Portal 2 Offensive

[Supergoal]

I didn't know if this has already been posted but I'm utterly shocked about this story.

http://www.1up.com/news/portal-2-ado...-controversial

I found it on 1up site and watched the linked video.

[nakamura]

Shocked in how it is completely overblown?

[SuperBeatBoy]

If anyone takes these things too literally people should stop watching or listening to any sort of medium whatsoever. Ridiculous.

[Supergoal]

Yeah shocked that there's a reference that being adopted is terrible!.. No, I'm shocked because the father is a numpty. Obviously the girl is oblivious to the in game reference, yet the father seemingly worried about his daughter being offended decides to tell the world about the 'insult'.
Notice too how the news video only shows a small segment from that in game script. I'm sure Glados points out that being fat and adopted isn't bad or something similar in response to Wheatly no?

I'm pretty sure the father has some issues of his own as he looks quite upset in the interview. I also didn't like how the news presenters slagged Sony off by saying 'passing the buck' when Sony referred them to Valve.

[Neon Ignition]

Yep, there's a bit immediately following where Glados highlights Wheatleys cruelty and ignorance though to mention that bit would be too responsible of the news channel. To be honest, though he's clearly upset by the situation it's still his own fault by and large as he hasn't paid due attention to the games context and the game hasn't raised anything the girl wouldn't already be aware of, completely ignoring the point that the character making the comments is clearly the villain of the piece and that the orphan lead character is an empowered role who is overcoming the trials and comments the enemy lays out. By selling his story to the news channel he's raised the issue far more than the game clearly did which is hyprocritcal considering his clear wish to avoid the discussion from his daughter.

[Dogg Thang]

I can understand him being upset, to be honest. It's something that could be a very sensitive issue. Parents, a sense of belonging and the fear of not being wanted can be huge issues for children and I guess the parents of those children. So I don't think it should be dismissed out of hand.

That said, everyone has their crap to deal with in life and almost anything said could be a trigger for the sensitivities of someone, depending on their situation. Weighing up the true effect for most against the real pain it might cause someone somewhere is something I think should be taken seriously and I don't see anything wrong with bringing the issue up and highlighting it. But, ultimately, you can't account for what might offend or upset everyone, nor should you have to. The sensitivities of one person should not dictate the content for everyone else.

For me, a big part of it would come down to the target age group of a game. Not sure what Portal is but I thought it was geared towards adults. I'd be very protective of children, who absorb far more and can be incredibly sensitive, but my view for games for adults would more likely tend towards people just getting over it and taking the humour for what it is.

[abigsmurf]

I could understand him being uncomfortable with it but ultimately the jabs at her being adopted are humourous in context, meant to show Glados' pettyness more than anything.

[mekanor]

Stapel's daughter claims she didn't hear the joke, to which he says, "To me, that message means she's not ready to talk about it and I'm not gonna force it."

Awesome

[noobish hat]

Lol, I just looked quickly at the video still, and read the headline as "Fatty upset over video game". That would have been too perfect.

I'd be more concerned about his kids developing some kind of severe neck disfigurement from having that tv so god damn high.

[elaniel]

Obviously she will have some questions now with them inviting news crews into her house and wanting to know why they are recording them playing the game.
Also how is it passing the buck from Sony? Clearly they know nothing about games. Glados has so many insults, let's see a class action started due to all of them. Fat people, adopted people, people that look like a potato.

[FelixofMars]

Yep, again political correctness or a form of it going out of control. And interesting they say its rated E for everyone over there and 12 here. I guess a few years doesn't make such difference.

Either way Glados makes all kinds of cruel references its part of her character as people have said what's next fat kids parents takes offence. Also I haven't reach that bit yet so I assume this is late into the game there where lots of references before that.

Unless they are trying to say that its because they mention fat and adopted together makes it worse.

[Charlie]

There's a time and a place for jokes, naturally, but I stronly believe anything can, indeed should, be joked about: the sick, the disabled, the dying, events like 9/11 and Hiroshima, genocide, war, religion, race, philosophy, everybody and everything. Because the moment something becomes off limits, the moment you can't laugh at or criticise something, be it the prophet Mohammed or an orphan, then the truth of the object becomes much harder to grasp as you are not able to approach it from every angle.

If orphans and the kind souls who adopt orphans can't laugh at themselves, that's fine, that's their choice, but others should be free to do so. As Thomas Szasz said "when a person can no longer laugh at himself, it is time for others to laugh at him".

[Flabio]

I think we the British find stories like this a little odd simply because we do have more of a tradition for dark humour. We'll joke about all sorts of things that an American wouldn't.

I remember after the July tube bombings a group of well intentioned Americans started up a whole 'we're all Londoners today' thing, and a lot of people I know spent much of the following days making comedy parodies of it.

We take the piss. It's what we do.