Culling out hate speech isn’t censorship.
I’m not “willing” to do anything, it is a fact. You may as well argue about the origins of the Swastika or the Iron Cross. Pepe is a hate symbol, and while not everyone using it might be a nazi, they are using nazi imagery. The fact that “many people” aren’t willing to drop it, despite its extensive, well documented use by extremists is a well made point, but not the one you think.
And there’s no “overestimating” of nazis in the world. We live in a culture of white supremacy. There’s no point in splitting hairs about how offensive or not a cartoon frog is. The easiest solution is to simply not use it.
You’re welcome! Its a genuine gem, not just from a horror standpoint but also as a creative story in general. Playing, even knowing spoilers, would still be advised because the game does some very interesting tricks with the way it presents the narrative.
Ah, I see, thanks for clarifying. To be completely honest, this is more of an observation than an interpretation, almost every point I mentioned is part of the text of the game, explicitly related to the main story. Its less of a review or analysis, and just me wanting to get those thoughts off my mind. Although the game doesn’t throw plot points at your face (and I imagine that there are definitely people who didn’t get that there was sexual assault involve since the exchange about locked doors is quite brief) and also moves at a brisk pace, all the subjects I brought up are part of the main plot.
The only true “interpretation” is about the game being about what women suffer in the world, but I’d also hardly call it that; the only other major point that the game brings up is the company’s imminent bankruptcy and their lack of care for the workers, but if anything that’s just an extra factor that allowed Jimmy to act the way he is, and to Curly to justify his “bigger picture” supervisor mindset.
Pepe has been a dogwhistle/symbol of hate for years already. Richard Spencer’s comical punch in 2017 happened just moments after he was explaining why he wears a Pepe pin. The ADL has it officially registered as a hate symbol.
Maybe it has died down in recent years, but you not being aware of these - frankly, very clear cut - definitions doesn’t make it ridiculous or inappropriate. Nazis take over symbols, that has been their modus operandi since their inception. None of this is new.
I’d recommend some googling about the subject.
Steam has had, for a long time already, a massive far-right community. Browse its communities and you’ll see the most deranged racist, transphobic, homophobic posters. The entire SweetBaby harassment campaign started - and as far as I know, is still going - thanks to a huge Steam curator, and there are even more “Anti-Woke” groups explicitly dedicated to harassing minorities. Last year, Hogwarts Legacy had a intense campaign and won the Best Game on Steam Deck award due to the brigading of these “anti-woke” fans - and you most likely can still look into its community to witness their efforts - and there are still those on the Tabletop Simulator communities that are outspoken about the devs “bending the knee” by removing global chat from their game in an effort to reduce harassment against queer people.
Basically, its a cesspool of the worst gaming has to offer, but none of this affects Valve’s bottom line, who continues their usual business practice: Don’t interfere and do the minimum amount of work. Is it illegal? Perhaps not. But their inaction makes it clear that this is a safe spot for hateful conduct.
Not just that, but Anya is completely absent from any of Jimmy’s delusions - save from the disfigured womb creature. Curly, Daisuke, and even Swansea all appear, but Anya is not displayed even in the wall of company IDs that accompany Jimmy in one of his visions.
There is not point where he even considers her as a person.
You’re welcome, not sure what you mean by explicitly textual (as in, I actually don’t understand what you said)
This is a tricky one, RPG and co-op generally don’t mix. Larian games have attempted that a few times, though they’re a deep dive. I’d recommend Original Sin 2 from their selections.
Then there’s hack&slashes, I played Grim Dawn with co-op once, but that’s more of a damage competition than something you really need to think about to progress.
Cassette Beasts added co-op recently, but unfortunately I haven’t had time to try
Then there are games like Borderlands, Dying Light or Dead Island which are far more action-y but do have levelling up and skills to unlock