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Cyberpunk 2077 - It Can't Get Darker Than Night City, Right?

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Posts

  • SynthesisSynthesis Honda Today! Registered User regular
    edited October 2018
    CD Projekt, or rather their Good Old Games Storefront, makes another Twitter misstep.

    I can't really contribute much because, aside from not being transgender, I don't use Twitter. But it seems like people are, once again, not super sympathetic.

    It does leave me interested in how some aspects of transhumanism or futuristic technological modification in the cyberpunk genre are seen as important (and thus, this a missed opportunity) for gender identities to a particular degree...at least in for an American audience? Certainly with the comments, there are plenty of people expressing a lot of weariness not just of the company's PR personnel, but the content of the upcoming game itself. Not that I can speak with any authority, but in the Sinophone world, we lean hard in the direction of postcyberpunk, and there's room for gender identities but we "double down" over nationality and civic/political decay comparatively speaking, whereas "traditional" cyberpunk lets you completely ignore issues of nationality and nationhood if you want to (like in the original Bladerunner--"There are no nations anymore, just corporations," that kind of line). One certainly isn't better than the other, that may come down to the individual's expectations, but it's a curious variation.

    Synthesis on
  • A duck!A duck! Moderator, ClubPA mod
    Fyi I think "transgendered" is out-of-date lingo. "Transgender" should be used in its place.

  • SynthesisSynthesis Honda Today! Registered User regular
    A duck! wrote: »
    Fyi I think "transgendered" is out-of-date lingo. "Transgender" should be used in its place.

    I don't know, but I'm going to assume you're right.

  • El FantasticoEl Fantastico Toronto, ONRegistered User regular
    edited October 2018
    I think I'm misunderstanding something here myself. I thought GOG was autonomous. Does GOG have a relationship with CDPR in the same way Valve and Steam are together, but separate?

    If that's not the case, that's like saying a company like Bethesda (just an example) is to blame for GameStop tweeting something negative.

    El Fantastico on
    PSN: TheArcadeBear
    Steam: TheArcadeBear

  • SynthesisSynthesis Honda Today! Registered User regular
    The Polish corporation that runs G.O.G. marketplace (and shares its name) is a fully-owned subsidiary of CD Projekt, of which 'Red' is a game developing division in turn. At least, I'm pretty sure that's how it works.

  • Commander ZoomCommander Zoom Registered User regular
    GOG is to CD Project as Steam is to Valve, is my understanding.

  • SynthesisSynthesis Honda Today! Registered User regular
    The difference is that this comment was made by G.O.G.'s twitter account, whereas the last one was made by the Cyberpunk 2077 Twitter account. Still don't use Twitter (except for once when I had to correct a western journalist reporting on domestic Taiwanese news, and Twitter was the most efficient way to get a hold of him, so I blew off the cobwebs), but I assume these are cases of two separate, and probably separately run, official PR Twitter accounts. However those work.

    Regarding the controversial tweet from last time, a CD Projekt Red staff member may've been doxed/doxxed for it. Emphasis on "may have", as the original post on the forum was deleted shortly afterwards, and it's hard to find much discussion on the topic that isn't immediately retaliatory one way or another.

  • BigityBigity Lubbock, TXRegistered User regular
    edited October 2018
    Never heard of wont be erased in relation to rights for a group of people. Seems like a reach? But I don't follow twitter and detest hashtags on other social media so I'm not likely to be hip on the trends.

    Bigity on
  • DarkewolfeDarkewolfe Registered User regular
    edited October 2018
    Bigity wrote: »
    Never heard of wont be erased in relation to rights for a group of people. Seems like a reach? But I don't follow twitter and detest hashtags on other social media so I'm not likely to be hip on the trends.

    Way to try to gaslight people about a really easy to discover trans-rights campaign!

    Fuck Cybperpunk 2077. This could be the best game ever, but the game makers are actively attacking with shit like this. They've made two veiled anti-trans "joke" posts and a pro-GG post at this point.

    Darkewolfe on
    What is this I don't even.
  • stopgapstopgap Registered User regular
    I'm still excited about the game, seems like a lot of controversy.

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  • ProhassProhass Registered User regular
    its not a reach. It was intentional, you can tell by the fact that they almost immediately deleted it. They knew exactly what they were doing. And theyve done it before.

  • DarkewolfeDarkewolfe Registered User regular
    Seriously, we can't reward this shit. I've never been a fan of game boycotts, but this isn't over some piddly shit. They're being actively anti-human rights repeatedly.

    What is this I don't even.
  • BigityBigity Lubbock, TXRegistered User regular
    Fair enough folks. This is why I think twitter is all but useless. Even if not intentional, it is too easy to fall into a gaffe.

  • DarkewolfeDarkewolfe Registered User regular
    Bigity wrote: »
    Fair enough folks. This is why I think twitter is all but useless. Even if not intentional, it is too easy to fall into a gaffe.

    Don't pretend it wasn't intentional that the company that's made multiple transphobic "jokes" made an "accidental" transphobic joke mocking a pro-trans rights movement.

    What is this I don't even.
  • Mostlyjoe13Mostlyjoe13 Evil, Evil, Jump for joy! Registered User regular
    I wonder if there is someone in HQ or just PR that had a jones on for going against trans rights and other gender/sex issues and is just being an ass.

    PSN ID - Mostlyjoe Steam ID -TheNotoriusRNG
  • DarkewolfeDarkewolfe Registered User regular
    I wonder if there is someone in HQ or just PR that had a jones on for going against trans rights and other gender/sex issues and is just being an ass.

    "Just being an ass" is being transphobic and attacking human rights. You can't align with the major right wing nationalist movements like that and pretend it was just jokes.

    What is this I don't even.
  • MassenaMassena Registered User regular
    God I miss the politics of 2008, when the politics of video games united people who played them against people who didn't. Not the politics of 2018, when everyone hates each other. 'Membah Jack Thompson? (awwww, I 'membah....)

    I honestly think this is classic cultural divide stuff, it's just the hot topic right now, in certain parts of the West, so it's newsworthy for people who want clicks and outrage. Six years ago Barrack Obama was against gay marriage: social issues move fast and we should give people and cultures time to adjust, especially across cultural and language boundaries, without necessarily reading the worst into things all the time.

    If CDPR makes a great game, that should be enough. They'll come around on the social issue stuff. Nothing I've seen here indicates them running from issues or painting movements in a bad light in the game..... though I really wouldn't mind if they put out more info on a regular basis, so people could debate game content and how horrible it will be instead of twitter content and whether or not they are bad people or whatever.

  • ProhassProhass Registered User regular
    edited October 2018
    no its not enough. And its not about being bad people or good people, or politics. Obama was against gay marriage, but he wasnting making fun of it either. And it has basically nothing to do with anything anyway.

    This isnt a case of a cultural divide, this is a case of being an asshole to a vulnerable minority group, and doing so knowing full well that you are encouraging others to be assholes to that group. Its not about clicks for fucks sake, its about peoples right not to have their existence be denied or made fun of by a corporation that has a huge and impressionable following

    We're not just going to act like gamegate and the political landscape over the past decade didnt happen just because it would be easier for people with ZERO skin in the game

    Dont like that this is being made political? Direct every ounce of your ire towards the person who tweeted it and the company which allowed them to keep tweeting shit like this, not on the "other side" for calling them out on their bullshit

    the status quo only seems fine when it isnt effecting you

    If Pepsi casually tweeted multiple times with jokes along the lines that trans people dont exist lol we wouldnt be saying "focus on the soft drink!" and lamenting a bygone more civil age where the same prejudice existed it just wasnt called out because people were so oppressed and without a voice that it looked like they didnt have any complaints at all

    I dont miss the politics of 2008, because the politics of the last decade have shown it was a lie, it was nothing but veiled civility that still hurt and subjugated minorities, it was just done more quietly and without pushback.

    Edit: and look nobody is telling you not to like their games, hell the reason why people are so angry is because we DO like their games, and we want more from the people who make them than this, we want them to know that many of the people who enjoy their games belong to the group they are casually joking about. You think you feel awkward and miffed that you cant just enjoy the games without politics? How about the people who cant enjoy them because they are actively being maligned? Transgender people dont get a choice whether or not they can feel "political" about this, their bodies and their lives ARE political when framed like this by people in positions of power or influence

    Prohass on
  • 3cl1ps33cl1ps3 I will build a labyrinth to house the cheese Registered User regular
    Massena wrote: »
    God I miss the politics of 2008, when the politics of video games united people who played them against people who didn't. Not the politics of 2018, when everyone hates each other. 'Membah Jack Thompson? (awwww, I 'membah....)

    I honestly think this is classic cultural divide stuff, it's just the hot topic right now, in certain parts of the West, so it's newsworthy for people who want clicks and outrage. Six years ago Barrack Obama was against gay marriage: social issues move fast and we should give people and cultures time to adjust, especially across cultural and language boundaries, without necessarily reading the worst into things all the time.

    If CDPR makes a great game, that should be enough. They'll come around on the social issue stuff. Nothing I've seen here indicates them running from issues or painting movements in a bad light in the game..... though I really wouldn't mind if they put out more info on a regular basis, so people could debate game content and how horrible it will be instead of twitter content and whether or not they are bad people or whatever.

    yes, the right of trans people to exist is just a hot topic.

    miss me with these hot takes.

  • DarkewolfeDarkewolfe Registered User regular
    3clipse wrote: »
    Massena wrote: »
    God I miss the politics of 2008, when the politics of video games united people who played them against people who didn't. Not the politics of 2018, when everyone hates each other. 'Membah Jack Thompson? (awwww, I 'membah....)

    I honestly think this is classic cultural divide stuff, it's just the hot topic right now, in certain parts of the West, so it's newsworthy for people who want clicks and outrage. Six years ago Barrack Obama was against gay marriage: social issues move fast and we should give people and cultures time to adjust, especially across cultural and language boundaries, without necessarily reading the worst into things all the time.

    If CDPR makes a great game, that should be enough. They'll come around on the social issue stuff. Nothing I've seen here indicates them running from issues or painting movements in a bad light in the game..... though I really wouldn't mind if they put out more info on a regular basis, so people could debate game content and how horrible it will be instead of twitter content and whether or not they are bad people or whatever.

    yes, the right of trans people to exist is just a hot topic.

    miss me with these hot takes.

    Which brings it back around to the company's apology. It wasn't about being wrong. It didn't take a side. It was about how they didn't intend to participate in an "ongoing social debate" with their transphobic jokes they keep making.

    What is this I don't even.
  • Mei HikariMei Hikari Registered User regular
    And it dog-whistled the GG crowd by implying politics should somehow be removed from videogames.

  • NyysjanNyysjan FinlandRegistered User regular
    I'm really hyped about Cyberpunk 2077.
    And all of this is making me think i should not be, not because the game won't be good, but because i'm no longer happy about giving money to these people.

  • XeddicusXeddicus Registered User regular
    Sucks for all the people working there who probably want that guy fired too.

  • KarlKarl Registered User regular
    Xeddicus wrote: »
    Sucks for all the people working there who probably want that guy fired too.

    Then they need to get their shit together and tell management to sort out whatever chucklefuck is in charge of that twitter account.

    Thinly veiled transphobia is not ok.

  • -Loki--Loki- Don't pee in my mouth and tell me it's raining. Registered User regular
    edited October 2018
    Karl wrote: »
    Xeddicus wrote: »
    Sucks for all the people working there who probably want that guy fired too.

    Then they need to get their shit together and tell management to sort out whatever chucklefuck is in charge of that twitter account.

    Thinly veiled transphobia is not ok.

    Depending on how well liked by management that guy is that could be a career ender for the person making the complaint, hence why it doesn’t happen often.

    -Loki- on
  • HappylilElfHappylilElf Registered User regular
    It's a twitter hashtag created in response to a very important issue here in the US used in a bad joke by someone from Poland which is a country that is nowhere near the US in terms of being progressive on trans rights that likely had no clue at all about the story behind it because contrary to our belief in the US the rest of the world is not paying attention to every single fantastically terrible thing our Shithead in Chief does on a weekly if not daily basis.

    I'm not saying it was ok, because it wasn't at all and some education clearly needs to happen (it likely won't because again, Poland) but someone taking a twitter hashtag out of context on an issue they likely have utterly no clue about probably isn't an attack.

    It's a shitty joke based upon ignorance.

    Is that great? No, It's not!

    But I think trying to stretch it into an attack on civil rights is borderline ludicrous given the context.

  • The Zombie PenguinThe Zombie Penguin Eternal Hungry Corpse Registered User regular
    The problem is it's starting to look like a pattern from the company, and their non-apology just doubles done on the dog-whistling to gamergate and other grossness. RPS had a really good breakdown of why this is a problem, and the broader context. https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2018/10/24/gog-makes-another-offensive-tweet-offers-non-apology/

    And honestly, i dont think ignorance is an excuse here (If it was indeed ignorance - which, frankly, i dont buy especially not iwth the way they phrased the tweet + prior context). It'd take five seconds to click through the hashtag and do some due diligence before you jump on using it for marketing.

    As to the conflict on buying this: I'm in the same camp. I really liked Witcher 3. I was damn looking forward to having a good rpg to dig my teeth into. This has dropped this all the way to "I might pick it up in a bundle, some day. Maybe?". Because frankly? This is some seriously rank goosery on CD Projekt's part.

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  • NyysjanNyysjan FinlandRegistered User regular
    edited October 2018
    -Loki- wrote: »
    Karl wrote: »
    Xeddicus wrote: »
    Sucks for all the people working there who probably want that guy fired too.

    Then they need to get their shit together and tell management to sort out whatever chucklefuck is in charge of that twitter account.

    Thinly veiled transphobia is not ok.

    Depending on how well liked by management that guy is that could be a career ender for the person making the complaint, hence why it doesn’t happen often.
    Assuming anyone gives a fuck, which is not always guaranteed.
    Hell, some people might see it as a great way to get publicity.
    It's a shitty joke based upon ignorance.
    That excuse can work, but only once.
    They already used that one time, and poorly.

    Now it seems that either someone is a bigot, or a moron, and either way they should not be given access to official twitter account.

    Nyysjan on
  • HappylilElfHappylilElf Registered User regular
    The problem is it's starting to look like a pattern from the company, and their non-apology just doubles done on the dog-whistling to gamergate and other grossness. RPS had a really good breakdown of why this is a problem, and the broader context. https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2018/10/24/gog-makes-another-offensive-tweet-offers-non-apology/

    And honestly, i dont think ignorance is an excuse here (If it was indeed ignorance - which, frankly, i dont buy especially not iwth the way they phrased the tweet + prior context). It'd take five seconds to click through the hashtag and do some due diligence before you jump on using it for marketing.

    As to the conflict on buying this: I'm in the same camp. I really liked Witcher 3. I was damn looking forward to having a good rpg to dig my teeth into. This has dropped this all the way to "I might pick it up in a bundle, some day. Maybe?". Because frankly? This is some seriously rank goosery on CD Projekt's part.

    I don't disagree but a Polish company being behind on transgender rights isn't something that makes me upset, just... resigned. Because of course it fucking sucks that, yeah, getting everyone on the same page when it comes to transgender rights is going to take waaay longer than it should.

    I mean yes, we need to keep trying to educating them and everyone else that hey fuckers transgender people are a thing and you need to not shit on them for no reason.

    But I don't think co-opting a Twitter hashtag really qualifies as intentionally shitting on the transgender community. It strikes me as people who don't take and issue seriously co-opting a twitter hashtag to make a shitty joke.

    Basically I don't think the thought process is "Fuck transgender people I'm gonna disrespect the hashtag being used to express "FUCK YOU, TRUMP" to a joke about old saved games"

    I think it was "Haha #WontBeErased like how we backup saves right?" which if it was a US company I would consider tone-deaf and intentional. But again, the rest of the world doesn't hang on the news in the US like we often assume they do, especially not these days when we can barely keep up with all of the ridiculous bullshit.

    I don't know, this just strikes me as ignorance and not bothering to pay attention to an important foreign topic more than an intentional attack on transgender people.

  • DarkewolfeDarkewolfe Registered User regular
    Alright, don't focus on the single event. Focus on the sustained pattern of events, and the support for GG. You're bullshitting here. Quit coyly trying to play down a "oh, Polish boys will be Polish boys" moment on a company with an established pattern of behavior.

    What is this I don't even.
  • PhillisherePhillishere Registered User regular
    edited October 2018
    Wanna know a fun fact about Poland? It’s a modern nation with the Internet and knowledge of both English and current events! They have progressives too! They also have a fascist takeover due to the sudden death of all their liberal leaders in a plane crash.

    So, we are not talking about peasants in huts. We’re talking about a dude on the Internet who decided it would be fun to poke at the libs because they are on the same Internet we are and wanted to be an asshole.

    Phillishere on
  • HappylilElfHappylilElf Registered User regular
    Darkewolfe wrote: »
    Alright, don't focus on the single event. Focus on the sustained pattern of events, and the support for GG. You're bullshitting here. Quit coyly trying to play down a "oh, Polish boys will be Polish boys" moment on a company with an established pattern of behavior.

    You know what? If you want to have an actual conversation and address what I'm saying I'd be happy to.

    But this isn't that and quite frankly you know that.

  • WybornWyborn GET EQUIPPED Registered User regular
    Making excuses for an English-speaking social media manager that amounts to "well obviously they didn't click through and see what the tag was about," after this same community manager has made similarly LGBTQ-hostile tweets before, is not a cogent argument. This is part of an established pattern of grumbler-signalling. There's no good-faith way to read this except as being on purpose.

    dN0T6ur.png
  • Albino BunnyAlbino Bunny Jackie Registered User regular
    Literally the point of shitty, meme style crypto bullshit that make up these repeated scandals is so that it flies under the noses of or is excusable to folks not keyed into the issue. So the conversation becomes about those mean, over reacting progressives trying to ban video games.

    Meanwhile CDPR is happy employing a dude who continually signals that trans people can fuck off and bigots can get a high five.

    Honestly fuck this trash company.

  • DarkewolfeDarkewolfe Registered User regular
    Darkewolfe wrote: »
    Alright, don't focus on the single event. Focus on the sustained pattern of events, and the support for GG. You're bullshitting here. Quit coyly trying to play down a "oh, Polish boys will be Polish boys" moment on a company with an established pattern of behavior.

    You know what? If you want to have an actual conversation and address what I'm saying I'd be happy to.

    But this isn't that and quite frankly you know that.

    No, I am very directly saying that you're making arguments in defense of a company with a sustained history of dog whistling to the alt-right, and which specifically does seem to make some transphobic put downs where they can get away with it. And I'm not sure if you're deliberately playing dumb as a thin defense of your own discomfort with the issue, or if you're just too enamored with fun video games to see the real world harm a culture making sustained small attacks over and over causes.

    What is this I don't even.
  • SynthesisSynthesis Honda Today! Registered User regular
    Massena wrote: »
    God I miss the politics of 2008, when the politics of video games united people who played them against people who didn't. Not the politics of 2018, when everyone hates each other. 'Membah Jack Thompson? (awwww, I 'membah....)

    Of course. "Stay away from my violent video games, or I'll fucking kill you, you mother fucking lawyer."

    Good times.

  • NyysjanNyysjan FinlandRegistered User regular
    edited October 2018
    Synthesis wrote: »
    Massena wrote: »
    God I miss the politics of 2008, when the politics of video games united people who played them against people who didn't. Not the politics of 2018, when everyone hates each other. 'Membah Jack Thompson? (awwww, I 'membah....)

    Of course. "Stay away from my violent video games, or I'll fucking kill you, you mother fucking lawyer."

    Good times.
    Yes, i too fondly think back to the times when we could comfortable ignore the opinions of women, sexual minorities, racial minorities, nationalities other than US (or Japan, in some cases), or anyone not a cishetwhitechristianmale really.
    /pukes

    edit-
    i get the sarcasm, and adding to it.
    Incase my purpose was unclear.

    Nyysjan on
  • SynthesisSynthesis Honda Today! Registered User regular
    edited October 2018
    Those were bad too, but I was mostly thinking of how comfortable the "gaming community", whatever the hell that was, with what were basically early forms of doxxing (and abundant death threats) to one opportunistic lawyer they happened not to like. To the point where it was occasionally regarded as a "mitzvah" of sorts. Though I can't really blame anyone who misses the pre-Gamergate days.

    On the subject of how this relates to an upcoming product, it'd be rather hypocritical for me to fault anyone who intends to personally boycott Cyberpunk 2077, considering I eventually boycotted the entire Modern Warfare trilogy of Call of Duty because of the frequently disgusting (and widely accepted and occasionally praised) jingoistic and racist overtones, especially towards anyone who dared to be foreign, brown and/or vaguely Slavic. But I know I was pretty lonely in my objections--and I suspect 2077 is going to sell gangbusters too. I thought this was just another dumb Twitter faux pas, but admittedly I don't really follow Twitter or even know much about the company, so I could certainly be wrong.

    Synthesis on
  • PhillisherePhillishere Registered User regular
    Synthesis wrote: »
    Massena wrote: »
    God I miss the politics of 2008, when the politics of video games united people who played them against people who didn't. Not the politics of 2018, when everyone hates each other. 'Membah Jack Thompson? (awwww, I 'membah....)

    Of course. "Stay away from my violent video games, or I'll fucking kill you, you mother fucking lawyer."

    Good times.

    Nerd discussion has always been full of reactionary rhetoric, self-aggrandizing/pitying, and violent and bigoted imagery. The only surprise is that it took the Internet for the far right to realize that the community was a fertile recruiting ground.

  • PhillisherePhillishere Registered User regular
    edited October 2018
    Also, Poland is a nation that has had an LBGTQ march for 18 years in Warsaw, with 45,000 attending this year's march. Equating Polish bigotry with normality "in their country" is an idea that is extremely loaded, since it says the marchers and progressives are not the "true" Poles, the bigots and fascists are.

    Phillishere on
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