The Felicia Day/Destructoid situation

[Carpachi]

Recently Destructoid writer Ryan Perez made a couple comments about Felicia Day on his Twitter account

''Ryan?s questions to Felicia were as follows: ?I keep seeing [you] everywhere. Question: Do you matter at all? Do you even provide anything useful to gaming, besides ?personality?? could you be considered nothing more than a glorified booth babe? You don?t seem to add anything creative to the medium.?''

Following total uproar Ryan was pressured into resigning from his position with Destructoid as D-toid issued apologies to Miss Day. Other figures such as Adam Baldwin and Wil Wheaton have come out in support of Felicia. But quite frankly...isn't he right? What of substance has she contributed to the gaming medium?

While some of his comments could be interpreted as insulting he made a valid point that much of the gaming community has echoed previously. And besides that,it was his private Twitter which was in no way associated with D-toid and he never claimed he spoke for D-toid. People now flock to his Twitter, calling him ''sick'' and a ''misogynist'' (the latter is quite confusing as he never made any comment that was anti-woman,simply anti-Day). Does a man deserve to lose his job for some opinions he holds privately?

Clearly he hasn't seen Buffy The Vampire Slayer. (but I digress, as I haven't seen the show either and Buffy is not a video game)

No, Felicia Day does not provide anything of value to games, specifically. However, she is one of nerd-culture's few famous women, which is why people got on his case about this.

It's how SHE reacts to this that I'll be interested in. The real questions that should be asked is does Felicia Day even know about this, and if she does, does she even care? It's not like these comments have been uncommon in the past.

Regardless, the guy didn't deserve to lose his job over a not-from-Dtoid-in-any-way opinion that he decided to make public on Twitter.

 

[Susan Arendt]

I know that the feud is over but I'm throwing in my two cents.

I just find this thing confusing.

As far as I know Felicia Day doesn't claim to have an influence on gaming, and I don't think people view her as being a major influence or even face for the medium. She's done a few web series based around videogames, some voicework for games, and she did the Dragon Age web series, that's it. She's a B-list celebrity who's fame is synonymous with gaming, why did this guy draw such big issue from this?

And of the throngs of famous gamer girls out there, who are famous because they host a gaming show, and pose in Maxim while suggestively holding a Wii-mote, he chooses too attack one of the few famous gamer girls that doesn't just use sex appeal to attract the attention of fifteen year old boys. That makes a whole lot of sense.

I don't think the guy should have been fired. He may be a douche, but that's not really a valid enough reason to get the sack.

Actually, yes, it is. If your personal conduct reflects badly on your employer, then they're well within their rights to let you go. Had he not followed up the way he did - his comments to Wheaton, for example, he may have had a chance to make amends, do a "mea culpa" and had it all go away. But instead he chose to act like a petulant child, refusing to show an ounce of contrition or regret for the way he handled himself. If your boss tells you that you screwed up, your first response should be "How would you like me to fix it?" not to crank everything up to 11.

He made a hotheaded decision and unfortunately chose to have his meltdown in public. Destructoid made the right call cutting him loose. He needs to grow up a bit before he tries to do this as a living.

 

[Hawkmoon269]

Does it matter whether she's contributing anything to gaming or not? Why should she have to? She's just a person who likes to play games, to talk about games, and has the charisma (and, admittedly, looks) to do so successfully with the internet as her medium.

This kind of gaming culture snobbery really pisses me off. Why can't we be better than that, as a community? Why can't we be the group that just lets the other members of our community "be".

She provides entertainment, which I, for one, enjoy. If you don't like her work, fair enough, but don't question her fucking right to partake of gaming/geek culture.

And if you really, really need to see some kind of contribution? Well, what about Geek and Sundry, the website she just launched? (or hell, The Guild?) Its a great site, with good, varied content. Frankly, she should be praised for the contributions she *has* made, not berated for not meeting this one guy's asinine "standards."

 

[xaszatm]

I agree with the decision to fire him. Is the question sexist? It certainly can be interpreted that way and Perez's meltdown certainly did not help matters. Personally, I think that the question could be reworded in a way that was not sexist and still get his "opinion" that she didn't contribute anything to gaming society. (Which, I disagree with him) For example, he could have said:

"What do you think are your accomplishments in the gaming industry?"

That's a legitimate question that is asked by many journalists (just replace gaming with any other business). It still asks the same purpose, but now there is no undertone that could be interpreted as sexist.

Here's the thing, the world doesn't exist in a vacuum. He made a poorly-worded statement on twitter, then proceeded to have a fit. It didn't matter if the twitter was "private" (how does that work anyhow? If you are posting on the internet, why are you expecting privacy?) it still reflected badly on Destructoid. When you represent something, what you say and act reflects on that something, even if you are not representing it at the moment. So yeah, I think that they were totally justified in firing him.

I will say that I gave a little respect when he apologized for his behavior.

 

[xDarc]

So she contributes quite a bit to videogame culture, both creatively and directly. Ryan's questions, while not extremely venomous, did carry undertones of disrespect.

I've never heard of her, so I searched around a bit...

This woman would not be able to compete against other actresses, against other models, and I'm getting real tired of these women trying to carve out a throne for themselves amongst video game nerds. Video game nerds have this weakness and treat any woman who even pays attention to them like some kind of queen. In reality, she's just using up easy-come fandom as a stepping stone to achieve what she would be unable to in the more competitive, wider world of acting/modeling.

When a woman gets somewhere in the video game world without singing, or dancing around in some outfit, I will respect her.

 

[Frostbite3789]

It was very stupid of him to post that publicly. And he does sound like a douche.

However, Felicia Day really isn't important at all. She just happens to be a cute chick that likes games. That's why people like her. I don't care about her at all. But I don't care about Nathan Fillion either so my opinion probably doesn't matter much in this discussion.

He has a picture of his own face tiled as his Twitter background.

Of course he's a douche.

 

[Hjalmar Fryklund]

Why are females that are connected to video games automatically called attention whores and males doing the same ignored?

Pretty common thing across industries, as far as I can tell. There's a certain sort of guy who feels really threatened by successful women, particularly if he finds the successful woman in question attractive. Yeah, I have no idea either.

My guess is that it is somewhat of a subconscious thing. Society is often subtely inferring that a man´s actions matter more than a woman´s (part of the whole "men do, women are" thing), and a lot of people (of both genders, but men especially) will end up believing that (in some cases despite believing that they are for gender equality) whenether they like it or not.

A woman being successful will get stick for it by this type of person (especially those who in turn want to be successful too in some way, but remain unsuccessful), because it implies that her actions mattered more than theirs. Why? Because it is viewed as upsetting the perceived social order of "men do, women are". As for why attractive, successful women women get extra stick, I would hazard a guess that it is because they pull off a double-whammy here; their success imply that their actions mattered more than the men´s, while at the same time doing (and succeeding at) the "women are" routine by being pretty.

Well, it is my guess at any rate, and it is probably not a very coherent one.

EDIT: Post was a jävla mess, cleaned it up a bit. Still too many parentheticals in it for my taste, though.

 

[boag]

Whether his comments were technically right or not is irrelevant; he was being a dick to her for no reason. It's uncalled for.

And to ask a question that way when you're supposed to be a journalist is completely unprofessional.

HAHAHA!

That would imply that there are video game journalists in the first place.

If you can name 1, just 1 Video Game Journalist that actually tries to be objective (you can never be completely objective), then I will rescind my comment, and admit i was wrong.

 

[CentralScrtnzr]

Having only time to read a few comments allow me to relate the following with the following addendum: I have no idea who Felicia Day is; nor do I care.

Now to the matter in question. If you disagree with the firing of the fellow in question for his criticism of Ms. Day, then I would invite you to write, in agreeable terms, to the Destructoid management and voice your concerns. If you would like to take it a step further, ensure the Destructoid staff you will in no way, following the posting of that letter, visit and provide views to the Destructoid site until the fellow in question is re-hired.

Destructoid is, after all, a business, and its hiring and firing decisions still feed into its desire to make money.

For my own part, I don't even read Destructoid because the site is so poorly formatted that I can never find anything.

 

[Susan Arendt]

I feel it's rather ironic that Destructoid of all websites fired him for these remarks.

My 2 cents? Destructiod sucks, this Ryan dude sounds like a right prick and Felicia Day can keep making a profit out of being such a nerd xDDDDDDDDDDDD. And she sucks too.

This woman would not be able to compete against other actresses, against other models, and I'm getting real tired of these women trying to carve out a throne for themselves amongst video game nerds. Video game nerds have this weakness and treat any woman who even pays attention to them like some kind of queen. In reality, she's just using up easy-come fandom as a stepping stone to achieve what she would be unable to in the more competitive, wider world of acting/modeling.

Agreed. I don't get why she's so popular. The glorified booth babe comment carries some truth. (And I'd love to hear how that remark is sexist. It's not insulting to women, it's just insulting to Day.)

Actually, I've had the pleasure of working with a number of people from Destructoid over the years, and they're actually really great. Hard working, conscientious, and professional. At least the ones I know. So I don't think it's fair to paint Dtoid as some morass of amoral behavior, even if you don't personally enjoy their editorial style. (I don't, personally, but it's a matter of taste.)

 

[everythingbeeps]

So she contributes quite a bit to videogame culture, both creatively and directly. Ryan's questions, while not extremely venomous, did carry undertones of disrespect.

I've never heard of her, so I searched around a bit...

This woman would not be able to compete against other actresses, against other models, and I'm getting real tired of these women trying to carve out a throne for themselves amongst video game nerds. Video game nerds have this weakness and treat any woman who even pays attention to them like some kind of queen. In reality, she's just using up easy-come fandom as a stepping stone to achieve what she would be unable to in the more competitive, wider world of acting/modeling.

When a woman gets somewhere in the video game world without singing, or dancing around in some outfit, I will respect her.

Hmm. Search a bit more, because you've assumed an awful lot about her in the very little you read. If you actually read anything. Probably all you did was look at her filmography and a couple pictures of her and called it a day.

Look, I'm as cynical about show business as damn near anyone, but it's stupid to just assume she's not really into video games. Clearly she is. I don't know what you think she's supposed to do next. Quit acting altogether? Get plastic surgery? Stop liking video games?

 

[SidheKnight]

Who is Felicia Day and why should we care about what she contributed to gaming or not?

OK, I actually know who she is, but the question stands - how is she connected to video games and all the rest?

Have you heard of "The Guild"?

Think of it as The Big Bang Theory but depicting a more specific sub-group of nerd culture (MMO players and guilds). Felicia Day is the protagonist.

If you consider that "being just a booth babe", then you're stupid.

 

[Riff Moonraker]

Might be offensive but it could also be a valid point. Part of journalism is also making valid points.

Yes, but part of journalism is also knowing how to say things correctly and to walk the thin line between asking the tough questions and attacking others. He crossed that line and failed to ask the question correctly. As such, he lost his job even though he was doing this using his personal twitter account.

It doesnt matter. If he made the comments on his personal twitter account, its bullshit that he got fired from his job for it. It doesnt matter if what he said was true, or not, it was his PERSONAL twitter account. Sure, Felicia Day seems to be a great person, and all... but everyone is entitled to their own personal opinions on their own personal media device, or whatever you would call it.

Sort of, everyone entitled to their own opinion and their own devices in private, but he chose to make all of this public. Consider the following: You're a newly hired junior salesman for a firm with a few dozen major clients. When you leave work one day you see someone who works for one of your major clients and you get your buddy to record you punching them in the face and then post the video to YouTube while shouting your name. The client sees this video, your employer sees this video and none of them want anything to do with you anymore. So they fire you despite the employee who was punched never pressing charges.

Yes, you have a right to have a YouTube page and a phone that can record videos for it, but if you're an idiot about how you use these to present yourself to the world at large there can be consequences.

Catcha: "know your rights", sometimes I love these things

I will admit... I am twitter ignorant. Is this different than say... posting your opinion about someone to a personal facebook page or something? I honestly dont know. If so, then yeah, I definitely could see where you are coming from...

 

[Fappy]

I feel it's rather ironic that Destructoid of all websites fired him for these remarks.

My 2 cents? Destructiod sucks, this Ryan dude sounds like a right prick and Felicia Day can keep making a profit out of being such a nerd xDDDDDDDDDDDD. And she sucks too.

This woman would not be able to compete against other actresses, against other models, and I'm getting real tired of these women trying to carve out a throne for themselves amongst video game nerds. Video game nerds have this weakness and treat any woman who even pays attention to them like some kind of queen. In reality, she's just using up easy-come fandom as a stepping stone to achieve what she would be unable to in the more competitive, wider world of acting/modeling.

Agreed. I don't get why she's so popular. The glorified booth babe comment carries some truth. (And I'd love to hear how that remark is sexist. It's not insulting to women, it's just insulting to Day.)

I was a fan of The Guild back in my WoW days. She may not be the greatest actress or have the best looks around but I think she's pretty funny. Some people are personalities that use their influence to become something more. Whether or not they'd be able to do it without their fans I don't see how she can be looked down on for this. Nearly everyone of any fame in the gaming community that is not a dev is guilty of the same thing.

 

[Fodder Aplenty]

you know what this whole thing has taught me? while insulting a celebrity (who has probably taken worse) on the internet is a no-no, insulting your readers by calling them entitled babies is A-okay!

and that is what upsets me about all of this. not that i agree with what he did, but he was the last person they need to fire.

 

[Riff Moonraker]

Also, the guy is totally a douche

https://twitter.com/PissedOffRyno/status/219343681575063552

It doesnt matter. If he made the comments on his personal twitter account, its bullshit that he got fired from his job for it. It doesnt matter if what he said was true, or not, it was his PERSONAL twitter account. Sure, Felicia Day seems to be a great person, and all... but everyone is entitled to their own personal opinions on their own personal media device, or whatever you would call it.

It may be his personal twitter account But Twitter is not a private thing twitter is PUBLIC and everything you say is PUBLIC so if you bad mouth someone in PUBLIC its going to bite you in the ass

capchta high horse

Someone else told me something along those lines as well. I am honestly not all that familiar with twitter... ok, not at ALL, really... but I was figuring it was akin to posting something on your facebook page. It sounds as if it is vastly different.

 

[Hjalmar Fryklund]

If you can name 1, just 1 Video Game Journalist that actually tries to be objective (you can never be completely objective), then I will rescind my comment, and admit i was wrong.

A minor technical quibble here.

When writing in news journalism, neutral and objective are often considered synonymous (editorials and reviews are exempt from this rule, obviously).

Not that this has much bearing on what you wanted to see evidence of.

 

[xDarc]

Look, I'm as cynical about show business as damn near anyone, but it's stupid to just assume she's not really into video games. Clearly she is. I don't know what you think she's supposed to do next. Quit acting altogether? Get plastic surgery? Stop liking video games?

I didn't say she's not interested in them, and it doesn't really matter at this point anyway. How many men got to where they are in the video game world by singing and dancing in a leotard? How is that fair?

First they make anyone who can move their index finger on a smartphone into "a gamer," then they want to bring actresses and models into it and expect me to swallow that too? This is the same site that featured a show with female porn stars playing dungeons and dragons. How can anyone look at this with anything but ridicule?