Jim Sterling (The Jimquisition)

Steph got the video out like absolute clockwork.

Oh my god, that little scene of them meeting the fan at the end was so heartwarming! I'll be honest, it makes up for the rest of the shit they talked about in the video.

Edited by Resileafs on May 16th 2022 at 3:00:08 PM

Why shouldn't he throw Activision like he did to Konami though, especially when the former is wider? (Oh right, Activision is part of the sponsors of VGA) And it's mostly me rambling on misinformation regarding Konami.

Weird, I distinctly remember it from one of the VGA ramblings he did which turned into a tag.

Isn't Keighly's job description "paid shill"? I doubt we're ever getting better from him

I haven't really followed them in a while now. But it really seems they are becoming increasingly more jaded and frustrated, doesn't it?

Maybe they should take a small break or something.

Its their job,as in their livelyhood,it's not like a hobby they can put down for awhile

I mean, the monthly Patreon money flows in, doesn't it?

I remember Angry Joe also taking off a month or so once in a while.

They live their best life right now, "Jaded" doesnt mean anything. The topics are heavy because the industry is shit and people need to be aware of it.

Well, I guess "jaded" is one way to put it. It's just that... *gestures vaguely at the entire video game industry*

Edited by Chortleous on May 17th 2022 at 7:11:56 AM

Yeah, they're clearly doing pretty well since they've been back in the UK.

At most their issues stem from facing bigotry online ever since coming out.

Yeah there's gotta be quite a bit of a betrayed feeling wrt former fanbase.

Jim gets back to their roots, ragging on Konami's mistreatment of Silent Hill.

I have never played that Medium game from Bloober, but after a lot of googling and checking around (that bobvids thread that Jim shown there and Gree thread under it are really enlightening, I don't think they are the right group to handle Silent Hill 2. They are indeed a fan of Silent Hill 2, but it does not make them good at it and I also think they really do not get that game.

The Political Cowardice Of AAA Publishers (The Jimquisition)

The speech at the end was well worth the watch.

I think Sterling's question on people being on the verge of a mental breakdown is possibly the very reason why people just want to play video games.

Because they'd rather escape into those than have to deal with the Crapsack World that is today.

But a game company can still take a stand against injustice. Hell, wouldn't you feel better playing videogames knowing that those who made it support your right to exist?

Besides, it's nigh impossible to play a videogame that isn't political in some way. Most AAA games have some type of political lean and message or concept.

Staying neutral or keeping heads in the sand also just passively allows this shit to happen in the first place. Too many people say "it's not my problem". But Steph is right, this effects everyone. I'm just glad to see some genuine clarity after so many news outlets are downplaying this nightmare with neutral, corporate-friendly language that tries to soften the horrible impact. Damn CNN.

Even purposefully leaving out politics is a political message. "Politics don't belong in games" is, funnily enough, a political belief.

You really can't separate video games from politics.

Hell I'd say it's outright impossible to make a story that doesn't have some sort of politics or message in it unless you're going for a Super Mario Bros. style of story where only the simplest of story elements are presented as an excuse to have one.

Even that still has some statements of authorial intent between the lines (i.e. "fun comes first, story's not important" if you ignore the age-old discussion around Damsel in Distress), which is sorta the point- as long as people create anything, what they make will bear some reflection of a person's beliefs big or small. And, like, that's okay- carrying a person's intent is why stories exist in the first place, all the way back to Gilgamesh if not earlier.

In turn, aside from what Dragonfire said, Sony trying to ignore "politics" also downplays how important writers, directors and such are for making games what they are. It's to basically say the stories and worlds they create don't matter because of them, and only exist to be consumed blindly.

And even then, you can probably find a political statement in the game mechanics; politics in games aren't just limited to story, it can also be found in other forms of game design.

While I appreciate the idealism of a game company trying to fight injustice, their past actions convince me that they aren't going to do anything meaningful.

A game company is simply just gonna post a jpg with text saying vague words about the current crisis, refuse to elaborate, and hope people are sated by it, then decide they're just not gonna say anything afterwards when people call them out for half-assing their message. Sure, they can donate money to a charity, but it doesn't matter if they drop half a million on a Trans Rights charity if they then slip a twenty dollar bill to a transphobic politician.

Yeah the whole "games shouldn't be political" is only touted by people who are used to having their politics pandered to and lash out at games and companies caring about people who aren't them.

The way Bungie (or their twitter intern) responded to these takes was great. "We have employees for whom abortion rights actually matter, why shouldn't we take a stance in their support?"

Though yeah there is a level of "coprorations actually do support the regressive politics and only bait the optics" in everything. I support Bungie's Twitter Intern, not Bungie's CEO

Edited by Adannor on May 30th 2022 at 8:38:32 PM