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Leisure Suit Larry

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41–50 of 145 posts

Re: Leisure Suit Larry

#41
post #20
post #13

The game has no major female characters who aren't hookers. No arguing that LSL has its place in gaming history, but it doesn't have a place in a future that is trying its hardest to remove objectification of women from society. EDIT: The down voting button is not a disagree button. If you disagree, reply!

I have to agree with i386. There's a pretty disturbing screenshot where Larry says that "this is the hooker's seedy bedroom. The bed's a mess, so is the hooker!". http://www.replaygamesinc.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/tum...

Which bit to you find disturbing? The fact that the game acknowledges the existence of hookers, the fact that the game draws attention to the fact that many hookers work out of pretty seedy bedrooms or the fact that the game draws attention that many hookers end up looking less than their best.

Would you have preferred "this is the hooker's fabulous bedroom. The bed's perfectly clean, so is the hooker!"

Re: Leisure Suit Larry

#42
post #24
post #5

One interesting fact: Leisure Suit Larry is pretty much directly based on the http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Softporn_Adventure text adventure game. If you try it, you'll find the plot and the surroundings very familiar. Personally I discovered this while reading http://www.amazon.com/Hackers-Computer-Revolution-Anniversar... which I recommend to anyone.

Wow... according to Wikipedia, the women on the box were all employees of On-Line Systems, the precursor to Sierra. One of them is a bookkeeper! I'd be curious as to how the convinced them to pose naked on the box.

it was 1981: things were blurry, people were still hangover from the 70s ..

Re: Leisure Suit Larry

#43
post #38

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If a woman chooses to be a prostitute, and chooses to engage with a "John", then heck yes it's consensual. That's what that word means . And is there plenty of evidence that some women choose to be prostitutes (no gun pointed to their head, they have other employment options, etc.)? Heck yes. Not even controversial. Are some women forced to do it? Yes, of course. So in those cases it is not consensual. If it's not co…

People trafficking is a huge business with profits for organised crime of over $30billion. Significant numbers of women are forced into sex work in countries across the world. ( http://www.unglobalcompact.org/docs/issues_doc/labour/Forced... ) Even if the person is not trafficked there are consent issues around addiction: Can a person addicted to a substance make a free informed choice? Here's some research showing t…

I think this game portrays a theoretical world.

Re: Leisure Suit Larry

#44
post #23
post #13

The game has no major female characters who aren't hookers. No arguing that LSL has its place in gaming history, but it doesn't have a place in a future that is trying its hardest to remove objectification of women from society. EDIT: The down voting button is not a disagree button. If you disagree, reply!

Extreme violence and gore? No problem! Consensual sex between adults? Disgusting!

I don't see where he claimed extreme violence and gore is okay. Ridiculous straw man is ridiculous.

Re: Leisure Suit Larry

#45
post #37
post #13

The game has no major female characters who aren't hookers. No arguing that LSL has its place in gaming history, but it doesn't have a place in a future that is trying its hardest to remove objectification of women from society. EDIT: The down voting button is not a disagree button. If you disagree, reply!

Just as most FPS games have no male characters who aren't steroid-addled loons and/or cannon fodder. It's only a game. Lighten up!

> "Lighten up!"

Do we remember the last time that exact phrase came up as a topic on HN?

Re: Leisure Suit Larry

#46
post #38

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If a woman chooses to be a prostitute, and chooses to engage with a "John", then heck yes it's consensual. That's what that word means . And is there plenty of evidence that some women choose to be prostitutes (no gun pointed to their head, they have other employment options, etc.)? Heck yes. Not even controversial. Are some women forced to do it? Yes, of course. So in those cases it is not consensual. If it's not co…

People trafficking is a huge business with profits for organised crime of over $30billion. Significant numbers of women are forced into sex work in countries across the world. ( http://www.unglobalcompact.org/docs/issues_doc/labour/Forced... ) Even if the person is not trafficked there are consent issues around addiction: Can a person addicted to a substance make a free informed choice? Here's some research showing t…

Look, we get it, the US has an education problem, still doesn't use metric, has a high rate of incarceration that effectively enslaves cheap labour, and still can't have legal prostitution without human trafficking or drugs.

Meanwhile, in saner socialist countries prisons are for reform, prostitution is government sponsored for health reasons and subject to drug testing and checks for pimps or links to human trafficking.

Just because some countries can't do some things right doesn't mean the things they screw up are wrong.

Re: Leisure Suit Larry

#47
post #37

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Just as most FPS games have no male characters who aren't steroid-addled loons and/or cannon fodder. It's only a game. Lighten up!

> "Lighten up!" Do we remember the last time that exact phrase came up as a topic on HN?

The difference is this is a cartoon computer game, not the workplace.

Re: Leisure Suit Larry

#48
post #13

The game has no major female characters who aren't hookers. No arguing that LSL has its place in gaming history, but it doesn't have a place in a future that is trying its hardest to remove objectification of women from society. EDIT: The down voting button is not a disagree button. If you disagree, reply!

I don't think 'Fawn' (the woman whom Larry marries and who later ties him to the bed and robs him) is a hooker. I would consider her a major female character.

If LSL serves only to objectify women, then doesn't Grand Theft Auto serve only to glorify crime?

I always felt like these games were less about the women, and more about the comedy, stupidity and repulsiveness of the main character.

Re: Leisure Suit Larry

#49
post #13

The game has no major female characters who aren't hookers. No arguing that LSL has its place in gaming history, but it doesn't have a place in a future that is trying its hardest to remove objectification of women from society. EDIT: The down voting button is not a disagree button. If you disagree, reply!

Why can't something exist that deviates from what society deems as the social norm?

Do you feel that other forms of art and entertainment should also not objectify women? Do you feel porn should be banned?

I personally feel that there should be a clear line between real life and art/entertainment. While I completely agree that we should not objectify women in real life, I feel that an artist or an entertainer should have the liberties to create any imaginary world they want.

Re: Leisure Suit Larry

#50
post #37

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Just as most FPS games have no male characters who aren't steroid-addled loons and/or cannon fodder. It's only a game. Lighten up!

> "Lighten up!" Do we remember the last time that exact phrase came up as a topic on HN?

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