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[BloodBird]

I'm sick and tired of the slandering of the gaming community. We got our bad apples like everyone, but to behave as if the gaming community as a whole is a vile batch of scum and villainy is absurd and needs to end.

Please consider signing this if you agree.

[Ibrahim Tash-Murkon]

While sounding nice, this is far too vague a proposal to which affix my signature.

[Shiori]

I heard your signature counts double if you can say 'stop the hate' out of one corner of your mouth, and 'Anita Sarkeesian is a man-hater, con artist and professional victim' out the other without your teeth exploding from the strain.

[Nmaro Makari]

Considering the other more prevalent image problems gaming and gamers face outside the industry, par example; "murderer played gta v!" or "terrorist was avid WoW gamer, zomg!", this kinda way down the list of priorities for me.

Also, to an extent what shiori said.

Edit: this seems to have massively escalated and I seem to not know what the actual issue behind the petition is, so I'm pretty short half of the story.

[Mizhara]

The only winning move is not to play.

No one that gets actually involved in any of these shitstorms achieves anything but a high blood pressure and being covered in shit, and inevitably spreading it further as they wheeze and hack up all they swallowed in the process. I think TB has been the only one to actually take a reasonable stance in these horseshit throwing contests and that just plonked him him right in the middle of no-man's land to take fecal barrages from every camp as reason and moderation seems to frighten and confuse every pillock in these "causes".

One side engages in spectacular displays of false flag bullshit to wrap themselves in more and more layers of victimhood, then the other side damn near justifies that sort of cynical and vile behaviour by actually acting like they're accused of being. Then someone conjures up enemies and bogeymen that never were involved by yelling "MRA! MRA!" because they know that'll win them the tumblrinas that promptly starts blubbering over their keyboards and nothing constructive can ever come out of being involved, at all.

Don't get involved. Don't take a side. Don't try to calm things down or you'll be the fucking enemy for not being plonked in one camp or another. Let the shitstorm run its course and just hope your own house isn't covered in shit by the time it's done.

And no, I'm not going to sign something about stopping the hate because I do hate almost everyone that's spoken publicly about this stuff, especially as gaming journalism has gone straight to shit after it first became a thing. Oh, and fuck Phil Fish right in the you know what I'll take my own advice and not even play.

[V. Gesakaarin]

"We are asking indie developers, AAA developers, and other folks to stop branding gamers as neckbearded, misogynistic, hatefueled, ignorant, homophobic, idiots."

Someone hasn't played Call of Duty online. 

[Tiberious Thessalonia]

To:
The Gaming Industry
Please stop the hate targeting gamers. We're not all bad people.

Sincerely,
[Your name]

This is what they want to send?  What does this even mean?

[Morwen Lagann]

If people think that this latest hashtag campaign called #GamerGate has anything to do with harassment and abuse of other people online, they may want to look at exactly what sparked off that behavior this time.

Yes, abuse and harassment of other people online is an issue that should be addressed and dealt with.

No, we should not be storming into the pitchfork and torch factories every fucking time some stereotypical neckbearded shitlord spouts off at someone in response to what is actually a legitimate problem. There are extremely valid grievances on both sides here, but to just focus on the harassment shit completely ignores the behavior that caused the latest surge in abusive behavior.

Of course, that's what certain high-profile people/groups are trying to make it about, but it isn't what started it. Shitty and corrupt journalism practices are what started it off. That some people responded to reports of it in an entirely inappropriate fashion is an entirely separate issue that should be dealt with on its own without detracting (or distracting) from the fact that journalism in the gaming industry (and, to be fair, many other industries) is full of corrupt and shitty behavior that ruins any illusion of "integrity" that may or may not have been present.

[Silas Vitalia]

I'm sick and tired of the slandering of the gaming community. We got our bad apples like everyone, but to behave as if the gaming community as a whole is a vile batch of scum and villainy is absurd and needs to end.

Please consider signing this if you agree.

The 'gaming community' has a horrible reputation for misogyny and immaturity for legitimate and well-earned reasons.

Your petition smells of butthurt at not acknowledging real problems in the "community."  Smells of 'Not all men!'

I'll tell you what, if the next time I play a FPS on a console I'm not called a faggot nigger whore and 'teabagged' after being digitally shot  by some idiot, I'll consider things improved.

Or the next time a woman posts some legit criticisms of the industry and doesn't receive hundreds of rape threats.

[Tiberious Thessalonia]

realtalk tho, we are all bad people

[Silas Vitalia]

realtalk tho, we are all bad people

Hush friend, that's the nanites talking

[Tiberious Thessalonia]

No we play or played EVE


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Esna Pitoojee]

While I agree that turning this particular issue into the singular point of "zomg gamers are teh evils" is completely retarded and not a little insulting, petitions like this don't tend to be terrifically helpful either. As others have said above (Morwen and Mizh) this isn't and shouldn't be about "online abuse"; there are far more legitimate and interesting issues to be discussed at the core of all this.

The best move is to sit tight and wait for things to die; someone with a reasonable head on their shoulders might pick it up and have an actual discussion eventually.

[Silas Vitalia]

While I agree that turning this particular issue into the singular point of "zomg gamers are teh evils" is completely retarded and not a little insulting, petitions like this don't tend to be terrifically helpful either. As others have said above (Morwen and Mizh) this isn't and shouldn't be about "online abuse"; there are far more legitimate and interesting issues to be discussed at the core of all this.

The best move is to sit tight and wait for things to die; someone with a reasonable head on their shoulders might pick it up and have an actual discussion eventually.

Why is it insulting?

It's not 'a few bad apples' its the pervasive and de facto status quo with regards to 'the culture' en masse.  There's a reason women like to stay anonymous in online games, not using their microphones, playing under male names. 

The issue is so one-sided I just have to laugh at all the "WE'RE NOT ALL BAD" arguments.  Those arguments come from thin-skinned folks not admitting how ridiculous the treatment and depiction of women are in the industry.

No, you're not all bad, but participating and supporting status quo patriarchal systems without pushing for change means it doesn't change.

[Mizhara]

Yes, as a gamer I definitely should get lumped in with the prepubescent fuckwits yelling profanity on a console. They are definitely representative of me and my demographic.

The fact that there are minorities (yes, they most definitely are minorities) in every bloody camp out there that takes shit too far is certainly something to consider but the ridiculously stupid hyperbole and raging on the internet does nothing but create more of them. Go on the attack and you'll create enemies. Take a moment, count to ten, have a wank or whatever, then try to empathize with people and you might actually get somewhere. Create conversation. Talk to people instead of attacking them and maybe you won't push them into the mindset that you're actually an enemy they have to fight.

The moment you label people and then go on attacking them, all you've achieved is creating animosity towards you and the point you're trying to make. They'll start doing the same in return and they'll consider themselves justified in doing so.

I have zero sympathy towards the self-victimization people crying about "gamers" as if we're some homogenous group of neckbeard rapist wannabes and while I'd actually sympathize and consider the real problems they pretend to represent, now I really can't be arsed to give a gift-wrapped shit about any of the issues because they went on the assault instead of communication. I'll instead continue doing my work as a board member of the regional humanist association, cooperating with feminist and men's rights advocates towards egalitarian goals. They at least recognize that communication between them brings them both closer to the ultimate goal and while they're opposite sides of the coin, both are better off balancing it on the edge instead of battling over which side the coin should fall on.