Once again, mod hosting platforms demonstrate their dedication to progressivism by taking down content deemed “problematic” by outraged Twitter users who’ve never played the games they claim to be fans of.
Persona 3 Reload released recently, we covered how ESG-infused Western localization resulted in the erasure of the identity of a transgender character, who was instead portrayed as a female conspiracy theorist attempting to sell sunscreen.
The Persona franchise exemplifies why niche JRPGs should always remain niche, away from progressive Western influence. Persona frequently revolves around a school setting, emphasizing social simulation elements like relationship building and daily activities.
The relationship mechanics in the “Persona” series, known as the “Social Link” or “Confidant” system, are integral to both gameplay and narrative progression. Players have the opportunity to form bonds with various NPCs, referred to as Social Links in earlier games and Confidants in later ones.
These characters offer diverse storylines and arcs that players can advance by spending time with them and completing specific activities or tasks. Strengthening these bonds yields various gameplay benefits, such as unlocking new abilities and enhancing gameplay mechanics. Additionally, these relationships can influence the outcome of the game’s story.
Each Social Link or Confidant corresponds to a specific Arcana (tarot card), which impacts the types of Personas that can be fused.
Managing relationships requires adept time management skills, as players must balance their in-game time among various activities, including socializing, attending school and completing quests. Advancing through Social Links/Confidants involves progressing through multiple ranks or levels by spending time with the character and fulfilling their requests or engaging in relevant activities. Deepening the relationship unlocks new dialogue options, abilities, and bonuses.
Furthermore, these relationships contribute significantly to the game’s narrative development. Interacting with Social Links/Confidants allows players to delve into the characters’ lives, struggles, and motivations, enriching their understanding of the game world and its inhabitants.
Why is all of this important? Well, it’s because of the school setting that the Persona franchise predominantly revolves around. As a result, players typically assume the role of a high school student and engage in forming relationships with various characters, the majority of whom are also high school students (shocker).
Which is why the Persona franchise is typically “divided”, between those who are actual fans of the series that actually enjoy the games and those that seemingly proclaim to be fans of the series but demand changes.
Such changes they seek are more inclusion (homosexual romance options), to remove bigotry and transphobia, and of course the one thing they despise above all else is the alleged sexualization of these underaged characters in a fictional video game.
We’ve discussed numerous times in the past how progressive individuals and even totalitarian governments prioritize the rights of drawings and fictional characters over real-life children who suffer from abuse and are being effectively silenced due to the prioritization of “pedophilic” lolicon content as they are most disgusted with the appearance or fictional age of characters that don’t actually exist.
Long story short, players are tasked with building relationships with various characters in the Persona series, which mostly takes place in a high school setting, because of course that is its target demographic.
Now that we’ve addressed that, let’s return to our main topic: game mod hosting platforms. In the past, game mods were seen as a symbol of freedom of expression. Users created mods to modify games, expand upon them, or introduce desired elements according to their preferences.
However, that is no longer the reality. Platforms like GameBanana, Nexus Mods, or ModDB now cater to the demands of sensitive individuals on social media. This shift is attributed to the fact that these platforms are operated and moderated by feminists and the potential social media backlash (and revenue loss) by not adhering to such ideologies impacts their bottom line.
We’ve previously discussed how NexusMods, and later Gamebanana, have taken down “problematic” mods that remove inclusion from games. Examples include the pronoun removal mod for Starfield, mods for Baldur’s Gate 3 that change a female character into a male, and the removal of the White Wyll mod due to accusations of racism.
Regarding the White Wyll mod for Baldur’s Gate 3, it’s worth noting that the all Black Companion mod is still accessible. This mod serves as a response to individuals’ desires to customize their gameplay experiences, as it transforms every companion character to Black. Surprisingly, this mod has not been removed on the basis of racism, despite the double standard.
Oh yeah, and who could forget the modification for Persona 4 Golden that removed “cringe events” for the supposed “fans” of the series who seemingly cannot fathom the alleged “sexualization” of minor characters in a video game.
Several events have been removed for various reasons. The Cross-Dressing Pageant was taken down due to boys wearing drag, which some consider transphobic while the Hot Springs event was removed because of its bathing fan service content, while the Group Date at the Cafe was deemed “problematic” as it involved underage characters interacting with the opposite sex.
What do you think the response would be if people found out that someone created a game modification for the recently launched Persona 3 Reload, specifically altering the bust size of a character, Yukari, to be larger?
Their reaction was predictable. Despite claiming to be fans of the franchise, they couldn’t accept the games in their original form, let alone with enhanced alterations. They criticized the mod in a viral tweet, the “Yukari More… Body.” mod alters Yukari’s model to appear curvier and fuller.
But of course, this poses a significant issue. Despite being clothed, Yukari is depicted as a 16-year-old in Persona 3 Reload. If she were a real person, altering her portrayal in this manner would be highly problematic.
Thankfully I found an alternative source for the mod itself, on BasedMods.
Installing the mod is straightforward. Extract the “mod file” and then move it to the appropriate directory: “mods” folder for the Game Pass version located in Persona 3 Reload\Content\P3R\Content\Paksmods, or for the Steam version located in Persona 3 Reload\P3R\Content\Paks~mods.
Fortunately, SEGA and Atlus refrain from creating alternative character outfits that are more revealing or sexualized, obviously to avoid catering to a “pedophilic” audience or those Twitter inhabitants would proclaim to be “porn addicts.” despite suspiciously overreacting when a female character is depicted as being feminine.
Oh wait, they do.
Despite the fact that the individual complaining about slightly enlarged breasts, accusing it of sexualizing minors has likely never played the game they claim to be a fan of, the real intriguing aspect is that the “Yukari More… Body” modification was removed by GameBanana just a day after the viral tweet.
The removal reason will shock you.
The official reason for its removal is that the character in question, who has an official Battle Panties alternative costume design, is underage. Therefore, modifying the character without explicit consent from the affected polygons is deemed unacceptable.
Additionally, there was a “Big Version” of the mod in question, which was unsurprisingly banned before the Medium version, the one featured in the tweet.
I’m not surprised that GameBanana acts in such way, in recent years they’ve begun cracking down with strict moderation, curtesy of power tripping “jannies”. Especially regarding individuals who express unacceptable views against the retarded and head canon that Guilty Gear’s Bridget is somehow transgender.
I’ll never understand how the Persona franchise attracts so many people who have never played the games yet still manage to assert themselves as representatives of the Persona fanbase.
And neither will I understand how the real fanbase of Persona have allowed their franchise to be subverted by tyrannical progressive parasites, but then again this is essentially what proactive feminism does to anything it grabs ahold onto.
They pretend to be a fan of a series, then demand it to be changed so that it caters exclusively to themselves and nobody else, alienating the real audience and destroying the franchise as a whole. This isn’t about inclusion but rather they just want to destroy without hinderance or judgement.
In the Persona series, a “Shadow” embodies a character’s suppressed emotions, desires, and negative traits, symbolizing aspects of their psyche they resist acknowledging. These Shadows often appear as distorted, monstrous versions of the character.
Persona 4 for example, Risa Kujikawa, also known as Rise, encounters her Shadow as part of her character journey. Her Shadow symbolizes the inner conflict between her public persona as an idol and her authentic self.
Appearing in the Midnight Channel, a realm where suppressed thoughts materialize, Risa’s Shadow takes on an exaggerated form of herself, reflecting the superficial image she portrays as an idol.
Through this confrontation, Risa confronts her insecurities and fear of rejection for her true self. This pivotal moment prompts her to embrace her genuine feelings, fostering personal growth, with a side of pole dancing.
I also find it incredibly peculiar that many of these concerns are often raised by individuals within the LGBT community, or at the very least often enough assert their pronouns inside of their social media biography because their sexuality or gender is the only prolific aspect to their personality.
Yet, when it comes to explicit depictions of actual sex in video games, such as Baldur’s Gate 3 allowing for genuine bear zoophilia and jiggling penis physics in the character creation screen, not a single word is said about how repulsive or problematic such material may be.
It’s consistently focused on fictional women and the fact that they have boobs.
This scenario seems all too familiar, a tourist cries foul over the supposed sexualization of fictional characters in a franchise they claim to be devoted fans of. Yet, this franchise is known for its abundant of fanservice content and suggestive undertones / subplots.
What this situation illustrates is that game modifications focused on enhancing bust size are no longer regarded as exercises of freedom of speech. While nude modifications for games are different entirely, the “Yukari More… Body” mod simply enlarges Yukari’s clothed cleavage and gives her a curvier appearance.
However, even fully clothed mods of this nature are now being removed due to concerns about a fictional character’s age.
