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IndieStatik Founder apologizes for "inappropriate" comments to female game dev

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Riposte

Member
Kinda shitty that she tried to turn this about her, tho. I wouldn't have expect a female writer supposedly concerned about the role on women in the industry to turn this horrible episode into an opportunity to get on that spotlight.

It's not the first time she has done this. While the internet unfiltered is very ugly, she seems a little obsessed with the fact that people won't forgive or otherwise tolerate her. Personally I think she's one of the worst things to happen to videogame journalism while sober and behind written text, so I'm not exactly sympathetic.
 
Leigh Alexander posted this

Uh, Leigh, this isn't about you, just shh.

I kinda take issue with the 'bro podcast.' I don't really consider the Giant Bombcast 'bro' at all, far from it. Are they an all male podcast that crack jokes? Yes. Bro? Not so much. I feel if anyone was being 'bro' on that podcast it was you. Anyway, let's not dig this up again...
 
Well that was awkward. Being drunk and depressed is not an excuse, but he's not using it as one either. Hope he gets some help soon. Should have gotten some help before he did something this stupid.

alcohol makes people do dumb things. Its his fault for abusing alcohol.
 
Didn't think he'd be exposed so quickly. Good job as always, Jason.

This guy is gross. Seriously. I just can't put into words how fucking vile he is. He totally deserves to be exposed. There's no excuses and no explanation for what he did, and he had this coming. Let's hope he doesn't work as part of the games press again.

You do know every games journalist outfit within this galaxy will be hitting you up for inside info right?
 
Didn't think he'd be exposed so quickly. Good job as always, Jason.

This guy is gross. Seriously. I just can't put into words how fucking vile he is. He totally deserves to be exposed. There's no excuses and no explanation for what he did, and he had this coming. Let's hope he doesn't work as part of the games press again.

wow...I just...lol wow
 
Leigh Alexander posted this

Ugh.Can't say I agree with that at all.

I'd say the reaction has been *quite* "intense" to this issue. Attempting to hijack an issue as extreme and vulgar as this compared to people being aggrieved with someone being extremely drunk and obnoxious on a video stream shows a degree of self importance I can't quite agree with.

This is an example of someone attempting to compare the extreme portion of the internets minute reaction against someones transgressions against something that is truly vile and unacceptable.
 

Riposte

Member
Didn't think he'd be exposed so quickly. Good job as always, Jason.

This guy is gross. Seriously. I just can't put into words how fucking vile he is. He totally deserves to be exposed. There's no excuses and no explanation for what he did, and he had this coming. Let's hope he doesn't work as part of the games press again.

Is there a history?
 

Harlequin

Member
To be completely honest, I don't get the outrage. Were his comments strange and desperate? Sure. Were they inappropriate for a journalistic inquiry? Yes. But I don't think they're anything to get upset over (at least not for the reasons for which people are getting upset over it - if they got upset over it because of his lack of journalistic integrity, I would be inclined to agree). We're all adults, sex and sexual desire is something natural that we should be able to deal with without attaching shame or our dignity to it. I mean, the only reason people get upset over this is because a man said this to a woman. Had it been the other way around no one would have given a fuck. Of course, sexism is a problem in the gaming industry, a lot of females in the industry do get treated unfairly and there is a line that should not be crossed in that regard (not by men and not by women). However, I don't think this is crossing that line and it's being blown way out of proportion. Another example of people pointing the finger at others so they can feel better about themselves and of the amazing double standards that still exist in our society in regards to gender.
 

RoboPlato

I'd be in the dick
Holy crap. I expected it to be some new person trying toget a major scoop, not the actual founder of a website. That apology pathetic too. "I was drunk" doesn't excuse it.
 

kai3345

Banned
Could someone summarize or link the Leigh Alexander thing? (not the tweet, the thing the tweet is talking about) I'm completely lost on that half of the thread's discussion
 
I'm finding the responses to his response way more pathetic than his response. The dude is messed up and he admits it. His reasons for being messed up are valid (lost brother, his own alcoholism, his current mental health state). He say's those reasons don't excuse his behavior and he doesn't intend for them to. I have no reason to think he is lying. He apologized to the person and I doubt the other person will turn it down. All these other people and groups jumping on the story is pretty sad. How much worse shit do you people hear on a daily basis without even thinking twice?

Then why even bring it up? Genuinely curious.
 
Leigh Alexander posted this

Don't know why she's slagging off the bombcast, the people on the show have nothing to do with the backlash she got. I even emailed her after the show (never heard of her before) and said thanks for sticking up for metal gear solid or something to that effect and she shouldn't be ashamed of being drunk and saying dumb things (we all do it) and she sent a nice reply back. I dunno.

N3Wl1bC.png


That dumbass grin is the worst part about the whole thing.

He's a fucking freak, who talks to people like that? Christ.
 

Artorias

Banned
To be completely honest, I don't get the outrage. Were his comments strange and desperate? Sure. Were they inappropriate for a journalistic inquiry? Yes. But I don't think they're anything to get upset over. We're all adults, sex and sexual desire is something natural that we should be able to deal with without attaching shame or our dignity to it. I mean, the only reason people get upset over this is because a man said this to a woman. Had it been the other way around no one would have given a fuck. Of course, sexism is a problem in the gaming industry, a lot of females in the industry do get treated unfairly and there is a line that should not be crossed in that regard (not by men and not by women). However, I don't think this is crossing that line and it's being blown way out of proportion. Another example of people pointing the finger at others so they can feel better about themselves and of the amazing double standards that still exist in our society in regards to gender.

I really hope this is a joke post.
 

Llyranor

Member
To be completely honest, I don't get the outrage. Were his comments strange and desperate? Sure. Were they inappropriate for a journalistic inquiry? Yes. But I don't think they're anything to get upset over (at least not for the reasons for which people are getting upset over - if they got upset over it because of his lack of journalistic integrity, I would be inclined to agree). We're all adults, sex and sexual desire is something natural that we should be able to deal with without attaching shame or our dignity to it. I mean, the only reason people get upset over this is because a man said this to a woman. Had it been the other way around no one would have given a fuck. Of course, sexism is a problem in the gaming industry, a lot of females in the industry do get treated unfairly and there is a line that should not be crossed in that regard (not by men and not by women). However, I don't think this is crossing that line and it's being blown way out of proportion. Another example of people pointing the finger at others so they can feel better about themselves and of the amazing double standards that still exist in our society in regards to gender.
Was it wanted? No? Sexual harassment. The genders aren't really the point.
 

Stumpokapow

listen to the mad man
Plenty of us are seriously messed up and don't go on to sexually harass another individual. I'd rather he just own up to it without playing a sympathy card.

Plenty of people have rage issues and don't hit other people. That being said, if someone has a rage issue and hits other people, it stands to reason that an honest and contrite apology about hitting the person is going to include an assessment of the fact that there's an underlying pathology that requires addressing to avoid the thing happening in the future.

Like, domestic violence is terrible, the victim comes first, the victim deserves support and a safe space and freedom from the relationship. I've never hit my partner, I hope I never do. I don't believe violence is acceptable. I don't think it's acceptable for anyone. I think people who commit domestic violence should be punished and I think it should be as easy as possible for victims of domestic violence to be removed from the situation. But absent a magic space laser that blasts the abuser into space dust, the abuser is still alive and still human and that person is going to have to deal with the consequences of their action. Part of those consequences will and should be punishment. But part of it is also rehabilitation. Identifying the factors that lead to the action... and the answer to this is more complicated than "evil sadistic assholes do evil things fuck them they fucking suck"... and addressing those factors. In many cases this involves therapy to manage anger issues, and in many cases that therapy will touch on stressors in earlier or recent life that have caused those anger issues to become worse.

And a portion of a truly contrite apology needs to include awareness of the consequences AND a genuine desire to rehabilitate. You are of course aware that courts consider contrition and likelihood to avoid future offences based on steps taken to address causes as part of mitigation factors that affect punishment.

It is also the case that although not all alcoholics harm others, many do, and the way they harm others varies widely. My grandfather was an alcoholic and although he never did anything harmful to me (mostly just an old drunk type), my mother has stories of being hit as a kid and verbally abused and generally treated in ways that were certainly unacceptable and probably illegal. In some case it is physical abuse. In other cases property crime. And yes, alcoholism is a contributing factor to sexual violence and sexual harassment. I don't think those actions come from the Evil Gene being activated in those peoples' DNA. I think the illness absolutely changes their personality and their ability to make right choices. The most important thing here is that the victim gets the support she needs and her safety is secured. But when it comes time to deal with the offender--and given that people are replying to this thread including you I'm assuming you agree that there does come a time where we need to think about the offender--part of a legitimate and full-throated apology (which is one of the things one would hope to secure from an offender of any kind) is a recognition of how things in their life contributed to the actions they took. This doesn't mean they're not punished. This doesn't mean you say "What a swell guy" and forget immediately. You expect followthrough and demand accountability. But part of that is seeking treatment for their disease.

It may well be the case that this is not a sincere apology and this guy is a jerk and this is a CYA move. I don't really know or have any input. But what I can say is that if he does have untreated depression and alcoholism issues, and if this action is out of character for him, those two things are almost certainly linked. Again, if you think this guy should be ultra nuked on live television and then his ashes should be mixed with Osama's ashes and then both ashes should be shot into the sun and then we should erase his birth certificate, then, that's fine. Feel free to argue that. But if we're operating on the assumption that we're trying to figure out what's next for this guy, the best way he can avoid repeating these actions and not abusing other women is to address the issues that caused him to abuse this woman.

You're a decently smart person and you comment frequently on public policy issues. I cannot possibly fathom that you don't believe rehabilitation is not a part of the way you deal with all offences, whether informal or criminal. When you do something to hurt someone, part of saying sorry is trying to guarantee you will avoid the action in the future, and part of being able to guarantee that is taking convincing steps to address the causes.

To me, the apology identifies the thing he did wrong, makes it clear he understands the depth of pain he caused, makes it clear he doesn't intend to do it again, and guarantees that claim by showing that he's taking steps to address the root causes. That's the structure of a proper apology. If you think he's making it up, you think he's making it up. But if you don't think he's making it up, then it generally makes sense to me.
 

Coolwhip

Banned
To be completely honest, I don't get the outrage. Were his comments strange and desperate? Sure. Were they inappropriate for a journalistic inquiry? Yes. But I don't think they're anything to get upset over (at least not for the reasons for which people are getting upset over - if they got upset over it because of his lack of journalistic integrity, I would be inclined to agree). We're all adults, sex and sexual desire is something natural that we should be able to deal with without attaching shame or our dignity to it. I mean, the only reason people get upset over this is because a man said this to a woman. Had it been the other way around no one would have given a fuck. Of course, sexism is a problem in the gaming industry, a lot of females in the industry do get treated unfairly and there is a line that should not be crossed in that regard (not by men and not by women). However, I don't think this is crossing that line and it's being blown way out of proportion. Another example of people pointing the finger at others so they can feel better about themselves and of the amazing double standards that still exist in our society in regards to gender.

Agreed. People just love asking for someones head.

Sure this conversation becoming public will probably make his current job unholdable for obvious reasons.

But people acting like the dude is some kind of monster for typing dumb sexual shit. Get a grip and go watch the South Park episode about sex addiction.
 

bender

What time is it?
I'm not sure that saying "My shit is fucked up, I'm a fuckup, I need to get my shit together, I'm sorry" is trying to justify sexual harassment. I mean, if you think the apology is insincere or whatever, then by all means fire with both barrels, but it seems to me that if you take him at his word in the text, he's not justifying sexual harassment, he's apologizing for it by means of pointing out that he's pretty seriously messed up.

I'm not trying to diminish his struggle with depression or alcoholism but the apology reads like he is making excuses and feels insincere. He was smart to come out and admit the mistake but the apology should have been a simple, "I was wrong. There are no excuses, it will not happen again." Save the woe is me for another time. Hopefully he can learn from this and move forward.
 

JDSN

Banned
To be completely honest, I don't get the outrage. Were his comments strange and desperate? Sure. Were they inappropriate for a journalistic inquiry? Yes. But I don't think they're anything to get upset over (at least not for the reasons for which people are getting upset over - if they got upset over it because of his lack of journalistic integrity, I would be inclined to agree). We're all adults, sex and sexual desire is something natural that we should be able to deal with without attaching shame or our dignity to it. I mean, the only reason people get upset over this is because a man said this to a woman. Had it been the other way around no one would have given a fuck. Of course, sexism is a problem in the gaming industry, a lot of females in the industry do get treated unfairly and there is a line that should not be crossed in that regard (not by men and not by women). However, I don't think this is crossing that line and it's being blown way out of proportion. Another example of people pointing the finger at others so they can feel better about themselves and of the amazing double standards that still exist in our society in regards to gender.

Yeah, in fact, if you think about it she was kinda asking for it.
 
To be completely honest, I don't get the outrage. Were his comments strange and desperate? Sure. Were they inappropriate for a journalistic inquiry? Yes. But I don't think they're anything to get upset over (at least not for the reasons for which people are getting upset over it - if they got upset over it because of his lack of journalistic integrity, I would be inclined to agree). We're all adults, sex and sexual desire is something natural that we should be able to deal with without attaching shame or our dignity to it. I mean, the only reason people get upset over this is because a man said this to a woman. Had it been the other way around no one would have given a fuck. Of course, sexism is a problem in the gaming industry, a lot of females in the industry do get treated unfairly and there is a line that should not be crossed in that regard (not by men and not by women). However, I don't think this is crossing that line and it's being blown way out of proportion. Another example of people pointing the finger at others so they can feel better about themselves and of the amazing double standards that still exist in our society in regards to gender.

So. How many fedoras do you own?
 

Majanew

Banned
That Sunday conversation looks like it's missing a post from her. What was he saying "I know" about? Looks like a reply to something she wrote:


RoEJZUf.png
 

Riposte

Member
Could someone summarize or link the Leigh Alexander thing? (not the tweet, the thing the tweet is talking about) I'm completely lost on that half of the thread's discussion

It's entirely unrelated. Someone once (arguably twice) became the most annoying person in the world during a Giant Bomb (a personality driven website with a very loyal fanbase) E3 podcast, more or less derailing it. The internet/twitter reaction was pretty brutal and naturally spiced with all sorts of gendered insults.
 

Orayn

Member
To be completely honest, I don't get the outrage. Were his comments strange and desperate? Sure. Were they inappropriate for a journalistic inquiry? Yes. But I don't think they're anything to get upset over (at least not for the reasons for which people are getting upset over it - if they got upset over it because of his lack of journalistic integrity, I would be inclined to agree). We're all adults, sex and sexual desire is something natural that we should be able to deal with without attaching shame or our dignity to it. I mean, the only reason people get upset over this is because a man said this to a woman. Had it been the other way around no one would have given a fuck. Of course, sexism is a problem in the gaming industry, a lot of females in the industry do get treated unfairly and there is a line that should not be crossed in that regard (not by men and not by women). However, I don't think this is crossing that line and it's being blown way out of proportion. Another example of people pointing the finger at others so they can feel better about themselves and of the amazing double standards that still exist in our society in regards to gender.

Congrats on taking an unambiguous case of sexual harassment and coming up with male victimization. You should link your post on r/mensrights to score some rad internet points.

Agreed. People just love asking for someones head.

what even
 

Odrion

Banned
From a guy that works at the website on the Somethingawful forums:
Dominic White said:
Turns out it was Josh Mattingly, owner of of Indie Statik, which I write for. He's put out a full apology and mentions that he was very drunk, but dear god, that was dumb on a level that I can't fully comprehend.

The thing is that nobody suspected it was him until he apologized. He's usually the one ensuring that we're super-respectful of everyone and everything. Everyone's hugely disappointed over here.
Abu Dave said:
You should probably jump ship Dominic White, no one is going to respect anyone associating with that piece of shit
Dominic White said:
I think it's more likely that Josh is going to step down at this point. Most of the feedback I've seen from devs is condolences that the Statik writers are going to have to deal with this mess when it wasn't our fault.

One of our core goals with the site is coverage of minority and marginalized developers, and we've done so very well with that so far, so this is kind of a double blow. I think we can work it out, though. I hope so.

At least Josh did own up to the offense within about an hour of the story going live. He's taking the flak for his own actions. Hopefully that'll minimize the damage.
Drifter said:
So he was drinking on the job and verbally sexually harassing someone? Fire him.
Dominic White said:
He's the guy that owns the site. Best case scenario is that he steps down and hands ownership over to Chris Priestman, who is the lead editor. That would probably save the day. I hope.
Space Hamlet said:
Ugh, Indie Statik was on my shortlist of publications to send pitches to, too. Hope you guys can guide the ship to calmer seas.
Dominic White said:
Me too. Everyone is shocked and very upset at Josh right now. Hugely surprised as well, as he was one of the guys behind our site-wide anti-sexism, anti-harrassment, pro-minority policies. It's one of the main reasons why the site is (was?) so respected.

A lot of indie devs on twitter are echoing personal disappointment. As am I - the apology (which, for what it's worth, was issued before Kotaku ran the story) is ensuring that a lot of the flak hits the right target, but still, that was utterly inexcusable behavior and massively contradictory to the entire spirit of the site.

If he stands down and hands off the site to Chris, this'll probably end okay. I hope so.
edit: Also here's the uncensored conversation (NOT SAFE FOR WORK, OR BRAIN FOR THAT MATTER.)
 

SmokyDave

Member
Jesus, I cringed myself inside out. Awful stuff. The apology was just as bad.

Leigh Alexander posted this
If that tweet were a Rorschach test, I'd blurt out 'look at me self-centred look at me obnoxious look at me mischaracterising look at me abrasive look at me'.

Well, I'd probably come up with something a little snappier, but that's what I'd mean.
 
Could someone summarize or link the Leigh Alexander thing? (not the tweet, the thing the tweet is talking about) I'm completely lost on that half of the thread's discussion

She got drunk and acted annoying in a E3 podcast (the Giant Bomb's ones) while they were recording live and streaming. She got thrown out and never got invited again. She is pissed that people remember that in a not "funny bro kind of way". Is the third or fourth time she tries to relate this with a Gender Issues Controversies
 
Then why even bring it up? Genuinely curious.

because people have reasons for doing things that go beyond "he's a shitty person".

depression and alcohol abuse can make any good person do shitty things. But its also their responsibility to get help and get over it. Its not an excuse its understanding a persons motivations.
 
Could someone summarize or link the Leigh Alexander thing? (not the tweet, the thing the tweet is talking about) I'm completely lost on that half of the thread's discussion

E3 Giant Bomb podcast 3/4 years ago, alcohol involved, she was generally loud and obnoxious, talking over everyone and said some very silly things. It's been flogged to death though and not really worth talking about. I don't know why she felt the need to bring it up again really.
 
To be completely honest, I don't get the outrage. Were his comments strange and desperate? Sure. Were they inappropriate for a journalistic inquiry? Yes. But I don't think they're anything to get upset over (at least not for the reasons for which people are getting upset over it - if they got upset over it because of his lack of journalistic integrity, I would be inclined to agree). We're all adults, sex and sexual desire is something natural that we should be able to deal with without attaching shame or our dignity to it. I mean, the only reason people get upset over this is because a man said this to a woman. Had it been the other way around no one would have given a fuck. Of course, sexism is a problem in the gaming industry, a lot of females in the industry do get treated unfairly and there is a line that should not be crossed in that regard (not by men and not by women). However, I don't think this is crossing that line and it's being blown way out of proportion. Another example of people pointing the finger at others so they can feel better about themselves and of the amazing double standards that still exist in our society in regards to gender.

Hmm, yes go on. Next you can start telling me about the looming threat of misandry.
 

BanGy.nz

Banned
what 'intense consequences" is she talking about
Sadly standard issue death and rape threats most woman in this industry deal with.

I like how people in this thread are still upset about Leighs appearances on a podcast after all these years, keep up the wonderful work guys, doing truly important work yelling about the internet lady who liked the Metal Gears and got a number wrong.
 

Odrion

Banned
To be completely honest, I don't get the outrage. Were his comments strange and desperate? Sure. Were they inappropriate for a journalistic inquiry? Yes. But I don't think they're anything to get upset over (at least not for the reasons for which people are getting upset over it
"Here are two things people can get upset over. I don't understand why people are getting upset! Beep boop I'm a robot."
 

Zabant

Member
Can we not derail this thread into talk about leigh alexander? If she's the type of attention grabber people are accusing her of being then this is exactly what she wants.

Let's get back to the issue at hand and discuss the ramifications, his justification (though he wouldn't put it that way) and the impact it has on an already tarnished industry.
 

Harlequin

Member
Was it wanted? No? Sexual harassment. The genders aren't really the point.

I'm going to assume you're a straight male and ask you this question: would you consider it sexual harrassment if a woman sent you similar messages? Be honest, please. I'm pretty sure most men wouldn't (I as a gay guy know I wouldn't if a guy texted me that sort of thing - if it were a one-time deal, that is) and the fact they feel that this is sexual harrassment only proves that gender equality is still not a reality. It won't be so long as men (and women, for that matter) feel the need to protect women from other men because they're not able to protect themselves. Do I like the way he talked to her or condone that kind of behaviour? No, I don't. Especially not considering this was a journalistic inquiry and such comments are completely unprofessional. But do I think the reaction this has been getting online is justified? Definitely not.
 

2San

Member
How can that female dev keep her cool. It really makes it seem like she is used to this shit.

Being drunk is such a bullshit excuse.
 
Sadly standard issue death and rape threats most woman in this industry deal with.

I like how people in this thread are still upset about Leighs appearances on a podcast after all these years, keep up the wonderful work guys, doing truly important work yelling about the internet lady who liked the Metal Gears and got a number wrong.

SHE WAS THE ONE THAT BRING UP... AGAIN...
 

Stumpokapow

listen to the mad man
I'm not trying to diminish his struggle with depression or alcoholism but the apology reads like he is making excuses and feels insincere. He was smart to come out and admit the mistake but the apology should have been a simple, "I was wrong. There are no excuses, it will not happen again." Save the woe is me for another time. Hopefully he can learn from this and move forward.

I think trying to parse the words further is basically unnecessary. He purports to have found an AA chapter and a therapist. I think it's reasonable that others considering employing him in the future, or other stakeholders in his site trying to figure out what to do with him hold him accountable to that. If he's lying and is not doing anything to change his ways, then that's a different situation than if he's telling the truth and making progress. I don't know what level of punishment to meter out, and really it's none of my business because I didn't read this guy before and I won't be reading him now regardless.

I think the apology appears, to me, at least, repeatedly emphasizes that the behaviour is wrong and that he should be held accountable regardless of what led him to that point. I don't think trying to provide additional evidence that he knows what he did was wrong to support his apology should weaken the apology's strength, absent actual evidence that he's lying.
 
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