Rant of Righteous Indignation

[aerdran]

Okay. I've never made a secret of how much I love White Wolf and their product line. It is my favourite RPG company, and I've always felt that they handled most things with class and taste, with a few little slips here and there (Read: Gypsies). However, they've pushed something now to a point where I have to question my respect of them.

I read over Mikel's shoulder, as I often do, as he read over his LJ tonight. Some of you have bombyamon on your friends lists, and therefore have read about White Wolf's latest step in the game market. This time it's not an RPG, but a CCG. This CCG is called Pimp: the Backhanding. You can find the link to it on bombyamom's LJ, so I won't bother going off and getting it. If you read the promo for that game, you get to see references to macking ("a pimp's ability to bring home some pootang") and backhanding ("his ability to beat some ass"). It makes fun of these people by utilizing things such as "ho cards" and generally giving or taking away points for beating up prostitutes. You get to try and collect a harem of "hos" and pretty much see who makes the most money.

Damn, is this offensive, or what? Justin Achille justifies the damn game, and some of their advertising for it states pretty much out and out that you won't like it if you have no sense of humour. Apparently, if this low and offensive attempt and being funny doesn't strike you that way, then you have no goddamn sense of humour. I guess I'm in that category then, because I can find nothing funny about it.

I read the forum about it (yes, it has its very own forum now!), and people go on and on justifying it by stating how the pimps aren't real and that it's just a game and who cares and that whoever gets touchy about the thing just doesn't have any idea what funny is and they're too uptight. They compare it to games about pirates and vikings and ninjas and ask why no one is jumping on those games. You know, my big point is that if those games were making fun of the misery and pain caused by these people, I would be far more indignant about it. This CCG makes fun of the concept of beating up on women and forcing them to make money for you. Yes, folks, this is a really funny concept, don't you agree?

I cringe horribly at this. Damnit, I know so many people who eke out their lives on the street in ways that they wouldn't if they had a choice. These people are victimized by not only pimps and johns, but by society in general. But hey, it's okay to make fun of it because it's just a game? Tell that to the prostitute that's being taken to the hospital because some john beat the shit out of her for fun, or because her pimp decided she hasn't made enough money for him. This happens, damnit! This is not something to be made light of and to laugh at. It's wrong to do that. My God, I care about people in these situations. Justin is all adamant about how a big deal shouldn't be made of it because the pimps aren't real pimps, but pretty much caricatures of the pimps in feather hats and platform shoes. No, the pimps aren't real. No, the prostitutes aren't real. But for God's sake, real prostitutes live on real streets or in real hovels, getting beaten by real people and die real deaths in real hospitals/streets/cars/houses/whatever. Why is this so damn funny?! Why is it okay to poke fun at their situations and make a whole card game out of it? Someone on there said that making light of it will help make it go away. Bullshit. Goddamn bullshit. People have been telling racist jokes forever, making light of that, but does that help the situation? No. It harms it and perpetuates a stereotype and a thought process. This is wrong, just as this damn game is wrong. Hell, when I told John about it, even he used that word to describe it, and he tends to be a little less likely to act that way about these things. But he was a cab driver for years and he had prostitutes as fares and he knows the miserable lives that most of them lead. He was offended, just as I'm offended. It's rare that we see eye to eye on things like this, so mark it down on your calendars.

Over the course of a few years here in Spokane, we had a serial killer running around. He was killing prostitutes by shooting them in the head and putting plastic bags over their heads before dumping them or burying them somewhere. He buried one in his own yard, without his family ever realizing it. He was caught and put to trial and is suspected of doing this in other places as well. I'm sure the people of Spokane and the people who cared about these prostitutes would find a game focusing on beating up people just like their loved ones to be really funny. They'd get a big laugh out of it, I'm sure. But hey, their feelings don't matter, because they'd just be being oversensitive anyway. Damn.

I love my extended family. I love every single one of them with a love that one only has for those they consider family. Because of that, and because of who they are and what they've gone through, maybe some people will consider that I have a right to some righteous indignation about it. Truth is, everyone has that right. I could lose any one of these people that I love at any time due to bad circumstances on the streets. Sure, most of them aren't in danger of being killed by pimps or johns, but it's not too far a stretch to include other street people or gang members into the idea of this "game." They could just as easily make a game making fun these people because of their situations, which many had forced upon them. But hey, it's okay to make fun of them because who are they? No one important, right?

I remember Ethan making comments not all that long ago about how they would never make another book like Gypsies because it singled out a group of people and thrust a stereotype upon them like it was the truth. He admitted that the book was a mistake from the get-go and that the mistake would not be made again. I applaud this idea. However, what makes it okay to do the same to this group of people? It's a culture in and of itself, but I guess the fact that it isn't one based on race makes it all right. I don't know if the game has male prostitutes, as a note. However, that I still find offensive. Men or women, it doesn't matter. I'm pissed either way. Of course, I don't know what most of the developers and writers think about this CCG, just what Justin and Conrad think. I don't know who all is involved and who supports it or hates it. I just know that the company found enough merit in it to sell it. I thought it was a joke when I first saw it, which was bad enough because there was really nothing funny about it, but you can order the damn game. There go those hopes, dashed to the ground.

I don't think that I need to point out that, from a feminist perspective, this game is absolutely horrible. People on the forum pointed out how women they knew laughed about it and found it funny, but so what? Maybe they did, maybe they didn't. For all anyone knows, they laughed because it was expected of them, just like some black people laugh at racist jokes so as not to seem oversensitive. There's nothing to laugh about in either case, really. I know that nobody here finds it at all funny, and well, there are a lot of people here. Hell, I know an entire gang whose goal in part is to deal with people who they see or hear about messing with women. They, especially the leader (male, I might add, just as most of the gang is male), take disrespect toward women very badly, and they show it. Funny, isn't it? A group of what most people see as lowlifes shows more respect for women than a respected gaming company. That's pretty telling right there.

So there's my rant. I may add more later, but right now I think I've said enough. I'm of a serious mind to find the e-mail address of someone in charge there (not Justin, of course. He'd brush off my concerns as if they were of no matter whatsoever) and send a nice long e-mail to this person. They must be made to hear from people who have strong opinions on this. Imagine the image that White Wolf will get after releasing this game. Gaming companies get enough of a bad rap just because of roleplaying games. This isn't going to help their cause at all. I'll have to see about doing that, because I really do feel the need to air my opinion. It's not like I trust the forum to be an adequate place in which to do this as my point could be lost in the mire and confusion that is already reigning there. So I'll see what I can find and do what I can do, not that I expect my opinion to mean much to them. I hope I'm wrong with that, but I don't expect much right now.

Why, oh why, did you have to do this, White Wolf? Sigh.

Comments

[innocent-man.livejournal.com]

Eh. At least they'd have a leg to stand on. There was a time when White Wolf was cool and revolutionary, now they're just cool.

The thing is, WW isn't making money off real pimps and whores. They're making money off cartoony knockoffs thereof, but no money filters back to the ghetto. The relationship is purely ideological, and people can argue ideology when their bellies are full (and I'm squarely in that camp myself, Gayle and Juju, lest you think I'm taking aim at you). By acknowledging the real-life plight of whores and pimps, by explaining that the game is just silly fun but shit does happen and, most importantly, by putting their money where their mouths are, White Wolf would have a nice force field against anyone speaking out against the game. In effect, they'd be saying, "We know this shit happens, and we know that we're making jokes. Outraged? Here's what you can do."

Using humor, in other words, to stimulate thought and action. Novel concept, no? That's what I'd do if I were in charge, but I live in Ohio.

[aerdran.livejournal.com]

You know, I'd definitely be not nearly so incensed about this if White Wolf did something like you two have mentioned. I'd be happy to see that, at least. White Wolf has a chance here to educate, but so far they've chosen not to even see that it needs to be done.

Pity.

[innocent-man.livejournal.com]

I think that it's not that White Wolf saw their chance to educate and ignored it, I think that they never realized they had the chance.

Ah, well. It's an Arthaus publication. Historically, those don't exactly fly off the shelves.

[prettyarbitrary.livejournal.com]

(wandered over from a linked journal)

It is very sad, especially because there was a time when White Wolf might've done something like that. They did for Shoah. They did for Rage Across the Amazon. A percentage of the proceeds from both those books were donated to the Holocaust Memorial and rain forest conservation charities, respectively.

Pimp frankly strikes me as rather pathetic. After all the creativity and awareness they've shown with their other products, White Wolf really could have come up with a better approach. I'm disappointed that no one involved stopped to consider that it might not be a great idea. I think they meant the game as a parody of CCGs rather than prostitution, so I don't find it quite as in-your-face offensive as you seem to, but it's still tasteless, gratuitous, and...well, exploitative.

I suppose that's what's so outrageous about it. The game takes the miserable situation those poor men and women find themselves in, and turns it into entertainment. I doubt the developers meant it that way, but it reminds me of the tours once held at insane asylums, where people could go to watch mental patients as if they were monkeys in zoos.

[innocent-man.livejournal.com]

where people could go to watch mental patients as if they were monkeys in zoos

Hmm. Disquieting.

But see, I guess I'd have more of a problem with the game than I do if pimp culture wasn't so damn prevalent. I mean, I'm getting commercials on Comedy Central for downloads for you cell-phone that say "Pimp" and have a bunch of money behind it, and I guarantee that kind of thing is a bigger moneymaker than the card game will ever be. Does Jamster get this kind of flak, I wonder?

Or is the principle of "masturbatory humor" at work here? That is, if you're a member of a group, you can make derogatory jokes about (e.g., I'm a gamer so I can joke about gamers being fat dorks in black t-shirts), but if someone else does it, it's offensive. Is Pimp catching flak because it's really painfully obvious that it's a bunch of middle-class white kids making the game? Does that translate into racism? If so, is it just a response to what's presented as pimp culture in the media (because, y'know, it ain't like it started with GTA)?

I don't think there are answers to these questions that will magically make everything OK. I think in the end, you speak with the voice you have. White Wolf is a business, and the best way to send a message to a business is buy or not buy the product in question. (And I'll tell you that a total boycott doesn't send quite the same message, but if you feel that strongly, hey, do what you've gotta do).

[prettyarbitrary.livejournal.com]

I think I know what you mean. It can be a fine line to walk between making fun of a culture and making fun of the people being hurt by that culture. The first category, I'm okay with. The second bothers me. For me, Pimp falls into the second. However, as you mentioned before, there are a few things they could do that would bring it back over into 'safe' ground. It certainly doesn't bother me as much as the Grand Theft Auto games, which are products that have managed to unequivocally offend me for the first time in many years. And they've already brought in millions of dollars more than Pimp could ever dream of.

I suppose it's nitpicking, in a way. Or maybe it just depends on where our comfort zones fall. At any rate, I'm not boycotting it. I'm just not buying it. I'm not enough people to form a respectable boycott--I'd just look silly.

You're rather like me, aren't you? You'll take any side of an argument, just to make sure the other person is really thinking about it.

[innocent-man.livejournal.com]

You're rather like me, aren't you? You'll take any side of an argument, just to make sure the other person is really thinking about it.

Usually. There are some arguments I absolutely won't take part in, and some positions I won't aruge. Rule of thumb: If I can understand a position, I'll try and make sure everybody else can, and I like to know what I'm talking about (which is why I respond with questions a lot).

[aerdran.livejournal.com]

Am I the only one who has no idea what's up with Grand Theft Auto? I mean, I've heard a few tinglings about it, but really not much. Of course, I'm not sure I want to now. But from what I've heard on here alone, it's definitely not making its way into this house.

[prettyarbitrary.livejournal.com]

There are several games in the series, actually, and all of them have been wildly successful. I can tell you right off that they're nothing you would ever want your kids to play. Some of my co-workers play it, and that's okay, because they're mature, decent people who aren't going to start talking like gangsters just because they think it's cool. But there is no way, NO WAY, that this game would ever be appropriate for anyone under 15--and that is a point that most people who create, review, and play the games agree on.

The most common argument over the GTA series falls out like this: "Children shouldn't play this game." "It's not meant for children. It has a Mature rating." "Then it shouldn't be marketed through ads in teen magazines and on commercials during childrens' TV programming."

If you want to learn more, I'd suggest doing some Googling, and probably talking to some people who've played it. It's easy enough to find reviews and explanations, and I'll provide you with a few good ones, if you're so inclined.
MSNBC's review
Gaming review
Article on the controversy created by the games

But even these games can be responsible for positive changes. For one thing--weirdly--the GTA series has been responsible for the public finally realizing that the video game rating system has some significance. One of the biggest problems with violent video games is that no one ever took them seriously. Like cartoons, there's a perception that video games are automatically meant for children. That's not always true, of course, but it took the GTA series for most people to finally understand.
Some other articles:
Why calling for censorship is a bad idea
GTA inspires education

[innocent-man.livejournal.com]

What's really bad about Rockstar Games (the folks who do GTA) is that the game play is engaging as hell. Manhunt was a lot of fun and very addictive, I just wish a game I enjoyed so much didn't involve hacking people's heads off with a machete.

[aerdran.livejournal.com]

Well. I definitely see now what the fuss is about. No, the game won't be making its way into my house. The subject hits a little too close to home and frankly, I really don't feel very impressed with games that use racial stereotypes.

I'm certainly against censorship, however. Because I don't like something doesn't mean I want to see it obliterated at all. I realize that violence will always be found in games and movies, but regardless, this country is supposed to value freedom of expression. Even White Wolf's card game has the right to be marketed. I just wish they had the sense and good taste not to do it.

It's good that GTA is having some positive things resulting from it, though. Hopefully parents will begin to understand that yes, these games have ratings for a reason. Too many people have just dismissed these things out of hand, and I guess sometimes it takes a big fuss being made before they understand that there's somelogic behind things things.

Thanks a bunch for the links. Now I know what all the fuss is about.

Mind if I add you to my friends list?

[prettyarbitrary.livejournal.com]

You're welcome to. I'm not sure how interesting I'll be, though. I mostly use my LJ for art and fan fiction (I write original fiction, too, but I tend to put that elsewhere).

[aerdran.livejournal.com]

Hey, I like both art and fanfic, so I doubt I'll get bored. It's certainly much better than what I've seen some people put up on their LJs.

[aerdran.livejournal.com]

Hey, nice to meet you. I didn't expect quite this much response to my rant, but I'm glad to see it.

Yeah, it's hard for me to believe that the company would come up with something like this. I mean, at the very least, it's obviously tasteless. I guess I have higher expectations for White Wolf than that. Hopefully the game will fall flat on its face.

I guess they just didn't think that far ahead. They took a very sad situation and turned it into a farce, just like a lot of people do these days. The popularity of pimp culture apparently made White Wolf start seeing dollar signs and stop thinking of the possible repercussions.

It's sad, really. But then, laughing at other people's misery has been popular for a long time. It's just taken another new turn. I guess we'll see whose next.

>>it reminds me of the tours once held at insane asylums, where people could go to watch mental patients as if they were monkeys in zoos.<<

You know, it does ring of that mentality, doesn't it? Hopefully we'll learn just how wrong that garbage is someday. I can hope, anyway.