Posts made by Ganymede

@hedgehog

Conceded.

@insomniac7809 said in Sensitivity in gaming:

(Molly Ringwald wrote a while ago on watching Breakfast Club with her granddaughter and seeing herself being the target of all that adorable sexual assault by the guy she falls in love with at the end.)

You mean Sixteen Candles, right?

Regarding why I believe there are more people from traditionally-oppressed minorities in the MUSH world is because it can give players a sense of control and power that they would not ordinarily have in the real world. I have heard stories of the violence some people have suffered because of who they are, and how they enjoy coming online to lose themselves because they can explore their thoughts, feelings, and preferences in relative safety. Being a very privileged person, I can only imagine how it might feel like to be living in a rural community in fear of your life because of who you are, only to find an outlet where no one knows who you are, where you live, and only really cares that you're there to play pretend with them.

I think it is wise to remember the power of playing fantasy. It may not mean that much to everyone, but I imagine it is very important to people who do not feel that they can truly express themselves in their lives. I enjoy playing characters with darker backgrounds or drives because my real life is very different than that. And while it is not real -- it's a simulation at best -- playing characters like Clarice and Piccola have given me the opportunity to research, explore, and consider closely the mental trauma I am lucky not to have.

@greenflashlight said in Sensitivity in gaming:

I mention this to explain why I have absolutely no patience with anyone who complains about being "canceled," because it never means what they pretend it means.

This.

Like, for real, Louis CK's last special was hot garbage. My partner and I sort of looked at each other, like we were confused as to why he stopped being funny.

But we knew why.

@insomniac7809 said in Sensitivity in gaming:

Now, TTRPGs were, for a fairly long time, designed for by and for an audience of white men. (The MU* scene has been a lot more gender-balanced, in my experience, which might be an interesting topic to get into.)

Now this is a good talking point.

I am of the unsupported opinion that the MUSH scene is far more gender-balanced than the TTRPG world. Like, far more balanced. I would lay a wager that there are more women and LGBTQ+ folks playing on MUSHes than cis-hetero-men. I'd lay a heavy wager on that.

Why? I think it's fairly easy to figure out.

To me, this is why policing is so very important. Like, way more important than I ever thought it would be. I can honestly say that of my near 25 years playing the past decade has been the most enjoyable. It's not because I have abandoned World of Darkness games -- okay, that may be part of it? -- but it is because the people that I have run into have taught me so much about ... well, everything.

It's important to me that LGBTQ+ folks have a place to be LGBTQ+ without fear. It's important that women aren't stalked or harassed on these games. I may be one of the toughest old birds out there when it comes to bullshit but that does not mean everyone is or should be. On this board, I'm happy to talk and share with people with divergent views from mine because I know I'll learn something new along the way, no matter how dry, acerbic, and condescending I am.

Gaming is good. It's really good. And to keep it that way, taking an extra step towards making the hobby better for others? That's a good thing.

@insomniac7809

As an amateur humorist, I appreciate your take on this.

As a recent event, SNL got flack for this joke by Michael Che. (Ignore the fact that the video is backwards.) On the one hand, this is blatantly transphobic; I will not deny this. On the other hand, the Democratic Party has never been particularly sensitive about these sorts of issues, despite their rhetoric, and Biden was around when Clinton signed the "don't ask don't tell" policy that later had to be repealed during Obama's tenure. (It barred openly LGBTQ people from serving in the military.)

So, was Che trying to punch down or punch up?

It kind of depends on how you feel about some of his other comedy. On the one hand, there's this joke where he dead-names Caitlyn Jenner. On the other hand, there's this joke about Black Lives Matter. As for SNL, it can be a mixed grab bag: I liked Pete Davidson's bit here and here.

How you feel about it is how you feel about it.

I mean, I agree with Che when it comes to Louis C.K.; let the man try and perform. And he did, and it was terrible. And as for Che? He's just not good at being a Weekend Update. He may have chemistry with the white-than-wonder-bread Colin Jost (so that's why Scarlett Johansson married him), but he's not a good performer.

Anyhow, yeah. Sensitivity is important. Satire and social criticism is good if you're clearly punching up and not spiking down on the oppressed at the same time.

@insomniac7809 said in Sensitivity in gaming:

People keep asking, like, "how can I know nobody will be offended" and yeah, that's not a thing.

Right. And that's not really the point of being sensitive. If anything, that can and should be what a comedian is aiming for.

From Karith Foster:

"The real problem, however, isn't the wasted energy of the political correctness patrollers or the hurt careers of comics. The danger of this outrage phenomenon is that, in the process of policing every sensitive subject, we lose comedy itself — one of the only tools we have to grapple with our testiest issues. Humor is an entryway unlike any other for talking out things we're too afraid, too uncomfortable or too pained to broach head on. If we can't joke about issues such as ethnicity, sexuality, class, politics, pain and death, we may never get through them or find ways to heal."

(Here's a set of hers.)

Being sensitive, to me, is appreciating both intent and context. Being sensitive is being able to detect the racism and condescension in seemingly-ordinary language. Being sensitive is also being able to find the criticism in a seemingly-tasteless joke. Jokes can be insightful and racist/sexist/transphobic and it is important, I think, to see that.

A good joke is going to offend someone. Michele Wolf has taken flack for this, but I think her shit is golden. Ronny Chieng's insight on the Chinese experience is blatantly racist and even mirrors anti-Semitism, but his shit is on point.

But I would hasten to point out that being a GM or a player on MUSH is not the same as being a comedian. It is very, very, very different. And chances are the people who are trying to use offensive tropes "to make a point" aren't smart enough to deliver it.

@saosmash said in Sensitivity in gaming:

What exactly requires "gushing empathy" here?

It's just another thing that incels and Ben Shapiro want, fear, and will never have.

@lordbelh said in Sensitivity in gaming:

My point wasn't that you shouldn't consider others' opinions. Only that at some point I think it can become counter productive. That line's fluid, and changes regards go circumstances, with the caveat that at some point you're pretty much always in the wrong regardless of who your audience is, even if they cheer you on.

In my line of work, I have become mostly callous to: (1) others' opinions; and (2) always being in the wrong.

@rucket said in General Video Game Thread:

Paradox clearly cares about the direction of the IP, lol.

If they did, they would have actually re-published V:TES rather than handing it off to a small-time publisher whose reach is about the same as my partner's when I'm already sitting down enjoying a movie because, hey, who can be bothered to go and get shit when you have a perfectly reasonable servant lounging around to do the work you are perfectly capable of doing argh why the fuck do people marry.

@derp said in Sensitivity in gaming:

People use claims of traumas to try and tip the story away from situations that would disadvantage their characters. I think being skeptical is perfectly reasonable, and my general reaction to that is to give players a 'graceful out' to the story if they do not wanna participate.

This is where I sit. If I am running a scene that someone wants out of, that's cool. I'm not going to force anyone to re-live trauma because I want to tell a story.

I do not change the story unless there is a group consensus about it. I, and I'm sure a few others in this thread given some of the previous answers, have been burned by this as a manipulation tactic too many times now.

And this is the result. It is unlikely that I will pause or change a story for any one player unless the other players are okay with it.

That said, if there were a viewable form like the one Carma presented for players or PCs, I don't think it is unreasonable for a GM to look at who's attending an event and tailoring a story or uninviting certain folks based on the intended content. The purpose of this sort of vetting, in my opinion, is to avoid harming people, not necessarily changing stories to accommodate.

Of course, if the participants are all squicked out by the story to be told, then it might be a wise idea for the GM to change the story if they want to run it.

@lordbelh said in Sensitivity in gaming:

There is a point where being sensitive tips over into the death of creativity, and the end result is that the only thing you're either allowed to or feel comfortable writing about is your own little bubble. I think that would be unfortunate.

While this may be true as a principle, I think it is false in practice.

As a professional writer -- lawyers should treat writing as their profession -- one of the tenets is to tell a story that can reach and compel one's audience. If my story offends a jury, my client is fucked. In storytelling for RPGs, the same tenet holds true: you should be writing stories for your audience, which is your gaming group.

If a gaming group doesn't like a particular subject, then the tenet should compel their GM to alter the story. But that said, the opinions of one do not always reflect the opinions of all, so the tenet compels a GM to continue with the story if only a small portion of the group wants to leave it.

Where the argument falls apart in application here is that a GM who tells stories their audience dislikes is not going to be a GM for very long. Also, the analogy between being a GM and an author falls apart easily and quickly given the proximity between the two to their audience. If you want to write a squicky story, go for it; if you want people to participate in that story, you should be mindful of what goes too far.

@carma

This is really awesome.

@silverfox said in The Work Thread:

Every time my advanced degree gets me excused from a professional development I start singing.

My advanced degree is the only reason I have to go to professional development sessions.

@arkandel

It sounds like Daffy's had a great life.

My cat did as well. When I learned about the absolutely-wretched suffering he was going to, I cried a lot because he had been suffering for months but still went out of his way to be the cuddliest lap kitten he could. But this is about you and your loved one.

The only advice I have is that choosing when the suffering ends is your greatest gift.

@cassite said in General Video Game Thread:

Please prove me wrong. I'd love that sphere to be taken more seriously.

I really liked Werewolf: the Forsaken's system, where going into werewolf-mode was a last-ditch, really bad idea, but then people got really mad about that, and the CoD version is just --

@greenflashlight said in Good TV:

She sounds less sassy to me than impatient, and while I know how small and petty a thing this is to get hung up on, very few Americans, least of all her, should ever try to read the line, "I shouldn't like to say where she is."

Granted I might have preferred Tara Strong or, for shits and giggles, Dame Maggie Smith, but --

@greenflashlight

Now, you see, that's where we differ. Kat Dennings' Death resonated with me, but I suppose I have a thing for sassy emo girls.

@sixregrets

My partner stands by that show. I like Matthew Goode generally, but Teresa Palmer sticks out as a Kristen Stewart substitute in this vampire series.

As for The Sandman, the cast seems a step down from the Audible books.

@jennkryst

Is it any good?

@cobaltasaurus

goddammit cobie i don't use discord i'm fucking old as shit

@cobaltasaurus

Hey.

Me too.