.

In gaming especifically, it has happened with Doom Eternal recently. Let's wait and see if the developers will remove the "offensive" joke when the game is out. If they do, then that's irrefutable evidence of the media's direct influence in how games are made.

Yeah... I am aware of bullies and activists, I never said I approved, just that they're always going to be there. My point is that they ultimately a good game is a good game and criticisms by, realistically, a very small minority of people aren't going to change that.

Also, yeah, the media has an impact of how games are made. That's literally true with any medium. A developer might listen and change something, or they might not. Also you're arguing a "might" scenario which isn't really the strongest point to make. If the majority are okay with Ivy and SC6 sells well then it doesn't matter what the bullies say. Or, alternatively, if the majority are not okay with Ivy and the game sells poorly they it doesn't matter what the anti-SJW crowd says.

If the majority are okay with Ivy, but the dev changes Ivy after listening to the vocal minority, and SC6 doesn't sell well, then we get a nice lesson in listening to the minority. Other devs take note. We get more Ivy's. Etc.

It's all a process of feedback. If people only buy games with big breasted women then we're going to get a lot of games with big breasted women. Period. In the mean time I'll just be over here enjoying SC6 AND Horizon.

 

[Kadayi]

But how do you know it was to "appease" the gaming press. What makes you think that there weren't devs on the team that felt that way too (and were bypassed) and it was changed after people on the outside voiced those same opinions? The gaming press does have some sway, but some here make it out to be that the gaming press is single handley changing all games that we love/loved.

Because it's documented: -

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Witcher_2:_Assassins_of_Kings#Critical_reception

(CDP patched the game and changed the scene)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hotline_Miami_2:_Wrong_Number

(Devolver patched the game)

I named both of those previously in case you wanted to look them up and do some research, but clearly, that's too much effort on your part. The developers didn't just decide to change things for no reason, they did so in response to game Journo opinion. Rightly or wrongly, it was felt necessary by the developers to address their concerns and alter their games in some way.

At this juncture, a smart man would concede the point, but I suspect you'll double down with the 'but did they really?'

 

[Cactuarman]

Also paintings, comics, books, statues and cinema have no issues with nudity and eroticism

I don't understand this point. Paintings, comics, books, statues, and movies have dealt with censorship issues throughout their lifespan. Next week is literally Banned Books Week.

Edit: To clarify: censorship due to "nudity and eroticism". Among other things.

 

[petran79]

I don't understand this point. Paintings, comics, books, statues, and movies have dealt with censorship issues throughout their lifespan. Next week is literally Banned Books Week.

Edit: To clarify: censorship due to "nudity and eroticism". Among other things.

Certainly and there are still reactions and extremities about controversial works of art, eg how are public funds wasted on such monstrosities and obscenities etc. But difference is those works are created first. Such concepts in video games would not even be allowed to enter the drawing table.

 

[ROMhack]

Out of interest, does anybody else find it strange that none of the big sites seem to champion little games much? The amount of titles coming out these days, yet nobody seems to want to write more than one article about them (usually just a review). Some indie darlings like Celeste will be championed but they're absolutely top drawer and revered across the board. I'd at least expect a few journos to play stuff outside of the obvious ones (maybe some of the random things on Steam).

Edit: Just thought of another decent site: USGamer. In before somebody tells me they're agenda driven bastards.

 

[autoduelist]

You're accusing me of "looking through a narrow prism" yet your'e the one who doesn't care about Rockstar games or any of "EA's shit". Has it ever occurred you you maybe the reason why you feel the way you is because you have created your own narrow prism of positivity? If I have to ignore large parts of the industry, that seems to be pretty damning evidence that something is wrong.

what? No. Everyone ignores parts of every industry because nothing's for everyone and no industry exists to serve only you. I ignore rom-coms and historical dramas in film. Maybe you ignore reality TV. I ignore romance novels. You might ignore sci fi. I might ignore metal, and you might ignore rap. Both of us ignore country.

We ignore huge swaths of the content created by every entertainment industry. Only in gaming do we see people so entitled that they think every game that comes out should be accessible to them, designed for them, inoffensive to them, Etc. If you try to pull this same shit with books or music the position that everything should be inclusive would be instantly dismissed as moronic, but for some reason this holier-than-thou position comes up in every single thread like this about gaming. Hard games should be easier. This game is offensive. This character's offensive. This plot is a offensive. That pixel is pornography, remove it. That pixel hurts my feelings.

if you have to ignore large parts of the industry, that means the industry is working exactly as it should. A growing, thriving industry should be producing tons of content not aimed at you, and not for you. It should be fulfilling the needs and desires of people that you don't necessarily agree with.

 

[Rhazer Fusion]

Out of interest, does anybody else find it strange that none of the big sites seem to champion little games much? The amount of titles coming out these days, yet nobody seems to want to write more than one article about them (usually just a review). Some indie darlings like Celeste will be championed but they're absolutely top drawer and revered across the board. I'd at least expect a few journos to play stuff outside of the obvious ones (maybe some of the random things on Steam).

Yeah, I noticed that and it is a little strange. I’ve always wondered and even at times felt like some of these journalists and certain developers are in cahoots with each other potentially shedding some light on why some games gets praised while others are either basically ignored or ridiculed. Maybe these high profile developers with higher budget projects means more privileges, attention or even money for the reviewers. For example, maybe a site like kotaku and naughty dog would be close since they seemingly have similar philosophies leading to more review time or coverage for their games. Just pure speculation though.

 

[Cactuarman]

Certainly and there are still reactions and extremities about controversial works of art, eg how are public funds wasted on such monstrosities and obscenities etc. But difference is those works are created first. Such concepts in video games would not even be allowed to enter the drawing table.

This is somewhat vague - people aren't allowing game concepts to even enter the drawing table? Whose table? Who are these gatekeepers? And "those works are created first"? Do you mean that other works of art are created before being criticized? Plenty of movies are criticized while they're in development. Sorry I don't understand what you're getting at.

Out of interest, does anybody else find it strange that few sites seem to champion little games? The amount of titles coming out these days, yet nobody seems to want to write more than one article about them (usually just a review). Granted some indie darlings like Celeste will be championed but they're absolutely top drawer and revered across the board. I'd expect at least expect a few journos to play stuff outside of the obvious ones and want to wax lyrical about them.

IGN talked about this in one of their podcasts at some point - the unfortunate truth is that paying people to write about games barely anyone has heard of just doesn't make sense financially. It's too bad but I get it. Ultimately that's why I mostly stick to forums. Also, this is why even with a huge site like IGN, their podcasts can be better about this - the hosts can mention a little indie game but not have to worry about writing up an article about it.

 

[EDMIX]

All the article does is to point out the propaganda in the Last of Us 2 reveal and past Druckmann comments on "diversity".

You are free to disagree with him, but there is nothing wrong with it.

?? Ok, who cares? I never bought a game based on "propaganda" so why would any real gamer care? Do you buy games solely for the political stance of the developer?

 

[CatCouch]

While we're discussing the gaming press, does anybody else find it strange that few sites seem to champion little games? The amount of titles coming out these days, yet nobody seems to want to write more than one article about them (usually just a review). Granted some indie darlings have people waxing lyrical about them (e.g. Celeste) but not that many really.

I've noticed. The last "smaller" game I saw sites really push as great was Undertale. Each year the press seems more negative than the last, even bigger games that sound like they should be hits with the press can get some kind of negative spin (Horizon is offensive to Native Americans and the Spider-Man/police articles). I get the impression that it's more profitable to criticize what's popular in hopes of sparking controversy or something. People pay attention to the bigger releases so all the attention goes to those. Not a fan of this since it doesn't help the industry grow, which is what I thought so many wanted.

 

[EDMIX]

The fact that used a gay relationship front and center in a videogame reveal. It doesn't say anything about the game, it's just a political statement.

Was a romance between a man and a woman ever used in the same manner? No, because it is irrelevant to the gameplay.

huh? Come on buddy, many games have a guy in love with the girl as its core story. You have no real evidence to actually say the director was never going to use this in the story cause they wanted to. Its their story.....

Don't play it, its very very simple. You are basically crying over someone else work as if you've never heard of a book, film, show, GAME about a gay person. Soooooo they exist, which means having a work of fiction with someone gay can't just automatically be "agenda" when gay people exist RIGHT NOW in real life. So if you only play games based on agreeing with someone's political views ONLY, say so and move on.

In fact even if you did play games based on this, why argue on The Last Of Us 2? You don't agree with the view of the director thus move on, you play only from those that seem to agree with your views vs gameplay so.....

 

[ROMhack]

IGN talked about this in one of their podcasts at some point - the unfortunate truth is that paying people to write about games barely anyone has heard of just doesn't make sense financially. It's too bad but I get it. Ultimately that's why I mostly stick to forums. Also, this is why even with a huge site like IGN, their podcasts can be better about this - the hosts can mention a little indie game but not have to worry about writing up an article about it.

Ah that's a good answer and it's nice to know that their staff express sympathy with being unable to discuss them.

 

[Cactuarman]

ROMhack CatCouch

Recently, I remember Doki Doki Literature Club being praised by IGN and Kotaku. It randomly came up on Podcast Beyond and everyone said it was amazing - Andrew and Alanah in particular. I only remember because it convinced me to buy it.

And I actually think Kotaku does a decent job of writing small little impressions of random games they're playing. Here's one from today: A Horror Game That's Also A Personality Quiz for instance.

 

[ROMhack]

ROMhack CatCouch

Recently, I remember Doki Doki Literature Club being praised by IGN and Kotaku. It randomly came up on Podcast Beyond and everyone said it was amazing - Andrew and Alanah in particular. I only remember because it convinced me to buy it.

And I actually think Kotaku does a decent job of writing small little impressions of random games they're playing. Here's one from today: A Horror Game That's Also A Personality Quiz for instance.

I was actually going to mention Doki Doki in my original post. I noticed it was championed quite highly by a lot of sites, which was kinda my point: certain games are but it's almost completely random when it happens.

And yeah, that article is exactly what I was hoping for so thanks for sharing.

P.S. Doki Doki is free so I hope you didn't pay much for it

 

[petran79]

This is somewhat vague - people aren't allowing game concepts to even enter the drawing table? Whose table? Who are these gatekeepers? And "those works are created first"? Do you mean that other works of art are created before being criticized? Plenty of movies are criticized while they're in development. Sorry I don't understand what you're getting at.

Consoles had different standards compared to computer games for decades. There was a reason many computer games would not get a pass on consoles. This applies even today. Excluding technical limitations, usually computer games had a more adult narrative and would never get a pass for a console release. Even computer games that would later appear on consoles had their content toned down or edited. Examples are many. Games like I have no mouth and I must scream, Phantasmagoria and Harvester pushed the limits for its time.
Basically it is like gatekeeping if you do not allow this or that game on your platform.

 

[CatCouch]

ROMhack CatCouch

Recently, I remember Doki Doki Literature Club being praised by IGN and Kotaku. It randomly came up on Podcast Beyond and everyone said it was amazing - Andrew and Alanah in particular. I only remember because it convinced me to buy it.

And I actually think Kotaku does a decent job of writing small little impressions of random games they're playing. Here's one from today: A Horror Game That's Also A Personality Quiz for instance.

I thought Doki Doki was free? I downloaded it for free a while ago. Last I heard about the game it was being blamed for suicide. Kotaku did defend it, I think it was Laura Kate Dale doing it which I appreciated!

Does Kotaku have articles that are positive about games with sex appeal? I stopped going to the site after numerous articles insulting these types of games. The article about SoulCalibur VI being offensive for Ivy was the last straw. I do remember they had an article about how cool Twintelle in ARMS was but the comments were full of people getting mad she was too sexy so even if Kotaku doesn't put me off I'm afraid the people they have as an audience will.

 

[Cactuarman]

I was actually going to mention Doki Doki in my original post. It was championed quite highly by a lot of sites, which was kinda my point: certain games are but it's almost completely random.

And yeah that article is exactly what I'm talking about so thanks for sharing.

P.S. Doki Doki is free so I hope you didn't pay much for it

Ha. Totally forgot about that. Indeed it is. "Convinced me to download it".

 

[ROMhack]

I thought Doki Doki was free? I downloaded it for free a while ago. Last I heard about the game it was being blamed for suicide. Kotaku did defend it, I think it was Laura Kate Dale doing it which I appreciated!

Does Kotaku have articles that are positive about games with sex appeal? I stopped going to the site after numerous articles insulting these types of games. The article about SoulCalibur VI being offensive for Ivy was the last straw. I do remember they had an article about how cool Twintelle in ARMS was but the comments were full of people getting mad she was too sexy so even if Kotaku doesn't put me off I'm afraid the people they have as an audience will.

I saw the BBC covered that. Knowing them they were probably probing into it but I've played the game and it doesn't glorify suicide in the slightest. If anything, it's one of the few games that actually discusses suicide in teenagers who might not show tell-tale signs of depression. I don't think it's supposed to be serious but it made me think.

 

[Elcid]

Reminder that game journalism (Kotaku, Polygon):

• Covered a glitch that appears only in the Japanese version of Tomodachi Collection, actually the second game in the series and only one to be released in the West, and the glitch only happens occasionally when importing data from the first game. That glitch gets the marriage partner gender wrong (as in, a pregnant male), and causes game crashes and save corruptions because the inevitable conclusions aren't programmed in the game to begin with.
• When Nintendo of Japan fixed that glitch, that would be impossible to replicate in the US version because there's no first game released to import from, Kotaku and pals said Nintendo is censoring a legitimate same sex marriage from the Western versions (despite there being no information about that version besides an inital announcement) and to illustrate that "lost feature", used screenshots of a hetero couple from the Japanese version with the woman Mii having a masculine appearance (something already possible in the Mii system editor since the Wii) and when Bill Trinnen, a big Treehouse localizer, said that screenshot is still possible in the US version, gaming journalism twisted his statement as "we cut the same-sex feature. People who want same-sex relationships can crossdress and still be hetero couples" and asked for an apology or a firing.
• Finally these journalistic outlets admitted they were in fact "starting a discussion" to force Nintendo to add a new feature that wasn't there via outrage. They suggested delaying the game, and told people to "message" traitors minorities working at Nintendo some abuse to make that voice heard.

• That incident was a direct cause why Nintendo started being so censorship-happy in Western versions, and later that extended to Japanese versions as well. The Fire Emblem Fates and Tokyo Mirage Sessions were notorious cases with not only censorship, but significant cuts of story content, incomplete translations and questionable writing (and they were not the only ones either). Those game's creators on the Japanese side, despite the corporate red tape, spoke against the changes and hoped they wouldn't turn off gamers enough not to buy the games. Those weren't the only cases either - there was Bravely Second, that besides the censorship cut swathes of bad outcomes for sidequests that were too dark. Or Dragon Ball Fusions, that replaced all swords with wooden ones.
• Gaming journalism on the other hand absolutely loved how these localizations turned out, despite the flaws even disregarding the censored bits. They ran hitpieces on fan translators fixing them, gamers complaining about them, downplaying and denying them, and eventually started to ban discussion of these changes in comment sections or in articles.

• There were significant noise made about the existence of European versions of Nintendo games that didn't have the same censorship as the American versions, lamenting how gamers would import that instead. The European versions were translated from Japanese ever since 2000 as standard practice to reduce delays and address local consumer complaints about older localizations made from English (the German version of Pokemon had lower sales because of this). Nintendo of America noticed and started enforcing their censorship guidelines in Europe, had the UK English text no longer made and instead the US text is used, and then forced the other European FIGS translators to translate from English resulting in localized "rawr for dragon" "jokes" and a massive 8 month delay for Fire Emblem Fates. Also for the first time, they had them do English-only releases in Europe.

• Nintendo's recent localizations escapades ironically reached a point where they had a Watergate reference ("Five fun guys") in the Wii U Paper Mario, that after the usual initial praise for the localization taking lots of liberties turned into another witchhunt for the localization editor's skins when a certain gaming journalism personality thought it was a jab at her sexual life. Nintendo had to issue an apology again.
• Kotaku was hurting for controversies so much they ran pieces why some exposed asses (on art sculptures) were now tolerated in new Nintendo localizations instead of being covered up like in the NES days. They imported Persona 5 ahead of time for this: "Uh Oh. Ruiji's shoes have the imperial sun. This game needs to be censored." and "We imported the Korean version and the shoes are censored. Good."

• When Nintendo of America eventually (but not completely) toned down their act with Project Octopath and Xenoblades 2, Square Enix announced Dragon Quest XI will finally have the puff-puff joke uncensored (it was in most US versions), and Atlus (who couldn't defend themselves when both NoA and the gaming press were attributing the Tokyo Mirage Sessions excessive changes to them) released Persona 5 the way it is, a mostly unchanged localization that doesn't cut too much, the gaming press threw a fit.
• Project Octopath was incredibly problematic because of Primerose ... despite Square running their own survey for the most popular characters and her reaching the top for overseas player polls. Dragon Quest XI's puff-puff joke is a breach of consent, literally rape. For Xenoblades 2 it was unrealistic body expectations and the artist did hentai and should have been fired... the pictures used being a female character bent against a wall at a weird camera angle and glitching through its geometry, and somehow the only pictures available.
• Persona 5 was a horrible translation of course, because it was a disappointment for those who expected a repeat of Tokyo Mirage Sessions (which was the Wii U's Persona in a sense), the game that cut an entire chapter in localization because it was about idols. It was translated "too closely" to the Japanese text. It was made for weebs. The localization leader muzzled Atlus USA. He wasn't a native English speaker, he had no right to be there... Someone's blog about how to "fix" Persona 5 was promoted a lot, just like the moment when a modder showed Sega how Sonic 1 GBA should have been done. Except... that someone was involved with the Fire Emblem Fates editors. The fixes weren't for flawed translations, grammatical mistakes or awkward wordings... they also suggested omitting more obscure cultural aspects completely from localization, mailing Atlus to never do these kinds of localizations ever again, and the website maker's political inclination from his/him twitter isn't difficult to guess.

• Defended the Mass Effect 3 massive flaws with its story and ending. Tried to infer political alignments for anyone who has a problem with Commander Shepard's amazing DLC-sequel hook, just in time for that sit-in EA staged with actors offended about the progressive romance writing. Even after Bioware decided they want to try to do a slightly less disappointing ending after all, the gaming press still laments the loss of that excellent original ending to online mobs, because online mobs are bad right?
• Defended Microsoft's Xbox One launch, denouncing anyone who has a problem with the new cloudy, online-only DRM regular activation check subscription based GaaS future.
• Denounced the Star Wars Battlefront II's overreaction.

• Denounced the existence of some games, were confirmed to have had a hand in them not getting exported, still got them imported for the specific purpose of getting offended at: Summer Lessons VR, Dead or Alive Extreme 3, Level-5's hostess simulator game, Casca's DLC in Berserk...
• Impromptu difficult political purity test questions during developer interviews, RPS and PC Gamer's speciality
• Snitching on the modding community to companies directly, to maximize the number of stories run on the project, and its cancellation. Oftentimes revealing how much scorn they have for these projects that often undo game censorship.
• Defending microtransactions, loot box gambling repeatedly. Covering consumer outrage at them with a negative light.

• Absolute lack of integrity for review scores - would review bad games from big publishers generously, give 10/10s for shit games that tick all the right political boxes (Gone Home, Sunset) and accentuate the negatives for games they don't like (Kingdom Come, Bayonetta 2) or can't play (God Hand). Not even finish beginner sections. Do so even when categories for gameplay, story, playability, etc... imply they're reviewing it to give consumers an idea whether this game is playable and enjoyable or not.
• Ask for ending challenging gameplay.

• Ask platform holders (Sony, Nintendo, Steam) why certain "problematic" games are on their stores, effectively a ban request. This includes Super Seducer, initially approved on PS4 and even went on sale but pulled because gaming journalism thinks pick-up culture, as an expression of male sexuality, is something offensive, no matter how the game itself encourages healthy respectful relationships. Lament Steam dropping curation.
• Ask developers directly (Leisure Suit Larry, Xseed and Senran Kagura) why they didn't get the message from the previous negative coverage already and why are they still releasing new games in those series that should end already.
• Ask for games all about political advocacy and throw a fit at the contrary position being even as much as implied. Accuse Nintendo of having a "right-wing conservative game design mentality" because of their fun before story policy, throw a massive fit when David Cage and Ubisoft deny any explicit alignment in US politics and deny these undertones. Do podcasts at Kotaku asking Ubisoft to stop being cowards and have an explicit political message either way, that she'd love to see that message and be challenged either way the message goes (lol).
• Related to the above, a general hostility towards games without character generators. Sometimes the character generator is problematic because they're concerned others might avoid "being forced to" play as a minority character, just as much as they are concerned not getting to play as their own (or ideal) representation. Far Cry 5 had a controversy about how the writing isn't gender neutral enough, and too "male". This considerably limits storytelling possibilities compared to games with established characters where the player character isn't supposed to be the human playing the game.
• Advocate for the US union model (companies aren't allowed to hire anyone not part of that union) not only for voice actors but developers as well, and gloat on twitter that would get their people in positions of power in the industry and drive the political opposition out of employment since these unions would be used for that political vetting. The union would be based in the US and foreign workforce still has to enter the US union (or create a local branch) to have a chance to enter.

I'm sure there's even more.
There are well documented cases of modern gaming journalism influencing games for the worse from the consumer's viewpoint.

Thank you for this. This is exactly why. Fuck them all.

 

[DeleteriousObnoxious]

What I have learned through this topic is that criticism isn’t allowed and you won’t be able to present a argument even though evidence is obvious, Ex. Cyberpunk 2077 / Prey reboot / Prey 2 and many other examples.

Even though evidence is around. you will always find people that enjoys it for what it is, so for me it’s impossible to respond back to people pointing out that it’s just your opinion, it’s not my opinion, the effect has been documented and has been proven through years.

I honestly wouldn’t be surprised if Sony was involved in putting pressure on game journalism but I can’t prove anything but they definitely have a lot to gain by doing it.

I am well aware that my claims might sound like outbursts with no evidence to show to people confident in the current status of the game industry, however this discussion is just as much about if you can trust the teachers on universities that educates these journalists, can we trust teachers in our schools now a days. To me this is not just about ohh games are not fun anymore , the gaming industry is the largest most cultural tool that reaches so many different humans that it’s obvious power gets attracted to it and probably has for a long time.
And we consumers has been in a comfy sleep consuming games with degrading gameplay mechanics designed to make sure game journalists are able to complete the games and doesn’t get annoyed by being stuck somewhere. I don’t even care if I complete a game I just want to have a fun educated time while I am playing them. And I don’t see the journalists going into that anymore.

It reminds me of the same problem with arguing against criticisms of meetoo movement, you sound like a jerk when you try to argue against it, but arguing against is also standing true to important values that seems to have forgotten. IF you can’t agree that old fairy tales values are still important to be told to young children today I see that as a issue.

 

[Cactuarman]

Does Kotaku have articles that are positive about games with sex appeal? I stopped going to the site after numerous articles insulting these types of games. The article about SoulCalibur VI being offensive for Ivy was the last straw. I do remember they had an article about how cool Twintelle in ARMS was but the comments were full of people getting mad she was too sexy so even if Kotaku doesn't put me off I'm afraid the people they have as an audience will.

Totally fair. I was curious so I poked around for a bit and honestly... not sure. I couldn't really find anything too decisive. Truthfully though I don't care so much but I totally understand you. For the record I thought that infamous Ivy article was stupid, but I find that most of Kotaku's articles are perfectly fine. Even within articles about SC6 (or at least tagged with SC6) are fine. These weren't all of the ones I looked at but here are some random ones without any sort of message either in the article or the comments.

The Queen Of Soulcalibur Is Back
Soulcalibur VI Player Accidentally Goes For A Swim
How SoulCalibur's Nightmare Has Changed Over Two Decades
Soulcalibur VI Makes It Easier To Fight Back When Being Beaten Down

I will say that I still give Kotaku some credit (maybe too much? I don't know) largely because of how much I enjoyed this article on Dead or Alive Xtreme 3. Which is pretty much exactly how I felt about the game: Dead Or Alive Xtreme 3 Isn't Worth All The Drama
How I feel about the series overall: "Dead or Alive Xtreme Beach Volleyball is a stupid game. I love it so much."
How I feel about Xtreme 3: "Dead or Alive Xtreme Beach Volleyball was so charming because it felt like Team Ninja was actively trying to build an entertaining game to showcase its attractive character models. Xtreme 2 introduced a couple of neat new games to play. I was going to say that Dead or Alive Xtreme 3 was the same game in a prettier package, but that’s not quite right. It’s a rehash that feels like it was put together with minimal effort. It’s a massive step backwards."

I think unless a site gets too political it can mostly be ignored. I don't have to like every writer at Kotaku. But I like Mike Fahey. (Hopefully there isn't some controversy I don't know about)

 

[CatCouch]

What I have learned through this topic is that criticism isn’t allowed and you won’t be able to present a argument even though evidence is obvious, Ex. Cyberpunk 2077 / Prey reboot / Prey 2 and many other examples.

Even though evidence is around. you will always find people that enjoys it for what it is, so for me it’s impossible to respond back to people pointing out that it’s just your opinion, it’s not my opinion, the effect has been documented and has been proven through years.

I honestly wouldn’t be surprised if Sony was involved in putting pressure on game journalism but I can’t prove anything but they definitely have a lot to gain by doing it.

I am well aware that my claims might sound like outbursts with no evidence to show to people confident in the current status of the game industry, however this discussion is just as much about if you can trust the teachers on universities that educates these journalists, can we trust teachers in our schools now a days. To me this is not just about ohh games are not fun anymore , the gaming industry is the largest most cultural tool that reaches so many different humans that it’s obvious power gets attracted to it and probably has for a long time.
And we consumers has been in a comfy sleep consuming games with degrading gameplay mechanics designed to make sure game journalists are able to complete the games and doesn’t get annoyed by being stuck somewhere. I don’t even care if I complete a game I just want to have a fun educated time while I am playing them. And I don’t see the journalists going into that anymore.

It reminds me of the same problem with arguing against criticisms of meetoo movement, you sound like a jerk when you try to argue against it, but arguing against is also standing true to important values that seems to have forgotten. IF you can’t agree that old fairy tales values are still important to be told to young children today I see that as a issue.

This seems like a pretty good example of too many different things going on at once. It's hard to get people on the same page when there are so many multi-level discussions going on at once.

While I do have some fear that questionable parts of education can lead to people who can't debate or think outside of their narrow views, I highly doubt it's leading to the issues we see in modern journalism.

I dislike modern game journalism for it's hostility towards gaming, that I will say. I don't think having mechanics that are easier to grasp is a bad thing, though. Some games do handle difficulty options very well like Shadow of the Tomb Raider. It sounds like Catherine Full Body will too. That's great!

I don't like the way some in the gaming press make it sound like games are elitist or intend to exclude just because they offer challenge like Cuphead does. Those writers are perfect examples of a fabricated fight, division being created for no reason. If they dropped the hostility I bet there would be a lot of common ground.

I mean, fun is subjective. Some find the challenge more fun, others find the ability to play through unimpeded more fun. Having options and even achievements and trophies for both is a great idea! For me, playing as a sexy women in a game is way more fun. Others will have fun with more realistic clothes and more still want to play as males. Giving people these options is the way to go, not restricting them like so many gaming articles suggest.

While I don't like the way some use the gaming press to be activists and culture warriors, I doubt that teachers/colleges are that influential in the negative angle the press has gone in. I really put my money on it getting them more clicks. Outrage garners attention and it spreads fast on social media. Quick "hot takes" that piss off groups of people is probably good business for these sites and it doesn't even take much effort. I saw a similar thing last decade with magazines covering celebrities obsessively. The paparazzi were pretty out of control and eventually people got sick of it and it stopped getting attention. I bet that will happen here eventually.

 

[anthraticus]

I just ignore all those bs sites and read rpg codex for info on stuff. They're more aligned with my taste in gaming anyway.

 

[CatCouch]

Totally fair. I was curious so I poked around for a bit and honestly... not sure. I couldn't really find anything too decisive. Truthfully though I don't care so much but I totally understand you. For the record I thought that infamous Ivy article was stupid, but I find that most of Kotaku's articles are perfectly fine. Even within articles about SC6 (or at least tagged with SC6) are fine. These weren't all of the ones I looked at but here are some random ones without any sort of message either in the article or the comments.

The Queen Of Soulcalibur Is Back
Soulcalibur VI Player Accidentally Goes For A Swim
How SoulCalibur's Nightmare Has Changed Over Two Decades
Soulcalibur VI Makes It Easier To Fight Back When Being Beaten Down

I will say that I still give Kotaku some credit (maybe too much? I don't know) largely because of how much I enjoyed this article on Dead or Alive Xtreme 3. Which is pretty much exactly how I felt about the game: Dead Or Alive Xtreme 3 Isn't Worth All The Drama
How I feel about the series overall: "Dead or Alive Xtreme Beach Volleyball is a stupid game. I love it so much."
How I feel about Xtreme 3: "Dead or Alive Xtreme Beach Volleyball was so charming because it felt like Team Ninja was actively trying to build an entertaining game to showcase its attractive character models. Xtreme 2 introduced a couple of neat new games to play. I was going to say that Dead or Alive Xtreme 3 was the same game in a prettier package, but that’s not quite right. It’s a rehash that feels like it was put together with minimal effort. It’s a massive step backwards."

I think unless a site gets too political it can mostly be ignored. I don't have to like every writer at Kotaku. But I like Mike Fahey. (Hopefully there isn't some controversy I don't know about)

Well that certainly is better than Destructoid's review of Xtreme 3 which called the game sexist and racist. I left Dtoid for a year after that. I actually don't read them anymore now since politics comes up too often for my liking.

I love that checking out Kotaku lead me to this article!

https://cosplay.kotaku.com/how-one-male-cosplayer-became-mai-shiranui-1829161435

That's cool! (I will say I have had an issue with the way Kotaku praised cosplayers in the past while attacking the characters they cosplayed as offensive in other articles. That's some serious cognitive dissonance!)

I noticed that one of the comments on the Xtreme 3 article mentions USGamer becoming cynical and mocking people who like Japanese stuff. Boy, is that true from my experience. Bob Mackey is a writer there (I haven't visited the site in two years so I don't know if he's still there) and he was the most insufferable person in gaming journalism for me. I'm serious. I used to read 1up when he worked there and he called me a pedophile for playing the Hyperdimension Neptunia games.

The last time I read USGamer was his review for Star Ocean 5 where he wrote that censorship should be on the table. I asked him why he thought that in the comments and he acted like it was absurd that sexy characters ever had a place in gaming before telling me to stop caring. Glad to see some others felt that site was mocking this stuff, too.

 

[Sakura Doritos]

“Gaming Journalism” has taken the ESPN playbooks. They create news when there is little news. It is an underhanded tactic. Thankfully there are a plethora of happy video gamers on YouTube that will sell their sunshine and shade to me for a few clicks.