Hypothetical: Legacy flavour text?

Obsidian wasn't gonna change the text. They asked the supporter who created it. And he said they should just change it, not because he felt bad about what happened, but because it was bad publicity for a game he truly loved and he didn't want it to affect the game's development in any way. So they changed it.

Honestly, I see no harm in that text.
And the fact that some special snowflake got butthurt and caused all this drama is quite disgusting.

"

Here lies Firedorn, a hero in bed.
He once was alive, but now he’s dead.
The last woman he bedded, turned out black
And crying in shame, off a cliff he ran.

...still ok with it?

It's easy to dismiss trans issues, because its all so new to us western folk. Doesn't make it any less valid.

"

DirkAustin wrote:

I need a tldr for that.

But to the religious undertone the game uses: There is no earthly religion in this game, so the religion argument doesnt even work.

The point was that there are religious people who are offended by that content. (And any and all games that feature magic). That it is not intended to offend or that those who are not offended consider those who are offended to miss the point does not make it less offensive to those that are offended.

Which is why one cannot go merely by whether something is offensive to some players or not.

"

And religion isnt really that big anymore, and for good reason, its in decline big time actually.

Which makes it fair game for offending? :p

"

Tomboy ranger? Shes a lesbian, that is well known by now, so dont call it anything but, thats actually more offensive than the religious stuff in the game.

Not well known to me. I only played a ranger to 20 and went by the looks. :p

It may be more offensive to you to call her a tomboy than the religious stuff in the game, but that reasoning would probably not apply somebody who is offended for religious reasons.

"

And are you really saying the classes are potentially offensive?

Sure! You wouldn't even need to drag out an obscure academic to make the case unless you wanted something that appeared a good case, and that has never been required for people to be offended in the first place.

You might not consider them offensive, and I certainly don't, but since Path of Exile's meager character story is based around sending criminals into exile, each criminal having his own checkered background, there is lots with the potential to offend even before you start looking at things like race and colour.

I'll add some simple tongue-in-cheek examples for each; It ought to be obvious to you how somebody who really cares could be offended.

"

Templars are known to be religious.

Ah, you mean murderous nutcases, killers and rapists crusading against the righteous. That's how they are viewed in some cultures, and it would be strange if nobody was offended by seeing one portrayed as a hero.

And, to turn it around 180 degrees, there are bound to be people offended by seeing templars as the oppressors of Oriath, seeing the entire Church and Templar setup in the game and story as a yet another secular stab at real-world religions, Christianity in particular.

"

Marauders are basically native new zealanders,

If you can't see how presenting the only representative of something variously called aboriginal/native/original people groups as a hulking primitive warrior is something that some people will consider offensive, I guarantee you that there are many people who can (especially if it is to their political advantage to do so).

"

the witch is the standard witch you get in any fairy tale or game or movie,

Child murderer, dabbler in the occult, consorting with spirits. Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live. I wonder whom that would possibly offend to see portrayed as the hero of a story. :p

"

the shadow is the typical assassin

Glorified criminal. Scum of the earth. In wholesome games, these people should obviously not be heroes unless shown as undergoing personal redemption. ;-)

"

and the duelist is a sword fighter. Which of these could offend anyone?

Did you miss the point about him being a womanizer and adulterer? It might not offend you or me, but there are people to whom this is quite offensive, some of whom would consider it inappropriate to present him as a hero. (Unless starring in yet another road-to-redemption piece, pairing him with some suitably chaste heroine teaching him the error of his ways, no doubt.)


As for the Scion, nobody illustrates the reasons that some people are bound to find her offensive as a player character as GGG does with its wallpaper. The big breasted blond bimbo in armour with huge cleavage will do it every time. What are they trying to tell here, and just what is it they are selling?;-)

http://www.pathofexile.com/gallery/preview/429
http://www.pathofexile.com/gallery/preview/430

It would take very little for somebody to argue that GGG isn't so much telling the story of an empowered woman striking out on her own in a hostile world, as trying to take advantage of the adage that sex sells by objectifying women. :p

Of course, WE know that GGG would NEVER stoop so low, Ms. Fanservice being a good role model, but you've got to admit, it is a natural mistake to make.

So, YES. As always, the question is not whether what you do is going to be viewed as offensive by some, but who, how many, what are the consequences, and, crucially, why are they going to be offended and whether you agree with them.

"

So, YES. As always, the question is not whether what you do is going to be viewed as offensive by some, but who, how many, what are the consequences, and, crucially, why are they going to be offended and whether you agree with them.

So, what... your litmus test for acceptable level of corporately endorsed offense is how many people you see in front of you that are affected, and whether or not you personally approve of their offense?

Think clearly, deeply about what you're saying here, and whether or not your position is even worth a hypothetical defense.

I'm out. It's clear that the pro-limerick argument is coming from the heights of doesn't-affect-me lala land.

<Edited by support>

"

DirkAustin wrote:

Yeah, well its all fun and games until you yourself get offended. Tell me are you black, asian, LGBT or religous? Lets give us something we can offend you with so you know what it feels like.

I guess in this day and age people just want to be mean and offensive because being nice is just too damn hard.

25, Straight Male, Turkey

You can call me kebab terrorist, I wouldn't get offended. I'm not really religious so that's out of the window. You're free to come up with your own things by the way. I'm slightly overweight. Also can't say I'm handsome or anything. I managed to get a degree after 6 years but never really worked much thanks to my dad.

Feel free to mock me.

<Edited by support>

"

Antnee wrote:

So, what... your litmus test for acceptable level of corporately endorsed offense is how many people you see in front of you that are affected, and whether or not you personally approve of their offense?

Think clearly, deeply about what you're saying here, and whether or not your position is even worth a hypothetical defense.

I'm out. It's clear that the pro-limerick argument is coming from the heights of doesn't-affect-me lala land.

<Edited by support>

Well, you just said several things there, that are offensive to some people in the world. To start with, you are guilty of mild blasphemy, which leads to the obvious question:

Have you done the necessary soul searching and clear thinking to explain why you would say something like that, despite this being offensive to some people, or did you instead say it because you do not personally consider it offensive, know that there are negligible consequences to your action, and while you do know that some people consider it offensive, don't consider their sensibilities to be worth protecting or their reasons for being offended good enough to refrain from doing so? And perhaps you've said it so many times, that you don't even consciously consider that you are offending, because you wrote it off as a non-issue a long time ago?

I suspect that you'll find upon consideration, that after all the soul searching and clear thinking you do, you are still de facto applying many of the rules I set forth when doing things that some people find offensive, the most important being whether you consider it offensive or not. Specifically, if you consider an action offensive, you probably aren't going to commit the offense or support it, but if you do not, well, then a lot of factors come into play in your decision apart from the feelings of those who feel offended or the fact that somebody is offended.

Looks like potential Divination Card trolling is stopped. :D