Go ahead and google ‘Open Letter To The Gaming Community.’ – The letter itself is pretty short and concise in content. Take a second and read it. I can wait. The list of names attached to this letter keeps on growing, more than two thousand have signed it. Video game developers from major studios, such as Electronic Arts and Ubisoft, as well as smaller independent ones.
I was in a pixelated bubble this past weekend at Pax Prime. I was, actually, playing video games ALL day, over four days. Not writing or reading about them or debating them online with the dark corners of the internet.
We’ve been over this one before – once your “freedom of speech” impedes the freedom of someone else, it starts to become a problem. As such, a core requirement of freedom of speech is that you RESPECT the fact that everyone else also has these rights/privileges.
Respecting that someone else might not agree with you simply means you do not harass them over having a different opinion. You do not threaten them because they believe in different things than you do. You do not IMPEDE their freedom in a deluded attempt to protect your own freedom.
Thats not how freedom of speech works. You don’t have to agree with everything other people say. But its not your job to make their lives a living hell just because they believe in different things than you do. Once you start to take action against people who have different views you leave the area of freedom of speech. And that is EXACTLY what people are doing here.
You see, if I were not to respect your rights of free speech – I would be free to impede and diminish your rights of free speech. Which would effectively be the same as me saying you do NOT infact have any right to speak freely. Not showing this simple bit of courtesy and respect directly means that you do not believe that *everyone* has the right to free speech, which inadvertently means that you yourself do not have this right either.
Its called “freedom of speech”, not “freedom to do whatever you please to whomever you please”.
Any activism, of any subject, will obviously evoke passions on both sides. This is to be expected. Let alone activism which seeks to tar entire subjects or a massive demographic with the one brush. Anita Sarkeesian’s ‘Tropes Against Women’ series, the ‘gamers are evil’ narrative adopted by some journalists lately being two good examples. Really? You’re surprised people are pissed about this? Furthermore, you’re surprised trolls, misogynists, racists, and any other form of bigot you can imagine exists within the millions upon millions of gamers? That’s a shock to you? Seriously? Then perhaps you just live in a bubble.
Not long ago, Lady Gaga’s fanbase were the new face of evil, with their death threats and vitriolic abuse. Political commentators face ENDLESS bile, not to mention politicians themselves. Gaming was never immune to this sort of character, it’s just that these characters didn’t have any reason to target specific people in the industry. Why would they attack developers or gaming journo’s? They didn’t have a reason. They do now. Because people within the industry and the gaming press have adopted and broadcast an ideological position. Often with inflammatory rhetoric. This is what it means to be within the public eye whilst pissing a lot of people off with the things you say. Anita Sarkeesian is not the first to receive a death threat, and she most certainly will not be the last.
This trolling has been disgusting to witness. I feel terrible for anyone who’s been affected. Second to that, there exists an issue within the gaming press, separate to the trolling issue. The readers are not happy that activism has simply become a part of typical gaming journalism. They clearly feel that there is not enough debate within the press, and that it’s just one massive echo-chamber. The trolling is to be entirely condemned, but not confused with the legitimate grievances.
I’m mixed about this. While I’m inherently proud to consider myself a ‘gamer’ – I do recognize that there’s a problem within the current descriptor of ‘gamer’. However, I still believe that video games are one of the best conduits for art and expression that humanity has as its disposal. It is a perfect blend of entertainment and ability to teach, shape and expand minds.
Don’t agree? Try a real dialog. But the stuff I’ve seen isn’t dialog. Threats, insults, vitriol, etc. I’d ask whether or not their parents raised them better or not, but there’s no point.
-Dagobot
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