Body confidence campaigners try to redesign video game women

[abaris]

Yeah, extend the same courtesy to male action heroes. That look is certainly closer to reality.

[downbeatplumb]

I've never seen a problem with "objectification" either, personally. I mean, every character in a game is an object, of some description. It's not mean to be real. If people are trying to become computer game characters, or adjusting their attitude towards women because of females with big boobs who needs rescuing or whatever, they are pretty messed up in the head.

Sure, there are stereotype roles. But that goes for male characters too, and I don't think I ever hear anyone complain about that. Most of the time, the story doesn't matter very much. It's just a way to give some reason for what you're doing.

I think the idea that video games have a serious effect on people is a myth. You have to be either screwed up already, or being parented entirely by your games console and not being taught the difference between fantasy and reality. I've played games since I was 5, I've killed literally thousands of people, probably hundreds of thousands. I've rescued hundreds of princesses. I'm aware this is not reality, even when I was a little kid.

I bet when books became available to the masses they were seen as corrupters of the kids.

[robvalue]

I feel we're finally on a topic that I have some expertise on

I've never, in my whole life, seen any evidence that what goes on in computer games has affected anyone's actions or attitudes in real life. And I've known an awful lot of people who play games, and play them a lot. I think this is just ridiculous, and an assumption rather than something that has been demonstrated. Obviously I'm talking about well-adjusted people who have received proper parenting, and don't have mental conditions that blur reality and fantasy.

Everyone was desperate to prove video games cause violence, but studies have repeatedly shown this is not the case. In fact, games can act as an outlet, so can actually reduce violence. I can attest to this, if I'm pissed off, I can go slaughter a few hundred innocent people to get my frustration out. It calms me down.

Studies have also shown that people feel less impacted by what happens in games than what happens in films, even. The fact that you're in control is a constant reminder that it's not real.

[Napoléon]

gamers are notoriously bad at designing good characters, compared to actual character designers.

I don't think that's necessarily true, it's more that we just don't have the same tools or expertise to create such characters and give them the backstory we want, and the character creation systems for most games flat out suck balls.

I mean:



Although a lot of games are getting better in this regard. Compare the above to my DA:Inquisition character and I'd say the Dragon Age series does a good job of letting you create characters.

Soz for potato quality.

[Tiberius]

gamers are notoriously bad at designing good characters, compared to actual character designers.

I don't think that's necessarily true, it's more that we just don't have the same tools or expertise to create such characters and give them the backstory we want, and the character creation systems for most games flat out suck balls.

I mean:

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Although a lot of games are getting better in this regard. Compare the above to my DA:Inquisition character and I'd say the Dragon Age series does a good job of letting you create characters.

Removed Image

Soz for potato quality.

I removed the images so my reply doesn't have them.

I agree with you that designing your own character has gotten a lot better, but there are going to be characters in games that just won't or can't be designed by the gamer. At some point, character designers have to come in and make characters to fit in cutscenes, or in the gameplay, because to ask gamers to do it just wouldn't be gaming.

Character design itself also has to have limitations because of environmental factors. If you were allowed to create huge characters in games like Skyrim, you just wouldn't be able to complete some missions which require you to sneak around or go under a bridge.

Of course, other games are fine with doing this for various reasons. When I used to play Second Life, as soon as I found out that you could "wear" objects at about 30 different points on your body, I got my character to "wear" a sofa on each of these points, and I wandered around pissing a lot of people off with my giant sofa monster.

[CapnAwesome]

I don't really care about video gamers, but I loath body confidence campaigns. They're an ineffective waste of time and an attack on free speech. Plus they are a health risk. Also they are normally full of lies and manipulation. No amount of these campaigns are going to make you not out of breath after you climb a flight of stairs. That's going to make you feel like more of a fat fuck than any video game character.

[Regina]

Being somebody who has actually had body image issues, I'm not against body image campaigns which educate us on what *normal* healthy bodies are supposed to look like. It's certainly relevant with things like sex organs and breasts, natural range of weight, body shape, body changes that will happen during puberty, stuff that all teenagers do worry about.

Emphasis on "normal"... that doesn't mean lying to us that being 200lbs overweight is healthy and normal, which it isn't.

It's a problem with this "fat activism" movement that has gained popularity in unicorn-fairy Tumblrina land in the last couple of years. No, a doctor telling you "you need to lose weight or you'll get a heart attack" is not "fat shaming" you, it's a doctor doing their job.

[Napoléon]

When I used to play Second Life, as soon as I found out that you could "wear" objects at about 30 different points on your body, I got my character to "wear" a sofa on each of these points, and I wandered around pissing a lot of people off with my giant sofa monster.

Yeah, you do strike me as one of those kind of people Tibbers.

[robvalue]

I don't wear anything I haven't ripped from the bodies of my enemies while they are still alive.

[bennyboy]

This is stupid.


This is Mundo, from League of Legends.  I'm offended by his ultra-muscular physique.   I mean, real people aren't purple, don't have blue tongues, and must not look stronger than real people, by which I mean my Dad.  Where's the motherfucking realism!?!?!? He must be redesigned to look like this, or all the world is unfair: