StaceyPowers

@Juneberry was mentioning a game called Littlewood with a gender-neutral hero in another thread I posted about LGBTQA+ representations. Off the top of my head, I am not sure I have played any games which feature player characters that are anything other than male or female. The only game I can think of that I have played which features anything outside that binary for NPCs might be Mass Effect, where you have the mono-gendered (or genderless?) Asari. Can anyone else recommend any other games which feature gender-neutral or genderless characters? I’m also interested in games that feature characters that are genderfluid or fall outside the gender binary in any other way.

Lots of references nowadays to Ataris what with all the 80s nostalgia which is big right now. When I was a kid, we had an original NES, but I never had a chance to play an Atari. For those who have had a chance to play on both systems (and/or others) from that era, how do they compare? @The Blackangel I expect you probably have some thoughts here.

Every time I play Left Behind, I am struck by how similar Riley’s features are to Marlene’s. In fact, they look so similar to me that I actually have to remind myself that there is zero evidence (that I am aware of) that Riley is Marlene’s daughter. That impression of a possible familial relationship also is helped along for me by Marlene’s attempts to separate Riley and Ellie, though I think her only real motivation for that was to protect Ellie as per her promise to Anna. Does anyone else here ever have the thought that they could be related? Also, does anyone know whether this possibility is dis-proven by anything concrete in any offshoot materials, i.e. American Dreams?

I heard that Jeremy Soule who scored Skyrim, Oblivion and Morrowind is “currently not involved” in Elder Scrolls VI. Now, being as Elder Scrolls VI must be at a super early development stage, I’m not sure I’d read into that the idea that Bethesda is passing him over as composer, but it is possible. I read that this guy has a lot of issues involving undelivered purchases through his own company, which is kind of sad to hear. But just based purely on his capabilities as a composer, I think he’s amazing. I love how you can hear some of the same themes used from game to game and location to location, but he reworks them, giving a sense of “same universe, filtered through a different place/time.” I was looking forward to hearing his work for Elder Scrolls VI, and will be disappointed if he doesn’t do the soundtrack. If Soule doesn’t do ES VI, who do you think would do justice to the next game as well as his previous work? What composers would be able to build best off of what he has already created?

I have to post about this weird Twitch ad I just saw, because it made me laugh. It showed an image from an FPS game, and then the text said something like, “If your idea of camping doesn’t involve sleeping bags or tents, you are already one of us. Join now.” I get that it is a cute pun or whatever, but on the whole, most gamers’ attitudes toward camping in FPS games are quite negative. It seems almost like the person who designed this ad was unaware of that, and just thought, “Okay, here’s some lingo I can reference.” Does anyone else think this ad text is something of a misfire/mistake?

That expulsion story makes me angry 😞 My chronic conditions kicked in after school luckily, but I know what it's like to be discriminated against because of them. And no online GED ... what a rotten state. I also play games to treat my anxiety.

Hahah, I was going to mention that, not as a positive exactly. Just as something hilarious to me. Everyone in Skyrim is gay for the Dragonborn, but otherwise straight. The land of heteroflexible people =D I mean, I appreciate the flexibility, but it's not all that realistic. Very good point. He developed even greater courage and pride in himself through his struggles, and used them to become even more awesome :) Also, I have a female char on my first playthrough, so I didn't get to romance him, but I've found the friendship with him very satisfying. Incidentally, I chose Sera to romance, and thus far she hasn't even really mentioned her sexuality, it just is. So it's a nice contrast between them. Wonderful point, I didn't even think of that. Then again, I grew up with parents who didn't honestly understand that type of unconditional love for their children. In that way, this game is also a great demonstration of what that should look like without even talking about it really. You just experience it if you're an empathetic gamer. I wonder if that is why a lot of players who do get annoyed at other LGBTQA+ representations in gaming often seem to make an exception for Ellie; they can't help but love her as she is.

Some of you may be aware that there was an exclusive event called The Last of Us One Night Live. You can watch most of this event on YouTube. But there was an epilogue scene which was acted out set a few weeks after the end of the events in TLOU between Ellie and Joel. Does anyone know where I can watch or listen to this? I am pretty sure no public recordings exist, bootlegged or otherwise, but I am always looking. IF anyone here is unfamiliar with the epilogue and is curious, you can read a description of the scene here: https://thelastofus.fandom.com/wiki/The_Last_of_Us:_One_Night_Live I highly recommend doing so as it offers some nice closure.

I finished my second playthrough of The Last of Us last night (about to start Left Behind again). On my first playthrough, I leaned toward supporting Joel’s decision at the end of the game, but I was still very divided on it. On a second playthrough, not as much. Marlene’s voice recording and journal entry were very emotional and self-centered. She even mentioned that she was going to leave (the Fireflies, presumably, not just that location) because she couldn’t bear the way the others were looking at her after her repeated failures. She sounded quite desperate for something to grab onto to reboot her organization and her role in it, so her decision-making process to me seemed more emotional than logical. What do you all think of Marlene? Regardless of whether you felt Joel’s decision was right or wrong, do you think Marlene was being logical when she made her choice at the end of the game? Do you think she was motivated by the greater good or by selfish emotion (not so different from Joel, in a way)?

On a thread about the TLOU HBO show, @Crazycrab and I were talking about Ellie’s orientation (because another member brought it up). We both think that Ellie is a great LGBTQA+ portrayal because the matter is treated as entirely irrelevant in the game. There are so many actually important things for the characters to be hung up about (like infected and assholes everywhere) to bother getting hung up over something as irrelevant as Ellie’s orientation. Which is as it should be in an ideal world. Of course, we don’t live in an ideal world where people expend their anger and intolerance on things that are actually a threat to their lives, so I think stories that reflect that also are important. So, a contrasting LGBTQA+ portrayal which I also like is Dorian in Dragon Age: Inquisition. DA always seems to feature a diverse set of characters, which I really appreciate. Dorian’s orientation caused him issues back in Tevinter, and those are front and central in his mind. Being as that is a familiar experience for a lot of LGBTQA+ people, exploring it seemed worthy to me. Beyond that, Dorian is just awesome all around. A lot of characters in DA are LGBTQA+. Some, like Dorian, have struggled because of it. Others don’t even bring it up. They’re just available or they’re not, depending on whether your character is male or female. What LGBTQA+ portrayals have you liked most in games, and why?

On a thread concerning the appeal of violence in video games, @The Blackangel asked @Juneberry for a subjective interpretation of what constitutes violence in video games. I thought that was an interesting question deserving its own thread. I'd love to hear others weigh in on this. On another thread where we discussed whether video game violence promotes IRL violence, I asserted that video games are not actually violent, but rather feature simulated violence, and I hold to that. That being said, what is my definition of simulated violence? I guess anything where there is simulated physical damage to my character or any other character in the game. This also includes “nonentities” such as reanimated corpses though, or even objects in my environment. So my definition is super broad. Good thing I enjoy simulated violence :)

Can you rephrase this? My literal brain can't interpret the question. Probably, during my school days.

Gaming helps my mental health too. How does it help yours?

Have a source on this? Even if it isn't a loan, it's way too little too late.

So, this is a subjective personal preference thing, but what games do you feel feature the least attractive architecture or design elements? For example, I feel like the buildings, ships, and even the armor in Mass Effect are frankly totally unappealing. It’s not that the art team has done a poor job—that is not the case. I just don’t like the look of the world. The lines and angles make surfaces look “thin,” and the materials are cold and sterile, but not in a way that is unnerving—just rather “corporate” looking. Basically, everything looks “dull” to me. What about you? Is there a game which you feel features a world which is just plain ugly?

Were you always good at video games? Or did you only become good at gaming at a certain age? (and I am using the term “good” relatively here). I was an abominably bad gamer through my entire childhood. I literally never was able to complete a single game on our NES. I was also a pretty bad PC gamer. I finally got good at a game around age 13 or so, which was Quake III, specifically CTF mode. And honestly I am still pretty bad at Q3A in general, though not terrible. “Average” I guess. Anyway, only after that did I gradually get better at gaming in general. I’m not sure why it didn’t click until that age. Was the NES controller just a major problem for me? Was I lacking confidence? Were games just a lot harder before I turned 13ish? Or did my brain or reflexes just not develop to a proper level until then with respect to gaming? Who knows? What age did you get “good” at gaming?

In another thread, a lot of you mentioned that you like listening to your own music when gaming. So, how about some playlists? @kingpotato @skyfire @Dead2009

What with everyone spending more time indoors these days during the quarantine, what games are you playing to deal with events? What I mean is, is anyone playing anything thematically relevant or inspiring in some way? I was in the middle of playing TLOU again when the outbreak started. It does feel oddly relevant given the real life situation, and at least is a reminder that as bad as things are, they could be worse. And Joel and Ellie always are uplifting for me anytime things are scary in the world or in my life. So, it is a good choice to play during quarantine.

In another thread, we have been talking about people who think BioShock Infinite is “not a real BioShock game.” @The Blackangel pointed out that when a protagonist changes in a game series, that is one thing which can prompt this kind of criticism from folks, i.e. the switch from playing Richter Belmont to Alucard in Castlevania SOTN. In the case of BioShock, you play a different protagonist in all three games, not just Infinite. But there is a major setting change from Rapture to Columbia in Infinite, so that probably is one of the reasons why some players were not totally onboard with it. I am so used to playing games way after they come out that to be honest, I don’t think I’ve ever found myself in a situation where long expectations were suddenly disrupted in this way. I don’t think I would likely be upset about it if the game that came out of it was good, but I can see why in some situations it could be upsetting to folks. I think what would be most likely to upset me regarding abrupt change in a series would be a format change … but even then, I might not be upset if the new format was well-executed. Have you ever been upset when the characters, setting, format, or another major aspect of a game series abruptly changed with a new installment?

Actually, to me, there's arguably no better way to make such a point. Because we do have real problems as a species to deal with, and it's time that those stigmas broke down IRL. Seeing how absolutely irrelevant Ellie's sexuality is in TLOU actually is a great demonstration of how irrelevant that stuff ultimately should be IRL after everyone drops their stupid prejudices. Anyway, very nice post :)

Endless possibilities, I agree. And I'm really glad you feel the same way I do about Infinite.

We’ve discussed at length on this forum whether or not video games “make” people violent. Getting away from that specific topic, if you enjoy violent video games, what is their particular appeal for you? For me, it is: Catharsis. It is a good way to burn off excess emotion I have nothing to do with, and to experience things I can never experience IRL. Revenge. I feel righteous and relieved at executing Nazis and other baddies in video games. I can't hurt them IRL, but at least I can feel better hurting their depictions on a screen. Flow. I love getting into a flow state in FPS games where I am totally in the moment, lose sense of time, and am focused nowhere else. Relaxation. Getting into a flow state helps me de-stress and reduces my anxiety. Achievement. When I manage a really difficult shot in crazy circumstances, it gives me an awesome rush. Humour. Sometimes some kills are just funny. Sensory appeal. I admit I like the sight of blood and chunks of gore everywhere. Safety. Video game simulated violence has no consequences. It is an expression of something which is unsafe IRL in a controlled, safe environment. That is inherently reassuring to me. What are some reasons you like violent video games?

Did you ever finalize the appearance of your character in a game, and then find yourself regretting some aspect of it forever? Like, for instance, you literally spend the rest of the game going “what was I thinking with that haircut?” If so, what was the offending feature? Usually this hasn’t happened to me. But I am somewhat peeved permanently with the colour of lipstick I put on Shepherd in Mass Effect =D It seems silly to me I can’t change it. I mean, how many people have permanent makeup? It’d be nice if one could change up cosmetic details like this just like changing your character’s clothes.

The ammo for my good guns is dwindling or gone, but I am close to finishing the main quest line of OWB in Fallout NV. So, based on what I have learned from this playthrough, here are some tips to help other gamers not find themselves up a creek without a paddle. Stock up on grenades and save them up. They come in handy during the last segment of the main quest line. Get a bunch of weapon repair kits and bring them with you. You'll need them to repair unique items that are ridiculously expensive to repair otherwise. Come with plenty of stimpacks and lots of jet. Distribute some points into energy weapons and melee if possible before you start. Even if you have almost no points in melee, melee anyway. It seems much more effective than bullets. "Run away" is an entirely viable strategy if you are low on ammo or health items. When you get that halo thingy which regenerates health really really slowly, you can speed it up by hitting "wait" somewhere safe. As there are not many spots to sleep, this is a good way to conserve your health supplies. Hopefully some of these suggestions will come in handy. The worst thing for me was getting down to my last weapon repair kit and being close to breaking an item I needed to complete a quest stage near the end. The repair cost otherwise was like thousands of caps.

In this thread, @The Blackangel was enjoying playing Skyrim until hitting a ridiculous bug. Skyrim was the first game I got into on PS3 after being a PC gamer my whole life, so I didn't actually realize when I started playing it how exceptionally buggy that game is. So, I managed to take it in stride, learned to save a lot, and thankfully can laugh at most of the glitches. Now, of course, I heave a sigh of relief when playing just about anything else and knowing that my main enemy in the game won't be bugs. But sometimes, bugs do really get on my nerves, and occasionally they are bad enough for me to rage quit, at least for the night. Though usually my obsessive-compulsive nature leads me toward manically refusing to quit until I have successfully gotten around the bug. I guess in a weird way, that is how I cope with the bugs I can't laugh at, since after I get through it, I know I can then relax and play onward. How does everyone here cope with the stress and anxiety of bugs and glitches? Do you usually manage to laugh most of them off, or do they really get to you?