Sam Gray

Inrecentyears,asI’vechronicledthefracturesingamingmedia(includinghypocrisiesofonline drama cycles and the fragility of consumer culture), there is one subject matter that has always remained a tricky one to explain: targeted moral pressure. For most of my life, targeted moral pressure has often been the boogeyman of people who express that some vague notion of “Freedom” is the highest moral good attainable.

The God of War Laufey trailer just dropped, reminding everyone of the franchise’s continued pull. Not long after, influencer and former journalist Alanah Pearce took to Instagram to reflect on her involvement, noting she spent four years writing for the project. It’s an impressive-sounding milestone for a former IGN journalist turned multi-role industry figure. But context matters.

I had a chat with a friend of mine who had been playing much of Slay the Spire 2, ever since its Early Access launch on March 5th. When asked how he felt about Anita Sarkeesian appearing in the credits, he replied: “I don’t feel much” adding that the game already had a bunch of hate from Chinese critics for one of the bosses being difficult.