Greetings, true believers. I hope you all had a less controversial summer than Gearbox Software had.
On August 13, it was reported by several media outlets that John Hemingway, lead designer for the Borderlands 2, revealed a skill tree designed for newer players.
It’s meant to alleviate new players of all the hardships that come with starting a shooter. It’s a genius idea that puts Borderlands 2 in a class of shooters that appeal to gamers from all walks of life. However, the buzz around this skill tree is not its design, it’s the labeling itself.
According to eurogamer.net, the skill tree was “formally called Best Friends Forever.” But Hemingway referred to it numerous times as “girlfriend mode.”
Given Borderlands 2 and Gearbox Software’s penchant for humor and comedy, this just comes off as a cutesy renaming by one of the employees of Gearbox Software.
Randy Pitchford, CEO and President of Gearbox Software, went on Twitter and said, “I’m sure Hemmingway is getting noogied now, but not his fault. A personal anecdote has been twisted and dogpiled on by sensationalists. Fun!”
Your own perception of the skill tree “girlfriend mode,” as something playful or something far nefarious, is your decision to make. However, I’d like to delve into the media’s sensationalism over such a hot button topic and whether or not they were making mountains out of molehills.
Colin Moriarty, of ign.com, threw in his two cents on the subject matter. “Many people are tired of knee-jerk reactions that attempt to take people’s words and spin them into something offensive when they were meant innocuously.”
Moriarty goes even further by describing that 2K Games, the publisher for Borderlands 2, is going to take this negative reaction they are receiving and become more strict and stringent with the next developer that would be involved in an interview, which in my book, creates a barrier between artist and purveyor that would be unnecessary and superfluous.
And while Moriarty gives a valid evaluation for the events that unfolded, I’m more on the side of Mary Hamilton from the guardian.co.uk: “For the lack of a better phrase, instead of having a discussion about the genuinely excellent idea of a mode that lets inexperienced FPS players game with more experienced friends, the conversation is about how women can’t or don’t play games.”
Yes, what Hemingway said did ruffle feathers and rattle cages and he very well could’ve reworded what he wanted to say a little more eloquently than just narrowing it down to one word. But, I think the idea of a mode or skill tree that allows more gamers to play a game, regardless of skill level, is a more important milestone in the advancement of First Person Shooters.
Follow me on Twitter @MaroonandGamer or email me at shfawcet@asu.edu
