"...a realignment of company focus"

[Ichaerus]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SzmqOW0c3o8&feature=fvwrel

I seriously got seasick watching this.  There's no way her spine could support her waterbed physics body, and NCSoft wants to replace City of Heroes/City of Villains with this?  *urp*

[DrakeGrimm]

Oh dear god...

I thought it couldn't get any worse.

Guess what - it's worse.

These are playable characters in Blade and Soul. They're some kind of "bunny spirit" or something. I'm not sure.





(BTW - one of them is supposed to be male. And no I can't tell which one...)

But WAIT... it gets WORSE...

These are costume options for them...





I"m sure defenders of the game would say to any complaints about proportions and childlike features "Hey - they're not even human, they don't have to adhere to a human sense of proporiton, so what's the point?"

Well I'd say none of the OTHER females in the game adhere to human proportions either. And additionally, this just...

Ugh...  Am I wrong? Am I over-reacting? Or am I right that this looks like friggin borderline KIDDIEPORN here? Is NCSoft just sort of giving the "wink wink nudge nudge" to the absolute WORST in human degradation here?

Argh...   It makes me want to throw up a little.

Tera called. They'd like their lolis back. >.>

[downix]

I'm not an expert, but I'm pretty sure Lolita/Lola style is more or less accepted and legal in the Anime/Manga world. (and yes, Lolita means exactly what you think it means)

And on a side note, this isn't exactly new. Everytime Facebook spammed me with one of those dime-a-dozen side-scrolling social MMOG's, the 9/10 times the character featured on the ad looked like an overdeveloped 10-year-old in skimpy clothing wielding a sword so heavy that it would make her tip over (if her endowment didn't first).

The term is Lolicon. There is also Lolita Fashion, but that is for women to actually dress up like children.

I'm a researcher for several law offices. Not all of the cases they deal with are nice, sad to say.

[Quinch]

Ugh...  Am I wrong? Am I over-reacting? Or am I right that this looks like friggin borderline KIDDIEPORN here? Is NCSoft just sort of giving the "wink wink nudge nudge" to the absolute WORST in human degradation here?

Mmmno. With this on the evidence table, I think we can openly add "borderline pedophilia" to the list as well.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SzmqOW0c3o8&feature=fvwrel

For you all to see what the game is like....it's sexy unproportionate women made out of jelly. Noone can walk like that and this oversexed game is our replacement for heroes?

Rock says "noone can walk like that i tried...it's not possible" He looked really funny trying also

I'm going to quote Randy Milholland here and say "That pose offends me both as a woman and someone who knows how spines work."

Anyway, I'm a bit late to the party, but I figured I'd toss my female characters into the gallery - linked for largeness;

Moonlight Monarch
Ambient Light
Twilight Snorkle
Nemesis Hax

[chaparralshrub]

All right, serious question.

Child pornography in the United States is a crime.

Is what NCSoft is advertising criminal? Could we nail them for that in a court of law?

I know that this isn't actual child pornography: the images here are renderings, not photographs of actual children. But does this matter? I don't know the law well enough.

[Quinch]

All right, serious question.

Child pornography in the United States is a crime.

Is what NCSoft is advertising criminal? Could we nail them for that in a court of law?

I know that this isn't actual child pornography: the images here are renderings, not photographs of actual children. But does this matter? I don't know the law well enough.

I don't know if it's illegal {in fact, I'm hoping it's not for the sake of the first amendment}, but drawing attention that they're openly marketing it might murder their rep.

[DrakeGrimm]

All right, serious question.

Child pornography in the United States is a crime.

Is what NCSoft is advertising criminal? Could we nail them for that in a court of law?

I know that this isn't actual child pornography: the images here are renderings, not photographs of actual children. But does this matter? I don't know the law well enough.

Sadly, these images do not qualify as child pornography under US law, to the best of my knowledge, as the "children" are actually covered and not in a directly sexual situation.

Also, if I recall correctly(and I may be wrong, here), rendered and drawn images are almost never considered 'child pornography' because fictional characters do not have an actual legal age, since(from a legal standpoint) they do not exist.

My information may be old, obsolete, or completely misinformed. I am not a lawyer. Do not attempt to use Grimm Advice in a legal capacity. If swelling persists within two hours of using Grimm Advice, please consult your physician. Side effects include eye rolling, face palming, shaking of one's head, beleaguered groaning, and the sudden urge to observe Batman in some form of media.

[chaparralshrub]

My information may be old, obsolete, or completely misinformed. I am not a lawyer. Do not attempt to use Grimm Advice in a legal capacity. If swelling persists within two hours of using Grimm Advice, please consult your physician. Side effects include eye rolling, face palming, shaking of one's head, beleaguered groaning, and the sudden urge to observe Batman in some form of media.

I'd rather observe Manticore. Preferably on an adventure with his wife. And preferably in the "alive again" sense, not the "both dead now" sense.

[downix]

All right, serious question.

Child pornography in the United States is a crime.

Is what NCSoft is advertising criminal? Could we nail them for that in a court of law?

I know that this isn't actual child pornography: the images here are renderings, not photographs of actual children. But does this matter? I don't know the law well enough.

Sadly no, it skirts the law, but does not cross into the territory.

I already asked two of the lawyers.

[DrakeGrimm]

I'd rather observe Manticore. Preferably on an adventure with his wife. And preferably in the "alive again" sense, not the "both dead now" sense.

...both dead now? D:

[Moonfyire101]

[P51mus]

http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.pso-world.com%2Fforums%2Fshowthread.php%3Ft%3D187148&h=VAQFJkwmH

Click on the link, ignore the videos then scroll down. Is it just me or do the boys look like topless little girls? And the girls are in nighties. And how the game is with the walking and sexually suggestive emotes it really makes me ill.

You just linked a link to a link (Yo dawg, I heard you liked links).  Think you meant to do this: http://www.pso-world.com/forums/showthread.php?t=187148

[Moonfyire101]

You just linked a link to a link (Yo dawg, I heard you liked links).  Think you meant to do this: http://www.pso-world.com/forums/showthread.php?t=187148

Yes sorry, just changed it

[WanderingAries]

I have GIMP on the new PC (my version of Photoshop is old enough that I can't install it on Windows 7), but I'm not intimately familiar with all of it's functions yet.  I'll have to see if I can figure that one out.

I realize it's not free, but for 1/10th the price of PS you can get PSP (now owned by Corel) and it looks/acts as much like PS as is possible. I use that for SS as it has the option to set your Own key combo and take as many shots as they app can handle memory wise.
Tip:  Stop at around 200 or you will cry when it eventually crashes.   >.<

[TimtheEnchanter]

...six criteria.


Whether the focal point of the visual depiction is on the child's genitalia or pubic area.


Whether the setting of the visual depiction is sexually suggestive, i.e., in a place or pose generally associated with sexual activity.


Whether the child is depicted in an unnatural pose, or in inappropriate attire, considering the age of the child.


Whether the child is fully or partially clothed, or nude.


Whether the visual depiction suggests sexual coyness or a willingness to engage in sexual activity.


Whether the visual depiction is intended or designed to elicit a sexual response in the viewer.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dost_test

Well now doesn't that look like a wonderfully subjective list, by which opinions can be easily swayed (or bribed) 

And if all else fails, NC can just say the child is actually a forest sprite, and then everyone's happy.

And I'm guessing there's a certain number on the list that must be met before its an offense. I'd say #6 on the list is definitely locked in.

[WanderingAries]

O_o  o... kay...?

Why the change?  If there's a joke here, I must be too dense to get it.

My guess would be that it's probably considered rude to call somebody by the original term and is likely somewhere listed in the various forum rulesets. Therefore the Proxy term which is normally viewed in a positive light is used with the punchline being that it is in itself an oxymoron...

[Moonfyire101]

I realize it's not free, but for 1/10th the price of PS you can get PSP (now owned by Corel) and it looks/acts as much like PS as is possible. I use that for SS as it has the option to set your Own key combo and take as many shots as they app can handle memory wise.
Tip:  Stop at around 200 or you will cry when it eventually crashes.   >.<

Also paint tool sai is pretty good. Nothing beats good old photoshop though...

[Moonfyire101]

And if all else fails, NC can just say the child is actually a forest sprite, and then everyone's happy.

Actually, forest sprites don't look like little girls. They more look like little adults.

[TimtheEnchanter]

Actually, forest sprites don't look like little girls. They more look like little adults.

Touche'

Point is though, of a company wants to create a non-human being that just happens to look exactly like one...

Apparently it doesn't take much to sidestep the law on matters like that. Disney was sued over Finding Nemo because of a storybook about clown fish that came out years earlier but had countless story elements in common. Disney won because their fish was a different shade of orange. So I can just imagine something NOT legally being pedophilia because, "Children do not have green hair."

[Victoria Victrix]

This seriously depends on where you are, what kind of jury you get, how good the prosecutor is, and how good your lawyer is.