Oh come on.... Are you for REAL?

[Cubwynn]

Originally posted by Dunthor Warsmith
The majority finding it acceptable doesn't make it any less offensive to the offended minority.

Boy, if more people thought like that, life would be a lot easier...

[Kaprice]

I'd like to see a calendar feature the studs of Norrath. I want large pecs, I want sexy abs, I want biceps the size of watermelons! And they all have to be wearing nothing but a tiny loin cloth.. Oh and please be sure to chain alot of those men up in the photos too. I like em when they're submissive Us real women who play need some eye candy too ya know.

[Malthorn]

A much better EQ calendar can be found here.

WARNING CONTAINS NAKED FEMALE IKSAR!
Mmmmmm...... Miss October. Yummy!

[Heartsong_Steelsoul]

I agree that I am offended. Heck, I was offended when someone mentioned the idea as part of a joke on renaming Lords of Everquest to Ladies of Everquest.

"Babes" just takes it from silly to awful.

It's bad enough I run around with a band-aid and breasts the size of melons when on a corpse run, now they're pretty much making a skin calendar?

Severely disappointed... I don't care if the majority of EQ players are teenage males (I seem to recall a study saying the average EQ player is actually a male in their late 20's, but I don't remember where, so don't take it as gospel), because this is not the kind of thing that retains players, but is the kind of thing that prevents a broadening of the player base.

Heartsong Steelsoul
Warrioress of the North
Removing the mod hat for a moment.

[Draggar]

Originally posted by Phabos
Can I just get a calendar of Chen's sigs? I like those much better than the animated "Babes of Norrath."


Phabos Aphsion
Drunken Paladin of Brell
Tarew Marr

She could easily to it though CafePress....

May not be a bad idea.

At least the WTF version has a theme, and not just random pictures, in fact, the Sony one doesn't even look like they're from the game, it looks more like they tool pictures from old D&D books and modules..

[splunge]

SoE doesnt run Everquest, and sell trinkets/overcharge for server moves etc for fun, or for the enjoyment of the game....

SoE is in business to make money.

These calendars will make them money.

[Stugein]

Originally posted by Dunthor Warsmith
The majority finding it acceptable doesn't make it any less offensive to the offended minority.

Agreed. It doesn't make it less offensive to that minority. But something isn't "wrong" simply because it is also has the quality of being offensive.

[Dunthor Warsmith]

Originally posted by Stugein
Agreed. It doesn't make it less offensive to that minority. But something isn't "wrong" simply because it is also has the quality of being offensive.

"Wrong" and "Right" are rather vague, ill-defined and variably translated terms for a discussion like this, at least to me. By "wrong", what do you mean?

[Chenier]

Bah, looks like Sobe broke my sig gallery link...=P

That's about half of them - there's more that I keep getting data transmission anamolies in that I haven't quite figured out how to get clean.

Chen sig calendar - teehee, you guys! =)

I agree; the WTF calendar is at least interesting and relates to something.

[Stugein]

Originally posted by Dunthor Warsmith
"Wrong" and "Right" are rather vague, ill-defined and variably translated terms for a discussion like this, at least to me. By "wrong", what do you mean?

Right and wrong are subjective terms in just about any case. By using "wrong" I was trying to collapse the general feeling of the thread, that the calander was a 'Bad Idea', into a single word (at least thats the impression I got about the thread). Examples:

- "The sad part is that it will sell like hotcakes."

- "They've really stooped to a new low"

- "That's just...sad."

- "Severely disappointed..."

So sad, new low, disappointed, offended, etc etc etc. I condensed the feeling of the thread in my eyes to "wrong". The point I was trying to get across was that folks seemed to be panning the calander strictly on their sensibilities rather than looking at it simply for what it is - a marketing gimmick that will make a money-making organization even more money.

Getting upset over this is like getting upset when Sports Illustrated puts out their Swimsuit edition. "But there are women sports fans too!" Yeah, we know. But go into any sports bar on Super Bowl Sunday and check the ratio. Do the math. Think marketing.

[Verdandi]

Originally posted by Stugein
The point I was trying to get across was that folks seemed to be panning the calander strictly on their sensibilities rather than looking at it simply for what it is - a marketing gimmick that will make a money-making organization even more money.

I guess I would just like to think that there are things that matter more than money. Integrity, perhaps.

[Itek]

*sigh*

This hardly can be considered "offensive" but rather "ongoing" behavior on their part.

Box art.

Model for "nekkid" toons.

Concept art.

This is hardly a departure from the past in a downward trend.

It's an attempt to sell EQ into a very small market that doesn't have EQ now. (Read: Teenage boys WITH a PS2 but WITHOUT a credit card for a subscription service.) You cannot, so far as I have found, buy the calander without buying the STANDALONE PS2 game.

Plus, let's be real... this is about as offensive as a Victoria's Secret catalog. Probably LESS offensive as it's cartoons not real women. And the phrase "real women" is probably laughable to any actual females reading it when applied to the models in the VS catalog.

You are NOT offended. Offended is when someone at the next table in a resturant makes a racial comment, not knowing that it applies to a close family member of yours. Offended is not "oh my, they have put a bunch of cartoon box art into a calander."

Were the "offended" also offended by the costuming in children's afternoon comics? Sailor Moon, Pokemon, Yu-Gi-Oh, etc etc etc.

Yes, perhaps the marketing is sexist. Perhaps the artists, and SOE in general, could be more mature about it. (Babes of Norrath? *groan*)

But this is hardly an affront to the sensibilities of the women that play this game.

[Grimina]

Nah, it doesn't offend me, no more than VS or Friedricks of Hollywood (that is to say, I think they are equally ridiculous in presentation...but I can see why guys go for it) It rather amuses me at their expense. I think it's laughable when guys buy those magazines to get their jollies but at least those are REAL women. Buy a danged Hustler and be done with it...at least your friends won't laugh at you and call you names then.

If while playing a game they find themselves excited by the cartoon characters so be it (but please PLEASE don't tell me about it) But I find it rather pitiful to be searching for cartoon characters to be excited by. I thought the majority of the players were men over 20, not under 13.

[Stugein]

Originally posted by Verdandi
I guess I would just like to think that there are things that matter more than money. Integrity, perhaps.

Of course there are more important things than money. Unfortunately integrity doesn't pay the bills, sign the employees' paychecks, or put food on the table.

[kiztent]

Originally posted by Verdandi
I guess I would just like to think that there are things that matter more than money. Integrity, perhaps.

In the RPG (or video gaming if you don't know Eq is a RPG) industry? You jest. This industry, since its infancy, has been the playground of young males, with all that implies. From the first Dungeon Master's guide with the effreeti holding the naked maiden while the men killed it to this latest affront, this is what the industry is.

While they may not hold with *your* moral code, they do pretty well, all things considered, for their industry. I've not really followed RPGs since the mid 90s, but I can't really think of an exception to this treatment (White Wolf and Amber have a brief moment or two but that's about it).