ps5 – Ms. Bella's World

3–5 minutes

Over the course of the Summer Showcase and various other game showcases, I noticed a baffling trend. It’s not the first time I’ve seen it, but it’s the first time I’ve really paid attention to it. This trend involves one group of people trashing another group’s console or platform of choice. Whether it’s Xbox vs. PlayStation, or console vs. PC, the rivalry can get surprisingly intense and often detracts from the enjoyment of gaming itself.

Wondering how far back this went, I did a simple look up on YouTube for the term ‘why do console gamers hate pc gamers?’ I found videos going back almost a decade, with titles like ‘Why I hate PC gaming Part 4: Why Console and Capcom is tha bezt!’, ‘Why Do Console Gamers Hate PC Gamers’, and ‘Lies that Console Fanboys Say About PC Gaming’.

Looking up the term ‘why do Nintendo players hate Xbox’ brought a more mixed bag of results, ranging from ‘Hate Comments – XBox vs. Playstation Fanboys’ and various titles comparing Nintendo Switch to Playstation 5.

This year alone, people have been heavily criticizing both the Xbox and PlayStation showcases. I missed the Playstation showcase, not having much interest in what they’re offering after the whole kerfuffle with Helldivers 2 and Sony requiring a PSN account to play the game on PC. I’m not even certain that’s been fully resolved. As for the Xbox showcase, it featured a couple of potential hits, such as Doom: The Dark Ages and State of Decay 3. And those were just two of many good announcements.

Of course, Nintendo had its own showcase just three days ago, featuring some of their classic franchises, from Mario & Luigi Brothership to remasters of Donkey Kong Country Returns and Dragon Quest 3. Once again, it was a full plate of offerings that almost makes me want to get a Switch. Almost.

All I saw was a whole slew of potentially great games from different developers and for different gaming platforms. To me, this should be great news for gamers of all stripes. So why do people spend their precious time and energy criticizing how and on what others choose to engage with the hobby of gaming?

There are key psychological and social factors that may contribute to this intense rivalry.

One factor could be the strong identification gamers often feel with their chosen console or PC. They invest not just money and time, but also emotions into their gaming experiences. These investments lead to the formation of like-minded communities around specific consoles, fostering a deep sense of belonging.

Another significant cause is brand loyalty. Nintendo, Microsoft, and Sony actively cultivate brand loyalty through marketing, community engagement, and, to a lesser extent now, exclusive games. Gamers who have positive experiences with one brand over another often become fiercely loyal and defensive of their choice, even in the face of criticism.

PC gamers also exhibit brand loyalty, often centering around preferences for parts manufacturers (Intel vs. AMD vs. NVIDIA) and gaming platforms (Steam vs. Epic vs. GOG). This topic alone could be a completely separate post!

Of course, there’s likely a healthy dose of nostalgia involved, often stemming from what console someone played during childhood. These rose-colored glasses can lead to a lifelong preference. I know that I, for one, will always view the Atari 2600 quite fondly, as I grew up with it, though it’s objectively very outdated now.

All that aside, it still baffles me how a group of people can hate the choices of other people so much that they feel the need to crap all over everything they love on a regular basis. It’s sort of pointless.

I prefer gaming on PC. It’s something I’ve done regularly since 1997 when Diablo came out. Regarding consoles, I’ve owned a few over the years: the SNES, which holds a special place for me, the Wii (still in my possession), and a Game Boy Color and Nintendo DS, both of which I may still have tucked away.

However, I think if someone enjoys playing on the Xbox or the PS5, more power to them. If they prefer Nintendo, great. If they play on a top of the line PC, a brand new Steam Deck, or an old laptop, fantastic!

At the end of the day, we’re all participating in the same hobby – video games. And that should be enough to bring us together.

4–6 minutes

The upcoming release of a new game is nothing new and, in most cases, only special to those that have discovered it and find it interesting. Sometimes, however, a game gets so much press that it catches the attention of a wide audience. One such game is Stellar Blade, both for the right and wrong reasons.

Stellar Blade, a game by the Korean developer Shift Up is a story-driven action adventure that’s set to release on April 26th, 2024 to the Playstation 5. The main protagonist is Eve, a solider sent to fight an alien race and reclaim Earth. It’s action-packed, with beautiful graphics and an interesting story.

The opinion of most gamers was positive and the release of a demo only increased interest. The title quickly shot up to #1 in pre-orders for many countries.

Not everyone agrees though, with the majority of the conversation revolving around the physical appearance of Eve. She is, to be blunt, quite a stunning female with near perfect proportions shown off to great effect by her various outfits. So why the dissent? What are the arguments against Eve and why do some people seem to hate her?

Unrealistic Body Proportions –

The first arguments that I saw against Eve were the tired supposition that her figure depicts ‘unrealistic body proportions’. This couldn’t be further from the truth, as there are many women who have similar proportions to the character. In fact, she was based off scan of a real Korean model, Shin Jae-Eun. So to claim that Eve is unrealistic is to indirectly insult the woman she was based off of.

She Was ‘Created by someone who’s never seen a woman’ –

“The design of the game, in particular its character, highlights an obvious bias,” We’re going to beat up the alien, but if we can do it while pleasuring the eyes of the men, that’s a bonus.”

“And the result doesn’t really work. It’s not new, and other games have made the choice to highlight the assets of their female characters, but where Bayonetta bears an iconic character design, or 2B from NieR: Automata, inspired an entire generation of cosplayers, Stellar Blade’s Eve is just boring. A doll sexualized by someone who has never seen a woman.”
— From an article by IGN France, which has since been redacted and an apology issued by parent company, IGN

It clearly appears that the writer of this article didn’t do his due diligence before writing this derisive piece. Eve’s designer, game director Hyung-Tae Kim, has definitely seen a woman before, as evidenced by the fact that he is currently married to Shift Up concept artist Jiyun Chae.

Eve Is Made for the Male Gaze –

This is such a tired old argument and oversimplifies human attraction. Humans appreciate beautiful things. We love sunrises, sunsets, flowers, and, yes, beautiful people. And it’s not just men that think Eve is beautiful. Many female gamers are also excited to see a beautiful female protagonist, myself included. We love playing and seeing beautiful characters too.

Male Characters Aren’t Sexualized –

I can think of several male characters who are gorgeous, with rugged good looks and strong personalities. And yes, they are also sexualized by some people. Some that come to mind are Geralt from The Witcher, Cloud and Sephiroth from FF VII, Joel from The Last of Us, Simon Belmont from Castlevania, Alucard from Castlevania, Liu Kang from Mortal Kombat. There are many more examples, but those were the ones I thought of. I don’t recommend doing a search for the NSFW content created around male characters. Unless you really want to. You’re an adult, after all.

The Character Will Lead to Real Life Harm To Women

I swear, I saw this and my first thought was ‘huh?’ But apparently the IGN France Editor in Chief, had a multi-tweet thread on Twitter. According to the thread, women will be beaten, denigrated, or even contemplate suicide because of the unrealistic beauty standards expected by men.

The fact that this is a video game character appears to be lost on this person. I’ve yet to meet anyone, male or female, who looks at the pixels on their screen and goes ‘yeah, I need to go beat a woman’ because of them.

As for women harming themselves, their issues run far deeper than just an image on the screen. Mental health is a whole topic on its own, but I can say that there’s a lot more going on in the mind. Anyone who suffers from depression and believes that suicide is their only option, I highly encourage them to get help and a good place to start is to dial 988 and speak to someone. Things can get better.

So, with all that said, I’ve looked at some of the gameplay for Stellar Blade and it looks fun and challenging, with an interesting story. The fact that Eve and other female characters in the game are beautiful doesn’t detract from those things, and only adds to what appears will be a great experience for everyone. If it ever comes out for the PC, I may give it a try. Though, I can pretty much guarantee I’d suck at it to start.

And if Shift Up ever makes an MMO I’ll try it too, especially if the character creator lets us create characters like Eve. Wishful thinking? Perhaps, but no more wishful than wishing other game developers would take note and stop making ugly characters that no one wants to play. I know I don’t.

But what are your thoughts about Stellar Blade? Leave a comment below and let everyone know.

Until next time, bye for now!

Tag: ps5

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Stellar Blade – The Beauty of Eve