Topic

Groping has no place in this game

Dear Glitch staff, Some of the game play, including quests and PC<->NPC interactions resemble, condone, and encourage sexual abuse. In no way is this acceptable. When plants and animals make comments about being squeezed, nibbled, petted, and/or watered, the comments should not be reminiscent of an interaction between a sexual predator and a victim of sexual violence. The comments should not be sexual at all. Quests should not rely on a character hugging, flirting with, kissing, or touching other characters, whether PC or NPC. Some examples of unacceptable content include the following types of dialogue and quests: "Getting handsy" "You make me wet" "More than enough petting" "Kiss 5 players" “Have we been introduced?” “Another squeeze, really?” When game play includes the above content, players are being socialized to accept nonconsensual sexual behavior as normal, and acceptable. When players learn to accept this behavior in the game, they are more likely to accept and attempt to justify the behavior in real life. Please change the dialogue and quests which currently resemble sexual advances to something more appropriate, or take them out completely. Thank you!

Posted 3 months ago by Dirigible Plum Subscriber! | Permalink

Replies

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  • Um, yeah.  This may not be the game for you.
    Posted 3 months ago by Mablem Tiipot Subscriber! | Permalink
  • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FvcJqcUlYTo
    Posted 3 months ago by Lucille Ball Subscriber! | Permalink
  • OK, you got me.
    Posted 3 months ago by Volkov Subscriber! | Permalink
  • images.cheezburger.com/comp...

    Also, stoot himself on the subject:
    www.glitch.com/snaps/PUVSR0...
    Posted 3 months ago by Jus​tin Subscriber! | Permalink
  • As Rufus said and I reiterate, this game is probably Not For You
    Posted 3 months ago by Hellyeah Subscriber! | Permalink
  • I can /kinda/ see your perspective, but really Glitch is mostly harmless, with a fun sense of humour. There may be a lot of unwanted harassment in the real world, but in a utopia everyone would hug and kiss each other, trees included.
    Posted 3 months ago by xLIFEx Subscriber! | Permalink
  • I'm sorry, but I don't think because I got an unsolicited "kiss" in Glitch, I would ever accept that in RL? Or that cartoon piggies liking "nibbling" makes me think....what, exactly, in RL? Or the wood trees, with all their "wood" jokes? There is so much innuendo in Glitch that you would have to rewrite basically all conversations if you left that out.

    At the same time, this trivialises RL problems and experiences. It is exactly the belittling kind of stance that those friends of mine who *have* been victims of abuse/harrassment really really don't like - the sexual equivalent of Godwin's Law, if you want.

    (If I thought Glitch had ANY repercussions on what I think about RL, I couldn't play it anyway- I don't eat pork, and in Glitch, everything is "pork tainted" ;-))
    Posted 3 months ago by Alyx Sands Subscriber! | Permalink
  • I can see your point except the big point, which seems to be " The comments should not be sexual at all."  I disagree.

    Yes, if they condone or insinuate sexual harassment, well, then that could be something to look at.

    But, when one player thinks a sexual remark is the same as a sexual-harassment related remark, that is entirely different. I don't see anything wrong with sexuality, getting wet or being aroused.

    Now, if I squeeze a chicken and it says "No means no", maybe I can see the argument.  I just don't think I've seen that in this game.  I actually like the comments and don't find them harassing nor do I find them to be making fun of harassment.

    I think the sexual references are acceptable for the age requirements for game play.  14 year olds get aroused and talk about it and I don't think that has anything to do with harassment.

    I mean no offense, I just don't see the harassment connection.  I do, however, see the sexual connection.  I don't see anything wrong with sexual innuendo.

    ETA: "grope/grōp/Verb:Feel about or search blindly or uncertainly with the hands.Noun:An act of fondling someone for sexual pleasure.
    "  Just because I'd like to clarify that there is no need for groping to be negative.  Touching can be positive.
    Posted 3 months ago by Minkey Subscriber! | Permalink
  • What everybody above me has said ^^^ This seems like a non-issue to me.
    Posted 3 months ago by Djabriil Subscriber! | Permalink
  • I don't think censoring Glitch is the answer.  Before ever playing Glitch I frequently greeted friends with a big hello hug and maybe a platonic kiss.   Glitch didn't invent that custom.  Have you heard of the Free Hugs guy?  He offers hugs to strangers... to brighten their day.  I'd hug that guy in a heartbeat.  My point: hugs, kisses and flirting are not always predatory.   I've experienced sexual abuse and I had to learn to make that distinction.   
      
    The real world wrong of sexual abuse is complex.  I suspect even if we could instantly remove all innuendo everywhere (art, media, speech) it would not eradicate sex crime, unfortunately.   
    The responsibility ultimately lies with the individual who decides to harm another.       
    Posted 3 months ago by Ooola Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Our avatars don't have secondary sex characteristics, much less genitalia, and our only "contact" with each other is via teddy bears or wooden planks (I suppose a case could be made for watering cans, but there isn't even a graphic for soaking someone), so in terms of adult video games, Glitch is visually benign.  Yes, there are lighthearted double entendres in a lot of the dialogue, but if you were to censor this game in the name of eliminating "aggressive" sexual influences on society, you'd also have to censor millions of books, games, television programs, films, and other works of art merely because they mention words which might be perceived in a sexual manner.

    Also, please note that this game is meant for adults.  (Children aged fourteen to seventeen may play only with parental consent.)  If you are at least fourteen and have not yet figured out that it's not nice to grope random strangers, or if you try to nibble real pigs because you're used to clicking the word "nibble" in a video game, you might want to seek professional help.
    Posted 3 months ago by glum pudding Subscriber! | Permalink
  •  All of the sexual innuendo and commentary and the touching in general in the game seems to be positive and consensual, with possibly the exception of chickens, who are really cranky. Glitchen use a teddy bear with fake lips to hug and kiss other Glitchen, so, in fact, that's *less* touchy than real life (especially if you live or visit a place like Quebec or France!).
    Posted 3 months ago by Faranae Subscriber! | Permalink
  • If other PCs are accepting of the interaction, that is one thing. But when the NPC/creature/plant says "Have we been introduced?", "You're getting handsy", and other such comments after petting, that is absolutely referencing an uninvited touch, and alluding to what someone in RL would say in that circumstance. This is normalizing sexual harassment.
    Posted 3 months ago by Dirigible Plum Subscriber! | Permalink
  • This is a troll, right? Please tell me it's a troll.
    Posted 3 months ago by Djabriil Subscriber! | Permalink
  • I think so. I don't know what else to call a newish player who comes in saying "In no way is this acceptable," in a topic directed at TS, who are the sole arbiters of what is and isn't acceptable here.
    Posted 3 months ago by Jus​tin Subscriber! | Permalink
  • If you are not taking this seriously, the behavior has already been normalized for you and you aren't seeing that it is actually harmful.
    Posted 3 months ago by Dirigible Plum Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Sexual harassment is not acceptable anywhere, TS doesn't get to decide that. TS gets to decide whether or not to promote it in this game; I am strongly urging them not to.
    Posted 3 months ago by Dirigible Plum Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Sounds like someone is looking forward to women's studies 102 this fall!  

    I just need to say I love Minkey.  Such a great post, sums up how I feel perfectly.
    Posted 3 months ago by Annettee Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Considering you're the only person who thinks it's harmful... maybe it isn't? It's just a game. As much as I hate to say it, if you find the contents of the game offensive, I've gotta agree with the original few replies that this just might not be the place for you.

    Edit: And everyone else in this topic wants the innuendo to stay. If someone put up a vote for it, and an overwhelming majority voted to keep it, would you be satisfied that democracy won?
    Posted 3 months ago by Jus​tin Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Just because more than 50% of people want to do something harmful does not negate its harm, democratic process or not. PCs should still be free to interact with other PCs as those contributing to this discussion have noted. The text from NPCs however, is still problematic and should be addressed, as I have noted. 
    Posted 3 months ago by Dirigible Plum Subscriber! | Permalink
  • By your standards, something is problematic if even one person dislikes it. If TS removed everything problematic (by your definition) from the game, there would be no more Glitch.

    (for what it's worth, you're actually not the first to complain about the dialogue of NPC's; I think I recall someone else who did so and the text in question actually got removed... it's a shame; I thought the dialogue was funny)
    Posted 3 months ago by Jus​tin Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Most of the game is not problematic, I never said it was. I am saying that game play resembling sexual harassment is harmful and should be changed or removed. There are maybe 5 out of all of the NPC statements I have come across so far in the game which resemble sexual harassment and should be addressed by the staff.
    Posted 3 months ago by Dirigible Plum Subscriber! | Permalink
  • One of the first things that I really noticed was great about Glitch is how physical contact between avatars is mediated by the Emotional Bear.  There's a good chance I would be uncomfortable in a game where strangers ran up to me and kissed me, even though it's a game.  But in Glitch, an adorable stuffed bear hugs and kisses me and has never made me uncomfortable!  The Emotional Bear is one of the things that makes Glitch a safer physical space for me personally and I think it's a great element of the game's design.

    +1 to Mickey for clarifying that sexual content does not automatically equal sexual abuse, specifically for this line: "I don't see anything wrong with sexuality, getting wet or being aroused".

    However, like Mickey, I am also open to the idea that specific sexual comments in Glitch could be oppressive and triggering, although I can't personally think of any.  For example, if there were comments made by NPCs that imply sexual non-consent, I'm pretty crazy not OK with that and would not pay for or play a game with that content.  I'm speaking hypothetically here because they could exist without me personally having noticed them.  Because of that, I think it's a little unfair to respond to the OP with dismissal of the idea that this could even be a thing.  Even if it doesn't exist now, it's possible.  Mistakes happen.  And if at some point a comment made by a tree or a rock crosses that line - or if one already does - it SHOULD be talked about and we should be advocating for it's removal.

    I also respectfully strongly disagree with this idea: "At the same time, this trivialises RL problems and experiences."  I don't know how to describe how I know that this is wrong - it's certainly a comment I've heard before and is said with good intentions - but I just feel like it's better to encourage people to talk about when they feel unsafe.  In my opinion, being disrespectful towards people who initiate dialog about sexual harassment or abuse is something that much more concretely trivializes the reality and prevalence of abuse.
    Posted 3 months ago by Persephone Pear Subscriber! | Permalink
  • I never said that you said that the majority/entirety of the game is problematic. I said that if TS removed something every time one person had a problem with it (which would be the precedent set if they were to conform to your demands), they'd have to remove pretty much everything.

    As said by many before, Glitch is an adult game, with adult content. That's by design. There's plenty of games out there I dislike. I just accept that and play games that I do like. It's not my place to petition to change something that the overwhelming majority of people who play those games are in favor of.

    However, I really would suggest that you take a few days to think it over and give Glitch a chance. It's an awesome game, and if only five or so of the hundreds of NPC statements that exist offend you, that means the overwhelming majority don't; meaning the overwhelming majority actually cater to those who are offended by innuendo, but there's a few in there for those who can appreciate that sort of thing to enjoy.
    Posted 3 months ago by Jus​tin Subscriber! | Permalink
  • I think it's a little unfair to respond to the OP with dismissal of the idea that this could even be a thing.  Even if it doesn't exist now, it's possible.  Mistakes happen.  And if at some point a comment made by a tree or a rock crosses that line - or if one already does - it SHOULD be talked about and we should be advocating for it's removal.

    Op didn't add any examples, if there are some I sure would like to see them.  If this is an issue, examples should be sent to TS as well not posted on the Ideas forum.

    I also respectfully strongly disagree with this idea: "At the same time, this trivialises RL problems and experiences."  I don't know how to describe how I know that this is wrong - it's certainly a comment I've heard before and always seems to be said with good intentions - but I just feel like it's better to encourage people to talk about when they feel unsafe.  In my opinion, being disrespectful towards people who initiate dialog about sexual harassment or abuse is something that much more concretely trivializes the reality and prevalence of abuse.

    Why would you talk about this with strangers?  This seems to me a classic case of not knowing boundaries.  Someone has "issues" and TS needs to make it safe?  No, that's why the counselling profession exists.  To help us with irrational thoughts and behaviours.  If someone is harassing you in the game contact an admin or if the game is harassing you (cough) stop playing it and maybe seek professional help.
    Posted 3 months ago by Annettee Subscriber! | Permalink
  • OP actually did provide examples.
    "Getting handsy" "You make me wet" "More than enough petting" "Kiss 5 players" “Have we been introduced?” “Another squeeze, really?” 
    I don't remember any of those, although the person in question does have lower AK/Arborology skills. Not to mention, I don't find any of those offensive. I find them all hilarious.
    Posted 3 months ago by Jus​tin Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Oh, I meant examples that actually resemble, condone, and encourage sexual abuse.  I find those hilarious, too, and in no way sexually abusive.
    Posted 3 months ago by Annettee Subscriber! | Permalink
  • I am really disappointed that the initial reaction to this criticism is to tell a new player they shouldn't play. Glitch is not perfect and if it was then there wouldn't really be a need for an ideas forum. 

    I agree that sexual content is not automatically problematic sexual content, and that I personally enjoy some of that type of dialogue in the game, but it would have been really great to be able to discuss actual reasons why a particular phrase or dialogue is or is not problematic. Perhaps this would have been easier had the initial criticism listed the phrases directly. Or perhaps not since a lot of response to them coming out later has been to say that they are not offensive because "I'm not offended" or "I found that funny." Those are not reasons why something is non-offensive. That is dismissive. 

    Some of the examples listed above could be offensive depending on their context within the game. I'm not sure that they are, but I'm also not sure that all are totally fine either. If the forum discussion here became more thoughtful then the game developers could take into account players reasons for finding these comments offensive or non-offensive and make a more informed decision about whether to change the dialogue or what dialogue to change or could take this into account for future dialogue writing.

    It's up to TS to decide how important sexual jokes in the dialogue are to the game, but since most of the dialogue in question doesn't affect the actual game play I would hope they would err on the side of caution. I think Glitch is a great game and should be made as accessible as possible to as many people as possible.

    I would also like to thank the new player who posted this initially. I hope they don't regret posting here, even though some of the comments have not been kind to them. I for one hope they are able to continue playing the game regardless. Stay classy Glitchen!
    Posted 3 months ago by Fried Liver Attack Subscriber! | Permalink
  • I don't see anything abusive here. I see double entendres. My 11 year old, who regularly watches me play, sees only platonic or familial affection in kissing and hugging between Glitches. When she sees me nibble a pig, she thinks of me actually taking a bite from the pig, because pigs are food. When she sees me pet a pig, she thinks of affection shown to a pet. When she sees me squeeze a chicken, she thinks of it as a sort of bellows squeeze to make the grain come out (and who wouldn't argue with that every once in a while?)

    If you see sexually abusive language everywhere in the game, it is not because the game is promoting abuse. It is because your viewpoint is such that even otherwise innocent jokes, and mild entendres make you uncomfortable. Which isn't necessarily wrong, but it is one of those things that is not up to the rest of the world to solve for you.

    PS - If we were talking about something that was ACTUALLY abusive or promoting of abuse, say, a comedian who tells rape jokes - I would be 100% solidly in your corner, Dirigible. But as a survivor, I won't let innocent humor make me feel the same feelings as someone who thinks it is hilarious to make jokes of actually preying on others. The rest of the world is not out to get me. In an innocent place like Ur, we don't have to worry about such atrocities.
    Posted 3 months ago by Belle Z. Bub Subscriber! | Permalink
  • A. I don't think anyone meant it in a "go away" sense. More so an "if the game offends you, it would probably be best for you to play a game that does not" sense.

    B. The fact that TS wanted that dialogue to be in the game, possibly supported by the fact that the vast majority of players in the game enjoy such dialogue, is really the only reasoning needed to defend the placement of that dialogue. This isn't dismissive. It's (a) fulfilling Tiny Speck's vision for the design of the game, and (b) catering to the game's audience.
    Posted 3 months ago by Jus​tin Subscriber! | Permalink
  • It's up to TS to decide how important sexual jokes in the dialogue are to the game, but since most of the dialogue in question doesn't affect the actual game play I would hope they would err on the side of caution. I think Glitch is a great game and should be made as accessible as possible to as many people as possible.

    If TS wants it to be accessible to everyone, they will lose the character the community has right now.  I sure will not pay for or even play a game like that.  Nope.  Accessible to everyone means bland to me.  No one wants bland.  This isn't Dora the Explorer, thankfully.

    Also, that the majority here don't find the comments offensive *is* important.  Incredibly so.  If no one expressed displeasure in this idea, how would TS know how we feel? 

    My 11 year old watches and it asks, "Oh, how's your game where you get pickles from sharks, mom?"  He thinks it's the goofiest thing he's ever heard, butter from butterfies and grain from chickens, so he tries to one up the game.  XD
    Posted 3 months ago by Annettee Subscriber! | Permalink
  • I like peanut butter.  Do you like peanut butter? Yay peanut butter!
    Posted 3 months ago by Red Sauce Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Plum - if you find it disturbing, I suggest that you find another game to play
    Posted 3 months ago by Arietty Subscriber! | Permalink
  • i  have seen all the quoted remarks, and thought nothing of them.  what chickens say is secondary to my game play. it is important to me however that  those statements are offensive to someone else, and don t need to be. would the game suffer without those statements? i think not. one thing which has always offended me on any forum , is when someone raised a question and others who disagree play the "troll" card, swiftly followed by lashings of dinigration,thats just bad philosophy,and crap debate. the poster has been very thoughtful in their assessment ,they have not been unreasonable . to suggest that they leave the game is a really radical reaction .  some might have a little introspection about their feelings in that area a nerve seems to have been exposed.  Glitch is an amicable game , if  we see some one in distress we help. this poster is distressed by the sexual references , and they are not integral to the game , so get rid of them.
    Posted 3 months ago by tiggy Subscriber! | Permalink
  • I'm distressed by the name tiggy.  It reminds me of a childhood trauma involving a tigger toy and three weeks in a hospital.  I think we should ban that.

    ETA:  I don't think there's anything radical about saying "if something that is not necessarily or universally offensive offends you, you should remove yourself rather than expect an entire community and a company's product to be adjusted just to suit you."  In fact, I think having even the slightest expectation that the tone of a game be changed because it offends you is incredibly radical. 

    And a terribly entitled expectation to have. 
    Posted 3 months ago by Red Sauce Subscriber! | Permalink
  • That's really not a good precedent to set. As Annettee said, things like the dialogue in question give the game character. And I'd rather not see that character stripped out. I'm not here to play a game designed for children, and neither are most of the others here. The fact of the matter is that a far greater number of people enjoys the humor provided by those statements than the number of people that is offended by those statements. Regardless of the OP's "the majority disagrees with me so the majority is wrong" viewpoint, satisfying the majority of your player base is both the right thing to do, and the wise thing to do, from a business perspective.

    Ultimately, if your game isn't targeted toward children, it can and will offend someone. Those offended by such content can either choose to ignore it or go elsewhere. Let those of us who like that content have it.
    Posted 3 months ago by Jus​tin Subscriber! | Permalink
  • 19 players , even if we all agreed , are not the majority of players. we all have opinions , i have stated mine as we all have , i am finding the strident rebellion against someone suggesting the changing of five remarks made by animated livestock fairly surreal.some folks need anger management . dude that doesn t like my name, good plan  , you work on having my name banned , its your right to do so. if you were serious , i might change it for you.
    Posted 3 months ago by tiggy Subscriber! | Permalink
  • And a terribly entitled expectation to have.

    Exactly, Saucelah!  Had the wrong name in there.  :|
    Posted 3 months ago by Annettee Subscriber! | Permalink
  • The problem I know that some of us are having is that once the Bowlderising starts. . .
    Posted 3 months ago by Feldspar Gravity Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Sometimes people see what they want to see. You water a garden, and it says "I'm wet!" - well, sure... I just poured water on it. Does it mean something sexual? Only if you see it that way.

    Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar.
    Posted 3 months ago by Zany Serendipity Subscriber! | Permalink
  • The chickens are the most problematic, and I understand why the OP has concerns. They seem to resist being interacted with, threaten revenge some day, and then acquiesce coyly (chase me! I don't mean it, really!). IRL, this is a potentially toxic combination of actions and reactions.

    Sure, it's all in good fun in Ur. (Until somebody loses an eye. :D ) But I do see how this parody of reluctant seduction—or, in the eye of the beholder, persistent harassment—could ring alarm bells for some.

    I suspect the language could be tweaked a little, without losing its snarky humor, in manner that would allay the OP's concerns. And I think that would be a fine thing.
    Posted 3 months ago by Pascale Subscriber! | Permalink
  • -1 (Having no sense of humor is a terrible disability; I feel for you.)
    Posted 3 months ago by Janitch Subscriber! | Permalink
  • This is an interesting discussion which I will continue to think about.   But here's a initial reaction:

    There are other aspects of the game that could be construed  by some as offensive or destructive, even regarding aspects of human pain and suffering comparable to sexual abuse. For instance, the game takes a humorous approach to suicide - giving badges for making multiple attempts and leading to various mass suicide pacts (players all agreeing to meet up in hell each evening).  At least one player made a "career" in Glitch by manufacturing and selling (making huge profits from) no-no powder, a narcotic that is inevitably fatal - in other words, by becoming an "evil drug pusher".    

    But it seems to me personally that a game about imagination SHOULD include, in gentle and playful and humorous ways, at least some of the darker aspects of our imaginations, including in regard to sexuality and violence and drugs and death.  Ultimately, I want the experience to be life-affirming and affirming of moral values including kindness and respect for the autonomy of others, but attempting to completely sanitize imagination (including collective imagination) would I think neither benefit mental heath nor the creative aspects of our souls.   I wonder, for instance, what Dirigible Plum - what a wonderful and wonderfully complex name! - would think about the often dark and darkly humorous writings of Neil Gaiman - works which appeal to teenagers as well as the younger adults who tend to play Glitch.

    But there will always be legitimate debate about these issues, and feelings of certitude will never be the test of certainty about them   There's an absolutely wonderful lecture by game designer Jesse Schell(in particular about violence in video games) at http://vimeo.com/25681002 that I highly recommend - it's both entertaining and edifying.
    Posted 3 months ago by Leites Subscriber! | Permalink
  • The reason people thought that the OP was trolling is that one must be vastly overly sensitive in order to even pick up on any sort of connotation of abuse here.  The wonderful woman who writes most of the game's dialogue is funny and silly and smart, and I can't imagine that sexual abusers' linguistic patterns are high on her list of creative influences. 

    As for "If you are not taking this seriously, the behavior has already been normalized for you and you aren't seeing that it is actually harmful," a double entendre is not harmful in and of itself.  Unwanted flirtation might be harmful in certain circumstances, but none of those circumstances are present here.  The OP is essentially telling us that the inanimate objects in the game are being sexually abused, when there is neither sex nor abuse present.  Even a grumpy chicken says, "I don't mind, really" every once in a while, to let us know that it's just teasing. 
    Posted 3 months ago by glum pudding Subscriber! | Permalink
  • So this wasn't trolling? Seriously? Let me guess. You're American, from the backwards, puritanical country where violence is mainstream and sex is verboten. This stuff wouldn't raise an eyebrow in most other English-speaking parts of the world.

    Besides, all the innuendo is about domestic animals and inanimate objects like dirt and farm implements. (High-class hoe is my favorite tool in the game!) Farm animals are petted, tied up, lead around, groomed, and their teats even squeezed for milk on a regular basis. Dairy cattle are even artificially inseminated every spring to be certain they calve.  Do you have any idea how that process works? Perhaps you should be on a crusade to stop the sexual abuse of cattle rather than wasting your time with a video game.

    The chickens remind me of a pet parrot I had who would protest with a squak or a nip sometimes when I went to get her out of the cage. A moment later she'd put her head down for a scratch. She was pretty much saying "I don't mind, really" after she did her little show.

    I think it's wonderful there's a video game that's relaxed about funny, sexual innuendo and doesn't include violence. This is a much healthier game than running around a realistic urban environment with an assault rifle trying to shoot other players.
    Posted 3 months ago by Lucille Ball Subscriber! | Permalink
  • @Lucille Ball - Hey, I'm from the US- the Midwest, even- and I think it's quite a bit oversensitive. I don't think it's the country, as easy a target as that might be, I think it's the mindset of the individual person here... and I've seen more than one American disagree with the OP in here.
    Posted 3 months ago by Djabriil Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Fair enough.  I'm American too, and deeply frustrated with some of the attitudes in our country. I've been made more acutely aware of it because many of my friends and coworkers are European. My frustration spilled through and you're correct that it's not really relevant.
    Posted 3 months ago by Lucille Ball Subscriber! | Permalink
  • I'm from Midwest US and because of being surrounded by over sensitivity to everything my entire life, I've simply decided that my life would be so much less complicated if I just didn't let things offend me at all.  Yes there are a few things that I find offensive, but I can't think of them to name them, it's just not something I do anymore.  And I find I'm a lot less stressed because of it.

    This is not a game for little kids (as someone stated, it is definately not 'Dora the Explorer').  This is a game for a more ..... mature (for lack of a better term, the word 'mature' is highly relative) audience.  It is our choice what we say, do, think and play.  We choose what we can handle and what we surround ourselves with. 

    Take the typical 'Jack Thompson' arguement... If violent video games makes people do violent things, I'd be a serial killer by now.  The same concept applies here by implying in any way that this (sexual abuse or harrassement, or the normalization of such) is the purpose of this game.  Just because we play the game, we are not sexual deviants (well... not ALL of us ;D).

    Some of your complaints are based on the fact that touching of any kind is wrong.  You know what, I remember when hugging and kissing and chasing girls was just part of the way of the playground.  Now I have to worry that my son, who absolutely craves (non-sexual) physical contact and will hug anyone he meets, can nowadays be arrested for sexual assault for giving a completely platonic comforting hug.  He's a very hands on touchy feely  kid, that doesn't mean that he's a deviant.

    Your other complaints fall under what I often tell my mother.  If you knew where my mind was heading, then you're in the gutter with me.  Some of those statements, yes, were meant to be perverted.  Especially the "wood" jokes.  But I'm sorry, if you were so innocent you'd have no idea what they were talking about.  You're right there with us, buddy.

    tl;dr: don't play it if you don't like it, but don't expect the game makers to change the entire game just to soothe your injured ego.  It's like asking WoW to remove all racial conflict within that game.  It's just not gonna happen.
    Posted 3 months ago by Kaelyn Renai Subscriber! | Permalink
  • So tiggy, what you are saying is that you find it quite probable that up until invites reopened, there were 6 or 7 thousand people REALLY upset by the sexual innuendo but just playing away and not complaining. 

    The sense of humor in this game actually predates this game.  From a conversation I had in the Massively comment section, these cheesy (but amusing) jokes were present in GNE, the product that ended up becoming flickr. 
    Posted 3 months ago by Red Sauce Subscriber! | Permalink
  • I am not dismissing the OP's opinions. But, like some other posters here, I can see where this may be headed - get rid of the double entendres, the splanking, the purple, the no-no, and the recent rampant nudity.
    Rather than change the game as it is now, how about developing a version called "GLITCH-LITE" ?
    Posted 3 months ago by Patricia Subscriber! | Permalink
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