Over 1,800 Gaming Professionals Condemn Hate Speech in Open Letter

Pyrolithic

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May 2, 2011
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Rocket Girl said:
circularlogic88 said:
Rocket Girl said:
Stewie Plisken said:
We believe that everyone, no matter what gender, sexual orientation, ethnicity, or religion has the right to play games, criticize games and make games without getting harassed or threatened. It is the diversity of our community that allows games to flourish.
We agree. Hence the term "gamer", which is all-inclusive.
Just to pull you up there - the term gamer isn't inclusive or exclusive. No more than, say, police officer or student. There was a time when women couldn't be police officers and African American's couldn't attend schools (I can provide sources if you would like them). So the terms police officer and student weren't inclusive and the terms themselves didn't mean "no blacks" or "no women" but none the less, people were excluded. See, it's not the title that is inclusive or exclusive, it's the community and the culture.
"Person" isn't all-inclusive today depending on which individual or group of people you wish to have define it. What's your point? Because it seems like you're being flippant for the sake of being flippant.
Could you show me which group you have seen saying person is not an inclusive term?
Well, if we're being entirely pedantic, the very existence of the term "Person of Color" (though as near as I can tell, it's fallen out of favour in the last few years) would suggest the term "Person" only applies to Caucasians.

But more on topic, I have to agree with the sentiment that this petition seems to be missing an important point, which is that the toxicity isn't exclusively found in those who play games, as we've seen with the behaviour of various game developers and journalists with regard to this entire debacle.
 

rob_simple

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Aug 8, 2010
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Hero in a half shell said:
I agree, the amount of hatred about gaming is awful. Just look at these Twitter responses:

Devin Faraci - (Badass Digest)


KT Hache - (self proclaimed Social Justice Warrior)



K. Thor Jensen - (Videogames Journalist)

Adam Sessler - (Videogames Journalist)


Helena Horten - (Videogames Journalist for Vice)


Joel Golby (Videogames Journalist - Vice)

But gamers are of course the toxic culture.
You're a star, I've been looking for more stuff like this, to add to my collection of the 'open-armed love and compassion' Polygon described in their article in defense of the industry.

Please, allow me to add some of my own...


OT: Which petition went up first, this one or Boogie's? Because I notice they are both worded almost identically, but for some reason change.org doesn't tell you when a petition first went up.
 

Pyrolithic

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May 2, 2011
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Rocket Girl said:
Pyrolithic said:
Rocket Girl said:
circularlogic88 said:
Rocket Girl said:
Stewie Plisken said:
We believe that everyone, no matter what gender, sexual orientation, ethnicity, or religion has the right to play games, criticize games and make games without getting harassed or threatened. It is the diversity of our community that allows games to flourish.
We agree. Hence the term "gamer", which is all-inclusive.
Just to pull you up there - the term gamer isn't inclusive or exclusive. No more than, say, police officer or student. There was a time when women couldn't be police officers and African American's couldn't attend schools (I can provide sources if you would like them). So the terms police officer and student weren't inclusive and the terms themselves didn't mean "no blacks" or "no women" but none the less, people were excluded. See, it's not the title that is inclusive or exclusive, it's the community and the culture.
"Person" isn't all-inclusive today depending on which individual or group of people you wish to have define it. What's your point? Because it seems like you're being flippant for the sake of being flippant.
Could you show me which group you have seen saying person is not an inclusive term?
Well, if we're being entirely pedantic, the very existence of the term "Person of Color" (though as near as I can tell, it's fallen out of favour in the last few years) would suggest the term "Person" only applies to Caucasians.

But more on topic, I have to agree with the sentiment that this petition seems to be missing an important point, which is that the toxicity isn't exclusively found in those who play games, as we've seen with the behaviour of various game developers and journalists with regard to this entire debacle.
You bring up an example, but then refute it. Care to try again? I would very much like to see sources that show people rejecting the term person or claiming it doesn't include all humans. You made the claim after all.
Woah there, I made no such claim, and I'd appreciate you not accuse me of as much.

I merely pointed out that by definition, the existence of the term "Person of color" necessarily implies that the one using it excludes non-whites from the term "person".

Captcha: Trust me.

Well, ideally you'd do your own research and reach your own conclusions, but I try to be pretty trustworthy, so thank you, Captcha.
 

licktheenvelope

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Aug 20, 2014
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erttheking said:
licktheenvelope said:
Ugh... i'm glad the devs are paying attention but seriously they need to get the press to call off the social extremists.
Social extremists? The statement says "Diversity is good, please report harassment when you see it, make online communities a more fun place to be." What is so extreme about that?
Note how it's not signed by Anita Sarkeesian... EDIT: Zoe Quinn on. 1 more. Hopefully that quells the extremists.
 

Erttheking

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licktheenvelope said:
erttheking said:
licktheenvelope said:
Ugh... i'm glad the devs are paying attention but seriously they need to get the press to call off the social extremists.
Social extremists? The statement says "Diversity is good, please report harassment when you see it, make online communities a more fun place to be." What is so extreme about that?
Note how it's not signed by Anita Sarkeesian... EDIT: Zoe Quinn on. 1 more. Hopefully that quells the extremists.
What does that have to do with anything? Why does everything about everything in gaming have to come back to those two nowadays?
 

licktheenvelope

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Aug 20, 2014
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Rocket Girl said:
licktheenvelope said:
Ugh... i'm glad the devs are paying attention but seriously they need to get the press to call off the social extremists.
Which press members? Which social extremists? Why do you want "game developers" to tell "press" to "call off" extremism? Do you think the developers have some sort of power over the press? Or the press over the public? Is there some sort of agreement made between people you deem extreme and "press" to... be extreme?

Your statement perplexes me.
Also (to answer the questions): Any of the bigger ones with links to Anita Sarkeesian / Particularly the ones attacking female gamers for speaking up against the press (likely radical feminists) / Because the press isn't doing it's job and we've been screaming at them for 2 weeks... / Of course the developers have power over the press to handle their messages / of course the press has power over the public
 

Akexi

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licktheenvelope said:
erttheking said:
licktheenvelope said:
Ugh... i'm glad the devs are paying attention but seriously they need to get the press to call off the social extremists.
Social extremists? The statement says "Diversity is good, please report harassment when you see it, make online communities a more fun place to be." What is so extreme about that?
Note how it's not signed by Zoe Quinn or Anita Sarkeesian...
Quinn did sign it actually along with Adam Orth. Ironically an individual from mainstream gaming that lost his job after being downright imbecilic to the gaming population at large.
 

licktheenvelope

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Aug 20, 2014
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erttheking said:
licktheenvelope said:
erttheking said:
licktheenvelope said:
Ugh... i'm glad the devs are paying attention but seriously they need to get the press to call off the social extremists.
Social extremists? The statement says "Diversity is good, please report harassment when you see it, make online communities a more fun place to be." What is so extreme about that?
Note how it's not signed by Anita Sarkeesian... EDIT: Zoe Quinn on. 1 more. Hopefully that quells the extremists.
What does that have to do with anything? Why does everything about everything in gaming have to come back to those two nowadays?
There's no short answer to that. See the thread: http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/18.858347-Zoe-Quinn-and-the-surrounding-controversy?page=447

There's a number of issues of nepotism and corruption involving both Ms Sarkeesian and Ms Quinn and a certain PR agency.
 

licktheenvelope

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Aug 20, 2014
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Akexi said:
licktheenvelope said:
erttheking said:
licktheenvelope said:
Ugh... i'm glad the devs are paying attention but seriously they need to get the press to call off the social extremists.
Social extremists? The statement says "Diversity is good, please report harassment when you see it, make online communities a more fun place to be." What is so extreme about that?
Note how it's not signed by Zoe Quinn or Anita Sarkeesian...
Quinn did sign it actually along with Adam Orth. Ironically an individual from mainstream gaming that lost his job after being downright imbecilic to the gaming population at large.
Yes I edit that, Quinn had noted signed as of a couple hours ago.
 

Erttheking

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licktheenvelope said:
erttheking said:
licktheenvelope said:
erttheking said:
licktheenvelope said:
Ugh... i'm glad the devs are paying attention but seriously they need to get the press to call off the social extremists.
Social extremists? The statement says "Diversity is good, please report harassment when you see it, make online communities a more fun place to be." What is so extreme about that?
Note how it's not signed by Anita Sarkeesian... EDIT: Zoe Quinn on. 1 more. Hopefully that quells the extremists.
What does that have to do with anything? Why does everything about everything in gaming have to come back to those two nowadays?
There's no short answer to that. See the thread: http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/18.858347-Zoe-Quinn-and-the-surrounding-controversy?page=447

There's a number of issues of nepotism and corruption involving both Ms Sarkeesian and Ms Quinn and a certain PR agency.
Yeah, that's not happening. I'm not crawling through 400 pages of barely contained rage, uncertain accusations and out of control emotions. It'd be like walking into the middle of a riot and trying to get an unbiased view on what was going on.
 

Stewie Plisken

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Rocket Girl said:
This does not reflect my personal experience with the term "gamer" and the community that uses it. But I do get where you're coming from; the point is that it's a term that applies to anyone that plays games regardless of gender, sex, race, political affiliation etc. and the recent consistent efforts to tear it down are not helping anyone and especially the plead of those developers.
We should use the term for everyone, yes, but I'd argue some people don't -- and enough don't for it to be an ugly, uninviting sore point on the community. For example, have you ever heard someone refer to some gamers as "casual gamers"? Others go on to say those "casuals" aren't real gamers. In fact, a thread on the Escapist recently, regarding the population of female gamers had several people ponder aloud if they were "real gamers" or just played casual, "iPhone" games. I can dig some quotes up for you if you like, but I imagine you've seen them as well.

No doubt the term gamer should be used freely by anyone that enjoys video games. But our community could use some work on just how we address some of our fellow video game lovers.[/quote]

The difference here, though, is that one can easily be a self-identified "gamer". Worst-case-scenario they will run into some elitist prick that will mock them, but they still won't be able to remove that title from them. Even that scenario is comparetively rare in the community. The question of casual gamers vs hardcore gamers isn't new and while it's been applied now between mobile games and traditional games, five or eight years ago the same debate was happening in regards to traditional games and the Wii shovelware. The term is constantly redefined, because it's tied to technology and its progress, hence the various similar debates, but there isn't an actual need (or push) for distinction between gamers.

This destinction exists, mind you, but this has always been the case. For all intends and purposes I'm a casual gamer, because I don't spend a ridiculous amount of money on all the available systems. Before that, I was a casual gamer, because I wouldn't complete every single on of the hundreds of quests in Baldur's Gate 2, like many completionists would.

In the medium's current form, the countless people I even overhear talking about Fruit Ninja or Flappy Bird have put money in the industry and have welcomed its effects and distinctions from other forms of entertainment. They may themselves be defined as "casual" gamers, but they are gamers nonetheless.
 

BinaryFinary

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Aug 22, 2014
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erttheking said:
licktheenvelope said:
erttheking said:
licktheenvelope said:
Ugh... i'm glad the devs are paying attention but seriously they need to get the press to call off the social extremists.
Social extremists? The statement says "Diversity is good, please report harassment when you see it, make online communities a more fun place to be." What is so extreme about that?
Note how it's not signed by Anita Sarkeesian... EDIT: Zoe Quinn on. 1 more. Hopefully that quells the extremists.
What does that have to do with anything? Why does everything about everything in gaming have to come back to those two nowadays?
Maybe because no one reporting on this issue, just like the OP, can avoid linking what was a neutral 'everyone stop harassing everyone else' open letter to stories about either 'Gamer is dead' or in this case a pure bias 'Critical Distance' thought dump.
 

BinaryFinary

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Aug 22, 2014
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erttheking said:
Yeah, that's not happening. I'm not crawling through 400 pages of barely contained rage, uncertain accusations and out of control emotions. It'd be like walking into the middle of a riot and trying to get an unbiased view on what was going on.
Of course not that would destroy your world view once you discover that it is generally (beyond first 20 pages) a place of civil discussion, little rage and thoughtful concerns.