Topic

Glitch: Too estrogen driven to attract male players?

So, I'm a 35 year old guy with a wife and kids who was invited to play this game several weeks ago by someone at Tiny Speck. I immediately found the game to be fun enough to play as a casual experience, but I honestly have been losing interest as quickly as I progress due to the feeling that it has little or no appeal for males to play.

Glitch has a lot of potential for many kinds of people, but I honestly feel it is focusing in on the 10 to 30-something female, thus limiting its appear to the other gender ENTIRELY. If I hung my masculinity on the wall and just played Glitch, I could easily spend hours of having endless fun with this game, but I am all too often reminded of how this game is NOT geared for men. Whats more, even my wife laughed when she saw me playing this during the EOTW party, asking if I was going homo on her.

So, while I could cite several examples of how this game personally makes me unattracted to it, I'll just offer the following obvious examples as seen while visiting the site:

1) Pastels, everywhere!
Is this really necessary right down to character customization? I mean come on, this is fine in San Francisco and NYC, but as stated before: No appeal for the manly figure.

Perhaps a customizable skin chooser for the game's frame, a set of "REI-like" clothing choices and less effeminate choices would help. The awards are atrociously gag-worthy... pink buttons for planting beans or cooking... lovely: beta.glitch.com/achievements/

2) Subscribers are designated as pink hearts.
Most men (who prefer women) would not be comfortable with this and I doubt that they would buy a membership strictly because of it.

Almost anything at this point would be preferable, seriously. You can go to the grocery store and watch many men pass up on purchasing products that offer immediate donations to breast cancer. It has nothing with support the cause and everything to do with the fact that it's a pink ribbon.

3) Characters, while cartoony, lack any wardrobe or vanity customizations that would be considered masculine in ANY way.
From feathers to MORE pastels to kilts and pumps, I see nothing here created by a straight male.

Simply have a man make some shirts with sports, trucks or booze on them... add basic sneekers and steal toe boots... might help just a *wee-bit*.
 
Bash me if you will, but I am not trying to say the game sucks as much as I am trying to offer constructive criticism as to why this game will lack male players, especially ones whom have insecurities about maintaining their masculinity (which is a majority of men). If you note, I am also trying to offer suggestions to make it more appealing to the potential male players out there.

Posted 17 months ago by c0mad0r Subscriber! | Permalink

Replies

  • 1) Estrogen is a hormone that everyone has in their body.  It has NOTHING to do with cultural tropes regarding gender.  No inanimate objects are driven by hormones at this time, and I guarantee you that none of the game servers run on estrogen.

    2) Why does it matter if you have a wife and kids? Does this have a bearing on your opinions regarding the game?

    3) Even people who swear by demographics and targeting "markets" would laugh uproariously at including females between 10 and "30-something" in a single group.

    4) Your opinions do not match the opinions of all men.  No one should presume to speak for the entirety of a social group. 

    5) I've seen a vast variety of customization options that do not include pastels.  Even assuming that there are a lot of people who are terrified of pastel colors that we would want included in this community, they have a significant number of ever-expanding options.  Corollary: How are the choices "effeminate"? Please explain citing concrete examples. 

    6) You're free to never look at the awards if some of them having a pink background upsets you so much.

    7) Most men, whether or not they prefer women, are a) not threatened by the color of a tiny icon and b) aware that pink is a traditional color for the heart symbol.  Most men do not have irrational fears of any color in my experience.

    8) Did you know that the male population of Scotland, like other countries, is comprised mostly of straight men? Males of all sorts of preferences and identifications wear kilts and it doesn't change who they're attracted to.  Also, I would love to see what happens if you were to visit to one of the many Scottish festivals that happen yearly around the US and say there that kilts are effeminate/not manly/whichever synonym you'd like to use.  Call us from the hospital to let us know how it went. Corollary 1: I've yet to see sports or trucks exist in this game. Corollary 2: There are a LOT of basic sneaker options. Corollary 3: I'm a woman (ooh, and I'm married with a kid too! respect my heteronormativity!) and I'd love steel-toed boots.  Guess they must be estrogen-driven too, eh? Or would they only be too girly if they were pink? Pastel? I should request steel-toed boots that are covered in flowers in your honor. Corollary 4: Questioning the sexual preferences of the artists and designers that have worked on this game makes it that much harder to take anything you say seriously.

    9) The majority of men do not, in fact, have insecurities about themselves, especially not ones that would make them run screaming from tiny pink hearts or the option to have feathers on something.  Corollary: Why is it that you seem to assume that everything that does not conform perfectly to the stereotypical "manly man" John Wayne-esque ideal is both for straight men and that "manly/male identity/etc" is something only straight men possess?

    I'm not bashing you personally, and I want to make that very clear.  I find it unfortunate that you subscribe to the idea that certain things are masculine or feminine or comprise a male or female identity by virtue of being a certain color or shape, and I hope that someday you'll choose to educate yourself on why that isn't true.  There is an endless variety of personal tastes, and while some of them are societally shaped, people are free to move beyond that.

    You don't speak for all men, most men, or even many men.  If there are actually men who feel this way, they are perfectly capable of speaking up for themselves.  However, your statement of "it's not for ME, really" holds about as much water as "it's not mine, I was holding it for a friend." Outside of after-school specials, that almost never happens.  I'm willing to accept it as a possibility, but I'm not going to hang up my skepticism on your say-so, especially when it has the shining appearance of backtracking.

    Finally, I want everyone to watch this short clip: www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jid...; I promise it's topical and completely worth it.
    Posted 17 months ago by Magic Monkey Subscriber! | Permalink
  • "Slowly I turned...step by step..."

    you're not answering the question.

    have you ever had someone throw rocks at you while calling you a homo because of the way you dress?
    Posted 17 months ago by striatic Subscriber! | Permalink
  • @striatic - I'm not @Biff Beef bat, but I have had this happen to me. Do I count? I have had things thrown from cars as the passenger shouted "faggot", or "homo". I even had a couple seem to try to hit me with their cars from behind. I remember once this was in a hot evening in Texas, I was wearing a pretty common pair of shorts, a simple t-shirt, and tennis shoes. I have NEVER had a boyfriend. I have had several girlfriends, a previous fiancĂ©e, and a wife of seven years. I find I focus more readily on the females in my vicinity though I'm reasonably friendly with any males.

    @Biff Beef bat - My "IMHO" comment was intentionally humorous. I'm pretty consistent with the use of the ":p" or ":P" smileys to indicate a comment or statement is intended to be humorous or in jest.
    Posted 17 months ago by Fokian Fool Subscriber! | Permalink
  • @ Biff -- "The game itself is laced with enough innuendo that any player could reasonably expect that this crowd could handle a little political incorrectness and concentrate on the content of the feedback."

    That's true to an extent; however, it seems that the content and purpose of the OP's feedback wasn't simply to request for more male items.  That would have generated positive discussion.  Rather, the content of the feedback was that the average male doesn't like the game because of pastels and hearts and a lack of sports/trucks/beer/whatever macho items.

    Saying we should have more of these items and less pink and hearts is one thing; implying that these are necessary to appeal to the average male is quite another.  There were also some pretty clear implications that if you're not straight you're not a real man.  I'm not gay, but I can certainly understand how this could easily be seen as offensive.  

    Frankly, if OP wants more male items, there's a more productive way to suggest it than stereotyping and insinuating hateful things. Although they may have a legitimate point, the method they used to portray it was not original and thoughtful; rather, I feel that it's stale and a step backwards as far as today's society is concerned.
    Posted 17 months ago by Sir Soleil Subscriber! | Permalink
  • I totally agree, Blitz.  I find the game interesting specifically because it has different vibe.  I think the style does a good job of self-selecting the audience, although that probably also has something to do with the nature of the invites.

    The existence of actual females is also a bit of a selling point.

    I think what's clever is that, at the base of it, it's a typical grind MMORPG, but the presentation makes it much more palatable to players who otherwise have no interest in "go and kill 20 slorgs and bring me the Sword of Grimdaggery" quests.  But really, engine-wise, it's exactly the same.

    Also, striatic, I didn't answer your question because I consider it to be so utterly ridiculous in this context to be unworthy of response.  If you think the OP's wife intended to commit a hate crime or you equate the initial feedback with legitimate discriminatory behavior, I honestly have nothing constructive to say about that.
    Posted 17 months ago by Biff Beefbat Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Oh, and Biff Beefbat? He did present it in an offensive and hurtful way. He clearly and repeatedly insinuated that anyone who disagreed with his assertions was either gay (which he clearly views as a bad thing) or not a "real" man or perhaps not "masculine".  He defined a rigid set of stereotypes and insisted that men would never be interested in something geared primarily toward women or outside of those rigid stereotypes at all.  He attempted to insult the devs by questioning their sexuality (which, if one views gay as being bad, is obviously intended to be mean), and he appears to believe that every place he might visit should cater to his... sorry, not his, just other guys, y'know... personal tastes because there can't be places that aren't FOR MANLY MEN! and somehow the ability to walk around with nothing more than chest hair and tighty whiteys isn't a masculine enough option because there's PINK on a badge that you only see in game once!  There are plenty of other points that were offensive in the OP, but those were the primary and most obvious ones.  If you can't see how those things are offensive, then I can't help you.  Also, accusing people who are obviously offended of "looking for something to be outraged over" is incredibly dismissive and a painfully obvious attempt to try to silence people.  It's rude and also offensive.  Try not to belittle other people's genuine feelings in the future.
    Posted 17 months ago by Magic Monkey Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Woo. +1 to pretty much everything striatic, Hands, and Cerulean have said. Among others.

    Big -1 to OP and wife for this alone: "My wife thought it was 'gay' based on first perception, which prompted me to delve deeper into the idea that it may have too much emphasis on the effeminate."

    (Does anyone here really need to be told that in the Venn diagram depicting "effeminate" and "gay," the overlap is not total? Ditto the overlap between the "effeminate" and "what women do" circles? Do we even need to get into the extreme ciscentric, trans-invisibling effects of saying something "effeminate" is "estrogen-driven"?)

    And hooray to everyone who is calling out the OP and his supporters for using "homo" and "gay" as derogatory terms. Hooray to everyone who calls bullshit on that silencing tactic they use, telling us that we somehow lack a sense of humor because we don't find gay-baiting funny.

    This whole conversation is reminding me of the Privileged Straight Male Game Dude complained to Bioware about the non-heterosexual romance options in Dragon Age II. Oh noez! There is a game out there that doesn't just cater to the stereotypical straight male population! There is a game in which gays and lesbians too can see themselves reflected! Oh alack and woe! There is a game that tells GLBT people and non-gender-conforming people that they are welcome at the table! Oh teh horrorz! A Privileged Straight Male Dudebro might see things that aren't to his taste! Gods know there's nowhere else in the world that the Dudebro could possibly find a game that's more masculine and hetero and stuff!

    Except maybe 95% of the effin' rest of the world.

    But that's not enough! Because if there is anywhere a Privileged Straight Male might accidentally, without looking for it, stumble upon a hint that gay people are in the world! and so are straight people whose tastes fall outside the heteronormative! why then, that means they are being oppressed!

    And that puling backpedaling "Oh, don't worry, I don't really BELIEVE that, I just wanted to get a conversation going" tripe? On the rest of the web, we call that "trolling." It is generally frowned upon.
    Posted 17 months ago by Vortexae Subscriber! | Permalink
  • The OP had an opinion, which of course he is allowed to have. I just think that he presented it in a very offensive manner.

    I just hope that we can all settle down and try not to take things too far here. I love this community and I hope we can all move past this.
    Posted 17 months ago by Lung Subscriber! | Permalink
  • "Also, striatic, I didn't answer your question because I consider it to be so utterly ridiculous in this context to be unworthy of response.  If you think the OP's wife intended to commit a hate crime or you equate the initial feedback with legitimate discriminatory behavior, I honestly have nothing constructive to say about that."

    oh you're good. "hate crime"?

    yeah. because if i call someone out for saying something totally insensitive, i'm accusing them of committing a hate crime.

    you have a very active imagination.

    this is a standard tactic by which the person condoning the derogatory point of view tries to imply that they, in fact, are the persecuted one.

    just because it isn't a "hate crime" doesn't mean that it isn't insensitive, wrongheaded, offensive dribble.

    now answer my question.

    have you ever had someone throw rocks at you while calling you a homo because of the way you dress?
    Posted 17 months ago by striatic Subscriber! | Permalink
  • I do hope y'all go click that link. Here's a taste, a quote I think is really apropos:

    "You can write it off as 'political correctness' if you wish, but the truth is that privilege always lies with the majority. They're so used to being catered to that they see the lack of catering as an imbalance. They don't see anything wrong with having things set up to suit them, what's everyone's fuss all about?"

    from Bioware staff member David Gaider. Bolding mine. He puts it a lot better than I just did.

    That link again: www.afterelton.com/other/20...

    Another article about the subject, in support of Gaider's position: phyrra.net/2011/03/why-biow...
    Posted 17 months ago by Vortexae Subscriber! | Permalink
  • To paraphrase the original post:

    "this game is too homosexual for me, it's making me feel insecure about my own sexuality, and it needs more cowaduty and trucks so i don't turn gay because that's baaaaad"

    Just saying.

    :/
    Posted 17 months ago by Luk Subscriber! | Permalink
  • The OP was still feeling hurt and shame over being called "gay" simply for doing something he really enjoyed by someone he has strong feelings for. And this came through in his initial post. He's worked to correct this in later posts. He's a responsible, mature man who was just working through normal reactions to some abuse. It is a common victim response to try to justify the actions of their abuser. If you bothered to read one of my previous postings on this thread you'll see I've been through this myself all too often. I'm fully expecting the OP to try to protect his psycho-sexual abuser and deny any abuse to have occurred. Just for the record, I am a licensed counselor in my state. I don't normally practice, but I am trained.
    Posted 17 months ago by Fokian Fool Subscriber! | Permalink
  • "If you think the OP's wife intended to commit a hate crime"

    Intent! It's effin' MAGIC!

    "or you equate the initial feedback with legitimate discriminatory behavior"

    Because using "gay" as a derogatory term can't legitimately be considered discriminatory behavior. Supporting the societal narrative that "gay" is bad and that all games should cater to the stereotypical macho straight male can't legitimately be considered discriminatory. In fact, nothing can actually be considered discriminatory if it's less serious than the murder of Matthew Sheppard. Right?

    (Hey, I think I'm getting the hang of this "sarcasm" thing!)
    Posted 17 months ago by Vortexae Subscriber! | Permalink
  • If it were not for this post, I would not have taken a second look at that chest hair shirt.  Now, I'm female, but seriously ... I'm buying that thing.  The blond one preferably, as I'm still set on keeping Kipple relatively albino.

    Yeppers, that's some sexy stuff.

    I mean, who DOESN'T like chest hair?
    Posted 17 months ago by Kipple Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Fokian, you're a licensed counselor?! That's amazing! I'm working towards licensure, myself.

    And I see abuse, a lot, too. And I agree that this (emotional/psychological) is what occurred, though, if you really think about it, the abuse is also society abusing its individuals. If society did not abuse people into believing that same-sex relationships or boys liking pink were wrong, this would most likely never have occurred. And I must also disagree with your point that the OP is "responsible."
    Posted 17 months ago by Cerulean Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Fokian, you make a good point. I think that is what happened. It still doesn't excuse the fact that people were genuinely very offended by his comments. Hopefully the OP realizes this and is mature enough to acknowledge his offenses.

    @ Kipple: You are RIGHT. I never even noticed it before... you can get GINGER CHEST HAIR.
    Posted 17 months ago by Lung Subscriber! | Permalink
  • This is getting into parallel-universe levels of absurdity, which I have no interest in pursuing.

    In the interest of lightening the mood, I offer this video which is offensive to just about everyone, but still funny.  NSFW, NSFH, NSFanywhere.  Consider yourself warned.

    Anyway, I hope some of you enjoy it, and maybe get turned on to a good show.
    Posted 17 months ago by Biff Beefbat Subscriber! | Permalink
  • My license is an interesting one and I didn't get it through "normal" channels. But it is legitimate, strongly protected under U.S. law, with full client privilege equal to attorney privilege. Any practice is within a limited context, but within that context it's actually valid anywhere in the U.S. and not subject to any individual state licensing board. Only the issuing organization can strip me of it, and there are no indications of it happening in the near future.

    With regards to the OP I used the term "responsible" because he has given me cause to believe that that is his normal conduct. Abuse victims commonly show irresponsible conduct shortly afterwards, but that does not reflect their overall pattern of conduct. I'm very much against victim blaming here.
    Posted 17 months ago by Fokian Fool Subscriber! | Permalink
  • It remains that however much insecurity the OP is working through, bless him, his initial reaction to being slammed for being "too gay" was to suggest that Glitch be made "less gay."

    I hope now he understands that the real problem isn't Glitch's pastels but rather the way homophobia in a heteronormative culture hurts everyone. I hope he learns that it is better to fight the injustices in our society and confront the people who slam him for being "too gay"... rather than to perpetuate those injustices by writing posts full of gay-baiting and hurtful stereotypes.
    Posted 17 months ago by Vortexae Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Wait guys, the chest hair comes with a 6 pack! Gotta get it.
    Posted 17 months ago by Lung Subscriber! | Permalink
  • IT STARTED OFF IN PARALLEL UNIVERSE LEVELS OF ABSURDITY JUST FYI.

    And Fokian, when I hear the term "victim blaming" I usually hear it in the context that the victim of abuse (the OP, in this case) is at fault for being involved in the abuse in the first place. Which I don't agree with (meaning, I don't agree that it is his fault for being in an abusive relationship). Regardless, if we're going to go with the argument that he's being abusive here on Glitch because his wife is abusive to him, then I'll redirect you to my argument that we can't blame her, either, because society is abusive to both of them and society is truly to blame. And who is to blame for that? I'm not going to go there. (AND NO I WASN'T GOING TO SAY OBAMA, lmao)
    Posted 17 months ago by Cerulean Subscriber! | Permalink
  • It seems YouTube is down. :(
    Posted 17 months ago by Fokian Fool Subscriber! | Permalink
  • I was going to say something about how it's the little things that wear us down, and how allowing the little things to continue somehow makes bad things eventually seem okay, but holy crap if Vortexae's link to the Magical Intent post didn't just hit that right in the gut.

    And here is where I relink it in case you missed it, because you really should read it.

    No, nobody expects folks to be psychic and know in advance what's gonna make someone feel bad or put someone else in an uncomfortable/unacceptable/dangerous situation, but someone's intent is far too often used as an excuse to just ignore a situation rather than apologize and perhaps even consider modifying one's future behaviour. And sure, not every situation like this is gonna be an optimal teaching moment, but hell, if you're gonna just charge through your life like the proverbial bull in a china shop, I'd appreciate if you didn't charge anywhere near mine.

    tl;dr: don't backpedal; consider whether you really want to reverse to the spot that had people calling you out in the first place.

    I never thought that it would even be a discussion in Global Chat about whether it was OK to use "gay" as an equivalent to *insert bad thing here*, let alone that I'd be chastised that such use was "progressive" and I needed to "get over it." And yet, that's exactly what happened this test. I was really hoping to avoid that sort of attitude here at least until after the game went live, but alas, it is not to be. Poop just got real.

    I was really hoping to be able to suspend my general misanthropy here in Glitch, but it's these little things that are really tearing down the wires suspending it.
    Posted 17 months ago by Jennyanydots Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Oh my god. Someone is voicing their opinion on the forums - pretty sure the point of beta testing. If you don't like it, start another thread with your opinion.
    Posted 17 months ago by Taylor Swift Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Taylor, as we've clearly stated, it's not just an opinion, it's an oppressive statement. And if you really feel that way, I'm surprised you haven't taken your own advice.
    Posted 17 months ago by Cerulean Subscriber! | Permalink
  • @Taylor Swift - They usually do. :)

    I know it's off-topic, but is anyone else experiencing problems accessing YouTube?
    Posted 17 months ago by Fokian Fool Subscriber! | Permalink
  • I'll just be glad when I wake up tomorrow and the devs see this and will have locked it or AT LEAST commented. That will be interesting. And then all the ignoramuses will be crying "CENSORSHIP!" Pfft.
    Posted 17 months ago by Cerulean Subscriber! | Permalink
  • oh and by the way i think i need to come out of the closet about something ..

    it should be known that .. I LIKE WATCHING NASCAR.

    i think i've always known that i liked watching NASCAR from the time i was a small child and saw Dale Earnhardt's black number 3 Chevrolet leading the field on the cable TV.

    oh, i tried to enjoy open wheel racing in my teen years .. i really did! F1 .. Indy Cars .. i tried watching them all but something always felt 'wrong' - if you know what i mean.

    all i can ask i that my fellow glitches respect my passion for Kasey Kahne's #4 Red Bull Camry.

    ok so he drives a Toyota now! whatever! don't judge me! he's from Enumclaw Washington and i've got to back my local boy... er .. i've got to have my local boy's back .. er .. ok that will never come out sounding right but look .. i like NASCAR and my driver rides a Camry.

    mine truly is the love that dare not speak its name.
    Posted 17 months ago by striatic Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Can't we all just get along?
    Posted 17 months ago by napabeth Subscriber! | Permalink
  • @Fokian, I've got no problems WRT accessing YouTube here...
    Posted 17 months ago by Jennyanydots Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Uhm, no Cerulean, actually I dont think that playing the victim is the best choice of action here. Its just annoying. I'm just as gay as you are & I don't feel offended or oppressed that someone thinks this game is too girly for them. For someone who has done 'research' you should know that men harbor varying degrees of masculine norms. His is higher than mine, and higher than yours. As a person who is so pleading to be accepted, how about you give a shot at accepting others? The only reason this thread will be closed is because of people changing its direction. Not because of the OP's original statement.
    Posted 17 months ago by Taylor Swift Subscriber! | Permalink
  • I wish we could, napabeth, but, again, it was the OP who was offensive to begin with!

    I don't like Nascar but I like putting together furniture. Is that enough to salvage my claim to Testosterone?

    Also, I just went to the bathroom and even though I still love men I didn't see no "lady parts" down there. I think that's important to note.
    Posted 17 months ago by Cerulean Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Uhm, no, Taylor, I'm not being narrow-minded or intolerant of anything less than hate or bigotry. I'm sick of people telling me that I'm just looking to be offended. I'm sorry things roll off your back so easily, but that doesn't mean I have to let myself be a carpet. I'm not playing the victim when I actually am the victim, and frankly, you can kiss my ass for telling me my feelings are unjustified and invalid.

    And it's not just about being "too girly." I know you may agree with gender roles more than I do, but that doesn't mean he has any right to say that the pastels in this game have anything to do with the levels of estrogen. Also, you don't know me or how gay I am, so how dare you tell me that you're just as gay as I am? Stop being such a presumptuous ass.
    Posted 17 months ago by Cerulean Subscriber! | Permalink
  • And surely people responding to the OP's opinion is also part of the point of beta testing.

    OP: "I don't like Feature X because Reason Y."

    Commenter 1: "I agree! Here's another reason."

    Commenter 2: "Mm, I actually enjoy Feature x, because Reason Z."

    Thus the devs get to see what a sample set of players think about Feature X. And that's pretty much what's going on here. The OP didn't like the gender-neutral and non-macho feel of Glitch; one or two others agreed; meanwhile many others said that the thing the OP was complaining about was, to them, a desirable feature that made Glitch unique and fun. I see no reason why Commenter 1 is welcome in the thread but Commenter 2 should start a new thread or STFU.

    Of course, there's also the issue about how the OP, in expressing his opinion, was pretty damn insulting to QUILTBAG people as well as to straight men who don't fit his idea of "what any self-respecting man" is like. And I think that sort of bigotry is fair game to call him out on.

    Expressions of bigotry oughtn't to be allowed to hide behind "It's just an opinion! Why are you so intolerant of my opinion?"
    Posted 17 months ago by Vortexae Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Also, I'd like to call Taylor Swift out for victim blaming, just FYI.

    And good, if the thread gets closed for derailing. I'm throwing myself a party for that. AMEN TO ME.
    Posted 17 months ago by Cerulean Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Vortexae, careful. Hisotrically, Taylor Swift has identified as a QUILTBAG individual and clearly he doesn't want any of the rest of us speaking for him, so let's just clarify that. A LOT of QUILTBAG individuals would be offended. MOST, in fact. But some, not so much.
    Posted 17 months ago by Cerulean Subscriber! | Permalink
  • And tonight's random scapegoat is... ding! ding! ding! Taylor Swift! Yay! Take a bow, Taylor Swift. :)
    Posted 17 months ago by Fokian Fool Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Oh. Youtube is back up for me. Very odd.
    Posted 17 months ago by Fokian Fool Subscriber! | Permalink
  • As a married (to a dude) pansexual artist chick with ass length hair, sitting here in a gray army workout shirt, hunter green armwarmers, bare feet, and ripped blue jeans, the OP sounds exactly like he's describing the sort of jackass male/female gamer I DON'T want to share a socially oriented game with. 

    And I'm hoping that my sexually ambiguous tendencies being visible while I say how much I LOVE Glitch will seriously run off every stereotyped he-man and gamer-chick-bitch who can't handle a game with no fighting and pastel colors without feeling like they have to make stupid comments about their threatened masculinity/badassery.

    Oh, and for the record, I detest pink on nearly anything but genitals, cat tongues, and newborns. 
    It's not a girly thing, I just don't like the color. And yes, I find ways to donate to breast cancer research that don't involve acquiring pink crap. If it was blue, I'd probably donate more because I like blue.
    Posted 17 months ago by Murri Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Hahahaha @ Are there levels of being gay? Last I checked I liked dick. That was it. Gosh. For someone who wants people to like them so much you suck at it. The only thing that offended me in this thread was you and the fact that you will be putting us two steps back for my entire life.
    Posted 17 months ago by Taylor Swift Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Actually, yes, many poeple identify sexuality as being part of a spectrum. And every time you participate in a discussion with me you really seem to be misinformed, regardless. And Taylor, the only one stalling progress for us here would be you. Of course you won't agree with me. Of course you'll blame me. I can't expect much more from someone so ignorant.
    Posted 17 months ago by Cerulean Subscriber! | Permalink
  • +1 to Cerulean.

    It's definitely a spectrum.
    Posted 17 months ago by Murri Subscriber! | Permalink
  • "I don't feel offended or oppressed that someone thinks this game is too girly for them."

    in fairness Taylor, i don't think that's what is at issue.

    it isn't so much about the game being not masculine enough as it is about the implication that the game only appeals to "San Francisco and NYC" men, that a straight man playing glitch is "going homo" and that none of the wardrobe items were created by a "straight male".

    all of these assumptions are demonstrably false and offensive in their context.
    Posted 17 months ago by striatic Subscriber! | Permalink
  • show. me. the. receipts.
    Posted 17 months ago by Taylor Swift Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Also, funny that someone might argue that people are liking me less because of this thread, considering the fact that I've gained more friends than lost because of it, LOL.
    Posted 17 months ago by Cerulean Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Thanks, Murri! Ilu. :D
    Posted 17 months ago by Cerulean Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Stri, I'm not a NASCAR fan myself, and I cannot know what it's like, but I did have an awkward time of it when my mother came out as an IndyCar fan when I was a teenager. I did have my own youthful affair with anything that rode my circuit, only to be chastised to get off the fence. ;)
    Posted 17 months ago by Jennyanydots Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Also @ Striatic, not everyone is as eloquent in the way they present their ideas as you are. I believe the OP is speaking in terms he is accustomed too, but his message is just to be unwrapped from them.
    Posted 17 months ago by Taylor Swift Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Maybe games would be a lot better if developers didn't lock in and target a specific demographic based on cultural stereotypes. Maybe doing that leads to a certain type of community that's hostile to others who aren't within that community. Maybe doing that leaves people out, makes girls think they can't play boys games, makes boys think they can't play girls games. Maybe doing that makes gamers of certain ethnicities, religions or gender identities feel left out.

    And maybe that leads to homogenous communities of gamers who see those outside of the target demographic as "other" and treats them as such. "You're not like us, and this game was made with us in mind." Maybe that's antithetical to building community.

    Maybe Glitch doesn't need to do that.

    Maybe Glitch is a better game (and a better community) for not doing that.
    Posted 17 months ago by Vaguity Subscriber! | Permalink
  • I think we should have a NASCAR thread open! That Jeff Gordon sure is sexy. ;)
    Posted 17 months ago by Cerulean Subscriber! | Permalink