Time to tackle the Borderlands 2 girlfriend mode debacle

Azimuth said:
I'm sure it SO easy to ignore sexism when it doesn't affect you, huh?
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Yeah yeah I know Im a man how could I possibly understand.....

Oh wait...

I’m sure no male gamer reading this ever liked being attached to the stereotype of a terminally single virgin living in mom’s basement
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by your own analogy I, as a male gamer, should (and do) understand it perfectly. What I dont understand is how taking what a designer said, not what is actually in the game or in any of the actual marketing material, and truing it this huge sexist issue. On that note you are unequivocally 110% correct, I dont understand and no unless they actually call it "Girl Friend Mode" in official documentation or in the finished game it doesn't effect me and, in my own opinion, neither does it "affect" any girl, woman, girlfriend, wife of life partner.
 
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Azimuth said:
I'm sure it SO easy to ignore sexism when it doesn't affect you, huh?
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\
I dont get it .. What is next?

Should they outlaw Sports?

Should they oulaw TV ?


So you going to help close down super sport. 99% of their product is aimed at Guys?

Its a fact that the ratio of men to woman watching sports on weekends, will tilt in the male favor?


The guy made a joke.


Get with it.

IF my GF had to go and buy me halo kitty adventure island featuring a " FUn for BOYs too " sticker. I would not be crying .. Id be lolling my ass off.


Sexism isn't right. But feminist shouldn't get up in arms about EVERYTHING.

Enjoy the game. There is a awfully butch Girl character in there as well?

She is about 400KGS and marketed to be funny. Not eye candy?

Will this piss the guys off now?
 
Cranky said:
\
I dont get it .. What is next?

Should they outlaw Sports?

Should they oulaw TV ?

So you going to help close down super sport. 99% of their product is aimed at Guys?

Its a fact that the ratio of men to woman watching sports on weekends, will tilt in the male favor?

The guy made a joke.

Get with it.

IF my GF had to go and buy me halo kitty adventure island featuring a " FUn for BOYs too " sticker. I would not be crying .. Id be lolling my ass off.

Sexism isn't right. But feminist shouldn't get up in arms about EVERYTHING.

Enjoy the game. There is a awfully butch Girl character in there as well?

She is about 400KGS and marketed to be funny. Not eye candy?

Will this piss the guys off now?
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You know why you react like this? Because you grew up and were raised in a world of subtle sexism. You believe it's 'okay' because that's the world you've always known.

You were raised a sexist and you don't even know it.
 
OmegaFenix said:
What I dont understand is how taking what a designer said, not what is actually in the game or in any of the actual marketing material, and truing it this huge sexist issue.
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Can you really, really, really not understand how calling something a "girlfriend mode", even as a HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA JOKE, is part of a much bigger issue? It's like making racist HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA JOKES is still racist. It doesn't have to be an official name to still be offensive. This isn't quantum physics.

Making "jokes" about these things contributes to normalising things like sexism and racism. The reason Hemingway called it a "girlfriend mode" without ever stopping to consider that it might be offensive to a lot of women only demonstrates how casually society tolerates and constantly reinforces sexist attitudes. That's not okay.

As I already said in the article, on its own, the "girlfriend mode" comment is NOT a "huge sexist issue", but it contributes to the huge sexist problem we currently see in the gaming industry. It all adds up.

I dont understand and no unless they actually call it "Girl Friend Mode" in official documentation or in the finished game it doesn't effect me and, in my own opinion, neither does it "affect" any girl, woman, girlfriend, wife of life partner.
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How dare you make assumptions on my or anybody else's behalf about something that doesn't offend you personally? You don't get to tell anybody what can and can not offend them. You're not offended? Fine. That doesn't mean it's not offensive, and that nobody is allowed to say anything about it.
 
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Azimuth said:
As I already said in the article, on its own, the "girlfriend mode" comment is NOT a "huge sexist issue", but it contributes to the huge sexist problem we currently see in the gaming industry. It all adds up.
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Desensitization.
 
And that's the whole issue summed up in a single post. The term 'girlfriend mode' might not make anyone keel over and die, but that doesn't make it any less of an issue. It not only stems from, but also contributes to an inherently sexist mindset ingrained into modern society.

It works in much the same way as someone who constantly hears 'jokes' about greedy jews later begins to believe, on an unconscious level, that jews are generally greedy.
 
Azimuth said:
Can you really, really, really not understand how calling something a "girlfriend mode", even as a HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA JOKE, is part of a much bigger issue? It's like making racist HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA JOKES is still racist. It doesn't have to be an official name to still be offensive. This isn't quantum physics.

Making "jokes" about these things contributes to normalising things like sexism and racism. The reason Hemingway called it a "girlfriend mode" without ever stopping to consider that it might be offensive to a lot of women only demonstrates how casually society tolerates and constantly reinforces sexist attitudes. That's not okay.

As I already said in the article, on its own, the "girlfriend mode" comment is NOT a "huge sexist issue", but it contributes to the huge sexist problem we currently see in the gaming industry. It all adds up.
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But it wasn't a HAHA joke, it was a term used to explain the mechanic and like I said way back in my original post, yes there are sexism issues in gaming but they are changing, however at this exact moment it is still a descriptive term, culture doesn't change over night and similarly in 10 or 20 years these kind of terms, much like the term negro or fag will be worked out of our culture. It will be done by the mentality of all people changing, over time, and this is already happening. And like I did say in my first post lambasting someone for saying some that could interpreted as sexist doesn't help the situation. It is akin, in my opinion, to the frequent causations of racism when someone of colour doesn't get a job based entirely on merit. All it does do is drive the wedge between the sexes deeper in much like the hate between races in SA have grown during our years of democracy.

Azimuth said:
How dare you make assumptions on my or anybody else's behalf about something that doesn't offend you personally? You don't get to tell anybody what can and can not offend them. You're not offended? Fine. That doesn't mean it's not offensive, and that nobody is allowed to say anything about it.
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How dare you assume that I dont understand something simply because I am a Man? I never said nobody is allowed to say anything about it, but saying something about it and turning it into some sort of sexism crusade is 2, very, different things.
 
I know it's not made up. It's something absolutely horrifying that real women are currently facing in parts of America, and I just don't think it's appropriate to make jokes about it at all.
 
OmegaFenix said:
How dare you assume that I dont understand something simply because I am a Man? I never said nobody is allowed to say anything about it, but saying something about it and turning it into some sort of sexism crusade is 2, very, different things.
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It's not because you're a man, it's because every single thing you've posted in this discussion shows you don't get it.

This man gets it.
 
Azimuth said:
I know it's not made up. It's something absolutely horrifying that real women are currently facing in parts of America, and I just don't think it's appropriate to make jokes about it at all.
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Reference =/= joke.

I don't think being pasty, nerdy, living with your parents or being a virgin is funny but yet people make jokes about those things every day. Oh well, you just don't get it. "whistling::rolleyes:
 
MOnk said:
I don't think being pasty, nerdy, living with your parents or being a virgin is funny but yet people make jokes about those things every day. Oh well, you just don't get it. "whistling::rolleyes:
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What exactly is your point? If you can realise that one stereotype is offensive, then why not another?
 
Azimuth said:
What exactly is your point? If you can realise that one stereotype is offensive, then why not another?
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Pretty sure I purposely avoided that discussion in this thread. I only made a comment about the marketing thing.
 
I have read all the comments but here is a question. If most gamers are male why hell is Sims always one of the top selling games? When it more market at Girls or seen as a Girl's game?
 
Weasley said:
I have read all the comments but here is a question. If most gamers are male why hell is Sims always one of the top selling games? When it more market at Girls or seen as a Girl's game?
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Oh, the irony, the IRONY!

Either you're trolling or you're not very bright.
 
Weasley said:
I have read all the comments but here is a question. If most gamers are male why hell is Sims always one of the top selling games? When it more market at Girls or seen as a Girl's game?
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What makes it a "girl's game"?
 
Othello said:
Because it is easy
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Fixed for you.
 
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