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algroth

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Everything posted by algroth

  1. algroth
    But there is no binary, that's the point. Saying that there is implies that there's some kind of a strict definition of these terms, which there isn't. When you click on male or female when creating a character, all you do is select your character model. Your personality, who you are is entirely up to you, and is not determined by the choice of that model at all. Which is why I said that the choice should be relabelled as 'sex' and not 'gender', because the latter refers to something that, while related to your sex, isn't your sex and thus shouldn't dictate your model. When it comes to gender, giving two options for it and immediately associating each to a male and female character model is indeed limiting gender to a binary choice. But the game does ask you for your sex, and not for your gender. And the OP asks for a THIRD option for gender while there aren't even a FIRST nor a SECOND option for gender. The game simply does not let you choose your gender identity whatsoever; it simply asks for your character's sex. Hah, indeed it does. So yeah, I don't think a third option is necessary. I don't mind there being an option or two where you might be able to 'define' your gender identity a little more within the game, but yeah, I don't think this should be a character creation feature myself (personally I'm of the opinion that the more you can define by your actions in-game instead of pre-determining them through a character creator, the better).
  2. algroth
    This is incredibly confusing. In russian there isn't even an equivalent for "gender", there's just "sex". So i'm having a big difficulty understanding what gender even supposed to mean in the first place, let alone when it's non-binary. And judging by the answers i'm getting, it's not that much clearer for other people as well. Yeah, unfortunately many things get lost in translation like that. Just like there is no English word for 'mu'. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gender Check the wiki article out. As it mentions at the start, 'sex' is part of what can define gender but gender refers also to aspects involving social structures and identity. Also: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sex_and_gender_distinction
  3. algroth
    It's been mentioned in a Q&A with Josh Sawyer that they too are not entirely convinced with the way the voiceover would ignore the descriptions when they interjected the written dialogue, but I think this is more due to the lack of pause between one bit of dialogue and the next. I think they said they'd try leaving a longer pause between both. Actually what I think would be pretty interesting would be for the descriptive content to be occasionally paired with some foleys in the style of scripted interactions: for example, the man talking is sitting down, and while talking he gets up and paces around the room; we read this, but hear the chair creaking and the footsteps on the floor (as well as seeing his character walk around the room, now that dialogues no longer pause the game). Just an idea, of course.
  4. algroth
    But there is no binary, that's the point. Saying that there is implies that there's some kind of a strict definition of these terms, which there isn't. When you click on male or female when creating a character, all you do is select your character model. Your personality, who you are is entirely up to you, and is not determined by the choice of that model at all. Which is why I said that the choice should be relabelled as 'sex' and not 'gender', because the latter refers to something that, while related to your sex, isn't your sex and thus shouldn't dictate your model. When it comes to gender, giving two options for it and immediately associating each to a male and female character model is indeed limiting gender to a binary choice.
  5. algroth
    Thanks for the clarification and correction. Sorry if it came across as a bit haughty from my side, it wasn't the intention.
  6. algroth
    However, one has to be careful to remember that absence of evidence cannot be construed as evidence of absence. Just because you look and don't find anything doesn't mean it isn't there. Regardless of how Iovara or Thaos interpreted finding nothing when looking, that they found nothing doesn't mean there is nothing, it simply means they didn't find anything. You'd have to be omniscient (in time and space) to prove a negative. Indeed, but Iovara says they found evidence to their being nothing (or at least enough to reach a pretty rotund conclusion). This is, at least, how it is phrased in her revelation. Also, while if we were to speak of the real world I would indeed agree with what you say, in the context of a narrative the fact that she says they "found nothing" by all means implies that, to what pertains to this setting and story, there is indeed nothing. Which makes sense too from a thematic standpoint as the game is all about the enlightenment, birth of humanism and so on (also associated with this topic is the review I wrote for Pillars, which you can read here: http://forums.obsidian.net/topic/91046-what-are-you-playing-right-now/?p=1897511 ).
  7. algroth
    That is a very vague definition, you have to admit. What does it actually means in practical terms? And more to the point, does male/female (both irl and in the context of the game) actually imply some kind of pattern of behavior or something like that? Something so profound that someone would feel the need to be called something else. Because as far as i can see, you're a he if you have a ****, and you're a she if you have a vagina. And that's really about it. Although there are transgender people of course, but that is not relevant here, since those people would play as the gender they indentify with. Edit: lol, p enis is bad word, but vagina isn't? Well the obvious non-binary gender are hermaphrodites, born with the reproductive systems of either gender. But there would also be the agender, those who - as I understand it - find no identity in either gender (regardless of their born gender). A small correction here: hermaphrodites would be non-binary in sex, but they may still identify primarily with one of either gender. Again this falls back to the thoughts I posted in the first page of the discussion that, really, what the game asks of the player is to input their sex and not their gender, and if it were to use the correct terminology it would thus allow the player to imagine their character's gender as they see fit within the game itself.
  8. algroth
    This, pretty much. If you understand gender as a spectrum more so than a binary set of male/female then anything that isn't just "male" or "female" would fall into the "non-binary" category.
  9. algroth
    It's not really atheistic at all though, it only appears that way to those who associate being a theist with believing in a monotheistic creator deity. Take the Greek gods for example: they didn't create the world, they didn't create humanity and they themselves were created by others. The Eoran gods are similar, the only difference is that they were created by the kith rather than being descended (ultimately) from the sky and the earth. Moreover the fact that the Eoran gods were created by the Engwithans doesn't mean there isn't a creator deity in the Eoran universe. The existence of a creator god is no more or less likely than it is in our own world, so even if you do insist on a creator god there could be one. In fact I think the emergence of a monotheistic religion in opposition to the worship of the "false" Engwithan gods could be an interesting development for the franchise, particularly in light of the revelation that the gods were created by kith. This isn't quite accurate though. The Engwithans are said by Iovara to have found out that there was indeed 'nothing' where they believed to be gods, and thus created surrogate gods for people to not lose faith. The reason is important here, as it is not the same reason that motivated the creation of the gods in Greek mythology or other faiths. In Pillars you are only left with the atheist position in the end, because the gods are just there to conceal the nothingness that is behind. After my first playthrough of the game I was pretty curious about the possibility of there being amidst the gods we know of in the game a 'real' god that hid himself amidst the constructs (I assumed that to be Wael). However, the way Iovara and Thaos both phrase their revelations leaves no room for such ambiguities.
  10. algroth
    Yeah, I agree. But as with Sawyer evading terms that relate too closely to real-life culture and beliefs, I think the matter here is less about whether or not a setting like this could show these themes and concerns and more about the form in which it would. I think there are ways of inferring transgenderism or gender-queer without ever using either term, basically. Here's an interesting comparison to me: the way I interpret Dak'kon's torment in Planescape: Torment is very much in the same line as transracialism, in the way that his themes are all about a disassociation or loss of the history and ways of his culture to him. He isn't black nor is the term transracial or 'race' ever used in regards to his character, but by the way the game paints him as someone who is made a slave, denied a place in Githzerai culture and who "does not know himself", he is made to me a surprisingly poignant and interesting representation of this issue in the fantasy genre. Place this in comparison to either the elves in Dragon Age or the orlans in Pillars which are more obvious representations of racial issues and neither of the latter choices make anywhere near the impression or say nearly as much as the former case does.
  11. algroth
    A superb episode. What a way to end the season.
  12. algroth
    Rust monsters aren't terrifying moreso than infuriating and fun-killing. If I remember correctly in Dark Alliance 2 they could consume unique items as well. Similarly I recall a kind of creature in Shadows of Amn that could consume magical items (nishruus, maybe, or something similar), which was pretty annoying not least because it led to weird bugs with these where activatable abilities would get broken, items would become invisible and unequippable and the likes. But again, not so much scary as frustrating.
  13. algroth
    http://imgur.com/a/9gttq
  14. algroth
    Sure. Still, while I don't agree with the OP's request I still think it's a topic worth discussing, not least because there *are* ways these aspects could be treated that wouldn't just act as enforced tokenism. The rest of the thread has already offered a few ways. Maybe the OP is trolling but by and large this has been a decent thread so far with many points that don't just limit themselves to "SJW getting their jammy hands on muh gaem". I don't see why bring them up in the first place is all.
  15. algroth
    I'm almost willing to request this just so I can see more people crying about how the SJWs are oppressing them.
  16. algroth
    nvm
  17. algroth
    I'd love to see this. Heck, an RPG setting based on a collection of grotesque fairy tales and folk stories the likes of this or, for example, Giambattista Basile's Pentamerone as well.
  18. algroth
    I would personally love to see a Bastard City-based expansion. And from the way the world map zooms in on the city only to have Tunon's Court available, I wouldn't be surprised if there are plans for more there.
  19. algroth
    Those might come for a second DLC?
  20. algroth
    Spiderman's the only one I've seen of the three and it's very good, worth watching. I heard good things about Logan Lucky too, but mixed things about Atomic Blonde. If you haven't yet, I would definitely recommend Dunkirk though.
  21. algroth
    Likewise they are not 'genderless' or sexless for that matter, just infertile (and it's that infertility that makes their gender moot by the standards of the Brotherhood of the Five Suns).
  22. algroth
    That was not my experience at all. I had plenty of time to use them and thought it was overall a damn fine 'rework' for the bard class.
  23. algroth
    Yeah, same really. I feel the topic should be included only if it's going to be explored in meaningful fashion, and not out of obligation or some half-assed attempt at inclusion.
  24. algroth
    It was a joke (granted, not very good).
  25. algroth
    Them has always been a gender-neutral term for people. Though, I imagine Aloth could appreciate the 'they' (or maybe not)?
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