impressioniste:

I already reblogged this post that skiesovergideon wrote about relating to Thane in Mass Effect (which you really should read, by the way) but I had some personal thoughts after reading it and didn’t want to take away from the impact of Reg’s story/post by tacking my sort of tangentially-related comments onto it.

People with chronic or terminal illnesses and disabilities are seriously underrepresented in video games. Adding insult to injury, whenever they are actually represented, they’re often treated like a pet or something to be pitied or fixed, used to create pathos. The person is a poor, broken cripple or a fragile, damaged victim of abuse, or, if they’re mentally ill, they’re just ‘crazy’, more oft than not. Physical and mental illness are rarely handled in any kind of positive light, in terms of the person experiencing them, and if they are, even that’s handled poorly by romanticizing the person’s struggle.

Additionally, these types of people, when represented at all, are so often framed as people who need to be saved, usually by the hero.

As much as ‘damsel in distress’ plots can be the bane of a strong female character and undermine the idea that women can take care of themselves sometimes, too, so can these sorts of, ‘fix the broken person’ plots, in terms of people with chronic or terminal illnesses.

That sort of portrayal, with the frequency that it is adopted, is utterly dehumanizing. It just reinforces stereotypes and current pervasive notions that there’s something wrong with us, that we’re broken, that we’re not normal, that illness or disability is a failing of some sort that needs to be fixed.

And then there’s the flip side, where people who are sick or dying are portrayed as heroes and martyrs, simply for existing. This is just as bad, and maybe worse, because it idealizes and romanticizes what chronic and terminal illnesses are like.

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chelseacheshirecat:

yellow-dress:

I am actually terrified to keep playing Mass Effect 3. I’m already up to the bit where I know someone I really like is going to die, and I know that the ending is meant to just destroy you emotionally, and I seriously am not good at handling that. I have become way too attached to my Shepard and all my crew. I’ve downloaded the extended ending thingie, but fuck, I just… I’m so scared :( I hate spoilers so I don’t want to look up what happens, but.. argh! Has anyone played the extended ending? Does it make it any better? :(

My beau just finished playing the extended ending the other day and he said it was wayyyyy better than the one they originally had in the game. But, as far as if it makes things less emotionally traumatizing? … sadly I’d have to say no u_u it really doesn’t… which is why I’m taking so much time playing ME1 because I know in ME2 and 3 shit starts to get real and I don’t want to kill off anyone I like argh it sounds horrible D:

nuuuuu T____T I could handle ME2 okay, but arrghhh goddammit. This has been one of my all-time favorite gaming experiences, I’ve enjoyed it so much. 

I am looking forward to playing through the series again doing every opposite action, and playing a badass Renegade Femshep :3