Oh my god, are people seriously getting up in arms over Greg Miller and his response to a fictional character? I'm not even an IGN or Greg Miller fan, but this is just pathetic.
It's not the fact he doesn't like a fictional character, it's his reasoning as to why--because she's "not normal."
Sarah may be fictional, but there are people like her who exist. By extension, he's saying all of those real people are also "not normal" and would deserve to die/be left behind in a disaster scenario. That is a very serious and very offensive implication.
Oh my god, are people seriously getting up in arms over Greg Miller and his response to a fictional character? I'm not even an IGN or Greg Miller fan, but this is just pathetic.
Oh my god, are people seriously getting up in arms over Greg Miller and his response to a fictional character? I'm not even an IGN or Greg Miller fan, but this is just pathetic.
There's a little difference there. It's a tragic fact of the Walking Dead Game universe for zombies to eat children without caring. But then the professional writers should be excused for laughing at a disabled girl and agreeing that their own character meant nothing?
On the whole issue about Greg Miller let's look back to season 1. A smart man said "You're just alive," people loved him and he implied the … moresame thing to Clem saying that she'll die if she doesn't learn to survive. In episode 4 of Season 2 you could argue we were never given the chance to teach Sarah to survive that's true and well enough. BUT it was never our job to take care of her and to teach her, that was her father's he fucked up by wanting Sarah to remain innocent and unknowing of the world they live in. In my opinion I'm glad they killed her off, but I don't laugh about her death. She probably wouldn't have been able to continue for long and in the situation she was in, she was practically dead weight.
But speaking from a point of view on a fictional scenario, she isn't 'normal'. Her character freezes up and isn't able to deal with the situation. He's not wrong in what he says, and who cares if he hated her as a character? People hate 'normal' telltale characters all the time. Regardless of what she might or might not have, things are obviously being blown out of proportion by the 'time to get mad' machine known as tumblr.
It's not the fact he doesn't like a fictional character, it's his reasoning as to why--because she's "not normal."
Sarah may be fictional… more, but there are people like her who exist. By extension, he's saying all of those real people are also "not normal" and would deserve to die/be left behind in a disaster scenario. That is a very serious and very offensive implication.
It's pretty common knowledge that the media has an obvious effect on how people see and treat people in their lives. You can't excuse it because "it's an opinion" or "it's not real". These things have influence and effects, and they are very real.
Oh my god, are people seriously getting up in arms over Greg Miller and his response to a fictional character? I'm not even an IGN or Greg Miller fan, but this is just pathetic.
There is a huge difference between what Chuck was saying, that Clementine is helpless now but had the potential to learn how to defend herself because she was alive and that made her capable of surviving, and what the entirety of Amid the Ruins was saying about Sarah, which was "Sarah was born helpless and she was never going to change no matter what you did because she's useless".
The fact is that disabled people should not be doomed to die because of the simple fact that they are disabled, which is, undoubtably, what they did with Sarah. We are not hopeless and unable to adjust because we know our boundaries and how to deal with them in the world. We know our own coping mechanisms that keep us functional. That doesn't change because it's an apocalypse. And while you can argue that Sarah was sheltered and thus made her helpless, she is not a real person and seeing her be reduced to nothing more than her disability (to not even sympathize with because Telltale apparently couldn't wait to kill her off and thought it was hilarious) is absolutely disgusting and was in no way necessary to her story.
Making her "dead weight" was a conscious decision by Telltale that reflects what millions of people think about someone that struggles with mental illness. That's why people are angry.
On the whole issue about Greg Miller let's look back to season 1. A smart man said "You're just alive," people loved him and he implied the … moresame thing to Clem saying that she'll die if she doesn't learn to survive. In episode 4 of Season 2 you could argue we were never given the chance to teach Sarah to survive that's true and well enough. BUT it was never our job to take care of her and to teach her, that was her father's he fucked up by wanting Sarah to remain innocent and unknowing of the world they live in. In my opinion I'm glad they killed her off, but I don't laugh about her death. She probably wouldn't have been able to continue for long and in the situation she was in, she was practically dead weight.
Yeah, all you're doing is putting a lot of ugly words in the mouths of people who you don't know at all. Regardless of what they chose to laugh at or not, I don't think that equates to them believing that 'people with disabilities don't deserve to live'. Seriously, what the hell is wrong with you?
Well, his reason for him not saving her and being happy when she died was that she wasn't "not normal, and then Telltale laughed in agreement. Seems pretty easy to infer what that means.
Yeah, all you're doing is putting a lot of ugly words in the mouths of people who you don't know at all. Regardless of what they chose to la… moreugh at or not, I don't think that equates to them believing that 'people with disabilities don't deserve to live'. Seriously, what the hell is wrong with you?
It was unprofessional, but that is how he's been for all the years he's been doing Up At Noon and Playing Dead. I felt though the comparison to Hitler I found on Twitter was rude and offensive. Greg Miller only gave his opinion on a show that's typically just his opinion and discussing his opinion with guests. Besides TellTale has never officially said Sarah is disabled in anyway, I can see how people will say she is, but it's not official.
Greg is refusing to acknowledge that his behavior was not only unprofessional but extremely ignorant and offensive. This isn't a matter of "… morewell we disagree so I hate you". This isn't just people's feelings being hurt. Disabled people like Sarah have been physically abused and killed just because they exist. And then Greg comes along, joining the thousands of others who hate her and want her dead because she did exist.
It's pretty common knowledge that the media has an obvious effect on how people see and treat people in their lives. You can't excuse it because "it's an opinion" or "it's not real". These things have influence and effects, and they are very real.
Laughing doesn't mean they agree. People laugh at ridiculous statements, people laugh at things they are completely against, if only from shock. Pretty easy to infer what it means? And yet you're jumping to extreme conclusions and accusations.
Well, his reason for him not saving her and being happy when she died was that she wasn't "not normal, and then Telltale laughed in agreement. Seems pretty easy to infer what that means.
By normal he didn't mean disabilities in fact Sarah's character hasn't been confirmed to have a disability she was sheltered from the world they now live in. By normal he meant she wasn't a survivor like Clem and the rest of the group.
It's not the fact he doesn't like a fictional character, it's his reasoning as to why--because she's "not normal."
Sarah may be fictional… more, but there are people like her who exist. By extension, he's saying all of those real people are also "not normal" and would deserve to die/be left behind in a disaster scenario. That is a very serious and very offensive implication.
The problem is, if that's how he responds to someone in a fictional scenario, how does he respond to real people? Because while Sarah is fictional, her struggles are very, very real. Saying that the way she reacts to things is "not normal" and then using it as an excuse to hate her and be happy that she's dead has some seriously negative connotations in regards to how he and Telltale in general seems to feel about people who have panic disorders.
Things like this don't come out of a vacuum. So no, it's not just tumblr stupidity. This is something that really, really, really needs to be addressed.
But speaking from a point of view on a fictional scenario, she isn't 'normal'. Her character freezes up and isn't able to deal with the situ… moreation. He's not wrong in what he says, and who cares if he hated her as a character? People hate 'normal' telltale characters all the time. Regardless of what she might or might not have, things are obviously being blown out of proportion by the 'time to get mad' machine known as tumblr.
Oh my god, are people seriously getting up in arms over Greg Miller and his response to a fictional character? I'm not even an IGN or Greg Miller fan, but this is just pathetic.
If they disagreed, why wouldn't they say so? Why would they then go on to support what he is saying by telling him that many people agreed with him, if they did not?
Laughing doesn't mean they agree. People laugh at ridiculous statements, people laugh at things they are completely against, if only from shock. Pretty easy to infer what it means? And yet you're jumping to extreme conclusions and accusations.
By normal he didn't mean disabilities in fact Sarah's character hasn't been confirmed to have a disability she was sheltered from the world they now live in. By normal he meant she wasn't a survivor like Clem and the rest of the group.
You had the chance to decide if she could change, but her character was written in the way that she wouldn't. The reason everyone at that point was against her was because there was more pressing issues at hand and Sarah wasn't helping in the state she was in.
As I said Sarah is not disabled, she was sheltered.
They made that decision cause the fans demanded it and it was for the plot and they can't change anything.
There is a huge difference between what Chuck was saying, that Clementine is helpless now but had the potential to learn how to defend herse… morelf because she was alive and that made her capable of surviving, and what the entirety of Amid the Ruins was saying about Sarah, which was "Sarah was born helpless and she was never going to change no matter what you did because she's useless".
The fact is that disabled people should not be doomed to die because of the simple fact that they are disabled, which is, undoubtably, what they did with Sarah. We are not hopeless and unable to adjust because we know our boundaries and how to deal with them in the world. We know our own coping mechanisms that keep us functional. That doesn't change because it's an apocalypse. And while you can argue that Sarah was sheltered and thus made her helpless, she is not a real person and seeing her be reduced to nothing more than her disability (to not even sympathize … [view original content]
Because they did? As I recall, the option to abandon her right away was almost 50%. They're not there to express their own thoughts and choices of what they did on the game. You'll notice neither said 'oh yeah, we totally dropped her too as soon as we could'. Neither commented on their own opinions or what actions they took or would take. Not voicing objection does not mean agreement. They were guests on the show, and were polite and let Greg reflect his own experiences with the game.
If they disagreed, why wouldn't they say so? Why would they then go on to support what he is saying by telling him that many people agreed with him, if they did not?
And you see nothing wrong with the fact that the narrative is telling you that she can't change and can never be saved, even though the strongest overarching theme of this game series is that people can change and that strength can come in all forms and from all sources?
You had the chance to decide if she could change, but her character was written in the way that she wouldn't. The reason everyone at that po… moreint was against her was because there was more pressing issues at hand and Sarah wasn't helping in the state she was in.
As I said Sarah is not disabled, she was sheltered.
They made that decision cause the fans demanded it and it was for the plot and they can't change anything.
If they disagreed, why wouldn't they say so? Why would they then go on to support what he is saying by telling him that many people agreed with him, if they did not?
So, today's been a mix of a lot of different Tweets. Lots about Christine Lakin on The GameOverGreggy Show and some about Twitch, but then, there's been a couple about yesterday's Playing Dead episode and Sarah.
At first, I was pretty stoked; no one ever Tweets me about Playing Dead! But a few of them got really combative, and I was a bit lost. Finally, someone linked me to this Tumblr about it, which you should really read for the rest of this post to make sense.
I'll wait.
OK. Caught up? Outside of disagreeing/being pretty bummed about being referred to as "an asshole to female characters" and a "shitpile," I understand where Marissa (and the handful of Tweets) are coming from.
So, let's chat.
I've played all four episodes of The Walking Dead Season 2 multiple times, and it never crossed my mind that Sarah was disabled until Marissa said she was tonight.
In the interview, I talk about her being "normal." I'm not talking about her disability -- I'm talking about Clem and this universe. In Season 1, we raise Clem as Lee in a terrifying new world. We go from coddling this adorable little girl to telling her she has to stop being a kid. She has to realize there's a new world order, and to me -- someone who reads Walking Dead comics, watches the show, plays the game -- that's "normal." In this world, realizing you have to do what you have to do is the new normal.
Clem gets that. She crawls through the doggie door, she shoots the gun, and she becomes a member of the team.
In Season 2, Sarah is the antithesis of Season 1's Clem. At first, as I said in the interview, I thought Carlos was what was keeping her from being normal in The Walking Dead world; that he was shielding her from what was really outside and that's why she was holding on to pinky swears. However even with Carlos gone, Sarah isn't onboard with what Clem's saying. That's what I felt makes her abnormal to The Walking Dead world -- the fact that she doesn't accept how bad everything is. It never occurred to me that this was due to anything other than her holding on to still being a kid (a la Duck and his Batman and Robin references).
By the time we got to the decision to help her or leave her in Episode 4, I was frustrated and over it. Sarah was on my "Ben" list -- not because she was disabled but because she wasn't helping Clem.
The Walking Dead is an adventure game to most, but to me, it's an RPG. I am Clem. I am in this ugly fictional world. I have to make horrible choices in a fraction of a second. I had talked and talked and talked to Sarah about helping out, but it was no use. It was the same way I had talked and talked and talked to Ben about helping out, but it was no use.
This is the "normal" I was talking about on Playing Dead.
With every piece of content I make, I'm trying to have a conversation with you and entertain you -- whether you agree or not. I failed at that this weekend for some of you. My argument wasn't expressed clearly enough, and that offended some people who were looking to just watch a video and talk games.
I'm sorry for that, but I hope you understand that it wasn't my intention.
Laughing doesn't mean they agree. People laugh at ridiculous statements, people laugh at things they are completely against, if only from shock. Pretty easy to infer what it means? And yet you're jumping to extreme conclusions and accusations.
I know they are, considering I have agoraphobia, but she still was sheltered by her father forced to fear the unknown and when faced by the unknown and loss she broke down in a time when they couldn't help her.
He didn't just not like her. He took delight in the fact that she died, painfully. He specifically chose to leave her behind because she was definitely more than "sheltered", in other words, because she was specifically disabled.
But speaking from a point of view on a fictional scenario, she isn't 'normal'. Her character freezes up and isn't able to deal with the situ… moreation. He's not wrong in what he says, and who cares if he hated her as a character? People hate 'normal' telltale characters all the time. Regardless of what she might or might not have, things are obviously being blown out of proportion by the 'time to get mad' machine known as tumblr.
It was an interview and they were the interviewees... The point was for them to express their opinions in addition to Greg... If they agree to take part in an interview, and then support opinions stated by the interviewer, it's not too far off the mark to assume they agree with the interviewer's point...
Because they did? As I recall, the option to abandon her right away was almost 50%. They're not there to express their own thoughts and choi… moreces of what they did on the game. You'll notice neither said 'oh yeah, we totally dropped her too as soon as we could'. Neither commented on their own opinions or what actions they took or would take. Not voicing objection does not mean agreement. They were guests on the show, and were polite and let Greg reflect his own experiences with the game.
Believe it or not, they're probably not nazis
Spent half an hour writing a rant about telltale and how the choices are becoming meaningless, and I'm met with a "Your topic will be posted once it has been reviewed"
WHAT. THE. FUCK.
Then why are you insisting that Sarah isn't confirmed to have a disability when she really obviously reacts in a much stronger fashion than the rest of the people in the group, and that Carlos's whole reason for wanting to shelter her is that she would "cease to function"? Like I'm honestly confused how much you all need it spelled out for you.
In fact, if Telltale's point was that she isn't disabled then they have even more to answer for, as plenty of people who share similarities with Sarah's struggles, me included, swear up and down she is. Insisting that there's nothing wrong with her and she just isn't trying hard enough isn't at all better. It's kind of worse, actually.
I know they are, considering I have agoraphobia, but she still was sheltered by her father forced to fear the unknown and when faced by the unknown and loss she broke down in a time when they couldn't help her.
Thank you so much for this Greg, but I feel posting this will be in vain considering people here are foaming out the mouth and are taking everything in a severely wrong manner.
To me your opinion was a-okay and I understood your point of view and I feel some people were overreacting about your opinion. I truly love watching your version of "The Playing Dead" 'cause you give your opinion and input on the episode and you're genuine about it.
Hey, everyone--
It's me, Greg Miller from IGN! I just wrote a big ol' blog about everything over on IGN (http://www.ign.com/blogs/greggy-… moreign/2014/08/10/the-walking-dead-sarah-and-normal/), but I wanted to make sure y'all saw it, too. I'll stick around to answer comments...
Hey--
So, today's been a mix of a lot of different Tweets. Lots about Christine Lakin on The GameOverGreggy Show and some about Twitch, but then, there's been a couple about yesterday's Playing Dead episode and Sarah.
At first, I was pretty stoked; no one ever Tweets me about Playing Dead! But a few of them got really combative, and I was a bit lost. Finally, someone linked me to this Tumblr about it, which you should really read for the rest of this post to make sense.
I'll wait.
OK. Caught up? Outside of disagreeing/being pretty bummed about being referred to as "an asshole to female characters" and a "shitpile," I understand where Marissa (and the handf… [view original content]
Hey, everyone--
It's me, Greg Miller from IGN! I just wrote a big ol' blog about everything over on IGN (http://www.ign.com/blogs/greggy-… moreign/2014/08/10/the-walking-dead-sarah-and-normal/), but I wanted to make sure y'all saw it, too. I'll stick around to answer comments...
Hey--
So, today's been a mix of a lot of different Tweets. Lots about Christine Lakin on The GameOverGreggy Show and some about Twitch, but then, there's been a couple about yesterday's Playing Dead episode and Sarah.
At first, I was pretty stoked; no one ever Tweets me about Playing Dead! But a few of them got really combative, and I was a bit lost. Finally, someone linked me to this Tumblr about it, which you should really read for the rest of this post to make sense.
I'll wait.
OK. Caught up? Outside of disagreeing/being pretty bummed about being referred to as "an asshole to female characters" and a "shitpile," I understand where Marissa (and the handf… [view original content]
By not coming out and explicitly saying she was disabled is how they can get away with doing things like this.
Sarah isn't "confirmed" to be disabled, but... she quite clearly is. Countless disabled fans have identified her behavior as non-neurotypical and they're speaking from experience.
By normal he didn't mean disabilities in fact Sarah's character hasn't been confirmed to have a disability she was sheltered from the world they now live in. By normal he meant she wasn't a survivor like Clem and the rest of the group.
Hey, everyone--
It's me, Greg Miller from IGN! I just wrote a big ol' blog about everything over on IGN (http://www.ign.com/blogs/greggy-… moreign/2014/08/10/the-walking-dead-sarah-and-normal/), but I wanted to make sure y'all saw it, too. I'll stick around to answer comments...
Hey--
So, today's been a mix of a lot of different Tweets. Lots about Christine Lakin on The GameOverGreggy Show and some about Twitch, but then, there's been a couple about yesterday's Playing Dead episode and Sarah.
At first, I was pretty stoked; no one ever Tweets me about Playing Dead! But a few of them got really combative, and I was a bit lost. Finally, someone linked me to this Tumblr about it, which you should really read for the rest of this post to make sense.
I'll wait.
OK. Caught up? Outside of disagreeing/being pretty bummed about being referred to as "an asshole to female characters" and a "shitpile," I understand where Marissa (and the handf… [view original content]
So a summary, you didn't approve of the way Sarah reacted, she wasn't useful enough to you, so she deserved to die a painful death while you laughed in delight. Got it.
Hey, everyone--
It's me, Greg Miller from IGN! I just wrote a big ol' blog about everything over on IGN (http://www.ign.com/blogs/greggy-… moreign/2014/08/10/the-walking-dead-sarah-and-normal/), but I wanted to make sure y'all saw it, too. I'll stick around to answer comments...
Hey--
So, today's been a mix of a lot of different Tweets. Lots about Christine Lakin on The GameOverGreggy Show and some about Twitch, but then, there's been a couple about yesterday's Playing Dead episode and Sarah.
At first, I was pretty stoked; no one ever Tweets me about Playing Dead! But a few of them got really combative, and I was a bit lost. Finally, someone linked me to this Tumblr about it, which you should really read for the rest of this post to make sense.
I'll wait.
OK. Caught up? Outside of disagreeing/being pretty bummed about being referred to as "an asshole to female characters" and a "shitpile," I understand where Marissa (and the handf… [view original content]
They were being interviewed. There are polite ways to point out someone is being a dick. They could have said something to the effect of "well, many fans actually identified with her character, so we did our best to do a respectful portrayal, even if it did end tragically," (something better than that but you get the idea) instead of "yeah, a lot of people were waiting for her to die."
No, I don't considering the story and the deep shit they were in. Jane was right maybe some people aren't worth saving and it's not your job to push them along.
Besides Season 1 was about people can change and Season 2 seems to be living with your choices and mistakes.
And you see nothing wrong with the fact that the narrative is telling you that she can't change and can never be saved, even though the stro… morengest overarching theme of this game series is that people can change and that strength can come in all forms and from all sources?
lmao ok i'm done here bye
Comments
Oh my god, are people seriously getting up in arms over Greg Miller and his response to a fictional character? I'm not even an IGN or Greg Miller fan, but this is just pathetic.
It's not the fact he doesn't like a fictional character, it's his reasoning as to why--because she's "not normal."
Sarah may be fictional, but there are people like her who exist. By extension, he's saying all of those real people are also "not normal" and would deserve to die/be left behind in a disaster scenario. That is a very serious and very offensive implication.
It's not just Greg though. Even Telltale agreed with him. Him and members of Telltale agreed that people with disabilities don't deserve to live.
There's a little difference there. It's a tragic fact of the Walking Dead Game universe for zombies to eat children without caring. But then the professional writers should be excused for laughing at a disabled girl and agreeing that their own character meant nothing?
But speaking from a point of view on a fictional scenario, she isn't 'normal'. Her character freezes up and isn't able to deal with the situation. He's not wrong in what he says, and who cares if he hated her as a character? People hate 'normal' telltale characters all the time. Regardless of what she might or might not have, things are obviously being blown out of proportion by the 'time to get mad' machine known as tumblr.
i'm tired, copy pasting
It's pretty common knowledge that the media has an obvious effect on how people see and treat people in their lives. You can't excuse it because "it's an opinion" or "it's not real". These things have influence and effects, and they are very real.
There is a huge difference between what Chuck was saying, that Clementine is helpless now but had the potential to learn how to defend herself because she was alive and that made her capable of surviving, and what the entirety of Amid the Ruins was saying about Sarah, which was "Sarah was born helpless and she was never going to change no matter what you did because she's useless".
The fact is that disabled people should not be doomed to die because of the simple fact that they are disabled, which is, undoubtably, what they did with Sarah. We are not hopeless and unable to adjust because we know our boundaries and how to deal with them in the world. We know our own coping mechanisms that keep us functional. That doesn't change because it's an apocalypse. And while you can argue that Sarah was sheltered and thus made her helpless, she is not a real person and seeing her be reduced to nothing more than her disability (to not even sympathize with because Telltale apparently couldn't wait to kill her off and thought it was hilarious) is absolutely disgusting and was in no way necessary to her story.
Making her "dead weight" was a conscious decision by Telltale that reflects what millions of people think about someone that struggles with mental illness. That's why people are angry.
Yeah, all you're doing is putting a lot of ugly words in the mouths of people who you don't know at all. Regardless of what they chose to laugh at or not, I don't think that equates to them believing that 'people with disabilities don't deserve to live'. Seriously, what the hell is wrong with you?
Well, his reason for him not saving her and being happy when she died was that she wasn't "not normal, and then Telltale laughed in agreement. Seems pretty easy to infer what that means.
It was unprofessional, but that is how he's been for all the years he's been doing Up At Noon and Playing Dead. I felt though the comparison to Hitler I found on Twitter was rude and offensive. Greg Miller only gave his opinion on a show that's typically just his opinion and discussing his opinion with guests. Besides TellTale has never officially said Sarah is disabled in anyway, I can see how people will say she is, but it's not official.
They never said people with disabilities don't deserve to live.
Laughing doesn't mean they agree. People laugh at ridiculous statements, people laugh at things they are completely against, if only from shock. Pretty easy to infer what it means? And yet you're jumping to extreme conclusions and accusations.
By normal he didn't mean disabilities in fact Sarah's character hasn't been confirmed to have a disability she was sheltered from the world they now live in. By normal he meant she wasn't a survivor like Clem and the rest of the group.
The problem is, if that's how he responds to someone in a fictional scenario, how does he respond to real people? Because while Sarah is fictional, her struggles are very, very real. Saying that the way she reacts to things is "not normal" and then using it as an excuse to hate her and be happy that she's dead has some seriously negative connotations in regards to how he and Telltale in general seems to feel about people who have panic disorders.
Things like this don't come out of a vacuum. So no, it's not just tumblr stupidity. This is something that really, really, really needs to be addressed.
Finally someone who agrees with me.
Am I the only who thinks there is a bit of overreaction to those tweets?
If they disagreed, why wouldn't they say so? Why would they then go on to support what he is saying by telling him that many people agreed with him, if they did not?
sir panic attacks are a very real disability i can assure you of that
You had the chance to decide if she could change, but her character was written in the way that she wouldn't. The reason everyone at that point was against her was because there was more pressing issues at hand and Sarah wasn't helping in the state she was in.
As I said Sarah is not disabled, she was sheltered.
They made that decision cause the fans demanded it and it was for the plot and they can't change anything.
Yes, you're in the minority consisting of me and The Human Dove.
Because they did? As I recall, the option to abandon her right away was almost 50%. They're not there to express their own thoughts and choices of what they did on the game. You'll notice neither said 'oh yeah, we totally dropped her too as soon as we could'. Neither commented on their own opinions or what actions they took or would take. Not voicing objection does not mean agreement. They were guests on the show, and were polite and let Greg reflect his own experiences with the game.
Believe it or not, they're probably not nazis
And you see nothing wrong with the fact that the narrative is telling you that she can't change and can never be saved, even though the strongest overarching theme of this game series is that people can change and that strength can come in all forms and from all sources?
lmao ok i'm done here bye
Maybe because many people did agree with their decision and it would seem dickish to tell someone they're wrong on their show.
Hey, everyone--
It's me, Greg Miller from IGN! I just wrote a big ol' blog about everything over on IGN (http://www.ign.com/blogs/greggy-ign/2014/08/10/the-walking-dead-sarah-and-normal/), but I wanted to make sure y'all saw it, too. I'll stick around to answer comments...
Hey--
So, today's been a mix of a lot of different Tweets. Lots about Christine Lakin on The GameOverGreggy Show and some about Twitch, but then, there's been a couple about yesterday's Playing Dead episode and Sarah.
At first, I was pretty stoked; no one ever Tweets me about Playing Dead! But a few of them got really combative, and I was a bit lost. Finally, someone linked me to this Tumblr about it, which you should really read for the rest of this post to make sense.
I'll wait.
OK. Caught up? Outside of disagreeing/being pretty bummed about being referred to as "an asshole to female characters" and a "shitpile," I understand where Marissa (and the handful of Tweets) are coming from.
So, let's chat.
I've played all four episodes of The Walking Dead Season 2 multiple times, and it never crossed my mind that Sarah was disabled until Marissa said she was tonight.
In the interview, I talk about her being "normal." I'm not talking about her disability -- I'm talking about Clem and this universe. In Season 1, we raise Clem as Lee in a terrifying new world. We go from coddling this adorable little girl to telling her she has to stop being a kid. She has to realize there's a new world order, and to me -- someone who reads Walking Dead comics, watches the show, plays the game -- that's "normal." In this world, realizing you have to do what you have to do is the new normal.
Clem gets that. She crawls through the doggie door, she shoots the gun, and she becomes a member of the team.
In Season 2, Sarah is the antithesis of Season 1's Clem. At first, as I said in the interview, I thought Carlos was what was keeping her from being normal in The Walking Dead world; that he was shielding her from what was really outside and that's why she was holding on to pinky swears. However even with Carlos gone, Sarah isn't onboard with what Clem's saying. That's what I felt makes her abnormal to The Walking Dead world -- the fact that she doesn't accept how bad everything is. It never occurred to me that this was due to anything other than her holding on to still being a kid (a la Duck and his Batman and Robin references).
By the time we got to the decision to help her or leave her in Episode 4, I was frustrated and over it. Sarah was on my "Ben" list -- not because she was disabled but because she wasn't helping Clem.
The Walking Dead is an adventure game to most, but to me, it's an RPG. I am Clem. I am in this ugly fictional world. I have to make horrible choices in a fraction of a second. I had talked and talked and talked to Sarah about helping out, but it was no use. It was the same way I had talked and talked and talked to Ben about helping out, but it was no use.
This is the "normal" I was talking about on Playing Dead.
With every piece of content I make, I'm trying to have a conversation with you and entertain you -- whether you agree or not. I failed at that this weekend for some of you. My argument wasn't expressed clearly enough, and that offended some people who were looking to just watch a video and talk games.
I'm sorry for that, but I hope you understand that it wasn't my intention.
Greg
It's the way they laughed. They did it in an agreeing way. Not a shocked laugh or a "that's ridiculous" laugh, an "I agree with you" laugh.
I know they are, considering I have agoraphobia, but she still was sheltered by her father forced to fear the unknown and when faced by the unknown and loss she broke down in a time when they couldn't help her.
He didn't just not like her. He took delight in the fact that she died, painfully. He specifically chose to leave her behind because she was definitely more than "sheltered", in other words, because she was specifically disabled.
It was an interview and they were the interviewees... The point was for them to express their opinions in addition to Greg... If they agree to take part in an interview, and then support opinions stated by the interviewer, it's not too far off the mark to assume they agree with the interviewer's point...
Is this happening with other people? Because I posted my thread a few hours ago and it went up fine.
Maybe it is an over reaction, but Greg should still apologize.
Oh.My.God. I don't even know what to say.
Then why are you insisting that Sarah isn't confirmed to have a disability when she really obviously reacts in a much stronger fashion than the rest of the people in the group, and that Carlos's whole reason for wanting to shelter her is that she would "cease to function"? Like I'm honestly confused how much you all need it spelled out for you.
In fact, if Telltale's point was that she isn't disabled then they have even more to answer for, as plenty of people who share similarities with Sarah's struggles, me included, swear up and down she is. Insisting that there's nothing wrong with her and she just isn't trying hard enough isn't at all better. It's kind of worse, actually.
Thank you so much for this Greg, but I feel posting this will be in vain considering people here are foaming out the mouth and are taking everything in a severely wrong manner.
To me your opinion was a-okay and I understood your point of view and I feel some people were overreacting about your opinion. I truly love watching your version of "The Playing Dead" 'cause you give your opinion and input on the episode and you're genuine about it.
The apology is appreciated.
By not coming out and explicitly saying she was disabled is how they can get away with doing things like this.
Sarah isn't "confirmed" to be disabled, but... she quite clearly is. Countless disabled fans have identified her behavior as non-neurotypical and they're speaking from experience.
Hey--
This is one of the Tweets I was talking about in my explanation. I didn't know why people were upset at this point.
Greg
Ok, I think I can forgive you Greg. If this wasn't your intention, then I'm sorry for going a little overboard.
So a summary, you didn't approve of the way Sarah reacted, she wasn't useful enough to you, so she deserved to die a painful death while you laughed in delight. Got it.
They were being interviewed. There are polite ways to point out someone is being a dick. They could have said something to the effect of "well, many fans actually identified with her character, so we did our best to do a respectful portrayal, even if it did end tragically," (something better than that but you get the idea) instead of "yeah, a lot of people were waiting for her to die."
No, I don't considering the story and the deep shit they were in. Jane was right maybe some people aren't worth saving and it's not your job to push them along.
Besides Season 1 was about people can change and Season 2 seems to be living with your choices and mistakes.