Truck_1_0_1_
I Don't Know, but I Have You!
- Joined
- Aug 5, 2018
- Location
- Barrie, Ontario, Canada
- Favourite title
- Shenmue II
- Currently playing
- Tinhead
- PSN
- Truck_1_0_1_
- Steam
- Truck_1_0_1_
Ellie has long been established as a lesbian, so it is a complete falsehood to claim this is what people have a problem with. Of course, there will always be those who take issue with this fact, irrespective of the medium, but for the vast majority? Demonstrably not, especially when you take a look at how well the Left Behind DLC was received.
The "woke agenda" thing sprung from two sources: (1) the 4chan info dump which incorrectly stated that Abby is transgender (though, going by her physical appearance, it's not hard to see how this association was made), and (2) Neil Druckmann's whole "subverting expectations" shtick and his relationship with that charlatan Anita Sarkeesian, whom he was undoubtedly influenced by. Take a look at this video and see how what he says translates into The Last of Us Part II. He flat-out states that gamers "sexualise," "objectify," and "marginalise" attractive female characters, not acknowledging for even a second the below-surface-level characteristics that make these characters beloved by so many.
So what does he go and do? Under the guise of "subverting expectations," (i.e., below average looks, male body frame, aggressive demeanour, forthright, devoid of femininity, etc.) he creates a pastiche of what he considers to be the archetypal male character - strong, capable, and heroic, only exaggerated to the point of parody, completely disregarding the myriad of female characters he was dead set on avoiding emulating who champion these very aspects - in a (barely) female body who ends up being completely unlikeable at best and hated at worst by players.
If Druckmann's hope was to become a trendsetter with regards to introducing characters who "subvert expectations" into the medium, he utterly failed. His equation was flawed and the result was, inevitably, a disaster.
Bingo. Sorry for the essay below.
The actress playing Dina (VERY attractive, btw), had her chest scaled down and facial features modified to look less-feminine (then there's the whole way they dressed her). There is a comparison pic that's blocked here at work, but all you have to do is look up her actress name (Cascina Caradonna), followed by TLOU2 and you'll see it.
Not because I'm a diehard Shenmue fan, but no female character has been better-written as strong, pro-female and NOT sexist, than Xiuying.
Probably the only thing that is somewhat sexist, is seeing her undergarments for a split second during her pattern. Otherwise:
- She is beautiful, but in an elegant and classy way; not big-chested, surgically-enhanced, dresses scantily, etc.
- She is physically and emotionally strong; she can eliminate any foe she comes across (well, up until this part in the story) and never wavers or loses her cool, always keeping a clear mind and focus.
- She is master; she didn't sleep her way to the top or use her looks to become Lishao Tao. She rose her way up to be one of Hong Kong's elder masters, solely through merit, hard work and ability.
- Any moments of weakness or vulnerability, are all related to the human condition, not due to selfishness, greed, deceit or any other negative virtue that plagues characters who have downfalls (crying because she misses her brother, showing concern over Ryo, etc.).
How is it that Yu Suzuki (and the other writers, of course) completely knocked the, "Strong Female," character out of the park, 25 years ago and the rest of the videogame world hasn't caught up (again, not to say that there haven't been characters like her since then, but nobody touches her, IMO) yet?
As many have mentioned, Abby is given male characteristics;
- butchy-look
- very masculine body type
- ruthless and physically-imposing (almost always seen in male characters).
By attempting to create a strong female, you are essentially creating a man, with a female name. This is essentially the same issue with Kaouru Sayama in Yakuza 2. Not going to get into it in-depth, but basically, giving a female character:
- a short, masculine haircut (a bob is a bob, sure, but in texts, it de-sexualizes the female)
- a characteristic where she drinks beer and talks very crass and unrefined (this is more of a reach, but how many women do you see knocking back cans of beer, cussing and speaking in a classless manner? Conjures up a visual of someone in the American South, rather than a Japanese Cop)
- a powersuit. The worst, most blatantly sexist thing you can do, from a visual standpoint lol.
Of course, the last 2 chapters show that this is all a façade and that she is really a weak-ass, mess of a character, but the writing in the game is just awful; not going to get into it now and, I digress.
I personally feel that with the political angles and SJW protests/voices/etc., people are trying to blur the distinction between male and female: "gender-fluidity," and all that (which is hilarious and bullshit). What ever happened to the idea that a female (or male, reversing the gender) CAN succeed in a gender-driven job/society/etc., that is opposite of theirs, simply by being themselves? There are a ton of real-world examples and a ton in books, films, etc. Videogames still haven't caught up, sadly and now, you are having devs like ND play into the hands of these feminists and SJW, instead of trailblazing and creating new, evolved characters and premises; just reeks of doing it for the money or the luvz.
Wanted to say, btw; I have not played either TLOU (and have 0 intention to), but seeing Dan be up in arms over this on the weekend, I read in-depth the stories and background of both games and I have the plots and characters completely downpat:
I absolutely agree 100% with Dan; if you want to show revenge is a bad thing, then WTF did Abby get away scot-free and able to live her life, the way she wanted? Because she, "feels remorse and empty, from getting her revenge," that is supposed to be enough to sympathise with her? TF???
How it probably SHOULD have been written, were to make Lev die or debilitate Abby in some way, so that her life changes; you know, to show that revenge is not the answer and that there are 0 winners, when revenge comes into play (which I take is Dan's outrage, as Ellie is left with nothing). Karma Houdini at its finest.
The whole thing could have been handled significantly better and I too find that it is HILARIOUS, that every major character in this game, is of the LGBT community; if that isn't supposed to pander to a specific demographic, then I don't know what is; almost as if ND were trying to play the Victim Card to have us feel bad for Ellie, when in reality, she should be exposed as just as ruthless and flawed a character as Abby; the victim card is a complete, pandering copout.
How it probably SHOULD have been written, were to make Lev die or debilitate Abby in some way, so that her life changes; you know, to show that revenge is not the answer and that there are 0 winners, when revenge comes into play (which I take is Dan's outrage, as Ellie is left with nothing). Karma Houdini at its finest.
The whole thing could have been handled significantly better and I too find that it is HILARIOUS, that every major character in this game, is of the LGBT community; if that isn't supposed to pander to a specific demographic, then I don't know what is; almost as if ND were trying to play the Victim Card to have us feel bad for Ellie, when in reality, she should be exposed as just as ruthless and flawed a character as Abby; the victim card is a complete, pandering copout.
Again, Shenmue just got it right; Yuan was a tranny, Dou Niu was clearly gay. It wasn't played for laughs, it wasn't sensationalized or had liberties taken, it just fit into the story so well, us fans don't even see it as an issue or as Suzuki trying to shoehorn/sensationalise something: it's almost like a "treating the symptom, rather than the cause/illness," situation (can't really describe it, but I figure you'll know what I mean).