The Perfect Apolitical/Politics Free Video.

happyninja42

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Also, Colonial Marines left Vasquez out of the multiplayer skins available. Super fucking lame. Unless Jeanette Goldstein said no to using her likeness.
I doubt she did? I mean it's always possible, but I seem to recall that the actress really liked her role as Vasquez, and had received TONS of fan thanks for having someone "like them" finally represented in film. So it seems like she had a positive experience from playing the role. But licensing and royalties can be weird, so she might've said no.

And because your comment reminded me of this video about her, thought I'd clip it here.

 
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BrawlMan

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Remember: It's only political if I don't like what you're saying.
Another thing that pisses me off is Sony. This ties back to what I said earlier in the thread, they'll happily bang the drum about diversity and LGBQT, but the moment something really big and serious happens, it's "We're apolitical!, No developers under us are not allowed to say anything!, and Dogs know their place!". Fuck you, Sony! At this point and a long while back, you are nothing more than a means to a pathetic end. They too have a sexual harassment problem in their own company. For all their talk about not wanting others to know whether they support abortion rights or not, they go out of their way to help employees in case they live in a state, county, or city that choose to ban abortion. If you want people to think you remain neutral, then what's the fucking point?! Who the fuck do you fear, or are having sex in bed with moutains of cock and cash?!

@Dalisclock, you don't have to respond to this. I've might have mentioned it before, but this is why I dislike Bioshock Infinite so much. It acts like it's going to take a stance on American Imperialism and Systemic Racism, but goes for "it's both sides are the problem!" cop out, bullshit, and even drops all that multiverse shenanigans, no one in their right mind actually care about.

A comment in section in the video says it best:

GlossyCandle

6 hours ago
Reminds me of Bioshock Infinite, how it starts out looking like a critique of American exceptionalism and values, then transitions into a "both sides" mentality, before finally droping any pretense of having a real world message in favor of talking about multiverses.
 
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Terminal Blue

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@Dalisclock, you don't have to respond to this. I've might have mentioned it before, but this is why I dislike Bioshock Infinite so much. It acts like it's going to take a stance on American Imperialism and Systemic Racism, but goes for "it's both sides are the problem!" cop out, bullshit, and even drops all that multiverse shenanigans, no one in their right mind actually care about.
Bioshock infinite is a massive mystery to me because I have to believe it was created to be an explicit criticism of evangelical christianity, American imperialism, manifest destiny and racism, but management got spooked that conservatives would be offended, slapped their hands away from the project and sent in someone else to "fix" the politics with a bunch of clumsy awkward re-writes.

There are times when Bioshock infinite is so on the nose and pointed that I have to believe it could only have come from someone who thought about it. The dark future sequence is honestly one of my favourite moments in a vieo game, and I feel like a person who thought about politics in the way the game as a whole seems to couldn't have come up with it.

Lots of media makes the point that fascism is bad because it's cruel and unequal, but a lot of people see that message and just think "so what, I would be fine." Bioshock infinite is one of the few pieces of media to go a bit further and make the point that fascism is unsustainable. It doesn't matter how white you are, or how religious you are, or how patriotic you are, because in the end there always need to be victims and the noose of acceptability is going to keep tightening until noone is good enough. The future of fascism isn't a paradise for white people purchased at horrendous cost, it's a world where noone is left.

Even the Wolfenstein games, are were on the surface much more politically consistent and overtly antifascist game which didn't feel any need to indulge any kind of "both-sides" shit because it was too busy drowning Nazis in toilets, still presents a fascist world as one that fundamentally kind of works. I understand why, it's not really relevant to the points they wanted to make, but I think it's indicative of how deeply some of the people working on Bioshock infinite were willing to think about it and how mangled those people's politics were in the final product.
 

Terminal Blue

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I'm just gonna leave this here
What an incredibly shitty take though..

"All games are political" doesn't mean all games handle politics the same way, and if you think that's what's being said then you're not fit to be making determinations of anyone's intelligence.

"All games are political" is kind of a dumb thing to say because it's so blindingly obvious as to not really be a point worth making. It's a basic reflection of the fact that all games are made in a particular real-world context, and usually reference that context within the game itself to a greater or lesser degree, either through narrative or symbolism. The only reason it ever needs to be said is because some people still inexplicably can't wrap their heads around even this most basic of facts because they have an emotional (and politically motivated) dislike of the word "political".
 
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BrawlMan

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I don't follow.
Don't bother. Houseman tried the same shit a year ago. It's a "take" that is full of shit.

Even the Wolfenstein games, are were on the surface much more politically consistent and overtly antifascist game which didn't feel any need to indulge any kind of "both-sides" shit because it was too busy drowning Nazis in toilets, still presents a fascist world as one that fundamentally kind of works. I understand why, it's not really relevant to the points they wanted to make, but I think it's indicative of how deeply some of the people working on Bioshock infinite were willing to think about it and how mangled those people's politics were in the final product.
I may find the newer Wolfestein games hard to replay again, but highly love and respect them for not being afraid to call out systemic racism for what it is. They not only go in to Nazi racism, but call out the system and abuse of minorities in America, in both games. I am of course referring to New Order and New Colossus respectively.


What an incredibly shitty take though..

"All games are political" doesn't mean all games handle politics the same way, and if you think that's what's being said then you're not fit to be making determinations of anyone's intelligence.

"All games are political" is kind of a dumb thing to say because it's so blindingly obvious as to not really be a point worth making. It's a basic reflection of the fact that all games are made in a particular real-world context, and usually reference that context within the game itself to a greater or lesser degree, either through narrative or symbolism. The only reason it ever needs to be said is because some people still inexplicably can't wrap their heads around even this most basic of facts because they have an emotional (and politically motivated) dislike of the word "political".
Thank you.
 
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Terminal Blue

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I may find the newer Wolfestein games hard to replay again, but highly love and respect them for not being afraid to call out systemic racism for what it is. They not only go in to Nazi racism, but call out the system and abuse of minorities in America, in both games. I am of course referring to New Order and New Colossus respectively.
Exactly.

I have some problems with the story of both games, especially New Colossus, but one thing I can't really fault is the way they not only address the monstrosity of race science directly (rather than using Nazis as ideologically vacant punching bags) but also show how that same ideological monstrosity was and still is endemic to America. It's not an outlier, it's not a minority of bad people who don't understand the ideals of the country they live in, it's built into the fabric of America's history and identity.

This essay goes into it in much more detail and with a perspective I don't really have. He's more generous to the games than I would be, but definitely picks up on some of the stuff they did right.

 
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Dwarvenhobble

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The simple answer is nuance vs message mongering.

It's the difference between allegory and character just does the exact thing.

It's Star Trek goes to a planet being killed by pollution vs Star Trek goes back to 2020's earth which is being killed by pollution to lecture the people of 2020 about how they all need to cut back and be more green.
 

Dwarvenhobble

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What an incredibly shitty take though..

"All games are political" doesn't mean all games handle politics the same way, and if you think that's what's being said then you're not fit to be making determinations of anyone's intelligence.

"All games are political" is kind of a dumb thing to say because it's so blindingly obvious as to not really be a point worth making. It's a basic reflection of the fact that all games are made in a particular real-world context, and usually reference that context within the game itself to a greater or lesser degree, either through narrative or symbolism. The only reason it ever needs to be said is because some people still inexplicably can't wrap their heads around even this most basic of facts because they have an emotional (and politically motivated) dislike of the word "political".
Except "All games are political" is rolled out when people object to the overt politics of certain games because it's often handled really badly in said games.
 

BrawlMan

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Except "All games are political" is rolled out when people object to the overt politics of certain games because it's often handled really badly in said games.
Not really a majority of the time. That's just certain people being petty and stupid, because they either don't want to listen, or it's politics they don't agree with. Nor do they want to hear it, so they don't feel bad.

Whenever a piece of media is political, "it's not political and you're reading too much into it". Whenever a piece of media is not political, "it's all of a sudden is, and people like that like to force politics that have nothing to do with anything. See Mr. Enter's "wise, profound, and intellectual" review and piece of crap opinion on Turning Red. And whenever it's politics most all right conservatives don't agree with, it's"get your politics out of my games!". Especially when it's games they had no interest in to begin with, or rarely ever played.

Your argument is full of crap as always, and all you're doing is just repeating what Houseman already stated making this even more redundant. Whatever your respond with, don't bother. I won't be listening to the same regurgitated bile you and him use constantly.
 

Hades

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Except "All games are political" is rolled out when people object to the overt politics of certain games because it's often handled really badly in said games.
But who gets to define what's overtly political? And why is shooting up brown people in games set during the war of terror not overtly political, but two girls kissing is?

The same people who dislike ''overt politics'' are usually the same people who see overt politics in every shadow.
 
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Dwarvenhobble

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But who gets to define what's overtly political? And why is shooting up brown people in games set during the war of terror not overtly political, but two girls kissing is?

The same people who dislike ''overt politics'' are usually the same people who see overt politics in every shadow.
*points back to image*

pretty sure that's a good point to start drawing the line.
 

BrawlMan

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But who gets to define what's overtly political? And why is shooting up brown people in games set during the war of terror not overtly political, but two girls kissing is?

The same people who dislike ''overt politics'' are usually the same people who see overt politics in every shadow.
You forgot, you're dealing with another goal poster here. It's all he, tstorm, and a Houseman ever does.

*points back to image*

pretty sure that's a good point to start drawing the line.
And arbitrary line whenever it suits your convenience or when you feel insecure. Nothing new here. I do find it funny, that you come back the moment I post something that's relevant and important. All you've done at this point is try to derail the thread with the same crap that's already been there before. Not saying nor doing anything nothing new.
 

Hades

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*points back to image*

pretty sure that's a good point to start drawing the line.
But that's not where people complaining about politics in video games are drawing the line though. Because the ones most making a fuss about these things tend to have a very confused understanding of where the line is.
 
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BrawlMan

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But that's not where people complaining about politics in video games are drawing the line though. Because the ones most making a fuss about these things tend to have a very confused understanding of where the line is.
I'll give you one even better: most of these type of people aren't even confused, they know exactly what they want. They want games where there are no blacks, no colored people, no gays or trans, and no women unless they are treated as stereotypes, nameless background characters, victims, sex objects, villains, or all of the above. They do not want a humane or sympathetic portrayal of any of these peoples. From the race, from the sexual orientation, or from their religion. It always has to be about the straight white, Super Sigma Alpha Omega, Ultra Chad, male! Anything less is too woke, or "they're replacing us!/we will not be replaced!/I can't identify with somebody that's a different origin from me!/I'm not racist, but...!". It's all the same goal posting denying of bigotry and hate bull crap. A majority of them know exactly what the hell they are doing.
 
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Terminal Blue

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Except "All games are political" is rolled out when people object to the overt politics of certain games because it's often handled really badly in said games.
What exactly are these "overt politics?"

Bioshock Infinite and Metal Gear solid do have "overt politics". There are political statements within each game that are unambiguously presented as true or correct by the game's narrative..
 
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The Rogue Wolf

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I'll give you one even better: most of these type of people aren't even confused, they know exactly what they want. They want games where there are no blacks, no colored people, no gays or trans, and no women unless they are treated as stereotypes, nameless background characters, victims, sex objects, villains, or all of the above. They do not want a humane or sympathetic portrayal of any of these peoples. From the race, from the sexual orientation, or from their religion. It always has to be about the straight white, Super Sigma Alpha Omega, Ultra Chad, male! Anything less is too woke, or "they're replacing us/we will not be replaced/I can't identify with somebody that's different origin from me/I'm not racist, but...!". It's all the same goal posting denying of bigotry and hate bullcrap. A majority of them know exactly what the hell they are doing.
"These are my power fantasies! Keep those people out of 'em!"
 
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