Surprised me too. Do we have an alternative link for the Polygon article? I refuse to visit their site. (Sorry if this has already been posted. I was busy...)
I've archived it for you. Gave them a view though QQ
http://web.archive.org/web/20150514015919/http://www.polygon.com/2015/5/13/8533059/the-witcher-3-review-wild-hunt-PC-PS4-Xbox-one
I couldn't help, but cringing at this.
I think Arthur's satire detector is broken
Sexism in a game setting where sexism is common? How shocking! Putting your agenda where it doesn't belong is idiotic and it's disappointing to see people take things like this seriously.
I respect different opinions. There is nothing I love more than good debates and alternate view points. But that's not the issue here. There is no difference of opinion in regard to whether the world portrayed in Witcher 3 is what the review claims it is. And there is no dispute that the player has limited agency to change it. But why criticize the game for it? The game isn't glorifying those aspects. It serves a purpose of showing how brutal and violent and cruel a world like that looks like. It incites conversations about those issues. That is what art is supposed to do.
What exactly are CDPR supposed to take away from this? That they should not portray worlds that have sexism and racism in it? That makes zero sense.
Call me crazy, but in all these review videos..PS4 just really doesn't look impressive to me. Maybe the gamma and youtube issues are an aspect..but still. The draw distance is meh, the LOD is..okay, but it just doesn't look that great to me. I really think that the PC version looks a ton better.
NOT a CDP issue. No, it is just an issue with the PS4. They had to keep the world as incredibly detailed and big..so I think graphically it kinda suffered.
I really do think that the PC version has not been "held back".
---------- Updated at 02:19 AM ----------
Did..did Polygon seriously rip on it for not having "people of color"? They do realize that this is a fantasy land, having medieval Britain vibes..not modern day Suburb of London..right?
NOT a CDP issue. No, it is just an issue with the PS4. They had to keep the world as incredibly detailed and big..so I think graphically it kinda suffered.
I really do think that the PC version has not been "held back".
---------- Updated at 02:19 AM ----------
Did..did Polygon seriously rip on it for not having "people of color"? They do realize that this is a fantasy land, having medieval Britain vibes..not modern day Suburb of London..right?
Exactly that's what certain people would developers to take away from drivel like that, though... either depict issues like that in a way that satisfies their sensibilities, or don't show them at all. It's not about game criticism, it's art criticism, and their "feelz" are the measuring stick they use.
Last edited:
I can't give you enough RED points.
I think Arthur's satire detector is broken
Look at it this way guys, if the game wasn't good they would've spent more time complaining about sexism. As it stands, only 8/28 paragraphs (28.5%) are about sexism. The only logical conclusion is that the game must' be pretty damn good.
Last edited:
I think is more about "how you show" it and less "about not doing", the review never suggest not doing it. Maybe do more with the female characters, given them more agency.
Since I did not played the game, it is difficult to say and I am speculating more than I like.
Why would Polygon expect there to be many non-white characters in the Northern Kingdoms? You're talking about an entire franchise based around North Eastern European literature, mythology and history here. Ethnic minorities in Poland are mostly other Europeans. that's the most Ironic showcase of ethnocentrism from an American I've seen in a while.
Well about that..
Let us not forget this game has magic and dragons so realism is not really a factor here.
Okay, fair enough. We'll table this discussion till we have both played the game.
yes it is.
everything is a factor, having dragons does not at all deny the realism of other things, its not like one little thing decides the whole tone, universe, and possibility space of an entire fiction world.
I'm not addressing the polygon issue, just this particular sentence.
Yeah... because the amount of work CD Projekt puts into making a narrative consistent world with believable political and sociological themes is clearly an indication that realism is not a priority for them /sarcasm.
EDIT: Also... did you really just cite an article saying Poles have Asian ancestry as evidence that there should be more black people in The Witcher 3? I don't even.... (A) Zerrikinians are black (B) It's common knowledge most of Eastern Europe is descended from the Huns.
Last edited:
That stuff in the Polygon review -- about the way women are dressed. That would probably annoy me more on the level that sexism is in society and videogames rather than CDPR directly being sexist. If we combat sexism as a whole, then I assume in the future less women would be portrayed that way. On the other hand, if you're okay with male bandits hopping around without a shirt on super casually, but are all *OH MY GOD IS THAT A WOMAN'S AREOLA?!?!?!* I think you ought to check yourself before your shrek yourself. If they're referring to sorceresses dressing the way they do, then honeslty I think this guy needs to get his lore checked and have a fat chat with Sapowski, worhshipper of women.
As for violence against women, that shit happened and that shit actually still happens. Are CDPR fishing for easy sympathy? Maybe, I haven't seen the scenes or assessed the frequency of them myself yet, so I can't say for sure. I trust CDPR with this issue although I acknowledge that there are complexities associated with it. I look forward to seeing how they deal with this.
He also brought up race and frankly I think it means he has no idea what world he's dealing with. A representation of Eastern European mythos focuses on people and cultures from Eastern Europe? PROPOSTEROUS.
As for violence against women, that shit happened and that shit actually still happens. Are CDPR fishing for easy sympathy? Maybe, I haven't seen the scenes or assessed the frequency of them myself yet, so I can't say for sure. I trust CDPR with this issue although I acknowledge that there are complexities associated with it. I look forward to seeing how they deal with this.
He also brought up race and frankly I think it means he has no idea what world he's dealing with. A representation of Eastern European mythos focuses on people and cultures from Eastern Europe? PROPOSTEROUS.
It's not about Realism, it's about how Polish developers, writers, artists, express their own cultural niche and export it to the rest of the world.
In the Anglosphere, sure, diversity is gaining some big cultural headway because they are multicultural countries, but it's not necessarily something people are faced with in other parts of the world. If a Ugandan film studio made a mudrer mystery with some kung fu action mixed in, and somebody in America asked why there aren't more Inuit or Latin American actors in the film, you'd say it's a little bit irrelevant, wouldn't you? Is an Indigenous Australian show called 'Bush Mechanics' an objectively worse show because there are no Cantonese people in it?
So why is a Polish artform worse for not having an American ethnic distribution?
Were you permabanned? I cringed when I saw the ban, GAF is ridiculous at this. State an opinion that disagrees with party line = ban. And the bizzare thing, the party line is uniquely american, Europeans would mostly agree with you I think. I know I do.Yeah
The review was surprisingly positive otherwise though. I expected Gies to hate it more.
I have no idea how closing our eyes and covering ears will solve anything. Denial of our past is just insulting. Concentrating on "sexual objectification" baffles me, oh it is so wrong doing it for player(assumption that it is a man) fun. No problem with men existing as cannon fodder for player fun. Diversity and "melting pots" exist only because we were isolated long enough to develop distinctive "races" in the first place.