When I first saw the video about Adam Sessler's thoughts on this trophy/achievement, I was a little put off. Not that I'm offended or pissed or anything. Typically I love most of his view, even when they differ from mine. He typically makes great arguments, but on this particular topic- the action that nets the trophy or achievement and how it is made- was kind of stretched. Here's Mr. Sessler's initial review with the comments: http://youtu.be/XjIpPUE8epA
Being based on a common saying it's already a slang saying, and one I hear constantly. On the flip side, I work in a hospital where easily 80-90% of my coworkers are female, and they have a saying quite like it- Chicks Before Dicks. The "dicks" part has multiple connotations, of which you may posit a decent guess to. And guess what- I don't care that I hear it all the time. To them it's a saying that means "girls stick together." And really, why would I have a problem with their sisterhood, even if they express it in with potentially harmful words?
Many have already pointed out that it was in reference of characters working together and not about misogynistic deeds. It just feels like the scene was misrepresented. Much like the "rape scene" from the new Tomb Raider- one that was definitely NOT what it was made out to be, and this God of War Ascension debacle is similar. The Trophy/Achievement comes from a particular male character getting Kratos to stop the Furies from abusing their powers and dealing punishment out unjustly. The unjust argument is a whole other matter(for Furies and Kratos) however- as Kratos has single handedly destroyed pretty much ALL of ancient Greece in an over-the-top quest for vengeance.
What I do like about what came from his comments are:
1) Sessler's response to his own comments in this DTOID video: http://youtu.be/rkq1Mu2H80w
Thank you for being so good at this thing. Making people know that things got blown out of proportion, and taking the time to respond openly.
2) The renamed Trophy/Achievement- Bros Before Foes is a far better play on words, and should have been used in the first place.
I must applaud Mr. Sessler for initiating these types of conversations. It brings awareness to the gaming community and attention to the creators. Thank you again Mr. Sessler.
As an end cap here are a couple decent articles:
The first is Jim Sterling's response to the Sessler stuff-
http://www.destructoid.com/god-of-war-bros-before-hos-248381.phtml
The second is sort of about the killing of female enemies in God of War. I have a couple small issues with this. 1) Kratos slaughters pretty much everything. Not just beautiful woman/creatures. Thousands of men, creatures, and male creatures. There's no sexual distinction. 2) Kratos isn't gunning for the ladies underparts. It ISN'T sexual. When he attacks a person or creature's torso- it would end up hitting at least a portion of breast. And with the smaller size of the females in the game, it turns out breasts are unfortunately in the target zone.
Would it be different if Santa Monica Studios put Priapus in the game? Give Priapus the God of War treatment and have a 10 foot penis that Kratos slices into thin coins of wang meat? Yes, and you know why, because it deals directly with genitals, and would put focus on sexual organs. But what makes me wonder is- if they did would there be an outcry about "misandrist" game conduct?
http://kotaku.com/5991145/shes-sexy-now-kill-her?tag=opinion
Anyways, it's good to see people talking about things in a civil way.
No comments:
Post a Comment