Nurb said:
Whenever gamers used to whine about stuff that really isn't a big deal, because they've whined about everything for 35 years, they were ignored.
Now everyone that posts a youtube video and says something is an outrage we have to take them seriously.
THAT is what's wrong with gaming culture (at the moment)
Robert Marrs said:
Gindil said:
When he talks about the gaming industry, he can be pretty damning. When he talks about social justice issues, he misses the mark entirely. I recommend a LOT of salt grains while maintaining your own objective analysis.
I completely agree. Pretty much every single thing he says about the game industry makes me go "yes of course! if developers and publishers listened to this man the world we be a better place!" and pretty much every video he has done on social justice issues makes me groan.
Did you watch the video?
All it takes is a dismissive comment to the outrageous youtube video that DESERVES IT, or even just a thumbs down. By being silent/indifferent as is mentioned in the talk, you essentially become party or compliant in the wrongdoing. There is no impartiality. By being silent you don't exist and therefore, since no one disagrees with the crazy people *everyone* associated with that group is crazy.
He mentions this in the talk. For years I've never felt the problem is the people who are misogynists, make death threats or are just nasty in the gaming community. It's the people who don't rein in or condemn them that mean I would NEVER want to consider myself a gamer, and am ashamed of playing video games. Who wants to be in an industry where the only communication in a FPS or a Moba is hate and vitriol from the one assfag?
I was going to put this in the toxic video but I thought 'what is the point?' I still do. I don't WANT to be a gamer, I want to game but I don't want to be associated with any 'culture' it may have. And I find the assumption that internet=anonymity to be a pathetic excuse for essentially lazy behaviour, or not defending the right choice. I browse many areas of the internet and each area is different. The drug forums are some of the nicest places to be, everyone is very positive and their video game threads... wow, now THEY love video games. I've never met so many positive people. The computer freaks/overclockers, the knife enthusiast forums, science enthusiasts, the martial arts forums, even the Magic Gathering community is pretty respectable, I don't see any real trolling there AT ALL. No 'lol, you noob', people actively try to bring new people in... and if there is an asshat or troll (there usually is), he gets moderated to nonexistance, ignored or dismissed by the people who want new players in their hobby. Very welcoming. You ask a question, even a stupid, ignorant or common question you get it answered.
No people use the 'oh all the internet is like that' excuse but I think the only people who think that don't GO to other sites. Video games, the large majority of its associated community centres (barring reddit) are a fetid mess of unpleasant people and indifferent nobodies. I do know some nice communities, DayZ has a pretty nice community (from what I know), and I do know some very retro RPG sites that have some great people in them... Some of them also proudly don't consider themselves gamers, just play the small group of games they enjoyed from over a decade ago.
Gaming has a real message problem, you've got all these people treating Anita Sarkeesian as some sort of second coming of the anti-christ and... Who's defending her? She's just a feminist who doesn't like the sexism inherent in the gaming industry. Same with the bioware employee who got death threats... for writing bad stories (where Biowares stories THAT good)? Who DEFENDED her? Jim Sterling did and he condemned those responsible. And by letting those people be asshats frequently you ENABLED the shitty opinion gaming receives. Anyone who says 'they weren't involved'... I read these forums, most of you are probably guilty of acquiescence to *something*. I know I am, I am just aware that by not stopping the message I'm inherently part of the problem.
People can act like the gaming community 'isn't that bad' and 'its an internet problem' and 'people are so PC nowadays'. But if you go go beyond this community, the only ones on the internet I can think of that are worse involve American Politics.
Well I had to say a *something*, (A LOT of something), because... I don't want to represent what anyone who says these sort of things represent. But that's enough I think. When you disagree with the outlook of most of a community, it's a community you don't belong in anyway, and I want no part of this one.