Leandir

I'm honestly fine with how it was handled after hearing from Firedorn. My worries were under the assumption that Obsidian hastily removed it in fear of the SJW backlash, succumbing to demands and tossing aside artistic integrity. They left it up to Firedorn since it was his piece. I respect Firedorn for having the class to not put Obsidian in the crossfire of further controversy, opting to change his poem instead. He acknowledged that it wasn't Obsidian's battle to fight considering he wrote it and not Obsidian. I'm okay with that. I'm still not okay with censorship like that but it's not like Obsidian abandoned any of the ideals they had before. Obsidian doesn't have to worry about what somebody else wrote and can focus on videogames again.

Actually, there was a choice. They asked me if I wanted to change in light of what happened. I chose to change it so that they can concentrate on the game instead of this PR nightmare. They weren't going to change it, they asked ME if I wanted to. I can find another platform to write my controversial crap, and I will. They, on the other hand, did the right thing and allowed me to decide the fate of the epitaph. I chose to turn into something that made fun of the bitch-bastards that were complaining. They went above and beyond what I would have expected them to do. You're a class act, Firedorn.

It's preposterous to see how some individuals are seeing merely two sides SJW and anti-SJW/Gamergate. I only know of Gamergate because I saw the name being tossed around a lot by SJW's. I have no idea what it was about and I do not care. What I care about are games. Good games. The fact that Obsidian thought a harmless joke warranted removal because a special individual felt offended is appalling. An offense even more imaginary considering she misread the joke completely. I'm not anti-SJW, Gamergate or anti-gamergate or whatever it is the kids call it these days. I am against unneccessary censorship, I am against limiting artistic freedom, I am against enabling idiots for the sake of appeasing them. I merely want to play a game with a compelling storyline and interesting characters without worrying whether or not someone is trying to drive their political agendas down my throat. This person was an idiot and should have been ignored. The fact that she's openly gloating and taunting because she "won" further signifies her idiocy. Furthermore, I feel bad for the backer who supplied the harmless joke. There was nothing wrong with it, my friend, and in all of this you've handled the situation more gracefully than any of us. Hope you're doing all right.

I've always stayed out of the whole SJW affairs, thinking the childish tantrums of the professional victims would never affect me all that much. Obsidian - a company I've known since I was young and have felt such a high reverence for - disappointed me. I fully admit I may have put Obsidian on a pedestal and had an idealized picture of them. I fully believed they would never allow themselves to be influenced by the ravings of lunatics, to succumb to demands so ludicrous. Yet here we are. Admittedly, the change is small but why is there a change to begin with? It doesn't matter if it's a small change or not. What matters is that something was changed because someone's feelings dictated it to be so. The game I was playing was changed by a select group of people who have nothing to do with Obsidian. It doesn't matter if I agree with their views and feelings. Obsidian decided I should care and in the course of that, content was changed for me so it'd be more in line with the views of someone I don't know nor agree with. This shouldn't have happened.

I've been a longtime fan of Obsidian and have alway supported them. They're an inspiration when it comes to making roleplaying games. The marvels they manage to put out are one of a kind - and Pillars of Eternity is no different. It's a real shame that this select little group has set their sights on one of my favorite companies in an effort to try and tarnish their creation. The little rhyme is entirely fictional and focuses on the endeavours of a fictional character. This fictional character chose to resort to extremities because he was obviously a bit dim. The world of Pillars of Eternity is expansive and it has room for all sorts of characters, including that particular one. If you think it's offensive, that's alright. The fictional character might've been a bigot to you, an idiot, and someone to be pitied. There are two things he is not. He is not real and he is not Obsidian. In rich worlds there'll be many types of characters. A portion of them may appear funny to some but offensive/unfunny to others. It's precisely because of the variety of characters that conflict sparks in these games, the world becomes layered and draws out more emotions from whoever has the luxury of experiencing it. To put it simply, you won't like every fictional character and some fictional characters are meant to be despised. It's a pity that these days controversy emerges because someone deems a fictional character offensive. Can you not take it for what it is? A poor man who thought it necessary to jump off a cliff after mistakingly sleeping with another man. Perceive the situation as funny, boring, pitiful and whatever else have you. You are allowed to be offended too, if you must. But realize that these are the actions of the fictional man which offend you and not Obsidian.