I believe I have seen the tweet you are talking about it and I am nearly certain it did not say this.
the tweet he's referring to is quoted by him almost verbatim. it was not that long ago i believe and was quickly deleted.
I believe I have seen the tweet you are talking about it and I am nearly certain it did not say this.
the tweet he's referring to is quoted by him almost verbatim. it was not that long ago i believe and was quickly deleted.
This wasn't one of her proudest moments, but Giant Bomb was pretty especially shitty to her. The way they treated her a few years back probably didn't help this current climate.
I can't believe this has made to the headlines of CNN.com
That is indeed depressing. Did you talk it out with them or avoided them?Posted an article about the terror threats on my FB account along with my disapproval of them, was met by a couple of my friends coming out in support of the GG movement and how she was "asking for them" and "they benefit her because she can now play the damsel in distress trope she rallies so hard against".
Kinda disgusted with my friends right now. You know, you read that kinda shit on Twitter or Kotaku comments and you don't think these people are actually real. But they are. And they're some of my friends. And it depresses the shit out of me.
Posted an article about the terror threats on my FB account along with my disapproval of them, was met by a couple of my friends coming out in support of the GG movement and how she was "asking for them" and "they benefit her because she can now play the damsel in distress trope she rallies so hard against".
Kinda disgusted with my friends right now. You know, you read that kinda shit on Twitter or Kotaku comments and you don't think these people are actually real. But they are. And they're some of my friends. And it depresses the shit out of me.
I am terrified to think that this might end up to be one of those stories which would later drive the narrative about how it is necessary to limit anonymity on the Internet and give a carte blanche to the well-known law enforcement agencies.
I hope that instead we can start discussing about what we (on many levels, from communities like NeoGAF to larger companies like Twitter) can do to proactively combat the harassment crap.
the tweet he's referring to is quoted by him almost verbatim. it was not that long ago i believe and was quickly deleted.
Twitter definitely needs to do more. Some of the stuff posted on there is awful. It's not like they're hurting for money to be able to pay staff either. I'm all for freedom of speech but when it terrorises or threatens someone then it's too far.
Yes I did. She didn't say 'thinks about your industry', she said 'knows about your industry'. Those are two very different sentences. Those two sentences can lead to vastly different interpretations.
And those interpretations get skewed further when she goes on to say:
Some parts of her article I have no idea about her intended voice, but in other places, it's pretty blatant.Suddenly a generation of lonely basement kids had marketers whispering in their ears that they were the most important commercial demographic of all time. Suddenly they started wearing shiny blouses and pinning bikini babes onto everything they made, started making games that sold the promise of high-octane masculinity to kids just like them.
When you decline to create or to curate a culture in your spaces, youre responsible for what spawns in the vacuum. Thats whats been happening to games.
Thats not super surprising, actually. While video games themselves were discovered by strange, bright outcast pioneers -- they thought arcades would make pub games more fun, or that MUDs would make for amazing cross-cultural meeting spaces -- the commercial arm of the form sprung up from marketing high-end tech products to early adopters. You know, young white dudes with disposable income who like to Get Stuff.
Twitter definitely needs to do more. Some of the stuff posted on there is awful. It's not like they're hurting for money to be able to pay staff either. I'm all for freedom of speech but when it terrorises or threatens someone then it's too far.
I am terrified to think that this might end up to be one of those stories which would later drive the narrative about how it is necessary to limit anonymity on the Internet and give a carte blanche to the well-known law enforcement agencies.
I hope that instead we can start discussing about what we (on many levels, from communities like NeoGAF to larger companies like Twitter) can do to proactively combat the harassment crap.
Just catching up on the thread and,
For the record, most definitely not pro-gamergate, definitely pro-journalistic ethics and gender equality. I even originally RTd the image above because it pissed me off, but then I found this uncropped image.
*img*
Now while the Science with a Sparkle thing still riles me. The Scouts were totally bashed for the cropped image, which doesn't tell the whole picture of the organisation (neither does the full image, but it gives a better idea),
Now while the Science with a Sparkle thing still riles me. The Scouts were totally bashed for the cropped image, which doesn't tell the whole picture of the organisation (neither does the full image, but it gives a better idea),
Isn't that an ad for an unaffiliated offsite thing by a completely different company?For the record, most definitely not pro-gamergate, definitely pro-journalistic ethics and gender equality. I even originally RTd the image above because it pissed me off, but then I found this uncropped image.
Now while the Science with a Sparkle thing still riles me. The Scouts were totally bashed for the cropped image, which doesn't tell the whole picture of the organisation (neither does the full image, but it gives a better idea),
After her belligerent appearances on the Bombcast, I struggle to see GB as the bad guys in that particular affair.This wasn't one of her proudest moments, but Giant Bomb was pretty especially shitty to her. The way they treated her a few years back probably didn't help this current climate.
The only defense I can see for twitter is that it is too easy to creature sockpuppet accounts, and putting limitations on who can reply to you based on x number of followers can also be gamed. They might have internally decided the fight won't be won.
That said, they should have a clearer, less intrusive way to report people and a more proactive stance on it. Their current way seems to be designed to stop reporting period.
In the ongoing, head-scratching pseudo-scandal that is #GamerGate, there is a narrative that is starting to take hold that is really beginning to bug me. That narrative, which is a classic example of someone assuming that the middle ground is always the most reasonable, goes something like this:Yes, #GamerGate is a deplorable and misogynist harassment campaign, but theres some poor, well-meaning fools that really did get involved because they have concerns about ethics in journalism.
Ah, horseshit. Anyone who legitimately cares about ethics in journalism would react to #GamerGate by screaming in horror and hanging garlic from the doors.
1) The main target of #GamerGate is not a journalist. Shes a video game developer. Holding her accountable for ethics in journalism is like telling your accountant that its his job to negotiate peace treaties in the Middle East.
2) The second biggest target of #GamerGate is an exemplar of clean journalism. If what you dont like about gaming journalism is that its too cozy with the industry and therefore the writers are afraid to be critical, then your fucking hero should be Anita Sarkeesian. She funded herself with Kickstarter and not industry money. She is harshly critical of video games, even as she is a fan. She is the ideal of what a critical gaming journalist should be: Knowledgeable, critical, fair, thorough and utterly non-corrupt.
3) The biggest victory to date of #GamerGate has been an attack on ethical journalism.One of the most important ideas when it comes to ethical journalism is that theres a wall between advertising and editorial. #GamerGaters hate this rule of ethics, because, as opponents of ethical journalism, they wish to control what journalists say and censor any ideas or opinions that they dont want to hear. And so they have been targeting advertisers, trying to get them to pull ads from gaming websites that publish ideas they wish to censor.
5) The most recent target of #GamerGate was selected because she engages in ethical journalism. If Brianna Wu had kept her mouth shut and just quietly developed video games, she probably would have been left alone. Instead, she dipped her toe into the art of writing ethical journalistic pieces. But, because they are opponents of ethical journalism, #GamerGaters attacked Wu like they do any other young woman that doesnt just churn out mindless pro-sexist propaganda.
6) One of the main leaders of #GamerGate works for Breitbart. Milo Yiannopoulos has been up front, rallying the troops of #GamerGate and even helping them select the inevitably young, female targets for harassment. He also works for Breitbart, an organization whose hostility towards ethical journalism is legendary. No surprise there, because #GamerGate is also opposed to ethical journalism.
In other words, #GamerGate is about ethics in journalism in the same way Fox News is fair and balanced, which is to say not in the slightest and, in fact, they are the opposite. Fox News called itself fair and balanced to cover for a not-exactly-discreet intention to be unfair, unbalanced and frequently just straight up misleading. And so #GamerGate claims to be about ethics in journalism, when in fact it is about the opposite: Bullying gaming journalists until they get in line with a corporate-friendly agenda of uncritically marketing games pitched at the intellectual and emotional level of a 16-year-old suburban masturbator. Anyone who actually tries to talk about anything interesting or intellectually engaging, particularly if female, will be drilled out with harassment.
I wonder when prominent right-winged news media will pick up on this and spin it to their advantage. Like when Fox News enter the fray and starts badmouthing women or poor people or call for censorship or something.
I wonder when prominent right-winged news media will pick up on this and spin it to their advantage. Like when Fox News enter the fray and starts badmouthing women or poor people or call for censorship or something.
"Actor Adam Baldwin is here with us today to talk about Gamergate, an exciting new movement calling for accountability in journalism (brief stutter because those words sting a Fox News anchor's lips) and fighting against censorship."
Which is clearly a terrible culture and we should think long and hard if that is something we want to allow.This letter to PixieJenni had some good points I thought: https://pixietalksgamergate.wordpress.com/2014/10/16/gamergate-as-a-defence-of-internet-culture/
It's pretty raw, but it makes the point that a lot of GamersGate is basically the defense of 4chan style lawless internet culture.
the tweet he's referring to is quoted by him almost verbatim. it was not that long ago i believe and was quickly deleted.
This was then and is still now totally true.
This is great.
Which is clearly a terrible culture and we should think long and hard if that is something we want to allow.
what exactly would you want to disallow? and how would we go about doing that?
Reminder: The structural and systemic issues in the video games industry and culture are fostering the attitudes we see on display here. The lack of perspectives, of worldviews, of experiences, and of values all contribute to this environment we live in where people get told over and over again that they're awesome for buying video games and that anything being criticized for something they themselves aren't familiar with or incapable of relating to should be protected at all costs. These are people who think that saying anything critical of women in video games amount to censorship. These are people who spend tons of energy and literally hours on trying to debunk a woman's Youtube video series. And these people are never challenged because of the environment they live in never expose them to the actual diversity of the real world.
And this environment is something everyone with even the tiniest bit of power are complicit in fostering. When Polygon hires white guy Ben Kuchera almost immediately after him losing his job, while marginalized writers have to live off the good-will of people through Patreon. When Giantbomb hires two more guys despite having a chance to diversify their staff. When all the diversity discussions we have primarily and exclusively talk about women when other topics such as race, class, age, ability are downprioritized. When Polygon hires another White dude as their senior editor. When console reveals only brings men to show off the products and games. When people allow racist/sexist/homophobic slurs remain unchallenged in online multiplayer games. When people doubts a woman when she tells her own story of being discriminated against. When trade shows and huge press conferences fail to include a diversity of speakers and presenters for their games. When marketing people think advises developers to remove women from front covers of video games and their marketing. When people in the workplace don't call out the boys-club mentality and how it affects the work atmosphere.
There are so many factors and instances where everyone existing and participating in this culture are complicit in fostering this environment where Gamergaters come from. And there is not enough that is being done to change this environment. We, as in people within this culture, seriously need to be better and much more actively foster an environment that challenges oppressive and bigoted attitudes and thinking, while helping and ensuring the well-being of people affected by the structural and systemic oppression and discrimination.
You are absolutely, without a spec of doubt in my mind, 200% right in that statement you just made.The last few weeks have probably given gaming more bad publicity than Jack Thompson ever managed. Stellar work, absolutely stellar.
I just don't see anything good coming out of this.
I've enjoyed games as sort of escapism from the real world but now it seems as if these culture wars are becoming more relevant and we are going to have a strong political divide as differing factions are pitted against one another.
The most visible rhetoric is very divisive, people are being called "undersexed white males" or "social justice harpies". Most likely all the moderate voices will be silenced after prominent figures such as Sarkeesian gain more visibility. Big companies will probably play it safe, because they are worried about sales and do not want to disenfranchise their customers.
So we end up with a very hostile environment and the worst case scenario is that new releases will be vetted thoroughly by different factions, Bayonetta 2 on steroids or what have you. We might even have devs who smell cash and start pandering to both sides thus fueling the divide even more.
. We might even have devs who smell cash and start pandering to both sides thus fueling the divide even more.
I just don't see anything good coming out of this.
I've enjoyed games as sort of escapism from the real world but now it seems as if these culture wars are becoming more relevant and we are going to have a strong political divide as differing factions are pitted against one another.
The most visible rhetoric is very divisive, people are being called "undersexed white males" or "social justice harpies". Most likely all the moderate voices will be silenced after prominent figures such as Sarkeesian gain more visibility. Big companies will probably play it safe, because they are worried about sales and do not want to disenfranchise their customers.
So we end up with a very hostile environment and the worst case scenario is that new releases will be vetted thoroughly by different factions, Bayonetta 2 on steroids or what have you. We might even have devs who smell cash and start pandering to both sides thus fueling the divide even more.
So we end up with a very hostile environment and the worst case scenario is that new releases will be vetted thoroughly by different factions, Bayonetta 2 on steroids or what have you. We might even have devs who smell cash and start pandering to both sides thus fueling the divide even more.
So we end up with a very hostile environment and the worst case scenario is that new releases will be vetted thoroughly by different factions, Bayonetta 2 on steroids or what have you. We might even have devs who smell cash and start pandering to both sides thus fueling the divide even more.
Totalbiscuit wrote this, right?
That's basically the textbook definition of moderate, right thereFrom what I've come to understand:
Moderate = We don't actually threaten to kill people or verbally endorse it.
Just for my own curiosity, what would you say is a "moderate voice"?
we can see that the only thing that will happen is diversification. There will be dumb games, games with tits everywhere, violent shooters with white heroes and whatever. There will also be other kind of games, and apparently that's somehow bad. Gamersgate appears to be a really reactionary movement, and that's sad.
They are not wrong exactly. Not publicly announcing actually is the best thing you can do, but it's much more difficult to deal with this stuff without doing it.
Obviously not saying anything would also help GG, that is out of the question, but in a normal situation it would actually be the best cause of action. Problem is that some people obviously will now use this as "WELP she said it again out loud, obviously she doesn't actually care"
That's basically the textbook definition of moderate, right there
The problem is that the goal of these death threats is to silence the person.
The moderates are normal people who nod in agreement when someone like TB makes valid criticisms related to gaming journalism or early access sales for example. But that ship has sailed at this point, now we are back to the usual shenanigans with all the loons.
In gaming, twitter or what have you, the most visible people are not those who articulate their views carefully. That was already apparent 15 years ago when people would yell curse words next to Britain bank in UO for hours if they had some grudge to bear.