Ah ha ha ha ha ha! The Sarkeesian Effect duo have split up again! It’s a Fourth of July Miracle!
So today, a furious Jordan Owen put out a video denouncing his now ex-partner Davis Aurini. Why? Because Aurini is demanding another $15,000 to edit the “film” and has set up a fundraiser without Owen in order to raise it.
According to Owen, Aurini has been “dicking around” with the footage for months in hopes of squeezing more money out of the project’s backers. Owen is having none of it, and is telling the backers not to give Aurini another cent, saying that he (Owen) will be editing the footage himself and putting out the film on schedule.
Also, the alleged “big reveal” that was going to come out in the “film?” According to Owen, Aurini decided based on watching one of Sarkeesian’s videos that she had been raped by her father, and was evidently shopping around to find a therapist who would agree to say as much on camera. Aurini’s completely unqualified internet diagnosis: that was their big reveal.
Just watch the video. It’s delicious.
And here, below, is Aurini’s fundraising video, which is what Owen is reacting to. Aurini’s unctuous, earnest tone is especially hilarious in the wake of Owen’s denunciations. Also his repeated references to “we,” as if Owen is on board with him.
At one point he assures would-be backers that he’s “streamlined” his life so he can work on the editing of The Sarkeesian Effect full-time. “As well as writing and doing Youtube videos, which I regularly do,” he adds. “And the podcast.”
Also he needs to do more filming.
He’s evidently hoping to keep the gravy train going until September.
Apparently he’s been so busy with the full-time editing (and writing and doing Youtube videos, which he regularly does, and the podcast) that he’s forgotten to shave his head.
And he seems to have fired his skull.
H/T — @srhbutts
I think this is a thing that can happen when we spend a lot of time here. I start getting impressed by misogynists for not being outright white supremacists.
I’d go further and say that if she were the victim of such a crime, then harassing and threatening her makes you an even bigger piece of shit.
I don’t think there is any group of people more likely to act like petulant children than MRAs.
It’s like they hit puberty and just got stuck there.
“And he seems to have fired his skull.”
A series always goes to hell when it loses the most interesting character. I thought his character development was much more pronounced than anyone else around. Still, there’s time for Coffee Press to grow into his part, I guess.
I… I don’t know how to express my joy… but I think my single favorite part is the commenter under Aurini’s video offering to pay for the eventual DVD in either cash or ammo. Which will be more valuable after the apocalypse, after all.
It’s all so beautiful.
Psssh. Everyone knows that bottle caps will be the standard monetary unit after the apocalypse.
Hell, people are paying for things now with ’em!
(Seriously though, I’m happy for the bottle cap guy. I only wish I’d thought of it and drank that much soda/booze first. :/ )
Hey, anyone else remember that game Myst? When the chubby dude in the blue book would trash-talk the goateed dude in the red book and vice-versa? And they were both evil?
I’m really not sure what could have possibly reminded me of this.
@Juro Gagne:
http://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/qgjfrzjfm4ghyfsjkcli.png
A soap opera writer would reject these two as overly melodramatic.
I get the feeling that this might get the movie cancelled.
Not quite, but it’s still a better gig
I have no time for Owen. I know a lot of people think he could be reformed or that he seems more honest than Aurini, but I think a lot of that is just our innate desire to believe that because he’s getting scammed by Aurini he must be a decent fellow who’s been let astray. I disagree. He’s an adult who has behaved in a thoroughly reprehensible way and shows absolutely no remorse or self-awareness whatsoever.
If Owen had a shred of human compassion, he would have deleted all the footage, apologised to Ms Sarkeesian and refunded what remains of his backers’ cash. He hasn’t done this; in fact he’s dug in further by insulting his backers and telling them that he doesn’t care how much they gave him.
You know, I’ve never been the biggest Sarkeesian fan (I’m still mad and will never not be mad about the one time she mischaracterized Ghost Trick), but these people are just spectacularly missing the point. We need a lot more intellectual critique of video games, including feminist and critical race critique, and anyone who disputes that is either an idiot or willfully ignorant. Based on that video, I’m inclined to believe it’s both. And even if these people had a valid point and weren’t engaging in outrageous levels of tokenism with the “look, we have black people and women that agree with us” segments, the ten seconds of clip that they showed was just shockingly bad and makes me question where the money they already got went exactly. To paraphrase the podcast Humorless Queers, bitch please, quit your job.
OK, so here’s my theory:
The Skull has already left, as lostsomething said, but not for Hollywood. That’s also not Aurini’s hair growing, that’s his brain trying to leave. It’s going to meet up with the skull at an undisclosed location and together they will star as morte in the sequel to Planescape:Torment.
http://shrines.rpgclassics.com/pc/planescape/images/characters/morte.jpg
Yes, Jordan, just imagine that. Must be awful. Self-awareness, what does it mean?
…aaand basically ninja’d by Shadow. But it’s good to know that there are several career options for a skull that’s had enough of its previous owners hateful antics, and his constant rearranging.
Pita:
How did she mischaracterize Ghost Trick?
Raped by her father? Good lord. Talk about jumping the shark!
@Tessa (sorry I don’t know how to blockquote): She used it in one of her videos, and later on her tumblr, as an example of the damsel in distress trope when, IMO, it is an industry-leading example of strong female characters (and SPOILERS has a lead that is arguably female). Takumi Shu generally creates exceptional and well-rounded female character leads (c.f. Mia and Maya Fey, Franziska von Karma, basically every girl in the AA series). The clip that she posted did have Kamilla relatively lacking in agency, but she’s also like an 8 year old. Lynne is absolutely not a damsel in distress and I will fight that characterization until I die, she goes into dangerous situations because she knows that she will be revived. She’s less a helpless angel and more a badass cop with killer health insurance.
@Bernardo Soares
I still mourn the loss of Black Isle and Lucas Arts. I just finished a Fallout 2 playthrough after years. God I love that game
But the game still used the plot device, am I correct? Therefore it is a game with damsel. Her being 8 may give it a more little princess in distress wibe. I still wouldn’t call that mischaracterisation. She never talked sbout other characters or the plot, but simply pointed out the use of the tropes, if I remember correctly.
@Shadow: Oh yes, I too keep returning to those. Unfortunately, my PS:T save got lost during a Windows update, and I haven’t found the energy to start from scratch.
Anyway, some newer titles manage to get close. InXile seem to be intent on renewing some of the original CRPG greatness, even if Wasteland 2 is not perfect. But I’m looking forward to the new Torment game.
Pita:
The girl is freaking captured and tied up by a badguy to get at someone else. She was a damsel in distress. It wasn’t a mischaractization. Sarkeesian didn’t say the games treat all the females characters like that, but that it was another game that felt the need to use that trope. And it did. Having a well rounded female character and then anther used as a damsel doesn’t cancel each other out. it’s not freaking carbon footprint vouchers. So just because it’s on the list of games that use said trope, doesn’t mean she thinks it’s bad, heck she says that many times.
Sarkeesian is the only person in the universe where everyone feels the need to begin every conversation about her by mentioning that there was one time in one of her videos where she maybe got a single detail about a single game wrong.
I mean, hell, the nostalgia critic once said Rhino the hamster from Bolt was a guinea pig, but I don’t feel the need to bring that up every time he’s mentioned as something that invalidates everything he’s ever said.
I hope somebody is collecting their videos and documenting events and will make a funny documentary about owen and aurini. The script is being developed by itself, it could not be more entertaining, they have done the work, it just needs to be put into one video.
So Owen basically just admitted that they only interviewed people who would agree with the predetermined message they decided to present. He just told us that it’s biased and that they didn’t interview anyone who opposes that view.
I’m shocked, I say. Absolutely shocked. No, wait. That’s the wrong word. Unsurprised! That’s the word I wanted. I am completely unsurprised by this development.
Also, the premiere (of a film that will be edited in about 3 weeks) is supposed to be at a Gamergate meet-up at the end of the month.
That’s definitely going to get it a theatrical release. /sarcasm