Addicted to controversy

For those of you coming on the internet for the first time in over a year, first off, I'm really flattered that you read my blog first. That means a lot to me. Secondly, I should fill you in that gaming has "come under fire" some might say, with accusations of sexism, left and right.

Most recently, this has happened with "Dragon's Crown," which features a character that is rather ludicrously well-endowed. Lulu from FFX would say "damn girl, don't those hurt your back?" She wouldn't be allowed in Dead or Alive Extreme, because they wouldn't have a swimsuit her size. Noel from Blazblue would just shoot herself at the sight of her. The characters from Eiken would... actually no, never mind. It still isn't as bad as Eiken. (to any of my family reading this, for God's sake, do NOT look up Eiken)

It's not strange that the game drew controversy, what has been strange - and I'd say very depressing - is that gamers, even those that support the game, seem to be dragging the controversy around with them. Gamers have put it on a pedestal as some testament to free speech. It's become a flag carried into battle against the "feminazis" and actually typing that word out made me want to castrate myself as penance. The irony is that some people DEFENDING it talk about the game as if the breasts are all there is to it. I see hardly any discussion about the game, I just see "screw the people who are mad about the big boobs."

My point is I think some of us have become addicted to controversy.

I don't think Vanillaware intended to have Dragon's Crown be anything more than a fun throwback to arcade beat-'em-ups. And I wish we, as gamers, can just let it be that. We KNOW that the game's detractors have no power to change the game, and we've seen similar controversies enough to know the people behind the game won't change it to suit the tastes of people who don't like it. So why do we keep picking fights with people who are turned off by the art style? If we keep acting defensive about it, it just makes us look worse in the long run. We should just let the game be what it is. The lead artist himself testified that the exaggerated proportions were just their way of making an otherwise by-the-numbers fantasy game stand out. They're not making a statement or anything.

You may point to God of War's "Bros before Hoes" controversy as a time when the critics "won" when the trophy's name was changed, and that we need to be on our guard because "where do they draw the line?" and stuff. To that, I say they didn't really change anything about the game, and if the line isn't clear, it's still a long ways from actually changing the content. When you get a trophy, it can be viewed by anyone on your friend's list. Maybe some of them don't want to be exposed to objectionable content because of something you're playing. Did using the word "hoe," which maybe isn't a swear word but certainly is derogatory, add anything at all to God of War? In a trophy, no less? You ask me, it's the same as an MMO censoring swear words in chat.

While we're on the subject, stop getting mad at developers and publishers apologizing when these controversies happen. Partially because it's almost always an "I'm sorry you were offended" kind of apology which is not even an apology at all. Also because sometimes the bad PR just isn't worth it. Sony wasn't censoring Michelangelo's David, they were changing a stupid trophy name that the guy who wrote it probably didn't even care about. It was unnecessary, easy to remove, and probably offended more people than it entertained. It was the artistic equivalent of removing the truck nuts from your bumper.

Now, I'm seeing this happen with the game Killer is Dead. Ever since it became known the game has "gigolo missions" in which the player seduces one of a number of women, that's all I've seen brought up about it. And people are cheering it on like "Suda51's stickin' it to the PC police!" when he really just doesn't care either. It really hit me when Senran Kagura Bust- er, Burst - was announced for localization, and people were honestly drawing comparison between KiD and a game that's blatantly about fan service first and foremost, as if the gigolo missions were the entire game. C'mon, this is Suda51 we're talking about, and this looks like his most surreal game in half a decade. Where's the talk of the crazy boss fights and nonsensical mechanics? The main character has a freaking mega buster for crying out loud! Tell me what's up with that!

And remember Lollipop Chainsaw by the same studio? People talk about it in shameful whispers like it's a porn game, all because of a cosplay scandal and the small number of critics who had their feathers ruffled. But it's actually very tame in that regard, save for a few skimpy unlockable outfits. It's just a goofy, funny beat-em'-up with some raunchy humor and a bit of eye candy. Why do we treat it like anything more?

And it's not just sex stuff either. This kind of thing is what killed my enjoyment of the Devil may Cry reboot. It wasn't about if DmC was fun, it was about how it measured up to the old games, and whether or not the haters were right. And now Ninja Theory - by all rights one of the best new developers of this generation - get to carry that stigma around even when they make something different. Their next game could be a visual novel about the life of a rice farmer, and the comments would STILL be cluttered with arguments about DmC.

And journalists are part of the problem. I know a lot of people call "hit-baiting" on articles that complain about sexism. But, complaining about complaints about sexism is just as juicy an article for getting hits. And even complaining about complaints about complaints about sexism, which is what I'm doing right now, can get a ton of hits. (Though I at least have the integrity to not use a sexy picture to draw in more people) What's honest and what will get more hits? "Dragon's Crown is a Great Game," or "Dragon's Crown is a Great Game, Despite Controversial Art?" I can't think of a news outlet that wouldn't go with the latter when posting to a site like ours.

I'm not advocating silence in these controversies. If a politician wants to ban a game, speak up. Keep giving Australia crap for refusing games classification. If a prominent critic is just plain getting their facts wrong, call them out. But if someone is a little put off by the art style, or, God forbid, wants to talk about games doing a poor job representing women, you don't have to rally the whole anti-censorship brigade. You're not obligated to immediately rush to the defense of smut, either, beyond the point that it has a right to exist. (but I look forward to serious plot and character analyses of Senran Kagura) Speak your mind, just don't be so damn insecure. Frankly, at this point, it looks like we're just trying to silence people who disagree with us. Dammit! I wish there was a word for that kind of thing!

Thanks for reading! And I hoped you like that "Senran Kagura Bust" joke, because I intend to run it into the ground like an EA franchise.