While some of their language has changed, the sentiment of this latest aggressive movement is just as distressing. It’s time for the games industry to stand up to it
“which credibly and comprehensively lays out a history of sexism”. There was nothing credible about this.
The wukong sexism allegations were all made up or based on severly mistranslated Chinese statements, and they magically appeared after the company behind wukong had refused to pay SBI a 7m dollar extortion fee.
Almost every statement in this article is a complete lie, from the targeted harrasments to the sexism allegations and racism. Even the Hades 2 statements are completely out of context to misrepresent the problem.
Let’s go back to the beginning.
Sweet baby Ink known to extort and threaten to push their agendas into videogames, (there is a video of the CEO Kim Belair explaining how she uses threats if game companies refuse to listen to her advice) was never targeted by harassment. A steam group was made that lists all games they’ve been involved with. (SBI already does the same on their own website). Never did anyone in this steam group go out of their way to harass anyone involved with the company. It is just a group of people who don’t like this company and want to avoid buying games that they are involved with.
Then suddenly one of SBI employees started a harassment campaing against the steam group owner, and tried to get him banned from steam altogether despite no wrongdoing. He never retaliated, and instead just defended his own points.
In comes the game journalist allyssa Merchante who has historically made bigoted statements such as “you can’t be racist against white people” and starts spreading lies of a harassment campaign against SBI. People call her out, and now suddenly she’s a victim of harassment despite she being the one contacting people’s workplaces to get them fired, or phonecalling their partners in an attempt to shame.
The controversy around Hades 2 is not around square jaws, but rather, linked to the smear campaign gaming journalists have had against stellar blade, citing sexism. People were upset that gaming journalists were being hypocritical with titles like “Hades 2 Gods somehow hotter than Hades gods” while they also criticized Stellar Blade for its sexy main character claiming it appeals to white males and that it is problematic.
Ubisoft being in bed with SBI is also not a lie, as SBI officially lists Ubisoft as their customers. The new assassins creed game is another example of these same journalists spreading misinformation.
Being a retainer does not automatically make you a samurai, and playing African-American hiphop music when playing as an African is incredibly stereotypical and innacurate since Africans and African-Americans aren’t the same thing. Game journalists claim white people are just upset about there being a black character in the game (with no evidence). The game is disrespectful towards japanese, but to game journalists that doesn’t matter because they’re “white adjacent”.
The controversy around Wukong is entirely fabricated. The developers of Wukong were being extorted by SBI for 7m USD for advice they didn’t ask for, and when they refused, suddenly gaming journalist started digging around, and found past statements they claim are sexists. However, as it turns out, these statements were in fact mistranslated statements, and the original Chinese statements weren’t even remotely sexist. Of course once people started pointing this out, once again “look at the harassment campaign against us journalists” started again.
These articles always are quick to spin the narrative and paint journalists as innocent, but every.single.controversy. was retaliation against misinformation and harassment campaigns by game journalists and DEI companies. Never was it “a bunch of sexist and racist white people being upset about diversity in videogames”.
But of course the author of this article wouldn’t tell you that she and many of her peers like, liked and retweeted all the false statements I’m bringing up here, or that she follows SBI.
And I’m sure you have at least one example. After all, there are a lot of rapists out there too, but we aren’t going to accuse anyone until we have some evidence.
The entire article at this point is just “these women who want to be anonymous claim x and y”, with all other “evidence” gone now. I can make similar claims about IGN and my claims would hold as much water.
It would help the prosecution’s case if there first was scientific evidence of there being such a thing as gaming addiction, and not just boomers arguing it because they think kids these days should go outside more.
Yes, but that’s not what this story is about, and they don’t cause gaming addiction, they cause gambling addiction. You can’t get addicted to gaming itself.
That’s gambling addiction, which is researched and does exist.
Gaming addiction, on the other hand, is purely speculative and often pushed by people who do not understand or like games.
While, yes, a game can have login bonuses and season passes to raise player retention, that also doesn’t become addiction, just as having a membership card with bonuses at a grocery store isn’t going to land you with a grocery addiction.
It doesn’t become gaming addiction just because the game utilizes exploitative mechanics, it becomes gambling addiction, or whatever addiction the mechanic was made to exploit. Gaming addiction in itself is as stupid of a concept as soccer addiction or book addiction.
As we all know, Roblox is garbage tier gameplay structured around psychological cues to get children to fill an endless pit with fake money bought with real money....
To be honest, you’re probably better off letting your kid play whatever game they like, including garbage like roblox or diablo 4. Just make it very clear that no money will be spent on any microtransactions whatsoever and feed them the idea that spending real money is cheating.
They’re mad that Japanese games get criticism for sexual themes, but not western ones. Examples being Dead or Alive and Street fighter characters where panties and bikinis are shown. No one is mad at the nudity itself of BG3.
Rapelay is just straight up porn and wasnt even intended to reach the west, and any western equivalent would get the same treatment because rape porn and lolicon altogether is illegal in the west. I don’t think anyone is upset about that game being banned or censored. It is not even being distributed in Japan anymore.
I can read Japanese, so I can check the Japanese version and see what age they used there. Just one example is fine.
I know that there is lolicon in Japan, but this doesn’t get released in the west, nor is it intended for a western audience.
I’m talking about a game published with western audience in mind, that has a scene involving a minor that you consider to be worse than an implicit sex scene with a bear.
The games that tend to get criticism are games like the dead or alive xtreme volleyball series. Do you think those games deserve the criticism they get while bg3 doesn’t?
But westerners aren’t complaining about this game. They are complaining that the female characters wear too skimpy outfits or that anime characters look too young in Japanese games like resident evil.
The disturbing online misogyny of Gamergate has returned – if it ever went away (www.theguardian.com) angielski
While some of their language has changed, the sentiment of this latest aggressive movement is just as distressing. It’s time for the games industry to stand up to it
You can't sue us for making games 'too entertaining,' say major game developers in response to addiction lawsuits (www.pcgamer.com) angielski
Unacceptable (lemmy.world) angielski
I banned my kid from Roblox.... what next?
As we all know, Roblox is garbage tier gameplay structured around psychological cues to get children to fill an endless pit with fake money bought with real money....
The death of ownership: Companies are taking away your ability to actually own the stuff you buy (www.businessinsider.com) angielski
cross-posted from: lemmy.dbzer0.com/post/8400180...
Is there an indie games bubble? (roadmapmag.com) angielski
Baldur's Gate 3's success is not about setting a new "standard" (www.gamedeveloper.com) angielski
Let's Just Calm Down About The Nudity In Baldur's Gate 3 (www.dualshockers.com) angielski
Looking at you, streamers and angry defenders of Japanese ‘fanservice’ games.