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[Darkmakaimura]

When you realize how many video games are inspired by the works of HP Lovecraft, if the man was still alive he might be absolutely thrilled to see how popular his works have become.

 

[Quixz]

Or he would sue all the copycats

 

[Hohenheim]

He surely had 99 insight.

 

[SJRB]

Honestly if he was alive today he would’ve been cancelled years ago.

But yeah he probably would enjoy Bloodborne.

 

[The Cockatrice]

Interesting that society accepts movies/games/shows based on his work considering he was a racist.

 

[Angry_Megalodon]

Like Tesla (the real one), this is a guy whose work started to get recognition by mainstream entertainment just 20 years ago. Better late than never.

Interesting that society accepts movies/games/shows based on his work considering he was a racist.

He was a racist in a racist society. This is as silly as calling the old Romans Slavicists.

 

[DelireMan7]

Interesting that society accepts movies/games/shows based on his work considering he was a racist.

In the context of his era and society, it was "normal" behavior to be racist.

You can't transpose his view to our era without context.

 

[Darkmakaimura]

Like Tesla (the real one), this is a guy whose work started to get recognition by mainstream entertainment just 20 years ago. Better late than never.



He was a racist in a racist society. This is as silly as calling the old Romans Slavicists.

Oh I would say more than 20 years ago. I think it started around when the Call of Cthulhu tabletop role playing game came out in the early eighties.

 

[Spank_Magnet]

There is evidence that his racism began to subside later in life, especially after his marriage to Sonia Greene (who was indeed Jewish).
HPL was something of a walking contradiction; an avowed royalist with many socialist tendencies, a reputation as a shut-in but he travelled the US extensively, a “recluse“ who sent as many as 20 letters a day to many correspondents.

 

[Gaiff]

Like Tesla (the real one), this is a guy whose work started to get recognition by mainstream entertainment just 20 years ago. Better late than never.



He was a racist in a racist society. This is as silly as calling the old Romans Slavicists.

In the context of his era and society, it was "normal" behavior to be racist.

You can't transpose his view to our era without context.

Even by the standards of his time, he was a virulent racist. His wife said that he would seethe when they walked in mixed crowds. Lovecraft wasn’t your average racist that was merely a product of the time. He was several levels above.

He did mellow out later in life but presenting him as just being the result of his environment is somewhat inaccurate.

 

[Spank_Magnet]

Even by the standards of his time, he was a virulent racist. His wife said that he would seethe when they walked in mixed crowds. Lovecraft wasn’t your average racist that was merely a product of the time. He was several levels above.

I think he had a lot of neuroses that didn’t Help his racism.

 

[Gojiira]

If you cant separate the Man from the Art then sorry but your the problem…Just move on…His stories are influential thats all that matters.
Personally the only game or whatever I think he would appreciate is Bloodborne since its the closest to really grasping his concepts, most other Lovecraft inspired stuff is just ‘omg fish prople!’ ‘Omg look look theres cthulhu!’…

 

[The Cockatrice]

He was a racist in a racist society.

In the context of his era and society, it was "normal" behavior to be racist.

Irrelevant in modern times. People have been canceled for things that were acceptable years ago. You're also both missing my point, which is I dont give a fuck. I was just pointing out that it was interesting that he wasnt canceled.

 

[Gaiff]

If you cant separate the Man from the Art then sorry but your the problem…Just move on…His stories are influential thats all that matters.
Personally the only game or whatever I think he would appreciate is Bloodborne since its the closest to really grasping his concepts, most other Lovecraft inspired stuff is just ‘omg fish prople!’ ‘Omg look look theres cthulhu!’…

I can. I just think cosmic horror is kind of shit, so I don’t care much for is influence.

 

[Physiognomonics]

Bloodborne been the best recent Lovecraft game out there. The game is nailing the atmosphere of some books. But the best one is the first Alone in the Dark, not the remake.

Like Tesla (the real one), this is a guy whose work started to get recognition by mainstream entertainment just 20 years ago. Better late than never.



He was a racist in a racist society. This is as silly as calling the old Romans Slavicists.

Indeed. Nowadays western countries are proud not be be racist overall (and the western civilization is the first one actually ending slavery, the republican party in US for instance fought hard against the democrats to end slavery ) but endemic racism is still the case in many countries around the world. I have read real studies showing the objectively less "racist" countries were western countries and the most "racist" were in Africa sadly.

 

[Werewolf Jones]

Make a black person in my Bloodborne playthrough would make him go insane.

 

[Skifi28]

Irrelevant in modern times. People have been canceled for things that were acceptable years ago. You're also both missing my point, which is I dont give a fuck. I was just pointing out that it was interesting that he wasnt canceled.

How do you cancel someone that is dead? Pretty sure his boss can't fire him.

 

[The Cockatrice]

How do you cancel someone that is dead? Pretty sure his boss can't fire him.

You cancel his work ofc.

 

[Skifi28]

You cancel his work ofc.

They are welcome to try, but he's been selling books for 100 years and inspiring anything from other book authors to movies and videogames to the point his name is its own genre of horror. Sounds like a waste of time, but I wouldn't mind seeing a few purple hairs being triggered for failing I guess.

 

[Gaiff]

Irrelevant in modern times. People have been canceled for things that were acceptable years ago. You're also both missing my point, which is I dont give a fuck. I was just pointing out that it was interesting that he wasnt canceled.

What’s interesting about that? He died in 1937. Even if he had been cancelled, hundreds of authors carry his legacy anyway.

 

[SirTerry-T]

Darkest Dungeon was released before Bloodborne...by about a month

And also...

Infocom's "The Lurking Horror"
The original Alone In The Dark

I once worked with a small startup where we were trying to get a Lovecraftian game off the ground.
We pitched it to a guy from Interplay (name escapes me) who absolutely loved the concept and early vertical slice that had been created but unfortunately this was the era of Quake, Doom and all that gritty sci fi shooter stuff so his business head had to say "No".
Shame, there's so much you could do with the cosmic horror genre.

 

[The Cockatrice]

What’s interesting about that? He died in 1937. Even if he had been cancelled, hundreds of authors carry his legacy anyway.

Read above, obv Im talking about his work.

Then are welcome to try, but he's been selling books for 100 years and inspiring anything from other book authors to movies and videogames to the point his name is its own genre of horror. Sounds like a waste of time, but I wouldn't mind seeing a few purple hairs being triggered for failing I guess.

I agree, like I said, nothing against it, I love HP Lovecraft stuff, just kinda weird his work got a pass with the far lefties.

 

[Cyberpunkd]

Honestly if he was alive today he would’ve been cancelled years ago.

And rightfully so. Probably most extreme case of “separate the author from his work” except probably Wagner.

 

[Cyberpunkd]

He was a racist in a racist society. This is as silly as calling the old Romans Slavicists.

He was much more than that. Also considering French Revolution happened more than a century before you cannot argue he had no chance of being exposed to different views.

Racial segregation in “the land of the free” always made me go WTF in history class. Like, US was one of the last countries to get rid of it.

 

[Mr Hyde]

I think Lovecraft would've been very proud, especially since he himself wasn't very confident in his writing due to the weirdness of it. He never thought his writing would be popular. But it's not just video games and movies based on his work that is carrying his legacy forward, tons of authors have been inspired by him and wrote similar things. Stephen King probably owe his whole career to Lovecraft considering how much he stole from him. HP was way ahead of his time.

Bloodborne is probably the best work of art that is based on Lovecraft, mostly because it wasn't directly adapted from one of his stories, but mainly influenced by it. I think that game really put Lovecraft back in the limelight due to how popular Dark Souls was at the time and how hyped BB was. The cosmic twist was very well done and kudos to From Software and Sony for keeping it under wraps.

Aside from Miyazaki, I think the one person who deserves praise for bringing Lovecraft's work into popular culture is filmmaker Stuart Gordon. He made a ton of movies based on Lovecraft, with varying results, but the man was dedicated and respected the source material, something modern filmmakers seem to not care about. Re-Animator is the reason I fell in love with Lovecraft. I saw it when I was 10 years old and it was so fascinating that I started reading some of his novellas. In my later teens I saw Dagon and thought it was really good, which led me to seek out Shadow over Innsmouth which Dagon is based on. And so it continued. Today I'm a huge fan of HP Lovecraft. Ive read all of his stories, seen most of the films based on his work and played most of the games, aside from some PC exclusives, like Dark corners of the earth.

 

[Gaiff]

Read above, obv Im talking about his work.

Yes, I know you are, which is what I asked what is interesting about the fact that he hasn't been cancelled. Most racist artists from 80+ years ago haven't been cancelled. Lovecraft is no exception.

 

[poppabk]

And rightfully so. Probably most extreme case of “separate the author from his work” except probably Wagner.

HG Wells makes Lovecraft look like a DEI consultant.

 

[winjer]

Interesting that society accepts movies/games/shows based on his work considering he was a racist.

True, but at the time everyone was a racist.
We can't project our modern ethical standards to older generations.

 

[simpatico]

When you realize how many video games are inspired by the works of HP Lovecraft, if the man was still alive he might be absolutely thrilled to see how popular his works have become.

Considering what they done to his works, I think it's a horror twist that even he couldn't see coming. I would say if he could see what's become of his legacy he'd wish he never wrote anything down at all.

 

[Zathalus]

Who knows, dude was afraid of air conditioning so maybe games would freak him the fuck out.

 

[The Cockatrice]

Yes, I know you are, which is what I asked what is interesting about the fact that he hasn't been cancelled. Most racist artists from 80+ years ago haven't been cancelled. Lovecraft is no exception.

Yeah I know, just that its interesting because racism hasnt been eradicated and its quite common all over the world. Columbus was canceled.

 

[KiteGr]

The guy was terrified of everything that wasn't his home, thus his racism and his talent for scary stories.
Keeping him alive to see our world would be more of a torture.

 

[Hudo]

Alone in the Dark (the original one from 1992) is still the best lovecraftian game ever (I know that they never directly use his stuff but it's obvious)

 

[Duchess]

Columbus was canceled.

To be fair, Columbus was also an absolute arsehole to pretty much everyone!

 

[Werewolf Jones]

HG Wells makes Lovecraft look like a DEI consultant.

You gotta give me the lore on this one.

 

[The Cockatrice]

To be fair, Columbus was also an absolute arsehole to pretty much everyone!

Most famous people are.

 

[winjer]

To be fair, Columbus was also an absolute arsehole to pretty much everyone!

Even for the time, he was such a bad person, that when complains about his treatment of the settlers and the natives reached the Spanish crown, he was imprisoned and removed of his title of Admiral of the Ocean Sea, his Viceroy and Governorship.
In the 1500, people didn't have the same ethics as we have today. But Columbo's and his brothers were so evil, that people from the era were shocked at his crimes.

 

[Skifi28]

Even for the time, he was such a bad person, that when complains about his treatment of the settlers and the natives reached the Spanish crown, he was imprisoned and removed of his title of Admiral of the Ocean Sea, his Viceroy and Governorship.
In the 1500, people didn't have the same ethics as we have today. But Columbo's and his brothers were so evil, that people from the era were shocked at his crimes.

Can we cancel him and un-discover America please? Those of you that live there, sorry but you don't eixst now.

 

[winjer]

Can we cancel him and un-discover America please? Those of you that live there, sorry but you don't eixst now.

But that is the worst part. He didn't discover America.
The natives got there, through the Beringia straight. Through several immigration waves, throughout several centuries.
The Vikings got there a few centuries earlier. There is physical evidence in North America.
There are suspicions that there was the occasional trade ship between Africa and South America.
The Portuguese probably got to Brasil first, because they demanded 500 more nautical miles during the negotiations for the Treaty of Tordesillas. Which the Spanish gladly agreed to, because they though there was only sea there.
There are indications that the Chinese got to South America, half a century before Columbus.
And the whole continent isn't even named after him, but after Amerigo Vespucci. Who reached the continent, a year later. But unlike Columbus, Vespucci did know he had reached a new continent.

And it gets worst, because he was such a dumb ass, on top of all that.
He never realized he had found a new continent, so he died thinking it was some islands in east Asia.
Worst yet, he named them the West Indies, because in his reasoning, he set to the west.
But even if there was no American Continent, had he reached Asia, he would have reached the East most part of it. So it should be the East Indies.

 

[Krathoon]

I always found the "shun the racists" mentality to be silly. If they are not hostile or violent about it, just accept that flaw.

The problem is when they actually try to do something about it, like Hitler.

 

[Wildebeest]

It's out of copyright and horror fans buy any old guff, so why not make more.

 

[CherryFalls]

google hp lovecraft's cat name

 

[rabbity-thing]

I always found the "shun the racists" mentality to be silly. If they are not hostile or violent about it, just accept that flaw.

The problem is when they actually try to do something about it, like Hitler.

Racism deserves to be shunned. There is no such thing as non-hostile racism. The very act of believing someone is better or lesser because of something profoundly trivial, like visibly differing physical characteristics, is a hostile act. I don't care if it's your racist grammy, you tell her that those racism thoughts are garbage and that she needs to quit those bigoted ways. Don't just accept the flaw. People like Hitler were able to do something horrible because of all those "non-hostile" rallying behind him.

Racism sucks. Call it out. Drive it back into the shadows.

 

[Krathoon]

Racism deserves to be shunned. There is no such thing as non-hostile racism. The very act of believing someone is better or lesser because of something profoundly trivial, like visibly differing physical characteristics, is a hostile act. I don't care if it's your racist grammy, you tell her that those racism thoughts are garbage and that she needs to quit those bigoted ways. Don't just accept the flaw. People like Hitler were able to do something horrible because of all those "non-hostile" rallying behind him.

Racism sucks. Call it out. Drive it back into the shadows.

As long as they are not doing anything about it, there is nothing to worry about. No need to tell off Grandma.

 

[kiphalfton]

This thread is now about racist historical figures apparently.

 

[poppabk]

You gotta give me the lore on this one.

It's actually kinda complicated because Wells was very progressive but with some tendencies towards a Lenin and Stalin 'we might need some pogroms to fix things' kind of thinking.