I keep seeing this word "thinkpiece" thrown around as a pejorative. Is this some in-group language I'm ignorant of?

Except the reviewer who wrote this post?

It'd be more fun if the fucking of up dudes was better grounded.

I assure you, no one is gonna stop anyone from enjoying the art they like in the fashion that they like.

Do you consider conservative, Mac stuff while playing video games?

It is a good thing! The last thing this thread needs is more unmitigated anger.

Sorry, I just read this as another "do you even game bro" post.

Yeah you like stuff for babies! Ha! You must be a little baby!

Yeah that took a dark turn.

Dragon Age was lauded

People with different conceptions of fun than you have?

Is there a difference between a "shitty" and "non shitty" thinkpiece to you or is shittyness an intrinsic quality of thinkpieces?

I would say "ordinary heroism" in this instance means the ordinary heroism of action games, which is murdering hundreds of people with whatever weapon is handy/gifted to you by the alien overlords/that is growing out of your arm(videodrome: the game!)

Yes, I think actually the reviewer is saying the same thing you are in your first paragraph. The trend, in this instance, is that games do NOT attempt to contextualize their violence in any meaningful way except to turn humans and monsters into anthropomorphized points. So, if read like that, the reviewer is…

Or, if not "should", then it would've made it a better game if it had. Which, to me, is a totally reasonable point of view.

Maybe I am just misreading your comments. I take "often struggle" in this instance to mean this game is similar to other action games insomuchas it presents the world one way and the violence another. As far as often, I don't know if it is false or true but I can think of at least two entries: Uncharted and Tomb…

I personally think the "game" aspects of game reviews have been overrepresented in review media for quite some time and it's refreshing, to me, that a more socially and culturally minded perspective is starting to come alive. Thank you for explaining your position.

Because the game, a tentpole franchise entry for one of the largest game developers in the world is a handy jumping off point for a discussion about how violence is handled and presented?

Does something have to be an exception to merit criticism?

I don't know there's nothing wrong with it. There, indeed, may not be but the game community seems very split on what is a fun return to a lovable formula and what is squeezing blood from a stone.