Loadout: Am I the only one seeing this? [NSFW]

[prettyunsmart]

I'll admit that Loadout's aims are relatively modest. It's a free-to-play third-person arena shooter in the vein of Quake or Unreal tournament featuring excessive gore and lots of juvenile humor. I'm not too sure if it is reasonable to expect much from a game that features this as a purchasable outfit:

 

 

or animates character death like this:

 

 

Still, it isn't the violence or adolescent sense of humor that's driving me away from the game. Admittedly, if that was the case, I'd have to avoid a great portion of the games released since the NES era. No, I actually want a big, dumb arena shooter which can bring me back to the days of playing Unreal with my friends in high school; something fast-paced with a good variety of weapons and some interesting modes to keep things entertaining. Loadout has all of these things. The weapon customization works nicely and adds a clear sense of progression from the game. The gameplay is fast and skill-based. The free-to-play model is not too bad either, making only boosts and cosmetics purchasable with real money. From almost every perspective, this is the UT successor I've been waiting for. Except for one: the character models.

 

The two male playable characters are pretty clear attempts to make off-brand cartoon versions of Sylvester Stallone and Mr. T. respectively. Fair enough. Not particularly original, but not anything to get worked up over either.

 

 

On closer examination of "T-Bone," the Mr. T. look-alike, something started to bother me. In the picture above, things seem to be generally on the level. Maybe something feels a little bit off, but nothing too egregious. The concept art similarly looks relatively subdued in its style: 

 

 

It's only when you get a good look at the character's face up close that things get really creepy. Take this picture for example:

 

 

You get a similar perspective on the character on the game's main menu if you've been using T-Bone as your character, complete with unsettling eyes, gold teeth, and distorted features. The problem only becomes clearer looking from T-Bone to his Stallone-looking counterpart who is all symmetrical features and wry smiles.  It dawned on me after playing a few rounds of the game that T-Bone's character design, whether consciously or not, feels uncomfortably similar to the racist caricatures coming out of minstrel shows. Some examples:

 

 

 

Each image shares some quality with T-Bone's design, whether it's the gold teeth, the exaggerated features, or the general menacing tone. I hesitate to even post this since the gaming community (as much as you can define a thing like that) seems to shy away from discussing race to an even greater degree than issues of gender...and we all know how well that tends to go.

 

And on that topic, here is the game's lone female character: 

 

 

Helga, like T-Bone is complete with a variety of grotesque and distorted features and mostly seems to exist for the purpose of finding humor in the fact that an overweight woman is wearing tiny clothing. 

 

I'm frustrated with this game, and my own conflicted feelings about it. I want to outright condemn it for putting forward attitudes toward race and gender that should have been abandoned many, many years ago. On the other hand, I'm frustrated with myself for still finding the game to be pretty fun. Am I getting too worked up about this? I know that as a graduate student, my general tendency toward most things is to find them problematic, but I don't think that's the case here. So, fellow thumbs, am I alone in this? I am the only one seeing this?

[JonCole]

Well that sure needed a NSFW tag in the title.

[Spenny]

finding humor in the fact that an overweight woman is wearing tiny clothing.

Is this the case or is she just an overweight woman wearing woman's clothes? Are you projecting your own ideas of humour on this characters design?

[Zeusthecat]

You make a pretty convincing argument. That does seem to come across a bit on the racist side. As for the female character, I'm just glad they didn't do what 99% of other games do and make the sole female some 70 pound woman with impossible proportions and giant breasts with jiggle physics.

[prettyunsmart]

Sorry. Is there a way to add the NSFW tag retroactively? This is my first topic.

 

And yes, I could be projecting something negative on the game, and that's partially why I wanted to post this. Basically to see if I'm being troubled by the game because I'm troubled by everything or if there's some legitimately messed up things going on.

[prettyunsmart]

You make a pretty convincing argument. That does seem to come across a bit on the racist side. As for the female character, I'm just glad they didn't do what 99% of other games do and make the sole female some 70 pound woman with impossible proportions and giant breasts with jiggle physics.

 

That's what I'm kind of conflicted about too. I mean its great to not have only stick figure women in games, but it seems like the reason for it is less providing a greater amount of diversity and more mean-spirited humor (from my perspective at least.

[JonCole]

Sorry. Is there a way to add the NSFW tag retroactively? This is my first topic.

 

And yes, I could be projecting something negative on the game, and that's partially why I wanted to post this. Basically to see if I'm being troubled by the game because I'm troubled by everything or if there's some legitimately messed up things going on.

 

Just edit the original post in the thread using the full editor. You can change the title, add tags, etc.

[Sno]

I was told that the nude character models in this game get a visible erection during killstreaks.

Some friends tried to get me to play it, and i'm normally all for dumb bullshit, but i find the tone and aesthetic of this game just utterly repellent.

[SecretAsianMan]

I've been told by several people that I should play Loadout because of how much I love TF2 and "if you love TF2 you should love this game".  But honestly, I feel the same way you do.  The gameplay might be fun but the aesthetics turn me off so much I don't want to get near it.

[Spenny]

That's what I'm kind of conflicted about too. I mean its great to not have only stick figure women in games, but it seems like the reason for it is less providing a greater amount of diversity and more mean-spirited humor (from my perspective at least.

 

It kind of seems that part of the character design and available customization is to make someone with the average straight male perspective feel sexually uncomfortable. 

[prettyunsmart]

Just edit the original post in the thread using the full editor. You can change the title, add tags, etc.

 

Thanks! Fixed. Sorry for anybody who accidentally looked at pixelated genitalia at work because of my ignorance.

[prettyunsmart]

It kind of seems that part of the character design and available customization is to make someone with the average straight male perspective feel sexually uncomfortable. 

 

I can see that. It's just that I'm unsure if the joke is at the expense of the player who is made uncomfortable (which I'm fine with) or overweight women (which I would not be).

[Bjorn]

I'm both fascinated and a bit repulsed by everything I see in this thread.  This is the second game in a few weeks to have full frontal male nudity (Rust does as well), which I think is both awesome and hilarious.  But the character design is just gross.  I'm not sure I can even explain my discomfort with the woman.  It's not her size or clothing.  I've been to a full figured burlesque show before, which was actually pretty amazing.  Women that society usually shames taking a real ownership and pride in their bodies.  The design of the woman here though just feels...wrong.  Like you're meant to find it gross.  Whereas the men are cartooney exaggerated muscle-bros.  Even if it's meant to make fun of how women are normally treated in games, that doesn't mean that it was executed well. 

 

And totally agree on the design of the black dude.  It definitely feels like it's drawing on historically racist imagery. 

[Reyturner]

If you were going to sum up T-Bone's vibe in one word, it would probably be "savage"... so THAT'S pretty unequivocal. 

 

As for Helga, I think it might be the two male characters are being presented as caricatures, absurdly badass, while still ultimately being aspirational while she is just being played up for laughs. I don't think she's intended to represent a confident woman who owns her body, she's intended to be a joke. Without playing the game, I don't know how she's further characterized, but I'm assuming her barks will are in the style of "gross hillbilly idiot". 

[Stuart]

I hesitate to even post this since the gaming community (as much as you can define a thing like that) seems to shy away from discussing race to an even greater degree than issues of gender...and we all know how well that tends to go.

 

Well you're in luck, this forum is the complete opposite of what you should expect of your typical gaming community. I mean, we have a feminism thread. That in and of itself shouldn't be a big deal, but in a medium whose culture is vitriolic or ignorant to the problems and struggles women and other minorities...it's becomes a fairly big deal. 

 

GG Idle Forums. :3

[Professor Video Games]

Hmm. I'm a little torn on the T-bone character. His features are certainly exaggerated, but look at a picture of Mr. T, which they obviously based him on...is it really so far off? I'd say the eyes are more in the "I love blowing things up" territory than unsettling or menacing, so I'd be hesitant to put that in the racist bucket. That being said, I find the addition of gold teeth to be pretty gross, and it makes me question the things I mentioned previously.

 

Now on the woman, I agree with Reyturner. She seems to be just presented as a joke while the men look like badass NFL superstars. It may not bother me if there were other women that weren't just fat white trash caricatures, but there aren't.

[thorn]

Somehow that nudity is even worse when animated. *shivers*

 

I agree with spork armada. I didn't get any particularly racist/minstrel vibes from the pictures of T-Bone. I mean, it's certainly not an attractive design and he's made to look batshit crazy, but that doesn't necessarily make it racist.

[Professor Video Games]

It seems they have a fundamental misunderstanding of what the pixelation censor is supposed to accomplish...

[tegan]

are the dicks mosaic'd-out in-game or is that an effect someone added afterward?

[darthbator]

I'm not trying to fire a shot at the OP or anything but I feel like we have an entire generation of having an opinion police out there scouring the internet for stuff to get offended by.

[dium]

I'm not trying to fire a shot at the OP or anything but I feel like we have an entire generation of having an opinion police out there scouring the internet for stuff to get offended by.

I think you're right, and I think it's a genuine force of good too.

[coaxmetal]

I am not picking up any intented racism from what's in the OP. Tasteless, yes, but the imagery is portraying a stereotype, one certainly influenced by race, but not out of place among the other stereotypes presented, and I really don't see the similarities to the old racist art.

[Gormongous]

I am not picking up any intented racism from what's in the OP. Tasteless, yes, but the imagery is portraying a stereotype, one certainly influenced by race, but not out of place among the other stereotypes presented, and I really don't see the similarities to the old racist art.

 

Well, it's pretty obvious to me. Big fat lips framing big yellow (or gold) teeth, wild hair that covers almost everything but beady and mismatched eyes... I mean, the imagery's there, especially if you compare it to the white dude, who has normal lips, groomed facial hair, and eyes that belong on a human being. Despite the caricatured style, he's still quite handsome, as opposed to the grotesqueness of the lady and the black dude. It's almost like two different studios made them.

[Twig]

maybe you guys are racist for seeing it in the first place!! ehehehhhe

[coaxmetal]

Well, it's pretty obvious to me. Big fat lips framing big yellow (or gold) teeth, wild hair that covers almost everything but beady and mismatched eyes... I mean, the imagery's there, especially if you compare it to the white dude, who has normal lips, groomed facial hair, and eyes that belong on a human being. Despite the caricatured style, he's still quite handsome, as opposed to the grotesqueness of the lady and the black dude. It's almost like two different studios made them.

to me they all fit the stereotypes they are tryign to evoke. As the op mentioned, stallone and Mr. T. Now, if you want to say those stereotypes themselves are racist, I wouldn't disagree. I don't think the game is going out of its way beyond evoking that to be racist though. Not trying to give it a pass or anything, I just don't think there was any overt or intentional racism. Perhaps unintentional/casual, which is maybe worse, or perhaps just tyring to evoke a style and theme that has racist elements.

 

e: that said, I have not played then game and am only going off what was in the OP, so there may be plenty I am missing