Player Inclusiveness?

[pslim]

I have been playing Nodiatis for a little while, and it seems like an interesting idea for how to handle a browser-based RPG. I usually find browser-based games a bit disappointing, but Nodiatis seems more promising than the usual experience.

Unfortunately it's unlikely that I'll go very far with it, since I'm constantly being reminded by the mostly-naked, chained damsels, breathy female narrator, gender-specific class descriptions and so on that this game assumes that I am a heterosexual male. I appreciate that it wants to have a "mature" atmosphere, and sexiness is certainly all right with me, but I don't really understand why it's necessary to alienate a huge swath of potential players. When I play a game that relates to me as though I couldn't possibly be anything other than a heterosexual male, I feel as though I'm not welcome, and despite what the developers and some happily welcomed heterosexual males my suspect, there are quite a large number of RPG gamers who don't fit that profile.

Female gamers and gay gamers have been putting up with this for years. When everybody was doing it, you couldn't really blame any particular game for not wanting to stick its neck out and risk the potential backlash, even though it would have been the right thing to do. Nowadays, though, it comes across as either an intentional rejection of everyone who isn't the stereotypical gamer, or cultural obliviousness.

Is this merely an oversight, something nobody considered? Or am I and all the other players who aren't heterosexual males in actual fact not welcome?

[Lurkee]

Daeronryuujin is in civil 24/7. He'll give you what the princess cannot.

[hotshot64]

Originally Posted by Lurkee

Daeronryuujin is in civil 24/7. He'll give you what the princess cannot.

Am not. I work 8 hours a day you know! I'm only on civil 24/2 and 16/5.

[hotshot64]

Also, the game is a few years old I'm afraid, and most of it isn't easily changed with the small team Glitchless has. I can understand your concerns, but I'm thinking probably not easy to change. I'd be more worried about being alienated in chat tbh.

[Jadakris]

It is the typical save the princess storyline..

[Thanatonian]

its a role playing game not a frigging twilight zone portal where u'll be transported to a sexy princess and then be stumped at what to do with her.
Chill!

[marzus]

Am i getting it right or you try to say that we need a gay prince chained along with the princess so we can have from where to pick ?

[>.>]

I think you are reading far too into it. The half naked princess is supposed to be the initial draw, cheap as it may be, but it has little to no bearing on the game really. The voice of the princess was only recently added and not to entice the heterosexual males to 'beat' the game but to merely expand on the story which was not previously done in the game. Even then the communes are optional and do not impact your gameplay in anyway if you do not do them.

So in short, it is something nobody considered because of the minimal effect it has on the game past the login screen.

[Refraxx]

(bleeding heart "Equality-for-all" liberalistic derogatory comment deleted)

Nuff said.

[Qratos]

LOL, is this guy for real?? It's a game with a basic typical storyline.

[AsylumDreams]

Wait ... Nod has a story?

[Jerzy]

Originally Posted by pslim

Unfortunately it's unlikely that I'll go very far with it, since I'm constantly being reminded by the mostly-naked, chained damsels, breathy female narrator, gender-specific class descriptions and so on that this game assumes that I am a heterosexual male. I appreciate that it wants to have a "mature" atmosphere, and sexiness is certainly all right with me, but I don't really understand why it's necessary to alienate a huge swath of potential players. When I play a game that relates to me as though I couldn't possibly be anything other than a heterosexual male, I feel as though I'm not welcome, and despite what the developers and some happily welcomed heterosexual males my suspect, there are quite a large number of RPG gamers who don't fit that profile.

Female gamers and gay gamers have been putting up with this for years. When everybody was doing it, you couldn't really blame any particular game for not wanting to stick its neck out and risk the potential backlash, even though it would have been the right thing to do. Nowadays, though, it comes across as either an intentional rejection of everyone who isn't the stereotypical gamer, or cultural obliviousness.

Is this merely an oversight, something nobody considered? Or am I and all the other players who aren't heterosexual males in actual fact not welcome?

[Claudia]

Originally Posted by Jerzy

omg jerzy! I MISS YOU! come back and play!!!!

[flipynifty]

Hey wate, why don't you just call them gaymers

[Claudia]

Originally Posted by flipynifty

Hey wate, why don't you just call them gaymers

I resemble that comment! Im a woman playing 3 or 4 toons with male avatars because i like it that way!

umm... reset that!