Ganrich

Yeah, I think this is the best article Milo has written. It was a very gripping piece. I really devoured it lol. I don't agree with everything he says/does but I am glad he is on our side, and I agree with this article for sure.

An unsung guitar legend. It is sad he has slipped into obscurity.

After I linked the steam greenlight page for SeedScape I saw that TotalBiscuit had tweeted about the game. After that I figured there was no stopping a successful greenlight. It is sad that TB has enough clout to counteract the ambivalence from the rest of the media and some attempts to keep it from being greenlit from other sources. Although a "no" under the green light system just ensures the user never sees the game again. It won't counter a yes vote. Valve just wants enough buys to ensure it is justifiable to include in the store. I will likely buy it as I haven't had a good harvest moon or animal crossing game in a while. I have become pretty much PC only as I get older. Although a Nintendo system is the most likely console purchase for me since most the titles on the other consoles will likely hit pc.

Anti-GG is calling for its followers to not support SeedScape to get through greenlight. This is because a GG supporting developer Jennifer D'aww is making said game. It looks like a Harvest Moon type game. Check it out and perhaps give them a vote if it is to your liking. http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=340877105 Not only do I not expect the media to cover this title (it may be too small, but the sentiment toward pro-GG devs won't help), but we are already seeing a call to not support it. It is sad. Ah, and it is heart warming to see that Anita assisted some jerk to become a PUA. I am glad she has the female population in her heart and mind at all times.

Just to lay out a bit of a timeline on it: In September Spacebase DF-9 is cancelled by Double Fine. Which I thought looked like it had potential. Early November Tim Schafer throws a big industry party. Phil Fish is the DJ. This week 12 employees get walking papers. "I solemnly swear that I am up to no good. Money mismanaged."

I am really getting a kick out of this IGDA drama going on. Every time they attempt a mass ban/block they seem to hit a few very vocal people who are innocent of all this. Who really thought banning people for following GG people was going to work? I mean KFC... The Colonel is the leader of the patriarchy. That was the first thought that crossed my mind. I am glad I am not on Twitter. I said to myself just last week, "On second thought, let's not go to Twitter. It tis a silly place." I don't agree with Milo on a fair many topics, but watching him troll is like watching a world class artist paint. Very fascinating. I also saw some discussion (I can't find it again for the life of me. So take it with a grain of salt if you would like) of certain media gentlemen talking about AAA publishers buying them escorts. If true, I have to chuckle. No, buying a "journalist" sexual favors isn't coloring their coverage of your product at all. It is a 100% ethical business transaction. Rolls eyes. Also, to discuss it on Twitter is pretty boneheaded. Could have been a false flag, though. Still, hilarious. Edit - also, a few weeks back Tim Schaefer had Double Fine throw a party, and now they have to lay off 12 people. I really think he is trying to ensure that no one trusts him ever again with money.

I have been going back through my old flames in the music world lately and figured I would share. http://youtu.be/XRZf3_5dBd4

Yeah... I just feel that comedy (at least in America) has a huge void now. Louis CK is good for introspective and social humor, and Lewis Black is good for political, but I miss the master craftsman at language-smithing (who dabbled in nearly every subject). I have his books, and a lot of his HBO specials, and I could always do for a little more. He was the only celebrity (in my adult life) that truly saddened me to hear the news. I am probably not thinking of a comedian or two that I should... I have had a long day of work with around 2 hours sleep. Insomnia is splendid. Also, to chime in on some commentary from the past few pages: Jim Sterling - I periodically would watch the Jimquisition. I liked the "I'm the savior of video games/faux-narcissism" thing he did to an extent. I have a similar sense of humor in real life, but not to that degree. I felt at times he was trying to do right by the consumer, but at others I felt he was ranting for the sake of it. I have no interest in following him anymore. He will have to really earn back my respect, and I don't see him doing it soon. I don't know who said it, but upthread someone said that they rely on The Cynical Brit for reviews at this point. I will second that. It is hard to not be pretty pretty darn objective when commenting on gameplay when you are recording the video at the moment of playing. He is basically showing you a game, and it's systems, and says "If you like/dislike X type of game then this may/may not be for you." He shows setting options for PC which I really like. There are really very few games he rips apart, and they really look pretty pitiful. Basically... He gives you a non-interactive demo with commentary while trying to show as many major systems of the game as he can in the time allowed. We need more solid work like his in the media and on YouTube, IMHO.

God, I miss Carlin.

Someone posted this on a reddit discussing Dr. Taylor, and I felt some levity is needed so I am bringing it to you all. It made me chuckle. This is Ground Control to Major Tom You've really made the grade And the papers want to know whose shirts you wear

I agree. Pakman being attacked because he is actually being and "investigative" JOURNALIST is pretty terrifying and disgusting. Just because the feminists want to just spread a single message doesn't mean a person actually asking questions is harassing. Just so we are clear, claiming someone asking questions is harassing people with no proof isn't harassment in and of itself. However asking questions is harassment. :/

An apology at gunpoint is never a real apology. Just like torture has unreliable results because people will break eventually and just tell you what you want to hear... When you mob someone via news networks and social media they may cave just from the multi-angled pressure. We also don't know if he received internal pressure from his employers which just gives me the picture of a boy folding his arms and aplogizing to his sister because his mother just threatened punishment for the child pulling the sisters hair. Is the boy truly sorry? Maybe, but it is equally likely he is just getting his mom off his back. I hate to speak for JadedWolf, but I think he is saying that over time these silly explosions, if they continue to be over such "frivolous" things, will inevitably give the public a sort of "boy who cried wolf" syndrome. I can't say I disagree. This constant noise from the net, TV, etc surely cause desensitization over time.

LOL! Ok guys! Take your shirts off. No shirt is safe anymore. This gender war will be fought using street court rules: shirts vs skins. /sarcasm

@Meshugger - thanks for that link. Interesting read.

Apparently, FarCry 4 review copies do not include a PC version. http://www.pcgamer.com/why-our-far-cry-4-review-is-delayed/ I expect serious optimization issues like ACU.

Why does it matter? If I am a "prominent developer" and I can manipulate the media to my benefit... why would I join a movement that is trying to bring some code of ethics, or (worst case scenario) abolish the guilty sites from said industry? Prominent studios understand the game, they can play the game, and are possibly content with a media that they know can be bought or coerced. They are out to make money. All companies are. If they can get the media to give positive scores, promotional articles, etc to increase the likelihood of higher sales then they wouldn't want the established media gone. I can understand the Dev silence as if I were in their shoes I would choose the devil I know. However, an indie dev that is up and coming has much to fear, and GG has a few of them speaking out. Daniel Vavra (not really an indie per se) has lived in a country where the media was completely corrupt and the antithesis of a free media. I think I would rather have a dev that isn't as well known but has actual experience with a useless media then a more prominent dev like Schaifer that has some ties to people involved. In fact, I would say I would trust non-California devs more (possibly non-American as well) just because they are so far estranged from the major US gaming media that they are less likely to have close ties to the players involved. In the end, I don't care what the developers believe or want. I am the consumer. These media outlets are meant to inform me of products from the developers, and they are suppose to protect me from shoddy products or shady deals. At present, I have huge trust issues with the media outlets. Just around a month ago they weren't going to tell us consumers that over 40k EA users were hacked. A whistle blower changed all that. I can't trust the media nor the "prominent" devs to be ethical and come forward with that sort of news. What the CEO of EA believes, or the Head of Marketing at Ubisoft thinks, or even developers that I really love like the folks here at Obsidian want are irrelevant to me (the consumer) or the movement. The media is meant to be an information source to keep you from being hung out to dry because of big corporations, government, etc. I can't say I trust the media to do that.

@KaineParker - I said "like" for a reason. I don't love it by any stretch of the imagination. I could have used a better example, but Ted was the first person that came to mind. How about Rage against the machine? Like their music, but I don't agree with them politically.

I can respect someone's work (past or present) and not agree with them politically. I like Ted Nugent's music, but find him quite insane at the best of times. I expect many successful devs that are entrenched enough in the industry are probably ok (even happy about) a media they can manipulate with parties, $750k business investments, and swag. That neither makes it right or ethical. It also is problematic for indie devs that don't have the finances to play the game.

EDIT: Clutch tunes to keep another thread on topic. EDIT 2: Because a requiem about Abe Lincoln is awesome.

Most of their stuff is blues-centric actually. Neil Fallon's vocals are the big issue for most people. You grow to love his voice, or hate it. I will link some of their different stuff in the music thread so we can keep this one on topic. http://forums.obsidian.net/topic/69240-music-must-go-on/ EDIT: Fallon's lyrics are also amazing. Just saying.

So, a few things I would like to add. 1) http://www.zenofdesign.com/in-which-i-acknowledge-and-apologize/ I don't agree with Damion Schubert on many things, but this is pretty amazing. Also: http://www.gamepolitics.com/2014/11/11/long-overdue-correction-and-apology-brad-wardell#.VGKie8lbTII I can respect anyone that publicly state that they were wrong on such a grievous issue. I have heard some others apologized, but didn't find the articles. Admittedly, I am being lazy, and I want to actually play some video games today. 2) Stephen Totilo said they are no longer agreeing to embargoes that keep reviews from releasing until launch day. Apparently, the AC Unity Embargo kept a review from launching until 12pm (not sure which time zone). This was well after the midnight release. Here is his article on the topic: http://kotaku.com/regarding-post-release-review-embargoes-yesterday-i-1657482663/all It doesn't mean that they won't still sign embargoes, but at least this can potentially keep them from being silenced for half the day of launch. 3) TB is awesome, and I agree with the pic from above. 4) Also, I love Double Dragon. Sue me. 5) I was listening to music earlier while reading this thread and poking through twitter reading the GG goings on, and this song stood out. It seems somewhat relevant. Lyrics are in the video if you can't understand him.

I wasn't really meaning comedy when I posted "jokingly". I think we all know that when/if the backlash occurs that the quote presented will be argued to have been a joke. I don't see it as a joke. It has zero elements of a joke. It is a comment made to attack someone of a differing ideology than the writer of the comment without giving any real argument. Many of the better counter culture comedians that would even tackle that subject would have actually constructed a joke, and it is very likely that joke couldn't be conveyed in a single twitter message. George Carlin has a small comment on this subject. He says that he believes you can joke about anything, and the difference between a joke in good taste vs bad taste is dependent on where the exaggeration is placed. Every joke has an exaggeration. He goes on to joke about something very controversial. It is on youtube, but I won't link it here. However, if you want the link... PM me. I don't disagree with Carlin, but as Tale has said just above... there is a difference between hyperbole and a joke. Many great comedians that I love have usually torn down a group with which they disagree before landing on a comment like the above. They don't blurt it out as a trump card, or to try and defame the group, but use it as a final coup de grace on a topic they have already torn asunder with some amount of logic. It is the final exaggeration of the sketch. I admittedly worded my previous statement poorly, and should have said that using those comments to win an argument or dehumanize your opposition are of no use to civilization. As using these comments as the basis of an attack means you have no other method to win because your idea defies logic or the person is incapable (by lack of abilities/knowledge to properly debate the opposition) themselves. Civilization is built by differing ideologies clashing in logical debates on the topic. Not by denigrating, insulting, and condemning your opponents via social networks, media, and the like. When two opposing ideas collide one will win out, or a compromise will occur, but far too often (at least in America) there is a crusade via insults and ad hominem when two ideologies face off. Rarely do we see actual debate in most major media. When we do it is a shouting match that feels like reality TV. We see "Gamers are misogynists" as the basis for a defense against a group instead of debate, discussion, etc. We tear down the opponent instead of their argument because it is easier. That to me is useless. I will also concede that this could be the horrible nature of 140 character limits being an issue. However, that is why you should not make such comments on twitter.

Anyone that thinks, or even jokingly makes an off the cuff remark, about the use of concentration camps as a fitting form of punishment is as useful to civilization as the turd you find still floating in a public toilet.

As someone who buys Ubisoft games once in a blue moon I can't really fault them for it. I think I have maybe 3 games on Uplay. AC Blackflag, Splintercell Blacklist, and Farcry 3 (plus Blood Dragon). I only have the first 2 because they were free with my graphics card. The FC games were because well.. blood Dragon is awesome. This is a business decision in the end. I don't like Uplay, but it won't give them anymore money from me. I have grown to be content with Origin. I doubt I ill ever like Uplay. I was hoping for some support to the SteamOS initiative from Ubi, but after the 30fps is more cinematic BS they laid out the other week I think they are pretty deep with Sony and MS at this point. Oh well.

@TN - I missed that article the first time around, and it pisses me off. That game could have been a Shindler's List for video games. More devs need to go outside the comfort zone, but with the media being so schizophrenic about subject matter it is impossible. It is truly sad for the industry when the media claiming it wants more diversity can be so ambivalent to developers trying to bring it to the forefront.