The Felicia Day/Destructoid situation

[II2]

She's voice acted in games, literally assisting in their production, Fallout New Vegas as a favorite but I know there's more well known entries. I doubt she'd be better put to use coding damage modifer co-efficients, or scheduling focus groups...

Regardless of whether you feel she's a good 'big name' to have strong associations with gaming, she works in the industry as an actor. It seems ignorant to denounce someone who is doing their specialized part towards the production of projects larger than them, just because they're popular.

 

[veloper]

It's a personal attack.
I don't think sexism is a motive here.
Destructoid can prolly still get rid of a contributor over a personal attack though. Personally I wish everyone in the scene just grew a thicker skin. We're acting soft and oversensitive.

 

[everythingbeeps]

Look, I'm as cynical about show business as damn near anyone, but it's stupid to just assume she's not really into video games. Clearly she is. I don't know what you think she's supposed to do next. Quit acting altogether? Get plastic surgery? Stop liking video games?

I didn't say she's not interested in them, and it doesn't really matter at this point anyway. How many men got to where they are in the video game world by singing and dancing in a leotard? How is that fair?

Okay, and where exactly is she "in the video game world"? Other than she's a fan who's also mildly famous and has done voice work for things? What's her official title here?

Like, what are you objecting to exactly? What's not "fair"?

 

[TheRookie8]

And I don't know if any you understand this, but we're in a recession. Getting fired is a very BAD thing, and over a matter like this with this publicity--well, he's probably not going to be able to find a job in the game industry ever again. That is so fucked up in so many ways I don't know how to comment any further.

Now any of you under the age of 18 that would say it was just, if you haven't worked a day in your life or had to deal with unemployment, than you have no right to speak! NONE!

They have the right to speak...it's just that they might say ignorant things. And you're sort of getting off topic targeting us readers when the focus should remain with the forum topic.

 

[chimeracreator]

I will admit... I am twitter ignorant. Is this different than say... posting your opinion about someone to a personal facebook page or something? I honestly dont know. If so, then yeah, I definitely could see where you are coming from...

Yep, Twitter is designed purely as a broadcast platform unlike Facebook. With Facebook you can restrict your posts so only friends of friends, friends or specific friends can see them and you have to approve all of your friends before they can connect to you. This creates a limited sphere of broadcast.

Twitter on the other hand is completely public. Anyone can follow anyone else on Twitter to receive updates about what they post at any given point in time and because it was originally developed to be used on phones via text messages or apps often in real time. Likewise you can mention another Twitter account to try to get their attention using the @ flag, which is what he did with this post. They also have the # (hash tag) mechanic that allows you to relate your post to some sort of larger topic that Twitter can aggregate into a trending topic.

You don't need to use any of these mechanics as part of Twitter and because everything is public you can always look someone up and see every tweet they ever made, and in the case of @ tweets also view a back and forth public dialog, because as I said before Twitter is a broadcasting platform and is entirely public.

So odds are what happened here is:
1. He wrote an offensive tweet with the @ flag to send Felicia Day a message, causing his 50 followers to see it
2. She saw this and replied to it, causing all of her thousands of followers to see it
3. As she had celebrity followers they saw it and because they knew her and were offended by it they also replied to it causing tens to hundreds of thousands of their followers to see it.
4. Feces meet fan

As I mentioned before as Twitter works in real time when connected to a smart phone this entire process didn't take very long.

 

[Toilet]

Felicia Day has done 4 throw away voice overs, a few shitty internet videos, appeared on the VGA's and is essentially a glorified booth babe (and not a very attractive one at that).

Also while we are on the subject people who support or contribute what is advertised as "Gaming Culture" do more harm than good to video games.

 

[ProtoChimp]

Maybe he was being a dick but what does she do? I know she acts but what else? I would wiki it but I need to restart my PC and do some check ups.

 

[A_Play_On_Words]

Recently Destructoid writer Ryan Perez made a couple comments about Felicia Day on his Twitter account

''Ryan?s questions to Felicia were as follows: ?I keep seeing [you] everywhere. Question: Do you matter at all? Do you even provide anything useful to gaming, besides ?personality?? could you be considered nothing more than a glorified booth babe? You don?t seem to add anything creative to the medium.?''

Following total uproar Ryan was pressured into resigning from his position with Destructoid as D-toid issued apologies to Miss Day. Other figures such as Adam Baldwin and Wil Wheaton have come out in support of Felicia. But quite frankly...isn't he right? What of substance has she contributed to the gaming medium?

While some of his comments could be interpreted as insulting he made a valid point that much of the gaming community has echoed previously. And besides that,it was his private Twitter which was in no way associated with D-toid and he never claimed he spoke for D-toid. People now flock to his Twitter, calling him ''sick'' and a ''misogynist'' (the latter is quite confusing as he never made any comment that was anti-woman,simply anti-Day). Does a man deserve to lose his job for some opinions he holds privately?

1) I believe her contribution to gaming is as follows: She enjoys playing video games, much the same as most of us. I'm going to guess she also kinda digs comics, superheroes, and role-playing games, all non-traditionally 'female' hobbies. Also, she did some voice acting, as well as regular acting. Does she need to do more? Must there be something more substantive? Could she not simply have fans that love her because she is a "cute girl" who actively and vocally enjoys the same hobbies as us? Should not, then, all celebrities who actively enjoy video games be held up to the same amount of scrutiny? Are all gamers ought to contribute something to gaming, then, or does this only apply to celebrities?
2) Once you give voice to your opinions, they cease to be private. You know the phrase "anything you say can and will be held against you in a court of law"? Yeah... it works outside of our court system as well. And it can, and, most definitely WILL be held against you.

 

[TheRookie8]

So she contributes quite a bit to videogame culture, both creatively and directly. Ryan's questions, while not extremely venomous, did carry undertones of disrespect.

I've never heard of her, so I searched around a bit...

This woman would not be able to compete against other actresses, against other models, and I'm getting real tired of these women trying to carve out a throne for themselves amongst video game nerds. Video game nerds have this weakness and treat any woman who even pays attention to them like some kind of queen. In reality, she's just using up easy-come fandom as a stepping stone to achieve what she would be unable to in the more competitive, wider world of acting/modeling.

When a woman gets somewhere in the video game world without singing, or dancing around in some outfit, I will respect her.

Your respect is not the issue. The issue is the comments Ryan Perez made regarding Felicia Day's accomplishments in the gaming industry, which are substantial in that field. My use of the word "disrespect" does not reflect my own opinion, but the tone of Perez's comment towards Day.

Your reflection of Day's credentials, though, seem to indicate that you believe Perez's comments have substance. If you choose to continue commenting, feel free to expand on that.

 

[Zenn3k]

Felicia Day's contributions to video games are as follows:

1: Cute, quirky, nerd, red head
2: Likes video games

Thats about it...

 

[RastaBadger]

While fair enough for voicing his opinions I feel the "Glorified booth babe" bit was quite misogynistic. As for what she has added to the culture I think she is less important in gaming culture and more in general nerd culture. While she seems to be primarily a gamer (as seen in the guild and Dragon Age: Redemption) if you look at geek and sundry she seems more to be part of general nerd culture.
Basically she created entertainment for everyone else, which is pretty much exactly what game Developers do.
Fair enough she hasn't done as much as others but so what?

 

[Flight]

Personally, I think he was rude in calling Felicia Day a glorified booth babe, though I have to say I agree that she doesn't really bring anything useful to the table in games. In DAII, her character was smug and rather pointless, and while I found Tallis to be likable enough, I wasn't left with the impression that we really needed that added to the setting. And while I like The Guild well enough, I wish she'd just stuck to that.

That said, I don't think he deserved to lose his job.

 

[Cheesepower5]

Hmm... I wonder what Ryan Perez has "provided to gaming." Oh, wait, nobody asks that question because he has a Y chromosome and it's not a good question.

Yeah, far be it to see anybody EVER being cruel to a man. Not like losing his job for a few dumbass comments, that'd never happen.

Would a female games journalist get fired for saying that? Be it to Day, or any man/woman. Not that I agree with his comments, I neither give a fuck who he is nor what he said, and have just the tiniest inkling of who Felicia Day is. That being said, I've heard this question before, so perhaps it's not one man's issues with sexism.

He was fired because he made a stupid comment and the company he worked for was worried it would cost them business if they kept him. That is the only reason. Your comparison doesn't belong in the real business world.

Old post there, read what I've said since. I don't blame Destructoid for firing him, I blame the overblown, way too vehement reaction from... thousands of people not even involved whatsoever.

And you know, one guy said stupid shit and then got sacked. We don't have to be pissed off about everything.

 

[Rallus]

White knighting is funny.

 

[Susan Arendt]

Actually, I've had the pleasure of working with a number of people from Destructoid over the years, and they're actually really great. Hard working, conscientious, and professional. At least the ones I know. So I don't think it's fair to paint Dtoid as some morass of amoral behavior, even if you don't personally enjoy their editorial style. (I don't, personally, but it's a matter of taste.)

For all I know they might all be bloody Mother Theresas reincarnated behind the scenes. I just don't enjoy their content and (this is what's actually relevant to this thread) a lot of their writers are known for being rather flame happy, both on the site and on their twitter accounts. Example: Jim Sterling.

I just find the double standard amusing. Insulting random people on Twitter? Fucking a-ok. Insulting readers? Encouraged. Insulting some e-celeb? Fine, actually, it's just an ece- OH WAIT SHE'S FEMALE, FIRED.

Fair enough. As a reader, you're really only obligated to form an opinion of them based on their online activity. It's not your responsibility to look any further than that, and if what they've put forth isn't to your liking, then you're totally correct to dismiss them as a result.

 

[TheRookie8]

Felicia Day has done 4 throw away voice overs, a few shitty internet videos, appeared on the VGA's and is essentially a glorified booth babe (and not a very attractive one at that).

Also while we are on the subject people who support or contribute what is advertised as "Gaming Culture" do more harm than good to video games.

You're comment...it's so edgy! I love it!

I especially love your new idea! Don't support or contribute to videogames...to save videogames. Inspired!

Toilet for President!

 

[Bvenged]

What of substance has she contributed to the gaming medium?

She's an entertainer, an actress, and you could consider her to be the PR of gaming.

Does a man deserve to lose his job for some opinions he holds privately?

They were not private - private is telling your mates down the pub, or over the phone - what he did was broadcast them; which posting such things to the internet is about as subtle as yelling it down a megaphone to a shopping arcade, or sticking it up on a billboard.

Here in the UK you can be incarcerated for broadcasting harmful statements about someone to the public domain. There's a difference between sharing an opinion and bullying/verbal assault.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-17515992

Also, certain things we say can get us done for libel or defamation. I hate Activision but if I started falsely claiming over the internet about them I could be penalised. Ryan has just gone and done something similar but to an individual.

I agree, he probably just has a grudge, but I doubt he's a misogynist. You can only call someone a misogynist if it's a recurring trait of theirs.

 

[TheRookie8]

Felicia Day's contributions to video games are as follows:

1: Cute, quirky, nerd, red head
2: Likes video games

Thats about it...

The problem is, both of those reasons have nothing to do with contributions to video games (especially the first one).

Do some research. She has several connections to video games (legitimate ones)

 

[sethisjimmy]

Well let's see, she's created and written multiple gaming related shows, voice acted in a number of games, and has acted in a number of gaming related selections.

The only defense I'm seeing here is "oh you must be white knighting" or "oh nerds only like her because she is attractive and attainable". I'm guessing the logic behind this is that once people see an attractive girl involved in the gaming industry, they are threatened and automatically close their eyes to the fact that - whoa - she actually has some substantial legitimate connection and interest in gaming. It's just willful ignorance.

No, I follow very little of what she does, I've seen a few episodes of the Guild and it wasn't for me. So quit that shitty attitude and come up with some real arguments.

This guy clearly saw a few glimpses of her and thought he could pick on her because she was a flimsy bimbo who wasn't a "real gamer". That's just a shitty fucking thing to do. You don't single people out and say "Why do you deserve to be here? You aren't a real nerd!", that's the reason people look down on gaming. Just mind your own business, don't be so fucking insecure. Nobody should have to justify "being a nerd XD".

Now because of this guy's lack of common sense and decency, he will likely never get a job in the gaming industry again. Sucks for him.

And to clarify, I don't really care if she does nothing for video games, she still doesn't need to justify why she's involved in gaming. It's just a bullshit "clubhouse" attitude. Don't just judge people automatically as "true gamer" or "not true gamer". Overall, just fucking keep it to yourself.

 

[The Funslinger]

I like Destructoid, but this guy is a dick and his comments had no validity. And yes, it is sexist. I wasn't ready to go there until he made the "glorified booth babe" remark.

And for people defending the contents of his remark (even if you admit how he said it was wrong), what makes Felicia Day worth singling out? She's an actress. She's voiced characters in games. She's done a damn good job in some of those (Veronica from New Vegas being a great example). If you have a problem with her in games, then you should also have the same problem with Patrick Stewart or Seth Green. Do you? I highly doubt it. She has a lot more relevancy to gaming than Mr. Perez.

Oh, so THAT'S who she is.

Okay, I've accrued enough understanding of the situation to voice an opinion. This is the equivalent of a benefits stealing chav going up to a working taxpayer and calling him a leech on society.