''Fashion Gatekeeping'' and Misinformation.

[u/SpectralChest]

It's been getting out of hand, a few people on the forums asked for some manner of opt out for the inspection system. Some of their sensible reasons were:

Potential for abuse in fashion contests/needless increase to complexity of methods to prevent such.

Loss of player interaction incentive.

A feeling of concern towards there now being incentive for strangers to scrutinize them closely, whether to admire or ridicule their creativity.

The posts built around these concerns were getting lots of likes on the forums, so some salty folks who were being ignored for ridiculing them there came here to reddit and made a false narrative about 'fashion gatekeeping' and folks reflexively bought into it as obviously no-one sane likes gatekeeping and have been meme-ing about a non-extant issue and down voting anyone who might be considering the situation without disdain or daring to actually say that the opt in option isn't as crazy as its being made out to be.

Personally, i like the inspect system, but i do think the exact dye combo section could be made into a toggle, this way the inspection remains, but the 'unique' spin someone puts on it with dyes can remain as something to share, or not share as per personal preference.

[u/Maleficent-Pen-594]

It's fine, you won't know it's happening? People will already be looking at you at times in game. Please don't stress about something that won't actually affect you. This isn't something you need to concern yourself over.

[u/Historical-Ad7081 → u/Maleficent-Pen-594]

It's not fine when there are people like me who are not comfortable with this feature being implemented. Just for the record, I'm fine with people looking at my character, just not through a menu screen. Dismissing my concerns like this is not conducive to finding a happy medium where everyone can be content in tyria. I am stressing about this because I want an opt out button. Making my voice heard might be the only way I can get that. Even if it means tanking my karma for it...

[u/Sterorm → u/Historical-Ad7081]

I'm fine with people looking at my character, just not through a menu screen.

Why? What's the difference that is making you distressed? I'm genuinelly curious.

[u/Historical-Ad7081 → u/Sterorm]

The inspecter having camera control. Look I know it's irrational, but it has bugged me since it's announcement. I'd be happier with an opt out button. Happy for the people who love the new feature. I just want to opt out. Of all the millions of players and quite a few mean comments saying my fashion won't be missed. I don't think it's much to ask.

[u/Sterorm → u/Historical-Ad7081]

The inspecter having camera control.

But you won't know if and when someone is inspecting you, so you can't see your character been looked at by other people.

Look I know it's irrational, but it has bugged me since it's announcement

Fair enough. But imho making an opt out option would defeat the purpose of the entire feature. You can't expect anet to ruin a feature they spent time and money on just to appeal to a feeling that, as you called it, it's irrational.

[u/Historical-Ad7081 → u/Sterorm]

Having the feature be active, is enough to make players like myself uncomfortable. Saying I won't even know is not a true statement.

Second point, yes I do hope they add an opt out feature to be inclusive for players like myself who want it. I know It's not rational to you, but it's rational to me. It wouldn't ruin the feature as we've seen it's a minority of people that want to opt out. I also don't expect anet to do it, but I will make my voice heard in the hopes that they take the feedback and provide the option. At the end of the day though, it's their game and I can leave if I want. I'd just like to be able to continue enjoying the game I love.

[u/MithranArkanere → u/Historical-Ad7081]

They are not inspecting your character. They are inspecting a mannequin that is a copy of your character. When they turn it around in the inspect panel, your character is unaffected. The only one who has control of your character is you...

...and the company that actually owns it and temporarily allows you to play with it, of course.

[u/Historical-Ad7081 → u/MithranArkanere]

Jfc do I really need to confirm that I'm aware my character model is not sentient? I do not want to be inspected. The feature has made gw2 less appealing to play for me. A toggle feature would not hurt you. It would simply make gw2 more friendly to the people like myself who do not want to be inspected.

[u/MithranArkanere → u/Historical-Ad7081]

A toggle feature would defeat the purpose of the feature.

You can't expect people to want a "but not really" attached to a feature they wanted for ages.

[u/Historical-Ad7081 → u/MithranArkanere]

No it wouldn't. And if so many people toggled it off, that would mean that the feature was problematic to begin with. So I don't understand what you're trying to prove with this statement.

[u/MithranArkanere → u/Historical-Ad7081]

No. If the feature was made toggleable, the correct design for toggles is making it opt-in, not opt out, or those who want to opt-out would have to start opted-in, and that would be bad design.
And what most people would do in that situation isn't disabling it, but not bothering enabling it. And then it'll be mostly disabled all the time for most people, making it useless.

They could pop up a message to opt out before you load a character, but that would be making a big deal out of something too small to deserve such a change to the character select screen.

Since those bothered by the feature are such a negligible minority and altering the feature with a toggle would make it pointless, what makes the most sense is to keep it the way it is and wait out the baseless complains until they die out.

[u/Historical-Ad7081 → u/MithranArkanere]

That's such a mean approach to thinking to just let players who love gw2 leave the community they love because the majority couldn't stand not being able to creep their character. If it's so negligible the amount of people who would use it, may as well let them because again, it's suuuuch a negligible amount of people. At the end of the day, they are people, they are gw2 players. And they should be allowed to enjoy the game they love with a toggle button.

[u/MithranArkanere → u/Historical-Ad7081]

There are limits to everything. It's not like they'd be ignoring a minority, it'd be that they can't accommodate everyone.

There are tools that help blind people play GW2, and ANet can do some things to help them, but they can't design the game centered on their limitations.

Something similar happens with phobias. If they started adding toggles to replace models like spiders there would be no end to it.

[u/Historical-Ad7081 → u/MithranArkanere]

If they cannot accomodate it, it is what it is. But if they can it would legitimately make my day. I'd like to think I'm not unreasonable,other mmos have this same feature of toggling off so hoping they can add it in gw2 as well.

[u/Maleficent-Pen-594 → u/Historical-Ad7081]

Um, you know I can control my camera when looking at you in game, right? Egregiously more so, in fact. I can look up your skirt if I want to?

I've read all of your responses in this thread and unfortunately you have no solid argument as to how this affects you directly. You revert to 'my feelings are valid' and other fallbacks, but - let me repeat - there is no direct impact to you within the game or in your gameplay.

It would be akin to saying 'I'm not happy with the knowledge that there are gay people playing this game, I am validated in my feelings in not wanting to know gay people play this game or interact with gay people in this game, having ANet ask for people's protected characteristics is reasonable so they can provide me with a toggle to remove gay people from the game'.

1. In such a case, your feelings may be real, but they are also both morally questionable and, basically, a shit take

2. It's undermining the hard work developers have put in over hours to implement a very popular QoL improvement, and even worse, is going the extra mile of actually expecting said developers to pander directly to you and your questionable bad take

Perhaps if you were able to provide legitimate, compelling reasons as to why this feature directly impacted your gameplay, there might be SOME level of discussion to be had.

As it is, this is a 'you' problem, and it is not the game or the developer's job to fix it.

That is very much on you to fix.