That they ask challenging questions, that they explore dark subjects, is seen as breaking the rules. It is crucial that art be allowed to tackle topics that are so prevalent in our culture.īut wholesome games aren’t seen as art - they’re seen as relaxing baths, as stress free toys, as an attempt to get away from the drudgery and trauma of our lives to smooch some sexy, sexy swords. Last week, a self-described blackpilled incel was responsible for Britain’s deadliest mass shooting in over a decade. The language Eric uses is similar to your typical blackpilled incel. Boyfriend Dungeon is similar, taking an ostensibly cutesy aesthetic and pushing it to explore darker territories. Paramore’s two funkiest songs, Hard Times and Fake Happy, both deal with depression. People often say Pumped Up Kicks is a feel-good hit, because its catchy melody disguises the fact its lyrics depict a school shooting. Instead, it refers to indie games with a bright or colourful art style, often with queer themes. The problem is wholesome no longer means wholesome. Neither TLOU2, Resi, nor P5 are ‘wholesome games’, however. You are given the option to play without Eric - that option is to not play at all. You are warned what the game is about from the get-go. Eric seems like someone from a minor subplot who then becomes a major character, but that’s how storytelling works. There are a couple of other characters who might reasonably be described as stalkers - though not towards you and to an apparently less extreme degree than Eric - and one of the dungeons focuses on a fear of intimacy. The devs could remove him, with lots of time, effort, and re-writing, but why should they? You aren’t warned that murder is part of the game, yet that happens, and could be argued as triggering. He’s also crucial to a central storyline. While not a dateable weapon, Eric is a core component throughout the game, being an ex of many of your potential beaus, as well as one of just a handful of merchants. You want to play a version of Boyfriend Dungeon that only exists in your head.Įric is integral to the game. But if that’s the case, you don’t want to play Boyfriend Dungeon. People are protesting that they want to play Boyfriend Dungeon, just without Eric. It then goes on to contain stalking and manipulative behaviour. The game warns you immediately that it contains stalking and manipulative behaviour. This sounds flippant, but it isn’t - this is the solution. You play any other game in the world, and Eric won’t be there. Some people, to various degrees, want him to be. Eric has a trigger warning, but is not skippable. Eric then begins to send you creepy texts that are typical of emotional manipulation designed to elicit sympathy, leaves you weird gifts even after you tell him not to - he stalks you and eventually tries to harm you. You are set up on a date with him, but because he’s a) incredibly rude and b) not a sexy, sexy sword, it goes nowhere. The controversy around Boyfriend Dungeon is not the ‘Mom’ texts, but instead a character named Eric. These characters are significantly more involved in the story than Mom, yet no option exists to skip them - and herein lies the issue. My playing of the game isn’t impacted by the option being there, so I see no reason to complain, but if you have traumatic memories associated with a cousin named Jesse, a boyfriend named Isaac, or a girlfriend named Valeria, you’re shit out of luck. She’s a character in the game, the mother of the character you play as. But also, this character is not your mother. Some other people may have just lost their mother, and don’t wish to be reminded of her. Not everyone has a great relationship with their mother, and role playing loving texts from her isn’t everyone’s idea of fun.
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