Adoptive Parents Call Portal 2 Jokes Offensive to Orphans

[William MacKay]

when i heard that i thought 'not gonna go down to well with the adopted...'. it's a bit mean, but GLaDOS is mean, and is trying to make Chell feel bad. it's like any episode of South Park that's about gingers.
but the context is that Chell was abandoned at Aperture Labs as a baby, not orphaned (or at least thats what she's told). but later, GLaDOS does make up for it by saying to Wheatley: "so. whats wrong with being an orphan?"

 

[Raziel_Likes_Souls]

While I can see why the father would be offended, don't you think the kid would have figured it out on her own? I mean, it does say

his [adopted] Chinese daughter Zoey

I think if she can play Portal 2, she would have guessed something there.

 

[Booze Zombie]

Apply the joke to the context of that situation: It's a robot who wants to hurt your feelings! For fuck's sake...

 

[The Random One]

"It says it's rated 'E' for everybody and I'm thinking maybe it's rated 'E' for everybody except for orphans."

I'm probably a horrible person for thinking this[footnote]Research indicates he is indeed a horrible person and also fat and hasn't even played Portal 2 yet. Despise him.[/footnote] but I would put that in the box.

I liked the evalls before they were famous.

 

[Et3rnalLegend64]

Trolling... more successful than anticipated. It went past the target character and affected the one behind the tv.

No really, this guy is taking things too seriously. Lighten up, man.

 

[Andy of Comix Inc]

Anyone over the age of 10 would shrug it off but I could still see a small child taking it personally. I don't think it's nessassarily enough to give it a T but it still feels like it shouldn't be for Everyone.

You are aware it was rated E10+, right?

Honestly have no idea. Completely different rating system over here. Just took a look at mine and it says 12 on it.

Well. Actually. I live in Australia and it's rated PG here so I'm kind of guessing what these American ratings actually mean, relatively, and I sort of assume E10+ is the equivalent of 12+ is the equivalent of PG so it's all the same, really.

 

[crystalsnow]

Here let me build a trench so he can cry a river down it.

Seriously, this is the stuff that is affecting people now? It doesn't matter if the kid was 5, joke or not, there are far worse things out in the world than being called "adopted fatty".

 

[Milo Windby]

They should probably build a bridge and get the fuck over it. That's what they should probably do.

You forgot to add "Cry me a river". Its what the bridge is for ;3

 

[Dr. Harvey C. Clay]

My little brothers are both adopted and they found that whole section to be very funny.

 

[Ziadaine_v1legacy]

I cannot believe this. Can you actually make humour - proper humour - that does not, somewhere, offend somebody?

Sadly that's just how the world is today. Everyone takes offense to the smallest and most stupid things.

 

[speakeasysyn]

I'm adopted....and I didn't have a problem with it. In fact, I just LAUGHED.

Sensitivity. Why world, why?

 

[SimpleJack]

Why are people so sensitive? There are so many problems in the world that are bigger than this, and This one guy has the audacity to complain about a joke in a video game that he thought could potentially hurt his daughter. It wasnt like it was directed at her...

 

[MasterChief892039]

It did occur to me that GLaDOs' comments could be mildly offensive for fat gamers, and I supposed adopted gamers as well. Honestly though, it's pretty ridiculous that the father got his panties all in a bunch, especially when the child seems totally fine. I notice it's an article about the father's outrage, not the child's.

 

[with_aplomb]

Apparently a hypothetical world and irony count for nothing in comic writing then?

 

[hexFrank202]

You just can't live life without being made fun of, plain and simple. They should feel glad that 'orphan' is such a rarely used insult as it is. What about all the fat or people with mental disabilities that were playing the game? Don't they matter?

 

[EternalFacepalm]

Huh. This is how I always thought of it:

Wheatley was, as known to most, designed to be the biggest moron in existence.
GLaDOS also mentioned the euphoria released in her "body" whenever she tested -- at least initially. She said the euphoria was created to keep her testing, yet she built a defense against it; she kept testing for the science.
Wheatley, on the other hand, tested purely for the euphoria, and, while it was subtle (seemed like it to me, at least), he slightly idolized GLaDOS, making him throw insults towards Chell.
His body was, as stated, building a defense against the euphoria as well. In the early stages of his testing, he felt very good about it when finished; this being comparable to the human "sex drive," in lack of a better term.
Yet, seperating his robotic nature from the human one, it stopped having an effect on him, discouraging him from testing any more.
Yet Wheatley also shows signs of emotion, and regret, when he later states that there's nothing really wrong about being fat or adopted.
Wheatley always seemed more like someone slightly confused with their identity, and, when told what it really was, he denies it.

That's why I love Valve, they tell these small stories in such subtle ways. I don't believe anyone should really take offense, as that's not the point in his ranting at all.

 

[OptimisticPessimist]

"Parentally Challenge"? Yeah, I just giggled like a little girl.

 

[Cliff_m85]

You mean I'm going to STAY this color????

 

[Torrasque]

Context is important. When you are playing a game where the nemesis hurls bombs and neurotoxin at you, receiving a couple of insults is par for the course.

Maybe the manufacturers of neurotoxin will take offense to GLaDOS using it to kill people next?
Or someone named Chell will take offense to this all?
Maybe someone named Wheatley will play this game and be offended that a robot with his name is portrayed as being a complete idiot.

I can just see it now. The parents complain to their local news outlet about how Portal is the devil, and should be rated M, and the local news outlet laughs hysterically and posts this crap because its so sad.

And seriously, if she's 10 and you haven't talked about the fact that she is adopted, then you have a problem on your hands.
Every person I have ever known that is adopted, got sat down for "the talk" before grade three. You don't want to pop that question when a kid is dealing with adolescent hormones. THAT would fuck alot of shit up.

and to this one
1 the parents didnt say portal is the devil they just said that they got a bit offended by the orphan jokes and even said the game itself was pretty good

2 its their dicision whether or not to talk about the fact that she is adopted

now guys plz just let people speak about their feelings and dont make a big deal about it because what i hear in this post is them making a small deal about portal 2 having orphan jokes just saying what they think about it and then all these replies making an awefully overexagarated big deal about it

and btw this guy is ok people he just notes somthing he feels bad about others would immidiatly take this thing to court or somthing and sue valve

I have no idea if they actually called Portal the devil, I don't know or care about the religious opinions. I was just being silly, it is called hyperbole.
And yes, it is their decision to talk to her about whether she is adopted or not, but she's chinese and they are not chinese... if it doesn't come up SOME time her in life, then I would be hella surprised.

And to be fair, this news story made a big deal out of before any of us even posted a reply.