May 4th, 2015

Hello out there to all you avid visitors! We here at Shut Up Yo Studios thought it would be fun to bring you a weekly update about the things we see, the things we do and the things we are interested in!

For starters, Shut Up Yo podcast regular Eric Coomber is STILL into Skyrim, but the reason may surprise you:

“This article might be late, or it might be right on time. You see, The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim came out on November 11, 2011, but here I am, still playing it more than three years later. The province itself is supposed to be a little more than 105 square miles, scaled down to about 14.8 square miles for the sake of the game not being ridiculously large. It isn’t even the size that makes me keep playing it, but that definitely helps. It’s that the world crammed in those 14.8 square miles that feels like it’s actually alive. NPCs will actually walk across the province if they say they’re making their way somewhere, dragons will pick fights with just about anything at any time, your reputation changes based on subtle actions like helping or not helping certain people. Assuming Bethesda Softworks keeps up what they’re doing by continuing to improve each iteration of both their open-world series, The Elder Scrolls and Fallout, then the sixth game can only be more mind melting than this one was and still is. I’m sure I’ll still be slaying dragons and pillaging ancient tombs long after its release, though. Now, while it isn’t without its flaws and shortcomings, it’s still one of the largest games in one of the most fleshed-out, lore filled universes I’ve devoted my time to, and I truly do not see myself swearing it off anytime soon.”

Shut Up Yo Studios co-founder Michael J. Foy was pleased over the decision to give chimpanzees legal person’s rights and ponders the philosophical implications of imprisoning animals for experimentation:

“A Manhattan Supreme Court Justice has granted ‘Legal Persons’ status to two Chimpanzees who were being used for medical experiments at Stony Brook University on Long Island. Now, for this writer, the thought of Chimpanzees being used as test subjects for any number of experiments makes me sick. Animals of many species have demonstrated intelligence and displayed a wide array of emotions. Although I can’t say I entirely agree with calling Chimpanzees ‘Legal Persons’, nor do I think that is really what the Judge was saying in this case, I do agree that they deserve basic rights of some kind. I can understand the argument that drugs need to be tested, but in the 21st century, it would just seem that we could find a better way. One that allows other living things to do just that, not to be sold off to zoos or universities. Animals aren’t meant to live in cages. Why not just watch Planet Earth instead? (No really, it’s amazing, watch it!) Why must we “own” them? Chimpanzees are highly intelligent mammals that live in diverse family systems. They are emotionally complex, self-aware individuals that deserve a life of freedom, not one of captivity and experimentation."

Read the Original Article for yourself HERE!

Shut Up Yo Studios co-founder Frank Mitchell recently saw the film Coherence, and is still trying to wrap his brain around it:

“Unlike the comet which spurs the events in this film, Coherence managed to fly virtually under the radar when it was released in 2013. I won’t tell you who’s in it, and I won’t tell you what the official plot synopsis is, but I will ask you a simple question: How well do you know your friends? Taking place over the course of a dinner party with eight good friends, Coherence is a film that manages to bend your mind without confusing you, so long as you stick around for the whole ride and pay close attention. And once it’s over, watch it again, because there’s no better feeling than watching a movie that rewards repeat viewings.  Things instantly become clearer, while simultaneously introducing deeper questions. If nothing else, watch it just to disagree with me. If you’re really you, that is…”

Shut Up Yo Studios contributor Mackenzie Portfolio’s exploration of Gamergate is yielding some interesting information on donation strategies:

“The last article I released discussed Gamergate and the struggles women are facing within the gaming community, but don’t worry the fun hasn’t stopped yet! One woman is making headlines by turning things around.  After facing some backlash from Gamergaters, Anne Wheaton took to Twitter to get Gamergate participants to inadvertently raise money for Feminist Frequency. And if there’s one thing Gamergaters hate, it’s those crazy feminists. For every hatful comment Anne received she pledged to donate $1 to the organization. Despite knowing that their harassment would result in a donation to an organization they loathe, the negative comments came pouring in. It didn’t take long before she had to cap her donations at $1,000. She even began to branch out and donated to other groups including ACLU and RAINN. Word spread about what she was doing and others joined in and matched her donations.  Gamergate is still a thing, and despite Anne’s efforts it really hasn’t changed the culture around the movement. But hey, at least something good has come out of the movement!”

And, Shut Up Yo regular Franco Danger has written an article taking on the meme-makers of the internet!

“I specifically get annoyed at video memes that are made by people who don't know the proper joke structure of a video meme. I know what you're thinking "Theres a structure?!" yes. The internet's version of the one liner comes from the same pocket of thought as the now-almost-painful-to-use "thats what she said" joke.”

You can read the article in it’s entirety HERE!

Shut Up Yo Studios went to chiller again this year! We got interviews with some really cool people and we saw some great material! Be sure to check out the vlog when it drops on Wednesday! Keep your eyes on our YouTube page!

Thanks for reading and we’ll see you next week!

-SUY

By Shut Up Yo!