Video Games – Page 13 – Ms. Bella's World

2–3 minutes

On March 31st, 2024, The Crew, developed by Ubisoft, officially shut down. While its demise was anticipated after the game was delisted from all platforms in December of 2023, this shutdown has stirred resentment among those who still actively played the game. Despite calls for an offline mode to be implemented—a feasible option considering the game’s potential for single-player conversion—these pleas fell on deaf ears. It appears that Ubisoft’s priority lies in funneling players towards its upcoming release, The Crew Motorfest, slated for April 18th. Adding insult to injury, a senior Ubisoft executive has been quoted as saying players should become accustomed to not truly owning their games.

This isn’t the first time Ubisoft has sparked outrage among its player base; the company seems to find itself embroiled in controversy often.

From the ashes of The Crew’s shutdown emerges a figure with a mission and a dedicated website—Stop Killing Games (https://www.stopkillinggames.com/). This platform serves as a hub for a campaign aimed at getting a better resolution for the players of The Crew and preventing similar fates for other video games. The website offers resources on how to petition relevant authorities and provides information on laws pertinent to various jurisdictions, broken down by country. However, participation requires ownership of The Crew, something worth noting before heading to the site.

The alarming trend of gaming publishers favoring live service models with mandatory online components, even in primarily single-player experiences, is cause for concern. The fate of The Crew underscores the risk inherent in digital-only titles; when a publisher decides to remove a game from your library, consumers are left powerless. Often buried within the End User License Agreements (EULAs) we mindlessly accept, these agreements clarify that we are purchasing a license to play the game rather than owning the game itself. Moreover, these agreements frequently include wording that heavily favor the company, such as mandatory arbitration and limited liability clauses.

While the inevitability of online-centric games like MMOs reaching their end of life is accepted, the same cannot be said for titles with substantial single-player components. These games should offer offline modes, ensuring continued playability even after the online infrastructure is dismantled.

This issue underscores the appeal of the physical media offered by older games and systems where purchases remain immune to revocation. It also drives many towards indie titles, where the risk of sudden shutdowns is significantly lower. Until publishers abandon their relentless pursuit of live service models, even in single-player titles like Dragon’s Dogma 2, the situation is likely to worsen.

While hopes remain that the outcry from The Crew’s community may prompt reconsideration from Ubisoft, skepticism looms large. Nevertheless, commendations are due to the individual spearheading Stop Killing Games for championing consumer rights. Perhaps it’s time for more voices to join the chorus of discontent.

And yet, I can’t shake the feeling that I’m shouting at windmills.

What are your thoughts on Ubisoft’s decision to shut down The Crew? Can you think of other games that have faced similar fates or are at risk? Share your opinions in the comments below.

Until next time, bye for now.

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!