erttheking said:
Lightspeaker said:
Can I be honest with you? For just a second?
This mess is tearing me down. Bit by bit. I just can't freaking take it for much longer. I care about stuff like this, but it's slowly becoming more than I can handle. I honestly think this discussion going on for years drastically lowered by opinion of the human race and turned me into a misanthrope...but it's the only online gaming community I really know. And I like being part of a community. Christ, I feel like I'm in a damn abusive relationship. I hate every second of it...but I just can't leave.
Do you know of any other online communities? Ones that avoid this crap?
You know what the worst thing about all of this is? Nerds, once one of the most accepting groups of people I ever knew, are now suspicious of each other.
Before all this mob style social justice was a thing?
You want to play a round of DnD? You've never played before? Let's get your character sheet done!
You wanna play a round of Halo/TF2/whatever MP game you can think of? Sweet! I'm Red, let's kick some Blue ass!
You wanna play some MTG? What color do you play? We have a get together every Friday Night!
After the mob justice?
You wanna come to this convention? Better read this list of 20 rules about how you should treat minorities. Oh, I'm sure you're not transphobic, but just in case you are!
You want to join our University Pokemon club? Sign this release to say you won't sue us if you get offended. (I walked the fuck out of that club)
And my favourite! You posted an opinion on a topic that I disagree with? You must be a GamerGater/Misogynist/Somethingist!
I've actually encountered the aforementioned suspicion in real life. People have actually asked me questions to see if I was the type to get offended before letting me join their group. It's sad because where once anyone was welcome in nerd space as long as they showed a genuine interest, a lot of people have closed off those doors. They're all afraid of who might be offended and who might offend somebody.
The problem is both sides are overcompensating. The social justice side has made it a habit to not just get offended, but to get offended on the behalf of others that may not want it. I think that minorities have it well within their own powers to decide when they are offended and to act on their own volition.
The other side is just sick to death of hearing about gender and politics in their space that was once a place to get away from that all. Sure, some people like to talk about gender and politics but were video game forums really the best place for that? Video games are an escape from the real world for most, can you blame them for getting mad? I'm guilty of getting mad as fuck when a new Assassin's Creed game comes out and the internet gets pissed off that there's no females in multiplayer. I was also just as pissed that Ubisoft gave a shitty excuse when "it wasn't part of our vision" would have sufficed.
Both sides are going overboard. And there's not much one can do about that bar stripping away their anonymity online, which is something I will never, ever get behind.
I give it two posts before someone quotes me to tell me that my experiences are just anecdotal. No shit. I know that, I'm not trying to make an infallible argument here. Just talking about my personal opinion on the situation as is relevant to the post I'm quoting. And it's worth noting, that despite that I've been in arguments with you Ert, and several other users about these sorts of things, I hold zero ill feelings. I don't mind you guys and girls and all other identities and I don't overly mind the conversation when it's relevant and not blown out of proportion.
I'm definitely on the side of games being an escape but I wouldn't even come into these threads if I had zero interest in the topic of gender and politics. I
love video games. I believe they have the potential to be the greatest entertainment medium ever. But we need to move towards that goal slowly and steadily. Or else we just hit old roadblocks all over again. See: That Law and Order SUV episode that aired recently. It was a 10 year step back as far as public image goes and both sides are equally to blame for it.