Borderlands 2 - New Trailer - New Sexism Controversy
A lovely new trailer for Borderlands 2 on the same day as 'Girlfriend Mode' hits
Borderlands 2 is highly anticipated. That's a fact. It already looks stylish and sounds like a heap of multi-player fun. We've even got a new trailer. Gearbox, the developer, has also inserted (or not, depending on who at Gearbox you choose to believe) a mode for your "girlfriend".
Before we go any further, let's state that SPOnG writer @Svend_SPOnG is currently being transported to gamescom in Germany by 2K Games, which is the publishing of Borderlands 2. Now, about this sexism.
Eurogamer kicked this off this morning by stating "Borderlands 2: Gearbox reveals the Mechromancer's "girlfriend mode". The mode's name came via a quote from lead designer John Hemingway regarding a character called, Mechromancer.
"The design team was looking at the concept art and thought, you know what, this is actually the cutest character we've ever had. I want to make, for the lack of a better term, the girlfriend skill tree. This is, I love Borderlands and I want to share it with someone, but they suck at first-person shooters. Can we make a skill tree that actually allows them to understand the game and to play the game? That's what our attempt with the Best Friends Forever skill tree is."
This quote has, however, been refuted by Gearbox main-man who states on Twitter, "Borderlands 2 does NOT have a girlfriend mode. Anyone that says otherwise is misinformed or trying to stir up something that isn't there."
He also defends his staffer, "There is no universe where Hemmingway is a sexist - all the women at Gearbox would beat his and anyone else's ass."
What do you reckon? Tell us in our lovely free and friendly forum.
Before we go any further, let's state that SPOnG writer @Svend_SPOnG is currently being transported to gamescom in Germany by 2K Games, which is the publishing of Borderlands 2. Now, about this sexism.
Eurogamer kicked this off this morning by stating "Borderlands 2: Gearbox reveals the Mechromancer's "girlfriend mode". The mode's name came via a quote from lead designer John Hemingway regarding a character called, Mechromancer.
"The design team was looking at the concept art and thought, you know what, this is actually the cutest character we've ever had. I want to make, for the lack of a better term, the girlfriend skill tree. This is, I love Borderlands and I want to share it with someone, but they suck at first-person shooters. Can we make a skill tree that actually allows them to understand the game and to play the game? That's what our attempt with the Best Friends Forever skill tree is."
This quote has, however, been refuted by Gearbox main-man who states on Twitter, "Borderlands 2 does NOT have a girlfriend mode. Anyone that says otherwise is misinformed or trying to stir up something that isn't there."
He also defends his staffer, "There is no universe where Hemmingway is a sexist - all the women at Gearbox would beat his and anyone else's ass."
What do you reckon? Tell us in our lovely free and friendly forum.
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Comments
Darbeans 14 Aug 2012 14:47
1/1
Oh, the controversy…
“The design team was looking at the concept art and thought, you know what, this is actually the cutest character we’ve ever had. I want to make, for the lack of a better term, the girlfriend skill tree. This is, I love Borderlands and I want to share it with someone, but they suck at first-person shooters. Can we make a skill tree that actually allows them to understand the game and to play the game? That’s what our attempt with the Best Friends Forever skill tree is.”
This is exactly why I hate the “randomers” I play with online, because these are the people who look for traces of racism, sexism and controversy in every single syllable of what they hear and read. No generalisation was made in this quote at all. I found what Hemingway said to be relative in my scenario. Boarderlands would be last game I would introduce to my girlfriend, hell…. it would be the last game I would introduce to non gamers. The term “girlfriend skill tree” was most likely coined around the office. Hemingway was just excited about being quoted for the new DLC and threw in a splash of humour. Only to be made a fool of by competitive idiots whose eyes and ears are too sensitive to read and hear such a term. This industry has and always will be a competitive one. You guys have heard and seen worse things during game play in a wide variety of genres. The only difference is the person at the receiving end of your fingers has a face that is not made of polygons.
“The design team was looking at the concept art and thought, you know what, this is actually the cutest character we’ve ever had. I want to make, for the lack of a better term, the girlfriend skill tree. This is, I love Borderlands and I want to share it with someone, but they suck at first-person shooters. Can we make a skill tree that actually allows them to understand the game and to play the game? That’s what our attempt with the Best Friends Forever skill tree is.”
This is exactly why I hate the “randomers” I play with online, because these are the people who look for traces of racism, sexism and controversy in every single syllable of what they hear and read. No generalisation was made in this quote at all. I found what Hemingway said to be relative in my scenario. Boarderlands would be last game I would introduce to my girlfriend, hell…. it would be the last game I would introduce to non gamers. The term “girlfriend skill tree” was most likely coined around the office. Hemingway was just excited about being quoted for the new DLC and threw in a splash of humour. Only to be made a fool of by competitive idiots whose eyes and ears are too sensitive to read and hear such a term. This industry has and always will be a competitive one. You guys have heard and seen worse things during game play in a wide variety of genres. The only difference is the person at the receiving end of your fingers has a face that is not made of polygons.