User information for Victor Grunn

Real Name
Victor Grunn
Nickname
None given.
Email
Concealed by request - Send Mail
Description
Staff writer at Gaming Trend. Amateur indie game dev.

Supporter

Signed On
February 3, 2013
Total Posts
14 (Suspect)
User ID
57687
Search For:
Sort Results:
Ascending
Descending
Limit Results:
 
14 Comments. 1 pages. Viewing page 1.
Newer [  1  ] Older
67.
 
Re: Female Lead Cut from Assassin's Creed: Unity
Jun 12, 2014, 02:07
67.
Re: Female Lead Cut from Assassin's Creed: Unity Jun 12, 2014, 02:07
Jun 12, 2014, 02:07
 
And lots of people drink Budweiser. That doesn't mean that it's superior to Chimay or Trappiste just because more people drink it.

If someone hates the taste of Chimay and prefers the taste of Budweiser, then yes, as far as that person goes, Budweiser really is superior.
Gaming Trend Staff Writer: http://www.gamingtrend.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/VictorGrunn
Amateur game dev: http://victorgrunn.newgrounds.com
Gtalk contact: Victorgrunn
2.
 
Re: Assassin's Creed Unity Female Lead Follow-up
Jun 11, 2014, 21:13
2.
Re: Assassin's Creed Unity Female Lead Follow-up Jun 11, 2014, 21:13
Jun 11, 2014, 21:13
 
The translation here seems to be 'we're going to cut exactly what we said we'd cut - but now we're going to word it far more diplomatically!'

Which will probably work as far as backlash is concerned.
Gaming Trend Staff Writer: http://www.gamingtrend.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/VictorGrunn
Amateur game dev: http://victorgrunn.newgrounds.com
Gtalk contact: Victorgrunn
48.
 
Re: Female Lead Cut from Assassin's Creed: Unity
Jun 11, 2014, 16:01
48.
Re: Female Lead Cut from Assassin's Creed: Unity Jun 11, 2014, 16:01
Jun 11, 2014, 16:01
 
I get what you're saying but I also think that those norms won't change unless people are given the opportunity.

I get where you're coming from here, I think. Here's my view: we are literally in a golden age of game development right now. We have a thriving indie scene that's even creeping into the consoles. We have, thanks to Android and iOS, a gaming demographic that has exploded outward. So I think the opportunity, broadly speaking, is there - if we're talking about 'getting games made with these kinds of characters, that appeal to these kinds of people'.

So when someone points at a specific game and says 'This one! THIS one needs to change for the greater good!', I think it's just a bad move, and that immediately leads into the sort of fights we always see where others don't like the change and they're now cast as the Big Problem and all that. (And hey, sometimes people are jerks. That I grant.)

I think about it this way: if there's a demand, even an untapped demand, for the sort of games you're talking about, we should be seeing them show up on kickstarter or the like and really take off. Maybe we will. That general direction seems like the best route for what you're asking for, if the demand is either there or can be there.
Gaming Trend Staff Writer: http://www.gamingtrend.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/VictorGrunn
Amateur game dev: http://victorgrunn.newgrounds.com
Gtalk contact: Victorgrunn
47.
 
Re: Female Lead Cut from Assassin's Creed: Unity
Jun 11, 2014, 15:53
47.
Re: Female Lead Cut from Assassin's Creed: Unity Jun 11, 2014, 15:53
Jun 11, 2014, 15:53
 
That was my fault. I said that and perhaps it wasn't fair but I was reacting to the idiot who said 'only gay men play females lol'. It's not shameworthy, I just don't enjoy it and its nice to have other options.

No sweat.

A few people already did that here so have at it then.

Plenty of people want to play female characters with female storyline - the problem there is that the games where this is tremendously prominent tend to be the exact games that may as well be invisible as far as mainstream gamers go. You see this like crazy in hidden object games and that general class of adventure games - lots and lots of female leads who are not being sold on sex appeal, even if they're technically attractive. That's just one example, but I think it drives the point home. People play those, they enjoy the stories, and it sure isn't sex appeal.
Gaming Trend Staff Writer: http://www.gamingtrend.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/VictorGrunn
Amateur game dev: http://victorgrunn.newgrounds.com
Gtalk contact: Victorgrunn
44.
 
Re: Female Lead Cut from Assassin's Creed: Unity
Jun 11, 2014, 15:39
44.
Re: Female Lead Cut from Assassin's Creed: Unity Jun 11, 2014, 15:39
Jun 11, 2014, 15:39
 
I don't see where anyone said there was something wrong with the default. Likewise there's nothing wrong with wanting something different. Some people are really insecure and don't get that though.

And some people are really insecure that people like things different from them and rail against it, especially if it's popular. Hence the whole 'power fantasy' that 'appeals to teenage boys' and it's 'insulting'. That's what I'm reacting to here. I've seen it dozens of times now, and I'm just tired of what comes across as the conventional wisdom in some quarters that enjoying the role of the muscular kickass guy is somehow shame-worthy and speaks ill of the people who enjoy it.

I'd be equally annoyed by people who argue, say.. 'No one wants to play a female character' or 'people only want to play female characters for sex appeal' and I'll argue against them as they come up. Personally I'd love to play, say... a Suicide Squad kind of game where you played as Amanda Waller. I mean old Amanda Waller, not the supermodel they apparently have now.

I don't know about that conclusion, most people literally just selected the default everything. Gender, hair, eye color, etc. The character customization is pretty detailed and many people don't have the patience. There are more male gamers than female so I would expect the stats to trend that way regardless.

That would just seem to buttress Therien's position here, if that's still in sight. Mass Effect is one series where character customization is pretty central, especially compared to Assassin's Creed. If people don't even give much of a shit about that sort of customization in that game, then it starts to make a whole lot more sense that the team here would say 'You know, our resources are better spent elsewhere.'

Pardon me, I'm late in this conversation. Perhaps you're not even disputing what I'm saying. I'm just giving my perspective on the OP and the arguments I'm seeing.
Gaming Trend Staff Writer: http://www.gamingtrend.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/VictorGrunn
Amateur game dev: http://victorgrunn.newgrounds.com
Gtalk contact: Victorgrunn
38.
 
Re: Female Lead Cut from Assassin's Creed: Unity
Jun 11, 2014, 15:13
38.
Re: Female Lead Cut from Assassin's Creed: Unity Jun 11, 2014, 15:13
Jun 11, 2014, 15:13
 
Have you actually played a game lately? Most of the male leads are muscle bound wish fulfillment stereotypes that are insulting in their blatant teenage pandering.

It's not just teenagers. And why should they be insulted? 'Pandering' in this case just means 'giving an audience what they supposedly want.'

Yes, I get that other audiences want something different at times. Great. Really and truly great! I love playing a diversity of roles in games. Not everyone does. They are not committing some sin by lacking that desire.

Go play Mass Effect and try Jennifer Hales performance vs Mark Meer, it is a superior experience and it has nothing to do with boobs.

If we're talking about male versus female Shep, last I saw stats on this most people far and away preferred male Shep. You can say 'but it's a superior performance', but all that would establish here is that some evidence shows even a superior performance won't entice male gamers to play female characters in some situations.

And that's quite fine.
Gaming Trend Staff Writer: http://www.gamingtrend.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/VictorGrunn
Amateur game dev: http://victorgrunn.newgrounds.com
Gtalk contact: Victorgrunn
47.
 
Re: SOE: Twitter Abusers Can Be Banned from Games
Sep 19, 2013, 21:54
47.
Re: SOE: Twitter Abusers Can Be Banned from Games Sep 19, 2013, 21:54
Sep 19, 2013, 21:54
 
It's not a "word misunderstood by social conservatives". It's misunderstood, period. People across the political spectrum also cry "free speech!" and talk about the Constitution when they're censored on privately owned forums. And let's not even get into "fascism" talk.

That said, I'd like to know what the scope of their policy is. If you say something outrageous on your twitter feed and it has nothing to do with your EA account or game, but someone knows that that's your feed, can you get kicked off? A policy can be legal and pretty crappy all the same.
Gaming Trend Staff Writer: http://www.gamingtrend.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/VictorGrunn
Amateur game dev: http://victorgrunn.newgrounds.com
Gtalk contact: Victorgrunn
10.
 
Re: Steam Greenlights 18 More Games
Apr 17, 2013, 16:38
10.
Re: Steam Greenlights 18 More Games Apr 17, 2013, 16:38
Apr 17, 2013, 16:38
 
So many of these just look damn, damn good. Legend of Dungeon and Hammerwatch are the ones that really have my eye. Frozen Endzone is a surprise, but a fun one.
Gaming Trend Staff Writer: http://www.gamingtrend.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/VictorGrunn
Amateur game dev: http://victorgrunn.newgrounds.com
Gtalk contact: Victorgrunn
13.
 
Re: etc.
Apr 17, 2013, 05:10
13.
Re: etc. Apr 17, 2013, 05:10
Apr 17, 2013, 05:10
 
If you can understand why someone would be upset at racial stereotypes, some forms of sexism, or whatever else despite it occurring entirely in a game, you're well on your way to understanding why a baptism can be particularly offensive in a way that general killing is not.

Someone playing a protagonist who now and then said things like "Fuck Obama!" and who was portrayed as a smart, heroic person in a non-ironic way would piss quite a lot of people off. 'But it's just a game.' wouldn't be a very valid reply.
Gaming Trend Staff Writer: http://www.gamingtrend.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/VictorGrunn
Amateur game dev: http://victorgrunn.newgrounds.com
Gtalk contact: Victorgrunn
1.
 
Re: etc., etc.
Apr 17, 2013, 01:05
1.
Re: etc., etc. Apr 17, 2013, 01:05
Apr 17, 2013, 01:05
 
Plaque is a figment of the liberal media and the dental industry to scare you into buying useless appliances and pastes. Now I've read the arguments on both sides, and I haven't seen any evidence yet to support the need to brush your teeth. Ever.

-- Master Shake
Gaming Trend Staff Writer: http://www.gamingtrend.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/VictorGrunn
Amateur game dev: http://victorgrunn.newgrounds.com
Gtalk contact: Victorgrunn
1.
 
Re: Elder Scrolls: Arena Listing An Error
Apr 16, 2013, 06:46
1.
Re: Elder Scrolls: Arena Listing An Error Apr 16, 2013, 06:46
Apr 16, 2013, 06:46
 
Damn. Well, hopefully they come out with some iPad-specific title at some point anyway. I seem to recall they had some releases ages ago on cell phones, back in the pre-Apple days when phone apps were just bizarrely obscure things.
Gaming Trend Staff Writer: http://www.gamingtrend.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/VictorGrunn
Amateur game dev: http://victorgrunn.newgrounds.com
Gtalk contact: Victorgrunn
32.
 
Re: EA Ending Three Social Games
Apr 16, 2013, 06:43
32.
Re: EA Ending Three Social Games Apr 16, 2013, 06:43
Apr 16, 2013, 06:43
 
OldTimber wrote on Apr 16, 2013, 02:44:
They just want to get a good headstart going for next years Worst Company award. Lets go for 3 in a row! EA Hell Yeah!

Pretty much the exact conclusion I came to.

I can understand if these titles are just not performing well for them and they need to cut their losses. A business is a business. But goddamn, it really seems as if they either don't care about their customers or actually kind of loathe them.
Gaming Trend Staff Writer: http://www.gamingtrend.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/VictorGrunn
Amateur game dev: http://victorgrunn.newgrounds.com
Gtalk contact: Victorgrunn
16.
 
Re: On Diablo III's Future
Mar 2, 2013, 03:36
16.
Re: On Diablo III's Future Mar 2, 2013, 03:36
Mar 2, 2013, 03:36
 
I'm curious to see how they'll handle this, because I honestly don't see what their options are. It's easy to see what some of the problems are, it's easy to imagine how the problems could have been avoided. But solving them now, at this stage? That's one hell of a trick to pull off.

Here's a tougher question to ask: what is the best way to cripple the AH, assuming you give a damn about the (apparently, many) players who like it?
Gaming Trend Staff Writer: http://www.gamingtrend.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/VictorGrunn
Amateur game dev: http://victorgrunn.newgrounds.com
Gtalk contact: Victorgrunn
47.
 
Re: Borderlands 2 Racism Discussion
Feb 3, 2013, 18:18
47.
Re: Borderlands 2 Racism Discussion Feb 3, 2013, 18:18
Feb 3, 2013, 18:18
 
Tiny Tina came across (to me, anyway) as a really annoying character who only became enjoyable once Moxxi started making fun of her in the DLC. Biggest irritation in the game aside from the 'raid bosses'.

But racist? C'mon. By what inane metric?

Oh, and this does illustrate some of the problems with "political correctness". Instead of trying to avoid asshole behavior that would offend the reasonable and civil, we now have people walking on eggshells in a desperate attempt to avoid offending the eternally and sometimes professionally aggrieved. And the problem isn't just the PC crowd - it's also guys like Burch and Pitchford caving in response to this insanity instead of making a stand for common sense. Thanks guys - by attempting to pacify the mob by capitulating, you've emboldened them to do this again and again.

Hey, I have an idea. Now that BL2 is in the controversy spotlight, let's see some write-ups about how the game glorifies gun violence. I bet if we whip up enough of a twitter frenzy we can ensure that Borderlands 3 will be nothing but nerf darts and hand to hand combat.
Gaming Trend Staff Writer: http://www.gamingtrend.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/VictorGrunn
Amateur game dev: http://victorgrunn.newgrounds.com
Gtalk contact: Victorgrunn
14 Comments. 1 pages. Viewing page 1.
Newer [  1  ] Older