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Ghostwire director Ikumi Nakamura has developed quite the fan art following [see staff posts]
- Thread starter galvenize
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I guess Keanu is also an adorable precious sparkle child I want to fold him up and put him in my pocket perfect husbando uwu
I think it has more to do with her being so fun and enthusiastic (and perhaps a woman) than with her being specifically Asian.
There are fewer high profile female developers on stage at E3 so when one of them hits a homerun people are positively inclined.
Asian women in particular being infantilized and fetishized is a long-standing phenomenon though.
I mean maybe in other cases but this was most certainly because of her personality on stage that made her stand out.
This isn't one of the those cases.
I would like to understand your perspective. I totally agree with what you're saying about the general phenomenon but I don't see how it applies to this situation in particular. None of the fanart strikes me as infantilizing or fetishistic.
Of course, but the pushback in this instance is fucking ludicrous, she didn't go up and 'present her game' in the terms people are trying to play that off as, it wasn't like she came up and gave a speech and people went on about how cute she was, she went up and put on a fucking show, whether due to nerves or not, and it was memorable because it was cute. Like, the plot is completely lost when people get offended over the word cute being used APPROPRIATELY in a non sexual way.
Like, there's a difference between calling someone something when they're acting in an unrelated manner and your'e just shoehorning them into some stereotype, and another when they DO act exactly in that manner and everyone is super into it because it's so unexpected and jarring.
Exactly, if she was a black woman I doubt there would be much fascination. This is the unfortunate reality we live in. I thought Aisha Tyler did a great job when she presented for Ubisoft and she definitely was outgoing and had some adorable moments.
Which were still nothing like literally acting like an anime character.
The worst thing about this is when some company tries to recreate this in some awful way at next year's E3
It doesn't. This whole fiasco is because of people with hair trigger reactions to seeing the word "cute" being described genuinely and treat it as if we're just completely patronizing the poor girl with cheek pinches and baby talk.
User Banned (1 Month): Dismissing Concerns Surrounding Racial Fetishization; Previous Severe Infraction for Dismissive Behavior; Modwhining
So are you going to moderate people discussing Asian fetishization since it has nothing to do with the thread and is thusly off topic/derailing?
I hate how right you are.
Mr. Coffee's glorious comeback will soon be upon us.
A lot of people found Aisha Tyler cringy, like when she got weird with the one Assassin's Creed cosplayer and when she kept trying to make girl wood a thing. I'm not saying I agree, but that's just how most people perceived her.
I would probably have chosen another thread title since this one is originally associated to Overwatch and NSFW fanart, but there really isn't anything wrong with people appreciating Nakamura's awesomeness.
If you're preemptively calling creepy you're the one that's making things awkward tbh.
If you're preemptively calling creepy you're the one that's making things awkward tbh.
Absolutely this. The pushback against this has been far, far cringier than anything I've seen about her on Twitter. Polygon wrote a story about her. Most of the compliments, and the cries of "cute!" and fan arts are coming from females admiring her spirit. It's not even just a bunch of thirsty nerds.
Ehh... I guess it's all in good fun. We just know how the internet is and how far they take things.
The creepy tweet I saw was from yesterday when one guy tweeted, "The girl we're all crushing over..." Can't find it right now but it was in the conference thread.
She's there to present a game and not there for people to ogle over.
The creepy tweet I saw was from yesterday when one guy tweeted, "The girl we're all crushing over..." Can't find it right now but it was in the conference thread.
She's there to present a game and not there for people to ogle over.
i wanna be that fashionable! and that talented and genuine of a presenter
this is a good point, i recall the general gaming public - not necessarily this community - being very negative towards her for similar presentations
i think it's fine for people on the Discussion Board to discuss the wider social context of industry happenings, especially if it relates to their personal experiences - sometimes innocuous interactions can highlight wider issues and just because one person doesn't mind something doesn't mean that no one minds it
most people appear to be respectful and just expressing genuine positivity, but there are also people online taking it way too far like they always do
I would rather a hundred Mr. Coffees than some boring guy in a suit saying "For you, the gamer, we made this game, a gamer's experience, a game that can't be missed out by gamers, by gamers, for the gamers, onto gaming game etc."
Anyhow, this thread is very cynical. She left an impression and if some idiot goes too far with it, then they should be called out on it. Really not that hard.
It's not as if anyone with the same skin color has the same personality. Aisha is nice but she can be really annoying too with her "AMIRITE??" mannerisms. Ikumi here is just a twinkling star though, and if it had just been some asian walking in, putting her hands together and nodding all formal, i doubt we'd ever had this thread.
a few people online expressing their opinion on how something ties into a wider social issue is "pushback"
i think people are getting Offended because they think they are being personally called out by these forum post analysis, when if they aren't the ones crossing the line with creepy waifu talk or drawing explicit images they aren't the ones being referred to
i think people are getting Offended because they think they are being personally called out by these forum post analysis, when if they aren't the ones crossing the line with creepy waifu talk or drawing explicit images they aren't the ones being referred to
I.... Don't know what that means >_>
However, judging by Ubisoft's conference, man I wish they'd had Aisha this year.
I think there are valid concerns about infantilization and fetishization, but in this particular case a lot of people are just liking her mannerisms and enthusiasm. She stands out in a sea of other rando devs and presenters. To me it's similar to Keanu being all wholesome when he was on stage. Saying she's cute is not the same as not taking her or her work seriously. She's also fine with the non-creepy fanart.
No, I think the fanart OP posted is mot creepy at all, but rather encouraging and she clearly loves it and the positive response to her.
It's not that I feel personally attacked, I express my opinion that she can decide for herself if she likes it or not.
As the thread has proven there is fanart for other cute or notable people of various gender and ethnicities and the cute fanart is not some racist attack.
User Banned (1 day) Ignoring Staff Post
people here: How dare you call her cute! it's objectifying and fetishising!
nakamura: These drawings are my treasures
people here: SHUT UP YOU DONT GET A SAY
nakamura: These drawings are my treasures
people here: SHUT UP YOU DONT GET A SAY
because someone on the Discussion Board drew a parallel between how two different women presenters were perceived and now people are discussing it
i know people online use a lot of hyperbolic language, but not every discussion of social issues is as high stakes as people are acting
Let's ignore the post that calls for deprogramming. That's not gross at all. Its pushback. No seriously, why that post is not being called out more is amazing.
someone on my twitter today had to make a post saying "stop drawing porn of ikumi nakamura" which sort of soured the fun of this for me
it isn't about this being a "racist attack", it's about the way in general asian women are fetishized and some people drawing parallels to their own experiences or the experiences of people they know
again, not every instance of social commentary is accusing people of being Capital R Intentionally Racist
you are also allowed to Make Posts Online - call it out! analyze what's wrong with it, contribute to the discussion
actually the fact that post was apparently sarcastic but you got outraged over it anyways makes this funnier
Some of you are acting as if Nakamura delivered the presentation in a monotone business style, then "gamers" depicted her as being cute purely based on her race.
This is outrageous.
You fight back against the infantilisation and fetishisation (did I spell that right?) of Asian women by being cognisant of it, pointing it out when it happens and treating Asian women with the respect all people deserve.
You don't deny Asian women the right to present as "cute" and to be perceived as "cute" by a western audience.
Nakamura chose how to present herself, it wasn't s foisted upon her by misconceptions westerners have of Asian women.
On that note:
Reggie, Satoru Iwata, Phil Spencer, Mark Cerny and recently; the man, the myth, the legend Keanu Reeves have been described as wholesome by the dreaded evil "gamers".
Put the sun glasses down and see how the world really is. Instead of demonising anyone in the name of progression.
This is outrageous.
You fight back against the infantilisation and fetishisation (did I spell that right?) of Asian women by being cognisant of it, pointing it out when it happens and treating Asian women with the respect all people deserve.
You don't deny Asian women the right to present as "cute" and to be perceived as "cute" by a western audience.
Nakamura chose how to present herself, it wasn't s foisted upon her by misconceptions westerners have of Asian women.
On that note:
Reggie, Satoru Iwata, Phil Spencer, Mark Cerny and recently; the man, the myth, the legend Keanu Reeves have been described as wholesome by the dreaded evil "gamers".
Put the sun glasses down and see how the world really is. Instead of demonising anyone in the name of progression.
