An Open Letter to Kim Hyung Tae and Shift Up Studios
For many in the culture war at large have noticed a particular game called Stellar Blade. A game that brings back nostalgia for many young male gamers who ogled at women like Laura Croft, Bayonetta, and many other legendary female game characters, Shift Up, a Korean game studio, and Kim Hyung Tae, whose video game, Stellar Blade, for the Playstation 5, is now becoming a cultural icon to many gamers.
The female character, herself, is based off Shin Jae-Unn, is at the center stage of this culture war. Being beautiful is a crime to many “journalists” in the West, and I defy each and every video game “journalist” who would ask for Stellar Blade to change a costume as it would offend western players who hate beautiful characters. This all might sound crazy, but Stellar Blade is a call to arms. To dazzle and be amazed by a beautiful character.
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Stellar Blade itself is the gift that keeps on giving, and to censor Stellar Blade’s costume or game itself should be a reminder to Mr. Tae that the West itself is in a crisis.
Mr. Tae, with all due respect, the Western gaming journalists should be ignored. Beauty is something to uphold and value, and if you and Shift Up, cave into gaming “journalists” you’re not only denigrating the quality of the game, but delivering Stellar Blade into the hands of critics who can’t meet that particular standard. Because video games should be about escapism and beauty, and aesthetics, both in plot and visuals.
What makes the world far less beautiful is listening to ugly game journalists who have no real creativity or vision at all. Because if you deny your talent, you deny yourself and the beauty video games can present to a cold disenfranchised world. Where ugliness wins, and beauty is given to losers. It’s irresponsible to think that you will win video game journalists. Yes, nice praise is wonderful, but if that praise comes at a cost to aesthetic beauty, and your own artistic vision, it’s your own fault if you listen to ugly soulless game “journalists.”
Changing your opinion is one thing, changing your vision to meet some freak western gaming journalists demand is not the way to go. I and many others want Stellar Blade to be successful. I just hope you stick to the vision you created. And fuck game “journalists” who disagree with me, either.
Sincerely,
Louis T. Bruno
“LtB”