Lets Play "Label Maker" by Silverstring Media!
Episode Stats
Words per Minute
173.40668
Summary
In this episode, Arini talks about labels and how they affect our perception of others, and how we can be more sensitive and open-minded about the labels we put on others. Arini also talks about a new indie game, Label Maker, from the MIT Game Lab's Quilt Bag Game Jam, which challenges the standard narrative of what it means to be "queer" in video games.
Transcript
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Hey, folks, it's Arini here, and I've got something special for you today.
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Well, I've been looking into the YouTube analytics and all of that stuff, and, well, let me tell
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So I've decided I'm going to start doing Let's Play videos, and, but, you know, I always
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try and bring something with me to the table, you know, and here's the thing, I'm a big
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believer in indie games, because, you know, the AAA titles, they're polished, but the
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indie games, that's where we see innovations, that's where we see people playing around
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with new mechanics, and eventually, those mechanics, they appear in the mainstream games, where
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they're a bit more polished, a little bit fancier, but you really see the raw ideas and creativity,
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it shows up in the indie market, so, you know, that's what I want to show you today, is this
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indie game I heard about, it's supposed to be really good, it's by a little company called
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Silver String Media, just a small startup, and as you can see right here, Silver String
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Media, they're committed to experimentation, dedicated to pushing ourselves to learn, try
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new things, take risks, and stay relevant, and, you know, that's so awesome.
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Uh, there's far too many of these indie developers are always trying to play it safe, they're,
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uh, they're not experimenting with new ideas as much as they could, and this is a company
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really dedicated to getting different voices out there, to really challenging the, the standard
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narrative, and, uh, and this game, this game right here, Label Maker, you know, this, this
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sounds like a really interesting game, let's see what the description says.
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Uh, Label Maker is a short twine game, well, I don't really know what a twine game is, I
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guess it has something to do with, uh, with, uh, cheap hemp rope or something, but anyway,
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it's a game made for the MIT Game Lab Quilt Bag Game Jam, about the labels we put on people,
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and how they affect our perceptions and reality, and, you know, that, that's something really
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important to point out, you know, it's, because when I meet somebody, you know, and, like,
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a convenience store owner, uh, downstairs from my apartment, he's Korean, and, and when
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I saw him, I labeled him as Korean, and I, I never bothered thinking about, uh, you know,
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his, his family life, how, you know, he's proud of his kids going through university, you
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know, I bet, how him and his wife, you know, they're, they immigrated here, and, yeah, no,
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he was just Korean, you know, like, I just labeled him that way, and that, that didn't
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just affect my, my perception of him, you know, because I applied all these stereotypes,
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and I wasn't really treating him like a person, until I stopped thinking about him as Korean,
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and I said, hey, hey man, you know, you gotta, you gotta be exactly like me, or, or you gotta
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be diversity, but you're not Korean, because, because that's a, that's a bad perception
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for me to have of you, and you know what, that, that affects your reality, so let's not forget
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that, the way you perceive things affects what reality is, so we have to make sure to be
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really sensitive, really open-minded about all of this stuff, and that, we're gonna be open-minded
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about this game. Now, right over here, we've got the image, and, uh, let's see, uh, oh, that's,
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it's like a gene label, that's pretty funny, it says, uh, 100% queer, okay, uh, you know, I don't
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know if I can use the word queer, I might, I might need to censor that when I put this video together,
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uh, use intersectionally, now, I'm not exactly sure what that means, but, you know, I think,
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I think it means you need to be sensitive, you know, it can, it can be, uh, you can use this
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person in a lot of ways, so use them intersectionally, um, mix freely with other colors, well, of course,
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because, you know, colors just skin deep, and, uh, you know, it doesn't matter if somebody's purple,
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or, or even orange, I'm okay with orange people, some, some people don't like orange people,
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but I'm okay with them, and, um, tumble dry playfully, now, now, I'm a little bit concerned
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about that line, because I'm worried that the tumble might be a derogatory reference to,
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to Tumblr, um, I'm sure it's not meant that way, you know, because, like, listen, the Tumblorett,
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they can be playful, they can definitely be playful, and some of them have dry humor, but,
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you know, you should really be cautious when you talk about them, because they are sensitive souls,
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you know, that these, these are people that don't fit our standard label, so, so maybe they're,
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that's the point they're trying to get at, but, but you should be sensitive when you use that word,
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anyway, let's, let's launch into this, so play for free, let's see, so this game, this game was made
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in 12 hours, so we gotta be, we gotta be a little bit sensitive to the fact that, you know, the graphics
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aren't really gonna be all there, it's the, the idea, the game mechanics are what we're really looking
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for here, so, yeah, it's not a polished triple A, this is an indie game made in 12 hours, so,
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thank you, SilverStringMedia, for ensuring that we have these diverse voices, and let's start,
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oh, please enter your name, well, you know what, all right, uh, I don't, I don't want to play
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myself, uh, like, I, I'm, I'm a cis-shit white male, um, my, my experience is, is pretty boring,
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pretty pointless, you know, it's, like, what have cis-shit white males done, that's really of note,
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you know, mostly we just beat our kids, so, yell at our wives, that's it, so, so, I'm not gonna use
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my name, I think we are going to go for, um, Dinglepuss, yeah, Dinglepuss, that, that's a good
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name, that's a very diversity name, yeah, I like that, so, okay, there we go, so here we go,
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you can hear muffled din of people talking on the other side of the door, Alex must have
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forgiving neighbors, you haven't been to this apartment before, you won't know anyone else
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here, hopefully, there will be good company, you knock, after a moment, the door opens,
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you don't know the person who stands there, they have a glass of wine in hand, tousled short hair,
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and a lip ring, they smile at you, hi, do you know Alex, you nod, come on in, well, you know,
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I'm, I'm getting the sense that Dinglepuss, you know, pretty soft-spoken person, probably
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really sensitive, really artistic, doesn't really respond, just nods, no, now what, what's
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going on here, so, forgiving neighbors, uh, if I click on that, annoyed neighbor, oh, oh,
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well, that, that changes the whole narrative, and if I click on it again, deaf neighbor, okay,
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good, Alex has deaf neighbors, I feel a lot, a lot safer there, we can get up to some brouhaha
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if the neighbors are deaf, and, uh, hopefully, there will be good company, hopefully, there
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will be alcohol, well, the, just confirm there's alcohol in the next paragraph, so, apparently,
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uh, Dinglepuss is a little bit of a lush, um, pot, well, you know, you know, I just can't
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approve of anything that's, uh, a controlled substance like that, but, you know, games need
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to be creative, it's, sometimes art, you know, they need to, to break the rules, you know,
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they've got that, that, that reactionary, uh, counter, counter-societal, revolutionary
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movies that, uh, where they smoke pot, because they're free thinkers, they're independent
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spirits, now, oh, hopefully there'll be food, well, food's always good, and you know what,
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I, I think, um, I think Dinglepuss is a bit of an oral fixation, so, you know, deaf neighbors
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and food, okay, good, I like this, I like this, and it's, it's interesting how you can, you
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can change what Dinglepuss is thinking by clicking these terms, so, all right, go inside,
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outside, you enter, and before you can even ask the greeter, says, just leave your shoes
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on, I'm Stacy, she seems friendly, Dinglepuss, you say, a man joins Stacy and puts his arm
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around her, oh, jeez, that's, um, is he mate guarding, it seems a little bit aggressive,
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hey, I'm Max, he says, if you don't mind me asking, what pronouns do you prefer, oh, excellent,
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okay, so we get to, we get to choose pronouns here, now, this is, understand, this is saying
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what the gender of Dinglepuss is, not what their actual sex is, because as we all know,
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sex and gender are two entirely separate things, so, let's see, well, we've got, we've got
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he, and, well, like I said, I don't want to be a cis shit white male, so, um, she, well,
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no, a bit more interesting, women are certainly more diverse than men, but, I think we can do
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better, ze, now, ze's a really interesting term, that first showed up in, in science
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fiction, like, if you're talking about an artificial intelligence, it's not really going to have
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a sex, so, you know, ze, zem, you know, interesting little science fiction thing, but, you know,
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they, they, yeah, I think it's going to be Dinglepuss, Dinglepuss and our headmates, let's,
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let's join the party with our headmates, so, so I prefer the pronoun they, wait, wait, what
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happens, friendly, oh, she seems upset, that's probably because he, the, Max is forcing his
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arms around her, the, the rapist, anyway, they, awesome, come on in, hi, everyone, this
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is Dinglepuss, they're a friend of Alex, no one pays much attention, like, what, what
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do you mean nobody pays much attention, you know, I've got the, the nose ring, I've got
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half my, my head shaved off, uh, you know, me and my headmates are all competing to get
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out there, and it's like, they don't, they don't even pay much attention, ah, anyway,
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immediately before you is an open living room space, a large group of people, Alex's co-workers
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probably, sit around on couches and chairs, talking loudly about their work, um, yeah,
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a little nitpick that should be speaking loudly about their work, but this was put together
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in, in 12 hours, so, they're talking about their work, against one wall is a table of
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drinks and snacks, to your left is a kitchen, there's a smaller group there, away from the
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noise, you recognize a couple of them from descriptions you've heard from Alex, friends,
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a close-knit group of queens, of queers, all right, queers, queens, yeah, we, we got all
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sorts at Alex's party, it's a, it's a very diversity sort of thing that we've got going
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on right here, so a door leads out to a small porch in the dying sunlight, a lone figure
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standing on it, from where you are, it's hard to see where Alex is, and Alex is the only
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person you know here, time to start looking, okay, well, Alex, where are you, you know,
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well, most of the people seem to be in the living room, got the kitchen, the porch, well,
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let's, let's go to the living room, this is certainly where the bulk of the noise is
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coming from, Alex's co-workers lounge drunkenly, probably glad for the chance to let their
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hair down around each other, you know, as long as there's no date rape happening, this
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could be a lot of fun, these are clearly peers, no bosses to be careful around, and could I
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just say that this phrasing is so elegant, it's, it's like poetry, I just can't believe
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he would say that, one says, I mean, in the middle of a meeting, what's the big deal,
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another responds, he didn't mean anything by it, yeah, but it's a little offensive, you
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can't just talk about women like that, ooh, ooh, wait, we've got women, what, gay people,
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yep, you shouldn't talk about gay people like that, either, and, oh, or transgenders, you
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should not talk about them like that, you know, like, like this, people can take a lot
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of offense at this point, you know, you don't want to label them, anyway, so, let's see,
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so you approach the group to better hear what they're talking about, I think they prefer
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trans people, a tall woman seated on the couch says, it has something to do with not specifically
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referencing what kind of transition they're in, alright, folks, do you see how this game's
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already educating you, yeah, I guess that makes sense, someone seated next to her says,
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really, I don't think any of this makes sense, says a white cis shit racist homophobic man
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across from them, I mean, if people want to swap genders or genitals, it's their right,
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but, but what, Barry, the second one responds, Barry, probably a white nationalist racist
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racist KKK member, I just don't get it, Barry says, shaking his head, well, do you get why
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calling a trans person a he, she is not okay, the tall woman fires back, fucking hell, Kimberly,
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oh, that's, dude, you don't, don't swear at women, that's transphobic, uh, it was clearly
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a joke, it was offensive, Daryl, it wasn't necessary, and it certainly wasn't funny,
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Jesus, it's not that big of a deal, Daryl says, Daryl, like, Daryl, please, you know,
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you're obviously not diversity, you need to be, stop being such a hate speech, thank you,
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uh, surprising everyone, including yourself, you speak up, it's a big deal, joke or not,
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besides, Alex was pretty clear in the invitation, this is supposed to be a safe,
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space, Alex is an ally, and wouldn't be okay with this kind of talk, show some respect,
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so, alright, oh, he doesn't, what, maybe he's an enemy, no, oh, Alex is a trans, okay,
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okay, what else, Alex is a lesbian, see, now, all of you, you patriarchal hate speeches out
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there, you thought, well, Alex is a boy's name, but you know what, Alex can be the name
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of a lesbian, as well, so, so stop hating, several people look shocked as the group turns
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to look at where the remark came from, oh, Barry says quietly, we had no idea, you decide
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it's best to keep looking for Alex, yeah, I think, uh, this doesn't feel like a safe space,
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let's walk away, so we're back in the living room, and, uh, oh, look at, look at this, so
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the first time around, we had three options, right, now we only have two, uh, this is,
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uh, one of the really interesting gameplay mechanics that you see, is when, is when, uh,
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your actions, without you even realizing it, affect the gameplay, for instance, the video
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game Five Nights at Freddy's, which is a very simple jump scare game, about, uh, you know,
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you're checking the security cameras, and these robot, uh, Chuck E. Cheese mannequins are
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going to come eat you, and, uh, you have to keep the, shut the doors anytime they come
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close, but, but what really makes this game wonderful is that your actions, when you're
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checking the security screen, that affects what the robots are going to do, but it never
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tells you how exactly your actions are going to affect the robots, and so you're already
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pretty paranoid because of these robots coming to get you, and so your brain now is trying
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to figure out the patterns, trying to figure out how to predict this, and because you don't
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know the exact interaction between your actions and how that affects the robots, your brain
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is going to start seeing patterns that aren't there, which just makes you more paranoid and
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more jumpy, a brilliant gameplay process, and obviously label makers doing the same thing
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here, it's, uh, to help you understand what diversity really is, it, uh, so we've already
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been living where it takes away that option, because that, that's what happens to diversity
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people, as they're always having their, their options taken away by, by ciz-shit white males,
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so, alright, let's, um, well, I got the picture, well, let's go to the, the kitchen, then, then
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the person on the porch probably wants some time alone, let's go to the kitchen.
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The handful of people in here run the gamut of appearance, gender expressions, and orientations,
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well, I, how do we, I guess, I guess we have third-person omniscient, because, like, how do
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we really know, you know, like, we don't want to label people, um, just, because, like,
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a man's dressed like a lady, it doesn't mean that he's gay, you know, so I, I have to assume
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this is a third-person omniscient narrator, because it would be irresponsible for a first-person
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narrator to assume that they know somebody's sexual orientation.
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Yeah, well, you know what, maybe they're just cuddling, you know, maybe you shouldn't judge
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people based upon who they're making out with, okay, like, just, just because two dudes are
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making out, that does not mean they're gay, they might be otherkin, you know, they might
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actually be lesbians trapped in men's bodies, so, yeah, don't hate.
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Alright, definitely a queer group of friends, I think we can all agree that this is a very
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queer group of friends, uh, you feel at home, comma, suddenly.
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He's a terrible Ashley, says one, his dark hair covering one eye.
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Oh, oh, her dark hair covering, you see, because it doesn't matter whether it's a, uh, he or
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a she, or a bunch of headmates, it doesn't matter, people are just people, you know, as long
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they're not hateful, he's the cutest trans gay boy, uh, bi boy, trans boy I've ever met.
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A boy blushes, a girl blushes, an alpaca blushes, because, see, just because you're born a human
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does not mean that you're a human on the inside.
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Oh, hey, a petite girl says, you're a dinglepuss, right?
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Alex has talked about you, you two are old friends, right?
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See, you know, like, when, when you transcend the, the patriarchal norms of committed relationships,
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you know, they're, you can be old friends, and you can be dating, and you can date other
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Nico was just talking about Ashley's new boyfriend.
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Oh, that's, that's pretty patriarchal, isn't it?
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His parents didn't know he's gay yet, though, Ashley says.
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Ashley is clearly a boy, so, all right, she has a boyfriend, that, that's very, that's
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very transgressive, that's very rebellious, you know?
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This isn't a patriarchal girl being oppressed by a boyfriend, that would be bad.
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But this is a, this is, this is a boy with a girl's name, because he's diversity.
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I don't know how they express their gender identity.
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Maybe it's not safe for him to come out, the petite girl says.
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Just makes things potentially more complicated, but I'm here to support him.
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Yeah, it's, all men, all men want to be adorable.
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I, I, I, or, but maybe Nico's the alpaca, I'm not sure.
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Oh, you know what, it's, it's so nice, because we don't, this is supposed to be inclusive.
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And we're back, okay, so that, that was, that was a nice little jaunt.
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Now, now who's this, this lonely person on the porch?
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It's getting cool outside, but there's still some light in the sky.
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Oh, oh, a non-smoker, you know, because not all, everybody that goes out for a smoke is
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necessarily a smoker, you know, and this non-smoker has a gently smoking cigarette in
00:19:18.340
Oh, no, no, no, no, the cigar, um, the cigar's a little bit like a big penis.
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So, a non-smoker stands on the porch, gently smoking a cigarette in one hand.
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A gently smoking, so, the cigarette is smoking itself, you know?
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You can't tell a cigarette that it's an object that gets smoked.
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Hey, you know, like, Dinglepuss, we're coming out of our shell.
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I keep thinking, he must really be judging me right now.
00:20:08.540
All right, you know what, it's, yeah, judging, that's no good.
00:20:12.160
If you, if you're a guy, if you're a non-smoker that likes to have cigarettes that smoke themselves, nobody should judge you.
00:20:21.120
But, you know what, so many people stay silent.
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It's like, like, just, you know, look at feminism.
00:20:27.220
How, how many feminist charities are there supported by multi-million dollar Hollywood celebrities?
00:20:33.240
You know, like, two, maybe three, you know, it's up to us little people to speak up, because there isn't a giant industrial complex of, quote-unquote, charity supporting the diversity movement.
00:20:46.920
So, so let's, because it's they, you know, don't you, don't you judge my headmates.
00:21:19.740
Well, listen, you better stop being so hateful.
00:21:35.180
I've never, you know, that, when you can introduce new terms, like, you really are a Shakespeare of the written word.
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When you, you add new terms to the English language.
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That's what, I'm not going to call it butting out.
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Because if some people, maybe they like butts, or maybe they don't have a butt.
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So, you know, he nods at you and heads back inside.
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You follow Brendan back into the warmth and noise of the apartment.
00:22:02.780
Oh, that's a little bit Freudian, but let's keep going.
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As you look around the party, somewhat helplessly, you finally see a familiar face.
00:22:17.900
Well, yeah, didn't Alex tell you that you don't know anyone here?
00:22:21.620
Well, you know what, this is probably one of Dinglepuss' headmates coming out, so.
00:22:56.320
Like, guys, you know, like, it's this type of innovative storytelling, yeah?
00:23:01.860
Like, the old choose-your-adventure, choose-your-own-adventure novels, they would always force you to take one of three choices, and then you get a different story each time, you know?
00:23:12.580
But this just fits into the white, cis-shit, hate-male perspective, you know?
00:23:18.060
Like, the false, you know, I'm the captain of my soul, master of my fate.
00:23:24.120
That, that, no, no, in a society based upon, upon hate and patriarchy, things always end up in the same place, and you don't really have any choices if you're a diversity.
00:23:35.420
If you're a diversity, you always get crushed, and you always out your, your non-cis, trans-normative friends, their co-workers.
00:23:44.780
You know, you should not be outing people at safe spaces, because safe space means that everybody, everybody gets to be super, super sensitive, and nobody gets hurt.
00:23:56.800
So, yeah, I hope you, you've learned a little something.
00:24:02.860
And, uh, any of you game developers out there who watch this, well, try and pick up a thing or two from this game, because I think, uh, you know, it's, it's innovations like this which really drive the game industry forward.
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When you wanna look at the instinct after you, the enemy that I'm gonna look at or to pick up or pick up, or pick, or pick up, let's be one more recipe.