Last week, publisher Wales Interactive introduced Gamer Girl, an FMV title where you play as a live chat moderator. You are tasked with “guiding” Abicakes99’s choices and discovering the identity of an “anonymous predator” lurking in the chat. It seems like a unique premise, at least, but the game’s announcement received a lot of criticism here on the Internet.
As such, Wales Interactive has released the trailer and accompanying marketing materials. The company turned to Twitter to explain its stance and wrote: “Online abuse is real and continues to happen every day. Gamer Girl seeks to raise awareness on this issue.”
Gamer Girl was slated to hit PlayStation 4 this September, but it’s unclear if it will release at all now. Not everyone was against the ad – some saw potential in the concept, while others expressed interest in Gamer Girl as yet another entertaining and cheesy FMV title. But detractors worried that the game would take advantage of the abuse streamers may face in real life. There were also concerns that she would portray the streamers in a stereotypical and harmful way.
Again, it is unclear what happens next. Perhaps the developer will alter his vision and try again, only time will tell.
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