[foldr]

The only examples you give of it 'catering to female and LGBT audiences' are the existence of some female and LGBT characters.

Also, Abby is just a regular cis heterosexual woman, and there is never any indication that she might be otherwise. I can't really see how the mere existence of a straight cis female character in a game could signal very much about its intended audience.

[SunlightEdge]

Respectfully I don't agree. I didn't enjoy the story - so there's that (again just an opinion).

I literally thought Abby was a trans woman she was so muscular (and so have plenty of other gamers). She then later teams up with a transman. What's interesting is how you portray Abby vs how I and a lot of others saw here (a massive hulk that was kind of a woman but kind of something else). Note I am talking about the video game.

Ellie and her girlfriend were very alike and there wasn't an interesting contrast between them. The lesbian element seemed very played up. I also didn't find her interesting enough to want to play as her. That's not to say all women characters are not appealing. Ellie just wasn't likeable in the game.

Hence... I do think that while there certainly a lot of over reaction from some men about the game. There are also some legitimate points that left wing types refuse to see (see above). There is a ton of other examples I could give on this.

But honestly part 2 was a lame story (for me). We can agree to disagree. That's ok.

[foldr]

As you probably know, the misconception that Abby was trans was fed by online commentary made before the game was released, when people had just seen the trailer and only knew that there was a trans character in the game. No-one who actually plays the game would get the impression that Abby is trans. For all that you play up Abby’s physique, I’m sure you’re perfectly well aware that cis women can have big muscles and that trans women don’t usually spend hours at the gym developing physical traits that would be perceived as masculine. But for some reason you’re repeating these nonsense complaints made years ago by people who hadn’t even played the game.

Your only specific complaint about Ellie and her girlfriend is that they’re lesbians. And you keep mentioning the fact that the game has some LGBTQ characters as if that in itself is some kind of gotcha that proves your point (“she then teams up with a trans man”). I’m not trans but I don’t feel that a game is any less aimed at me just because one of the characters is trans. Why on Earth would I?

You’re obviously entitled to have whatever subjective reaction you have to the game or the characters. But you chose to frame your reaction primarily in terms of the LGBT themes in the game, and that’s the part of your comment I’m responding to.

[SunlightEdge]

I played the game and didn't read any online stories about the game and experienced Abby as trans for a very long time into the game. I wasn't influenced by anyone. Her sexuality/gender was very unclear to me (this is about the video game).

There is no gotcha attempts in any of my writing (honestly).

I do think Abby (hyper muscular seemed trans), her transmale friend, Ellie having no interesting gravity and being a lesbian and her girlfriend being uninteresting and long romantic scenes of the two of them, all back up my perspective. But it's just an opinion.

What's undeniable is that these characters are a stark contrast to the original game. Naughty dog took the feel of the game in a very different direction.

I also know you will dismiss my viewpoint and insist I'm not seeing it "correctly". I will be strawmanned, my experience denied, and my opinions explained away.

But as I also said I have no problem with people making a diverse range of games.

TLOU2 is a very marmite game - and a lot of people loved it and a lot of people didn't like it. And the people it appeals to clearly is different from part 1. I appreciate you disagree.

Best wishes

[skyyler]

>hyper muscular seemed trans

What about trans women is hyper muscular to you? I'm asking genuinely, have you ever interacted with a trans woman in real life?

[foldr]

Not sure why you are doubling down on this weird claim that Abby “seems trans”. Apart from that, you’re just making vague criticisms that characters “lack gravity”, etc. The only specific thing you don’t like about them is that they’re LGBT. Repeating over and over again that the game has (gasp!) a lesbian couple in it isn’t going to actually substantiate your claim that it’s not aimed to appeal to straight men.

[skyyler]

>I literally thought Abby was a trans woman she was so muscular

Do you think that trans women are muscular? How many trans women have you met in real life?

>The lesbian element seemed very played up.

Can you expand on what you mean by this? Do you have any examples of games with lesbian elements that aren't "played up"?