Wednesday, May 21, 2014
Nothing to report
I don't want this blog to die, but sadly I have been very busy with school and nothing in gaming has piqued my interest. I apologize, I will try to update more soon. Hang in there!
Wednesday, May 7, 2014
Gamer Bias
Today I attended a seminar/forum on Gamer bias, hosted by James Portnow (Writer of the Youtube show "Extra Credit") also including author of Game Addiction: The Experience and Effects Neils Clarke, And Ben Williams (Head of PR at the 2013 Gaymercon) as well as a representative of Xbox live, Sela Davis. The forum focused on the ideals of gamer bias, and the representation of different races, genders, and sexual orientation of characters in games and people in the games industry as whole.
The seminar covered three overall points: How people of different sexuality, gender, and race are viewed, how this is reflected in gaming culture, and how this is affects gamer interaction- be it online or purchase wise. Much of the seminar discussed the specific statistics and surveys conducted that show the number of female gamers, and the chicken/egg situation involved in their inclusion to the industry. Many AAA titles are not geared towards women, this is obvious. Is the problem that females do not buy as many games, or is it that games are not made for them, so they do not buy them. It's self perpetuating. It is an issue that cannot be solved. One particular woman who attended disclosed that her young daughters preferred to use their brother's Xbox because people would then think were boys. This was to avoid the abuse and sexualization involved in them playing as a female avatar. This story itself connects to ever sour aspect of the debate. Why is this? Can it be changed? Does it have a solution?
In short, probably not. Many things have been put in place to counteract issues in the industry. For every AAA shooter, there is an indie game that deals wonderfully in gender equality; Sometimes, Always, Monster being cited specifically. For every gamer "troll" online there is a system put in place to judge and weed out players who are mean or rude. Such as the system in League of legends.
One major contributor to this culture is the anonymity of a gamer. Companies like Sony and Microsoft try to cut down on this by now implementing social media aspects to a console. This reduces poor behavior, because the mask has been removed. This itself has an issue however. Female players who wish to remain anonymous to continue enjoying their games are then exposed.
This is a difficult and convoluted issue. Many of the members of the board that attended had specific examples to cite of misdeeds or mistreatment in the industry. Calling out also, games that deal well with gender, such as Mass Effect or Saints Row. Player customization plays a huge roll in equality in gaming, which is why I believe open world RPGs have seen a huge roll in recent years. But in the long run people will be people. Game developers write games for themselves, or to their assumed audience. Gamers and trolls alike act as they will because of how little impact they feel it has. Woman or gays don't get into gaming because it is not aimed at them. You can't force a developer or user's hand- because that is fuffing with artistic expression. But at the same time the industry is perpetuating itself with white male interest, seeding new white male interest.
Though I have considered this before, and been involved in prior discussions, the forum was a nice way to see what others had to say. It was the essence of gaming as a whole; an interaction of people with a similar love for gaming. I would love to be involved in such events again.
The seminar covered three overall points: How people of different sexuality, gender, and race are viewed, how this is reflected in gaming culture, and how this is affects gamer interaction- be it online or purchase wise. Much of the seminar discussed the specific statistics and surveys conducted that show the number of female gamers, and the chicken/egg situation involved in their inclusion to the industry. Many AAA titles are not geared towards women, this is obvious. Is the problem that females do not buy as many games, or is it that games are not made for them, so they do not buy them. It's self perpetuating. It is an issue that cannot be solved. One particular woman who attended disclosed that her young daughters preferred to use their brother's Xbox because people would then think were boys. This was to avoid the abuse and sexualization involved in them playing as a female avatar. This story itself connects to ever sour aspect of the debate. Why is this? Can it be changed? Does it have a solution?
In short, probably not. Many things have been put in place to counteract issues in the industry. For every AAA shooter, there is an indie game that deals wonderfully in gender equality; Sometimes, Always, Monster being cited specifically. For every gamer "troll" online there is a system put in place to judge and weed out players who are mean or rude. Such as the system in League of legends.
One major contributor to this culture is the anonymity of a gamer. Companies like Sony and Microsoft try to cut down on this by now implementing social media aspects to a console. This reduces poor behavior, because the mask has been removed. This itself has an issue however. Female players who wish to remain anonymous to continue enjoying their games are then exposed.
This is a difficult and convoluted issue. Many of the members of the board that attended had specific examples to cite of misdeeds or mistreatment in the industry. Calling out also, games that deal well with gender, such as Mass Effect or Saints Row. Player customization plays a huge roll in equality in gaming, which is why I believe open world RPGs have seen a huge roll in recent years. But in the long run people will be people. Game developers write games for themselves, or to their assumed audience. Gamers and trolls alike act as they will because of how little impact they feel it has. Woman or gays don't get into gaming because it is not aimed at them. You can't force a developer or user's hand- because that is fuffing with artistic expression. But at the same time the industry is perpetuating itself with white male interest, seeding new white male interest.
Though I have considered this before, and been involved in prior discussions, the forum was a nice way to see what others had to say. It was the essence of gaming as a whole; an interaction of people with a similar love for gaming. I would love to be involved in such events again.
Miiquality
For whatever reason, homosexuality is a touchy subject. Whether it be fear or ignorance- or both- it continues to perplex companies and government agents alike. But let's continue to the point of this post. Nintendo is releasing a brand new game called Tomodachi Life; a game advertised to simulate real life situations and tasks, including romantic relationships. This in itself is no issue. Okay, whimsical Miis being whimsical in their life, fine whatever. The issue arises in the manner in which the romance is presented- not allowing for any relations besides hetero-normative ones. A campaign was started on twitter under the hashtag Miiquality, urging Nintendo to include same sex couples, so that everyone can have an equal and personal experience. A game involving emulation of real life should include real life, right? Not according to Nintendo.
The fact they included relationships at all shows that they think kids can handle it. The mistake is is that they make a discernment between heterosexual ones, and a relationship of a gay or lesbian couple. Somehow "normal" relationships are considered "whimsical" whilst that of anyone else are taboo and would ruin the child-like quality of the game. If they didn't want to over complicate the situation, it begs the question "Why include relationships at all?"
Anyone can understand Nintendo's position, and why they took it. No one can tell them to take a position either. The best that can be done, is what has been done already; stating your displeasure in this move. The only way to change the game industry, is to show the game industry that you desire change, by telling them so. Because of #miiquality Nintendo is now aware people desire this, and from here on in ignoring these requests will make every move on their part social commentary. This was their free pass, they can no longer claim ignorance to the desires of their fans. It will be interesting to see what Nintendo has to offer in the future- using this event as a jumping off point.
The relationship options in the game represent a playful alternate world rather than a real-life simulation. We hope that all of our fans will see that Tomodachi Life was intended to be a whimsical and quirky game, and that we were absolutely not trying to provide social commentary. (Nintendo)This is a strange response. On one side, it would be unfair to expect Nintendo to throw itself neck deep into an arena of personal rights and morals, in a country they themselves don't belong to. But it is also fair to say that they create social commentary simply by adding relationships at all, then purposefully excluding a section of them, even after fan outcry. Nintendo is making games for kids, and is natural they want to avoid such subjects in a children's media, but this presents the largest problem.
The fact they included relationships at all shows that they think kids can handle it. The mistake is is that they make a discernment between heterosexual ones, and a relationship of a gay or lesbian couple. Somehow "normal" relationships are considered "whimsical" whilst that of anyone else are taboo and would ruin the child-like quality of the game. If they didn't want to over complicate the situation, it begs the question "Why include relationships at all?"
Anyone can understand Nintendo's position, and why they took it. No one can tell them to take a position either. The best that can be done, is what has been done already; stating your displeasure in this move. The only way to change the game industry, is to show the game industry that you desire change, by telling them so. Because of #miiquality Nintendo is now aware people desire this, and from here on in ignoring these requests will make every move on their part social commentary. This was their free pass, they can no longer claim ignorance to the desires of their fans. It will be interesting to see what Nintendo has to offer in the future- using this event as a jumping off point.
Monday, May 5, 2014
May the 4th send you CD keys
Yesterday (as of writing) was May 4th, or Star Wars day. Far be it a national holiday or anything of like, but it is a day for fans to be fans. A day to appreciate Star Wars that much more. Steam too. appreciates the day, reducing the price of the Star Wars Bundle 2014 to a very enticing $33. This was a deal too good to pass up, and from the looks of it, many thousands of people partook in the bundle, or parts of it. Arguably the best Star Wars game to date is BattleFront II. This game is included in the bundle, barring one issue. CD keys. Apparently there is not enough. The game sold so well, steam ran out of keys to give.
This itself is an interesting event, a digital game running out of copies. This is something I had never thought possible. I always found the CD key system integrated into third party steam titles a bit abrasive, but this is another level. I am not upset, or even sad, this is just mindbogglingly interesting to me. In a new landscape of gaming culture where digital reigns, boasting countless benefits over a physical copy, one of the most resounding advantages- the lack of the restraints of a hard copy- has... run out.
This is not Steam's fault, nor is it the publisher of the game. A quick glance at the community page would see you inundated with requests and petitions for new keys. Every comment passing and placing blame on Steam. I understand their anger, however unfounded. No party is to blame for this, for this is unheard of, at least to me. I sit on my PC, fresh out of a Star Wars Marathon, longing for my personal key to arrive. The same feeling as a purchased disc online being shipped to me. Waiting, excitment growing for my game to arrive, or at least, the key.
In conclusion, foreseeing this kind of consumer desire for such a very old game is not expected. By this point in time most have gotten the game and had their fill. Accounting for this sudden influx on such an aged game would be a power only a Jedi could posses. There is nothing to be done but to wait, wait for the keys to be synthesized and arrive. Wait and wonder at the pure oddity of this situation.
This itself is an interesting event, a digital game running out of copies. This is something I had never thought possible. I always found the CD key system integrated into third party steam titles a bit abrasive, but this is another level. I am not upset, or even sad, this is just mindbogglingly interesting to me. In a new landscape of gaming culture where digital reigns, boasting countless benefits over a physical copy, one of the most resounding advantages- the lack of the restraints of a hard copy- has... run out.
This is not Steam's fault, nor is it the publisher of the game. A quick glance at the community page would see you inundated with requests and petitions for new keys. Every comment passing and placing blame on Steam. I understand their anger, however unfounded. No party is to blame for this, for this is unheard of, at least to me. I sit on my PC, fresh out of a Star Wars Marathon, longing for my personal key to arrive. The same feeling as a purchased disc online being shipped to me. Waiting, excitment growing for my game to arrive, or at least, the key.
In conclusion, foreseeing this kind of consumer desire for such a very old game is not expected. By this point in time most have gotten the game and had their fill. Accounting for this sudden influx on such an aged game would be a power only a Jedi could posses. There is nothing to be done but to wait, wait for the keys to be synthesized and arrive. Wait and wonder at the pure oddity of this situation.
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