When #Gamergate happened, I admit I was on the side of the trolls. I had minute respect for Anita’s platform because, well… I was there in the Jack Thompson / Tipper Gore era. I saw what happened when ‘video game activists’ want to ‘enlighten’ the general public: they first cherry pick facts, then whip the media into a frothing frenzy and finish by getting paid with publicity tours on shows, magazines and panels. Safety for our children. Pfft. Games will get a black eye for MAYBE 3 months, only to be herald as the next lucrative venture that is ‘recession’ proof by the fourth month. New game launched? Has guns or a *gasp* sex scene? Rinse. Repeat
Since I’ve witnessed censorship history repeat itself, Anita and I never will swim in the same circles. There’s this imminent lack of respect for people who claim they are an ‘gaming experts’, but never make games. Most ‘activists’ don’t have to face what the average woman in technology dodges every day and never come to the female tech worker’s defense when needed. My guess? It’s not sexy to picket cubicles.
With that being said, yes, while I do staunchly vomit in the direction of so called ‘social media feminists’ since we will never see eye to eye on ‘the cause’, I would never wish their deaths. Hell, I wouldn’t wish anyone’s death. Death threats in the gaming industry are just plain stupid; an pathetic attempt for antisocial adult children to stave back the tides of change crashing on their troglodyte doors.
Open Question: “Seriously, you want to kill someone because they have a different opinion than yours? Are you serious?
Well, today at SXSW Interactive, this question sadly answered itself:
On Monday, October 26, SXSW Interactive made the call to cancel two sessions for the 2016 event: “SavePoint: A Discussion on the Gaming Community” and “Level Up: Overcoming Harassment in Games.” We had hoped that hosting these two discussions in March 2016 in Austin would lead to a valuable exchange of ideas on this very important topic.
However, in the seven days since announcing these two sessions, SXSW has received numerous threats of on-site violence related to this programming.
SXSW prides itself on being a big tent and a marketplace of diverse people and diverse ideas.
However, preserving the sanctity of the big tent at SXSW Interactive necessitates that we keep the dialogue civil and respectful. If people can not agree, disagree and embrace new ways of thinking in a safe and secure place that is free of online and offline harassment, then this marketplace of ideas is inevitably compromised.
Over the years, we are proud of the healthy community of digital innovators that has formed around SXSW. On occasions such as this one, this community necessitates strong management to survive. Maintaining civil and respectful dialogue within the big tent is more important than any particular session.
Sincerely,
Hugh Forrest
SXSW Interactive Director
I don’t know what butters my toast more: the caving in to phantom demands or that procurers of the game industry are so stupidly resistant to having a conversation about the blatant statistics that harm both men and women. Gay and straight. I wonder if death threat anon realizes that they’re victims as well.
Why can’t we talk? Just talk. No sweeping changes. No loud voices. NO media intervention…just talk. Take a breather. Come back to the table. Talk. Why does the declaration of murder, because that’s what it is, have to be the exclamation point to a discussion of fair representation?
The article from Emmett Rensin gives me hope; I just hope I can hang on long enough to see some sort of sanity soon.
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