Jimquisition: Why So Serious?

[Aardvaarkman]

Seriously? This is a thing?
I've had my favorite games made fun of. Like how I played DDR in tournaments when I was a teenager, many of my friends and classmates made fun of it, or picked jokes because they didn't know it very well. ("Just stand on arrows, how hard can it be?")

Wow, that's extremely mild teasing. In my day, you'd be called called gay (non-ironically) and be viciously beaten for doing something like dancing, let alone dancing to a video game. You'd essentially be ostracized from society. No amount of clever comebacks would save you.

So, the equivalent punishment today is being lightly ribbed over the difficulty of the game?? Yeah, that isn't very hard to deal with at all.

 

[Breywood]

"Po-faced" - there's a turn of phrase I've only read a handful of times, and never heard in conversation.

I looked it up to remind myself the precise definition. I'd always assumed it came out the American slang of "po'" for "poor." Turns out the etymology is... somewhat more amusing.

There's another definition, but it's because of spelling. "Poe" named after Nathan Poe a nontheist user on a religious website who coined the term that unless someone uses some way of flagging sarcasm, it can be indistinguishable from someone being sincere.

Uh, no. "Po-Faced" means "a stern expression" - it has nothing to do with Nathan Poe, for whom "Poe's Law" is named.

Well, if anything, this is showing me how long I've been living under a rock. :/

 

[Racecarlock]

This doesn't apply to games I like, right?

Saints Row IV and Far Cry 3 blood dragon seem to be the only games last year that actually wanted to have fun.

If "have fun" is a way of saying "hollow clown face," yeah.

Hey, I was having fun. You can take that for what it's worth. I don't need you to like it for me to like it.

Sorry, but I have to agree with Zachary here.
That was blunt "it is so silly, lough at it!!!" humor

Don't care. Still laughed. Still had a good time.

It seems like you two are trying to make me see SRIV for the piece of crap that it really is, but that won't work since I already played it and heavily enjoyed it. Clearly we have different tastes, and that's fine. But stop trying to get me to change my opinion based on some humor that you didn't like.

 

[blackrave]

It seems like you two are trying to make me see SRIV for the piece of crap that it really is, but that won't work since I already played it and heavily enjoyed it. Clearly we have different tastes, and that's fine. But stop trying to get me to change my opinion based on some humor that you didn't like.

What?
Tolerance? Acceptance? Common ground?
Where do you think you're are?
This is internet, dammit, it isn't how it goes here.
Time to teach you a lesson or two!
In immortal words of one russian dude

Spoiler: 4 paragraphs that proves why Saints Row series is utter crap + 3 paragraphs that explains why you should feel ashamed and eventually kill yourself

Nope, not really XD

 

[michael87cn]

I actually don't like to mock things that I enjoy. That doesn't mean I don't have a sense of humor.

You can find things funny without being insulting. Grow a thick skin is just a phrase to justify verbal abuse. Truth is, words do hurt. Most evil thoughts and things come from the mouth. "If you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all."

In daily life, I don't laugh at myself. I don't want to and never will. I don't find that to be healthy or normal behavior. That doesn't mean you can't know your own faults.

I think this is also a perspective thing. A lot of people learn to mock other people and things with their friends. I see this as a teenage phase though. Some people, never grow up.

Again, you can laugh at things that are meant to be funny, but laughing at something at someone elses expense is a different thing altogether.

All this said, I'm 99% sure most people will skim my post and at most I'll get people saying "people are too serious these days, no one can take a joke! grow a thick skin!"

How about, learn to control your thoughts and your tongue.

 

[Aardvaarkman]

In daily life, I don't laugh at myself. I don't want to and never will. I don't find that to be healthy or normal behavior. That doesn't mean you can't know your own faults.

That actually sounds extremely unhealthy. You've never done something stupid and laughed at yourself for doing it?

The "never will" part sounds especially creepy. How is it that you can predict the future so well that you know this?

 

[Second World]

Lately a lot of people have been working too hard on thinking of video games as "art" which is rather silly.. Video games are toys & puzzles. There's usually a per-determined goal in mind compared to most conventional toys, but straying from the rails and toying around with things is really what makes a game memorable or highly lauded over the years.

As a person with many siblings, I find that (when watching) they must be equally entertained by my in-game antics & perspective as I am by the in-game goals. This what keeps people watching during Let's Plays and why Speed Runs are great forms of entertainment. Forget the developer's art, the fun is in toying around with the interactive medium they've presented. After all, that's what a "game" is.

During Dragon's Dogma, Yahtzee found great entertainment by the character models he could choose from and the multiplayer character trade. When playing Dark Arisen, I made the character model look like a little girl & enjoyed running around slicing up all of the villagers. I haven't played as much of the game's girth as most people (since most quests are unplayable without their NPCs), but I'm not sure if that matters. I also had fun breaking the environment and surviving things in unconventional ways. (finding ways to sprint through missions and exploit AI in silly ways was great fun too.)

Do I have anything positive to stay about the story? No, it was laughably cheesy. Is the Elder's Scolls-like questing environment great fun? No. Absolutely not. Is the combat great fun? Absolutely not. But I certainly enjoyed playing it.

I did not equally enjoy Call of Duty Black Ops. The game was largely on rails, the characters were too stiff, there's very little time to openly enjoy the game design during the story. But, a lot of people enjoy playing the multiplayer since they get a thrill out of making toys out of and entertaining themselves with the other players. Most of the time people talk about it, they have great fun with the mistakes they made in multiplayer or their flukes and funny triumphs that they had in some matches. All the entertainment came from treating the game like a toy (or a puzzle for those that like to be the best), and not their artistic impression of it.

Games are entertaining and fun. And they're full of things you can toy with and chat about.

 

[keniakittykat]

Seriously? This is a thing?
I've had my favorite games made fun of. Like how I played DDR in tournaments when I was a teenager, many of my friends and classmates made fun of it, or picked jokes because they didn't know it very well. ("Just stand on arrows, how hard can it be?")

Wow, that's extremely mild teasing. In my day, you'd be called called gay (non-ironically) and be viciously beaten for doing something like dancing, let alone dancing to a video game. You'd essentially be ostracized from society. No amount of clever comebacks would save you.

So, the equivalent punishment today is being lightly ribbed over the difficulty of the game?? Yeah, that isn't very hard to deal with at all.

For one, I'm a woman, so the whole 'you're gay' argument isn't gonna fly. And "The equivalent today"? That happened almost ten years ago! Besides, this was a lighthearted anecdote on the topic of people making negative comments on something you like, while not hurting you directly and how you respond by NOT throwing a tantrum over it and learn to laugh at yourself.

Well job, sir. I see you've caught the message brilliantly..

 

[Aardvaarkman]

For one, I'm a woman, so the whole 'you're gay' argument isn't gonna fly.

Wait, since when was it not possible for women to be gay?

That happened almost ten years ago!

Ten years ago may as well be today, relatively speaking. That was definitely after the rise of the internet as a popular medium, and well into the age of gender liberation and anti-bullying. Absolutely nothing like being a nerd or gamer in the 70s to 90s.

 

[keniakittykat]

For one, I'm a woman, so the whole 'you're gay' argument isn't gonna fly.

Wait, since when was it not possible for women to be gay?

That happened almost ten years ago!

Ten years ago may as well be today, relatively speaking. That was definitely after the rise of the internet as a popular medium, and well into the age of gender liberation and anti-bullying. Absolutely nothing like being a nerd or gamer in the 70s to 90s.

Okay, fine, you win: You are the ultimate geek/nerd martyr. You have suffered the more than any nerd and geek who came after you. You are nerd Jesus, and we must respect your sacrifice. The Millennial and even the earlier MTV generations can simply not fathom what a burden it was to stand up for what you loved.

Let me play a sad song on my tiny violin for you. Let's all shed one big tear for Aardvarkman...

 

[Aardvaarkman]

Okay, fine, you win: You are the ultimate geek/nerd martyr. You have suffered the more than any nerd and geek who came after you. You are nerd Jesus, and we must respect your sacrifice.

What the hell? Since when was this about martyrdom or suffering? And why do you find it so necessary to insult others?

 

[Roofstone]

Shes not blending in with the environment

I think she was explained as having some kinda chameleon like camouflage ability, so I guess little clothing does infact help her blend in.

Don't quote me on that though, since I don't remember where I read that, or if it is something the dark depths of my brain made up.

More on topic, I'll admitt I can go a bit fangirl mode when people openly mockingly joke about something I like, if it is lighthearted joking around I'll usually survive though. Even partake perhaps.

 

[PhunkyPhazon]

Uh...what's going on? I pressed play and I got an 8 minute clip-show of various Escapist shows. At first I thought these were gonna be examples used for Jim's argument but nope. At the end (yes I watched the whole thing) it just said "Find these shows on the Escapist".

And absolutely nobody else in this thread seems to have reported seeing this so uh...yeah just thought I'd mention it. Refreshing the page isn't helping either.

 

[RavenTail]

As pretty much a MGS fanboy (seriously, I have the original action figures in their cases on a shelf) I can still laugh at how the series takes itself. It can be incredibly silly at times. But in the end I still love it. MGS1 still stands as one of my all times favorites and tradition seems to have me buying every new Sony system just in time for a new MGS game (my plans to get a PS4 updated since Ground Zeros is coming in March).

I don't argue jabs or against those who don't like it. There's no point. I can still laugh and have my chest tighten with the series.

 

[Blunderboy]

Why So Serious?

Jim makes a point about humor and defensive fandoms the only way he knows how - by dressing up in silly costumes and exploiting tired old film references.

Watch Video

Jim I'm going to have to report you to the mods.
You keep advertising for other sites on the forums. It just won't do man.