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Tom Bramwell
Infinity Ward has disowned a viral video in which some American football bloke does a skit about grenades because it ends with a text joke based on a homophobic slur.
The video, which is still on YouTube, is done in the style of a public information message, and ends by saying it's brought to you by an organisation called "Fight Against Grenade Spam".
Inevitably this prompted some concern among, well, humans.
Some humans brought this concern up with Robert "No Dedicated Servers" Bowling [surely "fourtwozero" - Ed], Infinity Ward's community man, who accepted that it was a bit off.
"I agree. I think the core gag is great, the end is a bit too far from the intent of the joke and can appreciate the concerns. Pulled," he tweeted.
Someone else had pointed out that perhaps Infinity Ward should be trying to distance itself from individuals who finds gay slurs amusing rather than courting them.
"I think it was more of a social commentary joke of that stereotype than it was a fist-bump of acceptance to it," Bowling tweeted.
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Poster
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thedaveeyres
02/11/09 @ 09:26
+36
Jesus.
Who's their head PR guy? Jim fucking Davidson? So... pricing, no servers for the PC brigade, shooting millions of civvies and now casual homophobia... the're doing their level best to claim the title of the biggest bunch of cunts in videogaming. It's a tough gig but I reckon they're getting there. |
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Digital_Forge
02/11/09 @ 09:30
+10
@Zuluhero
I know how you feel, being a member of the Committee for the Liberation and Integration of Terrifying Organisms and their Rehabilitation Into Society. |
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cianchristopher
02/11/09 @ 09:44
+11
Jesus, I can't remember a time when a major release was preceded by this much negative PR.
Are they trying to scupper their own chances? And why is Ed interjecting in the Ed's article? Are there two Ed's maybe? Or is that just a guy actually named Ed? |
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keyboardmonkey
02/11/09 @ 09:59
+11
They should get the members of the Film Actors Guild to voice their opinion on this matter.
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fiery_jackass
02/11/09 @ 10:30
+17
"the core gag is great"
? the core gag is not there. Some guy saying he doesn't like random grenades, they're for "pussies" and then *drum roll* he gets blown up by a load of random grenades! Whilst saying "fuck"!! hilarious |
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+9
This is all very amusing when lined up with Robert Bowlings interview on MCV where he points out how IW are doing all the marketing and PR themselves, and how other devs should follow suit.
http://www.mcvuk.com/news/36241/Infinity...
Edited 1 times,
most recently on 02/11/09 @ 10:37
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kimchibaka
02/11/09 @ 11:05
+4
I can't believe Bowling's still in a job after all the community gaffes around the last Modern Warfare (not least when he was caught blogging that the 'PS3 is a turd of a console'). The guy is completely incompetent.
Edited 1 times,
most recently on 02/11/09 @ 11:06
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+2
Am I the only one that thought that the joke was perfectly aimed at COD's core market?
@ thedaveeyes - maybe they have a bet with someone that they can out-douche Gabe Newell. Only explanation I can think of for all these screw ups. On the other hand, if the game tanks (it won't unfortunately but if it did) they can blame it on negative PR running up to release rather than it just being another the "more of the same - run and gun" that the COD franchise has become. Maybe other developers should follow suit as they have suggested. |
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el_pollo_diablo
02/11/09 @ 11:21
-4
Well it is an army game. Just saying!
(edit: not that I'm saying that the army is made up of meat headed homophobic killers, no sir!)
Edited 1 times,
most recently on 02/11/09 @ 17:11
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Doctor_What
02/11/09 @ 11:32
+12
Casually used homophobic language really is exceptionally tedious. Gay, fag, faggot, blah blah blah. It's part of the reason that I don't bother playing online very often.
I'm way past finding those words offensive, now they just bore me senseless. |
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actionfitz
02/11/09 @ 11:33
+9
"I think it was more of a social commentary joke"
I think it nails the core MW community perfectly. Being that of little 14 year old racist homophobes - based on personal experience. But then the same could be said for any of the xbox live shooters. |
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darkmorgado
02/11/09 @ 12:05
+18
I'm way past finding those words offensive, now they just bore me senseless.
Unfortunately, as a gay man myself, I do find these words extremely offensive. That's not me being a prude, or being "militant" to borrow a phrase from the lovely Nick Griffin. But the now-popular use of the word "gay" as a generic word for something that is "crap" is a massive backward step and undermines decades of fighting for equality. For people who don't seem to realise why it's offensive, the next time you see something you don't like, why not try saying "that's so nigger" and see what reaction you get around black people. |
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darkmorgado
02/11/09 @ 12:09
+4
I think it nails the core MW community perfectly. Being that of little 14 year old racist homophobes - based on personal experience.
Exactly, which is why I outright refuse to play FPS games online (aside from the fact that I suck at them!). I don't want my enjoyment of a game constantly tarnished by hearing a bunch of bigots screaming homophobic insults at each other every two seconds. I'm sure I heard a while back that Microsoft are working with GLAAD in America to crack down on homophobia over XBL (after the whole gamertag thing where someone got banned for being a lesbian). Would be interesting to see if they are still doing anything, or if MS bowed to the pressure of many of its corporate sponsors and shareholders and ducked out of it. I remember there being a lot of threats sent to Microsoft when they backed gay marriage. |
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Mooglepies
02/11/09 @ 12:30
-2
I sniggered. Or can I not say that anymore because if you take the s off it becomes rude?
On topic, I did actually smirk at this; regardless of whether you agree with homophobic slurs or not, when you watch the killcam and you see your killer just lobbing 3 grenades after spawning, you DO rage, and you DO think sweary. |
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+7
Exactly, which is why I outright refuse to play FPS games online
It's honestly not like that on a well-run server on the PC. No help if the PC version's no good to you of course. edit: Haha, I forgot for a moment there - that won't be possible with MW2 anyway because no dedicated servers.
Edited 1 times,
most recently on 02/11/09 @ 12:33
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+1
How did they not consider for one minute that this might be a bit tasteless.
Only last week I said that I trusted IW to handle their terrorist shenanigans well; as they're a studio I respect. However, now it just seems that they're totally lacking in any form of class. I would have considered this toilet humour when I was in high school, but now I'm just embarrassed for them. |
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-1
@Mooglepies
I sniggered. Or can I not say that anymore because if you take the s off it becomes rude? It's "rude" with the s on too: I take it you are familiar with the concept of appending an s onto a noun to get the plural form in English? It's not always the case but that's what you usually do. Edit: boy is my face red. I apologise Mooglepies, I completely misunderstood your post and went on a hissy fit based on that misunderstanding. Sorry for my sarcastic tone, I'm currently in the middle of a hell of a stomach infection and I'm afraid I'm venting it at people. I'll stop. Thanks kanga and fiery_jackass.
Edited 3 times,
most recently on 02/11/09 @ 16:08
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fiery_jackass
02/11/09 @ 13:04
+1
prepend, not append, sneetch.
also, etymologically speaking, I think you're way off the mark. "snicker". |
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pervertron
02/11/09 @ 13:04
+11
I think the guy doing the PR knew exactly what he was doing:
1) Appeal to an audience of teenagers who'd buy this game. 2) Do something controversial that creates more publicity. That's why I think they are a bunch of see you next Tuesdays. It's really sad, as I've always thought of the COD games (those done by IW anyway) as being so good that they sell themselves - and now they have to descend to this level of juvenile rubbish. |
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0
@fiery_jackass
prepend, not append, sneetch. also, etymologically speaking, I think you're way off the mark. "snicker". No, I don't think so, to prepend means to add something to the start. So if I prepend a s to the word "car" I'd get "scar". Append means adding something to the end. So appending a s onto the noun "car" would be "cars". Which is the plural. Which is what I said. :) Also, I suspect the second part is not directed at me? I can't make any sense of it if it is. In general, I don't think the historical source of the word changes the plural form in English. I might be wrong. I don't think so though. |
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fiery_jackass
02/11/09 @ 13:29
0
>sneetch
I'd misinterpreted what you meant when you said: It's "rude" with the s on too: I take it you are familiar with the concept of appending an s onto a noun to get the plural form in English? I'd thought you'd meant that the word "snigger" was somehow derived from "nigger" by some weird prepend pluralisation, hence was "rude with the s on too". I'd thought people were thinking the words had a shared ancestry because of a Griffin-esque notion that all black people laugh like Muttley from Wacky Races or something. crossed wires. |
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+1
Why are people complaining about the FAGS thing? The guy said grenade spamming is for 'pussies'. Surely that is even more offensive as it isn't even hidden as an acronym. Plus the word is sexist, offensive and degrading to women. It implies that their genital area is (as are the grande spammers) scum and is used as an insult. Or is it ok to be sexist but not homophobic?
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crazyhorse174
02/11/09 @ 14:31
-2
Why are people complaining about the FAGS thing? The guy said grenade spamming is for 'pussies'. Surely that is even more offensive as it isn't even hidden as an acronym. Plus the word is sexist, offensive and degrading to women. It implies that their genital area is (as are the grande spammers) scum and is used as an insult. Or is it ok to be sexist but not homophobic?
It doesnt always have that meaning - funnily enough, a pussy is also another name for a cat! Just because you call someone a pussy, doesnt necessarily mean that your insinuating they resemble the female genitalia. No, you have the word 'fanny' for that. |
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VibratingDonkey
02/11/09 @ 14:31
0
That MCVUK article continues to be absolutely fantastic. It ought to be framed.
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Sunyavadin
02/11/09 @ 14:44
+1
I'll stick with my Sci-fi shooters thanks, and my membership in the Committee for the Liberation and Integration of Terrifying Organisms and their Rehabilitation Into Society.
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+3
@ crazyhorse
Yes but in that context, it doesn't mean cat does it. Just like fag obviously doesn't mean cig. They are saying pussies to mean they are resorting to cheap tactics because they are weak like a woman. Just like with fags implying they are weak like homosexuals. Both are offensive and vulgar. |
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0
@crazyhorse174
I agree, in WoW I used to raid with a guy who got into a shitstorm because he referred to someone as "weak as a pussy" on vent, he said (and having met him in person I completely believe him, he's in his fifties and just not that kinda guy) that he meant a kitten but the guildmaster and half the guild couldn't believe that he meant anything but female genitalia. So basically they believed that their interpretation must the correct one and therefore he must be lying. Sad really. |
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kangarootoo
02/11/09 @ 15:17
+1
@sneetch
Some confusion has occurred. When Mooglepies was talking about removing the s, he/she was talking about the word "sniggered". I assume you thought he was talking about "fags". Hence, what fiery_jackass said to you seemed to make no sense. You were both right... just about two different things :) |
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Mentalist(air)
02/11/09 @ 15:18
0
I wonder if the whole FAGS thing is supposed to be a reference to the Westboro Baptish Church of 'GOD HATES FAGS' Louis Theroux / Keith Allen documentary fame:
http://images-cdn01.associatedcontent.co... etc. |
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Mentalist(air)
02/11/09 @ 15:24
0
Is everyone else getting Gay Tony ads bracketing this sorty, by the way?
Nice. |
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kangarootoo
02/11/09 @ 15:26
+1
@Mentalist(air)
I wouldn't have thought so. Its not like the term isn't the favourite weapon of choice of any hormonal teenage gamer anywhere on the planet. It is kind of a shame that IW thought it would be good to make a joke that only makes sense if you believe their main fanbase consists of homophobic kids (and a greater shame that the truth is probably true).
Edited 1 times,
most recently on 02/11/09 @ 15:26
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bazer53988
02/11/09 @ 15:36
-7
lucky he did no ask fora cigarette!!!! by it other name the would be a up roar everyone should chill
For all you know it was against smokers lol |
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