Slashdot Mirror
Online Game Event Sparks Player Riot
Grimwell Online is carrying a story entitled When does an Online Game go too far?. It details a post to a news group about a world event in the newly released A Tale in the Desert 2. The online game, which simulates an ancient Egyptian culture, was full of angry players after a developer-run event used openly discriminatory language against the female gender. Details on the event can be found at the ATITD2 Wiki, and commentary can be found on TerraNova.
Microsoft RUL3ZZ!!
Linux SUXX0RRZ
RIAA is TEH K1N6!
j/k
An Indian-American Hindu committed to non-violent thought/speech/action alarmed by the global explosion of radical Islam
Hey, want to hear a joke?
Women's rights.
How many feminists does it take to screw in a lightbulb?
That's not funny!
I am a horrible person and am going to hell.
(On a racism side note: if you happen to be on the WVU campus, check out a copy of the student newspaper from today and the last few weeks. There's a great editorial to the effect of "if black people want us to stop calling them criminals, they should stop committing crime!". A bit ago there was a crime committed off campus; the only description was "mid-20's black man". The newspaper ran quotes from students saying "well, the description of [insert blatantly racist characterization, big lips, etc.] sounds just like all the black men I've seen!" and letters came in to the paper saying "yeah, they all -do- look like that!". It's a horrible, messy thing.)
We recently had heard in the office over one of the Yellow Machine that's made by Anthology Solutions.
Take a lousy five minutes and do the following Google search before responding as if you know anything:
http://www.google.com/search?q=role+of+women+in+a
Here's what Herodotus had to say:
Why do women fake orgasms? ...because they think men care.
Best non-PC joke ever!
We have secretly replaced these Slashdot mods' sense of humor with a rusty nail. Let's see if they notice!!
Right on! Too many people suck a lot. I wish there were more folk of this same mindset.
-Jesse
Nothing says "unprofessional job" like wrinkles in your duct tape.
"please please me"
Yeah. For an entertainment product. One would expect to be pleased.
"The company has no responsibility to cater to your whims."
h0 h0 h0! Except of course if it wants money in exchange for catering to my whims. Which as it turns out almost all companies do.
"Just because you decided to invest in something that has no material good, is, again, nobody's fault but yours."
Huh? It did have some "good" until that "good" was destroyed.
"Did you ever think that I, as another customer, welcome the immersion that a sexist character brings to a game like this? What if I belong to the majority?"
Ok, I'll play your surreal mindgame. You mean that you welcome being abused by admins? Or you welcome others being abused by admins? If you welcome being disenfranchised of the product "entertainment" being sold to you, by all means continue supporting it. If you welcome others being abused then by all means continue supporting it and they will likewise decide to stop purchasing the game, and eventually your amusement will end.
What ever gave you the impression that I didn't think people should "vote with their wallet"? What exactly are you reacting against?
If I read a book I don't like I can stop reading it, and return it to the library or sell it to somebody else.
If I buy a car and it turns out it can't make right turns or go in reverse, but that fact was not made clear at the time of purchase I will 1) complain to the manufacturer (or perhaps since you have such a reactionary grudge against "complaining" you would prefer "politely inform" instead) since it is undoubtedly a reasonable expectation that such a product should have such a feature (and likewise it is a reasonable expectation that a game which does not otherwise advertise the fact that it may arbitrarily prevent you from participating, doesn't do so) and 2) "vote with my dollars" and never buy from them again.
If I build my house out of some material which doesn't advertise it self destructs in 5 years... you get the point (hopefully?).
Of course something else you haven't factored in is whatever value was accumulated during the time playing the game which of course will be lost if you just stop playing. Of course you can vote with your wallet that doesn't necessarily make arbitrary admin actions fair or good business sense.
It's 10 PM. Do you know if you're un-American?
Again, this is why American society is the way it is. I can't believe somebody is upset over this. It's a damm GAME for goodness sake. Personally i would be ASHAMED to cry about something like this. What i want to point out here is that whenever some minivan driving soccer-mom get a taste of the REAL WORLD she gets upset. well i have news for you and the rest of the hippies out there - THE WORLD SUCKS GET USED TO IT. That's why the rest of the world wants to kill us. They are sick and tired of us bitching about how the grass ain't green enough in front of town hall, video game violence and gay rights. America has disintegrated into a bunch of blathering babies running around in circles whenever sombody mentions REALITY. I'm tired of this country.....and.....I BLAME CANADA!!!! :)
"... I don't expect the DEVELOPERS to INSULT ME with RACIAL or SEXIST SLURS."
Morons like you are the nerds who screw these games up for the rest of us. See, the whole point of role-playing games is to play a role within the context of the game. When the developers insult people using racist/sexist language within the context of the game, they are doing so to give the players a chance to role-play their parts in the situation appropriately. The players shouldn't be taking the slurs personally, for feel insulted, because the insults are not directed at the players-they are merely intended to stimulate the appropriate dialouge within the world in which players have paid to interact.
But unfortunately online games are full of stupid people like you, who, unable to separate themselves from the game, take everything personally, bitch and whine a lot, and ruin the experience for people with a clue.
While the Greeks were treating women with the same level of respect that they treated cows
There weren't called 'wise' for nothing, you know. :)
You forgot three things with this event... your dealing with soccer moms, assholes, and idiots.
The other mistake is that it's Egyptian based, and from my experience people that are into Egypt that much are fucking nuts. They are the most zealous, crazy, out-of-touch-with-reality, history-ignoring screwheads out there. Their view of Ancient Egypt (and that era) is one of daisys and happy-shiny-people. They have no concept of the attitudes and brutality of the time.
(and to qualify things... I've dealt with people very much into Egypt in that way, and yes, they are fucking nuts)
Steve's Computer Service, Hobbs, NM