I think this is the sort of thing that can have a creepy side to it, but I don't think everyone making fan arts are specifically creepy. This is not on the same level, but I have a few very feverish fans of the small games I've made, I use my "Face" avatar you see here on Era everywhere, which is sorta' the "face" I use online and my own creation. And as a result, I've received several dozen pieces of art from fans with unique takes on my avatar character.
Now, it's a bit different maybe when it's a real person, but I've observed the same sorta' thing happening with big YouTubers, like PewDiePie and Markiplier. I think there's many who use it as a level of endearment towards a person, and not precisely in a creepy way. The problem comes when certain artists can blur the line and fetishize someone, which is worse when it's a real person public figure.
Being in a position, I think it's a bit up to how the person feels. I've received a few fan weird things involving some of the characters in my games even as a small creator, but I'm not personally offended by it or take it badly even if I also don't approve of it. Ikumi used to post a series of comics on the Tango Gameworks site (I was really excited for the original The Evil Within game, and followed it very closely), and my impression of her is she's got a good sense of humor and a fairly twisted side as she's a pretty big fan of horror and morbidity. Not to speak for her, but I think people who are a bit more intrigued by morbidity and twistedness are more open to stranger things overall. That said, that okayness also doesn't mean permission, and everyone has their individual lines that can be crossed where things begin to go from nice, to a bit weird but okay, to uncomfortable.
I'm really happy she has taken off well, and if things go well I can see her becoming an excellent face at Tango and for Japanese developers, which honestly would be great, she's talented and quite a visionary as shown already through her works on Okami, Bayonetta, and the two Evil Within games (and her concept art pieces if you look into it are fantastic, she's got a great eye for unique stylish designs and expressive composure). But unfortunately there is a truth of potential fetishization due to there being so few prominent female directors to begin with, let alone people who are female and Asian. We need more people like Ikumi, but there's going to be an uphill battle here, and I think it's important to talk about this. I do think Ikumi is a strong enough person that she can take a few people being fucked up, but I also think as with any creative face it's also important to both treat them as human and respect their boundaries. The fan art is not a boundary for her as she's demonstrated, but I'm pretty sure most people don't want to be dehumanized by fetishization. But, fan art =/= fetishization either. So I think this is okay as long as she's okay with it, and it can be endearing to receive art from people who mean well and just were inspired by you or something you did.
These are just my thoughts, but wanted to express it. I hope I managed to say everything since I have this gut feeling I'm missing something I should include with this. But my main thoughts right now is I'm very happy she got to direct her own project and even new IP idea, and I'm really looking forward to seeing gameplay from it. The CG Trailer more than any other CG trailer I've seen at this E3 interested me with its motifs, art direction, and stylizing.
Now, it's a bit different maybe when it's a real person, but I've observed the same sorta' thing happening with big YouTubers, like PewDiePie and Markiplier. I think there's many who use it as a level of endearment towards a person, and not precisely in a creepy way. The problem comes when certain artists can blur the line and fetishize someone, which is worse when it's a real person public figure.
Being in a position, I think it's a bit up to how the person feels. I've received a few fan weird things involving some of the characters in my games even as a small creator, but I'm not personally offended by it or take it badly even if I also don't approve of it. Ikumi used to post a series of comics on the Tango Gameworks site (I was really excited for the original The Evil Within game, and followed it very closely), and my impression of her is she's got a good sense of humor and a fairly twisted side as she's a pretty big fan of horror and morbidity. Not to speak for her, but I think people who are a bit more intrigued by morbidity and twistedness are more open to stranger things overall. That said, that okayness also doesn't mean permission, and everyone has their individual lines that can be crossed where things begin to go from nice, to a bit weird but okay, to uncomfortable.
I'm really happy she has taken off well, and if things go well I can see her becoming an excellent face at Tango and for Japanese developers, which honestly would be great, she's talented and quite a visionary as shown already through her works on Okami, Bayonetta, and the two Evil Within games (and her concept art pieces if you look into it are fantastic, she's got a great eye for unique stylish designs and expressive composure). But unfortunately there is a truth of potential fetishization due to there being so few prominent female directors to begin with, let alone people who are female and Asian. We need more people like Ikumi, but there's going to be an uphill battle here, and I think it's important to talk about this. I do think Ikumi is a strong enough person that she can take a few people being fucked up, but I also think as with any creative face it's also important to both treat them as human and respect their boundaries. The fan art is not a boundary for her as she's demonstrated, but I'm pretty sure most people don't want to be dehumanized by fetishization. But, fan art =/= fetishization either. So I think this is okay as long as she's okay with it, and it can be endearing to receive art from people who mean well and just were inspired by you or something you did.
These are just my thoughts, but wanted to express it. I hope I managed to say everything since I have this gut feeling I'm missing something I should include with this. But my main thoughts right now is I'm very happy she got to direct her own project and even new IP idea, and I'm really looking forward to seeing gameplay from it. The CG Trailer more than any other CG trailer I've seen at this E3 interested me with its motifs, art direction, and stylizing.
