Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet

[Dizzy]

It’s funny how all these guys get along in real life yet gamers need to turn everything into a team sport. I bet people already saying they’ll be Eve bald options soon lol

Yup, thankfully most people are like this and just want to play cool games.

 

[Bob Gray]

I don't understand why it's an issue to play as a bald Asian chick. People will play as a bandicoot, a blue hedgehog, a chunk of meat, a slice of bread, numerous alien creatures, but an Asian chick is too far

Im indifferent to it, currently. But its reductive to just say "Oh, they dont want to play a bald asian girl." Lets be honest, thats not the potential issue people are seeing. But there's a couple things happening here.

As far as playing blue hedgehogs or a piece of meat needing bandages, the style of your game matters. This looks like it's going to be a huge sci fi game, but at the same time they probably want you to take the characters, world and story they create seriously, regardless of how much video-gaming happens in them. They did that perfectly with TLOU. Even though it's a game and you're making bullets out of pieces of rock or whatever, they still got you invested in this grounded setting and characters. I'm just assuming they want to do the same here. So in this sense, how well you create your characters matters. Joel was a compelling character that was smartly written. So was Ellie. If you made Ellie a blue hedgehog in the middle of this TLOU game, people would be like "wtf is this?", because it breaks that immersion.

Druckman has become a bit of an activist storyteller and to some people, that breaks that immersion just as much as if a blue hedgehog suddenly dropped into the game. The apprehension comes from the idea that the same thing that might happen again. I'm taking a wait and see approach, and like I said I assume the gameplay will be as good as it gets.


There was an article by a writer in PCGamer that's either gay or trans, dont recall, that goes into detail about why the politcal posturing doesnt work in games. I thought it was a very blanced take that's worth reading:

Dragon Age: The Veilguard's leap forward in trans inclusion comes from a heartfelt place, but its problems left me feeling frustrated, angry, and tired

"Don't tell me who I am."

www.pcgamer.com

But it was summed up perfectly when it was pointed out how putting modern, contemporary language or situations into this high fantasy setting just seems off. Like if Morrigan said "Clap back, This is sus". You'd just be like "wtf"? So in Veilguard all this arguing about someone being trans, when theyre an entirely different race in an entirely different world, just breaks immersion for a lot of people. The same is probably true of an intergalactic sci-fi setting as a swords and magic fantasy setting.

Basically, a large amount of people dont want to load of this huge AAA game that takes place in an entirely different world and be told things that are the writers opinions about political landscape. This is not the same thing as dealing with themes that might relate to contemporary topics. That's good writing and storytelling. Placing people and characters down that exemplify posturing for your own opinions is not.


Anyway, the point Im making is this is not just people not wanting to play a female character. You might argue that the actual reasons aren't good enough for you to feel the same way as the detractors, and that's fair. Like I said, Im taking a wait and see approach. Druckman is capable of giving highs and lows, and I hope the Rian Johnson part of him goes by the wayside this time. As many problems as I have about TLOU2, Lev wasnt one of them and they were a full on trans character. But I thought it was handled well and it wasnt a distraction. Lev was just Lev and wasnt a placeholder for a bullhorn straight from the writers mouths. So inclusivity in and of itself is not an issue. Just handle it well and make the character a character, not a bot for political positions, that's all.

I can remain hopeful until I have reason to believe otherwise. But I totally understand the eye-rolling. I can accept a girl boss in a game like this, its not a big deal. I just hope they want to make her a compelling character instead of using her to say something they want everyone to know about their opinions.

It should be noted, there were TONS of whining about TLOU2 prior to its release that turned out to not be true. Mostly it was just scattered information and they put together a narrative that wasnt accurate, namely that Abby was trans because she was buff and there was a trans character in the game. Turns out her buffness totally made sense for the character and the trans angle was bullshit. So, like I said, Im on wait and see. I can certainly hope for the best and, in all honestly, it'll probably be a good game Im sure Ill play it. I just hope they make a great game.


This was longer than I thought it would be.

 

[GearSolidMetal]

I was watching some music videos from the past and couldn’t help but notice how the people in the videos weren’t all that attractive and way less sexualized so I think it goes both ways.

Why were you watching Korn music videos?

Also I googled Calvin Klein issue covers and this does appear to be a one off. They still feature mostly conventionally attractive people. I think you’re blowing things out of proportion.

And apparently you think I was referring to just Calvin Klein, either that or you're playing stupid.

Regardless, I'm thankful that NaughtyDog is launching its new IP so they can't infest an existing IP with their ideology and rely on the preexisting popularity and hype to sell big numbers.

This new 'checkbox' game will fail on its own merits.

 

[what-wut]

And notice how no one said a thing about you not liking it. Lol at jumping to the defense of weirdos for literally zero reason.

It's the same if they don't dig this sort of character is what I'm getting at. I'm not into playing as her. Does this mean I'm "obsessed"?

 

[GoldenAzazel]

Im indifferent to it, currently. But its reductive to just say "Oh, they dont want to play a bald asian girl." Lets be honest, thats not the potential issue people are seeing. But there's a couple things happening here.

As far as playing blue hedgehogs or a piece of meat needing bandages, the style of your game matters. This looks like it's going to be a huge sci fi game, but at the same time they probably want you to take the characters, world and story they create seriously, regardless of how much video-gaming happens in them. They did that perfectly with TLOU. Even though it's a game and you're making bullets out of pieces of rock or whatever, they still got you invested in this grounded setting and characters. I'm just assuming they want to do the same here. So in this sense, how well you create your characters matters. Joel was a compelling character that was smartly written. So was Ellie. If you made Ellie a blue hedgehog in the middle of this TLOU game, people would be like "wtf is this?", because it breaks that immersion.

Druckman has become a bit of an activist storyteller and to some people, that breaks that immersion just as much as if a blue hedgehog suddenly dropped into the game. The apprehension comes from the idea that the same thing that might happen again. I'm taking a wait and see approach, and like I said I assume the gameplay will be as good as it gets.


There was an article by a writer in PCGamer that's either gay or trans, dont recall, that goes into detail about why the politcal posturing doesnt work in games. I thought it was a very blanced take that's worth reading:

Dragon Age: The Veilguard's leap forward in trans inclusion comes from a heartfelt place, but its problems left me feeling frustrated, angry, and tired

"Don't tell me who I am."

www.pcgamer.com

But it was summed up perfectly when it was pointed out how putting modern, contemporary language or situations into this high fantasy setting just seems off. Like if Morrigan said "Clap back, This is sus". You'd just be like "wtf"? So in Veilguard all this arguing about someone being trans, when theyre an entirely different race in an entirely different world, just breaks immersion for a lot of people. The same is probably true of an intergalactic sci-fi setting as a swords and magic fantasy setting.

Basically, a large amount of people dont want to load of this huge AAA game that takes place in an entirely different world and be told things that are the writers opinions about political landscape. This is not the same thing as dealing with themes that might relate to contemporary topics. That's good writing and storytelling. Placing people and characters down that exemplify posturing for your own opinions is not.


Anyway, the point Im making is this is not just people not wanting to play a female character. You might argue that the actual reasons aren't good enough for you to feel the same way as the detractors, and that's fair. Like I said, Im taking a wait and see approach. Druckman is capable of giving highs and lows, and I hope the Rian Johnson part of him goes by the wayside this time. As many problems as I have about TLOU2, Lev wasnt one of them and they were a full on trans character. But I thought it was handled well and it wasnt a distraction. Lev was just Lev and wasnt a placeholder for a bullhorn straight from the writers mouths. So inclusivity in and of itself is not an issue. Just handle it well and make the character a character, not a bot for political positions, that's all.

I can remain hopeful until I have reason to believe otherwise. But I totally understand the eye-rolling. I can accept a girl boss in a game like this, its not a big deal. I just hope they want to make her a compelling character instead of using her to say something they want everyone to know about their opinions.

It should be noted, there were TONS of whining about TLOU2 prior to its release that turned out to not be true. Mostly it was just scattered information and they put together a narrative that wasnt accurate, namely that Abby was trans because she was buff and there was a trans character in the game. Turns out her buffness totally made sense for the character and the trans angle was bullshit. So, like I said, Im on wait and see. I can certainly hope for the best and, in all honestly, it'll probably be a good game Im sure Ill play it. I just hope they make a great game.


This was longer than I thought it would be.

Yeah, I'm with you. If it turns out to be a load of shit due to them constantly drawing attention to her appearance, sex, or sexuality then I'll be on board with the criticism, but there's nothing to suggest that right now.

 

[GoldenAzazel]

Stellar Blade director stoked about what he saw.

This makes me happy. There's room for both of these things in the world

 

[Dizzy]

It's the same if they don't dig this sort of character is what I'm getting at. I'm not into playing as her. Does this mean I'm "obsessed"?

If the first thing you comment on is a character’s looks as a reason you won’t play the game then I can pretty easily figure out why.

 

[Bob Gray]

Yeah, I'm with you. If it turns out to be a load of shit due to them constantly drawing attention to her appearance, sex, or sexuality then I'll be on board with the criticism, but there's nothing to suggest that right now.

Well, to be fair, the thing that suggests it is the previous game, TLOU2, and Druckman being outspoken about his political positions. But I agree, theres nothing to be actually upset about yet, but I understand the apprehension.

 

[GoldenAzazel]

Well, to be fair, the thing that suggests it is the previous game, TLOU2, and Druckman being outspoken about his political positions. But I agree, theres nothing to be actually upset about yet, but I understand the apprehension.

Thing is he got shit from the left for TLOU2. They say he's a Zionist and it was about Israel and Palestine.

 

[Bob Gray]

Thing is he got shit from the left for TLOU2. They say he's a Zionist and it was about Israel and Palestine.

Just saying what some people are thinking.

 

[Batjester]

White male with brown hair or white chicks with big tits only!

Now you've got it!

 

[GtehMVP]

It will be interesting to see how well this sells. Druckman doesn't have the continuation of the TLOU story giving guaranteed sales, it will have to stand on its own mostly.

The graphics look gorgeous. I liked the music they used and I'm sure the gameplay will be amazing too. They'll also try and weave a great story with complicated characters too.

Say what you want about TLOU2, but you can't deny how well it plays and the effort that was made to tell a compelling story.

The big "but" here is that this space bounty hunter genre is largely male dominated. I can't imagine a large percentage of males, who are interested in this type of stuff, liking what they saw in the MC.

She looks like a generic unattractive NPC with a cringe disposition. Like it or not, that could be all it takes to turn them off.

White male with brown hair or white chicks with big tits only!

At least a cool looking dude, but def an attractive chick. That's what the audience in this genre largely wants.

If I'm going to spend 20+ hours playing as a realistic looking female character, I'd heavily prefer her be at least somewhat attractive. I can be swayed with a great story/character, however, for the male consumers at large....

 

[what-wut]

If the first thing you comment on is a character’s looks as a reason you won’t play the game then I can pretty easily figure out why.

God you are annoying. You see everything through this prisim. Now who's obsessed? Scrawny bald Asian chick! How many people would pick her if they had other options in the game?

If a character's looks don't mean much to you, that's your own personal preference. Not everyone is like you. Before the " cultural wars " in the olden days of the 90s and early 2000s lol, people would pick up a game or avoid it based on the appeal of the main character.

 

[Zazen]

God you are annoying. You see everything through this prisim. Now who's obsessed? Scrawny bald Asian chick! How many people would pick her if they had other options in the game?

If a character's looks don't mean much to you, that's your own personal preference. Not everyone is like you. Before the " cultural wars " in the olden days of the 90s and early 2000s lol, people would pick up a game or avoid it based on the appeal of the main character.

Why do you keep highlighting that she’s Asian? Are you keeping a scorecard and her being Asian is worth more woke points? I don’t get it. And yes you guys are obsessed. Go to the Dragon Age thread. It’s like the antiwoke circle jerk and 3 people actually playing it. Sadly this thread is going to devolve into that too

 

[what-wut]

Why do you keep highlighting that she’s Asian? Are you keeping a scorecard and her being Asian is worth more woke points? I don’t get it. And yes you guys are obsessed. Go to the Dragon Age thread. It’s like the antiwoke circle jerk and 3 people actually playing it. Sadly this thread is going to devolve into that too

Bro you wrote a whole ass essay when there were was barely any discussion. just three short comments saying they are not into the game cause of her.

You and others are obsessed and whine about the antiwoke much more than there is actual antiwoke stuff on here.

"Why do you keep highlighting that she’s Asian? Are you keeping a scorecard and her being Asian is worth more woke points?" We've reached the analysis phase lol. Just relax and take it easy. I played alien dark decent maybe the bald bit has more "woke" points.

Not everything is about this "woke" shit. And not everything is about cultural war bs. Sometimes it's just personal preference and THAT'S FUCKING OK! There is a whole ass antiwoke thread on here and I have a single joke post on there.

 

[Zazen]

Bro you wrote a whole ass essay when there were was barely any discussion. just three short comments saying they are not into the game cause of her.

You and others are obsessed and whine about the antiwoke much more than there is actual antiwoke stuff on here.

"Why do you keep highlighting that she’s Asian? Are you keeping a scorecard and her being Asian is worth more woke points?" We've reached the analysis phase lol. Just relax and take it easy. I played alien dark decent maybe the bald bit has more "woke" points.

Not everything is about this "woke" shit. And not everything is about cultural war bs. Sometimes it's just personal preference and THAT'S FUCKING OK! There is a whole ass antiwoke thread on here and I have a single joke post on there.

Complains about me saying so much and your post is much longer lol. Whatever I’m going to let this conversation die now. I don’t expect all the responses from waht I felt was just common sense post

 

[Fury]

Didn't read through most of the posts but how many are complaining in some way that the main character is a not overly sexualized woman who looks like she could actually do the things she will in this game?

 

[Law Talkin’ Guy]

God you are annoying. You see everything through this prisim. Now who's obsessed? Scrawny bald Asian chick! How many people would pick her if they had other options in the game?

If a character's looks don't mean much to you, that's your own personal preference. Not everyone is like you. Before the " cultural wars " in the olden days of the 90s and early 2000s lol, people would pick up a game or avoid it based on the appeal of the main character.

Half the posters in this thread: “I don’t want to play as some ugly androgynous Asian woman!”

@Dizzy “Why are you guys so obsessed with this issue?”

You: “we’re not obsessed! You are!”

 

[what-wut]

Half the posters in this thread: “I don’t want to play as some ugly androgynous Asian woman!”

@Dizzy “Why are you guys so obsessed with this issue?”

You: “we’re not obsessed! You are!”

I'm not gonna rehash this whole thing but it was literally three short comments. Not half the posters.

 

[GearSolidMetal]

Ouch.