Journalism and bias in the gaming industry.

[Rosbjerg]

For the uninitiated: The 'Gamergate' controversy started in early 2013, as the release of Zoe Quinn's "Depression Quest" was criticized from gamers who believed that the game had received a suspicious amount of attention in relation to it's quality and scope. Eron Gjoni (Zoe's ex boyfriend) wrote a blogpost accusing Quinn of having had an affair with Kotaku journalist Grayson, prompting the critics to conclude that the attention and success of "Depression Quest" was due in part to unfair bias and nepotism in the industry.

Several articles from both sides of the issue has highlighted inconsistencies in the stories of both Grayson, Quinn and Eron as well as the many other examples that have followed.

 

 

Gamergate is wideley seen in the public, as a culture war over the diversification of gaming, artistic recognition and social criticism of video games and the gamer social identity.

 

 

 

For the posters in this thread:

Many bloggers and populists have tried to steer the discussion into areas they feel are the underlying issue - ranging from simple bias, to widespread misogny or misandry. I would however prefer that we keep this discussion as objective and clean as possible and so I will be keeping an a extra close eye on this thread. This certainly does not mean that you may not discuss any issue you feel, but rather that you should be thoughtful of  how  you discuss it with those you disagree with.

Especially in regards to these three guidelines:

 

Discrimination: Obsidian has a zero-tolerance policy with regard to racial, ethnic, gender, religious, disablement, and/or sexually discriminating remarks.

Harassment: We ask that the users of this board treat one another with respect, even when opinions differ. Personal attacks that are intended to cause unwanted attention, embarrassment, or harm will not be tolerated. In addition, Obsidian does not tolerate disrespectful and/or slanderous posts about its competitors, developers and publishers. Such posts will be subject to editing or deleting, with its posters censured or banned.

 

Objectionable Content: The use of abusive, vulgar or profane language, even if hidden through the use of symbols or other characters is not tolerated. Intentionally posting workarounds to our language filters are prohibited. Posts may be edited or deleted at any time by the moderation team, and depending on the severity and frequency of said posts, the poster may be censured or banned.

 

Any posts in violation of the Forum Guidelines will either be removed or modified and authors of such posts will receive warnings and/or have their content placed under moderated review. "Luckily" for all, I don't have a personal opinion on this matter and my only concern is to be a pain in the ass to everyone equally.

[Namutree]

Interesting video concerning the Escapist:

 

[Blarghagh]

Mark Kern, longtime game developer who worked on heavy hitters at Blizzard such as StarCraft, Diablo II, WarCraft III: The Frozen Throne and World of WarCraft in the past has created a petition in the form of an open letter asking Kotaku and Polygon to help heal the rift in the greater gaming community by attempting to change games journalism for the better, as an olive branch. Among others, BioShock creator Ken Levine shared the petition on social media, calling it "encouraging".

 

The general response from the gaming press has been lackluster to downright inflammatory. Especially website VG247 has been a vocal opponent, calling those who created and/or signed the petition "ill-informed idiots", including the high profile game developers that make the games the site writes about.

 

My personal view on this is that the response, especially that by the aforementioned site, is intently inflammatory. VG247 is a website that was pretty much no longer existed on anyone's radar, being essentially replaced in the gaming community's consciousness by the often seen as more interesting website Rock, Paper, Shotgun. They have gotten a slew of exposure with their earlier inflammatory articles dealing with #GamerGate. In essence, it's clickbait.

 

Ken Levine has also been accused of being "pro-#GamerGate" for supporting the petition that calls for journalistic ethics, meaning that supporting ethical behaviour in games journalism makes you "pro-#GamerGate", implying that as so many people have claimed, it is actually ethics in journalism.

 

Thoughts?

[Longknife]

 

Objectionable Content: The use of abusive, vulgar or profane language, even if hidden through the use of symbols or other characters is not tolerated.

 

 

Noooooooooooooo~

 

My catchphrases... ;'(

[PK htiw klaw eriF]

Mark Kern, longtime game developer who worked on heavy hitters at Blizzard such as StarCraft, Diablo II, WarCraft III: The Frozen Throne and World of WarCraft in the past has created a petition in the form of an open letter asking Kotaku and Polygon to help heal the rift in the greater gaming community by attempting to change games journalism for the better, as an olive branch. Among others, BioShock creator Ken Levine shared the petition on social media, calling it "encouraging".

 

The general response from the gaming press has been lackluster to downright inflammatory. Especially website VG247 has been a vocal opponent, calling those who created and/or signed the petition "ill-informed idiots", including the high profile game developers that make the games the site writes about.

 

My personal view on this is that the response, especially that by the aforementioned site, is intently inflammatory. VG247 is a website that was pretty much no longer existed on anyone's radar, being essentially replaced in the gaming community's consciousness by the often seen as more interesting website Rock, Paper, Shotgun. They have gotten a slew of exposure with their earlier inflammatory articles dealing with #GamerGate. In essence, it's clickbait.

 

Ken Levine has also been accused of being "pro-#GamerGate" for supporting the petition that calls for journalistic ethics, meaning that supporting ethical behaviour in games journalism makes you "pro-#GamerGate", implying that as so many people have claimed, it is actually ethics in journalism.

 

Thoughts?

Perhaps it's the fatigue and acid talking, but between this and the SVU episode there could be something happening. Not quite sure what it is, but I don't see many taking it well when their audience is treated as actually ISIS and publications react that hostile to petitions bas innocuous as Kern's.

[Meshugger]

For the uninitiated: The 'Gamergate' controversy started in early 2013, as the release of Zoe Quinn's "Depression Quest" was criticized from gamers who believed that the game had received a suspicious amount of attention in relation to it's quality and scope. Eron Gjoni (Zoe's ex boyfriend) wrote a blogpost accusing Quinn of having had an affair with Kotaku journalist Grayson, prompting the critics to conclude that the attention and success of "Depression Quest" was due in part to unfair bias and nepotism in the industry.

Several articles from both sides of the issue has highlighted inconsistencies in the stories of both Grayson, Quinn and Eron as well as the many other examples that have followed.

 

 

Gamergate is wideley seen in the public, as a culture war over the diversification of gaming, artistic recognition and social criticism of video games and the gamer social identity.

 

 

 

For the posters in this thread:

Many bloggers and populists have tried to steer the discussion into areas they feel are the underlying issue - ranging from simple bias, to widespread misogny or misandry. I would however prefer that we keep this discussion as objective and clean as possible and so I will be keeping an a extra close eye on this thread. This certainly does not mean that you may not discuss any issue you feel, but rather that you should be thoughtful of  how  you discuss it with those you disagree with.

Especially in regards to these three guidelines:

 

Discrimination: Obsidian has a zero-tolerance policy with regard to racial, ethnic, gender, religious, disablement, and/or sexually discriminating remarks.

 

Harassment: We ask that the users of this board treat one another with respect, even when opinions differ. Personal attacks that are intended to cause unwanted attention, embarrassment, or harm will not be tolerated. In addition, Obsidian does not tolerate disrespectful and/or slanderous posts about its competitors, developers and publishers. Such posts will be subject to editing or deleting, with its posters censured or banned.

 

Objectionable Content: The use of abusive, vulgar or profane language, even if hidden through the use of symbols or other characters is not tolerated. Intentionally posting workarounds to our language filters are prohibited. Posts may be edited or deleted at any time by the moderation team, and depending on the severity and frequency of said posts, the poster may be censured or banned.

 

Any posts in violation of the Forum Guidelines will either be removed or modified and authors of such posts will receive warnings and/or have their content placed under moderated review. "Luckily" for all, I don't have a personal opinion on this matter and my only concern is to be a pain in the ass to everyone equally.

 

You forgot the mass censorship on the Total Bisquit AMA at reddit and others + the GameJournoPros leak.

[Fighter]

Objectionable Content: The use of abusive, vulgar or profane language, even if hidden through the use of symbols or other characters is not tolerated. Intentionally posting workarounds to our language filters are prohibited. Posts may be edited or deleted at any time by the moderation team, and depending on the severity and frequency of said posts, the poster may be censured or banned.

 

This is confusing. If I'm quoting someone from outside or posting a screencap, will blurring out profanity or substituting for say <bleep> be considered "a workaraound"?

 

[Meshugger]

The GDC starts on the 4th. I expect interesting developments during and its consequent aftermath.

[Malcador]

The GDC starts on the 4th. I expect interesting developments during and its consequent aftermath.

Really ? Probably have some panels on how to solve the "problem" of not enough women in the industry if anything relevant to this topic at all.

[Hurlshort]

 

Objectionable Content: The use of abusive, vulgar or profane language, even if hidden through the use of symbols or other characters is not tolerated. Intentionally posting workarounds to our language filters are prohibited. Posts may be edited or deleted at any time by the moderation team, and depending on the severity and frequency of said posts, the poster may be censured or banned.

 

This is confusing. If I'm quoting someone from outside or posting a screencap, will blurring out profanity or substituting for say <bleep> be considered "a workaraound"?

 

 

 

No, because you are editing out the vulgarities, instead of putting them in a picture or substituting a word for a number.  That being said, posting a profanity laced tirade with a bunch of bleeps in it is totally unnecessary.  It's really not confusing, have a mature discussion and don't post garbage.  

 

Not that I speak for the moderators.  

[Fighter]

Some time ago everyone's favorite victim BW posted someone's tweet where they suggested gamers should be gassed at PAX (or was it GDC?). Ironically she misread that tweet and posted it as "another example of GG threats and harassment". When she noticed she just deleted the tweet without comment or apology. Apparently threats of mass murder are A-Ok and deserve no acknowledgment or condemnation when it doesn't suit their narrative.

[Rosbjerg]

What Hurlshot said.

 

Also please direct any questions to me in a pm, so we keep this discussion on point.

[Malcador]

Some time ago everyone's favorite victim BW posted someone's tweet where they suggested gamers should be gassed at PAX (or was it GDC?). Ironically she misread that tweet and posted it as "another example of GG threats and harassment". When she noticed she just deleted the tweet without comment or apology. Apparently threats of mass murder are A-Ok and deserve no acknowledgment or condemnation when it doesn't suit their narrative.

GG has done wonders for these low talent people, hasn't it ?

 

No, because you are editing out the vulgarities, instead of putting them in a picture or substituting a word for a number. That being said, posting a profanity laced tirade with a bunch of bleeps in it is totally unnecessary. It's really not confusing, have a mature discussion and don't post garbage.

 

Not that I speak for the moderators.

Yeah, you just think you do it seems. But why would it have to be a profanity-laced tirade, exactly ? You seem to be arguing on an extreme case rather than just one with a couple of swear words in it.

Edited March 1, 2015 by Malcador

[Meshugger]

 

The GDC starts on the 4th. I expect interesting developments during and its consequent aftermath.

Really ? Probably have some panels on how to solve the "problem" of not enough women in the industry if anything relevant to this topic at all.

 

 

As the last 6 months have showed, just when the ride seems to be slowing down, something utterly idiotic happens. Propability gets higher when it comes to these kinds of events.

[Fighter]

GG has done wonders for these low talent people, hasn't it ?

 

There is always a guilt involved in suggesting these people are deep down quiet happy with getting the most of this for themselves. Because maybe they are sincerely threatened and scared. But it is those kinds of examples like the one I mentioned that makes them hard to take at their word and come of unsympathetic.

[Malcador]

Meh, even if they are they still are benefitting from the higher profile. In Wu's case, shame people just don't ignore her, but with this being a Twitter war that will never happen.

 

Heh, "democratizing" development will just bring more of her kind in, I am guessing

[Nonek]

Mark Kern, longtime game developer who worked on heavy hitters at Blizzard such as StarCraft, Diablo II, WarCraft III: The Frozen Throne and World of WarCraft in the past has created a petition in the form of an open letter asking Kotaku and Polygon to help heal the rift in the greater gaming community by attempting to change games journalism for the better, as an olive branch. Among others, BioShock creator Ken Levine shared the petition on social media, calling it "encouraging".

 

The general response from the gaming press has been lackluster to downright inflammatory. Especially website VG247 has been a vocal opponent, calling those who created and/or signed the petition "ill-informed idiots", including the high profile game developers that make the games the site writes about.

 

My personal view on this is that the response, especially that by the aforementioned site, is intently inflammatory. VG247 is a website that was pretty much no longer existed on anyone's radar, being essentially replaced in the gaming community's consciousness by the often seen as more interesting website Rock, Paper, Shotgun. They have gotten a slew of exposure with their earlier inflammatory articles dealing with #GamerGate. In essence, it's clickbait.

 

Ken Levine has also been accused of being "pro-#GamerGate" for supporting the petition that calls for journalistic ethics, meaning that supporting ethical behaviour in games journalism makes you "pro-#GamerGate", implying that as so many people have claimed, it is actually ethics in journalism.

 

Thoughts?

 

Is this really any surprise? The regressive gaming press are not moderates, they are not interested in the good of the industry, they are only interested in themselves, their own advancement and what they view to be politically fashionable at the moment. Leigh Alexander outright admits this, she is fame hungry and desperately wants attention, and is not interested in fulfilling the purpose of her role.

 

Indeed representing the people and their role is judged to be unfashionable, striving to be objectionable is judged to be futile, ethics are laughed at and censorship is judged to be a desirable thing. Worst of all the regressive game journalists judge their audience to be untermensch, and they wholly embrace this, describing millions of diverse gamers from all races and both genders as dead, for no reason whatsoever, other than hatred and bigotry. They are basically unfit for purpose and need to be replaced and monitored by an impartial third party, that fulfills its role.

 

This reaching out by Mr Kern and Mr Levine is pointless, developers would be better served by simply stopping using these corrupt and entitled institutions and working together to build a new gaming press and an independent overseeing body. This would be good for the industry, good for ethical practises, good for the consumer and good for journalism.  

 

RPS, Kotaku and Gamasutra etcetera are laughable, they are tainted beyond recovery and simply need to be left alone to wither and die in the pit of their own hatred and entitlement. They have all proven themselves to be hateful, sexist, racist, opposed to diversity, harmful to the industry and intent on demonising an innocent fanbase through lies and ideology. They have revealed their lack of integrity, and true feelings about the moderate and average consumer, and it is ugly and fascist.

 

Obviously only my own opinion however.

[pseudonymous]

Do you really believe these random bloggers care about anything beyond the page clicks they get when writing hit pieces?

[Meshugger]

IIRC, Kern should be on a podcast with Total Bisquit. Did i miss it or hasn't it been broadcasted yet?

[aluminiumtrioxid]

 

Worst of all the regressive game journalists judge their audience to be untermensch, and they wholly embrace this, describing millions of diverse gamers from all races and both genders as dead, for no reason whatsoever, other than hatred and bigotry. 

 

 

Ehh not really.

[PK htiw klaw eriF]

IIRC, Kern should be on a podcast with Total Bisquit. Did i miss it or hasn't it been broadcasted yet?

It hasn't as far as I know.

[Meshugger]

 

 

Worst of all the regressive game journalists judge their audience to be untermensch, and they wholly embrace this, describing millions of diverse gamers from all races and both genders as dead, for no reason whatsoever, other than hatred and bigotry. 

 

 

Ehh not really.

 

 

So they really love gamers, but fail to conduct the message in positive way like a bunch of tsunderes? 

[aluminiumtrioxid]

 

 

 

Worst of all the regressive game journalists judge their audience to be untermensch, and they wholly embrace this, describing millions of diverse gamers from all races and both genders as dead, for no reason whatsoever, other than hatred and bigotry. 

 

 

Ehh not really.

 

 

So they really love gamers, but fail to conduct the message in positive way like a bunch of tsunderes? 

 

 

They're profoundly disgusted by a certain subsegment of gamers (a feeling I can actually relate to), but a/ obviously don't see said subsegment as "their audience" (the original Alexander article was published in a website geared towards developers, not gamers, and the ones following it were mostly reporting on said article and the reaction surrounding it, not repeating the same sentiment), and b/ their reason is not hatred and bigotry.

[Meshugger]

 

 

 

 

Worst of all the regressive game journalists judge their audience to be untermensch, and they wholly embrace this, describing millions of diverse gamers from all races and both genders as dead, for no reason whatsoever, other than hatred and bigotry. 

 

 

Ehh not really.

 

 

So they really love gamers, but fail to conduct the message in positive way like a bunch of tsunderes? 

 

 

They're profoundly disgusted by a certain subsegment of gamers (a feeling I can actually relate to), but a/ obviously don't see said subsegment as "their audience" (the original Alexander article was published in a website geared towards developers, not gamers, and the ones following it were mostly reporting on said article and the reaction surrounding it, not repeating the same sentiment), and b/ their reason is not hatred and bigotry.

 

 

Ehh not really. 

 

They believed in their own conjured delusions of what gamers were and declared all gamers as such and should've die as 'a culture'. They do not like games or the medium itself and therefore they wish to change it according to their whims. They approve of corruption or turn the blind eye to it as long as it is for a greater good, which is to consolidate the market for more progressive 'games', which are not bound by market forces, but rather by the approval of themselves. 

 

Their behaviour is similar on how cult leaders expel unwanted elements that refuse to follow the line.

Edited March 1, 2015 by Meshugger

[Namutree]

 

Mark Kern, longtime game developer who worked on heavy hitters at Blizzard such as StarCraft, Diablo II, WarCraft III: The Frozen Throne and World of WarCraft in the past has created a petition in the form of an open letter asking Kotaku and Polygon to help heal the rift in the greater gaming community by attempting to change games journalism for the better, as an olive branch. Among others, BioShock creator Ken Levine shared the petition on social media, calling it "encouraging".

 

The general response from the gaming press has been lackluster to downright inflammatory. Especially website VG247 has been a vocal opponent, calling those who created and/or signed the petition "ill-informed idiots", including the high profile game developers that make the games the site writes about.

 

My personal view on this is that the response, especially that by the aforementioned site, is intently inflammatory. VG247 is a website that was pretty much no longer existed on anyone's radar, being essentially replaced in the gaming community's consciousness by the often seen as more interesting website Rock, Paper, Shotgun. They have gotten a slew of exposure with their earlier inflammatory articles dealing with #GamerGate. In essence, it's clickbait.

 

Ken Levine has also been accused of being "pro-#GamerGate" for supporting the petition that calls for journalistic ethics, meaning that supporting ethical behaviour in games journalism makes you "pro-#GamerGate", implying that as so many people have claimed, it is actually ethics in journalism.

 

Thoughts?

 

Is this really any surprise? The regressive gaming press are not moderates, they are not interested in the good of the industry, they are only interested in themselves, their own advancement and what they view to be politically fashionable at the moment. Leigh Alexander outright admits this, she is fame hungry and desperately wants attention, and is not interested in fulfilling the purpose of her role.

 

Indeed representing the people and their role is judged to be unfashionable, striving to be objectionable is judged to be futile, ethics are laughed at and censorship is judged to be a desirable thing. Worst of all the regressive game journalists judge their audience to be untermensch, and they wholly embrace this, describing millions of diverse gamers from all races and both genders as dead, for no reason whatsoever, other than hatred and bigotry. They are basically unfit for purpose and need to be replaced and monitored by an impartial third party, that fulfills its role.

 

This reaching out by Mr Kern and Mr Levine is pointless, developers would be better served by simply stopping using these corrupt and entitled institutions and working together to build a new gaming press and an independent overseeing body. This would be good for the industry, good for ethical practises, good for the consumer and good for journalism.  

 

RPS, Kotaku and Gamasutra etcetera are laughable, they are tainted beyond recovery and simply need to be left alone to wither and die in the pit of their own hatred and entitlement. They have all proven themselves to be hateful, sexist, racist, opposed to diversity, harmful to the industry and intent on demonising an innocent fanbase through lies and ideology. They have revealed their lack of integrity, and true feelings about the moderate and average consumer, and it is ugly and fascist.

 

Obviously only my own opinion however.

 

This whole thing isn't about bigotry on their part as much as a desire to use games as 'progressive' (which is just a polite word for fascist) propaganda.