Online Kombat

[Diablo1099_v1legacy]

Not mad, just confused as to why it was in a fighting game, where most players don't give a toss about "story" as long as they get to kick the crap out of each other. My attitude isn't "HOW DARE THEY?! ITS RIUNED FOREVER BWAAAAAHHHHHH", but "yeah, and? If he has some special moves that let me whoop ass, I'm cool."

Character lore in fighting games is srs business.

But, seriously, that's the right attitude to go about it and, like I'd said several times in this thread, there has been gay characters in fighting games longer then there has been Mortal Kombat.
Personally, I'm more annoyed as just how rushed the romance between Jacqui Briggs and Takeda Takahashi towards the end.
Seriously, entire world is going to shit, Kotal Khan is attacking, THEN Cupid takes the shot?
I mean, they did hint at it, but they just skipped to "-and now they're dating!" fight before the final showdown, THAT could have been done better IMO.

 

[Lightknight]

This is a thing now? Trumpeting a trait of a character that doesn't really apply to gameplay in the grand scheme of things?

Well written characters are rare. Well written gay characters even more so. People are happy with a dev for managing it.

So y u mad, bro?

Not mad, just confused as to why it was in a fighting game, where most players don't give a toss about "story" as long as they get to kick the crap out of each other. My attitude isn't "HOW DARE THEY?! ITS RIUNED FOREVER BWAAAAAHHHHHH", but "yeah, and? If he has some special moves that let me whoop ass, I'm cool."

Have you really never played through a fighting game with different characters to see how their story develops? They're actually really good.

If you like fighting games then I strongly recommend checking this out. Consider it single-player gameplay. Cause it is.

What I don't get is how people are freaking out about this particular instance. It's as subtle as someone telling me the guy has an 8 of diamonds card in his pocket. "Um, ok, but it doesn't show so what does that matter?"

 

[Diablo1099_v1legacy]

MK9 and X actually have pretty in-depth story modes that were obviously a big focus for the developers. A lot like Injustice. The games aren't really "competitive" due to a fuck ton of balance issues, so a lot of players play them purely for the story.

That and in the case of MK9, the Network was rather bad so online wasn't as big as it could have been.
Injustice was better, but the size of stages and the number of projectile attacks each character had made it VERY prone to people just playing lame and just throwing fireballs.
You ever see how bullshit Deathstroke's gun attacks were before they were nerfed? it was pretty bad.

 

[JMac85]

I just hope there isn't a massive blowback after people who take an active interest in representation in media realizes there is a gay character... in a Mortal Kombat game. Which means they can be horrifically killed like everyone else. Because even though I think people like Anita "if you can kill a female NPC that means the game promotes violence against women" Sarkesian are full of shit, I have to admit I winced a bit when I YouTubed the fatalities and the first one I saw was demonstrated on Cassie Cage. She wasn't even in her special forces skin, she was in her "spoiled teenager" garb.

 

[SweetShark]

Again, in Japan they react differently. Also their whole culture in deep inside the taboos already, so no a shocking factor for them if they see a gay character.

Well, point I was making was: This isn't really the earth shattering news everyone things it is. Fighting games are a lot more diverse then people would think.

"ERMUHGADDD! MK HAS TEH GAY!"
"Yeah, and Street Fighter technically had it since the '80s, get over it."

Everyone just screaming from the hilltops about how much of a big deal it is, I mean, sure, you could make the case that it's because NRS is a western studio, but hell, even SNK's King of Fighters has 2 Bi-sexual fighters (Mature and Seth) on the roster since at least 1999, even going so far as to flirt with their rivals before a fight.
Here, they just imply that he's gay and suddenly the whole world is on fire.

Just really irks me how differently some people react to something that's actually been common in this type of games :/

Maybe the reason is because the MKX character a "visually realistic" gay character and not a cartoon/anime looking character like most of the times i other videogames.
Maybe that why characters like Venom,Mature,Seth,Poison,etc get a free pass: Because they are cartoon looking = No real enough so I can get angry about it.

There is already a game which have a trans Hero in the game "Aerannis". But guess what, not a big reaction about it. Reason? Maybe because the hero is cartoon looking.
Even Cartoon Network had a Cartoon TV Show WITH A CROSS-DRESSING LITTLE BOY AS A GIRL!!!!!! The name is "SheZow".
Well...reaction? NOPE!!!! THE BOY IS FINE FOR A KID TV CARTOON SHOW!!!!!

You get my point.

 

[cleric of the order]

Yes Brendon, Kotaku gets 15.5 million unique visitors per month. You can say "people use that site still", if you must be condescending. Bear in mind that's about 13 more times the traffic The Escapist gets, though (1.2 million).

Well, hello there.
I think this is the first time we've met, heck the first time I've exchanged words from people in your area of the world too.
First times for everything and all that.
Well anyway.
>those stats.
That's larger then I thought. Interesting I thought that they went the way of Gamastura or polygon which had from what I've heard lost a number of supporters in the resent years. Well no matter, even Neogaf is still alive so why should I be surprised. but that isn't my point more on that later.
As for condescending, I've been told I can come off that way but has never that never my intention. I thought to point out that I cared more about the reference of Kotaku then the gay char' if you catch my drift. I've never liked advertisements to real world things, always rubbed me the wrong way. Smacks of artistic compromise, feels ingenue.
And living in a world where that someone gives more fucks about that then a gay char in a fighting game is a pretty nice world to live in.
Wouldn't you agreeÉ

 

[Diablo1099_v1legacy]

Maybe the reason is because the MKX character a "visually realistic" gay character and not a cartoon/anime looking character like most of the times i other videogames.
Maybe that why characters like Venom,Mature,Seth,Poison,etc get a free pass: Because they are cartoon looking = No real enough so I can get angry about it.

There is already a game which have a trans Hero in the game "Aerannis". But guess what, not a big reaction about it. Reason? Maybe because the hero is cartoon looking.
Even Cartoon Network had a Cartoon TV Show WITH A CROSS-DRESSING LITTLE BOY AS A GIRL!!!!!! The name is "SheZow".
Well...reaction? NOPE!!!! THE BOY IS FINE FOR A KID TV CARTOON SHOW!!!!!

You get my point.

Maybe? I mean, Mature and Seth's designs are actually the more grounded ones in their series.
I dunno, I just still can't understand why these people are flipping out, I mean, MK isn't really a realistic game, visually or otherwise.
Besides, I know Seth was in one of fully modeled 3D KOF games (They were shit, but still).
Personally, I think it's just the outrage culture at work, that shit works both ways, yo.

 

[Ishigami]

I try figuring a way out to write two thousand words on how I don't care... I mean I really don't, I'm not playing MK since MK2. For all I care they could discontinue the entire franchise and it wouldn't affect me.
As far as I'm concerned the sexuality of a fighting game character is as important as a sack of rice toppling over in china. It doesn't affect the gameplay in any way and I don't see it affecting the story much more either. So really he or for that matter everyone in fighting games could be into bestiality and I wouldn't care.
On a second thought that would be hilarious and maybe I then would care, at least about the outcry.
I have a liberal stance on what people do in their sleeping room. As long as it is consensual I don't give a flying fucks about who does what with whom.
There are exceptions to every rule of course such as that I deny children the ability to consent to adults in the first place, people who are in a certain state of dependency (teacher - student for example) or animals to humans but that's really about it.
Now if it would affect the story in any meaningful way then maybe it would matter but as far as I can tell it doesn't. Furthermore if it would affect the story then I guess it isn't handled classy anymore but dragged into the open to hit everyone over the head with it?
I guess the only remotely noteworthy aspect of the whole thing is that neither the dev or the publisher's PR department saw the need to make it a big fucking thing on the lines of "look how progressive we are we have gay characters in our until now straight game!" before the game even ships.
That's unlike some comic book company who had to make inclusion some sort of PR event. Which of course would backfire on them because there was no way in hell they would satisfy anyone by doing so.
So in the greater scheme of things the earth still cycles around the sun.
I to reflect upon my pitiful attempt to try out and make a two thousand word post on how I don't care about something. I failed miserably only reaching about 400 words.
If you read this you just wasted your time since all as been said in the first sentence really

 

[SweetShark]

Maybe the reason is because the MKX character a "visually realistic" gay character and not a cartoon/anime looking character like most of the times i other videogames.
Maybe that why characters like Venom,Mature,Seth,Poison,etc get a free pass: Because they are cartoon looking = No real enough so I can get angry about it.

There is already a game which have a trans Hero in the game "Aerannis". But guess what, not a big reaction about it. Reason? Maybe because the hero is cartoon looking.
Even Cartoon Network had a Cartoon TV Show WITH A CROSS-DRESSING LITTLE BOY AS A GIRL!!!!!! The name is "SheZow".
Well...reaction? NOPE!!!! THE BOY IS FINE FOR A KID TV CARTOON SHOW!!!!!

You get my point.

Maybe? I mean, Mature and Seth's designs are actually the more grounded ones in their series.
I dunno, I just still can't understand why these people are flipping out, I mean, MK isn't really a realistic game, visually or otherwise.
Besides, I know Seth was in one of fully modeled 3D KOF games (They were shit, but still).
Personally, I think it's just the outrage culture at work, that shit works both ways, yo.

Well, the MK character are more close-looking with the human anatomy. But the anime characters?

The Cartoon Characters?

But what happen with a fictional character who look anatomically more human?

HELL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!RAGE!!F*CKF*CKF*CKF*CKF*CKF*CKF*CKF*CKF*CKF*CKF*CKF*CKF*CKF*CKF*CKF*CKF*CKF*CKF*CKF*CKF*CKF*CKF*CKF*CKF*CKF*CKF*CKF*CKF*CKF*CKF*CKF*CKF*CKF*CKF*CKF*CKF*CKF*CKF*CKF*CKF*CKF*CKF*CKF*CKF*CKF*CKF*CKF*CKF*CKF*CKF*CKF*CKF*CKF*CKF*CKF*CKF*CKF*CK

Yep.

 

[The Wooster]

Yes Brendon, Kotaku gets 15.5 million unique visitors per month. You can say "people use that site still", if you must be condescending. Bear in mind that's about 13 more times the traffic The Escapist gets, though (1.2 million).

Well, hello there.
I think this is the first time we've met, heck the first time I've exchanged words from people in your area of the world too.
First times for everything and all that.
Well anyway.
>those stats.
That's larger then I thought. Interesting I thought that they went the way of Gamastura or polygon which had from what I've heard lost a number of supporters in the resent years. Well no matter, even Neogaf is still alive so why should I be surprised. but that isn't my point more on that later.
As for condescending, I've been told I can come off that way but has never that never my intention. I thought to point out that I cared more about the reference of Kotaku then the gay char' if you catch my drift. I've never liked advertisements to real world things, always rubbed me the wrong way. Smacks of artistic compromise, feels ingenue.
And living in a world where that someone gives more fucks about that then a gay char in a fighting game is a pretty nice world to live in.
Wouldn't you agreeÉ

Kotaku's readership and monthly hit counts actually increased as Gamergate got bigger. The site's most successful month ever was the November after Gamergate hit. Also, Polygon's readership has remained steady, while Gamasutra (which was never aimed at the gaming public in the first place) saw a sizable drop in readership.

 

[Diablo1099_v1legacy]

Snip

Yep.

Perhaps...But, again, I don't think that alone is the case, considering the appearances of characters in these games often vary WILDLY from one game to the next, Art Style and anatomy include

Either way, as a general fighting game fan, I still find this to be rather pointless.
Thanks for the debate tho

 

[Steve Waltz]

Yea, I don?t give a fuck. I mean, seriously! Who cares if they?re a gay character in Mortal Kombat. I mean, there?s been gay characters in video games before; it?s not like this is some kind of ground breaking phenomenon! I mean... WOW! There a gay character in a video game! Who gives a fuck? I mean, Bioware has had a zillion gay characters in their games. I mean, I could make a list if I wanted, but I?m too lazy to bother doing so because it would be such a waste of my time to put any solid context behind my claims. But it?s not just Bioware games either. Zhang He, from Dynasty Warriors, is totally another gay character in video games. I mean, it was never confirmed, but he obviously is. I mean, look at the way he talks and dresses! And someone already mentioned Venom from Guilty Gear! Gay characters are ALL over video games, seriously! And this is really nothing new. I mean, we?ve had gay video game characters for the longest time! I mean, what? You think Tails is straight? Give me a break. We all know which way Tails turns in bed.

I?m letting you all know that I don?t give a fuck. I mean, totally. What?s the big deal about being gay anyway? I mean, you?re not normal, so does that give you should get some kind of special representation in games? I mean, really! Just because you?re gay doesn?t mean that you?re entitled to get some kind of special treatment in games. All of this social justice bullshit that?s getting pushed onto video games recently? I just don?t give a fuck man; it?s all just minorities acting like they deserve special treatment and stuff, just because they?re minorities. I mean, get over yourselves, WE?RE the majority, so WE deserve more representation in games. I don?t give a fuck about all these minorities pulling a victim routine and trying to force gamers to accept that you exist. I am totally entitled to speak for all gamers, and I?m telling you all right now--Gamers don?t give a fuck about representation in games!

But you don?t understand. I REALLY don?t give a fuck. That?s why I wrote this two-thousand word post in the comment section of Kotaku and am now copy and pasting it here. Seriously, when it comes to representation in games, I just don?t give a fuck. And BECAUSE I don?t give a fuck, this is the exact reason why no one else should give a fuck also. It?s just a waste of time and money for devs to spend their time and effort on representation in games because I just don?t give a fuck about that kind of thing. And, since I?m an average straight, white, male gamer, it?s safe for me to say that all gamers don?t care about representation in games. I mean, most gamers don?t give a fuck about representation in games, and I really, REALLY don?t give a fuck. So why is this even posted on a news site any? I mean, what? Is a slow news day or something? Posting news that no one gives a fuck about? God...

Sorry about the language.

 

[Doom972]

Now that I think about it, I don't think I ever saw a unicorn in a video game.

EDIT: I just remembered that Heroes 3 has a unicorn unit. Still, I think that at this point we have more gay people in games than unicorns. We probably have more dragons than both.

 

[The Rogue Wolf]

I am offended- OFFENDED!- that the man currently pulling my intestines out through my nostrils could tie those intestines into a necklace to give to his boyfriend!

I just remembered that Heroes 3 has a unicorn unit. Still, I think that at this point we have more gay people in games than unicorns.

I demand gay unicorns!

 

[Piecewise]

Who cares? I mean, it's one line in a fucking fighting game with a silly ass story. Is it really "inclusive" to just randomly say "Oh yeah, that character is gay!" and mention it once and then have it amount to nothing and effect nothing? Feel free to do it, but I don't see how it's something to really protest or to brag about. It's completely incidental to everything else; like claiming the L tetris block is a pansexual otherkin. Alright. And?

It just seems weird to talk about sexuality in a context where sexuality has nothing to do with anything.

 

[cleric of the order]

Kotaku's readership and monthly hit counts actually increased as Gamergate got bigger. The site's most successful month ever was the November after Gamergate hit. Also, Polygon's readership has remained steady, while Gamasutra (which was never aimed at the gaming public in the first place) saw a sizable drop in readership.

From what I heard of polygon the page per viewer has dropped to about 1.2. But I'll admit I haven't actually seen the stats or cared about polygon at all anyway.
Now the Kotaku thing has me a gap.
Running under the assumption that all GGers stopped using the site when GG began, I find it hard to explain how one could see an increase of traffic like that.

 

[thanatos388]

Yeah ok so a few people politely revealed that they don't like gays being in their games but weren't particularly irate about it. Can we take our hands off our dicks now? From what I've seen around the internet nobody fucking cares. A few care and have some passive posts about how the developers focusing on it took away time that could be spent making more stages or some bullshit. Other than those few nobody really cares. The game is a huge success right now. Everyone loves it, even the people who say they were "disappointed" about the gay thing, the one gay thing in the whole game and aren't really dwelling on it. It just seems like another case of something being overblown so everyone can circle jerk about how much better they are for not being those "Those People". Its just outrage at other outrage that doesn't exist. Similar to the black stormtrooper thing. Nobody here on this thread is even mad about it just mad that there are totally people that are kinda eh on the issue and they are comment that they are totally above that noise.

Believe it or not the world is pretty progressive. At least the first world countries are. Crime is at an all time low, acceptance is at an all time high. Unless you live in Texas or are a Republican politician in the US chances are you're not that special for being ok with gay people. Thats why its big news when people protest and spew hate like that.

Its like giving to the 1-2 scientists out of every hundred scientists that don't believe in global warming and making it a "controversy".....oh wait.

 

[Canadamus Prime]

I have to wonder though, isn't the fact that this character is gay entirely token since I don't imagine his sexuality is actually going to come up in the game. You know, considering it's a fighting game.

Mortal Kombat has always given some characterisation, backstory and personality traits to its characters via their stories and exchanges. That's how Jin is handled: just as other characters are.

Yeah I know they have, but this still seems token to me. Oh well.

 

[OverEZ]

The only reason I don't like this is that it gives psycho social justice warriors a new reason to complain about a non-issue. They celebrate it now but if he's in the next game they'll say, "This game promotes violence against homosexuals!" and the point will be forever lost. Just like with GTA V where they said it promotes violence against women conveniently forgetting that anyone or anything is potentially subject to violence in a GTA game. I don't care if you're straight or gay, man or woman, it's all just art intimating life, either ironically, satirically, hyperbolically, or realistically.