Millennial Characters

Summary

The video script delves into the aesthetics of character design, contrasting the beauty found in simplicity versus complexity. It critiques modern character designs, suggesting they often lack appeal due to overdesign and lack of creative empathy. The script also addresses the impact of ego, ideology, and 'woke' culture on character creation, arguing these factors can limit artistic expression and alienate audiences. It uses examples like the Clone High reboot and The Last of Us Part II to illustrate its points, ultimately advocating for character designs that resonate universally rather than catering to niche interests.

Takeaways

• 😀 Beauty can be found in both simplicity and complexity, but complexity is more appreciated when it has a purpose and is built from simple elements.
• 👀 Taste is subjective, yet there are universally acknowledged aesthetic standards, such as preferring butterflies over rotting carcasses.
• 🎨 Art is not governed by majority rule, and creating for a niche audience can still be valid, even if it's not widely appealing.
• 🚫 Overdesign in character creation can lead to visual clutter, making it difficult for audiences to engage with the character's story.
• 🤔 The success of character design is not guaranteed even when following established principles; it can still fail if not executed mindfully.
• 👥 The influence of ego and ideology can significantly impact creative work, sometimes to the detriment of the art and its appeal to a broader audience.
• 🔍 Character designs that are too complex or detailed can detract from the character's personality and make them less relatable.
• 🌐 The rise of certain online communities has influenced modern character design, leading to styles that may not resonate with a general audience.
• 🚫 There is a current trend in AAA gaming to include characters that reflect specific ideologies or social beliefs, which can feel forced and limit creative freedom.
• 🤨 The debate over the portrayal of certain character traits, such as sexualization, in media is ongoing, with mixed evidence regarding its impact on real-world attitudes and behaviors.

Q & A

What is the main argument of the video regarding beauty and complexity?

The video argues that beauty can be found in both simplicity and complexity, but complexity is only appreciated when it's built out of simple elements interacting in interesting ways. Purposeless complexity is considered unappealing.

What does the video suggest about the relationship between taste and aesthetics?

The video suggests that taste varies, but there are certain aesthetic tendencies that are widely agreed upon, such as finding butterflies more beautiful than rotting carcasses. However, it also acknowledges that some people may lack taste, implying that aesthetics are subjective but can be influenced by broader cultural or biological factors.

Why does the video criticize modern character designs?

The video criticizes modern character designs for being too complex, overdesigned, and lacking in readability, which can make it difficult for audiences to connect with them. It suggests that these designs often stem from the creators' ego or ideological bias rather than a focus on creating universally appealing characters.

What role does the creator's ideology play in the video's discussion on character design?

The video discusses how a creator's ideology can significantly impact character design, potentially leading to designs that are more about self-expression or adherence to a particular belief system rather than creating characters that resonate with a broader audience.

What is the 'Millennial characters' critique presented in the video?

The critique is that Millennial characters, or those designed with a Millennial aesthetic in mind, often suffer from being too busy and overdesigned, which can detract from their appeal and make them feel more like they are pandering to a niche audience rather than a general one.

How does the video connect character design to the broader cultural trends?

The video connects character design to cultural trends by suggesting that certain design choices, such as the inclusion of diverse body types or the avoidance of sexualization, are influenced by current social and political ideologies, particularly those related to identity politics and representation.

What is the video's stance on the influence of 'Tumblr art direction' on modern media?

The video criticizes the influence of 'Tumblr art direction' on modern media, suggesting that it leads to characters that are designed to appeal to a specific online community rather than a general audience, resulting in designs that feel more like they are part of an insular click than universally relatable.

Why does the video mention 'wokeness' in the context of character design?

The video mentions 'wokeness' to discuss how left-wing ideological considerations, such as identity politics and representation, are influencing character design in a way that can sometimes feel forced or inauthentic, leading to characters that are more about fulfilling a political agenda than being engaging or enjoyable.

What evidence does the video provide regarding the impact of sexualized characters in media?

The video provides a mixed view of the evidence on the impact of sexualized characters, mentioning various studies with differing results. It suggests that while some studies indicate a link between sexualized media and negative attitudes, others find no such connection, indicating that the issue is complex and not definitively resolved.

How does the video address the issue of censorship in character design?

The video addresses the issue of censorship in character design by expressing concern over the influence of mandates from above that limit creativity and enforce certain ideological standards, arguing that this can lead to characters that feel inauthentic or 'soulless'.

Outlines

00:00

🎨 Aesthetics in Character Design

The paragraph discusses the concept of beauty in simplicity versus complexity, suggesting that complexity is only appreciated when it stems from simple elements interacting in interesting ways. It critiques modern character designs, particularly those that lack taste and appeal to a niche audience. The paragraph emphasizes the importance of creative stewardship and the potential for creators to ruin a design by contradicting their own goals or being overly influenced by ideology. It highlights that iconic character designs are often not overly complex, with details that become apparent only upon close inspection, and stresses the importance of silhouette, personality, color palette, and storytelling in character design.

05:00

🤔 The Impact of Ego and Ideology on Art

This paragraph delves into the impact of ego and ideology on artistic creation, particularly in the context of character design. It argues that overdesign and the desire to be unique can lead to less memorable and relatable characters. The paragraph also touches on the idea of 'main character syndrome', where artists focus on expressing their identity at the expense of creating universally appealing characters. It discusses the tension between artists who view their work as a service for others and those who see it as a personal expression, and how this can lead to a disconnect with the audience. The paragraph concludes by criticizing the insular nature of some art communities and their resistance to broader perspectives.

10:04

🌐 The Influence of Social Media and Culture on Art

The paragraph explores how social media platforms and online communities, particularly those popular among millennials, have influenced modern art and character design. It criticizes the self-indulgent nature of art that is created for a niche audience and how this can lead to a lack of empathy and a disregard for broader audience preferences. The paragraph also discusses the concept of 'woke' art and its association with left-wing ideologies, arguing that this trend can lead to forced and unnatural representations in media. It provides examples of characters that have been criticized for their design choices, suggesting that these are a result of ideological influences rather than organic creative processes.

15:05

🎮 The Role of AAA and Indie Games in Shaping Character Design

This paragraph compares the character design trends in AAA and indie games, suggesting that AAA games are more influenced by corporate mandates and ideological pressures, leading to less authentic and 'soulless' characters. It argues that indie games, on the other hand, reflect a wider range of opinions and are less likely to conform to a specific ideological agenda. The paragraph also discusses the trend of including characters with skin conditions like Vitiligo as a sign of ideologically driven design choices, and how this can detract from the artistic integrity of the game. It concludes by emphasizing the importance of allowing for a diversity of creative expression in character design.

20:06

🔍 The Debate on Sexualization and Objectification in Media

The paragraph delves into the debate surrounding the sexualization and objectification of characters in media, questioning the rationale behind the push for de-objectification and the censorship of certain character designs. It discusses the argument that sexualized characters can lead to real-life objectification and violence against women, but also points out the lack of strong evidence to support this claim. The paragraph reviews various studies with mixed findings on the impact of video game content on玩家 attitudes and behaviors, and criticizes the inconsistency in the opposition to sexualization, suggesting that certain forms of sexual content are permissible while others are not, often based on ideological biases rather than objective criteria.

25:06

🐾 The Influence of Furry Culture on Anthropomorphic Character Design

This paragraph examines the influence of the furry community on the design of anthropomorphic characters in media, suggesting that this has led to changes in how these characters are portrayed. It argues that the inclusion of certain design elements, such as specific movements and proportions, are indicative of the furry community's preferences. The paragraph also discusses how this influence has extended to other areas of media, and how it can detract from the appeal of anthropomorphic characters to a broader audience. It concludes by emphasizing the importance of understanding and respecting diverse creative influences while maintaining the universal appeal of character design.

Keywords

💡Beauty in Simplicity

The concept of 'Beauty in Simplicity' refers to the aesthetic appeal that comes from unadorned, straightforward designs or ideas. In the video, this is contrasted with complexity, suggesting that while complexity can also be beautiful, it should be derived from simple elements interacting in meaningful ways. The video argues that complexity without purpose is unappealing, hinting at a preference for designs that are not only simple but also functional and purposeful.

💡Aesthetic Tendencies

Aesthetic tendencies refer to the personal or cultural preferences in beauty and art. The video discusses how these tendencies might be explained mechanistically, yet also suggests there is a deeper, perhaps unverifiable, aspect to why certain things are universally found more beautiful, like butterflies compared to rotting carcasses. This concept is used to explore the subjective nature of taste and its impact on the creation and reception of art.

💡Millennial Characters

The term 'Millennial Characters' in the video likely refers to characters in modern media that are targeted at or resonate with the Millennial generation. The script critiques these characters for lacking appeal to a broader audience, suggesting that they are often designed to cater to niche tastes or to reflect the ideologies of their creators rather than to engage a wider public.

💡Creative Stewardship

Creative stewardship implies the responsibility and care taken by creators in managing and developing their artistic works. The video discusses how this stewardship can go awry when it falls into the hands of creators who may not have the best interests of the audience at heart, potentially leading to works that are seen as 'ugly' or out of touch with the audience's preferences.

💡Overdesign

Overdesign is a term used in the video to describe the act of adding excessive details or elements to a design, which can lead to a cluttered and less effective end product. The video argues that overdesign can stem from a creator's ego or desire to be unique, resulting in characters that are hard to relate to or remember, contrasting with the more timeless and iconic character designs that are distinct and readable.

💡Character Design

Character design is the art of creating the appearance and personality of a character for storytelling purposes. The video emphasizes the importance of focusing on silhouette, personality, color palette, and other elements that contribute to a character's story and appeal. It critiques modern character designs that fail to resonate with audiences, often due to being overly complex or driven by the creator's personal expression rather than universal appeal.

💡Self-Expression

Self-expression in the context of the video refers to the act of creators inserting their own ideas, beliefs, or identities into their work. The video suggests that an overemphasis on self-expression can lead to characters that are more about the creator's ego than about telling a compelling story, resulting in designs that may not resonate with a broader audience.

💡Wokeness

Wokeness, as discussed in the video, refers to the incorporation of left-wing ideological considerations, particularly around identity politics and social justice, into media and art. The video critiques the imposition of wokeness in character design and narrative, suggesting that it can lead to forced and unconvincing portrayals that are more about ideology than about creating engaging art.

💡Tumblr Aesthetics

Tumblr Aesthetics in the video refers to a specific style of visual design and character creation that is popular within certain online communities on Tumblr. This aesthetic is characterized by certain visual tropes and themes that are distinct from more traditional or mainstream character designs. The video argues that this aesthetic has influenced modern character design in a way that can alienate broader audiences.

💡Furries

Furries, as mentioned in the video, are fans of anthropomorphic animal characters. The video discusses the influence of the furry community on the design of anthropomorphic characters in media, suggesting that this has led to certain character designs that may appeal to a niche community but not to a general audience, potentially leading to a decline in the quality or appeal of such characters.

Highlights

Beauty can be found in both simplicity and complexity, but complexity is more appealing when it has a purpose and is built from simple elements.

Some people lack taste, which is subjective and can vary widely among individuals.

Aesthetic preferences may have deeper roots beyond mere personal feelings and experiences.

Modern character designs are often criticized for lacking appeal, which can be attributed to various factors including ego and ideology.

Good character design should be distinct, readable, and allow details to unfold upon closer inspection.

Important aspects of character design include silhouette, personality, color palette, and how these elements tell a story.

Overdesign in characters can lead to visual clutter and difficulty in conveying the intended message or personality.

Characters should communicate their personality with minimal effort from the viewer, allowing the narrative to fill in the details.

The Clone High reboot was criticized for its overdesigned characters that lacked the charm and simplicity of the originals.

Creators should be mindful of their ego and not let self-indulgence ruin a character for the broader audience.

Art is not solely about self-expression; it can also serve as a moral instruction or political education.

Some artists view their creations as a service for others, embracing the public's connection to their work.

Empathy is not a requirement for being a good artist, as history shows many famous artists were not empathetic figures.

Modern character design is influenced by trends and ideologies, leading to characters that feel more like they are written for a niche audience.

The influence of certain online communities, like those on Tumblr, is evident in the character designs of modern media.

Wokeness in character design is often associated with left-wing ideology and identity politics, which can be divisive.

Some characters are designed with an ideology in mind, which can lead to a disconnect if the creators don't genuinely believe in it.

Indie games often reflect genuine beliefs and opinions, unlike AAA games where ideologies may be forced and insincere.

The censorship of certain character designs, such as overly sexualized ones, is often mandated from a corporate level.

Studies on the effects of sexualized characters in games on real-life attitudes are mixed and inconclusive.

The influence of the furry community on character design, particularly with anthropomorphic animals, is noticeable in recent media.

Modern character design trends can lead to characters that are not universally appealing, causing a disconnect with wider audiences.

Transcripts

there is Beauty in Simplicity one could

also argue there is Beauty in complexity

but only if it's built out of simple

things interacting in interesting ways

complexity without purpose is ugly but

some people have no taste why do a lot

of modern characters suck Beauty ears of

course in the eye of the beholder but

people tend to find butterflies a lot

prettier than rotting carcasses perhaps

this could be entirely explained in

mechanistic terms our personal

experience though tends to tell us that

there is something deeper to our

aesthetic tendencies but can we justify

that or is it merely a feeling entirely

unverifiable the focus of this video

however is on the aformentioned people

with no taste Millennial characters yes

taste can vary but some people make

things that large swaths of humanity

agree as making something ugly that

only a small number of people can

stomach does inherently limit your reach

but it also gives you a niche art isn't

a democracy it's not majority rule you

can make some obvious garbage but so

long as you eny enjoy it you have at

least one fan but what if something has

been made for an audience small or large

then creative stewardship is placed in

the hands of somebody who hates that

audience who makes something that the

audience thinks is garbage what if

somebody is so narcissistic they ruin

something for other people because they

don't like that it isn't all about them

what if you suggest you have a certain

goal like realism or immersion but then

completely contradict those stated goals

youve failed by your own metrics in that

sense I think you could call those

things bad what if you become so

captured by ideology that you can't help

but fail in your own stated goals that's

ugly think of the best character designs

I'm casting a pretty broad net but

usually the most iconic ones aren't

overly complex where there is complexity

it is like in nature easy to grasp they

are distinct and readable and all the

details become apparent only after close

inspection they do however

subconsciously add to the character as a

whole there are important areas for

Focus silhouette personality and how

that's shown on the character color

palette how they articulate what they

exaggerate basically it tells a story

using these elements and also the

writing their motives both writing and

art go into making good character design

in a game or film or whatever these are

the principles that tend to create

appealing characters but they don't

guarantee it somebody could understand

them all and still create garbage you

can break the generally agreed upon

principles and still will create a good

design if done in ways that are Mindful

and there is the source of why there is

so much modern media that struggles to

create appealing characters it's

ultimately due to Classic human Folly

ego ideology spite resentment lust

different Trends have brought these

classic human errors to light in new

ways for example we make characters that

are too busy overdesigned characters

create visual clutter making it hard to

read what they're doing and harder to

tell what they're trying to conve B I'm

no expert designer but I've got eyes and

basic discretion a good design

communicates a character's personality

with minimal effort on behalf of the

viewer and we allow the character's

actions and dialogue over the course of

the piece of media to fill in the blanks

we don't just put it all out there try

to cram every quirk in the Clone High

reboot is one such example visual

designs were criticized by some online

compare the new characters with the old

it's pretty easy upon further inspection

to tell the difference the new

characters were given unnecessary

details that kind of fight against each

other where none Stand Out compare this

to the charm and simplicity of The

Originals the Silhouettes the color

palette there's too much happening this

in my opinion is because of the Folly of

ego I think people try to cram too many

of their own ideas into the characters

they make editing is one of the hardest

parts of any creative Endeavor because

it means cutting things you are

connected to things you poured your

heart into and devoted a significant

amount of time into just for it all to

go into the rubbish bin overdesign can

be a symptom of creators attempting to

be different or unique which backfires

when characters instead become less

memorable and harder for audiences to

relate to I think the phrase main

character Syndrome has some relevance

here there is a fairly notable strain of

artists especially artists in this age

obsessed with identity their own

expression to be fair this is what they

were taught it's the Orthodoxy I think

in art circles in art schools art is

about sharing your inner world the

advice that people often get in writing

schools is write what you know this is a

consequence of that belief now it's not

necessarily bad advice by any means but

Dogma often presents problems when

adhere to too rigidly especially in art

there are other views art is an

expression of Timeless archetypes or art

is for moral instruction or for

political education to be fair for most

people it's probably a mish mash of

various learned beliefs rather than a

rigid worldview that is to say it isn't

a zero sum game most artists will

incorporate multiple of those views

likely self expression archetypes

political education all of that I think

the widely publicized examples of self

inserts in comics and slop culture

certainly falls into this category as

well also it's partly ego they see art

as self-indulgence self-expression they

might talk about representation but it

often means why can't art represent me

rather than why can't art represent

radically different viewpoints that some

might claim others see art as a service

something they do for others this is

reflected in their views towards fans

some people despise their fans because

the creation is kind of taken out of

their hands it is no longer theirs it

belongs now to the public others are

delighted by the idea of their stories

and characters gaining a new life of

their own in the public Consciousness

even if it means they seed control I

have noted that people who built their

own thing from the ground up tend to be

more appreciative of fans even if they

don't always see eye to eye this is as

opposed to people who take over a

property with an existing fan base who

they see as a hindrance to their own

Vision it's often said art requires

empathy you need to be empathetic to be

a good artist and I think that is so

demonstrably untrue just look at the

numerous examples of famous artists in

any medium who are absolute Pricks if

anything great artists are more likely

to be because of their singular

obsession with their given art form

there are countless stories of extremely

dedicated artists outright bullying

their underlings for not keeping up with

their pursuit of perfection there's a

kind of loosely defined click that

dominates a lot of modern slop culture

Trends come and go and creators of the

past Inspire creators of today if the

creator of the the past sees a lot of

creators of today following their lead

they may well have a tendency to indulge

in it so it was for Millennial writing

it's not that everyone who wrote like

that is a millennial rather that the

style is so closely linked to what the

millennial generation likes how

Millennials talk the millennial cultural

customs in the millennial level of

cringe it's not just about Millennials

themselves but the people and things

popular with millenni Millennials this

specific culture is mostly concentrated

on places like Tumblr there are deeper C

to it like Deviant Art whatpad ver

Affinity communities whatever which

while more hidden and less popular had

an indelible mark on this click and the

culture not that later generations don't

use those sites but they came into

prominence among the millennial

generation like a kind of uncool kids

club theater kid occupied games industry

as this one commenter stated they have

an unhealthy relationship to fictional

characters just look at ideas like

comfort characters and shipping the most

public expression of this can be seen on

Twitter in Twitter artist communities

especially post the Tumblr Exodus it's a

tragedy that we have to share the same

internet where I see people post these

Tumblr tumbles acting like they're so

cool and so funny and they're just coold

you can see the visual sensibilities

that originated from these communities

manifest

in media characters that feel more like

the writers appealing to their own click

than a relatable or compelling character

to anybody outside of it these

characters often struggle to resonate

with a broader audience because their

creation is more about the writer's

self-expression than telling a universal

story not that every story must be

universally applicable but I think

self-obsession being too myopic it

clearly isn't helpful the thing is

people who do like these Styles you know

the style of writing the style of visual

character design they don't just like

them they often have an open disdain for

other styles they'll say something is

good or bad typically either something

anime or dude bro related while also

often implying that's morally wrong it's

problematic ultimately when you see

someone defend Modern Art like this the

other kind of Modern Art while also

criticizing other things like generic

anime or Stellar blade or sexy women in

classic video games there's something

nichy taking place a lot of these Tumblr

Dei art styles were widely mocked by the

broader internet they were considered

essentially the theater kids of the

internet so naturally they create their

own values determining what constitutes

good or bad on their terms in reaction

to the dominant culture the previous

Master morality the types of popular

characters of the past are actually bad

all the while the things that we were

made fun of for liking are actually good

and I think these discussions in

inevitably Veer into talks of wokeness

now I don't like to abuse the word too

often because it's far too unspecific

and overused and really just means thing

I don't like often like a counterpart to

problematic but it isn't impossible to

discern what people are getting at no it

doesn't just mean when there are black

people or when there are women people

talk so much about defining Wess but to

me it's really simple it just means

leftwing ideology when people talk about

a woke character or TV show or game or

film they mean it seems like it was made

with socially left-wing ideological

considerations more specifically

identity politics feminism white

fragility

postcolonialism less so anti- capitalism

beyond the most shallow appearances when

a character gets described as woke a

storm always ensues like alloy from

Horizon zero Dawn that one guy made that

bait one of the best ever woke alloy

versus AI generated alloy from a Colgate

commercial and it blew up now there was

supposedly an interview from several

years ago about how they had

deliberately strayed from the scanned

face model by adding weight to alloy's

face making her appear more quote

unquote robust now this would reflect

poorly on them all I could find on this

was this old Forum post which doesn't

provide any evidence so I don't think

it's true just something chutty dreamed

up one day to slander the most

organically popular game of all time

although personally I do feel the

in-game model looks quite different from

the real life model they used though you

can't really demonstrate this was

deliberate they do talk about de

objectifying the character in some

interviews indicating that it was at

least a concern however another

controversial character Abby from The

Last of Us two is another example and

it's one I think is more egregious the

body was scanned from a real life female

bodybuild Builder using the face of a

different actress I think this was to

show A diversity of body types creating

this musly female character stems from

the idea of De objectification of female

characters in conjunction with

representation representing different

body types because of course muscle

bound freak is a role usually reserved

for men however I think it makes little

sense in the post-apocalyptic setting

Society has collapsed including the food

supply look at men from premodern times

hell even the 60s and70s just how skinny

like everyone was before modern diets

even the biggest bodybuilders of the

time are dwarfed compared to what we see

in the current day you just couldn't

find women who look like this there is

no way anybody is getting enough

nutrition for this on what would

essentially be a medieval diet a

post-apocalyptic diet so many people

defended it who clearly just don't go to

the gym and The Last of Us expects us to

take it very seriously it's not silly

like m Max I'd expect to see a jacked

guy there it's meant to be realistic

there is an extremely vocal online

community who feel obligated to defend

these products with their lives and they

don't consider themselves culture

Warriors for some reason despite being

equally if not more vocal than the

anti-woke people I guess one advantage

of quote unquote woke design is that you

will have an army of ardent Defenders

the support for the last of us two felt

very forced like they didn't actually

like the game they were just being

contrarian to own the CHS I think this

is demonstrated after how many people

turned on Neil dman after he publicly

expressed his support for Israel they

only supported The Last of Us for

political reasons so they abandon it for

political reasons although these are

probably the most disussed examples the

creators of these products at least seem

to actually believe in what they're

doing these seem to be their genuine

social beliefs with Horizon and with The

Last of Us for most of AAA though that

just isn't true it's no secret now that

ideologically interested groups are

trying to shape all forms of media to

conform to their own ideology and this

is to the detriment of the art and it's

not just a small vocal minority it's

special interest groups and companies

whose sole directive is reshaping the

industry according to their ideological

standards it's investment firms as well

like Black Rock imposing ESG scores it

isn't just some conspiracy theory sweet

baby Inc had this one clip obviously

essentially blackmailing developers to

try and sell their service um put this

stuff up to your higher-ups and if they

don't see the value in what you're

asking for when you ask for Consultants

when you ask for research go have a

coffee with your marketing team and just

terrify them with the possibility of

what's going to happen if they don't

give you what you want these things are

demonstrably happening and it happens

very much in conjunction with the click

I mentioned earlier it's real and it's

affecting everything you consume it's

just up to you whether you think it's

good that suits impose their ideological

will on the art you enjoy just so long

as they agree with you this difference

is especially Stark when you compare AAA

to Indie Games in indie games they

really do just reflect what people

actually think in real life you do see

quote unquote woke things but it will be

you know things people actually believe

in so it'll be some random obscure

internet ideology for teenagers or it

will be people saying I don't give a

crap about your cancel culture

and completely disregarding ideological

concerns or just be people ranting it

will be patch notes on mask

wearers basically they share the range

of opinions people actually have in real

life including insane ones in AAA though

it's clearly forced it's UNS subtle you

can tell the characters look like the

characters in those extra credits videos

because it's people who are like extra

credits who you know put pressure on

developers to change according to their

ideological concerns who in a sense

pussified gaming that's why you don't

play as real life armies in Call of Duty

anymore one Telltale sign to me that

this is just a corporate mandate is the

Vitiligo fetish and it's always Vitiligo

that's how you know they're reading from

a guide book like it's never ecma or

albanism or sasis or something it's just

the one skin condition they seem to care

about for some reason the recent game k

cord is a great example of some of the

recent Trends in character design I

think the biggest issue that has people

worked up is that people subconsciously

detect the Tumblr art direction that I

think is actually what most likely gets

people to label it as woke the Twitter

artist style it's like a hero shooter

where it's just theater kids fighting

each other you know click so on and so

forth plus all the generic additions

pronouns flags and then it hit me look

at the game play it's every generic

Trend that's dictated by cold market

analysis and corporate leadership all

bundled into one aown sites hero shooter

Sprint pronouns and all that is just

another one of those it's just another

thing that AAA developers throw in

that's kind of a sign that something's

soulless people will sometimes say x

thing sucks but it wasn't because of

wokeness it was because

microtransactions and soulless AAA

but have you ever noticed how

often those things go hand in hand you

often hear the line you would complain

about this character that came out

nowadays from these culture Warriors now

I don't think that's true because this

wasn't happening back then there was no

Financial incentive like there is today

character descriptions did not look like

a Twitter artist's bio we didn't have

ESG scores back then we didn't have woke

consulting firms yes there were things

pushing a social agenda there were

things suggesting certain ideas but

there is a substantial difference

between now and then and you cannot

Gaslight about that why why is this bad

though do game characters have to be

sexy and perfect no I don't need it in

the games I play but in my opinion they

should be allowed to be and not just in

a way that certain people think it

should be the issue ultimately is that

it limits creativity things are being

changed in accordance to some mandate

from above when people are made to

create things they don't really believe

in of course it's going to turn out

awful and the censoring of sexy

characters in accordance with similar

ethic mandates this is something which

is documented we have evidence things

like de objectification guides it is

mandated from above the reasoning being

that objectification has a shown link to

real life objectification and the thing

is personally I'm not a fan of fan

service I don't need it in games and it

turns me off things like anime it's not

to my personal taste but I recognize

that people have the right to enjoy

these things and I'm not entitled to

take that away Plus I disagree with the

reasons for doing so why are sexy

characters bad well because they lead to

objectification of women in real life

what does that do it reinforces socially

constructed attitudes regarding women

like consider why do men commit more

crimes against women then vice versa

it's not biological because biological

essentialism is false gender is socially

constructed so it's because men are

socialized to be violent therefore it's

our cult culture which causes violence

against women that's called the

patriarchy here go we must examine how

our culture and media perpetuates these

violent attitudes like rape myth

acceptance and victim blaming therefore

sexy women in games cause real life

violence against women a causal chain

and our culture is Rife with depictions

of women through the male gays also it

leads women to objectify themselves

again perpetuating this whole system of

violence one issue though the evidence

for this isn't really very strong there

are quite a few studies on this and I

saw no strong takeway some do support

the idea that stereotypical depictions

do affect real life attitudes while

other studies completely contradict the

idea I'm only going to Briefly summarize

these studies so if you want further

info I'm going to link them there was

one published by the Journal of New

Media and Society in 2022 testing 200

participants they play GMod and Fallout

for the first two parts checking whether

people felt more sexist killing Alex

versus killing Barney they also had

another group split between GTA 4 in

Tomb Raider for the third part of the

study testing whether or not player

agency affected attitudes basically no

significant findings didn't matter how

sexualized the characters were no effect

on attitudes shortcomings of the study

include the small sample size of 200 and

short exposure time so it's only testing

short-term effects conversely a French

study from 2017 claimed that video game

exposure and religiosity were both

related to sexism a study from the

Journal of criminal behavior and mental

health from 2020 showed that those who

consumed more sexualized video game

content were in fact less sexist and had

greater empathy for rape victims a 2018

study from the Journal of experimental

social psychology found no evidence that

women objectify themselves when playing

with a sexualized avatar in The Sims

opposing all those is a metaanalysis of

20 two studies two of which directly

relate to video games it's conducted by

the Journal of cyber psychology behavior

and social networking published by

Maryanne leit this one showed that women

do in fact report self-objectification

when faced with sexualized female

characters in games apparently men who

are exposed to objectified video game

content also show a propensity to

support rape myths and hold sexist

attitudes a 2022 meta analysis by

computers and human behavior stated

evidence from empir studies has

generally been mixed absolute

understatement this metaanalysis

concluded that higher quality studies

found less evidence of a link between

sexualization and negative body image

for women as well as between

sexualization and misogyny the ones that

were designed worse tended to show more

of a link personally I'm just not

convinced I haven't seen anything that

would really strongly indicate that

Bayonetta makes one more likely to

sympathize with the rapist over their

victim you'll realize that these are

just retreading the same arguments we

had 30 years ago do video games cause

violence none of the evidence supported

it then video games did not cause mass

shootings but it still found oxygen

because of people's fears of the

demographics that played games young

boys they were being led astray by

things like postal to idolize

Coline or something the difference the

ideas of the likes of Anita sarkeesian

actually found a lot of support from

within the games industry she was

offered Consulting gigs with companies

and now Dei departments ethics

departments and so on a Main Stays in

AAA gaming there's been some recent

revisionist attempts to rewrite an

sarkeesian's Legacy that she made a

powerful critique of sexism in games now

I'm not going to go over the whole

gamergate history but I need to at least

remind people that an issue with her

critiques was that they just weren't

true she made a lot of dubious claims

like famous showing Hitman footage

talking about how games reward you for

killing sex workers while the footage on

screen shows the exact opposite it was

penalizing you for killing innocent NPCs

I think so closely monitoring and trying

to censor what people enjoy and police

how they enjoy it is really at odds with

any political idea of you know just

letting people live their lives though

people may profess this publicly very

few people believe this consistently

plus the opposition to sexualization is

never consistent why are some completely

permissible While others aren't allowed

it just doesn't make sense well some

sexualization is harmful while some

isn't again where's the evidence I never

cared for games like astral blade like

I'm not interested in it but the

controversy was like a kid trying to

take away another kid's toys and the

funny thing is that's perfectly fine to

depict harmful sexual things so long as

it's the approved variety safe horny why

is Boulders Gate 3 depicting beastiality

permissible while a woman in a skimpy

outfit is not but it's a shape shifter

you might say that's basically the same

as locon saying but she's actually a

thousand years old what matters most is

clearly what's being depicted on screen

and this is obviously something that

actually is harmful in real life it may

sound crazy because people don't really

think about it much but yeah there are

people who do awful things to animals to

roadkill to their pets and these people

well in these communities I've talked

about this is where the influence of

furries is most felt who are prominent

in the click all those sites Tumblr Fur

Affinity Deviant Art the fury Community

is prominent there Tumblr Aesthetics May

appeal to people from that Community but

often not to the general audience and

you can see the influence of fairies in

more recent media look at anything with

anthropomorphic animals how they move

how they articulate their proportions

it's often more akin to Fury art look at

the way this big fat dragon rubs his

belly in the Spyro remake it's just like

a war animation and you will not tell me

otherwise this is the type of pyro

cynical would watch people did not draw

things like this before there was a huge

community of people attracted to

anthropomorphic animals on the Internet

it's subtle but when you realize it it

becomes obvious so they've ruined

anthropomorphic animal characters back

in the day you could tell these

anthropomorphic animals in cartoons and

stuff weren't made by people who were

sexually aroused by them at least

usually not in fact the military used to

do tests of how messed up people were

mentally by whether or not they found

Bugs Bunny in a dress attractive but

naturally furries congregated around

these films Games characters that

featured these anthropomorphic animals

and fairies have ruined some projects

before like Fallout the frontier who had

some creepy fury on the team who ruined

it for the entire team

no dude literally just you asking a

furry how attracted the average person

is to animals it's like asking an

alcoholic how much the average person

drinks they're going to vastly

overestimate it and whenever I discuss

Trends in modern character design

counter examples will often come up

there will always be characters at any

moment in time that will appeal to

Timeless principles and become beloved

and yeah I agree genuinely beloved

characters are always the exception

they're always going to be r these

things that I talk about these Trends

they're never Universal I think that

should be assumed and obviously they're

liable to change in the future these are

just things as they are now this is the

reason why a lot of modern writers and

artists create characters which fall

flat they're caught in the traps of ego

and ideology making things which appeal

only to yourself and your community and

you know what if that's your own thing

it's fine but when you take over an

existing thing an existing property when

you intrude into other projects that are

Beyond just your Niche Community it's

understandable why people would reject

your vision thank you for watching

please like And subscribe let me know

your thoughts in the comments below see

you next time she was offered Consulting

Ging gings