Adam Orth To Give Speech On Online Toxicity

[FalloutJack]

Hokay, that's enough.

You are calling all of us fools? Fine. Do it quietly inside your head where it can't be heard. Because at this moment, you're sounding a bit Orthy yourself, dissatisfied with the reality. Even if this was a plan of Microsoft's ever, you are focusing on ONE SMALL DETAIL in a sea of other hardships. This one little plan, if feasible, wouldn't save it from the other things gamers don't want. Are you really going to be satisfied on a lifeboat when there are other cruise ships to board? If such an idea were any good, it would still be viable in the final product, regardless of changes. So, what you're complaining about is that your ship was sunk, not that we're idiots.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to point and laugh at Orthy now.

[HEADING=3]"Deal with it, Orth! HAW-HAW!"[/HEADING]​

 

[UnnDunn]

I'd say this thread is a perfect example of the kind of destructive commentary Adam Orth seems to want to talk about. A bunch of anonymous people sitting behind their keyboards, pointing and laughing, adding precisely zero value to any conversation.

 

[Hero in a half shell]

I'd say this thread is a perfect example of the kind of destructive commentary Adam Orth seems to want to talk about. A bunch of anonymous people sitting behind their keyboards, pointing and laughing, adding precisely zero value to any conversation.

But having a damn good time while doing it.

He made a snarky comment about one of his companies policies in a public forum insulting the companies customers while he did it. People have been fired for exactly the same thing all over the world in all forms of business on all levels, and if he sees the public outcry over his actions and his subsequent dismissal as purely a fault of haters spewing their toxic opinions and himself the innocent victim well then he can just...

Spoiler

 

[Elijin]

Didnt the context of his comments take place between him and someone he regularly bantered with, and then got picked up and broadcast everywhere, without context, due to the nature of public information on twitter?

I think him giving a speech on it would be worthwhile, seeing as he fell victim to saying something stupid to a friend, in a scenario where everyone could see it and run with it.

 

[Vegosiux]

All we need is for a Valve spokesman to do a speech at the same conference on customer relations, customer service, how to listen, respond and interact with your potential customers online in ways that create a positive atmosphere and outcome.

Go on Valve - you know you want to... For science. ;-D

Captcha: last straw. No kidding.

I expect Valve to catch some flak for the way they're doing the next community update, actually.

 

[Weaver]

So opinion and online communities having power is... bad?
More to the point, let's assume an echo-chamber like environment is bad. The entire of MS Redmond campus is setup like a goddamn echo chamber with no outside opinions allowed.

 

[timboo_drow]

Maybe someone at GDC needs to do a seminar on a real issue in the industry, the corporate tactic of convincing gamers to buy your stuff by using backhanded insults and bullying tactics. The implied message from Orth, Spencer, Mattrick and the ilk is that if we don't like what the XB1 is trying to do it's our fault, that somehow we are the deficient ones. This approach, in my mind, is meant to silence dissenters by making them feel both invalid and part of a minority. "There is something wrong with your opinion, and it's just you who thinks this way."

This is the tactic of a bully; to belittle their victim and make them feel isolated and alone. And this is how MS attempted to convince gamers to buy their shit. That's what should be the topic of conversation.

Instead we have an ex-bully who is going to talk about the dangers of the bullied standing up for themselves and refusing to be abused further.

Fuck you, Adam Orth. How's that for toxic?

 

[Zeldias]

Only if you heavily edit her actions until they no longer actually represent what she's actually done.

Or, as the anti-Anita crowd seems to call it, "reasonable criticsm." So have at it, I guess.

Are you kidding me?
They both got heavily critisized for what they said, both went to do a speech about it and both ignored any and all reasonable opposing viewpoints.

That's doing a "Sarkeesian". Whining about toxicity, instead of facing what they said and gain a little insight.

You don't have to be anti-Sarkeesian to recognize failure to owning up.

I guess you're right if you ignore the whole "I hope you get raped *****" stuff. Because if you conveniently ignore all the gendered harassment and abuse Sarkeesian faced, sure, it's similar.

I have yet to see anyone say that same kind of stuff about Orth.

 

[Trueflame]

Adam Orth really needs to learn to deal with it. It's all well and good when he's the one condescending to others, but when the entire internet calls him on his BS, somehow it's toxic and inappropriate? Ha, good one Orth!

The internet is certainly a very toxic place in many instances, but comments such as Orth's would have gotten him booed and jeered off any stage he took, anywhere in the world. People should simply get with the times and get internet? Perhaps they should move in order to get a working Xbox One, or build internet infrastructure with their bare hands? Orth is the worst sort of idiot, the kind that somehow managed to make his way into a position of semi-power and respectability. I only hope he'll meet more of that hated internet toxicity, because he certainly deserves it.

 

[Valanthe]

I don't think theres that much overlap in the population that doesn't have a stable internet connection and the population that would be a potential customer for a Xbox One. Sure, it sucks you can't play your games when your connection is out, but that happens like one day in a year on broadband.

Unfortunately it's a lot more common than you think. as a broadband subscriber living in a large urban center, I have a spotty connection every other day, simply because I live a little too far north of the 49th parallel. And I'm no special case, I'm subscribed to one of the largest ISP's in the country, and I pay a fair premium for the "best" connection my lines will support. the Xbox 180 would have been just one more thing taxing my already abysmally weak internet connection, and that's the major thing which informed my decision on not getting the new Xbox, especially when Sony is offering a similar service, without the inconveniences.

As to the topic at hand, while the title of his talk -could- be misleading us, if it isn't, and he's just using the GDC as a forum to ***** about how the Evil Internet Fairies cost him his slick job at Microsoft, I really hope it blows up in his face, because this guy really doesn't seem to notice how far up his ass his head is crammed.

 

[Naeras]

I'd say this thread is a perfect example of the kind of destructive commentary Adam Orth seems to want to talk about. A bunch of anonymous people sitting behind their keyboards, pointing and laughing, adding precisely zero value to any conversation.

Yeah, they're only slightly above the level of his own comments.

You may complain about the intellectual level this conversation is being had on, but seriously, the guy starts the conversation by dismissing any other viewpoints and telling people to just deal with it? That's just setting the bar below sea level.

Orth's the problem here, not the reactions.

 

[shirkbot]

I'd say this thread is a perfect example of the kind of destructive commentary Adam Orth seems to want to talk about. A bunch of anonymous people sitting behind their keyboards, pointing and laughing, adding precisely zero value to any conversation.

Actually I'd argue that this is far from destructive. It's a bunch of people sitting around calling another human being a callous idiot and it affects...? Honestly, I'd rather see everyone be angry here than dignifying him with any kind of legitimate attention.

 

[Jessta]

This guys smart, he essentially just told a few million loyal fans of the Xbox that they could go fuck themselves because they don't live in a city leaving the few million loyal play station and Wii fans to laugh hysterically at them.
I don't think he realizes that a lot of rural communities have super super shitty crazy expensive internet, the town I'm from you would pay 100 dollars a month for a 20 gig download cap and 5mbs download speed that would go down as many as 6 times a week, and since they people have such shitty internet they're less likely to pirate games because downloading a 8 gigabyte game is suddenly a lot less reasonable when your paying 10 dollars for every gig you go over and your monthly rate barely covers 15 hours of video content + email and necessities. this is a town with a population of 4000 mind you. And that's just in the US, I'm sure it gets even worse in other countries.

 

[Vrach]

"Sorry, I don't get the drama around having an 'always on' console. Every device now is 'always on' #dealwithit"

If that were/is true, you wouldn't/don't need to force it down people's throats. Just build a device that assumes always-on and turn off always-on features when it's off. You know, the way pretty much everything else, ever works >.>

 

[Formica Archonis]

Huh, just when I was starting to forget who he was. Oh, well, so much for that.

I do appreciate that the Internet is prone to getting out the tar, feathers, pitchforks, and torches too fast for anyone's good. But complaining about it, particularly when you not only started it by being condescending but also after later events have vindicated the people you mocked, combines all the contrite charisma of Nixon's you don't have Nixon to kick around any more [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Nixon's_last_press_conference] speech with the sublime maturity of a child throwing a tantrum while simultaneously wetting itself.

You know who I'd listen to give a speech on Internet toxicity? A writer, or a sociologist, or someone like that who interviewed:
Adam Orth,
the family of that guy Reddit unilaterally decided was the Boston Marathon bomber,
people used in memes,
people who have been doxxed,
and other people who have been turned into mockeries or targets of hate for the entertainment of the crowd.

Someone with no personal stake in it who had met with the people involved and filtered out the emotion to provide genuine information.

I didn't like this guy before but I did feel a bit sorry for him, as no one deserves to lose their job for being a jerk on the Internet. Now? Not so much.

 

[Atmos Duality]

So, Adam Orth is giving a speech devoted to outlining his hypocrisy.
Should be a hoot.