Jimquisition: Go Fish

[xPixelatedx]

People don't think he should have a "thicker skin" because he makes games. People think he should have a thicker skin because he's an infamous ass who dished out just as much as he took. I realize he gets poked at a lot, but I believe people shouldn't cause more trouble then they are willing to receive. That said, Fish's skin should have been infinitely-thick. If there is one thing that I cannot stand, it's someone acting dickish to just about everyone, but also expecting to be handled delicately in returned. That, to me, comes off as an individual who feels they deserve to live a privileged life. Even if he didn't instigate this particular squabble, the guy was far from a saint. Your constant use of the word "abuse" makes me feel you are (perhaps subconsciously) attempting to paint him as a victim in all this, maybe even because what he has endured seems so similar to your situation. It's not though.

Jim, I feel for you. You might get under some people's skin, and you might have gotten a LOT of hate for that, but everyone you've spoken badly about was certainly calling for it. More often then not, you are speaking up for the little guy; the person who can't defend themselves that well. Fish on the other hand, he'd happily stomp his foot on that same demographic.
I'm sorry, but we're supposed to feel bad for this guy? This is the guy who was "abused" by the internet...? I mean, hell, I even agree with what they elaborated on later in that video, but the way they initially answered... holy shit. The pointing and laughing, the smugness and the general lack of humanity in all this was staggering. That poor bastard who asked the question probably didn't even fully understand what was happening, it was obvious he understood very little English. Rather then use any kind of tact or consideration, they saw his fumbling over English words as a weakness and attacked him as brutally as possible, in front of a crowd of people and cameras no less. Fish and his friends made themselves out to be the most despicable kinds of human beings, and I actually applaud the internet for showing him the same kind of empathy in return. It's called Karma.

 

[beniki]

It's a product of over-saturation of communication.

Whereas before, only the truly dedicated to praise or criticism could comment, now it's widely available to everyone. Since it takes less effort to comment, people put less effort into the comment.

So when you look at all the insults and criticisms thrown your way, you need to remember, that most people left their brains behind once they clicked the 'Post reply' button.

With that in mind, I will make sure that my own brain in engaged whenever I post a comment, and not get caught up in the delirium of communication intoxication.

 

[Laser Priest]

-Snip-

I think this is a case of "an eye for an eye and the whole world goes blind" here. Except it ends with the whole world being assholes to each other. If we're not going to act like he was a victim, we certainly can't act as if the people threatening to rape and murder his family were justified. Yes, he was an asshole. Yes, people were assholes to him. Is there karma for them? If that is in the form of people being assholes, will those people have karma after them?

Phil Fish certainly was not a nice man, I will not deny that. He seems like he was awful to a lot of people, but then it seems that many more people were much, much worse to him. He was a victim here, but he wasn't the only victim and he wasn't only a victim. The comments he made were not justified, nor was the sheer magnitude of hate he received. I won't deny that he was in the wrong, but the people insulting and threatening him certainly aren't in the right.

 

[MB202]

Jim talked about Phil Fish in an earlier episode of the Jimquisiton as well. It basically talked about how Mr. Fish said some not-so-nice things about Japanese game developers, and Jim was talking about how, for some people, that might effect some players views on Fez, regardless of the actual content in Fez. Now, this feels like a less extreme example of "LEAVE BRITNEY ALONE!!!" And, well, yeah, I can totally understand that. Speaking for myself, I totally would not be able to handle all the vile comments and insults thrown at me. For some people, ignoring or dismissing this kind of stuff is easy, but for others, it's not. And I think those who tell Phil Fish and the like to "grow up" or "deal with it" are really being insensitive of the matter. Sensitive... Now there's something the gaming community seems as far away from being as ever!

 

[Johnson McGee]

I don't really know much about Fish and haven't seen what's been going on to drive such a spirited narrative, but unless Mr. Fish was the only one working on Fez 2 I think he's being incredibly selfish by putting a bunch of people out of work (friends and co-workers no less). If people were harassing him that badly a better response would be to lock down his online presence and take an extended vacation.

All assuming that this threat to stop Fez 2 is actually true. I find it hard to believe one person could make that decision in even a small company with no one else being able to do anything about it.

 

[Magmarock]

This was pretty much what I was thinking when I found out about Phill's drama. I'd also like to point out that when a company like EA or Activision gets criticized there aren't really hard feelings even for the people who work for it because it's a huge company with millions of dollars. However someone like Fish is one man who stands alone against this sort of thing. But hey Fez is on GOG so I guess he has the same opinion on DRM as I do, I hope he gets back into it and I think he will in the end.

 

[Something Amyss]

You know which developer has a loud mouth, isn't afraid to speak his mind, and didn't quit because of it?

David Jaffe.

The difference is, Jaffe always framed his opinions as opinions, not statements. Jaffe never went out and kicked the hornet's nest (at least, as far as I remember.)

And Jaffe never went into forums and called the customers nerds who fail at making any kind of difference.

And Jaffe, the asshat he is, has never tried to frame himself as a poor innocent victim.

To my knowledge, anyway. I can't say as I pay him much mind.

Who cares how fish quit and what made him quit ? All the rage is about him being a d1ck to others over ze internetz.

He quite because a veritable shit-ton of people were being "d1cks" to him over "ze internetz". Let's not try to totally dehumanize someone because he tends to be an asshole. He had a career in game development and he left because of the sheer amount of harassment he was getting. Even if he acted like a total scumbag sometimes - and he did - I still think it's really sad to see something like this happen.

I wouldn't say I'm dehumanising him, but I can't feel bad that someone who could dish it out but not take it left a business which is the only reason people paid attention to him in the first place. If he had ragequit from Twitter in other circumstances, nobody would care. Similarly, I don't see why differing circumstances don't make for different results. A guy who wades into fight after fight like your typical keyboard warrior should expect more flak than someone whose only crime is making games. The rage over the CoD nerf is directed at someone who probably wasn't even solely responsible for the change people hate. Blowfish's comments are the direct source for the hatred he gets. He strikes me as the internet version of Gollum--a sad little creature who is more than happy to be an evil little shit until he bites off more than he can chew, and then ERMAGERD, TAKE PITY ON POAR MISRUBLE Gollum Ghurgee Blowfish!

By way of example, I read a story about a white dude who got knocked out recently by a black dude. The white guy got up in a black couple's face, saying that "niggers" like them were why he lost his job. He got his ass knocked out for his trouble. Now, maybe the guy deserves some pity. He was an unemployed man drunk off his ass, but then, what is the expectation when you aggressively get in someone's face?

At the very least, let me phrase it this way: why does he deserve better behaviour than he himself displays?

Captcha: laugh at me. Odds are, I deserve it, so go ahead.

 

[Laser Priest]

Sensitive... Now there's something the gaming community seems as far away from being as ever!

I RESENT THAT. YOU OUGHT TO DIE IN THE FLAMING PITS OF DETROIT. (That was a joke.)

But yeah, I have to agree here, although the sentiment applies both ways. The entire gaming community needs to calm itself a bit, as they seem far too prepared to harass, insult and threaten anyone they disagree with. It's rather preposterous. And I can't defend Fish in that regard. He has definitely started his share of fights. He's insulted a lot of people with no provocation. In that regard, he's just being an ass. However, while I don't agree with his actions, I can't entirely hold his retaliations to the hate against him. I've been on the receiving end of bullying from the internet, school and even my family for most of my life, and it's not easy not to want to fight back. Plus, the internet has a way of getting people to react without thinking things through. It's entirely the wrong thing to do, and I'm certainly not defending his actions, but I think it's much worse how many people seem to be simply judging and practically dehumanizing the guy.

Even if he acted like an asshole quite often, I certainly would sympathize with him more than the mobs of anonymous assholes insulting and threatening him. He may have brought it upon himself, but it's still not nice to see anyone suffer such harassment and it's hard to see the people insulting and/or judging him as any better themselves.

 

[Laser Priest]

-Snips-

I can't say he deserves better, but then I feel it is far beyond me to judge such a thing.

And I'd say if we are going to hold him to the frankly ridiculous standards of never rising to the harassment, then why don't we seem to apply those standards to ourselves?

He certainly doesn't deserve much defense. He's an asshole, that much is undeniable. But the sheer magnitude of the recoil against him is ridiculous. It's as if he stomped the internet's foot and they responded by calling their friends and beating him with tire irons.

I suppose it's a matter of opinion here. We can probably agree that Phil Fish was unkind and responded harshly to the people attacking him. Then again, the people attacking him were certainly no saints either. My view is that neither side was justified.

And if we're applying that idea of "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you", it does go both ways. We shouldn't be an asshole to Fish simply because he was an asshole. There are a lot more of us than him. And we can be much bigger assholes.

 

[Jimothy Sterling]

Sorry, but Phil Fish has been whining about how miserable he was at least since Indie Game The Movie... and that was way before Fez was even released and he got the majority of that abuse on the internet.
Even back then I thought to myself "If making games makes you that miserable, go find another career. It's nice you want to be creative, but if it's that painful to you, find another creative outlet".

Thinking about what I heard about Phil Fish in the last two years or so, pretty much _everything_ I can think of is him being an arrogant, angry and/or insulting asshole. On top of that, he seems to like himself being seen as some kind of a martyr.
Seriously, go on Google (or your favourite other search engine) and search for Phil Fish, excluding stuff from the last month. He's done the best he could to get as much hate as possible, as far as I can tell.

To me, it's really odd that, suddenly, all that BS gets ignored by so many and Fish is painted as a hapless victim of random internet hate. He's not. That doesn't mean it's a-okay to insult the guy without pause, but it's ridiculous how the guy can act so surprised and pissed off about the stuff he gets when he lowered himself to that level several times.

 

[Deacon Cole]

See. It's because of shit like this that I do not have a facebook or twitter account. Were I to ever become famous for... any fucking thing, I would cease to be a presence on the internet. All I'd have would be a webpage with a news feed handled by my PR lackeys and a store. That's it. No forums. Fuck that.

 

[seditary]

Goodbye Phil Fish, I won't miss you and I hope you don't come back.

Just like we don't need the community represented by the people who attacked you, we don't need the industry/indie scene represented by people like you.

 

[cieply]

When something is posted that late into the thread, it probably won't be seen, but I think I still have to try.

People hate Phil not only for his controversial views, but how he states them, here is an example, although this vid is constantly being removed from yt and hard to find as it it is bad PR 101

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LHPmkf8PHLA

Basically, Phill is an asshole of the worst kind. He is an asshole that can't take it when others are assholes to him. The lowest kind of insecure, smirking slimeball that projects his own insecurities on others and then takes offence when they fight back. The guy after him just demonstrated how you can phrase an unfavorable opinion in a more polite manner. If you treat others like shit, be ready to get treated the same exact way.

Also Jim, I remember you from the beginning. Now, I would have to rewatch some of those episodes, but I remember you as an annoying trolling prick that I wanted to punch in the face. I think I even remember how close it was for you to quit, but you adapted and mixed your formula up a bit. And here I am, much later, actually listening to what you have to say because despite the fact that you still annoy the hell out of me, you are actually a person worth giving a listen. And I respect that. And others respect that too. And this is why you don't get that much heat nowadays, even from people who don't agree with you. And Phil? Phil just alternates between thinking that he is next Isaac Newton (and treating everyone like trash because of it) and wanting to kill himself. He is a perfect example of bipolar disorder gone berserk

 

[Helston]

Jim, I've paused the video a few minutes in because I need to say this: Love your stuff, you're a fantastic voice in the gaming community. You're entertaining and provide very good arguments on important issues for the industry.

Thank God for Jim Sterling.

 

[IKWerewolf]

Jim

Figure out a new name for this style of show and do it. Being honest about your situation and your past experiences from within the game industry, get special guests in etc.

This side of you is worth letting off leash more often.

The thing I've learned recently is that tit for tat helps no-one and this is breaking down the gaming community. This needs to get sorted quickly, otherwise we will remain the easy target for politicians and other media.

 

[fleischwolke]

Thanks for your insights, Jim. Even unscripted, they are much appreciated. Daily, I thank god for you.

 

[Blachman201_v1legacy]

I don't believe people should ever accept abuse, but telling someone to kill themselves over a negative comment, and then essentially going: "I'm taking MY ball and going home, then you will ALL be sorry!" is quite frankly a very unconstructive way of dealing with it.

 

[Bryan Hinson]

Thank you for staying with us and continuing to be one of the sole places of reason in this crazy gamer community. A lot of things are changing and it is nice to have it explained in a way that i can understand and that can make me laugh. I may not agree with everything you say, but you still get across the facts and i look forward to listening to you every week. Thank God for you.

 

[MadBlueWinnie]

Jim, while I do not care too deeply for Phil Fish, I just want to say here that you have done a great amount for this community and deserve the praise and fanbase you have gained. You're a fantastic entertainer and it's actually inspiring to hear that despite your career not going well for you in the past, that you stuck to it and found a way to connect with an audience. Thank God for you.

 

[paukkuii]

Phil Fish has made criticism towards certain parts of the gaming industry in a little bit childish way AND he makes abusive comments/replies on his Twitter account (and replied to Bear with abusive tweeting) to other people. This implies that he's this "fuck you in the face" kind of guy that can take piss. I don't have a problem with Phil Fish snapping I have a problem how certain blogs and people in the media make him look like the victim.