Pointless Arguments 101

Just because you won't stop, doesn't mean I can't try and make you.

lindsayetumbls:

when i hear someone mention star trek

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When Nella and Dan start talking about Star Trek

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(Source: shesdonejim)

Why You’re Wrong About a Female Doctor | Doctor Who TV

I was overwhelmed to discover a huge number of people who think a female Doctor should never be considered for Who.

After reading an article equating becoming a woman with being the dumbest kid in class, I felt I had to submit a rebuttal.

It did not go well, but I consider it a badge of honor to have upset some of the most hilariously sexist people I’ve ever been unfortunate enough to share a fandom with.

Simon Pegg's NSFW defense of J.J. Abrams' controversial lens flare

Geek of the people, slayer of the zombie horde, and the man who would be Scotty, Simon Pegg, has a bone to pick with critics and he’s not holding back.

What’s frustrating is that, after I took the time to consider Pegg’s comments about the lens flare debate and then gave a reasoned response for why I didn’t agree with him, most people still sided with the him anyway even though he just flipped the proverbial bird at anyone who dared to disagree with him.

Is it so much to ask that we not reward people for smugly cursing at people all while refusing to accept any criticism whatsoever?

hello-the-future:

Just in time to follow up my Advice For Musicians post from yesterday, the video of me moderating the Going Pro panel at MAGFest XI went online.

Watch me ask all the insightful questions.

Also, we talk about taxes.

——

Panel participants:

Dan Roth - http://twitter.com/projectiledan - http://www.brentalflossthecomic.com/
Brent Black - http://twitter.com/brentalfloss - http://brentalfloss.com
Lewis Lovhaug - http://twitter.com/Linkara19 - http://atopfourthwall.blogspot.com
Lindsay Ellis - http://twitter.com/thelindsayellis - http://chezapocalypse.com
Todd Nathanson - http://twitter.com/ShadowTodd - http://chezapocalypse.com
Mike Dodd - http://twitter.com/BirdmanDodd - http://www.thisweekingeek.net/
Holly Christine - http://twitter.com/gookygox - http://tgwtg.com

Filmed by David Ganssle - http://twitter.com/doggans - http://doggans.com

gamefreaksnz: Nothing Changes by *TomPreston Since this strip is getting traded around a lot suddenly, I figured now is as good a time as any to expound in more detail what I was driving at when I wrote it. So, first of all, no, this is not a truly direct correlation. As many have pointed out, you don’t have to buy an arcade cabinet in order to play the game contained within. But analogies can still be drawn. Most notably, that coin-op games and add-on content can be used for good or ill, often in a very similar fashion. In the 70’s and 80’s, plenty of arcade cabinets gave you solid gameplay bang for your quarter buck. Likewise, there are maps and quests that are unquestionably worth an extra few dollars on top of the price you already paid for a console title or app. But there are always those who will take advantage. Plenty of arcade games were epic quarter eaters, ones designed where it didn’t matter how hard you practiced, you were still going to die. A lot. That often became the primary goal. It wasn’t so much about you having a lot of fun, so much as it was about getting as much money out of your parents as humanly possible in the shortest period of time. Smash TV is a perfect example. It’s certainly enjoyable in the ‘kids love blood and violence’ way, but death came swiftly, even for the most experienced players. Within an hour, it was easy for most kids to drop $10 or more. Likewise, micro transactions can be absolutely wretched in execution. Final Fantasy; All The Bravest is a perfect example. While the core game itself is very cheap, there’s no shortage of excuses to get you to keep paying. In order to progress at a normal pace, you have to keep buying potions and, if you want your favorite characters, well you’ve got to plunk down coin for that, too. And the game isn’t even that fun. It’s just mind-numbing enough to get you to keep spending without thinking. What can make micro transactions worse than coin-ops is that, if a parent has their credit card info already plugged into their phone or tablet, a child who doesn’t understand how money works could very easily wind up spending far more than $10 in an hour. But coin-ops and micro transactions aren’t the only form of gamer extortion. Before online FAQ’s existed, games were purposefully made to be so hard that a player would be forced to either purchase a strategy guide or, worse, call a 900 number tip line specifically designed to keep you on as long as possible to guarantee you pay through the nose. If there’s one thing about add-ons and modern day micro-transactions that are more unique, it is that they provide time for game developers to produce better content without going broke in the process. How often in the past has a producer had to push out a sequel in order to keep the money rolling? Constantly, friend. Constantly. Now, a smarter developer can concentrate on creating smaller, additional content for one existing game that they can seed out slowly as they produce their next major title. The result is the equivalent of having your cake and eating it, too. Gamers get added content for a game they already like (granted, for an additional fee) and developers get to keep making money so they don’t have to rush out a sequel that will, undoubtedly, be inferior specifically because of the rush. So my conclusion is very much the same as what I was saying in the initial comic — it’s foolish to assume micro transactions are automatically some opportunistic scheme and then extol the virtues of classic gaming as though gamers weren’t getting ripped off back in the good old days, too.

gamefreaksnz:

Nothing Changes by *TomPreston

Since this strip is getting traded around a lot suddenly, I figured now is as good a time as any to expound in more detail what I was driving at when I wrote it.

So, first of all, no, this is not a truly direct correlation. As many have pointed out, you don’t have to buy an arcade cabinet in order to play the game contained within.

But analogies can still be drawn. Most notably, that coin-op games and add-on content can be used for good or ill, often in a very similar fashion.

In the 70’s and 80’s, plenty of arcade cabinets gave you solid gameplay bang for your quarter buck. Likewise, there are maps and quests that are unquestionably worth an extra few dollars on top of the price you already paid for a console title or app.

But there are always those who will take advantage. Plenty of arcade games were epic quarter eaters, ones designed where it didn’t matter how hard you practiced, you were still going to die. A lot. That often became the primary goal. It wasn’t so much about you having a lot of fun, so much as it was about getting as much money out of your parents as humanly possible in the shortest period of time. Smash TV is a perfect example. It’s certainly enjoyable in the ‘kids love blood and violence’ way, but death came swiftly, even for the most experienced players. Within an hour, it was easy for most kids to drop $10 or more.

Likewise, micro transactions can be absolutely wretched in execution. Final Fantasy; All The Bravest is a perfect example. While the core game itself is very cheap, there’s no shortage of excuses to get you to keep paying. In order to progress at a normal pace, you have to keep buying potions and, if you want your favorite characters, well you’ve got to plunk down coin for that, too. And the game isn’t even that fun. It’s just mind-numbing enough to get you to keep spending without thinking.

What can make micro transactions worse than coin-ops is that, if a parent has their credit card info already plugged into their phone or tablet, a child who doesn’t understand how money works could very easily wind up spending far more than $10 in an hour.

But coin-ops and micro transactions aren’t the only form of gamer extortion. Before online FAQ’s existed, games were purposefully made to be so hard that a player would be forced to either purchase a strategy guide or, worse, call a 900 number tip line specifically designed to keep you on as long as possible to guarantee you pay through the nose.

If there’s one thing about add-ons and modern day micro-transactions that are more unique, it is that they provide time for game developers to produce better content without going broke in the process.

How often in the past has a producer had to push out a sequel in order to keep the money rolling? Constantly, friend. Constantly. Now, a smarter developer can concentrate on creating smaller, additional content for one existing game that they can seed out slowly as they produce their next major title.

The result is the equivalent of having your cake and eating it, too. Gamers get added content for a game they already like (granted, for an additional fee) and developers get to keep making money so they don’t have to rush out a sequel that will, undoubtedly, be inferior specifically because of the rush.

So my conclusion is very much the same as what I was saying in the initial comic — it’s foolish to assume micro transactions are automatically some opportunistic scheme and then extol the virtues of classic gaming as though gamers weren’t getting ripped off back in the good old days, too.

lindsayetumbls:

bombsfall:

A quick editorial cartoon about the intersection of self-pity, entitlement, rape, territoriality, misogyny and fear of women. You see it all over the place online in the form of Men’s Rights Activists (of whom there are a few reasonable non-misogynists), Men Going Their Own Way, Pick Up Artists, and dudes touting the “Red Pill”, because The Matrix is a good movie. Look any of these up if you have the stomach for it. These are extreme examples, but watered-down forms of these ideas are everywhere.

In lurking their blogs and youtube channels for a while, I’ve noticed that beyond the standard patriarchal chauvinism there is this deep fear of women - what they will do to me, how they will reject me, how they will use me, how they are changing society in a way that does not favor me, how they are making men into something I don’t like, how they are making themselves into something I don’t like, that they won’t give me what I want, and that they won’t give me what I think is rightfully mine. This goes beyond fear of feminism- this is fear of women at its purest. And that, to quote a puppet, leads to anger and hate. It’s sad.

I am a feminist. I think there’s enough ice cream to go around, but it does mean those of us with 3 scoops might have to give one or two up. Also, The Matrix is a fun movie but probably not anything you should be basing a philosophy on.

While I like the cartoon, I think the zero-sum game attitude is false and another systemic notion that needs to die a thousand deaths. Any measure of equality isn’t robbing the “nice guys” of the world of anything. No one has to give up any scoops, although it might seem that way to the whiners.

Also, LOVE the bit about the Matrix. ;)

I think part of this misandry stems from the false notion that there’s even any proverbial ice cream to be stolen. Women having equality does not mean men will somehow be diminished.  

Right now we aren’t scooping from the same metaphorical pint. There’s the man pint (heh heh, ‘man pint’) which is about the size of a thunder dome whereas, by comparison, the wimmens get a pint that’s, well, the size of a pint of ice cream.

TL;DR Just give women a thunder dome. Women love thunder domes. And like another tasty treat, jello, there’s always room for more.

airspaniel:

cauda-pavonis:

mallamun:

gatisss:

jesusfuck

I don’t know where this is from, but…

Between this and that Toyota commercial-

Man, I hope genderfuckery of this highly attractive magnitude just INVADES popular media until privileged heteronormative cismen who unthinkingly dominate the world around them through objectification of women and shaming of homosexuality are forced to think.

Forced to think because when they see an attractive ass in panties, they can no longer instinctively flap their dicks at it and say, “I’d own that” without having to think about gender or sexuality. Torn between their habit of reflexively objectifying women and gay-shaming themselves and others, they would have no choice but to open their eyes a little wider and actually think about the people they share the world with instead of living in a neverending reel of imagery that reinforces a narrow reality where they are king.

I would comment intelligently but I am too busy being turned on, brb.

Oh my god, if I ever undressed a well-dressed man and this was what was underneath, he would be getting the workout of his life.

New life goal — get myself into shape where I will look good in ladies underthings, thus to give my wife epic bonerses.

(Source: eberles)

lindsayetumbls:

I miss Europe.

I’ve never actually met Europe, but I heard he thinks he’s all cool cuz he can talk French and shit, but really he’s just a stinky dude with spotty facial hair who smokes too much.

Also uncircumcised.

lindsayetumbls: Superheroines… in PANTS?? via chezapocalypse.com While writing this, I kept thinking of how my favorite version of Supergirl was the one from the 70’s with the poet sleeves and tap pants. Some might call that sad. It is.

lindsayetumbls:

Superheroines… in PANTS?? via chezapocalypse.com

While writing this, I kept thinking of how my favorite version of Supergirl was the one from the 70’s with the poet sleeves and tap pants. Some might call that sad. It is.