So recently the social media account for CD Projekt Red, of Witcher and Cyberpunk 2077 fame, made an off-colour ‘joke’ relying on the played-out line “Did you just assume my gender?”. Their apology was that classic non-apology ‘Sorry if you were offended’. Now, I read the replies to that tweet and boy howdy, I hate gamers. In the same way that a high school bully defends themselves when consequences come knocking, most of the replies boiled down to ‘it’s just a joke,’. Is it though? I’m going to explain why these sorts of ‘jokes’ are tired.
Category: Internet
Forgiving Hello Games
No Man’s Sky is a game I’ve discussed before on this website. Now, two years on, No Man’s Sky has changed, and so have I. No Man’s Sky recently released its most recent, most ambitious update for the game. This is known as No Man’s Sky Next. Surrounding the game is a lot of discussion about the game as the developers poke their heads out to see if it’s safe. Back when the game launched, there was a whole fiasco about how big the gulf was between the marketing and the finished product. In my previous discussion of the game, I noted that the game was enjoyable enough albeit overpriced. As part of all this, it seems that No Man’s Sky is now remembered as a game that overpromised and underwhelmed. Discussion centred around a cynicism about returning to No Man’s Sky now that it had the “promised” features. The language around the game is about meeting a standard that was previously lied about. Here’s the thing, I certainly think there were deceptive elements to the pre-release marketing. However, No Man’s Sky is a perfect storm in a teacup to examine gaming culture’s attitude towards developers as a whole.
Thanos and Elon Musk
[Spoilers for Infinity War]
So, you might recall the news story from the past few weeks about those Thai boys stuck in a cave. The world watched as qualified professionals led a dangerous mission to rescue them. Tragically one of the divers lost his life. However, all twelve boys managed to get out alive. What a heartwarming story! Then Elon Musk. Musk began to insert himself in the news story by building a submarine that no-one asked him to build and travelling to the already-crowded rescue site. Now, you might be thinking that there’s nothing wrong with a wealthy individual using their money to try and help. Sure, if that were the end of the story Musk would come out of this smelling no worse than he did before. Oh. Oh no. Following some comments made on social media, Musk has taken a Twitter-sized beating. Now, how does this relate to the menacing villain of Infinity War, Space Grimace?
The Benefit of Writing in an Established Universe
So, this past week I’ve been writing up elements of the world that I run D&D in. Now in my campaign, I have three players new to the world of D&D and one player who has been running his own games of D&D for ten years. Often, I will add elements of the lore of D&D into my world. When these elements are discussed, there is a back-and-forth about how they are typically portrayed in the canon of the lore and where my world differs. While writing up the deities of my world, I’ve thought more about where the stories that have been told about the gods differ. So, that’s a fun writing topic, what are the benefits of writing in an established universe?
Should You Remake a Movie?
So recently there has been a small and vocal group who are dedicated to remaking the Last Jedi. Attempting to remake a movie that was a success at the box office by professionals from one of the richest studios with crowdfunded money and fan support, not even a year after the film was released, does shine a light on the absurdity of remakes. Remakes are often lambasted when they are announced. Why remake something that is already great? More importantly, what is the purpose of a remake?
Should a Game Be Judged for What It Isn’t?
So E3 was this week. What did I think? Some people will really enjoy what was represented. E3 is a space where companies try to put their best marketing foot forward. However, those who follow games actively have turned E3 into gaming Mecca or gaming Christmas. A mystical place where companies hear our wishes for games and answer them. Within this torrent of expectation vs. marketing, we all negotiate our thoughts about what we’ve been shown. Part of my E3 experience was watching ProJared recap each press conference. As part of this, he mentioned a note-worthy point. Critique the presentation you got, don’t judge the presentation because it’s not the presentation you wanted. For E3, grand advice. However, when viewed in the context of all games I wanted to examine this idea. Should a game be judged for what the game isn’t?
How Do We Solve a Problem Like Apu?
So, I’m a big fan of the Simpsons. The classic era is one of my favourite shows. Recently, the Simpsons responded to the criticism it received over its caricatured portrayal of Apu. This response was prompted by Hari Kondabolu’s documentary about South East Asian American representation ‘The Problem with Apu’. In the documentary, Kondabolu interviews notable South East Asian American actors regarding their feelings about the character of Apu. This documentary included Kal Penn, who you may know as Kumar from Harold and Kumar or as Kutner from House, whose intense dislike of Apu extended to the Simpsons as a whole. Kondabolu himself enjoys the Simpsons but finds the character of Apu to be a racist stain on the show.
The Trouble with Trolls in GTA Online
So previously I’ve spoken about the problems with the GTA Online. While previously I spoke about how hacking and griefing can make the game un-fun at times, I didn’t really examine why individuals do these things. I looked at how the system doesn’t really disincentivise this behaviour, but I didn’t look at the psychological profile of the trolls. So what are the reasons for a person to act this way?
Batman is Boring … for Now
Look, I hypothetically like the idea of Batman. You’ve seen the title. Over the past decade, Batman has become the patron saint of white male internet geekiness. That’s why I feel I have to jump on the defensive. I like Batman, I do. Just, he’s boring right now. Batman has stagnated since he was re-invigorated for the mass audience by Burton. The Batman of Keaton is only marginally different from the Batman of Affleck, or even the Batman of Bale. For twenty-nine years, Batman has remained a brooding, black-clad, boring bastion of a male power fantasy.
Ok, Let’s Talk About Patreon
I was actually planning to write this retrospective for next week. However, Patreon did some things that have made me reflect on my relationship with the crowdfunding platform. So, a week early, here is my Patreon retrospective.
Firstly, I would like to thank everyone who has contributed to the Patreon over the past year. Your support has been a bedrock of this website. If there is one thing I have lacked in my previous creative pursuits it has been consistency. The key to the success of any creative project is continuous engagement with the project. There have been weeks were my motivation to write for this website has been non-existent. The thought that people have put money on the table for my writing each month has dragged me through those bouts of non-creativity. If there’s one thing that I hate doing, that’s disappointing people. For me, the people are what’s important about Patreon.
Zach Eastwood - Writer 