Notch: Minecraft is Full of Hermaphrodites

[Twilight_guy]

I'm sorry to tell you this Notch but the idea of 'male as default' is a serious issue and one you can't skirt around by saying 'feminist argument' and 'represents a human being'. You can take no side and wash your hands of it, but its not something you can not be involved in, even if you don't want to be. It's like racism in that no matter what color your character is, someone will cry racism just because he is some color. The only escape is to create something distinctly non-human, like a green skinned alien.

Because Notch is obviously a seething misogynist?

You don't need to be a misogynist to be ignorant of social issues.

How can you definitely say you have ANY idea of his stance on social issues? You don't think that's _a_bit_ presumptuous? PRESUMPTUOUS. AYE.

So, we're not contending he was too lazy to add in anything beyond a male character model, and now he's obviously callously explaining away game content that could potentially expose him as "ignorant" of the social climate, or (gasp) a republican? He shouldn't be forced to give way to the demands of feminist apologetics in making design decisions. I seriously doubt the mighty, intoxicating liquor of pro-male gender politics was coursing through his veins during development. Twilight is right, guys. Let it go, guys. GGEEEZZ, GUYS.

Captcha: SMASHED POTATOE
I chuckled a bit

Actually, as I noted in a different post, it doesn't really matter what he says here or what he did. This isn't an issue one can 'opt-out' of. The act of not involving one's self is the choice to silently support one side. Human beings are not something that can't be separated in the mind from certain elements, such as gender. You can't simply declare yourself 'above' or 'outside' of the issue. So long as you are using human analogues you are delving into a host of issue even without realizing it. I'm not saying the guy is pro or con anything or anyone and I'm saying he has some devious purpose or something or was or wasn't lazy or even that his decisions should follow X or Y philosophy. What I'm saying is that he can't just wash his hands of this.

 

[II2]

I kinda figured they were kinda like LEGO people... Gender defined by skin / texture; The oldschool LEGO figures we all know and love... let's not derail this with Anita's girly-lego expansion "aww-hell-naw" FF video.

Anyway, here's Notch being quirky and making impulsive moves in front of an audience. I don't think arbitrary, retroactive declarations are exactly progressive, nor do I think this is a quiet bit of canon held back like JK Rowling's thoughts on Dumbledore's preferred evening company.

I love Minecraft and this isn't really going to change the way I think about it, but I guess it's a plausible 'reality' in a world of blocks. *shrug*

 

[GeneralBob]

In any first person silent protagonist game the character model is completely irrelevant to me. What my mind creates for my character's disembodied personality is an order of magnitude more relevant to me than a whatever polygon I'm playing and probably wont see until I've finished the game. Even with games where the protagonist talks and has an identity I've never found myself thinking "Gee, I wish I wasn't a 30 year old blonde guy with blue eyes and a funky jacket" (freelancer). It's simply a non issue because so few developers make any gender or racial aspects of the player character relevant to the gameplay, not that they always should, that's a touchy subject. But my point is in 95% of games I play the physical representation of your character has no bearing on how you play the game. I do mostly play shooters though so maybe this is different in other genres like RPGs but I suspect there's no substantial difference.

 

[ReinWeisserRitter]

I'm not sure if I'd be more satisfied that you used the word "hermaphrodite" because you didn't know what one is (a hermaphrodite is the presence of both genders' sexual organs, not an absence) or because you just wanted more views.

 

[A Raging Emo]

Steve was always "James", to me. Because that's my name, and I imagined Steve to simply represent me before I started using a custom skin.

 

[auron200004]

Look, I have no problem with women shooting for equality and whatnot. I just dislike the fact that, even though I'm still in high school, I've been called a "man pig" by a lesbian feminist for simply having a penis. I'm not anybody's employer, I don't even have a job right now. So, pray tell, how the hell was that justified?

I was talking to my friend about how Jennifer Anniston was attractive in Horrible Bosses, and she overheard it. That's what set her off. Seriously.

Now, I understand that this type of person is the minority, not the majority, as it was in every movement throughout history. For every MLK and his many followers, there will be a member of the Black Panthers, etc.

...Doesn't stop me from getting my feelings hurt, though.

OT: I like Notch, I really do, but I feel that he brought this up out of nowhere. Does he receive metric tons of complaints that Steve looks too masculine, or is he just speaking up about an issue that doesn't affect him at all just because he has half a million in the bank?