Questions about Customizable Gear

[LeWatcher]

I don't find issue with the image and I think you are deflecting. The general feel of a tshirt or other image that shows naked dryads with a caption talking about Lesbian Dryads frolicking does create a feeling of sexual undertone for me. So add me to the objectionable list.

You (VI) made it sexual by referring to them as Lesbian dryads. Laughing, or playing, or is not objectionable, but you refer to them by their sexual preference.

And while we are on the subject of VI sexualizing the content. What's up with the Mourning Wood shirt? A pun or play on words but in my opinion a direct reference to the male state in the morning. Am I wrong?

Why has VI suddenly felt the need to sexualize their merchandise? I find both objectionable.

[Takora Drakan]

MY god, you thinkers that the dryards are offensive, you find a naked barbie doll also offensive? Because the dryards are very much like that, they are naked barbie dolls.

[LeWatcher]

Guess you aren't reading the posts. It's not the images, it's the Lesbian's frolicking and Mourning Wood comments.

[Takora Drakan]

I have read the posts And those textes are not mean serious, it is a joke people.

[Zexoin]

Guess you aren't reading the posts. It's not the images, it's the Lesbian's frolicking and Mourning Wood comments.

Well I'd say this is not VI's doing, but the players who ordered said shirts.

[LeWatcher]

I have read the posts And those textes are not mean serious, it is a joke people.

It's not a joke Takora. Do you not see those shirts for sale? They are real.

Explain that to our kids that play this game. It would have been just as easy to add merchandise without the sexual innuendos. What is there to gain by sexualizing those t-shirts?

It is not an adult only game, and as such why the desire to add sexual content in merchandise, or the forums? What is the message being sent to prospective players? What message is being sent to our younger players?

[Deth]

VI did not design the shirts but they did authorize them. So being as now people are objecting to the message, not the art, they should be removed and future messages should be looked at more closely.



Note: I am not bothered by the shirts but as VI wrote the rules they should abide by them.

[velveeta]

i was gonna post something stoopid about being mw's female player, but hey, everyone is entitled to their feelings and opinions.

i do not now or ever felt, that the dryads are offensive. i am sorry if you find my choice of alt name offensive. i, however, pay to use the name, so not much to be done.

o lord, forget it. i am not ready for a censorship argument - altho i find it funny that lewatcher is asking of vi is censoring a post, when basically vi is being asked to censor its products.....

by the way, not that it matters, but i would like to say that my 11 year old goddaughter knows the meanings of the words 'frolicing' 'lesbian' and 'dryad', thanx to all the tv, movies, and literature over the years. not to mention me as her godmother.....


It is not an adult only game, and as such why the desire to add sexual content in merchandise, or the forums? because sex sells! what country do you live in where that is not the case in advertising?
What is the message being sent to prospective players? same as the message being sent by tv ads - we are kewl and kewl peeps use our products
What message is being sent to our younger players? i would ask what you are talking to your younger players about? do you talk to your kids about sex and how pervasive it is in modern society? do you censor your kids viewing and listening habits? if so, how is talking to them about the cafepress items any different?

[Zexoin]

Well said, Velveeta

[LeWatcher]

o lord, forget it. i am not ready for a censorship argument - altho i find it funny that lewatcher is asking of vi is censoring a post, when basically vi is being asked to censor its products.....

I believe in content censoring, otherwise there would be **** and hate content everywhere (the shirts are not po..rn [editor censored the real word]). I don't believe in censoring the thoughts or dialog of individuals stating their opinions.

....'frolicing' 'lesbian' and 'dryad'.....

I don't have an issue with lesbians frolicing or naked dryads, many of my friends are gay and I think one might even be a dryad... hard to tell sometimes. This isn't about a life style or a personal identity. I just didn't think it appropriate in the forums or as merchandising for a game played by kids. It's an opinion nothing more.

[Takora Drakan]

It's not a joke Takora. Do you not see those shirts for sale? They are real.

I know that they are real, don't ask me all the time if I didn't read or see something. If you don't like the shirts then don't order them. Or you also yell at people when they have a t-shirt on that you find "inappropriate"? And there are games out where female chars have nothing more on like a string tanga or a breeze of nothing sometimes (AoC or Guildwars anyone?) And yes, even Kids play GW.

And I never found the Dryard picture or the saying offensive, I liked the dryard render because its beautiful in my eyes and I laughed much at the text on the dryard shirt.

And I agree to Vel!

[LaughingOtter]

As has been stated, the designs in the store were determined not to be objectionable under the rules of conduct. The initial question was a fair one, but it has been answered.

This thread is badly derailed already, so any further off topic posts will be deleted without warning.

[Justa Mirage]

Maybe I picked an inappropriate screen shot for my herald report

I believe... if you want to display a pixie in the buff on your shirt, as they are just magical creatures anyways, I find nothing wrong with it, however... when using the same imagery to sell a product and expose the populus to said naked dryad images, is a little on the "Sex Sells" topic.

Staying on topic for this thread, I have yet to composite my main characters together with a soft edge and a backdrop of the istaria symbol so I can order a shirt... but the shirt will have a dryad on it, sans clothes.

[Velea]

I'm so going to get in trouble for this post probably, but I'll walk out on the limb anyway, as I'm the one who suggested the shirt that's being called into question...

The CafePress site, and what is sold on it, are not part of playing the game. (Explained more fully in a response to the thread in the Rants section.)

The message being sent to those who go to the website is that I have a sense of humor. Yep, the shirt was intended as a joke, for whomever said that.

The message that it sent to three young players (my own children) was that it's funny that people will be so quick to judge. That art can't contain anything that might be even remotely "sexual" without being criticized as "what will the children think". That anything which even suggests human sexuality is only placed where it is because "sex sells". Oh, and let's not forget the "children are bombarded with sexual images everywhere and that has lead to the demise of civilization as we know it". Maybe my children understand all this because what they experience when they aren't playing Istaria has taught them to think for themselves, has helped them develop their own sense of "right and wrong" and stand strong in their value set. What they're taught at church and have reinforced at home is that living a "right life" (as we call it) isn't about judging others for their choices, but staying true to their own values and judging their own choices by them.

Coming back around to the topic of the dryad shirt for a moment... What is sold on the Cafe Press site is not a part of playing the game. We attempt to provide an environment which is acceptable to parents who want to allow their children to play the game. However, the game is not rated by the ESRB at all. Notice how when you log in to the game, you never see any rating on it? And if the game comes up on the ESRB site at all (don't think it does), it would appear as Not Rated. What this means for the game is that game content is held to the EULA and policies set forth referenced in it... but the items sold on the CafePress site aren't part of the game.

I am not saying that "anything goes" on either the game or what's sold on the CafePress site, and hopefully that's clear. The experience we agree to attempt to provide for players (all players) of the GAME Istaria has no bearing on the items sold on a site that is not a part of that game experience, however. Were we to provide the shirt in game as is, then I can see where people would say that we are being "two-faced" (or however one wants to phrase it). Think of it this way... the EULA and it's associated policies are a two-way agreement that applies to the game "Istaria: Chronicles of the Gifted" When you go to the CafePress website, a whole different set of rules (those set forth by the people who run that site) apply.

*hopes no one comes along with a saw while she's out on the end of this limb*

[Mensar]

Oh and my on-topic question is.. can I get one with my plot on it? Or my T5 hall? That might come out a little dark since it's lunus though.

[LaughingOtter]

can I get one with my plot on it? Or my T5 hall? That might come out a little dark since it's lunus though.

Sure, you just need to take a usable screen shot of the portion of your hall that you want on the shirt. If you want a caption ("Lair Sweet Lair"?), we can work that in too.

[Maliki]

I will be using photoshop to clean image prior to summiting, so is there a preferred format or size?

[LaughingOtter]

Either JPG or PNG would be best.