On Nuns and Headbutts

I wanted to briefly give my two cents in relation to the recent controversy over the latest trailer for Hitman: Absolution.

I don't want to link the trailer, because I personally can't much stomach seeing this particular style of violence* when it's directed towards women.  Is that a double standard?  Yes.  Is there a reasonable rationale for why I would harbor this double standard that would imply only the vaguest notion of hypocrisy to the most chiaroscuro of black-and-white thinkers?  Of course.

But for those of you who haven't already seen the trailer, it features a gang of nuns trying to assassinate our beloved Agent 47... but surprise surprise... those aren't really nuns, they're hyper sexy dominatrix nuns!  The majority of the trailer depicts the lot of them being brutalized by Agent 47 in the typical fashion you would expect from a master assassin protecting himself.  The imagery is very graphic, yet presented in a real-world style that keeps any element of over-the-topness from easing the blow of the imagery.

Now, I'm a bit late with my comment, and there are many others who have spoken about this before, so I'll be brief.  Basically I just wanted to say: IO Interactive, if you really wanted to make your trailer controversial and shocking, you should have had those nun assassins be actual nuns and not fetish models.  I mean, this industry has seen enough slut-shaming sexualized violence and tear down of powerful women that this is just another drop in the bucket.  But actual nuns getting messed up... that would be a new one.


* Yes, there are different "styles" of violence exhibited in various examples of pop culture, some of which are easier to tolerate than others.  I know most of you would know that, but I feel there are many people who would require such an explanation.

Let's Continue...

A year ago I created this blog with the sole purpose of staying "active" in a literary sense during the summer.  The concept was to combine my love for gaming with a generalized idea that games could develop into so much more on an artistic and sociological level.  However, I soon found that while I was working on this blog, I was less likely to be working on writing fiction, which is more align with my true passions. 

But now, I feel more or less like returning to this blog from time-to-time, as my old remedy of simply formatting my musings on pop culture into Facebook status updates is, once again, no longer efficient.

So after a year of additional experience, how shall I best start again?  I think the best answer would be to return to my first aim when I started this blog: explaining where I think some games may in the future evolve.  Before, I had trouble wording what I wanted to say, but now I think I have a better grasp on it.

Sharing: Stereotypes of Native Americans in Video Games

I'm quite the fan of Sociological Images, but when they bring up the topic of gaming, I admit I feel a little nervous. However, today I read this article, about a specific topic I think about frequently:

Sociological Images: Stereotypes of Native Americans in Video Games

I don't have anything to add, other than I really appreciate the comprehensive video, and I hope you will get something out of it as well!

A Response to Philip Zimbardo: "The demise of guys?"

A friend shared this on Facebook and I found it rather interesting and provoking, so I thought I would share it here as well:

http://www.ted.com/talks/zimchallenge.html


Now, by no means does this offend me in anyway, I feel that I may be an exception to the population Zimbardo is referring do. So I don't particularly have an urge to defend myself as a gamer, but I do have a bit of an urge to defend the medium once again.

The Building Blocks of Life

Hello my comrades, my sincerest apologizes for the absence. I'm thinking of making an entry detailing my disappearance, but meh. Just know that this is how my brain works, jumping from one creative project to the next. Flighty? Perhaps, but without the promise of monetary or academic reward, I don't like being chained down by my own work.

So anyway, I was motivated to start a new post after reading this on Kotaku... (yes yes, two entries in a row where I've linked to the same site, I'll keep that to a minimum from now on)

How legit is this? Even if this fails to live up to the quality that Euclideon is promising, how can you not have immense respect for the resemblance that Point Cloud Data has to actual organic life in the real world? It's so breathtaking... the possibilities are absolutely awe inspiring!

What does it say about technology when it begins to render reality in the same way as the universe? This is way bigger than video games. Spiritual comes close to describing it, but that's not quite accurate.

Perhaps I'm being histrionic or abstract, but these implications are just far too fascinating. But, as for the actual uses, I suppose time will tell.

For some interesting perspective, you might find this interesting as well...

My Deepest Sympathies

I just want to begin by expressing my most deepest and sincere sympathies to the victims of the Oslo, Norway terrorist attacks. The acts were despicable and tragic, but I feel completely unqualified to make comments on them.

As I type this, I consider my reasons for doing so... this Kotaku article more or less sums it up, so please give it a read.

Now I ponder why I would even bother publicly stating my own personal feelings on this matter, clearly it is because of the "gamer angle". And well honestly, it feels on the verge of being crass.

What's important here is that citizens were murdered... and not just citizens, but children. All in the name of ideology and in aggressive "defense" of said ideals.

That said, as of the present, I have little to say regarding gamers and the attacks. In my best attempts to be respectful as possible, I don't choose to invoke the deaths of one hundred innocent humans to make a point about anything at this time.

Perhaps, in short time, there will be a day where it feels more appropriate to make a probing analytical comment, but it is not now... but I speak only for myself. Events like this can help to put things into perspective, and there is a lot at the moment to consider.

But, I encourage all who are willing to use this as a catalyst to promote heightened understanding in your own local community. And to Norwegians and all those around the planet who have lost those who are most important to you, know that my love and thoughts are with you... for whatever that's worth.

Passage

Maybe it's just a unique night, but this is the first time that I can think of that I was moved to tears by a game.

That's all I really need to say, download here: Passage