The new game from Naughty Dog “Intergalactic” sparks a discussion on Twitch, as the main character of the game is bald. This brings two streamers into the fray, who stand on different ends of the political spectrum on Twitch.
Who are the 2 streamers? Asmongold is a trained MMORPG nerd who has realized since the trial regarding Johnny Depp that his fans also like to hear him discuss political issues. He sees himself as the “voice of reason” while the world around him has gone mad. Critics accuse him of perpetuating sexist stereotypes while denying being sexist. A few weeks ago, he went through a phase of regret after a ban on Twitch and admitted that he had turned into a terrible version of himself. But that was almost 2 months ago, so it doesn’t count anymore.
HasanAbi is a left-wing commentator on Twitch who comments on the global situation and stands out with controversial views that are often critical of the US. In our context, he would politically be a mix of Gregor Gysi and Oskar Lafontaine – in the USA, he is seen by some hardliners as an unpatriotic terrorist and traitor. Critics accuse him of preaching water while drinking wine. He is labeled a champagne communist who rants against capitalism, while living in an expensive villa and enjoying life.
What are they discussing? Naughty Dog has released a trailer for their new sci-fi game “Intergalactic”. The provocative topic is the protagonist, an Asian woman without hair, with harsh facial features.
The trailer was presented at “The Video Game Awards” and is being discussed controversially:
“Whoever develops away from the target audience will not succeed”
This is what Asmongold says: Asmongold expresses in a tweet from December 13:
Maybe it’s just me, but I feel like the market for masculine, non-conventionally attractive female protagonists in games is not as large as the video game industry thinks.
He further elaborates in a video related to the tweet (via YouTube): Five years ago, when Intergalactic was created, the situation might have been different, but the mood has changed. Intergalactic clearly directs its presentation and orientation towards a predominantly male target audience, so the game needs a protagonist that appeals to that audience. The game looks great, but the protagonist will not fit the male audience:
If you create a character that does not appeal to the main target audience, the game will not work well.
One can be frustrated with players and call them racist and misogynistic. But one has to accept reality. Ultimately, you cannot force players to accept such a character and buy the game.
Asmongold sees confirmation in Naughty Dog publishing the trailer for Intergalactic with comments turned off. You don’t do that if you expect good reactions.
HasanAbi: Then you cannot live in a civilized society
This is what HasanAbi says: The streamer comments on Intergalactic:
The standard for female characters should not be whether one can jerk off to them.
Anyone who takes this stance unironically is a pervert and cannot live in a “civilized society.”
People should be ashamed to say things like: “Oh, the gaming industry does not cater to my masturbation fantasies at all.”
Some games do that – others simply do not. That must simply be accepted.
HasanAbi states: He himself is just too normal. When he sees a new video game, his first thought is not whether he can jerk off to the protagonist. He finds it strange to think this way – this mindset needs to be erased.
For him, it is disappointing that the reaction to a new game from a great studio like Naughty Dog is: “They have a bald Asian woman – so I hate it.”
He emphasizes that he finds the game interesting simply because the fantastic Trent Reznor (“Nine Inch Nails”) is working as a composer on the game (via vice).
HasanAbi appoints a friend of Asmongold, the streamer Tectone, as the target of his criticism, who complained on Twitter about how unattractive female heroes are compared to the heroines from Asian games like Stellar Blade. That guy needs to hear what HasanAbi has to say.
What’s behind it: This is the rehash of a discussion that has been ongoing in the politically divided USA for years. The thrust within gaming is approximately:
- Western companies no longer understand what we gamers really want and bombard us with their political agenda by making women ugly. They want to educate us so that we do not sexualize women.
- Asian companies give us gamers exactly what we want by providing us with beautiful women and leaving us alone with their political agenda.
The latest edition of this discussion revolved around Stellar Blade and Aloy: The new PS5 game from South Korea triggers a discussion about beautiful women in video games.
