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Denver, 4:11 PM
Tue Dec 15
62 posts in the last 24 hours
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03:32 PM
02:55 PM
Looks great, and another game changer again this time with water (last was MGS' paintball gun).
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11:30 AM
11:45 AM
So if you buy it, you can make levels with it. If you don't, you can still play community levels with it in.
11:28 AM
They might not have made the Youtube of Videogames but they've certainly made the Lego. (Lego videogames notwithstanding...)
And at least with Lego, unlike Youtube, you get a certain sense of accomplishment building your monument to wasted time and collectible hoarding.
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11:19 AM
12/14/09
Firstly- and it's been addressed by this point already- you really can't take issue with that helicopter getting shot down. In video games, the helicopter almost always gets shot down. And the pilots are usually male. The men have a far worse track record on that account, I think. I see what you're getting at, though.
Also, as a female gamer, I don't want Infinity Ward to pander to me. I don't want developers to feel they have to do something "special" other than make a fun, engrossing game to appeal to me. I don't want them to put a woman in if she's not the result of their own creative process.
Sure MW2 is "male fantasy." Of course it is. Guns, explosions, competition, camaraderie. It's male fantasy like going buying shoes and drinking cosmos is female fantasy. Both fantasies are essentially cartoons and don't even begin to encompass what men and women are all about. MW2 is not a statement of fact or ideology or preference- it's an adrenaline blast, a thrill ride. Take it for what it is.
The idea that women and girls aren't interested in gaming is such a self-fulfilling prophecy. The idea persists that women are elusive and thus we get inundated with dress up and horsey riding and baby sitting shovelware. I almost wonder if crap like that sitting on the shelves doesn't enforce the idea for women (who don't play) that the "real" games are for the men... the truth is as a woman gamer I've never (at least while I'm actually playing a game) had to feel like I'm not allowed in the treehouse. The games that I played extensively over the last year- Fallout 3, Valkyria Chronicles, Uncharted 2, Demon's Souls, Mirror's Edge, LittleBigPlanet, Bioshock, Resident Evil 5 (on the PS3 alone)- all come to mind. These are all brilliant games that any human being can enjoy.
The way I see it, this stuff is already out there, and I just won't begrudge MW2 for being what it is. Sure, it probably sold as much as most of the above titles I named combined, but I didn't get upset at the scarcity of women in the ensemble casts of Platoon, Full Metal Jacket, and Apocalypse Now (even if MW2 isn't on the same artistic level as those films by a long shot)- and I won't take issue with the new Call of Duty for the same reasons. Really, we can exist within the "male fantasy" every time we pick up a controller and play Call of Duty, Gears or Killzone. No one's keeping us out of the VIP club, and it's not every game's job to represent all groups.
12/14/09
Mm, very good points. Maybe the self-fulfilling prophecy is the same for how "developed" games become as well. Very few games will be advertised on anything except being.. er .. young male fantasies (even if the games are different), after all..
12/14/09
12:10 AM
Did you think "wow the female soldiers are better than the guys" or did you not think anything on the issue?
I ask since 3 of my girlfriends have noticed this and have stated this factoid to me. They pretty have the same mindset as AJ's article :S
02:35 AM
02:36 AM
12/14/09
Secondly, some of your arguments involve several "leaps of faith" to seemingly support your games are sexist agenda.
It's a pretty far stretch to say that a game is sexist for not featuring any female just as it would be to say a game is racist for not featuring any minorities.
I can go on and on about this but its easier to say that your argument (no matter how well intended) bring shame to the cause you hope to support.
12/14/09
And that position is quite accurate, and not about to change any time soon.
For that matter, I'd also suggest that "sexist" is too restrictive a term (and WAY too prone to causing kneejerk reactions - as a glance at all the comments below us indicates). "Narrow Minded" makes more sense here, or perhaps "Short Sighted" if you're being optimistic. It's a problem endemic to the game industry as a whole, and the presence or lack of women is only a minor subset of that concern, all things considered.
On the other hand, I'm going to have to completely disagree with your analogy regarding a theoretical game not featuring any minorities. Assuming the game is set on a world stage like MW2, where you'd expect to see people of all backgrounds, this tactic is called whitewashing. And whitewashing is indeed a form of passive -often unintentional - racism.
12/14/09
12/14/09
12/14/09
thats my big complaint with netflix instant or disc and the itunes model as well... if i want to rent something the day it comes out i should be able to.
12/14/09
12/14/09
I'm a bit nervous because the last game I picked out for him was a bit of a bust (Super Mario Galaxy). I made the mistake of buying him a game that I thought was "better" than what he requested. This time, he hasn't given me anything to go on. He's currently obsessed with MW2. So the question is, will he really like this game or should I play it safe and splurge on Uncharted 2?
12/14/09
12/14/09
10:41 AM
In fairness, at the time (a couple of years ago) Super Mario Galaxy was decently close in genre to what he requested, he got into COD later on. Plus, he was 12, in my view a little young. Actually at 14, I still think he's a little young for certain M-rated titles, like MW2, but that's up to his parents.
12/14/09
12/14/09