Message-ID: <3AD05ECD.36CC3892@csi.com>
Date: Sun, 08 Apr 2001 08:51:26 -0400
From: John Colagioia <JColagioia@csi.com>
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Subject: Re: Heroine's Mantle again (was: Nudity in IF)
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Magnus Olsson wrote:

> In article <3ACF08A6.21EC8677@csi.com>,
> John Colagioia  <JColagioia@csi.com> wrote:
> >Magnus Olsson wrote:
> >> >In fact, to use the same example as Ms. Short, I actually thought that was part
> >> >of the point of Heroine's Mantle at the beginning, coercing the player into
> >> >empathizing with the heroine's plight.  That didn't last long, of
> >> >course.  But it
> >> >could have, if carried through consistently.
> >> The scene with Mistletoe in the restroom could have been very
> >> effective in that regard if it had been done a bit more
> >> sensitively. As it was, it was more icky than cathartic.
> >I didn't even find that problematic.  Well, no moreso than reading a fight scene by
> >somebody who's never fought or studied combat, anyway--I considered it more
> >"uninformed" than "icky."  Or maybe the ickiness of the situation made me feel for
> >the character, and I "displaced" my feelings onto Mistletoe, rather than the
> >author.  Who knows?
> Well, in that case the scene worked for you. And I'd say that was what the author
> intended.

I'm not so sure that was the intention to make the player feel "vicariously
objectified," but I'll accept it and move on.


> >The descriptions of underwear, however, I thought were definitely far too much, and
> >there was no character around to blame.
> Why? I didn't find anything offensive in that regard.

Not so much offensive as just not really appropriate.  Specifically, the fact that it
became something of a toolbelt (and referenced everytime you move to a different widget)
drew undue attention to underwear.

Again, this could just be my reading of it, but I don't typically give it a second
thought when I take my wallet or keys out of my pocket or replace, so it seemed like an
awkward commentary to bring up their location at all.  The fact that the location
happened to be womens' undergarments (for a body part of rather excessive focus in the
U.S.) made it seem as if it was intended to attract my focus to the protagonist's
breasts.


> BTW, I realize that I've been mentioning a lot of negative things
> about "Heroine's Mantle" lately, so perhaps I should say that I don't
> really want to slam the game, and I don't find the game offensive as a
> whole - there are just a few points that I think could have been
> handled a bit more sensitively.

Agreed.  The overall feel of the plot was excellent.  And there were sections that I
typed whatever I would have tried in the same situation and marvelled as the game
accepted it and made it happen.

And I could even deal with the "insensitivity" had it been somehow integrated with the
plot.  But that's another consideration, entirely.


