Video game stereotypes.

[Ultress]

Your typical JRPG stereotypes annoy me to no end, yeah like all stereotypes there is a bit of truth but for the most part its just ridiculous bull shit.

 

[Geekosaurus]

Why do guns always have to shoot bullets and laser?
Why can't guns shoot bananas?

Donkey Kong 64. You get to shoot peanuts, coconuts, grapes, pineapples and feathers.

 

[AwesomePeanutz]

Why do guns always have to shoot bullets and laser?
Why can't guns shoot bananas?

In TimeSplitters: Future Perfect, there's a gun THAT SHOOTS BANANAS. I know, right?

 

[TiefBlau]

If an elf doesn't have pointy ears, wield bows and talk to trees, it isn't an elf, it's something else. If a dwarf isn't stocky with a big beard, it isn't a dwarf, it's something else.

No. Just.....no.

A dwarf is a creature from Germanic mythologies. Dwarves feature in fairy tales, fantasy fiction, and role-playing games. They usually have magical talents, often involving metallurgy.

The original concept of dwarves is very difficult to determine. Sources have gradually given dwarves more comical and superstitious roles.[1] Dwarves were certainly humanoid, but sources differ over their lifestyles, and their similarity to Elves. They may have had strong associations with death:[2][3] paled skin; dark hair; connections with the earth; their role in mythology. They followed animistic traditions, showing similarities to such concepts of the dead. They were similar to others from the 'Vættir' family, such as Elves.[2]

The remnants of the mythological dwarves formed later fairy tales and folklore (see Scandinavian folklore, German folklore, English folklore and Dutch folklore) as well as elements of fantasy literature.

The term 'dwarf' can now describe very short humans, regardless of its mythical origins. The universal modern description of a dwarf is something short, usually associated with magic, fantasy, and fairy tales.

An elf is a being of Germanic mythology. The elves were originally thought of as a race of divine or semi-divine beings (wights, vættir) endowed with magical powers, which they use both for the benefit and the injury of mankind. In pre-Christian mythology, they appear to have been divided into light elves and dark elves, difficult to delineate from the Æsir (gods) on one hand and the dvergar (dwarves) on the other.

In early modern and modern folklore, they become associated with the fairies of the 19-century Romantic portrayal of English folklore and assume a diminutive size, often living underground in hills or rocks, or in wells and springs. 19th-century Romanticism attempted to restore them to full stature, often depicting them as very young, probably adolescent (lack of facial hair on male elves), men and women of great beauty. From their depiction in Romanticism, elves entered the 20th-century high fantasy genre in the wake of the publications of J. R. R. Tolkien, especially the posthumous publication of his Silmarillion where Tolkien's treatment of the relation of light elves, dark elves, black elves and dwarves in Norse mythology is made explicit. The elf is now-and has been for years-associated with Christmas acting as "Santa's little helpers."

Dwarves and Elves can be a lot of things. They don't have to be the same regurgitated bow-and-arrow axe-wielding generic Tolkien-esque carbon copies they are today. They can help out Santa. They can make delicious cookies. They can do general housework as unpaid laborers for witches and wizards. They can be plain old midgets.

Don't impose your own lack of imagination on others.

That's because elf, dwarf and troll are pretty interchangeable in mythology. Elves and dwarves have standardised, you can still use gnome, brownie and faerie or half a dozen other terms for the rest of them.

Yes, good job. That is why they don't have to be the same old archer/axeman Tolkien rip-off that they are today.

 

[Reg5879]

I hate it when people think that just because your a Bungie fan boy that automatically means you hate MW2. I don't hate it. I just don't respect it.

Also, if you hate any FPS game other than MW2, you are automatically a MW2 fanboy.

Of course you are. You refuse to like anything but modern warfare 2, how more fanboy can you get?

I may have typed it wrong.

If I or someone else said that M.A.G or Battlefield Bad Comapany 2 is crap or not all that, then me or the person that said it is branded a MW2 fanboy.

(For the record, I hate MW2)

 

[minus_273c]

I don't really find any of them annoying.

Yes, they are stereotypes, but the stereotype itself is useful shorthand for "grumpy bastard, don't spill his beer", "spends a suspicious amount of time doing his hair, don't carve your initials into trees when he's around" etc.

 

[Wolfram23]

I'm starting to hate the stereotype of chicks in games (particularily RPGs) - they're always hot. Like, really thin, sexy, walk like tramps. Go to war in metal bikinis. My 16 yr old self loves it, my 24 yr old self finds it stupid and sexist... lol. (BTW, look at TERA and Kingdom Under Fire II. Or WoW. Or Dragon Age Origins. Or.. well, you get it)

I don't mind if they're going to be like that on holiday or at the tavern... but put some proper clothing/armour on if you're going to war, damnit! It's stupid to see this big beefy guy wearing 600lbs of metal beside a skimpy elf with her tits out and carrying a sword. I can make a small exception of the chick is a mage, I guess - although in that case, why do male mages/wizards always seem to wear robes? You're not a monk! Comon!

So yeah, I have some dislike for common RPG stereotypes.

 

[Chevy235]

Corporations=Evil. No 1, corporations are just businesses. If it weren't for those nasty corporations, pretty much nothing awesome or beneficial to mankind would exist.

Oversized weapons. Giant musclebound soldiers that probably couldn't move very well, much less fit inside an APC. Grizzled lone antiheros. Antiheros in general. Sick of 'em. Unfunny mentally deficient sidekicks.

Emotionally damaged o so emo tragic main characters. It's been done. To death.

The enshrinement of cynicism as a positive attribute.

 

[blackguard89]

So wait, you would prefer it if elves wore suits, dwarves used rocket-launchers, uzis had sniper-like accuracy, and corporate-types were benevolent, etc.?

All of those ideas break stereotypes I suppose, but when do you draw the line and say "perhaps I'm no longer being true to the source material?"

That said, I suppose it might be refreshing to see fat stupid elves, or a dwarves who are clean-cut, lean, and weild rapiers instead.

No not that radicla changes. I mean why cant elve default mage? In most of RPG you can make him a mage but his main atrubute is archery. And in real life UZI is one of the most accurate SMG weapon. Of course its not as acurate as sniper rifles but still its one of the best compact weapons. But the made it kinda shitty since Miami Vice which is not fair. But its pretty usual in gaming industry to make weapons how people think they are. If the were realistic, one shot from a pistol to the non-armored enemy will be deadly.

Uzzy accurate?
You should watch more documentaries.
Currently the best precision and maxed distance is held by the bolt action rifles.
Or maybe I'm not explaining right. The Sniper rifles, they are called that because they do theyr job very good.
Id always pick a Sniper and a silenced gun over an Uzzy.It is just too lund.I eman yeah sure it can dish out high numbers of bullets in a very short ammount of time but still.
Silece and preecision is the name of the game these days.

Also did you check out War Hammer games?
The dwarfs seem at home using raged weapons too from what i saw.

Also many MMO's and rpgs even thou the Elves don't have mages as primary classes , they still have other elf races that have them
Also i don't think that a Night elf(World of warcraft) warlock would be in tune with nature for example.
Many of these stereotipes have to exist, because they are based on logic.

Once a game is lauched it has a story behind it.
So if you make elves in the beginning to be "tree Huggers" than your lore for the game will have to remain the same (Bad example of this would be what Blizzard does in cataclysm....quote "Holy Cow" .By changeing that you are litteraly doing spin offs.
Wow in mind again....I don't thing tauren will make very good rogues.It's not logical.They are too big, they look slow, they are exactly the oposite.

Also look at ELder scrolls: Oblivion....The High elves have bonus to magic while the wood elfes have bonus to ranged and sneak.

I dragged this one too long .
I'm sorry.

 

[Clay More]

So wait, you would prefer it if elves wore suits, dwarves used rocket-launchers, uzis had sniper-like accuracy, and corporate-types were benevolent, etc.?

All of those ideas break stereotypes I suppose, but when do you draw the line and say "perhaps I'm no longer being true to the source material?"

That said, I suppose it might be refreshing to see fat stupid elves, or a dwarves who are clean-cut, lean, and weild rapiers instead.

No not that radicla changes. I mean why cant elve default mage? In most of RPG you can make him a mage but his main atrubute is archery. And in real life UZI is one of the most accurate SMG weapon. Of course its not as acurate as sniper rifles but still its one of the best compact weapons. But the made it kinda shitty since Miami Vice which is not fair. But its pretty usual in gaming industry to make weapons how people think they are. If the were realistic, one shot from a pistol to the non-armored enemy will be deadly.

Uzzy accurate?
You should watch more documentaries.
Currently the best precision and maxed distance is held by the bolt action rifles.
Or maybe I'm not explaining right. The Sniper rifles, they are called that because they do theyr job very good.
Id always pick a Sniper and a silenced gun over an Uzzy.It is just too lund.I eman yeah sure it can dish out high numbers of bullets in a very short ammount of time but still.
Silece and preecision is the name of the game these days.

Also did you check out War Hammer games?
The dwarfs seem at home using raged weapons too from what i saw.

Also many MMO's and rpgs even thou the Elves don't have mages as primary classes , they still have other elf races that have them
Also i don't think that a Night elf(World of warcraft) warlock would be in tune with nature for example.
Many of these stereotipes have to exist, because they are based on logic.

Once a game is lauched it has a story behind it.
So if you make elves in the beginning to be "tree Huggers" than your lore for the game will have to remain the same (Bad example of this would be what Blizzard does in cataclysm....quote "Holy Cow" .By changeing that you are litteraly doing spin offs.
Wow in mind again....I don't thing tauren will make very good rogues.It's not logical.They are too big, they look slow, they are exactly the oposite.

Also look at ELder scrolls: Oblivion....The High elves have bonus to magic while the wood elfes have bonus to ranged and sneak.

I dragged this one too long .
I'm sorry.

1: I say that UZI is the most accurate SMG! (which is not right either. UMP, Kriss or P90 would take that place) Of course sniper rifles and assault rifles are the most accurate weapons. But MW2 fans would never understand that skilled soldier could snipe with M16 pretty damn good. I tried to explain this to one MW2 fan and he was all like: Thats bullsh**! You cant snipe with assault rifles!!

2: Thanks for that Oblivion thing. I forget about Oblivion so you are right with that.

 

[Mr.Caine]

I've always been tired of the macho main character.

Marcus Fenix is the clearest example of this for me. A character who is so monumentally ripped and muscular and so emotionally blank that their only response to any situation is to shoot the hell out of whatever looks at them funny. If shooting doesn't solve their problem, they try a grenade, followed by more shooting.

I'm so sick of seeing it. I want a character to develop through the course of the game, not just be the same one-dimensional trope. The game itself might be really good and I might enjoy it, but there's no emotional attachment to the characters, which is something I like to have in my gaming.


And water temples. Don't get me started on the fuckin' water temples...

I'm not making excuses, but if it's one thing GOW has proved is that Marcus is not a super macho guy. He's so close to breaking it's crazy, he tries to hide it, he does good but only Dom sees what kind of guy he really is...

 

[NewYork_Comedian]

Here's one. Russians are automatically evil.

Ding Ding Ding. This.

 

[Fetzenfisch]

So wait, you would prefer it if elves wore suits, dwarves used rocket-launchers, uzis had sniper-like accuracy, and corporate-types were benevolent, etc.?

Almost sounds like Shadowrun.

except for the benevolent part
I love Shadowrun.

Well there are enough ganes that give you the possibility not to follow these popular stereotypes.
But well, classic fantasy is classic fantasy. There are just tiny little differences in the universes. If a dwarf is 6 feet tall hairless and fencing with a rapier, is it still a dwarf? If i read dwarf i expect some dwarfish features, small, sturdy, rough, skillful crafter and mechanic. stubborn. And yes, a beard. I dont like the looks of shaved Dwarfs, like in DDO or other games. Its just...well as wrong as bearded elves. Yes i am pointing at you Blizzard.
But if the gaming world differs from classic fantasy, the differences in the race are acceptable in the same amount of change as in the world.
Like in steampunky Arcanum, there a dwarf can be shaved, except for massive sideburns.Or in Shadowrun, where the elf might be a nature-hating hacker, who never leaves the city at any cost.
It has to fit the world, the whole picture must feel just right. If the world is darker and deadlier. The Tree-hugging elves can be more mercyless in following their greater aim. Crippling a baby-deer to use it as bait for example. Killing the sick to pretend a incurable sickness spreading.
In a pure classical fantasy that would be too harsh. But if the world is dark, it fits.
Thats why every game gets the Elf/Dwarf that it deserves. If it is well made.

 

[Nayru]

Final Fantasy has it's own round of stereotyping too, which they reuse in EVERY game.

As Yatzee says: There's Angsty Spice, Serious Spice, Manly Spice, Ethnic Spice and of course the inevitable Kooky Spice.

As much as I love the Final Fantasy series, Yatzee hits the nail on the head with this one. Squall, Tidus, Cloud, Zidane etc. = Angsty Spice.
Vincent Valentine, Quistis Trepe, Auron, Lightening etc. = Serious Spice.
Zell, Snow, Seifer, Irvine (LOADS from FF 8!) etc. = Manly Spice.
Sazh, Barret, Wakka, Kimahri, Amarant Coral, etc. = Ethnic Spice.
And of course Yuffie, Rikku, Selphie, Vanille, etc. = Kooky Spice.

This is the constant line up that we face when we jump into the different worlds of Final Fantasy. We might be forgetting other stereotypes such as Sexy Spice and the ever popular Annoying Child Minority Spice.

In the gaming community we have to face the inevitable stereotypes, for example the macho, wise cracking, one-liner male protagonist. Need I list the games this has been used before?

 

[supermaster1337]

I'm starting to hate the stereotype of chicks in games (particularily RPGs) - they're always hot. Like, really thin, sexy, walk like tramps. Go to war in metal bikinis. My 16 yr old self loves it, my 24 yr old self finds it stupid and sexist... lol. (BTW, look at TERA and Kingdom Under Fire II. Or WoW. Or Dragon Age Origins. Or.. well, you get it)

I don't mind if they're going to be like that on holiday or at the tavern... but put some proper clothing/armour on if you're going to war, damnit! It's stupid to see this big beefy guy wearing 600lbs of metal beside a skimpy elf with her tits out and carrying a sword. I can make a small exception of the chick is a mage, I guess - although in that case, why do male mages/wizards always seem to wear robes? You're not a monk! Comon!

So yeah, I have some dislike for common RPG stereotypes.

I guess playing a 400 lb woman with lots of meat holding a sandwich sounds like an interesting game.

But in seriousness, mages/wizards wear robes because they need to be agile since they are not strong enough to carry such heavy armor and that there is a high chance that there would be a type of spell failure if wearing such armor.

 

[sageoftruth]

I think someone needs to take a look at the Extra Credits video about "Innovation". Don't know if it will make you any less bothered by stereotypes, but it should shed some light at least.

 

[sageoftruth]

Why do guns always have to shoot bullets and laser?
Why can't guns shoot bananas?

Painkiller will solve that problem. They have guns that pin people to walls with entire logs and as Yatzee couldn't stop mentioning, they have guns that shoot "Shurikens and lightning". Then there's always Ratchet and Clank.

 

[Talon_Skywarp]

I'm starting to hate the stereotype of chicks in games (particularily RPGs) - they're always hot. Like, really thin, sexy, walk like tramps. Go to war in metal bikinis. My 16 yr old self loves it, my 24 yr old self finds it stupid and sexist... lol. (BTW, look at TERA and Kingdom Under Fire II. Or WoW. Or Dragon Age Origins. Or.. well, you get it)

I don't mind if they're going to be like that on holiday or at the tavern... but put some proper clothing/armour on if you're going to war, damnit! It's stupid to see this big beefy guy wearing 600lbs of metal beside a skimpy elf with her tits out and carrying a sword. I can make a small exception of the chick is a mage, I guess - although in that case, why do male mages/wizards always seem to wear robes? You're not a monk! Comon!

So yeah, I have some dislike for common RPG stereotypes.

Primark and New Look don't sell battle suits for war...only the metal bikini.

Have to order off internet...takes too much time to get there. Be at war by time it got there. Best off wearing the bikini just for safety...

Agreed here, sometimes, game costumes blow my mind. Where do they get these things from? What would their Gran say about what they are wearing! I'm looking at you Rikku! Sket.

Manly men in games wind me up, usually speaking utter garage. Gears of War syndrome.
Support characters who point out the obvious
Its always the evil company who does it
Destroying the world... a bit pointless right? It would be like smashing your house with a bull dozer, great fun but no where to sleep at night.

I get annoyed

 

[blackguard89]

So wait, you would prefer it if elves wore suits, dwarves used rocket-launchers, uzis had sniper-like accuracy, and corporate-types were benevolent, etc.?

All of those ideas break stereotypes I suppose, but when do you draw the line and say "perhaps I'm no longer being true to the source material?"

That said, I suppose it might be refreshing to see fat stupid elves, or a dwarves who are clean-cut, lean, and weild rapiers instead.

No not that radicla changes. I mean why cant elve default mage? In most of RPG you can make him a mage but his main atrubute is archery. And in real life UZI is one of the most accurate SMG weapon. Of course its not as acurate as sniper rifles but still its one of the best compact weapons. But the made it kinda shitty since Miami Vice which is not fair. But its pretty usual in gaming industry to make weapons how people think they are. If the were realistic, one shot from a pistol to the non-armored enemy will be deadly.

Uzzy accurate?
You should watch more documentaries.
Currently the best precision and maxed distance is held by the bolt action rifles.
Or maybe I'm not explaining right. The Sniper rifles, they are called that because they do theyr job very good.
Id always pick a Sniper and a silenced gun over an Uzzy.It is just too lund.I eman yeah sure it can dish out high numbers of bullets in a very short ammount of time but still.
Silece and preecision is the name of the game these days.

Also did you check out War Hammer games?
The dwarfs seem at home using raged weapons too from what i saw.

Also many MMO's and rpgs even thou the Elves don't have mages as primary classes , they still have other elf races that have them
Also i don't think that a Night elf(World of warcraft) warlock would be in tune with nature for example.
Many of these stereotipes have to exist, because they are based on logic.

Once a game is lauched it has a story behind it.
So if you make elves in the beginning to be "tree Huggers" than your lore for the game will have to remain the same (Bad example of this would be what Blizzard does in cataclysm....quote "Holy Cow" .By changeing that you are litteraly doing spin offs.
Wow in mind again....I don't thing tauren will make very good rogues.It's not logical.They are too big, they look slow, they are exactly the oposite.

Also look at ELder scrolls: Oblivion....The High elves have bonus to magic while the wood elfes have bonus to ranged and sneak.

I dragged this one too long .
I'm sorry.

1: I say that UZI is the most accurate SMG! (which is not right either. UMP, Kriss or P90 would take that place) Of course sniper rifles and assault rifles are the most accurate weapons. But MW2 fans would never understand that skilled soldier could snipe with M16 pretty damn good. I tried to explain this to one MW2 fan and he was all like: Thats bullsh**! You cant snipe with assault rifles!!

2: Thanks for that Oblivion thing. I forget about Oblivion so you are right with that.

Yeaaahh I realized my mistake too about Uzzy's but I was too lazy to modify it sorry....

And Like I said it depends on the game's story , about the stereotypes, I mean.
Would still be nice to see other variations...I liked WArhammer online's idea. Well mybe they were not primary but the elves do have White Lions, the meele class with the summon.That seems far more better placed and well contured rather than just making them ranged .
They do have hunters ofc, but hey, White Lion class just caught my eye more than the rest, this would be one example of change in stereotypes.

Also I know about that sniping thing with the assault rifles.