OT: Video Game Talk (oh, also the Week before the All-Star Break Pre-Game Talk "archive")

[Soedy]

I just found out that Xenia can play Red Dead Redemption 1 flawlessly at 60fps in 1440p. A dream comes true!

 

[Mooserton]

Damn this year is absolutely stacked in terms of games.

Hi-Fi Rush
Dead Space
Hogwarts Legacy
Resident Evil 4 Remake
Tears of the Kingdom
Starfield
Diablo IV
Baldur's Gate III
Spider-Man 2

Might give 2007 a run for its money.

 

[expatriatedtexan]

Damn this year is absolutely stacked in terms of games.

Hi-Fi Rush
Dead Space
Hogwarts Legacy
Resident Evil 4 Remake
Tears of the Kingdom
Starfield
Diablo IV
Baldur's Gate III
Spider-Man 2

Might give 2007 a run for its money.

Not going to lie, some of those look really fun, but I'll probably end up spending more time than I care to think about fishing in DayZ PvP zones, just waiting for folks to stroll by unsuspecting.

 

[The Merchant]

Damn this year is absolutely stacked in terms of games.

Hi-Fi Rush
Dead Space
Hogwarts Legacy
Resident Evil 4 Remake
Tears of the Kingdom
Starfield
Diablo IV
Baldur's Gate III
Spider-Man 2

Might give 2007 a run for its money.

Atomic Heart, Jedi: Survivor, Redfall, Street Fighter 6, FF16, Silksong, Alan Wake 2 and Armored Core 6 as well. This year is absolutely loaded.

 

[henchman21]

I just hope this year actually ends up loaded instead of rumored to be… been through the song and dance before, last year.

Right now, to me since I have zero desire for HP, I have a gap until may. My hope is Atomic Heart fills that gap with Bioshock levels of fun.

 

[UncleRisto]

Damn this year is absolutely stacked in terms of games.

Hi-Fi Rush
Dead Space
Hogwarts Legacy
Resident Evil 4 Remake
Tears of the Kingdom
Starfield
Diablo IV
Baldur's Gate III
Spider-Man 2

Might give 2007 a run for its money.

Because half of these games already came out in 2007?

 

[The Merchant]

I'm not even the biggest Harry Potter fan, but the intro to Hogwarts Legacy is so ridiculously hype. Can't wait to dig into it

 

[TruePowerSlave]

Remember people you are committing hate crimes if you play Hogwarts. Every copy sold brings us closer to rapture.

The woke keyboard warriors are insane, especially in the States.

 

[TruePowerSlave]

Damn this year is absolutely stacked in terms of games.

Hi-Fi Rush
Dead Space
Hogwarts Legacy
Resident Evil 4 Remake
Tears of the Kingdom
Starfield
Diablo IV
Baldur's Gate III
Spider-Man 2

Might give 2007 a run for its money.

It definitely won't come even close to the 2000's. Back in the golden age of gaming you had a classics released almost monthly, sometimes multiple legendary titles a month. They were not some remakes either but new content.

 

[Ararana]

Damn this year is absolutely stacked in terms of games.

Hi-Fi Rush
Dead Space
Hogwarts Legacy
Resident Evil 4 Remake
Tears of the Kingdom
Starfield
Diablo IV
Baldur's Gate III
Spider-Man 2

Might give 2007 a run for its money.

I have already put a good amount of hours into Baldur's Gate III prerelease. It's so f***ing good, I cannot wait until August.

 

[The Merchant]

Remember people you are committing hate crimes if you play Hogwarts. Every copy sold brings us closer to rapture.

The woke keyboard warriors are insane, especially in the States.

They've now created a website to find out which streamers have played it so they can go spread their hate to them as well. Absolutely psychotic behavior.

 

[henchman21]

They've now created a website to find out which streamers have played it so they can go spread their hate to them as well. Absolutely psychotic behavior.

This is despicable behavior. I frankly can't understand how people don't see that these actions actually undermine their cause.

 

[SoundwaveIsCharisma]

I'm not a Potter-fan, so I've got no idea what is going on. Can someone give me a quick synopsis as to why there is so much hate?

 

[RockLobster]

I'm not a Potter-fan, so I've got no idea what is going on. Can someone give me a quick synopsis as to why there is so much hate?

My understanding, which could be off--

In the years since the movies and primary book series has ended, JK Rowling has revealed herself to be anti-trans, might even be more there but I haven't looked in to that side of it.

She has regularly espoused anti-trans viewpoints, shared anti-trans hate group messages, etc. on her Twitter. Given what the Harry Potter story and world has meant to so many people part of the LGBTQ community, this has come as an absolute gut-punch to them. The idea that no matter who you are, what your story is, your backstory, etc., that you matter in the world, that you can belong and have friends, and that evil will ultimately be defeated, etc.; the idea that the same person who wrote that can also espouse viewpoints that's literally the opposite of that...it's very tough.

And then you start analyzing the names and descriptions she's given some of the characters in the HP books and...it's not great. There's either a conscious or (more likely) unconscious racism going on there.

 

[Ararana]

They've now created a website to find out which streamers have played it so they can go spread their hate to them as well. Absolutely psychotic behavior.

How nice of them to cultivate a list of potential subscriptions for us.

 

[henchman21]

I'd add that the popularity of the franchise makes it an ideal target for virtue signaling. The spotlight it creates allows for a lot more noise to be heard, so a segment of the population has made this their moment to take a stand and be heard.

Strictly IMO... the people trying to attack anyone around the game have simply become the other side of the JK Rowling coin. Hate, vitriol, and intolerance just from the opposite viewpoint.

 

[SaltySkywalker]

And then you start analyzing the names and descriptions she's given some of the characters in the HP books and...it's not great. There's either a conscious or (more likely) unconscious racism going on there.

Can you expand on this part please? examples? I'm truly curious cuz I guess I've never read about this and am a pretty big HP fan.

 

[RockLobster]

Can you expand on this part please? examples? I'm truly curious cuz I guess I've never read about this and am a pretty big HP fan.

So I'm pretty new to this notion myself, to be honest. When I read the books and watched the movies (it was a common interest with my younger brother and I), we never gave a thought to the potential racial undertones to them.

But their only Asian character is named "Cho Chang"...not a lot of thought went in to that one.

There's a stereotypical Irish kid named Seamus Finnegan.

One of the very few black characters has the last name Shacklebolt ("shackle" being the problem there with the history of slavery).

The big issue that I think has some validity, whether Rowling meant it or not, is her depiction of the Goblins carry a MASSIVE amount of anti-semitism behind it. The way the Goblins look are not that far off from Nazi anti-semite propaganda, and the fact that the Goblins control the bank(s) would be another anti-semitical trope.

I know it had been brought up before, but Jon Stewart recently put it back in the spotlight when he talked about it.

I have found whole thesis written about the racial undertones of the Potter books. I don't think any one can argue about Rowling's anti-trans viewpoints, or try and re-categorize it as just a lack of thinking/lack of understanding...she's very clearly made her stance known in that regard. The names of characters and descriptions...that's a little murkier imo. Right now, with all we know, I don't know if I believe that she intentionally did what she did because she wanted to be racist. I think it's far more likely that she just didn't put a lot of effort in to those things and they happen to carry some subconscious racist undertones.

 

[The Merchant]

My understanding, which could be off--

In the years since the movies and primary book series has ended, JK Rowling has revealed herself to be anti-trans, might even be more there but I haven't looked in to that side of it.

She has regularly espoused anti-trans viewpoints, shared anti-trans hate group messages, etc. on her Twitter. Given what the Harry Potter story and world has meant to so many people part of the LGBTQ community, this has come as an absolute gut-punch to them. The idea that no matter who you are, what your story is, your backstory, etc., that you matter in the world, that you can belong and have friends, and that evil will ultimately be defeated, etc.; the idea that the same person who wrote that can also espouse viewpoints that's literally the opposite of that...it's very tough.

And then you start analyzing the names and descriptions she's given some of the characters in the HP books and...it's not great. There's either a conscious or (more likely) unconscious racism going on there.

Nailed it. And now people are using the game as an outlet to express their anger despite it having zero affiliation with her (other than licensing, obviously). It also has one of the first trans NPC's in the history of gaming, but that's just an insult too for some reason.

 

[S E P H]

My understanding, which could be off--

In the years since the movies and primary book series has ended, JK Rowling has revealed herself to be anti-trans, might even be more there but I haven't looked in to that side of it.

She has regularly espoused anti-trans viewpoints, shared anti-trans hate group messages, etc. on her Twitter. Given what the Harry Potter story and world has meant to so many people part of the LGBTQ community, this has come as an absolute gut-punch to them. The idea that no matter who you are, what your story is, your backstory, etc., that you matter in the world, that you can belong and have friends, and that evil will ultimately be defeated, etc.; the idea that the same person who wrote that can also espouse viewpoints that's literally the opposite of that...it's very tough.

And then you start analyzing the names and descriptions she's given some of the characters in the HP books and...it's not great. There's either a conscious or (more likely) unconscious racism going on there.

JK Rowling is a feminist and you're going to see more feminist groups going after trans like what happened in spring with that Ivy League swimming bloke who turned to a female and absolutely crushed the heat competitions in the women's tournament. Never heard of the term "unconscious racism," but that's got to be one of the most hilarious paradoxical words I think I've read in the past year. Let's just call racist acts racist.

 

[henchman21]

Nailed it. And now people are using the game as an outlet to express their anger despite it having zero affiliation with her (other than licensing, obviously). It also has one of the first trans NPC's in the history of gaming, but that's just an insult too for some reason.

Reminds me of being able to create a Cyberpunk character as trans being too sexual.

There is probably some racism in the books, but the lens we look at things through changes over time. You could read the New York Times in 1910 and probably find yourself overwhelmed by the racism in all the articles. Judging something written 25 years ago by the lens of today is likely going to have some issues. If you go to more extremes in literature, Bukowski (who was an asshole in his day), wouldn't be able to publish a damn thing with today's outlook.

Things like naming an Irish character Seamus though... sorry, naming an Irish person an Irish name is not a big deal. Giving them typical Irish traits is not a big deal. Goblins sounds a bit more troublesome, but that is also how we've always described bankers in general.

 

[RockLobster]

JK Rowling is a feminist and you're going to see more feminist groups going after trans like what happened in spring with that Ivy League swimming bloke who turned to a female and absolutely crushed the heat competitions in the women's tournament. Never heard of the term "unconscious racism," but that's got to be one of the most hilarious paradoxical words I think I've read in the past year. Let's just call racist acts racist.

I don't think it's hilarious or paradoxical.

People are learning everyday, they grow up with words and language that, as minors, they may not fully understand the meaning behind them. So they can be people who aren't racist to their core, but not understand the words they're using are themselves racist/prejudicial.

I can think of a few from when I grew up: Homophobic Slur/faggy and jew.

I know countless people who now work in equality-based institutions who used Homophobic Slur/faggy to mean "lame", yet they didn't fully understand the term back then as a pre-teen/teen; similarly for some people I grew up with saying something like "You jewed me out of [X]". They had no real understanding that the word and way they were using it were anti-semitical, not until a little later in their lives. I would never call them racist because they didn't understand what they were saying and the historical meaning of those words. Now, I would if they were educated on them and still considered using them because they didn't care. But that's not what happened.

 

[henchman21]

I don't think it's hilarious or paradoxical.

People are learning everyday, they grow up with words and language that, as minors, they may not fully understand the meaning behind them. So they can be people who aren't racist to their core, but not understand the words they're using are themselves racist/prejudicial.

I can think of a few from when I grew up: Homophobic Slur/faggy and jew.

I know countless people who now work in equality-based institutions who used Homophobic Slur/faggy to mean "lame", yet they didn't fully understand the term back then as a pre-teen/teen; similarly for some people I grew up with saying something like "You jewed me out of [X]". They had no real understanding that the word and way they were using it were anti-semitical, not until a little later in their lives. I would never call them racist because they didn't understand what they were saying and the historical meaning of those words. Now, I would if they were educated on them and still considered using them because they didn't care. But that's not what happened.

The whole second half of this is really my point of the lens comment. The lens of today isn't the lens of 25 years ago. Things change and society evolves. Looking at intent and meaning through today's lens isn't going to give true intent of what was meant 25 years ago. You can really go back even just 10 years and things are massively different. To simply say you said/wrote ___ 25 years ago, that means you're absolutely a bigot today isn't necessarily correct.

 

[SaltySkywalker]

So I'm pretty new to this notion myself, to be honest. When I read the books and watched the movies (it was a common interest with my younger brother and I), we never gave a thought to the potential racial undertones to them.

But their only Asian character is named "Cho Chang"...not a lot of thought went in to that one.

There's a stereotypical Irish kid named Seamus Finnegan.

One of the very few black characters has the last name Shacklebolt ("shackle" being the problem there with the history of slavery).

The big issue that I think has some validity, whether Rowling meant it or not, is her depiction of the Goblins carry a MASSIVE amount of anti-semitism behind it. The way the Goblins look are not that far off from Nazi anti-semite propaganda, and the fact that the Goblins control the bank(s) would be another anti-semitical trope.

I know it had been brought up before, but Jon Stewart recently put it back in the spotlight when he talked about it.

I have found whole thesis written about the racial undertones of the Potter books. I don't think any one can argue about Rowling's anti-trans viewpoints, or try and re-categorize it as just a lack of thinking/lack of understanding...she's very clearly made her stance known in that regard. The names of characters and descriptions...that's a little murkier imo. Right now, with all we know, I don't know if I believe that she intentionally did what she did because she wanted to be racist. I think it's far more likely that she just didn't put a lot of effort in to those things and they happen to carry some subconscious racist undertones.

Interesting. I definitely knew there was more to the names she chose than face value, but I always thought they were fun, quirky reasons. Maybe there are racist undertones, I can't really speak to that, but I also wonder if she just didn't give a lot of this much thought because she never expected to get this big. Either way, she should have tiptoed a bit more. We clearly live in a different world now too though.

Please excuse me if I come off insensitive or ignorant, but what's wrong with giving characters stereotypical names? If asians have asian-y names, and a lot of Irish have typical Irish names...how all of the sudden is that racist? If I'm writing a Chinese novel, I'm sure as shit not going to name my main character John Smith. I guess I've never understood that aspect of "racism". The Shacklebolt part is pretty f***ed up if true though, no doubt.

Idk about the goblins thing...that feels like a bit of a reach to me. Aren't goblins mythically known for their greed and yearning for gold? Similar to dwarves in the LoTR world? I know in Clash of Clans the goblins do increased damage vs gold caches, etc.

 

[Ceremony]

Interesting. I definitely knew there was more to the names she chose than face value, but I always thought they were fun, quirky reasons. Maybe there are racist undertones, I can't really speak to that, but I also wonder if she just didn't give a lot of this much thought because she never expected to get this big. Either way, she should have tiptoed a bit more. We clearly live in a different world now too though.

Please excuse me if I come off insensitive or ignorant, but what's wrong with giving characters stereotypical names? If asians have asian-y names, and a lot of Irish have typical Irish names...how all of the sudden is that racist? If I'm writing a Chinese novel, I'm sure as shit not going to name my main character John Smith. I guess I've never understood that aspect of "racism". The Shacklebolt part is pretty f***ed up if true though, no doubt.

Idk about the goblins thing...that feels like a bit of a reach to me. Aren't goblins mythically known for their greed and yearning for gold? Similar to dwarves in the LoTR world? I know in Clash of Clans the goblins do increased damage vs gold caches, etc.

They have names like that because they're children's books for children written by someone who isn't very good at writing.