Am I overreacting? RE: being called a "maricon" by an NPC in a game

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Not my fault you have an inability to read between the lines. Seems to be a common trend in this thread, what with so many people thinking that the issue the OP had is being insulted by an NPC.

*Rolls eyes*
I'm done with this thread. I'm not going to get myself banned responding to stupid "Read between the lines because I can't just say what I mean!" shit.

I'll say, what OP is reacting to isn't unique to this game or the genre as a whole. That's it. Peace
 
*Rolls eyes*
I'm done with this thread. I'm not going to get myself banned responding to stupid "Read between the lines because I can't just say what I mean!" shit.

I'll say, what OP is reacting to isn't unique to this game or the genre as a whole. That's it. Peace
When I mentioned I didn't know you could access post history and said that you not seeing a thing doesn't mean it didn't exist I thought I was being pretty clear.

Good bye!
 
Yes, maricon is really offensive to gay people on Chile, but like most slangs here, it is mostly used between friends (Usually its used like "no seas maricon"= "dont be a fag/pussy" )

There was a big and polemic TV ad with some famous gay people saying "Maricon es el que maltrata a una mujer" "Fag is the one who abuse a woman"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kvBCbbpiNh0
 
Tony Montana says it countless times. Good movie. The word is filthy tho I personally do not like hearing it. I'm Spanish
 
Would the word faggot be acceptable in a game? I'm not sure.


Maricon definitely means faggot. But it is also used among many people, especially Colombians and Venezuelans as the word "Dude" like "Oye como estas maricon?" Or "No jodas marica!" which is a derivative of the word maricon. It's like how American friends say "What up bitch!"


I understand your reaction to it. For all the vulgarities in these games, it would strike me as weird to hear an NPC say faggot in GTAV for example.

EDIT: Also, I feel like maricon is definitely in the same tier as the word faggot. Although in spanish, it can sound a little more playful, or even endearing among friends. It's *slightly* below faggot in terms of vulgarity.
 
If the npc is hispanic and either first or second generation, he'd probably say maricon instead of faggot. So OP, give the npc a chance to have kids. They'll be the ones to say faggot.

Lived next to mexican vatos in Los Angeles for as long as I can remember as a kid and they used maricon among other words daily to each other.
 
It's basically the same as saying faggot in English, with the other connotation being that one isn't brave enough to do something and wimping out.

Source: I'm from Peru.

Most people use the second connotation of it. Make of that what you will.
 
Well, most open world games typically don't have NPCs actively insult and bother the player. Mafia 3 and this are modern exceptions, and maybe the beginning of a trend?
It's absolutely a trend in my opinion.
IMO it offers an interesting opportunity to roleplay and empathize beyond the traditional white male power fantasy video games provide. Not having played Watch Dogs 2, the particular word tells me a lot about the person speaking it and their thoughts on the player.

Was it intentional? I seriously doubt it. But it got us talking.

Just like Mafia 3 was able to confront the player with what it feels like to be the intended target of an incredibly loaded slur, having someone call you "maricon" on the street is something that happens - in real life! - and reinforces the avatar's otherness in an unexpected way.

Do you suppose the player would be more or less likely to casually toss around the word after having it used against them while occupying their avatar's shoes?
Could be optimism or simply naiveté, but I think it's very possible it was intentional. 1. I think it's a trend and 2. I guess I have more faith in Ubi's and the industry's creators.
I think it's a stretch to think anyone is taking any big moral lessons away from our M-rated open world destruction games. It's not like people get shot and think we shouldn't go to war ever again (BF1 is doing good work in that way).
I think thinking like this can cause creative stagnation. People could be taking bigger lessons away from these kinds of games, and I think they should because like films they have the largest audiences respectively. I particularly resent this because I already have learned lots of things from games—some things even big. Admittedly, I'm young so anything I consume now ought to be more formative.

Still, violent open-world games like The Witcher and Fallout have made me contemplate my own morality many a time. What's more, I think more games could be doing that more often and more effectively—perhaps so effective as to influence older people with world views more established and/or ingrained.
 
Maricon can also mean pussy as in being a pussy, not vagina. It's a fairly common insult and not as bad as its translation. There are other worse words for "faggot" in Spanish.
 
And for everyone saying "maricon" just means "sissy" or the more overt "pussy," didn't Americans use to say the same thing about "faggot" and using "gay" negatively? I'm not Latino but it sounds like a cut and dry slur to me.
 
Jesus Christ, what am I reading here. OP is not upset about being insulted by a computer game character, he's upset that homophobic slurs are being used as generic "you clipped into an NPC civillian" reaction dialogue.

Generic NPCs using faggot as a random insult is totally not cool. You don't just put that in your game.
 
Just looked up the ESRB rating and what do I see?

Content Descriptors: Blood, Intense Violence, Nudity, Sexual Themes, Strong Language, Use of Drugs

Sooooo yeah, there's going to be strong language. The context of said strong language isn't owed to the player, all you are entitled to know is that said language exists somewhere in the game.
 
Unless it's literally the devs coming out of the game to call you a slur taking any offence is kind of overreacting. You bumped into an asshole npc who said an asshole thing in this 18 rated game where people regularly try and kill you rather than insinuating your gay as an insult, doesn't seem out of place really.
 
I think you need to learn about machismo in Latino and Hispanic culture.

Sadly, it's a reflection and not just done for kicks, or chat abuse.
 
I see absolutely nothing wrong with a character portrayed as a scumbag using slurs. If they were portrayed as some hero or something, then yeah I'd have a problem with it.

Please note before people start their bullshit: I'm not freaking out about this or losing any sleep, I'm asking if people find it odd. I just can't imagine other slurs being "okay" like this apparently is.

Why wouldn't they be okay? Again, this is not supposed to be a "good" person.
 
This is how some people talk. I don't think that we should entirely remove things that reflect reality of how awful people can be. I presume it wasn't used in a lighthearted or joking manner so I don't see it as a problem in the proper context.

Pretty sure enemies in Max Payne 3 used a lot of heavy Portugese slurs too.
 
LOL Ubi need to offer a Safe Space mode apparently.

OhutEbl.jpg
 
Seems people are playing daft here and don't get that the language NPCs use in GTAV for example, doesn't go into slur territory with faggot, n word, etc. OP doesn't seem shocked by NPCs being assholes as that is common since Spider-Man 2 on PS2. OP is correctly pointing out the using slurs as street trash talk in games is odd in that it is quite uncommon. OP didn't complain about the NPC not being nice and to suggest so is just avoiding the actual topic.

Getting called names is common, but the category of name is unusual in this case and heavier in some ways.

In that case, that's a problem with the genre and we're only now getting to more realism. REALLY drive home the fact that some of these NPCs are assholes, and slurs do just that.
 
Why not? It happens in real life. It's happening right now. If anything, portrayals like in Mafia 3 and Watch Dogs 2 are only going to increase in the coming years.

the nature of video games means it's going to be constant. unless someone comes up with procedurally generated insults. so it's actually not very realistic.

it's also lazy writing. these people use slurs so you know they're the Bad Guys!
 
the nature of video games means it's going to be constant. unless someone comes up with procedurally generated insults. so it's actually not very realistic.

it's also lazy writing. these people use slurs so you know they're the Bad Guys!
That was my thought, too. This sort of basic characterization to generate heat was already seen as passé and stupid in pro wrestling by 2010.
 
lmfao jesus christ OP

I'd advise you to never play any rated game because your character may get called names. Shit, T games aren't safe!
 
I think art that makes you feel exclusively good is often shitty art. This is why writers "kill" characters you like, gross you out, shock you, scare you, and maybe even hurl slurs at you. It can be a message. Not always an effective or necessary one—maybe at this point most of the time not. But if everything is always non-stop masturbation everyone's going to get the chafing to end all chafing. Most people already stick their heads in the sand to what's really going on in the world, and if all the media they so sparsely consume enables that we're on the path to total sedation.

Everything in moderation.
 
the nature of video games means it's going to be constant. unless someone comes up with procedurally generated insults. so it's actually not very realistic.

it's also lazy writing. these people use slurs so you know they're the Bad Guys!

Well, to be fair, recently at gaming side there was a thread about a person who was shocked at the levels of asshole Cid from Final Fantasy 7 is and couldn't believe he was meant to be one of the good guys.

So some people seem to only be able to handle that level of hamfisted characterization.
 
Pretty sure some npc's in San Andreas said the same thing. Personally, I think it is part of the (over the top) world building. NPC's are often over the top assholes so the player has a reason to misbehave in the world.

Edit: upon searching, yes, the ai in GTA:SA said this as well, I wondered where I knew this slur from, it's probably GTA.

http://gta.wikia.com/wiki/Dialogues_in_GTA_San_Andreas
 
the nature of video games means it's going to be constant. unless someone comes up with procedurally generated insults. so it's actually not very realistic.

it's also lazy writing. these people use slurs so you know they're the Bad Guys!
Wasn't it a random npc? Cause for them simple, hyper characterised lines are best since they might be able to get one out before they de spawn from the game forever when the character walks far enough away. It's a singular interaction designed to colour the world rather than create a character.
 
It is a homophobic slur, no way around it. Any meaning of this word you intend to use boils down to the stereotype of homosexuals being weak and effeminate. That said, if this is a mature game that depicts hispanic thugs, this and worse are to be expected for the sake of realism. I personally don't care for that sort of realism so I stick with Pokemon and Mario Bros, and maybe so should you
 
I guess that living in Texas I'm more exposed to Latin American and Mexican slang. This word is absolutely thrown around all the time, and is often used as a term of endearment between my Colombian and Venezuelan friends.

IMO if a game is striving for realism, it shouldn't shy away from the less savory aspects of the city it's simulating. If I'm going to have realistic physics when I run over someone or shoot them in the head, knees, etc, why shouldn't their behavior strive for the same gritty realism?
That said, I'm not advocating for all games to be gritty or realistic. Luckily, there are tons of games out there that don't attempt to be gritty or realistic.
 
Would you guys feel the same thing if the game was calling the player a hard ER N word?
Wtf is this? Call me a nigger in a game, idgaf. We get called a nigger all the time in online games anyway, why would being called one by an NPC all of a sudden make me upset? Just kill the NPC, problem solved. Idk how anyone can be so upset at a game rated M, this ain't for everyone
 
Edit: upon searching, yes, the ai in GTA:SA said this as well, I wondered where I knew this slur from, it's probably GTA.

I first remember hearing it in the 1993 hit Mark Dacascos film Only the Strong, as delivered by rough and tumble teenaged hoodlum Orlando.
 
Wtf is this? Call me a nigger in a game, idgaf. We get called a nigger all the time in online games anyway, why would being called one by an NPC all of a sudden make me upset? Just kill the NPC, problem solved. Idk how anyone can be so upset at a game rated M, this ain't for everyone
Media normalizes the use of language. Movies were far more cavalier with the word faggot 20 years ago, coincidentally so was society.
 
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