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This Week in Games - The Last Remaining Secrets of Super Smash Bros. Ultimate

Aca Vuksa wrote:

Considering that Sony's new censorship policy is totally forgotten makes someone J-Fans of gamers misreable, now we will have to play an uncensored ones for PC a bit since they are always uncut ones.

Or just get the Switch versions. Because we live in a timeline where Nintendo is more open to sexual content than Sony is now.

I'm not sure why you're calling it an alleged campaign. Japanese developers have spoken out and confirmed Sony's new policy. A number of other games were recently revealed to be censored on the PS4, but not the Switch.

I can understand Sony not wanting to get attacked by the vocal minority of social justice mobs but they need to have a backbone as a company.

You find touching a fictional, hyper stylised, completely unrealistic girl in a game like that creepy? Fine, don't play it, go near it, talk about it and it won't ever bother you.

You do you. This goes beyond that like others have said. You might not have seen since western game media are likely approving of it and hence not covering

Also did you really just compare an Intimacy Mode in Senran Kagura to a full on eroge game on PC? That is staggering.

We all know why this is happening, certain western hate groups have infected Sony leading to this change,

leafy sea dragon wrote:

I was confused as to what "circles" meant, as I thought it was "social circles" or something. So a circle is basically an exhibition booth?

Nope, but good guess. A "circle" is the group working to put out content. There are circles of people that have worked together for years on stuff that have developed their own brand and name that fans will specifically search out. You can think of it like a team, but they're usually referred to as circles. Particular circles will also rent booths or tables to sell their works like you were supposing, though.

A good example is CLAMP, who originally started as a doujinshi circle with a lot of members prior to making it big in the traditional publication world. As time passed, several members cycled out until there were the final 4 that remain in the group today.

Not one mention of Sonys Western led censorship drive against Japanese developed games with even mild fan service elements that has escalated dramatically? Really?

That is a poor show ANN considering the content you cover I thought it would be front and centre but looks like you're ignoring this serious issue like most western media outlets have because they're fine with it. This issue needs as much coverage as it can get and ignoring it sends the misguided message to Sony that their censorship is okay.

So it's not just the American side of things being prudes about this.

I don't really think it was just because they feared backlash but because someone big involved probably thought to themselves "this is a bit too much".

By the same token some of these developers should probably think to themselves "You know maybe we shouldn't be sexualizing characters that even if they are fictional are frequently high school aged girls who in some cases look like middle schoolers".

It can be that, it could also be the fact that most of them don't play games like this so they're not going to care if certain content from them is being pruned from these games.

Yeah my mentioning Rapelay had nothing to do with comparing SK's intimacy mode. The reason I mentioned it (and for which you seemingly ignored or didn't understand) is that if you want to bring mainstream attention to this problem don't be to surprised when it creates an even bigger problem surrounding the game's content and gimmicks.

Secondly SK practically borders on being an eroge with those aforementioned gimmicks I mean why else would the game let you strip the characters naked or spray white and yellow liquids on the girls in the dressing room in PBS?

And then there's the fact the game's cutscenes or done like a traditional visual novel minus the choices and of course the nudity and sex.

.....What hate groups?

And with this policy effecting game's even released on the japanese market it's most clearly not exclusively a "U.S." thing.

By the same token some of these developers should probably think to themselves "You know maybe we shouldn't be sexualizing characters that even if they are fictional are frequently high school aged girls who in some cases look like middle schoolers".

Bit of both, those people got into their head telling how bad it will be, Sony have seen the vocal minority mob outrage at other companies and how ludicrous they are being and thought, not gonna risk it. Any sensible company would not bow to these people or be influenced so easily

but since PlayStation is basically the only Sony brand bringing in money they bowed.

Can you actually give me a reason why they should stop sexualising fictional high school age girls who look nothing even remotely realistic other than 'it creepy, I don't like it'?

Genuinely curious. Maybe developers should stop glorifying murder and extreme violence as well?

Unless there is a crime going on here (there is not) what is the issue other than playing the moral police?

But they should care,

censorship in any form is bad,'

no matter how little and should always be protested against,

which I cannot fathom.

. I should have said straight male hating groups like SJdubyas and rabid feminists

(which is like 99% of them going off media coverage). They will be outraged at anything not aimed specifically at them and have changed (for the worse) comics and currently going for movies.

This is a US led initiative. Clear as day for anyone who reads into it. Why else would a Japanese developer have to appeal for their Japan only game in English? Well that and PlayStation HQ is in California.

But seriously, that whole Sony thing sounds awful. Nothing good ever comes from Americans meddling in Japanese works.

Any sensible person would not actually expect western journalists to validate their concerns over an issue they be far more likely to take a neutral stance (acknowledging Sony's overreaction but also acknowledging the content is problematic) on or side with Sony on it since the content being taken out of the games isn't something you can't credibly defend or justify simply with "well it's fictional".

Who did they bow to though especially if the group you're alluding to are a "minority"?

If I have to give you a reason even when it's blatantly obvious and even when I already answered your question in the quote you paraphrased you apparently don't understand the issue and never will.

Which I don't care about either way.

Hyperbolic as this statement is why would the video game industry stop doing something they've been inspired by Hollywood to do especially as long as Hollywood continues to do so?

And also doesn't involve the sexual exploitation and objectification of fictional minors.....something that Japan (and to some extent the U.S.) does have an actual problem with regarding real minors.

Not doing like the Japanese and appealing to some people's weird and somewhat dubious fetishes?

You mean "in your opinion" refer back to my second point.

In some of these specific cases?.....yeah not so much.

If you want to protest, petition, and soapbox on the issue that's well within your right but as I've alluded to multiple times this particular subject is not something you want to credibly open up dialog about and expect people to take you side of the argument seriously given the nature of the content you're complaining about being censored.

Much like you can't fathom the issue (somehow) of why putting characters some of whom are under the age of 18, in sexual situations or letting you grope these same characters against their wishes I might add, would be seen as problematic to most people even if said characters are not real?

.....You do know that a good majority of the people who roll their eyes at this stuff more often than not are men right?

To that point the issue with this has nothing to do with "hating straight males". How does censoring female nudity or toning down jiggle physics of breasts = hating straight males?

That's weird the people complaining about movies and comics the loudest are people who typically don't like the idea of gay or black/female main characters not that the people you're referring to don't get carried away with their grievances.

I wouldn't know as I'm not apart of any of Sony's various branches so I wouldn't know why their regional branches would take their cues from their main HQ based out of America regarding content that sometimes doesn't leave the Asian market.

How many people are in a circle, most commonly?

Ah yes, that reminds me that my goal grows ever bigger with each Smash Bros. game, and this one will be by far the biggest, which is to get at least 1 win online with every character using Random, not counting taunt parties. (For the first two games, it was local multiplayer.) Took me a couple years to pull it off with 3DS/Wii U, which I count together as they have the same roster and the same gameplay, just with different stages.

No problem! A circle is going to be like any other group of people working toward any other cause, so it can vary wildly. There might be a single person doing everything, or there might be a group of 40+ people all working together. A single one-shot manga of 12 pages or so could be feasibly assembled by a single person self-publishing their book by doing the writing, art, editing, assembling, printing, and selling at a convention like Comiket, but a 12-hour fan-made dating game with branching paths is probably going to require a bigger staff, and an art book might have dozens of contributors. They aren't usually an actual company, but you can kind of think of the circle name as their handle for when that certain group of people works together.

Usually, groups are fairly small since the projects are often labors of love that don't guarantee much revenue. Many tend to dole out certain aspects of the project to certain members (like one person might be really good at drawing mech or someone else at composing catchy music), and having more people can help improve the work by covering others' weaknesses. I'd say fan doujinshi of about 12-30 pages is probably going to have a circle of 2-4 people behind it in most cases. If it's a popular group that fans clamor for, they might balloon to 7 or more and crank up output. A doujin game group might have 5+ people, and 15 or more if they're serious about it. Talented people like to search out other talented people to put out the best works they can, and sometimes it leads to getting to publishing with major publishers down the line.

I have never even managed to use everyone in Brawl for certain challenges and such, much less half the roster in Wii U/3DS Smash. Some of the characters are ones I just can't stand and I tend to use them as training practice dummies.

Again, size varies. Doujinshi manga circles that sell at the big venues like Comiket are probably going to be 2-4 people. If they're going to conventions, they're an established group at that point and will probably have at least 2 people (some combo of writer, artist, and editor). Solo artists absolutely happen, but it is more common to have a team. Think of it like a cross between Small Press Expo or Alternative Press Expo and Artist's Alley. Although a huge amount is fanworks, some are original works too.

Artist Alleys actually vary wildly between conventions in the states. In my experience, anime conventions have the most booming ones and they can be as professional looking as the regular dealer's booths. Many self-publish their own comics and merchandise based on their own works or cute goods that appeal to Anime fans (like handmade fox ear hats or stuffed cats wearing kimono). Anime Weekend Atlanta is my primary con, and the Artist's Alley has really blossomed to be almost the same size of the dealer's room now. They actually merged the two areas a few years ago into one giant hall with a big divide down the middle separating them. Many artists have a career of just selling things at conventions, and their booths reflect that dedication to their job. I used to just sell stacks of my own art prints years ago at my table, but that wouldn't fly anymore with all the shiny displays everyone seems to do nowadays. Try checking out some Artist Alleys at large anime conventions, because you might be surprised at the variety and quality of stuff people offer there. The video gaming scene is a little different here, but it is sort've akin to the homebrew community that actually issue their games on carts or whatever and make their own physical manuals and cases.