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Post by Jave on May 11, 2011 15:40:43 GMT -5
At least it's something. Zangief isn't exactly bursting with personality.
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Post by zogbog on May 11, 2011 15:41:15 GMT -5
Yea Geif is gay, but that should never need to come up if he's an interesting character because gay isn’t his identity. Also because stereotypes are funny, that’s why the grapplers are big guys, I don’t think it's an issue with female characters since all fighting games follow the same damned template for character design, but mostly because people like attractive characters.
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Post by Deleted on May 11, 2011 15:45:18 GMT -5
I'd just like to see some kind of offiical statement to prove this kind of claim. I'm not against him being gay, it just seems like a very random thing to say, when the games themselves have never shown anything along those lines.
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Post by Ike on May 11, 2011 15:46:25 GMT -5
Video game consumers are overwhelmingly male and overwhelmingly straight.
Straight males like beautiful, sexualized women. Even if they don't want to admit it, men tend to respond positively to attractive women. Sex sells.
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Post by Ike on May 11, 2011 15:48:31 GMT -5
I'd just like to see some kind of offiical statement to prove this kind of claim. I'm not against him being gay, it just seems like a very random thing to say, when the games themselves have never shown anything along those lines. It's because he resembles a stereotype 'bear' gay male and him not being gay would threaten everybody's sexuality I guess.* Regardless of the fact that he's never been mentioned to having a relationship of any kind and it's completely irrelevant to him as a character because his sole purpose for existence is to be a big character in a fighting game series. *you mean, not all gay people act alike? but... but... MY WORLDVIEW |
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Post by munchy on May 11, 2011 15:50:46 GMT -5
It's not really an offensive issue, but I'm kind of mad that American Street Fighter games downplay Zangief's homosexuality or pretend he's not gay. It makes him a way more interesting character! Come on! I don't see the connection here and I never have understood this strangely pervasive argument that a character being gay automatically makes them more "interesting." I personally think it's much more interesting when a character's sexuality is irrelevant or secondary (see Nier.) It leaves the character up to interpretation and doesn't objectify them. Why is Zangief more 'interesting' if he's gay? Is it because him being gay justifies his stereotypical gay 'bear' behavior? Good question. I'd say it would mainly differentiate him a little more from the other... 10? 11? muscle-men that make up the SF2 cast. I don't mean to say that he should be seen banging guys in the ass or something like that, as with Zangief his love seems to be centered on Russia anyway, but it'd make him a little different. (Also, how many "bears" piledrive people on a semi-daily basis?) I'll admit, in my case it would mostly be for hilarity's sake. I tend to like picking characters who people find hideous or offensive in some way. For example, I was chatting with an Akuma player about 3rd Strike, and he claimed he wouldn't play Hugo because "he ugly." It's that sort of reaction I like getting out of people. Since I'm not always so good at fighting games, I gotta troll people somehow. It's also why I love playing as Hakan, Honda, Blanka, Zangief, etc. in SSF4. |
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Post by Jave on May 11, 2011 15:53:54 GMT -5
...but that should never need to come up if he's an interesting character because gay isn’t his identity. It's the difference between gender/sexuality/race/whatever defining or informing a character's identity. If you allow such to define your character, then you've essentially got yourself a one dimensional character, who most likely comes across as a stereotype, because people aren't defined by only one thing about themselves. (Other M says hi) At the same time, people's identity are most definitely informed, even if only very slightly, by all aspects of themselves, and that does include sexuality. To ignore it completely, to me, kind of feels like someone just kind of tacked it on the character at the last minute and didn't think about it at all beyond that. (Dumbledore says hi) I guess this sort of contradicts my previous post... maybe if I don't draw attention to it, no one will notice.  *whistles* |
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Post by Ike on May 11, 2011 15:54:30 GMT -5
So... if he were gay, and his sexuality justified his stereotypes, it would turn him into a walking caricature that you would use to make the people around you uncomfortable because they find him hideous or offensive.
Because he's a big gay guy and they're scary. Awesome.
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Post by Deleted on May 11, 2011 15:56:42 GMT -5
That's it. Sex changes for everyone.
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Post by munchy on May 11, 2011 15:59:47 GMT -5
So... if he were gay, and his sexuality justified his stereotypes, it would turn him into a walking caricature that you would use to make the people around you uncomfortable because they find him hideous or offensive. Because he's a big gay guy and they're scary. Awesome. It's the ugliness that I look for more than anything. What I meant to say was more that Zangief being acknowledged as gay would add some dimension to his character. |
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Post by susanismyalias on May 11, 2011 15:59:56 GMT -5
I think it makes him more interesting as a character. It's just a background tidbit that is nice, like if they were to be like "ryu is deathly afraid of spiders."
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Post by munchy on May 11, 2011 16:03:11 GMT -5
I think it makes him more interesting as a character. It's just a background tidbit that is nice, like if they were to be like "ryu is deathly afraid of spiders." Yeah, this is what I meant. Also, on a somewhat unrelated note, I want future SF games to give Zangief his Cossack dancing super for MotM. |
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Post by megatronbison on May 11, 2011 16:08:17 GMT -5
I think it makes him more interesting as a character. It's just a background tidbit that is nice, like if they were to be like "ryu is deathly afraid of spiders." According to some sticker album I have Ryu IS afraid of spiders! A Mortal Kombat 3 collectors book I have also states that Shang Tsung hates Icecream and his favourite song is "Welcome to my nightmare". Who knew! |
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Post by susanismyalias on May 11, 2011 16:09:08 GMT -5
Hahaha I love it!
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Post by munchy on May 11, 2011 16:15:39 GMT -5
I think it makes him more interesting as a character. It's just a background tidbit that is nice, like if they were to be like "ryu is deathly afraid of spiders." A Mortal Kombat 3 collectors book I have also states that Shang Tsung hates Icecream ! O.O That's awesome. Sounds like the one TMNT concert one of our friends had a tape of where Shredder takes the stage with the rap song "I Hate Music". |
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*whistles*