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It's not subtle. It's not supposed to be either. The message is clear and it shows a real and serious problem every one who transitions has to face. It's very short but you don't need to know the very life of any of the characters to empathize and see what's wrong. You shouldn't.
Not much of a game, that's why I won't rate it, and more like a visibilization of how difficult this part of the process is using an interesting perspective of the matter and that's not something seen talked much in this media.
And for Christ sake, it's not transphobic at all, it's the opposite. You may not like the execution, the characterization or that it's not exploring deep enough but the message is crystal clear.
Not much of a game, that's why I won't rate it, and more like a visibilization of how difficult this part of the process is using an interesting perspective of the matter and that's not something seen talked much in this media.
And for Christ sake, it's not transphobic at all, it's the opposite. You may not like the execution, the characterization or that it's not exploring deep enough but the message is crystal clear.
Está ok
i played this game, thought it was whatever. agreed with the very obvious anti-gatekeeping/pro-informed consent message. i would, since informed consent saved me a lot of time when i was getting started.
then i went to the steam page and saw it had "mixed" reviews. tons and tons of thumbs-down reviews claiming the game is transphobic. so now i'm all riled up and i feel like i need to rate this 5 stars, shout from the rooftops how good it is!
but it's not, lol. it's 5 minutes long, clumsy in its delivery. i wouldn't recommend this to anyone who doesn't already like taylor mccue's other games. but i don't want to rate it negatively, i'm too protective of it now, so it gets 3 stars here and a positive steam review
then i went to the steam page and saw it had "mixed" reviews. tons and tons of thumbs-down reviews claiming the game is transphobic. so now i'm all riled up and i feel like i need to rate this 5 stars, shout from the rooftops how good it is!
but it's not, lol. it's 5 minutes long, clumsy in its delivery. i wouldn't recommend this to anyone who doesn't already like taylor mccue's other games. but i don't want to rate it negatively, i'm too protective of it now, so it gets 3 stars here and a positive steam review
Raramente acho que abordar problemas sociais sem um pingo de sutileza é interessante ou eficiente, por mais importante que seja o problema ou mensagem da obra. Esse não é um dos raros casos.
I played this a few months ago and have been turning it over in my mind ever since. And seeing as there are no other reviews on the site yet I guess I'll finally take a crack at putting my thoughts into words.
Saving You From Yourself is a game about the gatekeeping trans people face when getting hormone replacement therapy. The game puts you as a therapist who must decide if a trans woman is "trans enough" to start HRT. I wish I could say that it goes without saying that the idea of someone being "trans enough" is ridiculous and wrong and transphobic; that someone thinking about gender things and coming to the conclusion that they are transgender is enough and should be enough to get the medical care they want/need. But unfortunately, society is by and large cruel to us and thinks that making trans people "prove" their trans-ness in increasingly mean-spirited and arcane ways is actually good-hearted and caring. My issue with where this comes up in the game is that it leaves most of that up to you. The game simply presents with you the choice to give HRT or withhold it with little to no commentary on the choice you make. So, from that angle it isn't necessarily a game that I would suggest to any people who don't know about the process of trans healthcare but are willing to learn. And certainly wouldn't suggest it to people unwilling to learn. So the game doesn't feel like it could be any sort of educational tool to point out something wrong in society. But it also isn't something that I can look at as a trans woman and feel like there's much value in playing this. I am already extremely aware of how shitty the healthcare system is and how it's a fucking gauntlet that I'm surprised anyone is able to get through at all. So I wouldn't recommend any trans people play this, either.
The one thing that I think is thoroughly positive, though, is that the game does show the perseverance and the endurance of trans people and the trans community. We put up with a lot of shit but we're still here. We still exist. We care for one another in ways a lot of the world seems incapable of. No matter how unkind people may be, we are still here and we will always be here. And that absolutely rules.
All that being said, I think messy art deserves to exist and that it should exist. And this definitely falls into the category of 'messy art'. I am glad that this exists. I'm glad that this was a game I was able to play. Hell, I'm glad that this is able to be on Steam. I'm glad the creator was able to make the thing they wanted to make. But I'm not sure if I actually enjoyed it.
It's a messy game so maybe it's fitting that this review is a bit of a mess. I have no idea what rating to give this because, depending on when you ask me, it could be one star or it could be five stars, so I'll just give it a "I'm glad it exists" out of five.
Saving You From Yourself is a game about the gatekeeping trans people face when getting hormone replacement therapy. The game puts you as a therapist who must decide if a trans woman is "trans enough" to start HRT. I wish I could say that it goes without saying that the idea of someone being "trans enough" is ridiculous and wrong and transphobic; that someone thinking about gender things and coming to the conclusion that they are transgender is enough and should be enough to get the medical care they want/need. But unfortunately, society is by and large cruel to us and thinks that making trans people "prove" their trans-ness in increasingly mean-spirited and arcane ways is actually good-hearted and caring. My issue with where this comes up in the game is that it leaves most of that up to you. The game simply presents with you the choice to give HRT or withhold it with little to no commentary on the choice you make. So, from that angle it isn't necessarily a game that I would suggest to any people who don't know about the process of trans healthcare but are willing to learn. And certainly wouldn't suggest it to people unwilling to learn. So the game doesn't feel like it could be any sort of educational tool to point out something wrong in society. But it also isn't something that I can look at as a trans woman and feel like there's much value in playing this. I am already extremely aware of how shitty the healthcare system is and how it's a fucking gauntlet that I'm surprised anyone is able to get through at all. So I wouldn't recommend any trans people play this, either.
The one thing that I think is thoroughly positive, though, is that the game does show the perseverance and the endurance of trans people and the trans community. We put up with a lot of shit but we're still here. We still exist. We care for one another in ways a lot of the world seems incapable of. No matter how unkind people may be, we are still here and we will always be here. And that absolutely rules.
All that being said, I think messy art deserves to exist and that it should exist. And this definitely falls into the category of 'messy art'. I am glad that this exists. I'm glad that this was a game I was able to play. Hell, I'm glad that this is able to be on Steam. I'm glad the creator was able to make the thing they wanted to make. But I'm not sure if I actually enjoyed it.
It's a messy game so maybe it's fitting that this review is a bit of a mess. I have no idea what rating to give this because, depending on when you ask me, it could be one star or it could be five stars, so I'll just give it a "I'm glad it exists" out of five.