Dead Island Riptide Collector's Edition [NSFW]

snausages

I wouldn't mind it so much but for the fact that the tits are the only thing the zombies left untouched, so it's pretty clear that it's an eroticisation. The context provided by the game's setting doesn't really help mitigate how absurdly out of touch this little marketing stunt is.

Something like this might have worked better.

Agricola

It's definitely tasteless and unnecessary. It's also very interesting how a large percentage of the people who have been shrieking about the awfulness of this statue online, are surely those who enjoyed and will enjoy slicing up female zombies in the first game and in the sequel!
Personally, I wouldnt have a major problem with them selling it, apart from the fact that it does reinforce the pervy teenage male gamer stereotype still further.

How could they not see this backlash coming though. It gives a great insight into just how out of touch marketing people are in the games industry and the knock on effect is that this lack of cop-on in a major factor why we get so much puerile, lowest common denominator rubbish being churned out every year.

Zillah

Agricola wrote: »

a large percentage of the people who have been shrieking about the awfulness of this statue online, are surely those who enjoyed and will enjoy slicing up female zombies in the first game and in the sequel!

But that is one part of a very complicated game. If the game featured nothing but naked headless torsos with their massive breasts bouncing around then we'd be making the same argument. They picked out this one excessive example to literally put on a pedestal. That's the difference.

I didn't enjoy the game though, for lots of other unrelated reasons



If one can understand why this is funny one can understand why the statuette is stupid.

hooradiation

That Dead Island statue thing pretty goddamn creepy, it's only a "conversation piece" for budding serial killers.

I think it's probably pretty sexist as well but my main complaint is that whoever made it is not in jail where a psychotic murderer ought to be.

johnny_ultimate

Surprised there's anyone willing to defend this at all.

Arguments of violent misogyny aside (and yes, having a decapitated pair of legs with a bulging, partially obscured cock wouldn't even get to the prototype stage - and if it did it'd be ****ing idiotic too), its just infantile, creepy and crass. And one wonders why the games industry have such a bad reputation. A pretty much indefensible moment of marketing idiocy, really.

ShooterSF

Hey if it sells it obviously has a market that wants it and I'm not going to tell people what they should or shouldn't want. As far as objectifying goes I know plenty of women who will oogle at guys in TV Shows or movies but that doesn't equate to them being shallow when dealing with real people and I know guys that are the same (but with genders swapped obviously).

ShadowHearth

A jaysus, look at all that. This was better marketing move then just offer a bag of weed with each copy of the game.

Like someone mentioned already: the only reason some are offended is that thing has a pair of boobies. Crap pair if you ask me, I love natural stuff, all that silicon is not my cup of tea.
Put a male torso in there and nobody would give a flying feck about it.

I personally thing it is just a crapy statue, that is all. I don't see it sexist, but it is a hot thing in gaming world these days. Violence and sexism. Yummy.

degrassinoel

ShaneU wrote: »

Would you like your boss seeing you looking at decapitated torsos?

Yes, if you work in a butchers

Also wont be buying as it's a crap game imo

Arawn

The new dead space dev edition appeals tome. This does not. Seriously couldn't give a toss about the statue itself.

Notorioux

Boobies or not, still looking forward to the game!

snausages

ShadowHearth wrote: »

Like someone mentioned already: the only reason some are offended is that thing has a pair of boobies. Crap pair if you ask me, I love natural stuff, all that silicon is not my cup of tea.
Put a male torso in there and nobody would give a flying feck about it.

I personally thing it is just a crapy statue, that is all. I don't see it sexist, but it is a hot thing in gaming world these days. Violence and sexism. Yummy.

Well no, the woman issue isn't the only problem here (although it shouldn't be ignored). It also seems to amount to a fetishisation/aestheticisation of violence, which is exactly the kind of image our hobby needs not to project right now.

ShadowHearth

snausages wrote: »

Well no, the woman issue isn't the only problem here (although it shouldn't be ignored). It also seems to amount to a fetishisation/aestheticisation of violence, which is exactly the kind of image our hobby needs not to project right now.

Right, Yahtzee once said about crapcom and resident evil 5 racism. - they are not bad people, they are just idiots.

Same here. They though its cool, so they made it. In reality it is just dumb and tasteless. It was not made to be some sexist or violence symbol. You slaughter zombies and people in game! How is this statue different? Why is it a big deal then?

In short: we should discuss how ****y collectors edition item is and how dumb developer is, not sexism and violence in games.

hooradiation

ShadowHearth wrote: »

In short: we should discuss how ****y collectors edition item is and how dumb developer is, not sexism and violence in games.

You have that backwards.

ShadowHearth

hooradiation wrote: »

You have that backwards.

You have that backwards.

danthefan

snausages wrote: »

Well no, the woman issue isn't the only problem here (although it shouldn't be ignored). It also seems to amount to a fetishisation/aestheticisation of violence, which is exactly the kind of image our hobby needs not to project right now.

Eh? Many video games are incredibly violent. I don't see how a statue or figurine is somehow more damaging to games than the content of the games themselves.

snausages

ShadowHearth wrote: »

Same here. They though its cool, so they made it. In reality it is just dumb and tasteless. It was not made to be some sexist or violence symbol. You slaughter zombies and people in game! How is this statue different? Why is it a big deal then?

It's obvious there was nothing malicious behind this promo. They wanted this as an analogue to the Venus de Milo, but whatever wit or irony this promo might have had sort of goes out the window when you remove her head and reduce her to a pair of tits. Dead Island may have technology that allows you to replicate this torso but it does not make it the focus of the game. Nor is it the same as putting that torso on a pedestal and making it a major motivating factor towards buying this version of the game. So regardless of actual intent, it's hard to not look at this as a very lazy attempt at objectifying women.

johnny_ultimate

I do have to chuckle at the suggestion that this bust (only really appropriate word) wasn't designed with an awareness of its misogyny or how it be received. They could have settled on innumerable alternatives, most of them probably rather tasteless too. This was ultimately decided on. Just look at the ****ing thing. If you cannot see the multitude of issues people have with it, then we're not going to be able to explain it to you.

Then again, this developer / publisher has shown themselves fairly untrustworthy, manipulative marketers before. Remember that really well made trailer that suggested - nay, promised - Dead Island was going to be a thoughtful, unsentimental, emotional, character-driven survival simulator? Game couldn't have been any more different if it tried - just another zombie genocide, and by many accounts one of the worst. The tried to trick more discerning gamers first time around. Now they're aiming at lowest common denominator gamers (and yes I do take issue with anyone who would proudly buy and display this). Seems appropriate.

Yes, games themselves are frequently crassly violent and misogynistic - these are regrettable traits, no doubt about it. Not to say that no games should be violent - its often at least partially justified by the gameworld, setting, narrative or play style (if Dead Island does allow you to carve up female bodies like this, it certainly shouldn't be a feature it boasts about). But its rare to see anyone emphasise gaming's meaningless obsession with mindless sexism and gore so proudly or use it as a selling tool for the game itself. We should not be proud that our hobby and the gaming industry is so deplorably backwards and restrictive. And we sure as hell have a right to complain when publishers or developers take this ignorance to a new extreme.

snausages

danthefan wrote: »

Eh? Many video games are incredibly violent. I don't see how a statue or figurine is somehow more damaging to games than the content of the games themselves.

It is an extremely violent image, but eroticized. And it is the first thing people will see and hear about if they bother to look this game up.

johnny_ultimate wrote: »

I do have to chuckle at the suggestion that this bust (only really appropriate word) wasn't designed with conscious misogyny. They could have settled on innumerable alternatives, most of them probably rather tasteless too. This was ultimately decided on. Just look at the ****ing thing.

I don't see it as anything more than an unfortunate bit of innocent stupidity. To me it's just incredibly tactless but not an act of conscious misogyny.

johnny_ultimate

Also here's an amusingly sardonic response to the whole thing. http://gameological.com/2013/01/it-belongs-in-a-museum/

That last item created something of a stir. And yeah, I guess I can see how this 12-inch-tall vision of raw depravity might bug folks, since it is, objectively, the worst object ever created. But I would hate to see Rotting Bikini Torso dismissed as merely another marketing-department “oops!” moment. Let’s appreciate this thing as a work of shock art—an inspired sculptural snapshot of a certain ugliness that pervades the mass-market games industry. This lump of hand-painted resin both encapsulates and indicts a few decades’ worth of game-studio testosterone. It belongs in a museum.

ShadowHearth

snausages wrote: »

It's obvious there was nothing malicious behind this promo. They wanted this as an analogue to the Venus de Milo, but whatever wit or irony this promo might have had sort of goes out the window when you remove her head and reduce her to a pair of tits. Dead Island may have technology that allows you to replicate this torso but it does not make it the focus of the game. Nor is it the same as putting that torso on a pedestal and making it a major motivating factor towards buying this version of the game. So regardless of actual intent, it's hard to not look at this as a very lazy attempt at objectifying women.

In other words: "thats right, they are DUMBASSES!"

The way i see this situation: Or they have a Genius marketing director, or developers are complete DUMBASSES!

Why Genius? Well, with minimum investment he got dead island name all over the the world. Every single gaming website and forum have dead island as a topic. Its free advertisement for them. Such bad press can very nicely work out in to their favour. Again, minimum investment and HUGE amount of advertisement.

Why DUMBASSES? They wanted to make something cool. In a way its quite cheeky and interesting view of the Classic statue, i still think its tastless, out of context and stupid. They did not took in to account that that statue is a fuel for all anti-gaming parties. Its like a holy grail for them. Specially in this sensitive time for gaming industry. Those who want to Bitch and moan about sexism and violence in video game will take this stupid statue and run away with it shouting " look at it! look at it! you see!!!! ".

I personally killed and chopped to pieces population of small country in video games. I haven't killed or attacked a single person in real life.
I played dead island and other games, I had killed countless female characters ( zombie and non zombie ) with machete or other weapons. In real life i live with misses shadowhearth together for 8 years. I love her very much, i cook dinner for her almost everyday, help with housework. Buy her flowers. I respect woman at work and outside my house too. I will always pick up heavy things out of female cooworkers hands and take it myself to needed location, then give them a warning, if they will do it again and wont ask me to do it, i will give them a "slap" ( joking way, dont take it as i really will give a slap... :rolleyes: ).

DesperateDan

Would not buy if this was a male torso - but oddly I don't know why

ShadowHearth

DesperateDan wrote: »

Would not buy if this was a male torso - but oddly I don't know why

i am 100% sure if there would be male torso, sexist people would bitch and moan: " why it is not a female torso?! eh? Is female not important enough to be a part of this game?! you sexist pigs!!! " :rolleyes:

If they really wanted to do something like this, they needed to make it a Foot or a hand. Unisex type or male.



p.s. the flag bikini is a different story of stupitidy...

gizmo

ShadowHearth wrote: »

I personally killed and chopped to pieces population of small country in video games. I haven't killed or attacked a single person in real life.
I played dead island and other games, I had killed countless female characters ( zombie and non zombie ) with machete or other weapons. In real life i live with misses shadowhearth together for 8 years. I love her very much, i cook dinner for her almost everyday, help with housework. Buy her flowers. I respect woman at work and outside my house too. I will always pick up heavy things out of female cooworkers hands and take it myself to needed location, then give them a warning, if they will do it again and wont ask me to do it, i will give them a "slap" ( joking way, dont take it as i really will give a slap... :rolleyes: ).

Have you shown the Collectors Edition statue to Misses Shadowhearth? I'd be interested to hear exactly what she thinks about it.

As an aside, this CE is the product of the Deep Silver Marketing department, it would have had nothing to do with Techland. On that note, this the Collectors Edition for the US market...

Dead Island: Riptide's "Rigor Mortis Edition" has everything you need to survive a zombie invasion: a small suitcase, a zombie hula girl figurine, a bottle opener that looks like a hand, and a key. Everything! There's also a "digital strategy map" and bundled DLC for the game. The contents of the $80 collection were chosen by a fan survey.

So.. if the statuette was that of a male torso, there wouldn't be as much hoo-ha?

johnny_ultimate

Deleted User wrote: »

So.. if the statuette was that of a male torso, there wouldn't be as much hoo-ha?

It wouldn't be of a male torso. That's part of the problem.

And yes, it would still be rather tasteless, although the only real comparison would be if it was a pair of disembodied thighs with a bulging speedo.

But again this is hypothetical as can be, as it would never happen.

snausages

ShadowHearth wrote: »

In other words: "thats right, they are DUMBASSES!"

The way i see this situation: Or they have a Genius marketing director, or developers are complete DUMBASSES!

Why Genius? Well, with minimum investment he got dead island name all over the the world. Every single gaming website and forum have dead island as a topic. Its free advertisement for them. Such bad press can very nicely work out in to their favour. Again, minimum investment and HUGE amount of advertisement.

Why DUMBASSES? They wanted to make something cool. In a way its quite cheeky and interesting view of the Classic statue, i still think its tastless, out of context and stupid. They did not took in to account that that statue is a fuel for all anti-gaming parties. Its like a holy grail for them. Specially in this sensitive time for gaming industry. Those who want to Bitch and moan about sexism and violence in video game will take this stupid statue and run away with it shouting " look at it! look at it! you see!!!! ".

Just because they are dumbasses doesn't make the image any less problematic. I don't think that the Riptide developers are women-haters and I do think that claims that the games industry is intensely misogynistic are plain wrong. But I do think this statue by itself is evocative of misogyny, yes. The classical statue allusion is too vague and difficult to detect to count against this. What most people will see is a singular act of extreme violence taken against a women (yes, by ****ing zombies but that's not the point) yet with just enough of her intact to make obvious her sex appeal. The context provided by the game itself doesn't make this any less stupid considering that it is this particular image above everything else that is given a position of centrality in the game's marketing campaign in the UK. I don't think it will turn people into misogynists, but I do agree that it's an extremely insulting image to put out in the first place and I'm not just playing white knight here either. I'm delighted that there's been such a loud gamer outcry against it.

I think people are overestimating just how 'beneficial' this free publicity might be. Maybe this particular special edition will be more eagerly sought out but I doubt the main game will be as well.

ShadowHearth

gizmo wrote: »

Have you shown the Collectors Edition statue to Misses Shadowhearth? I'd be interested to hear exactly what she thinks about it.

As an aside, this CE is the product of the Deep Silver Marketing department, it would have had nothing to do with Techland. On that note, this the Collectors Edition for the US market...

for ****s and giggles i will, sort of interested to see her reaction too. I put myself and misses as very open minded people. I would not call ourselfs very easily offended too.

Maybe you know somewhere a good high profile picture of it?

Potential-Monke

I still think people are over-reacting. There is no misogyny here (taking it as the literal definition: dislike, distrust or hatred of women). I honestly cannot see any sexist intent here. People are over reacting because it's the first collectors edition to have an obvious pair of tits in it. There are other collector editions with tits bulging in them; there's one for Injustice: Gods Among Us, Batman: Arskam City, Catherine, Tekken Tag Tournament 2, among plenty of mechandise for games which have women in sexually suggestive attire or poses. This is being singled out just because there is no head, arms or legs.

gizmo

ShadowHearth wrote: »

for ****s and giggles i will, sort of interested to see her reaction too. I put myself and misses as very open minded people. I would not call ourselfs very easily offended too.

Maybe you know somewhere a good high profile picture of it?

Cheers! I highly doubt she'll be offended by it to be honest, none of my female mates, gamer or otherwise, were. That doesn't mean they don't think it's a pile of **** of course.

As for decent links, from what I can see this one is the best image available at the moment. I'm sure there'll be more out there once pre-orders go live.

ShadowHearth

Potential-Monke wrote: »

I still think people are over-reacting. There is no misogyny here (taking it as the literal definition: dislike, distrust or hatred of women). I honestly cannot see any sexist intent here. People are over reacting because it's the first collectors edition to have an obvious pair of tits in it. There are other collector editions with tits bulging in them; there's one for Injustice: Gods Among Us, Batman: Arskam City, Catherine, Tekken Tag Tournament 2, among plenty of mechandise for games which have women in sexually suggestive attire or poses. This is being singled out just because there is no head, arms or legs.

Agree. Way too much noise. Still a stupid item, but not as important as media make it out,

The irony is, that if they were not put that torso in it, nobody would even thing of mentioning dead island in conversation as example of sexist and violent game! So a junk piece of plastic does more harm and steriotiping then beheading and killing of countless zombie females in actual game!