And so they changed their model.
I don't really have much to see beyond these two things…
1) I can see their point about them not fitting into the Horde, but that seems a thinly veiled reason.
2) This is hilarious. Apparently Blizzard at the least listens to their forums goers… I don't know that's such a good thing.
What Would Matt Do: chuckle? It's pretty silly.
This is interesting. Yesterday, Caryn posted on her blog, after much discussion on planetcrap, a writeup of her feelings on sexism in games. Personally, I found it pretty interesting, insightful and mostly good. Take for instance,
In an effort to raise video games out of the depths of sexism, more game companies are designing female characters that aren't oversexualized, that are approachable, and that play a pivotable role in the game. This is commendable, certainly. But what do Alyx and Anya have in common? (Or seem to — I'll certainly be quite happy to retract any of this once GoW is released and I'm wrong about the role Anya plays.) They're helper characters. And they're almost always the only female character in the game.
That's a damn fine point. I agree completely.
And this,
Special female characters are great and it shows how far we've come in our short history. But when the day comes that the inclusion of women characters in games is as ordinary and unexciting as the inclusion of male characters already is…that's when we've really nailed it.
I think that's spot on…
But, after showing this post to my wife and asking she thought, I made her write it in some non IM chat sort of way. The following is written by my wife, a well educated, smart woman who is also a gamer (though I'll still kick her butt at Soul Calibur as long as she doesn't play that X something chick.):
So, Matt forwarded me the link to one of the latest entries in Caryn's blog. A commentary on the portrayal of women in games. He asked me to write up my opinion for his blog, sort of a response. I have no idea, since my basic response was "so what?" Don't get me wrong, I'm all for equality of the sexes. And I found the Lara Crofts nymphets of gaming as irritating as I'm sure most women did. Bouncing around void of reality, and clothing, almost certain to put an eye out at any moment. But this new breed of woman. Ok…as stated an improvement.
But am I worried that there isnt equal portrayal of men and women in games. Not really. First off…it's a GAME. I'm certainly not allowing a game to shape my 8 year old daughters view of reality or worse yet, her self-image. As for me, I find it hard to be offended. Statistically speaking, games are written by men, for men. Thats not saying there aren't female gamers I guess I could be considered one. I know they exist, and that their numbers are growing. if you ask me, this latest breed of woman in games is in direct response to the level of annoyance and outrage directed toward earlier incarnations. And in typical , limited corporate response, we get the exact opposite version. (Ok..you don't like big boobs and half naked…well here you go…smart, brainy, fully clothed pedestal women.) In my opinion.,..far less offensive. Maybe its just me, but I find it difficult to get my panties in a twist over realistic portrayals of women in games. Hey! That woman over there slaughtering that zombie isn't realistic! or….if you look past the encroaching alien hordes…you can see a distinct lack of realism in the female character. Like I said. It's a game.
** addendum - Ok..I seem to have inadvertently created some confusion as to my point, Which, really, I was surprised anyone gave a damn in the first place. I was commenting only on a very narrow portion of Caryn's post. Whether or not i was offended by the issue personally. Which, I'm not. Do i think the portrayal of women in most games, skewed and biased as it is, is silly and wrong-headed…certainly. I don't really take issue with anything she had to say. Matt just asked me to post my response to it..which was "so what?" I can be as insular and narrow viewed as anyone. And my so what is a direct reflection of that. Since gaming is a pastime,a hobby if you will, not a driving force or passion…well it really just doesn't hit the radar that theres a rather ridiculous level of sexism in games. I notice it, I may grumble…or laugh at the stupidity..depending on the day and my level of caffeine intake, but overall…that would be about it. In reference to my daughter. We are very careful about what we let her watch and play. and yes…that type of bias will factor in..if only in spurring ona discussion about it with her…we're big on talking things out. Really, the issue seems to me a symptom, not the problem. and there are symptoms everywhere we look. I think we all pick our battles and our venues to champion . I tend to rail against the egregious dumbing down of women and girls in movies and tv for the pre-teen and teen set. The scary early sexualizing of children in print and film. I could go on..but I'm sure Id bore everyone silly. I never meant to belittle or dismiss Caryn's points. They are valid. Guess I should try for a bit more clarity in the future.
Liz
That's damned interesting, I agree with that too…
So what's the truth of the matter? Is this just being blown out of proportion? Is not a big deal as these kinds of games (mostly talking FPS/Action type games here) aren't marketed to women anyway? I honestly was completely in Caryn's corner until listening to my wife's thoughts on the matter. Beyond the fact that I have to listen to everything that she says (it's in the marriage contract), I think maybe she's on to something here…
Thoughts? Share them here or on planetcrap.
What Would Matt Do: Whatever my wife wants me to do.
Saw these console hardware predictions courtesy of that lovely email Next Generation sends around in the morning.
If you're to believe their (IDG) numbers, the 360 and the PS3 are going to be true competitors. Hmmm… Now don't get me wrong, I'm a Microsoft boy from way back. Been working with and on Microsoft stuff forever. And I love my 360. But I don't know. You know all the stuff I've linked and the rest I haven't about how Sony is being stupid and arrogant and so on…Well, you only know because you read the internet on a regular basis. Your average PS3 consumer has no idea and they are VERY much looking forward to the PS3 launch and will be standing in ridiculously long lines like a lemming waiting for a food pellet to get their grubby paws on one. Why? Well, because the PS2 rocked so much! It was a rocker! Rocking! Rock! Or something… Basically, people are comfortable with things they feel they know…and they know Sony will have GTA games, racing games and many JRPGs. I think.
Whatever the reasoning is, I'm highly suspect of these numbers. Not to mention, most people that want a PS3 won't be getting one until next year sometime as the shortages are crazy. They are already having a hard time meeting their 400k mark for initial shipments. That doesn't bode well for Sony at the start, but will only drive up demand in the long run, me thinks.
What Would Matt Do: Stand in that ridiculously long line and sell that bad boy on EBay like many of those jokers are going to do…then buy a Wii with the profits.
This blog entry is both interesting as an insight into the life of a hardcore catasser and a bit holier than thou now that he's out.
The basic gist of the entry is this:
I just left WoW permanently. I was a leader in one of the largest and most respected guilds in the world, a well-equipped and well-versed mage, and considered myself to have many close friends in my guild. Why did I leave? Simple: Blizzard has created an alternate universe where we don't have to be ourselves when we don't want to be. From my vantage point as a guild decision maker, I've seen it destroy more families and friendships and take a huge toll on individuals than any drug on the market today, and that means a lot coming from an ex-club DJ.
That last part I bolded because it really cuts the heart his is complaint against WoW. That it's more addictive than drugs and destroys lives. To that I say a definitive maybe.
Can WoW be addictive? Definitely. Can it ruin lives? No. Why? Because people make choices to do things. Now, to be fair, to some people, WoW may be like gambling to others. It may be that addictive, I don't know. But for most of us, it's a choice. A hard choice depending upon your situation, a choice you might not realize you need to make, a choice that might require you to stop playing WoW. As someone else I talked with about this mentioned, WoW is probably a symptom of the problem in most cases, not the actual problem. They might be playing something else to avoid their problems, they might be drinking, they might be doing any number of things that helped numb them out to real life. If you're playing WoW at the expense of your life, you need to look at why. WoW is the numbing solution you're currently using, it's not necessarily the problem.
Also, Mr. I've left and now I'm better than you, let that be. You found your life again and you're happier for it. Great. But I don't think you have to be quite so judgmental of all the people still playing… imho.
What Would Matt Do: Follow this simple tip, if you're playing WoW more than do all the other things, minus sleep and work, combined, you've probably got a problem and should reassess things.
I realize I forgot to mention this yesterday, but NWN2 went gold. And while going "gold" isn't a big thing, since I don't have it in my beefy man hands, it's still that much closer than before. I even preordered this game with Gamestop…something I know better than to do, but somehow, I couldn't resist. We shall see what kind of lovely problems I can run into on that avenue.
Also, I've heard nasty rumors that party control is rough, camera control is rough, etc. Those are nasty viscious things I shan't believe until I have see / don't see it for myself… *crosses his fingers*