Is this gaming product too offensive or merely funny?

[Rodrigo Istalindir]

For the record, I am completely against the deletion of people based on the content of their posts, and I wish the Moderators would stop doing it.

Mod's can delete people? Like, *poof* they never existed? Wow. I wanna be a moderator...

 

[Tom Cashel]

I've been forced to reconstitute myself several times. It's not easy.

 

[The_Universe]

I thought it was funny, in a tongue-in-cheek sort of way. If there was anything offensive there, it was SO minor that I didn't bat an eye, and neither did my wife. It's not worth purchasing, but that's just because it's useless in a real game.

 

[palleomortis]

Well, If it was supposed to be a joke, then at least they could have said so.

 

[Rackhir]

Well, I guess one test is if they had written a similar article about male gamers, would you find that offensive? The Horny Acne Scarred Boy - Must make will save not to make obnoxious come on to any women with a 12 or higher charisma. Raincoat Wearer - Must be age 35 or older, must hit on women no older than 17. etc...

There is kind of a flip size to the double standard about sex and part of that is while you can portray men behaving badly when it comes to sexually related stuff, it's taboo to portray women's less savory side. Nobody seems to think that Comic Book Guy in the Simpsons is anything other than funny, but he's not too far off from being a male version of the "Chubby Woman Class".

That said, it does seem like he's venting his spleen at all the bad encounters he's had with women over the years. It is definitely rude and in bad taste, but it has a certain uncomfortable element of truth. Gaming does tend to draw in misfits of both sexes and we are not always the best adjusted of people.

I suspect that getting outraged over something like this is probably counter productive. Products of this sort are hurt far more by being ignored than they are by being protested. That just tends to bring it to the attention of people who enjoy it, especially if they feel its outraging someone.

 

[The_Universe]

A thread at WOTC messageboards describes a Web Enhancement for Mongoose's "Slayer's Guide to Female Gamers" that I personally think crosses the line. To the point that I have written Mongoose and told them so, and that I won't buy stuff from them.

I have been called overly politically correct on that thread. I was wondering what you guys thought. In their defence, it was intended to be humourous.

Here is the link to the thread discussing this:

http://boards1.wizards.com/showthread.php?p=6083464#post6083464

Here is the relevant pdf web enhancement

http://www.mongoosepublishing.com/pdf/female_gamers_web_enhancement.pdf

And here is someone you can write to about it:

sales@mongoosepublishing.com

Just to be clear, here - you actually *read* the book, and got this offended?

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

It doesn't rise to the level of offensive. Lame, sure, but not offensive.

And yeah, the entire book is basically a rip on the issues many male gamers manifest when confronted by something as exotic as a female.

 

[Henry]

Tasteless? yes. Offensive? Not to me, but then, I don't fit the subject. Offensive is in the eye of the beholder.

Would I boycott them for it? No, because I'd rather have people worked up over things, such as The Game Which Shall Not Be Named, or famine, hunger, or pestilence.

 

[Red Baron]

Tasteless? Yes. Badly written? Without question. Offensive? Depends on how sensitive you are. Worth boycotting over? It seems to me that posting about the product here has already given it more press than it deserves.... (Rackhir speaks wisdom, particularly in his final paragraph.)

In fact, I can't help but wonder whether, having posted the links on an internet forum of this nature and knowing the certain effect of doing so, you aren't actually a friend or employee of the offending company or author....?

 

[Crothian]

THat's not even as good as the Slayer's Guide. Every female gamer I know read and liked the guide, but the web enhancement is just blah...not that funny, but not offensive either

Edit: And thanks for providing the e-mail address. I mailed them a nice letter supporting the book and morte like it. Someone in the gaming community needs to try to have fun.