You don't see to many games like Grand Theft Auto out there. I have to believe there is a reason for that. I feel there were a lot more when I was growing up.
GTA isn't an issue of PC, but rather that you are playing the bad guy. That's always been very rare, and many of the early games that went that route ended up banned (ex: Firebug, Bloody Murder) in various states/countries.
In GTA, you aren't just saying or doing things that show others in a negative light, you are committing criminal acts. For example, it's not PC to have drug-addled hookers walking down the block picking up pebbles and biting them, especially if you're giving off a very distinct impression your game is Miami in the 80's. But GTA doesn't stop there. In GTA, you can shoot a cop, take his tonfa, and then bludgeon the crap out of that hooker for the few dollars she does have on her. GTA and Saint's Row do not try to spin the fact that you are the bad guy in all this. Conversely, most other games spin every side that players play as the good guys.
In APB, the criminals fight back against a police state. In WOW, the playable Forsaken are a faction that fled the evil undead faction.
There aren't many games like GTA. You're spot on, but PC is the least of that game's social offenses.
There isn't a "right" or "wrong" way to play, if you want to use a screwdriver to put nails into wood, have at it, simply don't complain when the guy next to you with the hammer is doing it much better and easier. - Allein "Graphics are often supplied by Engines that (some) MMORPG's are built in" - Spuffyre
You don't see to many games like Grand Theft Auto out there. I have to believe there is a reason for that. I feel there were a lot more when I was growing up.
GTA isn't an issue of PC, but rather that you are playing the bad guy. That's always been very rare, and many of the early games that went that route ended up banned (ex: Firebug, Bloody Murder) in various states/countries.
In GTA, you aren't just saying or doing things that show others in a negative light, you are committing criminal acts. For example, it's not PC to have drug-addled hookers walking down the block picking up pebbles and biting them, especially if you're giving off a very distinct impression your game is Miami in the 80's. But GTA doesn't stop there. In GTA, you can shoot a cop, take his tonfa, and then bludgeon the crap out of that hooker for the few dollars she does have on her. GTA and Saint's Row do not try to spin the fact that you are the bad guy in all this. Conversely, most other games spin every side that players play as the good guys.
In APB, the criminals fight back against a police state. In WOW, the playable Forsaken are a faction that fled the evil undead faction.
There aren't many games like GTA. You're spot on, but PC is the least of that game's social offenses.
Good points, but the aforementioned games seem to also be making fun of the bad guys in a humorous way at the same time. They don't seem to be encouraging being the bad guys.
The weird thing as always is that killing is OK even if you are the good guy, but many other things are taboo.
It's hard to say, but i would say yes. Gamers don't really care about politically correct nonsense. SJWs (Social Justice Warriors) are a minority in the gaming community, and they wouldn't be able to garner enough people for a boycott. It also depends on the developers though, because some devs will likely cave to pressure to a minority outrage.
I think those kind of things exist already in games but are more subtle.
If you are talking about more obvious politically incorrectness then it depends on the group it offends and what are the expectations.
If you are talking about a game thats suppose to entertain, and the dev makes a game that offends religious people, then he can expect the usual negative reaction, when maybe another dev avoids those issues and can expect a more wholesome community that is fun loving - disney like community for a 'teen' rated game.
Then again, why bother making a game that gets overshadowed by politics, even when players are playing the game are losing immerission due to the distracting context of religion and real live news, when made up lore and made up religions can serve the prupose to a greater extent ( hence the subtle part).
I can think of one example from dragon age series and thats the qunaries, and how their race is similar with the context of the engative issues of the group they could represent, and them being devilish in appearance as well ( in hisotry they were viewed as devils by another religion). Not so subtle there, but yea, it exists in games.
And I think people enjoy those games more for daring and liberal agenda in a game considering the same gender romance arcs in DA as well.
So in others it can sell. And all the other things can happen as well. But if presented in a certain overall package that looks entertaining that does not seem too edgey, then it would allow players to focus on the game and game discussions online as well, helping to have a nice community even with certain politically incorrect ideas.
So the issue that seems to be a big question mark, is the community that it would attract. A single player is different than an mmo with these controversial topics.
Write bad things that are done to you in sand, but write the good things that happen to you on a piece of marble
The whole political correctness angle tend to be greatly exaggerated. You're fine as long as the game doesn't contain material that's actually stupid and offensive by any reasonable person's standards.
And yet the Apple Store pulled a Civil War game telling the Publisher that they wouldn't carry it again until the Confederate Battle Flag symbol's were changed to something else.
Poking fun at PC sounds amusing, as long as it doesn't cross the line to promoting hatred.
Pretty much this right here. As long as the purpose of the game isn't to promote hatred or violence against a particular group or belief. This doesn't mean your game will be a success. Ideology and demagoguery are usually not winning strategies for enjoyment since they are inherently lacking in creativity, as anything on the nose tends to be.
The best games present both sides, the moral dilemma. Do you side with the merchant's desire to profiteer or do you side with the refugees need to eat?
Also, if you are using "politically incorrect" as code words for ugly, crude and aggressively offensive then you just mean you want to get your rocks off in whatever sociopath way pleases you and hope someone buys it.
But with any creative endeavor it's important to define the story you wish to tell. All games are about storytelling. Once you know your story, the best terms in which to tell it will usually present themselves. Then the whole issue of to be or not to be simply becomes what the story requires.
As others have said it would depend on what, specifically, the game includes which is politically incorrect. It can be hard to predict how people will react to stuff and sometimes it's just bizarre the things they will go off on.
As an example: Years ago on this site I posted that I thought it might be cool if the strength stat of our characters affected the way they looked. The higher your strength the more your characters' muscles would bulge and the lower it is the less muscle you would have. Of course this would also mean that female characters with high strength would be big and husky instead of being cute little Barbie dolls. I then openly wondered if people would tend to not make female characters with high strength if a game had a system like that.
And man, people jumped on me for that. I was called sexist and ranted at just for suggesting such a thing. If I remember correctly, one person got so worked up he/she even argued that muscle mass and strength are in no way related.
Dead or Alive Beach Volleyball is the game you're looking for OP. The next iteration is due Spring 2016. I'm not entirely sure who purchases this game, but I'm sure a SJW twittermob would get bent out of shape over it if only anyone cared it existed. Although it does amuse me that it does exist, but trying to imagine the volleyball enthusiast who also happens to be a gamer, who looks to Team Ninja for their scantily clad virtual volleyball fix. Haha jk, I know it's for 13 year old boys who haven't figured out that the internet is full of porn.
Political correctness is not that important imo. People don't care that much if you make fun of political parties etc or you are hating on the president/PM. Racism, people tend to be more sensitive and certain things are definitely considered a no no. it also depends on everything else about the game. Political crap is only a tiny part and I doubt many people will buy a game for that reason.
things like killing Jews in death camps, or making a game where you reanact pearl harbour by playing the Japanese and slaying Americans may be seen as unacceptable.
Killing Germans apparently is fine judging by all the WWII crap we are getting.
PC isn't about political leanings, but about not marginalizing groups. The white male hero, the subservient female, the second-fiddle minority, the lack of LGBT representation... these are some of the larger PC concerns that come into consideration when making a game.
You bring up killing Nazis, which is another area of PC... The icon/flag/symbol used is the Iron Cross. Most developers avoid the swastika (actual flag of the Nazi party) for PC reasons.
Also for legal reasons. Any kind of display of Nazi symbolism is against the law in Germany so that game would be banned or at the very least would have to be cencored or edited to remove any Nazi emblems.
PC isn't about political leanings, but about not marginalizing groups. The white male hero, the subservient female, the second-fiddle minority, the lack of LGBT representation... these are some of the larger PC concerns that come into consideration when making a game.
You bring up killing Nazis, which is another area of PC... The icon/flag/symbol used is the Iron Cross. Most developers avoid the swastika (actual flag of the Nazi party) for PC reasons.
I feel it's always the opposite of that in games now. There is always a skinny girl who can magically kick every persons butt. Said characters also are always condescending towards male characters. I also see this all over the place in movies and advertising. It seems no matter what some group gets marginalized in the end. It often also provides a lot less interesting story to me. It seems like this type of mentality is being spammed by media to try and get people to believe it IMO.
Age of Conan and Scarlet Blade, not to mention just about every Asian MMO out there, have varying degree's of Political Incorrectness inherently, the thing to remember is that they are just games, and as such do they really have to adhere to the utter ridiculousness that Political Correctness has mutated into?
Comments
In GTA, you aren't just saying or doing things that show others in a negative light, you are committing criminal acts. For example, it's not PC to have drug-addled hookers walking down the block picking up pebbles and biting them, especially if you're giving off a very distinct impression your game is Miami in the 80's. But GTA doesn't stop there. In GTA, you can shoot a cop, take his tonfa, and then bludgeon the crap out of that hooker for the few dollars she does have on her. GTA and Saint's Row do not try to spin the fact that you are the bad guy in all this. Conversely, most other games spin every side that players play as the good guys.
In APB, the criminals fight back against a police state. In WOW, the playable Forsaken are a faction that fled the evil undead faction.
There aren't many games like GTA. You're spot on, but PC is the least of that game's social offenses.
There isn't a "right" or "wrong" way to play, if you want to use a screwdriver to put nails into wood, have at it, simply don't complain when the guy next to you with the hammer is doing it much better and easier. - Allein
"Graphics are often supplied by Engines that (some) MMORPG's are built in" - Spuffyre
This isn't a signature, you just think it is.
The weird thing as always is that killing is OK even if you are the good guy, but many other things are taboo.
Off to watch another episode of Rupaul's Drag Race.
If you are talking about more obvious politically incorrectness then it depends on the group it offends and what are the expectations.
If you are talking about a game thats suppose to entertain, and the dev makes a game that offends religious people, then he can expect the usual negative reaction, when maybe another dev avoids those issues and can expect a more wholesome community that is fun loving - disney like community for a 'teen' rated game.
Then again, why bother making a game that gets overshadowed by politics, even when players are playing the game are losing immerission due to the distracting context of religion and real live news, when made up lore and made up religions can serve the prupose to a greater extent ( hence the subtle part).
I can think of one example from dragon age series and thats the qunaries, and how their race is similar with the context of the engative issues of the group they could represent, and them being devilish in appearance as well ( in hisotry they were viewed as devils by another religion). Not so subtle there, but yea, it exists in games.
And I think people enjoy those games more for daring and liberal agenda in a game considering the same gender romance arcs in DA as well.
So in others it can sell. And all the other things can happen as well. But if presented in a certain overall package that looks entertaining that does not seem too edgey, then it would allow players to focus on the game and game discussions online as well, helping to have a nice community even with certain politically incorrect ideas.
So the issue that seems to be a big question mark, is the community that it would attract. A single player is different than an mmo with these controversial topics.
Write bad things that are done to you in sand, but write the good things that happen to you on a piece of marble
Insanity can pop up over the stupidest things.
SWG (pre-cu) - AoC (pre-f2p) - PotBS (pre-boarder) - DDO - LotRO (pre-f2p) - STO (pre-f2p) - GnH (beta tester) - SWTOR - Neverwinter
The best games present both sides, the moral dilemma. Do you side with the merchant's desire to profiteer or do you side with the refugees need to eat?
Also, if you are using "politically incorrect" as code words for ugly, crude and aggressively offensive then you just mean you want to get your rocks off in whatever sociopath way pleases you and hope someone buys it.
But with any creative endeavor it's important to define the story you wish to tell. All games are about storytelling. Once you know your story, the best terms in which to tell it will usually present themselves. Then the whole issue of to be or not to be simply becomes what the story requires.
As others have said it would depend on what, specifically, the game includes which is politically incorrect. It can be hard to predict how people will react to stuff and sometimes it's just bizarre the things they will go off on.
As an example: Years ago on this site I posted that I thought it might be cool if the strength stat of our characters affected the way they looked. The higher your strength the more your characters' muscles would bulge and the lower it is the less muscle you would have. Of course this would also mean that female characters with high strength would be big and husky instead of being cute little Barbie dolls. I then openly wondered if people would tend to not make female characters with high strength if a game had a system like that.
And man, people jumped on me for that. I was called sexist and ranted at just for suggesting such a thing. If I remember correctly, one person got so worked up he/she even argued that muscle mass and strength are in no way related.
People can be pretty crazy sometimes.
For example, GTA or Saints Row can be seen as a wry pastiche on excess delivered with a wink and a nod, whereas Scarlet Blade is a shit-heap.
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