Radovid's art

[ClassicTeg]

Radovid's art

Radovid's art, especially the premium, animated version, makes me really uncomfortable. I think it's inappropriate and potentially triggering. I think there's no place for it in this great game.

 

[arz0]

Um.... Ok.

so what do you think of a card like vilgefortz? Including the premium?

 

[NatoGreavesy]

Given the source material this game is based on, it could have been far, -far- worse. Unpleasant though it may be, it's fitting for the character, and the artists/animators likely put many hours of work into creating both the regular and premium versions of the card.

Besides, as it stands, there are other cards that are much more racy/confronting with their artwork.

 

[ClassicTeg]

Thanks for your replies.

Vilgefortz's card would be triggering for some, I'm sure, but the violence it's representing isn't gender-power-based. I'm talking about the picture on Radovid's card in particular.

This is a standalone game, but sure, the characters are based on context (and that context is not provided in the game).

 

[Mr.Win]

You can't be serious mate...

 

[chrishammang]

There does seem to be research indicating that in some contexts, depictions of violence against women in games can reduce the empathy for the affected characters.

Check these out for example:
http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0152121
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0022103101915021

It seems to me that the depiction in the Radovid art and the character depiction in this game comes with pretty minimal context or explanation. I say this as someone pretty unfamiliar with the Witcher series, I'm just going by what I see in the standalone game.

I do wonder if what players see in the standalone card game is enough to let them understand the depiction of cruelty and empathize with the affected characters.

 

[DMaster2]

I'm fine with radovid art and i like that gwent have more mature artworks. Vilgeforz art is beautiful and i'll probably go and craft it premium in OB (which is the absolute exception for me since i never craft anything bling in any card game).

 

[zantclick]

Honestly, even with a context-based argument, it's really tough to argue that any card art currently in game is outrageous with respect to what it's based on. The Witcher isn't necessarily "adult-only" in nature, but part of its draw is the fact that harm and violence are blunt and visceral - the world of the Witcher brings out the worst in some of its characters. I'm sure it would be easy to put together an entirely PG version of Gwent, but then it wouldn't quite be the world of the Witcher. This isn't even a world with gratuitous adult themes such as Game of Thrones, it's just that when you're designing the art of a character to represent them - as you say - without context, it's important to express who the character is in that one frame. I mean hell, you have Henselt burning Sabrina Glevissig alive in the background.

To be honest, I'm not sure you could have a "kind" depiction of Radovid at all and still let him be represented as himself.

As far as triggering is concerned, it's obviously subjective, and if it's having a negative impact on someone, it's moreso on them to handle things a certain way rather than censor the original work. I'm epileptic and have to close my eyes whenever games flash excessively on my screen. Were it up to me, I'd pass on all the unnecessary flash and strobe, but I make do.

 

[4RM3D]

There is also Birna Bran (and the rest for completion's sake):

Spoiler

And to lesser extent Isengrim, Milva and Shani:

Spoiler

 

[zantclick]

Unrelated to thread, sorry, but I love Isengrim's depiction. If you've read Baptism of Fire, the art is his introductory scene and it's exactly as I pictured it - down to the classic Scoia'tael smugness when they capture a filthy d'hoine!
:victory:

 

[Almaron22]

Radovid's art, especially the premium, animated version, makes me really uncomfortable. I think it's inappropriate and potentially triggering. I think there's no place for it in this great game.

Do you know the backstory of the characters depicted in the art?

 

[frbfree]

Eh...I'm not triggered by it. But I'm a CIS White Male. It's clearly sexist, as it's meant to be. Were there countless other depictions of Radivid in the books that they could have used? Sure. Do I think it needs to be changed? Not necessarily. But then again, did I think that Poor Fucking Infantry needed to be changed? No. And they did that, so...who knows the logic.

 

[Lexandre]

are you sure? i think its hot

 

[RickMelethron]

Radovid's art, especially the premium, animated version, makes me really uncomfortable. I think it's inappropriate and potentially triggering. I think there's no place for it in this great game.

3/10 troll... too obvious and unoriginal

There does seem to be research indicating that in some contexts, depictions of violence against women in games can reduce the empathy for the affected characters.

were does researches conducted by the safe-space university of sweden?

you can find scientific papers saying vaccines cause autism... that doesn't mean they do; just means that any buffoon can write anything and pose it as research.

 

[slow_cheeetah]

In the books/games Radovid is shown like a cruel and vengeful person, certainly not a positive character. I don't see reason why he should be depicted diffrently? The whole universum is naturalistic and for mature people. No point in making Gwent a game for kids I suppose.

 

[arz0]

In the books/games Radovid is shown like a cruel and vengeful person, certainly not a positive character. I don't see reason why he should be depicted diffrently? The whole universum is naturalistic and for mature people. No point in making Gwent a game for kids I suppose.

Its pretty much the point chrishammang made, that it may be distressing for those who don't know the context which explains the artwork.
and while i don't agree with him/her, its a point nonetheless, particularly because gwent has a rating of 12+, whereas witcher 3 had a rating of 18+, so its natural that gwent will attract players who have never played the games or read the books.

 

[LadyAly]

not to forget Henselt - animaterd Background .... :rly?:

 

[RickMelethron]

Its pretty much the point chrishammang made, that it may be distressing for those who don't know the context which explains the artwork.

i never read the books and was unable to play witcher 3... yet the very moment i saw the radovid card the first thought that popped into my head was "this guy is a psycho"

particularly because gwent has a rating of 12+, whereas witcher 3 had a rating of 18+, so its natural that gwent will attract players who have never played the games or read the books.

does anyone really care about these age ratings...?

as for the whole "it's disturbing to them"; sorry, but i can't empathize with that... world of warcraft, for example, is a whole game about race wars and genocides... and a lot of people played the warcraft RTS games and/or wow during their early adolescence.

hell, there's even a boss named thaddius; which is a golem built with the flesh of tortured women and children, with their souls trapped inside in eternal torment... if that's okay, i don't see how radovid's art will give nightmares to anyone.

 

[arz0]

i never read the books and was unable to play witcher 3... yet the very moment i saw the radovid card the first thought that popped into my head was "this guy is a psycho"



does anyone really care about these age ratings...?

as for the whole "it's disturbing to them"; sorry, but i can't empathize with that... world of warcraft, for example, is a whole game about race wars and genocides... and a lot of people played the warcraft RTS games and/or wow during their early adolescence.

hell, there's even a boss named thaddius; which is a golem built with the flesh of tortured women and children, with their souls trapped inside in eternal torment... if that's okay, i don't see how radovid's art will give nightmares to anyone.

Did I not say "and while I don't agree" ?
I was expanding on Chris' point, not necessarily agreeing to it.
in any case age rating does matter, for the devs and publishers especially.

 

[frbfree]

I wouldn't object to less triggering art that you could toggle on and off. No need for separate cards or anything. Just optional art that you can toggle in the options screen.

My kids are all 18 now, but if someone didn't want their 12 year old looking at women in chains, I wouldn't object to their concerns.

(Unless we're talking about Return of the Jedi, because I'm a Star Wars purist)