justnotcricket said:
TheXRatedDodo said:
justnotcricket said:
What bothers me in particular is the 'Carte Blanche' factor.
Whenever people object to the gross chauvinism inherent to Duke Nukem's identity, they're met with 'Oh, you just don't understand Duke and the Duke universe. It's not offensive, it's funny'. This is exactly the problem. Sometimes, it just stops being funny. Sometimes, it just stops being satire and starts being openly awful. How much can a game/movie/series whatever get away with based solely on the 'Oh, it's just a laugh' factor?
I'm not trying to suggest there's some sort of anti-feminist, pro chauvinist conspiracy going on here. I just think that stuff like Duke Nukem shouldn't be allowed to get away with progressively more insulting themes just because it appeals to a fourteen-year old mentality that will shortly start wondering why it has such trouble attracting girls.
Stereotypes are used so often in comedy because they're funny. I'm sure there aren't any ridiculous pro-chauvanist, anti-feminism freaks at Gearbox, but Duke's a funny character because of how ridiculously, unrealistically chauvanist HE is.
It's ludicrous, it's surreal, it's everything good comedy is built on. A badass chauvanist chomping on a cigar kicking alien Pigcops in the face with his boot. Come the fuck on... Be serious, you're extracting issues about morality and taste from this? I hope to God you've never seen a Troma movie... You'd have a field day with them.
Is it considered an inadequate post if I just say 'QED'? =S
There's no need to start swearing at me, I haven't called for Duke to be banned or for all action game heroes to become SNAGs, my point was merely to wonder, once you start writing things off as 'Oh' it's just for a laugh', how far someone or something can get away with venturing into the realms of poor taste before they get called on it.
I don't like the idea of Duke giving babes a 'reassuring slap'. I don't care if its 'just on the ass' (excuse me?!?). It's offensive. Someone further up in this thread tried to make the point that it was just like any action hero giving any hysterical character a sobering slap, but it's not. If you're OK with using a slap as a means of 'reassuring' communication with women, then I pity the females in your life.
I treat the people in my life with as much love and respect as I can possibly muster, always feedin' them when I haven't got enough money to feed myself, sharing my stuff with them, givin' 'em hugs when they're down and a place to stay if they need it.
Duke Nukem does not realistically reflect on human existence. He is a charicature, the ideal of machismo pushed to the absolute limit and played for big, dumb laughs.
Can't say I'd go around giving any females in my life a reassuring slap on the ass, can't say I'm gonna be pissed off about it in a Duke Nukem game either..
And as for the poor taste thing, morality is relative. There is no ultimate objective moral compass out there except for a few basic things that we should all adhere to such as don't rape, don't murder, don't steal other people's shit, don't be an asshole.
In Comedy, or any other art form, nothing is off limits, and rightfully so. And to me, this game is going to be far more artistically relevant than the pile of pseudo-intellectual dross the games industry has built itself into over the past decade.
Here is a game that says "I am a video game, I am made for you to enjoy rather than for you to explore your deepest existential thoughts and fears with, GO WILD, HAVE FUN!"
Personally, I think it's about damn time.
That, and it's an 18 rated game, it's for adults who presumably know the difference between fantasy and reality.
But seriously, you should go watch some Troma movies. I'd love to see what you'd have to say about a film like Redneck Zombies or The Toxic Avenger 4..
