[Skin Colour, Races and Racism]

6 hours ago, will' said:

Asians in the US also have the highest level of inequality, with most of the wealth seeming to come from foreign born immigrants rather than Americans, (Source). In the UK there seems to be some level of the same thing though less pronounced. In either case the success of one race does not remove the benefit of being white. There is still a level of inequality in both societies that needs to be addressed.

Inequality is also massively prevalent in white populations in the US and UK. The relative success of Asian communities shows that neither country is racist, or that they are only racist against some non-whites, which is unlikely. Again, foreign born or not, success is related to culture and attitude, not race. 

Quote

An institution is just a collection of people. If enough members of an institution are racist then that institution will be racist too. I think there has been quite a lot of news about the American police recently that would attest to this. You don’t have to have a written agenda of racism for an institution to not be racist. Even just continuing to benefit from previous racist policies should be seen as not doing enough to address the balance. 

As I mentioned, people can be racist. If someone experiences racism through an institution, they have the law on their side for protection. As for the police being institutionally racist. Blacks are actually less likely to be killed by police, despite black males committing proportionally more crime and having more interactions with police.

6 hours ago, will' said:

I don’t think anybody should be too proud of the progress that has been made on this. Personally I think if you take the 50’s as the example then the fact we’re as we are now, 70 years later, is pretty shit to be honest.

Such sweeping change doesn't happen overnight. I would argue these things take generations to be fully eradicated, which is unfortunate, but also human nature. It's not perfect, but Western society has made huge strides to address issues of racism and has been largely successful so far, as evidenced by the data. Compare the incomes of different races at 10 year intervals since the 50s and it will be clear that racial barriers to success have been removed. 

6 hours ago, will' said:

I think you’re just ignoring the issue. Just because we’ve got laws to stop these things doesn’t mean they don’t exist. I also think you’ve misinterpreted your data as for the most part it’s quite clear there is a huge advantage in being white in western society. It’s not about some particular race doing well, it’s about always feeling safe and having whatever opportunity you want - something white people benefit from every day.

How am I ignoring the issue? I'm offering an alternative viewpoint that is backed up by the data. How exactly have I misrepresented it? If institutional racism existed, whites would clearly be at the top. This isn't the case. The issue is not race, it's a variety of other factors, which historical racism can play a role in, but not the main one. The police data from the US and UK shows that black people do not need to feel singled out by police. This is a cultural problem again, where hating and fearing the police are often values widely held among some certain minority communities. 

6 hours ago, Goafer said:

You're right, it does. But as the stats I posted show, minorities are more likely to be born into a "lower class" and have less opportunities. They're still recovering from the racism of the past.

The founding idea behind the US is that with hard work and the right attitude, people can change their circumstances in a generation. This also largely rings true in the U.K. Yes, being born poor can affect your chances of success, much more than race, but anyone can still become successful or rich, regardless of skin colour. Having two parents in the household is much more important than ethnicity in defining your chance of success. 

6 hours ago, Goafer said:

Just because the actual racism is over (which I'd argue isn't the case, based on the police treatment of black suspects vs white, amongst other things), doesn't mean the effects aren't still being felt. And saying things were worse before (or elsewhere for that matter) doesn't make things great now.

Things are better than ever before. As for treatment by the police, see my earlier point. 

6 hours ago, Goafer said:

I'd argue this case is wholly irrelevant. You've picked very specific, hypothetical examples. Of course a middle class person is going to do better than someone with the odds against them. That's not the point. The point is how likely you are to be born into either of those scenarios.

I picked an example which said class and family structure is more important than race in defining success. Being born poor is a disadvantage for anyone, but one that can be changed, again, with hard work and the right attitude. 

6 hours ago, Goafer said:

Again, just because it's worse elsewhere, doesn't mean things are perfect here. You just need to read about the treatment of black people by police to see that things are far from great.

I never claimed things were perfect. The treatment of black people by police is not an anomaly. They are afforded the same treatment as anyone else. 9 unarmed black people were killed by US police in 2019. Statistically and proportionally fewer than white people. Where's the racism? No black people in the U.K were killed by police in 2019. So despite commuting a proportionally higher number of crimes, they are less likely to suffer from police brutality than any other race. Why are other races not being targeted by police if this is a problem? Again, it's a cultural issue, not a racism issue. 

5 hours ago, Sheikah said:

And what about black people? You think white people don't have a societal head start over black people? You think black people have the same chance of going on to earn as much money as white people given they are more likely to be born into more deprived areas? Same chance to go on to be Prime Minister or President? Same chance to not be killed by police?

People who are born middle class have a societal head start over working class people. A black person has gone on to be president and they statistically less chance of being killed by police. The issue is not race. 

6 hours ago, will' said:

Which countries would you recommend? I completely agree with the point, just interested who you’d put up as examples.

Most Eastern European counties are far more racist than Western ones, socially and institutionally. Their views on immigration are 50 years behind the US and UK and the default view among many people is that non-white = bad / suspicious. Hungary and Romania have extremely huge issues with Roma people. Russian police use racial profiling to target people of Central Asian origin and society as a whole is deeply rooted in racism towards immigrants. China is an extremely racist country, especially towards Black people. This was highlighted by them being prevented from entering certain spaces and being locked down at home during the early days of COVID-19. Absolutely disgusting how they were being treated, purely for being of African origin. You've lived in Japan, how would you say you fared as a white person there? Were you afforded the same treatment as a native Japanese?

6 hours ago, Goafer said:

Also, as a general point about this thread and not aimed specifically at anyone: calling things "nonsense", "bollocks", "pathetic" or "fools" is just abrasive and argumentative. Try to keep things civil, yeah?

I apologise for that, it was uncalled for. 

[Skin Colour, Races and Racism]

1 hour ago, Goafer said:

White people have a societal head start and until a conscious shift is made, treating everyone equal won't change that.

This is nonsense. Class, culture and work ethic have far more to do with how well you do in society, not colour. 

Asians earn more per capita than any other race in the USA, with those of Indian heritage topping all other ethnic groups. So saying white people have a head start is bollocks. 

The same is true in the UK https://www.ethnicity-facts-figures.service.gov.uk/work-pay-and-benefits/pay-and-income/household-income/latest

Institutional racism in the U.S and the U.K has been over for years. That doesn't mean that people can't be racist, and many certainly are. But compare that to the 50s. Progress is being made, and there is still a long way to go, but you can't end it in a day. I think this whole movement is going to end up having the opposite effect that it desires. 

The main problem, as I see it, lies in culture, and I'm not referring specifically to "black" culture here. The link between being raised in a single parent home, regardless of race, is one of the biggest factors in determining success in life. https://www.ethnicity-facts-figures.service.gov.uk/uk-population-by-ethnicity/demographics/families-and-households/latest No surprise that those high-earning British Asians have the lowest rates of lone parenthood. Black Brits have the highest. 

Ask yourself who's more likely to be successful - a hard-working black female from a middle-class two parent family, or a weed-smoking lazy white boy from a rough London council estate whose father's gone AWOL? Race doesn't even come into it. 

Maybe before handing out a special day to people to make them (and white people by proxy) feel good about themselves, we should actually get to the root of the issue of poverty, be it white, black or any ethnic group. Of course that would require undoing 30 years of telling people to "just do whatever you want, screw personal responsibility", rewriting marriage and benefit laws and would most certainly be absolutely, 100% racist. Just like celebrating people because of the colour of their skin. 

Britain is not a racist country and neither is America. Being treated equally, regardless of background, is enshrined in law. A conscious shift does not need to be made because the data shows that "white people" do not have a head start. 
If you want to see real institutional racism, real police brutality and real oppression of certain groups, go to pretty much any other country on earth. 

[Your 2020 Gaming Diary]

I bought The Gardens Between in the Steam sale and managed to beat it in a couple of sittings.

If anyone heard @nekunando talk about it on the podcast, my views are fairly similar.

It's a good game, especially at the price it's on offer at. I enjoyed the vast majority of the puzzles and only really got stumped by a couple of them, though that was irritating. The game executes well on the concept and doesn't outstay its welcome. There are some clever ideas on display and one or two of the levels are really expertly put together. I love the atmosphere of the game, the dream-like visuals and artstyle capture the "nostalgia" vibe really nicely. The story was cute and heartfelt, but not over the top like Celeste was. I feel it says much more than that game by actually saying very little. The final level felt substantial and a good climax to the game and the ending was fun to experience, if not a major surprise story-wise. 

Can certainly recommend it at the sale price, but be warned that you're not getting much game at full price. 

[PC Gaming Discussion]

17 minutes ago, Sméagol said:

You know what.. After all but ignoring Steam for several years, I may actually buy some stuff this sale.

If anyone has recommendations, as I don't have a good idea of what's been added to the store the last few years, especially indies.

Looking for great stories mostly. Things of similar quality to Disco Elysium, Soma, The Mass Effect trilogy, to name a few games, or Dark, to name a TV show.

Looking at my own sizable wishlist, there are titles I forgot about and had to check. Titles I put there for various reasons. Titles of various genres. These are a few on my wishlist that currently look the more interesting to me, if anyone knows these games and has some comments, or has better suggestions:

• vampire the masquerade - bloodlines
• singularity
• the dark eye: chains of satinav
• the witness
• I have no mouth and I must scream
• the talos principle
• Gray Matter
• ether one
• shadowrun: dragonfall
• black closet
• tacoma
• event[0]
• the painscreek killings
• stories untold

Talos principles is dirt cheap right now. A lot of the Sonic games are up to 95% off.

As for indies, most of the stuff that's out on Switch is on Steam, often at a much lower price, especially during this sale. 

[PC Gaming Discussion]

Oops

Edit: to be fair, this entire list of games cost me just shy of 45 Euros. Most of it is stuff that has been sat on my Switch wish list for months. Borderlands GOTY was the most expensive at 10 Euros, the rest were between 50 cents and a fiver for the most part. Praise be to the man who invented regional pricing as way to combat pirates. Praise be to living in a "third world country" and praise not be to Nintendo who probably would have charged me 200 euros WITH discount for this exact list. 

[Classic comedy movies/series]

Good shout on Phoenix Nights and The Royale Family. Another couple of my favourites. I love how the best British comedies generally only have a couple of seasons. The general appreciation we seem to have for the art of comedy rather than milking stuff for everything it’s worth and running it into the ground like our American brethren (or Red Dwarf 😂). You simply cannot go wrong with the vast majority of British comedy. 

[PC Gaming Discussion]

Great time to be a PC gamer. 

Just added Persona 4 Golden and Sea of Theives to my Steam wishlist. Also noticed that Heavy Rain and Detroit Become Human are on there as well as a wealth of EA games being added in the past few days. Fallen Order might just be my first EA game in years. 

I already have Horizon and Death Stranding on there, patiently waiting for release. Master Chief Collection has already been bought.

All that MS needs to do is add PC support to Rare Replay and whack the Forza series on Steam and I’ll be happy has Larry. God of War would be nice too but...

My question is why are all these console exclusives coming to PC (albeit a year or so later than the originals) and with so many games to play nowadays, does anyone even need a next-gen Sony/MS console? I jest of course, but I’m really glad to be able to experience these games without buying the hardware. Long may it continue. 

[N-E Café Podcast]

I have @Jonnas’s approval for my list so I make no apologies. Take off the nostalgia glasses 😂

[Classic comedy movies/series]

+1 for The Office, Red Dwarf and Fawlty Towers. Three of my all time favourites.

I'm going to mention I'm Alan Partridge because it should have been mentioned by now! 

[Your 2020 Gaming Diary]

After finishing F1 2019 I've been putting a bit of time into Project Cars 2 (again on Steam). 
Tackling the career mode and have managed to move up to the 5th tier (of 6) after winning the Karting Championship. This game is pretty technical in comparison to the former. Struggling to get to grips with much heavier handling and the variety in the cars. I've only put around 11 hours in so far, but it's an amazing package. I think the tracklist might be up there with some of the best in gaming. Such a wide variety and manner of circuits from street, to hill climb, to rallycross. Prefer it to Grid Autosport, which is much more arcadey in how it plays. I can see the career mode in this game spanning hundreds of hours, so I'm happy to take it one step at a time. While it's no Assetto Corsa in terms of graphics, it still looks wonderful. Been playing around in photo mode and came up with these. Definitely a game to chip away at slowly over the next year. 

[Pokémon Presents: 17th June 2020 (14:00 BST)]

6 hours ago, bob said:

It's Pokémon Snap 2.

When is Odyssey 2 coming out? 

[Your 2020 Gaming Diary]

Having pre-ordered F1 2020 yesterday, I decided to go back and sweep up some missing achievements in F1 2019 (steam). I managed to get pretty much everything outside the career mode. By far the hardest was to win a 25% distance or longer race against AI on the hardest difficulty. That took a few goes. 

I think this is the first F1 game I've played since 2010 / 11 on the PS3. It's genuinely amazing how far the series has come. The handling is a pure joy with the Xbox One pad. It took me a very, very long time to get used to it, but now I can hold my own against tough AI and online. The assists do a great job of easing you into the deep controls and over the first 30 hours I went from using the majority of assists to just a couple. Still can't get used to braking without low assist switched on. I guess the next logical step would be a wheel for the new game 

The amount of depth in the options and settings means this is arguably the most realistic F1 game since the Grand Prix series in the 90s. I certainly don't remember having this much control in previous iterations, so Codemasters have really done a great job. Even tweaking the wing and the suspension a tiny amount translates really well into how you can feel the circuit through the gamepad. Can't say I've ever noticed such subtle differences before. 

The wheel to wheel racing is as good as ever, mistakes are punished, calculated risk is rewarded. As a huge F1 fan, this is the closest we've ever been to the sport in simulation terms. The AI is much improved, though not perfect. Strategy in terms of fuel, ERS and tyres is critical and it all comes together in such a fantastic package with superb graphics and wealth of both online and offline options. 

I've spent most of my time offline, doing mini championships and custom races with dynamic weather. Online, it's often a mixed bag. Far too many loading screen, and sadly, far too many idiots who just want to piss about and spoil the fun for everyone else. I did manage to get a gold class ranking online though (I guess platinum is the highest, but I have no chance of that) and I got an A-ranking for "safety". I guess that means I don't just wipe people out for no reason  A safety rank of A was actually less common than a gold rank in class. Any races with more than 6 people usually end up in chaos within the first few corners, so I'm hoping to find a community for the next game and simply skip over the time wasters. 

I flirted with the career mode back in March, but with the new game coming out in a few weeks, I decided to just bin it off and start again with the new game. It's fantastic. Just like the main game, a wealth of options, upgrades to manage, rivalries to win. Hundreds of cut-scenes, story-lines and interview questions which really add depth to the mode as opposed to just racing round in circles.

Easily the best F1 game I've ever played, can't wait for the new one. 

 

[N-E Café Podcast]

30 minutes ago, Jonnas said:

Huh, early surprise. I'm about 65 mins in, and...

-DotEmu did not make the Wonder Boy remakes. That was a French developer called Lizardcube (sic);

-The classic Astérix artist is called Albert Uderzo. Didn't know he ever worked on a videogame, that's neat (does this also make him a French developer?).

  I definitely know the transition tune... (Reveal hidden contents)

Super Mario Land 2!

(Definitely not from a French developer)

 

Ahh yeah, I was thinking of the publisher, not the devs. Graphical style is very similar though.

Transition tune was easy again this week, but good job 

[The Exercise & Fitness Thread: The Struggle Is Real]

I decided to try and get back into shape about a month ago as quarantine had added on a couple of extra pounds I wasn't mentally prepared for.
To be honest, I haven't done much. I've walked 3-4 miles every day for the past month, completely changed my diet (no bread or snacks, more salads and 5 portions of fruit and veg a day) and removed beer completely as I was having two or three bottles a night when quarantine kicked off. In April, which was obviously the time everyone started working from home, I was down to under a mile a day for my monthly average activity. The lowest it's been in probably 3 or more years. 

Anyway, the combination of walking, better diet and a few sessions a week on Ring Fit have completely transformed my life. I'm sleeping much better, easily getting 7 hours a night, I've noticed my mood is much, much better than it was before and my work has improved significantly. Honestly, feeling like a new person. I was 13st 3lbs in the middle of May and I'm now 12st 4lbs, so just coming up to a stone lost, which I think is pretty decent for 30 days work. The main thing is my BMI has crept out of "obese" territory which I'm frankly disgusted with myself for getting in to (Yes, I'm short, very short). I've set myself an arbitrary target of 10 stone by the end of September, but I'm mostly interested in getting my BMI back down below 25. It's funny how you never notice how bad something is until you make an effort to change it. Every evening I go for my walk after my final class of the day and I can't even begin to understand why I didn't do it before. Perfect chance to listen to a podcast for an hour or some music. I'm also lucky enough to live in a beautiful part of the world and have a promenade on my doorstep which stretches 8 miles of the river. Glorious in the Summer.

Now that I've posted, I'm obliged to come back and give some updates. I'm sure that the weight loss will eventually plateau if I don't change up my regime a bit, so I'll maybe be looking for advice on how to do that shortly (except running, never running, I hate running).  

[Playstation 5 Console Discussion]

The beginning to the Digital Foundry video is superb. Keeping those late 2000 internet memes alive. Amazing stuff. 

Here it is, haven’t watched it all yet. 

BALLLLLIN’!!
All about the PSQuintuple, bitchiz.

[Your 2020 Gaming Diary]

55 minutes ago, satineeraj said:

Hi, all my 2020 Favorite games are:

1: Marvel's Spider-Man.

2: Grand Theft Auto 5.

3: God of War.

4: Red Dead Redemption 2.

5: Call of Duty

What about Super Mario?? 

[Formula 1 2020 Season]

14 minutes ago, Goron_3 said:

I can't even begin to describe how much I'm missing this sport being on TV!

Delighted that it's back next month and even happier that we're getting so many back to back races. Mercedes will be favourites but I think Max and Red Bull will surprise people this year. Lewis often starts the season a bit slow so two high altitude races at Austria followed by the tight and twisty Hungaroring could make them strong contenders, at least at the beginning of the year. Spain in August could also be interesting as it will be much hotter than it's ever been there.

I read a lot of German and Italian publications for F1 news and it looks like Baku and Singapore won't be happening, and COTA, Mexico and Brazil have huge question marks over them. As a result, FOM are looking at hosting two additional European races in September, with Mugello, Imola and Hockenheim all contenders. Either of the first two would be pretty special.

Honestly I cannot wait for the season to start. 8 Races in 2 months is going to be amazing. 

I'd love Imola to have a race this year, even if it's a one-off. I do wonder if they'll stick to Europe and the Middle East this year, maybe with a fly out to Japan and China between them and use "money-saving" as an excuse. Does Mugello have a license for F1?

[Your 2020 Gaming Diary]

Finished River City Girls this morning.

Sam has given me the OK for a review, so expect it soon.

[Switch eShop Thread]

35 minutes ago, Goron_3 said:

Oh wow, I didn't reaise you could buy the games individually! How much is Bioshock on its own? Quite tempted..

Not sure about the exact price in the UK/EU but I'm guessing it's around 14.99/16.99 going of the Russian prices. 

Can anyone confirm?

[Switch eShop Thread]

The 2K games are now available and it looks like they can all be purchased individually for a fairly good price.

The collections themselves are all under the standard "full-price" of regular Switch games, so fair play to 2K for not leeching of Switch owners for old games. 

[N-E Café Podcast]

18 hours ago, Jonnas said:

• Good to hear Nick has started Fire Emblem (and doing a semi-Ironman run too, respect). Stop by the thread if you ever need some tips (for example, recruitment is not exactly as you described it, but you're on the right track). I must ask: which party member did you lose? My gut tells me Ashe;

It was Ashe. He's super weak... but I'm guessing he turns into a beast in the end-game so maybe it's a big loss? I have a copy of the save file before the battle for back up anyway so I can always go back a try again later. 
 

6 hours ago, WackerJr said:

Another enjoyable listen this week.  I really enjoyed the N64 quiz and the level of questions (I got around 75% right, mainly thanks to being a reader of N64 Magazine back in the day).

I don’t know the transition tune, but worth guessing anyway as it doesn’t appear to have guessed yet:

  TT guess (Reveal hidden contents)

It sounds like the older Sega games.  I was thinking Sonic Spinball, but I’ve played that & don’t recognise the tune. Maybe something mentioned in a previous Podcast... Outrun?

Sorry you didn’t need to know my thought process! 😂 I expect it’ll be something completely different!

 

The N64 quiz was a lot of fun to do. I think for me and Greg especially that console was just around when we were in our early teens so it will always occupy a special place in our hearts.
Transition tunes are correct, good job!

[Your 2020 Gaming Diary]

I finally beat OlliOlli today after playing it on and off for the past month or so. Those final few challenges almost destroyed me, took absolutely ages. I did the vast majority of the game in about 8 hours but a single pro challenge on the third Neon City level took me almost 3 hours to do. Excruciating. Worse than Ori. At least the hard bits were at the end of this game though, and I'd managed to enjoy it first 

Superb game. Manages to capture the same magic THPS did but in a completely different way. The controls are simply sublime. When I first saw this game back in the day I was sceptical of a 2D skateboarding game, but the mechanics really are such a strong point here. The game is incredibly addictive but punishingly difficult to master. Really feels like a throwback to the 90s in its approach to gameplay and learning the mechanics. Love the art style and the simple variety on offer in each of the worlds. The OST is great as well, very laid back and fits the mood of the game perfectly. Excellent value for the price its at and I encourage everyone to give it a go, this is a real indie gem. 

 

[Friend Codes, Fruit, Trading and Photo Thread For Animal Crossing]

I have a spare iron armour recipe if anyone wants me to send it to them?

[Animal Crossing: New Horizons]

3 hours ago, RedShell said:

Have got automatic software updates enabled on my Switch, but it never seems to work for some reason.  

They very, very rarely work for me too. AFAIK it's only the games on the home screen (i.e the first 12) that MAY get updated automatically. Every couple of months I go through my entire library and update everything. There are usually 10-15 games that get updated this way.

[N-Europe Video Game Club]

Doom 64 then