Do you still like SF and think it can be enjoyed critically or do you think you’re gonna delete this blog?
Every piece of media is going to have something problematic about it or there's going to be something problematic within it. It's important to remember that, and be critical of all media that you take in. As long as you can identify those things within it, or are open when others point them out, so you don't end up repeating or internalizing those behaviors/beliefs, there shouldn't be a huge issue with most games/shows/etc. (but there's always exceptions). That being said, I'm poor and never ended up buying the game or any merchandise, and I am glad that I didn't.
Am I going to delete my blog? No. Down the line I will probably change my user because I'll be more interested in something else, though. Would I recommend the game to a friend? No, but that has a lot to with the horrifically triggering nature of a lot of the game's content that comes without warning. If I knew that the person would end up watching someone play it, and could open another tab, or something to distance themselves from certain parts, I might consider it.
I'm not going to tell people that they shouldn't play the game, create art for it, buy merch, or anything else. The second that someone does that, people are to flock to the game like flies to shit. People don't like to be told what to do or who to support most of the time.
That's why ""cancel culture"" doesn't work. Not because the issues people have with an individual or a media source don't have merit, but because for every person who disagrees with something, there's ten more who want to be part of the "other". Who like what ever it is or whoever it is because something about the situation is offensive to others. They'll cry freedom of speech or that it's a free country because they have a fundamental misunderstanding of what that means. I'm not asking for the government to put Steve in prison because he ended up making a very implicitly racist, homophobic, and ignorant game, which is what freedom of speech has to do with. I just want him to be held accountable and for those who enjoy the game to know that what he did wasn't okay. Mostly because a large part of the fan base is young and impressionable, and the fact that another large part need to be heard when they say it affected them negatively.
Racism and homophobia are very real things that take people's lives every fucking day. When things like that are called out, people need to pay attention. White LGBT people have a certain duty to make the voices of Black and Brown people in our community heard & uplifted because of the place of inherent priviledge we have. That's why I tried to go into as much detail as I could and lay everything out in front of everyone. It's important.
There will be people that will say "it's a horror game! Keep your sensitivities away from the horror genre!!" But the game was hardly frightening. Was it creepy? Sure. But the scariest part was how quick Steve drove it into the ground. Whether it be because of the offensive & ignorant subject matter or because it was poorly executed & just really sucked, no one that I've seen has been receptive to the ending.
Maybe that'll make Steve reflect on his work, and think about what the problems with it were. Maybe he'll listen to the criticism that he's receiving and do better. Who knows.
