RE: We chat about videogames and videogame accessories.
06-20-2014, 05:50 PM
Yeah, a whateversexual-by-default system whereby the player determines orientation by only picking relationships that fit your preferred orientation for the character would not be difficult to incorporate at all. Imposing restrictions on men only being interested in women and vice versa would actually add work compared to that. The argument that it would be too difficult is ridiculous on par with Ubisoft's "women are too hard to animate" malarkey; there are lots of reasons a feature like this wouldn't make it into the game, but time constraints or programming problems aren't among them.
Frankly, what Jac brought up is a good illustration of why it's worth being upset (and vocally so!) about problems like this: sure talk is cheap, sure Nintendo could back down or just not produce future tomodachi titles, sure it could all just be appeasement. But it also could not be, and if the gaming community was able to effect change like this by demonstrating what they want and what they are displeased about, why would anybody not make the miniscule effort of making their opinions known? That's why this is a particularly unhelpful attitude to take:
First off, because the two are not in any way mutually exclusive. Boycotting on a personal level is a completely ineffective way of sending a message to a company (because they are never going to notice your one more or fewer sale); the only boycott that makes a difference is a large, organized one, and nobody we know has the resources to make that happen and few organizations are interested in doing so for issues like this in the video game industry. So buy what games you want, have fun with them even with their flaws. And that's the central thing about "social justice" (or as I like to think of it in a non-divisive and un-ridiculed way, being a decent person): it allows for the appreciation of problematic media (because again, a personal boycott does nothing but make you feel self-righteous and thus unlikely to take any actual action, in the same way that posting a facebook status about ending world hunger makes you less likely to take meaningful action that helps the hungry) as long as you're willing and able to identify the problematic parts of it and make it clear you don't approve. Ignoring or justifying those problems because the game itself is fun or the movie itself is entertaining just ensures that those problems will remain; don't deny yourself entertainment you enjoy out of some kind of self-conscious social flagellation, just don't ignore problems or pretend they're not that big a deal. The flipside to the problem with a boycott is that companies often do take notice of individual complaints when they come en masse; it's a lot more visible and calculable than individual sales that aren't made, and it threatens future sales to leave the consumers' concerns unaddressed. Outcry doesn't need to be nearly as organized as purchasing campaigns, because by its nature it's going to be something the company can see. No, posting on your blog with eight followers isn't going to change the world, but participating in discussions in news forums or prominent gaming forums makes your opinion visible, sending an email or a letter makes your opinion visible, helping organize or taking part in a group or organization that sends a message makes your opinion visible.
Of course, none of that is in any way a guarantee of anything at all. But it's a lot more likely to make anything at all happen โ even gradual, incremental change โ than doing nothing or choosing to ignore bad things for the good things they come packaged in. The hard part about that is oftentimes when people complain about a thing you (the general you, pretty much all of these yous haven't been directed at one person) like, it can be easy to take that as a personal attack, or feel shamed for liking it, or as though the character of everyone who likes it is being impugned. By and large, that's not going to be the case: just relax and don't let your choices in entertainment become a prominent part of your identity; don't take criticism of things you enjoy as criticisms of you, and it becomes a lot easier to assess the things you enjoy while still enjoying them. Nothing's perfect, even your favorite thing; don't fight to maintain the illusion that it is, and future things will just continue to get better.
Frankly, what Jac brought up is a good illustration of why it's worth being upset (and vocally so!) about problems like this: sure talk is cheap, sure Nintendo could back down or just not produce future tomodachi titles, sure it could all just be appeasement. But it also could not be, and if the gaming community was able to effect change like this by demonstrating what they want and what they are displeased about, why would anybody not make the miniscule effort of making their opinions known? That's why this is a particularly unhelpful attitude to take:
(06-20-2014, 09:46 AM)Garuru Wrote: ยปI mean yeah of course it sucks and all that but I'm kind of burned out on social justice atm and maybe I want to play a few games here and there?
First off, because the two are not in any way mutually exclusive. Boycotting on a personal level is a completely ineffective way of sending a message to a company (because they are never going to notice your one more or fewer sale); the only boycott that makes a difference is a large, organized one, and nobody we know has the resources to make that happen and few organizations are interested in doing so for issues like this in the video game industry. So buy what games you want, have fun with them even with their flaws. And that's the central thing about "social justice" (or as I like to think of it in a non-divisive and un-ridiculed way, being a decent person): it allows for the appreciation of problematic media (because again, a personal boycott does nothing but make you feel self-righteous and thus unlikely to take any actual action, in the same way that posting a facebook status about ending world hunger makes you less likely to take meaningful action that helps the hungry) as long as you're willing and able to identify the problematic parts of it and make it clear you don't approve. Ignoring or justifying those problems because the game itself is fun or the movie itself is entertaining just ensures that those problems will remain; don't deny yourself entertainment you enjoy out of some kind of self-conscious social flagellation, just don't ignore problems or pretend they're not that big a deal. The flipside to the problem with a boycott is that companies often do take notice of individual complaints when they come en masse; it's a lot more visible and calculable than individual sales that aren't made, and it threatens future sales to leave the consumers' concerns unaddressed. Outcry doesn't need to be nearly as organized as purchasing campaigns, because by its nature it's going to be something the company can see. No, posting on your blog with eight followers isn't going to change the world, but participating in discussions in news forums or prominent gaming forums makes your opinion visible, sending an email or a letter makes your opinion visible, helping organize or taking part in a group or organization that sends a message makes your opinion visible.
Of course, none of that is in any way a guarantee of anything at all. But it's a lot more likely to make anything at all happen โ even gradual, incremental change โ than doing nothing or choosing to ignore bad things for the good things they come packaged in. The hard part about that is oftentimes when people complain about a thing you (the general you, pretty much all of these yous haven't been directed at one person) like, it can be easy to take that as a personal attack, or feel shamed for liking it, or as though the character of everyone who likes it is being impugned. By and large, that's not going to be the case: just relax and don't let your choices in entertainment become a prominent part of your identity; don't take criticism of things you enjoy as criticisms of you, and it becomes a lot easier to assess the things you enjoy while still enjoying them. Nothing's perfect, even your favorite thing; don't fight to maintain the illusion that it is, and future things will just continue to get better.