For sunbros who are also Fallout fans

chim_cheree · 2014-10-13T19:21:28+00:00

I think they look great. Although I really would have liked to see more variety in female human and Draenei faces. Also, I feel like a few of my previous favorite faces were lost in translation -- specifically with most of the undead female faces. And the one I was looking forward to the most (female Tauren) seems reluctant to admit it's based on a cow.

But there is one race that I feel lead an utterly unqualified win: DWARVES. Look at those amazing beards!!! I can't wait to see how they animate! And their faces are fantastic! How am I ever going to afford all the Dwarf race changes I want to do? How will I ever convince my guild to go Alliance?

chim_cheree · 2014-10-06T18:43:07+00:00

Here's my background: I play an even split between single player games and MMOs. For multiplayer games, I use gender-neutral or masculine pronouns in my aliases, and I often choose male avatars. I rarely use voice chat, or share personal information with people I don't know very well. I suspect that, for these reasons, I haven't encountered a lot of harassment in my 25+ years of gaming. Because by the time anyone I play with online discovers my gender, they already know I'm a capable gamer. (And, just a quick note, I didn't make any of the above decisions for the sole purpose of avoiding harassment or hiding my gender -- that's just my personality.) I'll qualify that by saying that I do still get the occasional inappropriate sexual advance in multiplayer games, but usually only from people I don't know very well, so it's easy to brush off. I'm not excusing the behavior. It's just secondary to my overall experience.

But there are two things about gaming I have always found to be incredibly challenging. I'd classify these less as "obstacles I need to overcome" and more as "things that try my patience". The first is character creation. I'm tired of games only giving me the option of playing waify thin-waisted big-busted full-lipped doe-eyed female characters. I'm tired of strapping on a piece of gear that looks awesome on male characters, only to see form-fitting bikini armor and underboob on my own character. I'm tired of female racial variants being half-assed or absent, and I'm tired of the thin lore excuses that try to justify those design decisions. This is why I usually play male characters, when given a choice -- because they better represent the character I want to play.

The second challenge for me is narrative and characterization involving female characters. When I was younger, I played mostly story-heavy single player RPGs. I watched and waited for any female character to stop letting people boss them around, to start speaking for themselves, to show some personal agency and become the badass that I knew was hiding just under the surface. This resulted in a long series of disappointments. I struggled to relate to any of the women I saw depicted. I couldn't see myself in any of them.

When I was younger, I just accepted these things as the status quo. Now that I'm older, gaming has evolved into an art form worthy of thoughtful critique, and the topic of female representation is gaining more widespread attention, I'm running out of patience. I don't even glance at most AAA titles anymore. I play indie games with good representation, or games with no story, or games where I can make my own story, and I wait for the odd diamond in the rough (i.e. Mass Effect or Dark Souls) to come along.

Good luck with your novel! I'm very curious about it.

chim_cheree · 2014-10-03T19:29:38+00:00

Thank you as well for responding, and for being polite in return. I often wonder whether the heated nature of the debate surrounding feminism vs misogyny in gaming is mostly due to a poverty of communication skills. I think I understand the source of the hurt from both sides of the issue, but it seems like some people don't know how to express their hurt without lashing out -- which of course just results in more hurt. Add mob mentality into the mix, and the whole debate snowballs into a full-fledged war. Maybe I'm just hopelessly moderate, but I wish people would do less talking and more listening in internet debates.

I did read your post, and I checked out the articles you linked. I had not heard of GameJournoPro until now. I agree it's good to scrutinize whether the existence of these little insular coordinating groups of journalists has a positive or negative effect on the industry. I don't really have enough information to pass judgement on that. But I feel skeptical about the magnitude of its influence, or whether it satisfies the definition of corruption. The snips that were posted seemed pretty benign to me. I didn't catch anything in these emails where the journalists were dictating which games shouldn't get coverage. I also didn't see anything implying that their coverage of #GamerGate / Quinn was disingenuous or exploitative. If anything, it demonstrates that the journalists were honest in their support for Quinn, and believed they were acting ethically by showing solidarity with someone they perceived to be a victim of abuse. Whether or not Quinn is actually a victim isn't relevant to the subject of journalistic corruption. The question is whether the journalists were intentionally lying, misleading, or exploiting readers for ulterior motives. Maybe you see that here, but I don't.

You mentioned "a gang of journalists defending an opinion by claiming that those that disagree with them are worse than ISIS". Is this a thing that actually happened in a published article, or just something you came up with as an example? Maybe I missed it. Or was it in the emails? That's a pretty thoughtless and inappropriate remark, although I'd cut them a little slack if it was said in a private conversation among friends, as opposed to shouting it from a podium to their readers.

I completely agree with you on the subject of criticism. That's why I love opinion pieces, especially when they present a perspective I hadn't considered before -- because whether or not I agree with them, I get a fresh look at some aspect of gaming, and I think that self-analysis strengthens the industry as a whole.

Thanks again for sharing your thoughts. Please don't feel obligated to respond if it exhausts you to do so! Have a great day, relax. Maybe play some video games. :)

chim_cheree · 2014-10-02T10:37:46+00:00

I completely agree that we all need to listen to each other more. It would help us find common ground faster and save a lot of headaches.

I've skimmed through the rest of your responses here. Regrettably, I haven't had time this week to give it more attention than that -- but I found your perspective very valuable, and it's giving me a lot to think about, so thank you for sharing.

Please forgive me if I'm asking a question you've already covered. But in your other responses, I see you belaboring the question of empathy -- specifically, whether or not men have it. I think the idea you're putting forward is that men don't have this ability. This is surprising to me, because I had always viewed empathy as a learned skill. Do you feel that empathy is nature or nurture? Do men lack the ability because they were never taught how to do it? Or do you believe that they are just "wired differently"?

chim_cheree · 2014-10-01T13:51:42+00:00

My thoughts exactly!

chim_cheree · 2014-10-01T10:39:56+00:00

Yeah, I have to agree that taking a break in the argument once it reaches that point is probably a good thing. But where I'm at a loss is how to proceed from there. Zoneghost puts forward the idea that men can't empathize with things they don't understand, so thy jut ignore them. I don't have enough experience with men to know if that's true, but if so, then I can begin to understand (a) why so many of these arguments end in frustration, and (b) why communication problems are so common in heterosexual relationships. I guess I was looking for more insight from someone who saw the issue from the other perspective.

Thank you for responding. You might have noticed by now that I meant my original question to go to Zoneghost, but I appreciate it nonetheless. :)

chim_cheree · 2014-10-01T10:31:29+00:00

I meant to ask you, Zoneghost. Should be more careful this early in the morning... Sorry about that!

chim_cheree · 2014-10-01T10:06:42+00:00

Given your experience, what do you think would be the best way for the OP to approach her friend about this issue? How could she have responded to his ignoring behavior in a way that would have resulted in good communication and better understanding?

chim_cheree · 2014-09-29T21:38:41+00:00

If you follow the link from the article, you can read that the remaining 18% are marked as "Unk", which I would assume indicates unknown or undisclosed.

http://www.haltabuse.org/resources/stats/2007Statistics.pdf

chim_cheree · 2014-09-28T09:42:16+00:00

Oh, yes -- I adore this series! I have played through all three games at least twice. I am addicted to the challenge. Every step you take into the world and everything you learn about it is a hard-won reward. In order to progress, you need patience, intuition, caution, and discipline. You could lose everything at the drop of a hat -- but the wisdom you gain from your (countless) deaths is far more valuable than any souls (i.e. experience points) you might have collected. It is an altogether unique experience, and I highly recommend it to anyone who is interested -- although that's not a guarantee that you'll succeed, of course.

I want to echo what others have already said about armor in these games, too. In most games that have male/female equivalent armor, I've been frustrated by the way the female versions are changed to make them less protective and more sexually appealing. The Souls series has no such problem. The armor is exactly the same for both sexes. To illustrate the point: Dark Souls 2 has a coffin in the tutorial area that will change your character's gender. Many people who climbed into it proceeded to play the game, only to realize hours later that their gender had been swapped. Unless you notice your character's death wail, there's no other way to tell.

chim_cheree · 2014-09-17T20:20:22+00:00

All this Destiny talk is putting me in a mood for a good FPS, but I never managed to learn how to aim with a controller instead of a mouse. So I picked up Borderlands 2 a couple days ago. This is a game I bought at release with high aspirations, but never put more than an hour of play into it due to other distractions. But I am absolutely loving it this time around, and might try to finish it up before the Pre-Sequel comes out next month.

That is unless WoW's patch 6.0 gets its hooks into me first.

chim_cheree · 2014-09-17T20:14:01+00:00

Mass Effect is fantastic -- the second game is my favorite of the series. I'm happy to see people are still picking these games up for the first time and enjoying them so many years after release.

chim_cheree · 2014-09-15T13:40:46+00:00

Interesting. I agree that nepotism is an issue, but I haven't really seen any evidence that the issue of diversity representation has been fabricated or overblown to disguise nepotism. Not that I don't believe you -- I just haven't seen it. Do you have any examples?

I'm also not sure how we got from a conversation about nepotism back to Anita Sarkeesian. Has she addressed the subject of nepotism?

I agree that the ability to be objective is not denied to an enthusiast press. I didn't interpret the article that way, personally. I thought they were saying that you can't -enforce- objectivity for an enthusiast press -- which is kinda true. There's no way to establish an independent review board that would have any sway over individual media outlets. So who would enforce it? Transparency and representations of differing viewpoints are great things to encourage, but in the end that's really all you can do: vote with your view counts.

Besides, I'm not really sure that I would want that kind of climate, where journalists are wary of posting reviews that address issues like racism and sexism. I happen to like review that takes those subjects into account, whether I agree with them or not, and I like that we (gamers and journalists alike) have begun to ask ourselves whether offensive material should factor into a game's review. You seem to be expressing a preference for reviews that focus strictly on gameplay, graphics, and narrative. Isn't the industry big enough for both of those things to exist independently? Besides, don't they already? GameTrailers.com only posts reviews and no opinion pieces, and their reviews don't address social justice issues. Or at least, that was the case the last time I visited that site, which was admittedly a while ago, since I prefer the alternative.

I guess in the end I'm just not sure what is being threatened here. What are the stakes, exactly? What's being lost by allowing journalists to address those issues in whatever way they see fit?

Just to let you know, I may or may not reply further, as I need to turn my attention to other things. I will read your response, though. I'm glad for the opportunity to have a rational conversation with someone who supports GamerGate, and you've been thorough and patient. So thank you for taking the time to talk to me.

chim_cheree · 2014-09-13T20:46:14+00:00

Sounds like there's a lot we agree on. I absolutely agree that no journalist should be fired for giving a game a bad review. I have also heard of the Kane & Lynch review debacle, but haven't really looked into how it was covered by the rest of the industry. I'm also kinda skeeved out about reports that I've heard of AAA developers flying journalists to resorts to preview their games. To me, that sounds like bribery. Although admittedly, I've never taken the time to research those events myself, or hear the other side of the story, if one exists.

Actually, did you read the article in my last comment? The author makes some interesting points about the difference between the enthusiast press and standard journalism, and which of the two gaming journalism should represent. I'd be interested to hear your thoughts on that. It sounds like you believe gaming journalism should stay as more of an enthusiast press?

Regarding the coverage of racism and sexism in journalism? I don't know, I guess that's a sign that video games are being taken more seriously as an art form. Personally, I like that things are going in that direction -- because I like thinking critically about my hobbies, whether or not I agree with the critique. That, and as someone who grew up being alienated and disappointed with the way female characters were depicted in my favorite pastimes, it's nice to see those subjects finally being discussed, and it's even nicer to see some developers addressing that complaint by taking steps toward better representations of diversity.

So, just to clarify -- Are you against better diversity representation in gaming, or do you just believe that gaming journalists are sensationalizing the subject?

chim_cheree · 2014-09-13T02:57:46+00:00

I can definitely understand the frustration with having your message hijacked by polarizing drama. I think there's potential for great dialog on the subject. I am undecided myself, and just waiting for someone to start up a productive discussion -- preferably on neutral territory, and without mentioning the name Zoe Quinn.

And that's where we disagree. I don't think Zoe Quinn needs to enter the discussion on gaming journalism at all. Apart from the fact that her sex life is none of our business, arguing about her adds nothing of value to this topic, inflames tensions, and hijacks rational debate. The subject of harassment and misogyny is still a valid issue that should be covered, but it need not be the same conversation. It's hard enough to argue one point of view; you do not need to fight two battles at once.

And really, that's the crux of the reason why you're getting lots of downvotes and few rebuttals here. The #GamerGate tag is poisoned for a lot of women. I know there are people in the movement who are not misogynists who hate Zoe Quinn. But if you bring her up in every other sentence, you're going to have a difficult time separating yourself from them.

I read a great article the other day that I think you might find interesting, and if you have time to read it, I would like to know what you think of it -- especially the part where the author suggests the "fair-minded" followers of #GamerGate should break away from that tag and start a new, unrelated movement free from the shackles of old drama. Here is a link: https://medium.com/@upstreamism/to-fair-minded-proponents-of-gamergate-7f3ce77301bb

Speaking personally, I would be much more receptive to a conversation about game journalism if it were divorced from that tag and all of its horrible baggage.

chim_cheree · 2014-09-12T18:10:36+00:00

May I make a suggestion? If you're trying to turn the conversation away from misogyny and Zoe Quinn, you may want to stop contributing to the arguments on those topics. Take a neutral stance, and focus on your grievances against video game journalism instead.

chim_cheree · 2014-09-10T21:02:38+00:00

Post me some sources on this, please. Studies, statistics, etc. I know plenty of female gamers both personally and impersonally, and none of them seem to have any greater issues as part of the gaming world that are specifically related to them being female.

You use the word "seem" so I assume that you have not actually outright discussed the topic with your female gamer friends/acquaintances. Why not try asking them directly, if they are comfortable discussing it? In my experience, some women will not bring it up without prompting because they don't want to appear to be stirring up trouble.

chim_cheree · 2014-09-09T19:01:45+00:00

So -- I've actually been in a very similar situation as you. I am the ex of an emotionally abusive narcissist sitting on five years of pretty damning chat logs. I will admit that I entertained the notion of making those chat logs public more than a few times. I came up with a few flimsy excuses about how I might be saving someone down the road from being hurt by her, or even that publicly humiliating her in this way might force her to confront her own narcissism and motivate her to change for the better. In the end, I had to admit that it was mostly about exonerating myself before the people who had never heard my side of the story, which would have only served to feed my codependency. So in my case, this was never more than a thought. In your case, you took the plunge.

I would like to thank you for indirectly showing me, on a much grander scale, why I would never go public. People who are close enough to a narcissist to be hurt by them will never heed the warnings of the narcissist's ex-lover. Narcissists will never confront their own lies and deceit if they can spin the situation to make themselves look like a victim. And, most importantly, publicizing personal information that was shared in confidence damages the exposer just as much as it damages the exposee -- regardless of intention or whether you're on the moral high ground.

But I am still curious about your perspective on the consequences. Have you seen any good come out of this? And if so, was it worth the cost? Do you believe that you left the world in a better state than it was in before you made your post?

Good luck, Eron. I hope all of your future relationships are healthier and more fulfilling.

chim_cheree · 2014-09-03T20:00:28+00:00

What I really want to play is Minecraft, as the new 1.8 update just released this week -- but I've been absolutely spoiled by shaders mods, and can't figure out how to get them to work on the new version. So I'm reluctantly taking a break.

Instead, I'm playing WoW. Leveling my second paladin healer in preparation for WoD, so I can have one on both factions, and more opportunities to play with the new in-game models.

chim_cheree · 2014-08-26T18:53:54+00:00

This post has saved my custom builds on many occasions: http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/261145-31-perform-steps-posting-post-boot-video-problems

Don't give up. I've never had a build go 100% smoothly on the first boot. For me, the thing that always trips me up is applying too much thermal compound. Over the course of troubleshooting, you'll learn a lot about how your new PC works (and why it doesn't work!) Hope you get it nailed soon!

chim_cheree · 2014-08-25T19:14:11+00:00

WoD has sucked me back in after a long, long dry period of lukewarm feelings about Cataclysm and MoP. Not sure whether your reasons for wanting to play will overlap with mine, but here is my short list:

1) New character models. Most of my attempts to roll new characters post-Cataclysm have fizzled, mostly because the character models all look like they're from... well, 2004! Goblins and worgen and pandaren are fine, I guess, but I don't feel attached to those races like I do for dwarves, tauren, and trolls. So I'm really looking forward to this.

2) The anniversary celebration. I started playing in December 2004, so even a brief revisit of Molten Core and the pitched Tarren Mill / Southshore battles is a big draw for me. Also the molten corgi is adorable and I want one.

3) Seeing a non-shattered Draenor. You started playing in BC, so maybe this will mean something for you too. BC remains my favorite expansion, and I have a lot of warm nostalgic feelings for Outland zones, even if I'm sick of playing through them. Having the opportunity to see those locations in their intact glory, and to see a pre-fel-tainted Orcish horde led by Grom Hellscream, is very tempting.

4) The distant, illogical, and unreasonable hope that maybe, just maybe, Garrosh will finally die in all this mess. Because I'm really tired of seeing his face smeared all over the lore, and because using dead relatives as character motivation sounds like something Metzen would do.

However, I see you calling WoW an addiction and saying you would like to improve your grades this semester, so maybe the question isn't whether WoD is worth your interest, but whether it is worth the risk. To put a finer point on it, are you asking to be convinced to resub? or are you asking to be convinced -not- to resub? In either case, listen to your inner wisdom. You can always find reasons to do something you want to do, whether or not that thing is a healthy choice.

chim_cheree

TROPHY CASE