So. Social Justice Warriors. My old nemesis, we meet again.
I love the idea behind this game, which appeared on Steam Greenlight a while ago, and which subverts the generally negative reaction to the term which has existed since its inception. What IS this “Social Justice Warrior”, which the internet so frequently refers to, I hear you Ask?
Arguably a decent human being.
The term was originally conceived as a derogatory name for those who argue against a variety of social injustices; racism, classism, sexism, ableism, religious discrimination, homophobia, transphobia and, most prominently, Feminism, through social media. Tumblr mainly. Now an “Internet-Old” term, it has been thrown around like a hot potato most recently concerning the GamerGate scandal and the continuing harassment of Anita Sarkeesian and Zoe Quinn by “Trolls”.
So what better time to talk about it, especially as it has hit the high numbers on Steam Greenlight. Number 22 at last check, the creator is currently preparing the game for a steam release, in the form of Version 2.
In SJW, you take on the role of one of these so-called warriors, facing off against the “Trolls” in a faux-JRPG fantasy style, pitting your own sanity and reputation again theirs.
What follows is relatively simple, your opponent makes a classically Troll-like statement, and you follow it up with one of four choices. As an example, you could redirect the comments to your followers, causing them to pounce on the unsuspecting troll and lower both his Rep and his Sanity. However, this could backfire, as he revels in the attention and broader audience for ridicule. It’s a beautifully designed concept with enough layers of complexity to keep it interesting and prevent repetitiveness. You fight Trolls with escalating levels of difficulty and varying weaknesses, with very little to use to figure out what they are. The veil of anonymity seen on the web is reflected well, as is the general list of put-downs, offensive phrases and utter rubbish which spews from the toxic mouth of your opponent.
From my time with version 1, I have a few worries, firstly, although it is a fantastic concept, it could do with some big-time fine tuning. Refining the mechanics would be a start, as would a general re-gloss in terms of the interface. I understand there is only a small team, but with competition at an all-time high on both Steam and in terms of people’s own play-time, something needs to really stand out to grab attention.
Secondly, I don’t know if it’s particularly FUN. I enjoy it, but mainly because it feels marginally more constructive than actually arguing with a troll. It’s an interesting take on the whole evolving situation on the interwebz and one which makes you think about the different ways you can approach it.
All in all, I think SJW has the potential to be a strong release on Steam Greenlight, given a lot of fine-tuning, focus and effort on the part of Nonadecimal, given that they focus their attention on the one product, instead of going off on multiple tangents, like so many indie collaboratives tend to do.
Taking an original look on a modern “first-world-problem”, it’s definitely worth a go, especially bearing in mind it’s currently only $1 on their website.
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