Borderlands 2 "Girlfriend Mode" Helps Noobs Win

[Calibanbutcher]

"Kick him in the balls". Really? Really? "OH NOEZ HE OFFENDED MY OVERTLY LIBERAL AND IRRATIONAL FEMINIST SENSIBILITIES! KICK HIM IN THE BALLS!"

How is it "overtly liberal and irrational" to be offended when someone offhandedly says your entire gender sucks at first-person shooters?

DID he say that?
Did he even imply that?

 

[Lilani]

DID he say that?
Did he even imply that?

"I want to make, for the lack of a better term, the girlfriend skill tree. This is, I love Borderlands and I want to share it with someone, but they suck at first-person shooters."

Say it? Not directly.

Imply it? Most definitely. According to him, a "girlfriend" of a gamer is automatically someone who sucks at first-person shooters. God forbid there be girlfriends of male gamers who don't.

I don't have a boyfriend now, but I did not long ago. I was a gamer before I was his girlfriend, and I'm still a gamer now. I do not appreciate being patronized according to my gender and relationship status. I realize he was probably referring to a specific type of girlfriend, but even if he made that clear calling it "girlfriend mode" is probably the most patronizing way of trying to entice more girls to play Borderlands 2. I also understand that probably wasn't the official term...but the fact that he used the term so casually speaks to how he talks about it with the rest of the dev team, which speaks to a significant amount of stereotyping in their dialog about getting female gamers into their games. And yes, the fact that he jumped to that one before "easy mode" or "beginner mode" does suggest he uses the term casually more often than he'd like to admit.

 

[LifeMakesMeLOL]

DID he say that?
Did he even imply that?

"I want to make, for the lack of a better term, the girlfriend skill tree. This is, I love Borderlands and I want to share it with someone, but they suck at first-person shooters."

Say it? Not directly.

Imply it? Most definitely. According to him, a "girlfriend" of a gamer is automatically someone who sucks at first-person shooters. God forbid there be girlfriends of male gamers who don't.

I don't have a boyfriend now, but I did not long ago. I was a gamer before I was his girlfriend, and I'm still a gamer now. I do not appreciate being patronized according to my gender and relationship status. I realize he was probably referring to a specific type of girlfriend, but even if he made that clear calling it "girlfriend mode" is probably the most patronizing way of trying to entice more girls to play Borderlands 2. I also understand that probably wasn't the official term...but the fact that he used the term so casually speaks to how he talks about it with the rest of the dev team, which speaks to a significant amount of stereotyping in their dialog about getting female gamers into their games. And yes, the fact that he jumped to that one before "easy mode" or "beginner mode" does suggest he uses the term casually more often than he'd like to admit.

It was a simple term he made up at the time for the sake of talking more about the actual character and her abilities.

You're over-analyzing this and getting upset over nothing.

 

[The Lunatic]

Some people will just look for arguments where they can get them.

This thread is an example of this.

I find it extremely hard to believe anyone is legitimately offended by this, more just eager to stir up controversy and make themselves look "Good" in the meantime.

 

[lord.jeff]

He said something stupid and he apologized, I'm certain everyone here has come off as sexist at some point during a moment of stupidity.

 

[NotALiberal]

snip

"Kick him in the balls". Really? Really? "OH NOEZ HE OFFENDED MY OVERTLY LIBERAL AND IRRATIONAL FEMINIST SENSIBILITIES! KICK HIM IN THE BALLS!"

I like your name. And there's nothing especially liberal about feminism.

I'll kick someone in the balls if they offend me.

That's your decision then, but when they press assault charges, "they offended me" isn't really going to hold up in court. I'm just saying.

Also, "Liberal" and "Feminist" are almost interchangeable for each other based on my personal experience. I don't claim this to be a universal truth, but you'll come to notice the more "left leaning" people on this site are the most outspoken "feminists". Like Moviebob, good god he's as liberal as they come, and he could not be more of a White Knight.

 

[NotALiberal]

"Kick him in the balls". Really? Really? "OH NOEZ HE OFFENDED MY OVERTLY LIBERAL AND IRRATIONAL FEMINIST SENSIBILITIES! KICK HIM IN THE BALLS!"

How is it "overtly liberal and irrational" to be offended when someone offhandedly says your entire gender sucks at first-person shooters?

Except he didn't... he was merely relating a personal anecdote to give context to what he was trying to say. The fact that people are saying "he should've chosen a better term" is exactly the kind of 1984 Orwellian thought policing bullshit that I refuse to tolerate. His intentions weren't malicious, and he wasn't using that example to be "sexist".

Regardless, you have the right to be offended, what you can't do, however, is try justify violence and arrogant hatred of the filthy guy who says stuff I don't like.

 

[Easton Dark]

That's your decision then, but when they press assault charges, "they offended me" isn't really going to hold up in court. I'm just saying.

Also, "Liberal" and "Feminist" are almost interchangeable for each other based on my personal experience. I don't claim this to be a universal truth, but you'll come to notice the more "left leaning" people on this site are the most outspoken "feminists". Like Moviebob, good god he's as liberal as they come, and he could not be more of a White Knight.

Hey if they can find enough proof that I kicked a guy in the balls, good for them.

Conversely, I know some sexist, wife/woman beating sacks of shit (that I would love to kick in the balls many times) that are hard on republican. So I could say those are interchangeable from my personal experience, but I know there's nothing inherently sexist about republicans.

 

[theblindedhunter]

Except he didn't... he was merely relating a personal anecdote to give context to what he was trying to say. The fact that people are saying "he should've chosen a better term" is exactly the kind of 1984 Orwellian thought policing bullshit that I refuse to tolerate. His intentions weren't malicious, and he wasn't using that example to be "sexist".

I feel like bringing up 1984 is basically the same thing as satisfying Godwin's Law in any debate that gets slightly political.
Also, in this case it is totally off. Saying "you shouldn't say that because it was offensive" is a lot different from saying "you said something that offended me, so you should be put in jail" or "we should monitor and control people's thoughts and language so that if they say something that could threaten the government we can rectify the situation".
Bit of a ridiculous exaggeration, no?

People, even when they react badly, are just making the point that what he said is offensive - and because of that, he should have made the personal nature of the statement more clear, by providing something like "girlfriend mode, for lack of a better term, because I would use it to introduce my girlfriend to gaming", instead of it just seeming like he thought every girl needed to be introduced to gaming. Whether he keeps saying it or not is up to him, if there is anyone saying that he needs to be locked up for it I'm pretty sure they are in the minority.

 

[Lilani]

Except he didn't... he was merely relating a personal anecdote to give context to what he was trying to say. The fact that people are saying "he should've chosen a better term" is exactly the kind of 1984 Orwellian thought policing bullshit that I refuse to tolerate. His intentions weren't malicious, and he wasn't using that example to be "sexist".

Regardless, you have the right to be offended, what you can't do, however, is try justify violence and arrogant hatred of the filthy guy who says stuff I don't like.

Hold on just a minute. I was not legitimizing my reaction, I was simply legitimizing the emotion and offense that brought it on.

What is an irrational thing to say? Yes. But it suited the kind of pain that was inflicted upon me from the words of someone who is supposed to be a professional in the industry and describing what is actually a well-designed female character as someone with substance, not just to be a decorative pair of tits. He hurt me, so I expressed a desire to hurt him too. Irrational, but human.

And you know, I just can't bring myself to feel bad about it just yet. I know I should, and I might after a time, but not yet. I've even tried to look up an apology from Hemingway, addressing that what he said was a stereotype, and the most I've found is him deflecting.

?Borderlands 2 does NOT have a girlfriend mode. Anyone that says otherwise is misinformed or trying to stir up something that isn?t there,? he said. In response to a disgruntled reply, Pitchford concluded, ?I didn?t know it was a nickname. It?s not even a thing ? just a skill built from the idea of playing coop with noob friends.?

http://www.vg247.com/2012/08/13/borderlands-2-girlfriend-mode-could-cause-gender-issue-to-erupt-again/

He won't even fucking admit to the very words he is quoted as saying. I might be willing to get over this faster if he'd just admit what he said was stereotypical and sexist, but if he can't even bring himself to do that then I am not going to apologize for what I said, either. Fair is fair.

 

[Mikeyfell]

You know, I've never thought the "The games industry is inherently sexist" argument ever held any water until right now.

Gearbox I am disappoint.

Making a noob friendly play style is fine, but calling it "girlfriend mode" is terrible.
Call it noob mode or wimp mode or looser mode.

This is insulting on a primal level and I'm not even a girl

 

[The Lunatic]

He won't even fucking admit to the very words he is quoted as saying. I might be willing to get over this faster if he'd just admit what he said was stereotypical and sexist, but if he can't even bring himself to do that then I am not going to apologize for what I said, either. Fair is fair.

John Hemingway dubbed the "girlfriend mode".

"Borderlands 2 does NOT have a girlfriend mode," Pitchford stated.

Might have something to do with them being completely different people.


I'm sorry, but, if you're going to get so irrationally irate about something so minor, at least have some idea of what it is you're annoyed about.

 

[Freezyflea]

Making a noob friendly play style is fine, but calling it "girlfriend mode" is terrible.
Call it noob mode or wimp mode or looser mode.

This is insulting on a primal level and I'm not even a girl

Actually, I'd call It "MOAR DAKKA"mode. IT sees like something that would work well with a nice fat clipped spray and pray weapon,sans the pray. I'm not really sure why people are quite so eager to discount the worth the skill tree, it sounds pretty fun to me. Though granted. I am unashamedly the target audience, someone who isn't quite so handy at aiming, but still wants to play alongside their significant other, and other friends in a shooter. To e so eager to take offence at the word girlfriend being used in this context strikes me as a bit over sensitive. It really was an offhand joke, based on a common archetype that references the experience of wanting to play along someone unfamiliar or unskilled in the game, not the innate gaming abilities of females.

(Edit-Or maybe JFK mode. Kekeke Magic bullets.)

 

[ImmortalDrifter]

Hmmm...
1.)Pre-order, pay $60 (plus tax) total, wait 60 days & pay $X for Mechromancer.
2.)Wait for inevitable GoTY edition, pay $30-40, get Mechromancer and other DLC for free.

It's like the industry is collectively punishing the faithful (read: impatient). These days it's a regular occurance to see the pre-order bonuses available as DLC afterwards, so there's even less incentive to buy on day 1. It's shenanigans like this that make me feel zero sympathy when developers and/or publishers bemoan dropping sales figures. That, and using piracy as a scapegoat as often as possible.

Well while I hate to puncture the orb of pretentiousness that surrounds your comment like a miasmic haze, I feel inclined to call out 2 things.

1.)The DLC will be free for pre-orders. They have also stated already that the class will be available for purchase, making your statement pointless.
2.)What the fuck does piracy have to do with this? Furthermore how the hell are they punishing anyone? They are rewarding those people who trust the developer enough to buy their game before anyone has reviewed it. (The opprotunity cost etc.) It's comments like this that make me think that the game community really need to look inward a bit and see that they're not nearly as oppressed as they think they are.

 

[ImmortalDrifter]

Hey, a new (read "cut") character that is almost day one DLC? I'll skip your whole game, thanks Gearbox.

It's free with a new purchase of the game, unlike ME3's DLC which was only in Collectors editions. Its to make sure people buy new and not used, so that 2k gets there cut. I think its perfectly reasonable, its not like an online pass, you don't NEED this character to experience the full game.

It is my understanding that it is NOT free if you buy new, but only if you pre-order. Otherwise I think it is still BS.

The logic is that you are trusting the game to be good before anyone has reviewed it. Gearbox is rewarding you for that trust down the line. The character could have been cut, but I highly doubt it. Borderlands 1 had 4 characters, so I'm sure they set out with that number in mind. "Almost Day-one DLC" is more or less completely wrong though. If their venture was money, they would be bringing it out much earlier. They would ship it while they could be sure the game is still in the hands of as many buyers as possible.

 

[NotALiberal]

SNIP

I feel like bringing up 1984 is basically the same thing as satisfying Godwin's Law in any debate that gets slightly political.
Also, in this case it is totally off. Saying "you shouldn't say that because it was offensive" is a lot different from saying "you said something that offended me, so you should be put in jail" or "we should monitor and control people's thoughts and language so that if they say something that could threaten the government we can rectify the situation".
Bit of a ridiculous exaggeration, no?

Not really, no. I wasn't saying the government was going to bust down doors, what I WAS saying, is how people (who admit what he said wasn't malicious in intent) were suggesting he "change his wording" because he might "offend" some people. That, right there, is the 1984 bullshit I was referring to. What happened to not having a stick up your ass all the time like all these internet White Knights and Femnazis seem to?

So what someone got "offended"? You literally cannot say ANYTHING without the possibility of it "offending" someone. I do mean that, if someone wants to be offended, they will find a way to twist your words and take "offence" to them. Like has happened here, people didn't care about rationality and logic, they didn't care about the fact that Hemmingway could possibly be referring to his girlfriend, no, everyone just wanted to get on that white horse and look down on the filthy sexist developer while acting self important and indignant.

Also, I find it coincidental it was EUROgamer that first broke the story, because yes, some European countries are 1984 to the letter. What with their Holocaust denial laws, and "hate speech" laws as to avoid offending people that will actually land you REAL jailtime, for merely speaking an opinion (the fact that they are hilariously wrong is irrelevant when it comes to free speech). I know this doesn't really have much relevance to the story, but I thought it was rather funny.

 

[Neonit]

DID he say that?
Did he even imply that?

"I want to make, for the lack of a better term, the girlfriend skill tree. This is, I love Borderlands and I want to share it with someone, but they suck at first-person shooters."

Say it? Not directly.

Imply it? Most definitely. According to him, a "girlfriend" of a gamer is automatically someone who sucks at first-person shooters. God forbid there be girlfriends of male gamers who don't.
...

why, a girlfriend of a gamer doesn't have to be a gamer herself - which would imply that her skills would be lower (due to lack of experience, not gender), yet they still might want to share some time together in front of TV.
he did not say that women are worse at games. from what i understand, he implied that not everyone is experienced gamer, like say - a girlfriend of a gamer.

poor choice of words anyway, true that.

there is a lot of sexism in gaming, but i do not believe this is a good example of it.

 

[Nautical Honors Society]

INB4 bitching about pre-order DLC and calling sexism because he said girlfriend tree.

Anyway. This sounds like a great idea, because my girlfriends main problem with borderlands was that she would die more often than me, and so if this perk tree can tip the scales a bit, we may get a LOT of playtime out of it.

INB4? Really?

Well, people are going to complain, because the term they are using to describe this tree is a bit sexist. And pre-order DLC is horrible, because basically they are forcing you to buy it without waiting for reviews or other player's recommendations to see if it's actually good. They are selling an unfinished game and making you buy it blindingly under the ruse that the "extras" you get from pre-ordering are actually bonuses, when in reality they are parts of the game they took out for marketing reasons.

Also, pre-order DLC usually means they are not very confident on their game selling on their own merits. That being said I am also very annoyed that if I get this game I won't get the full version, since I won't be in the country to claim a pre-order. And this easier tree is a good idea, the term they are using to describe it, is stupid.