Why are we afraid of criticism?

[grassgremlin]

Criticism is scary. People are very secure in what they like. They want to feel that security and be lost in that nice big blanket of seclusion where the real world doesn't matter.

When the real world knocks, this frightens them because of what they usually observe in the real world. It's either boring, harsh or too complicated.

Criticism makes things complicated.

There's also an intelligence thing. Telling you that that thing you like is dumb or that thing you like is sexist. It basically insults you. "I'M NOT SEXIST! HOW DARE YOU TELL ME MY ONE TRUE LOVE IS SEXIST! HOW DARE YOU!?"

People just hate to admit they like some dumb or politically incorrect things some time. They feel everyone should be happy with this, or worst, EVERYONE IS CRAZY!

People don't understand why this thing can be criticized because in their mind it's perfect. Social experiences told them that this is a okay and fun game. The game/show/object is their friend. It caresses them in their sleep. Got them through a rough time. It inspires them. They love it unapologetically and forgive it's flaws.

Criticism is crazy too. It can have a tinge of snobbery. Your tastes are not as refined as mine. Or, well, uh, hate to break it to you, but that thing you like is kind of racist.

You don't wanna hear anything of it.

No way. All my love I've made love with that game and it taught me creativity can be anything I want. (emphasis on "I").

How dare you point out the flaws of this in such a way. You must at least praise its good points, something good. Please, no. I have guilty pleasures, don't take them away from me!

That's just my point of view.

 

[Erttheking]

Well David Jaffe seems to think this happens:

https://soundcloud.com/ben-kuchera/jaffe-confrontation

Ok...it's his opinion that it happens. Someone's opinion isn't exactly proof that something happens. (Also no offense I take the word of someone who says "What the fuck are you people" with a grain of salt)

I'm asking do you personally deal with this when talking about this matter? Because I have to say I rarely, if ever, see it. I'm not talking about these "Gamer hating journalists" that everyone seems to be talking about as of late. To be honest, I don't think of them because I honestly couldn't care less about them.

Go back and read the article he is angry about.

http://kotaku.com/5883107/does-david-jaffe-really-recommend-his-new-game-as-a-sexual-aid

Is that really unbiased and professional journalism? If i was Jaffe I'd be angry about being called a misogynist too. Look at how he got treated on social media after this.

Do you REALLY want a massive list of Polygon, Kotaku, Rock Paper Shotgun etc articles that show a clear trend towards shaming? Because if you really want i will compile a list of them for you and add to that the "Gamers are dead" articles we all say post GamerGate. I've got time, there are plenty of examples to choose from from the last couple of years.

It's a narrative, a trend. Hell go and look at all of those critical Distance articles from the past couple of weeks that get posted on this very site. They want a war memorial, a fucking war memorial, for all the brave women that GameGate has 'driven out of the industry'. They even got an artist to make a mock up of it. They weren't joking they were 100% serious. This is the kind of rhetoric we have been dealing with:

Because this is war, and the truth is there's no balanced reporting. There's no "hearing both sides." If you?re not speaking out with us or fighting for us, then you?re not some reasoned logician who is letting cooler heads prevail? the truth is you don?t give a shit about the women in the industry. You don?t care about the casualties. And you are part of the problem.

These words were part of a spotlight that was in The Escapist news section. These words were linked to by Rock Paper Shotgun. Now tell me again how this hasn't become a narrative rife with shaming and moral grandstanding.

To be perfectly honest I don't put much stock in video game journalism. It's kind of a mess and a joke. I don't really care what they think because their opinions aren't worth my time. If your point was just to say that journalists in this field are unprofessional and too up front and pushy about their political views, then I agree with you 100%. We will all benefit from that bullshit going away. But that wasn't what I thought you were talking about and what I was talking about. I'm talking more about the everyman, the people you talk with on the forums. Does it happen to you then?

 

[runequester]

Well ya, I think that is the large majority of the problem. Nobody(not literally) is talking specifics, it is all very subjective viewpoints on how things work or the intentions of why things work like they do. I mean, I was just told that disagreeing with Anita's view is because some "gamers" are defensive and lost perspective on Anita's message. I mean come on, really? And the problem is gamers can't handle criticism? No, social media has just taught everyone that you are right, by committee because there is a faceless mob out there that agree's with you.

It's the post-modern world Every opinion is equally valid because the important part is having an opinion, not whether you can substantiate it.

And since any view point will find a horde of other people yelling the same thing on the twitterbooks+, it's easy to feel reinforced. The feeling of people agreeing with you is a very powerful one.


And hence why, out of all this yelling (which will probably go on for yet more months), nothing will actually come out of it whatsoever. It's just to make people feel good about their particular pet causes.

 

[Melaphont]

Ok. Please tell me why they are wrong then.

I'm not making the assertion, the people saying video games profoundly impact how things are viewed is the assertion that needs to be proven(which has not been done in that video or Anita's).

Because while you can just say that there were also studies to prove Thompson's points, that doesn't do anything to show why Extra Credit's points are wrong. I'll be willing to listen to convincing arguments. I suppose it's only fair if I present my argument as to why they are right first though. Human beings at the results of our environments. We're born as blank slates and form our personalities from the world around us. The people we interact with, the media we consume. I grew up in a right wing Christian house hold. For the longest time I held right wing views, even though I lived in the rather liberal MA. I used to love video games like Call of Duty and movies like the Patriot, movies that had a very "America FUCK YEAH!" vibe to them, so I could watch America's enemies be gunned down. Nowadays, I don't want anything to do with those things. Because I got onto the internet and got exposed to other media, media that allowed me to see other view points. After awhile, my view was finally changed. Those movies and games I played didn't create my viewpoint all on their own, but they did do a good job of reinforcing it.

No it couldn't. Because mentally shutting out any and all criticisms is an unhealthy mentality. Pure and simple. That is what I said. Not that disagreeing with a certain viewpoint was unhealthy, blocking out any criticisms of gaming. Even if criticisms are lousy, you can't just block them out That is what I said. If it came off that way, I apologize.

What you said isnt limited to video games though. If you want to create the perfect scenario where this 1 person is only ever playing the most sexist game you think exists(BMX XXX?) and then only watches porn(literally nothing else) and their favorite TV show is late night Cinemax, and the only people they interact with are people who are sexist or misogynist, then sure in a bad enough environment bad things can happen. However you can apply that with literally anything. The thing is, if you want to claim these small amount of games do in fact cause real world sexism and misogyny you should be able to back it up with more then theory to claim it as reality. Also you have to just assume there are enough people in this perfectly horrible environment, to the point where a small handful of games literally cause sexism and misogyny to be more acceptable.

And honestly, I have problems buying into this idea that "dirty" art causes societal problems in the world, I just dont buy it. If you become obsessed with something, sure then it could be a problem, but that isnt limited to any 1 particular thing. And if you want to take your viewpoint to its end point for the protection of the minds, then all offensive art needs to be curtailed. I mean seriously, where do you draw the line?

Are there video games with some sexist overtones? Sure, there is, lot of video games out there. Does this mean I believe it impacts society by enforcing stereotypes? No, and I'm not seeing evidence this is the case, because most video games, movies, and ect are not inundated with what is being talked about, so there is no reason to believe the current video game environment indeed causes the assertion. So unless you can show that video games have a systemic problem(not just pointing out a very small handful of games, and even then those are not factually evident) with sexism or misogyny, I'd say the claim is baseless, and is begging the question.

And as for your unhealthy mentality remark. Yes, ignoring opinion because you disagree with it can be problematic... However I'm not sure why you assume this is largely a issue with those who disagree with Anita.

Like I said before, she does show that video games have a long way to go in narrative design and also some games do indeed have sexual undertones that could be considered sexist. However, that doesnt mean there is a systemic issue.

 

[Erttheking]

To be perfectly honest I don't put much stock in video game journalism. It's kind of a mess and a joke. I don't really care what they think because their opinions aren't worth my time. If your point was just to say that journalists in this field are unprofessional and too up front and pushy about their political views, then I agree with you 100%. We will all benefit from that bullshit going away. But that wasn't what I thought you were talking about and what I was talking about. I'm talking more about the everyman, the people you talk with on the forums. Does it happen to you then?

Sometimes. You get one or two people who like to repeat the lines of the Gawkeratzi but honestly on the whole the community is much better than the press. Gamers don't say that nearly as much or nearly as loudly. So i guess if i had to answer yes or no i would say no, it does not happen from the community by and large. It is not overwhelming from ordinary gamers. The gaming public is pretty swell. Again it's a tiny vocal minority within the community i see do this, like any trolls or agenda group.

Well I'm glad we agree on the journalism point. Generally that's what I'm posting about though: community criticism comes in all forms. It's unprofessional by nature and so you get ALL the opinions. Most of what i would consider criticism comes from... critics and pundits with a soap-box. Community opinion is a different beast.

Well, I'm glad that we can agree on this matter. Heh, pretty nice when both sides can listen to reason isn't it?

 

[BloatedGuppy]

From what I've gathered, which I'll admit up front isn't much because I've been staying far away from a lot of this stuff because...well to put it bluntly I really don't care...

It's not that people are mad that it's being talked about. They're mad because that's ALL that seems to be talked about.

Sometimes it does seem that way. On here. Ironically, the people bitching about the existence of the conversation are the same people starting the threads 99 times out of 100.

Outside of here, I hear this kind of critique about gaming rarely if ever. I didn't even hear the TERM "social justice warrior" until it was getting screamed about on these forums by fifteen year olds so alarmed at the existence of this manufactured foe you'd think there was a mob of them kicking in their bedroom doors. I could go to any of the loathed and derided gaming sites right this moment and find the overwhelming majority of their content to be the standard robble about games we've been digesting for years.

 

[Erttheking]

Ok. Please tell me why they are wrong then.

I'm not making the assertion, the people saying video games profoundly impact how things are viewed is the assertion that needs to be proven(which has not been done in that video or Anita's).

Because while you can just say that there were also studies to prove Thompson's points, that doesn't do anything to show why Extra Credit's points are wrong. I'll be willing to listen to convincing arguments. I suppose it's only fair if I present my argument as to why they are right first though. Human beings at the results of our environments. We're born as blank slates and form our personalities from the world around us. The people we interact with, the media we consume. I grew up in a right wing Christian house hold. For the longest time I held right wing views, even though I lived in the rather liberal MA. I used to love video games like Call of Duty and movies like the Patriot, movies that had a very "America FUCK YEAH!" vibe to them, so I could watch America's enemies be gunned down. Nowadays, I don't want anything to do with those things. Because I got onto the internet and got exposed to other media, media that allowed me to see other view points. After awhile, my view was finally changed. Those movies and games I played didn't create my viewpoint all on their own, but they did do a good job of reinforcing it.

No it couldn't. Because mentally shutting out any and all criticisms is an unhealthy mentality. Pure and simple. That is what I said. Not that disagreeing with a certain viewpoint was unhealthy, blocking out any criticisms of gaming. Even if criticisms are lousy, you can't just block them out That is what I said. If it came off that way, I apologize.

What you said isnt limited to video games though. If you want to create the perfect scenario where this 1 person is only ever playing the most sexist game you think exists(BMX XXX?) and then only watches porn(literally nothing else) and their favorite TV show is late night Cinemax, and the only people they interact with are people who are sexist or misogynist, then sure in a bad enough environment bad things can happen. However you can apply that with literally anything. The thing is, if you want to claim these small amount of games do in fact cause real world sexism and misogyny you should be able to back it up with more then theory to claim it as reality. Also you have to just assume there are enough people in this perfectly horrible environment, to the point where a small handful of games literally cause sexism and misogyny to be more acceptable.

And honestly, I have problems buying into this idea that "dirty" art causes societal problems in the world, I just dont buy it. If you become obsessed with something, sure then it could be a problem, but that isnt limited to any 1 particular thing. And if you want to take your viewpoint to its end point for the protection of the minds, then all offensive art needs to be curtailed. I mean seriously, where do you draw the line?

Are there video games with some sexist overtones? Sure, there is, lot of video games out there. Does this mean I believe it impacts society by enforcing stereotypes? No, and I'm not seeing evidence this is the case, because most video games, movies, and ect are not inundated with what is being talked about, so there is no reason to believe the current video game environment indeed causes the assertion. So unless you can show that video games have a systemic problem(not just pointing out a very small handful of games, and even then those are not factually evident) with sexism more misogyny, I'd say the claim is baseless, and is begging the question.

And as for your unhealthy mentality remark. Yes, ignoring opinion because you disagree with it can be problematic... However I'm not sure why you assume this is largely a issue with those who disagree with Anita.

Like I said before, she does show that video games have a long way to go in narrative design and also some games do indeed have sexual undertones that could be considered sexist. However, that doesnt mean there is a systemic issue.

Fair point. But I think it's safe to say that it's hardly speculation that media does affect our outlook on life. Maybe not for people who go out of their way to make sure they have their facts, but for people who don't bother to double check facts. Something I think most people are guilty of, even if it's only sometimes. I gotta admit, I do it too.

Well yeah. Any media can do that. I'm pretty sure I said that myself. It's not a "Games made Misogyny 50% more acceptable thing" it's small little factors. Little things here and there that enforce unhealthy mindsets. They can even pop up in really good games, or be so small that 90% of the people who play the game don't even notice them. Like in Skyrim how there is a mission to slut sham a woman. Skyrim itself has a pretty positive portrayal of women, but that little tid bit is still a no-no. It doesn't help that things aren't divided into completely sexist or completely feminist. You can think that women should be on the front lines in the armed forces, should have equal representation in government, have reproductive rights, should not have to do deal with harassment, cat calls or jeering, but you can still call a woman who has sex a slut. It's not black and white. It's complicated. As for finding evidence, I'd have to do some looking around and I have work soon. I'll see if I can get something after that. Sorry about that.

I'm not saying that all offensive arts need to be curtailed, I'm saying that when media in mass portrays a certain group negatively and they're in the mast majority (See how Russians and Chinese are so commonly bad guys in modern military shooters) I definitely think we need to get away from that and do something else.

Fair enough, I'll have to do some research for that. Like I said before, it'll sadly take some time.

I wasn't even really thinking about Anita. Just people who get defensive whenever games are criticized about anything.

Well I have to disagree that there is a systematic issue, mainly in the sense that we're struggling to write good female characters (Characters in general really, so arguably it's part of a bigger whole) and arguably the whole "Dude bro" mindset that goes with mass appeal (Read, appealing to COD fans) that we can hopefully shake off.

 

[BloatedGuppy]

You are probably right to simply disregard the gaming press though. Seems like the safe choice. Wright the fuckers off entirely.

I don't think you can throw a blanket over the "gaming press" any more than you can throw a blanket over "gamers" or "feminists" or any diverse group. As varied individuals, some will be professional and others won't. Some will be good writers and others won't. Some will let conflict of interest guide their opinions and others won't. Some will let emotion get the better of them and lash out on topic X or Y and others won't. Etc, etc, etc, etc. There aren't exactly high "journalistic standards" in print media at all any more, and there never have been for gaming. It's just a lot of people with a lot of opinions. As always, it's up to their readers to think critically about what they're reading and come to their own conclusions. Don't like what Joe Game Reporter has to say? Don't read his articles any more.

 

[Erttheking]

To be perfectly honest I don't put much stock in video game journalism. It's kind of a mess and a joke. I don't really care what they think because their opinions aren't worth my time. If your point was just to say that journalists in this field are unprofessional and too up front and pushy about their political views, then I agree with you 100%. We will all benefit from that bullshit going away. But that wasn't what I thought you were talking about and what I was talking about. I'm talking more about the everyman, the people you talk with on the forums. Does it happen to you then?

Sometimes. You get one or two people who like to repeat the lines of the Gawkeratzi but honestly on the whole the community is much better than the press. Gamers don't say that nearly as much or nearly as loudly. So i guess if i had to answer yes or no i would say no, it does not happen from the community by and large. It is not overwhelming from ordinary gamers. The gaming public is pretty swell. Again it's a tiny vocal minority within the community i see do this, like any trolls or agenda group.

Well I'm glad we agree on the journalism point. Generally that's what I'm posting about though: community criticism comes in all forms. It's unprofessional by nature and so you get ALL the opinions. Most of what i would consider criticism comes from... critics and pundits with a soap-box. Community opinion is a different beast.

Well, I'm glad that we can agree on this matter. Heh, pretty nice when both sides can listen to reason isn't it?

Like I've said before i don't really consider this a 'sides' issue, that was part of the problem with the rhetoric coming out of the press. I'm just an individual gamer who has his own opinion, just like you. If people would stop being so adversarial and have a rigorous but respectful debate i think most would concede that there are points that need to be sorted in many areas and move on.

But instead people just want to fucking scream at each other and those who consider themselves professionals want the right to sling as much shit as possible. But as a community I'm very hopeful about gaming enthusiasts, that's why it irks me to see them get shit on so much by the people who are supposed to speak for them and that many look up to. As a community we have very diverse voices and I've spoken to people from every background you can think of. As a community we really don't have a problem because from what I've seen we are just a bunch of decent people, with a few awful people. You know, like the rest of society.

You are probably right to simply disregard the gaming press though. Seems like the safe choice. Write the fuckers off entirely.

[sub]Captcha: "Streams of Oceanus". That would be a wonderful name for a prog rock band [/sub]

Well when I say sides, I don't mean two sides in a war. I mean people who disagree with each other. I guess I don't put much stock in loading my words. And yeah, pretty much. We just let our emotions get the better of us sometimes...fairly often...we all need to just take a chill pill.

EDIT: I have to agree with Guppy. I misspoke earlier. I don't care what THOSE games journalists think. I put my trust in those who have earned it though. Thank God for Jim.

 

[Melaphont]

Fair point. But I think it's safe to say that it's hardly speculation that media does affect our outlook on life. Maybe not for people who go out of their way to make sure they have their facts, but for people who don't bother to double check facts. Something I think most people are guilty of, even if it's only sometimes. I gotta admit, I do it too.

Well yeah. Any media can do that. I'm pretty sure I said that myself. It's not a "Games made Misogyny 50% more acceptable thing" it's small little factors. Little things here and there that enforce unhealthy mindsets. They can even pop up in really good games, or be so small that 90% of the people who play the game don't even notice them. Like in Skyrim how there is a mission to slut sham a woman. Skyrim itself has a pretty positive portrayal of women, but that little tid bit is still a no-no. It doesn't help that things aren't divided into completely sexist or completely feminist. You can think that women should be on the front lines in the armed forces, should have equal representation in government, have reproductive rights, should not have to do deal with harassment, cat calls or jeering, but you can still call a woman who has sex a slut. It's not black and white. It's complicated. As for finding evidence, I'd have to do some looking around and I have work soon. I'll see if I can get something after that. Sorry about that.

I'm not saying that all offensive arts need to be curtailed, I'm saying that when media in mass portrays a certain group negatively and they're in the mast majority (See how Russians and Chinese are so commonly bad guys in modern military shooters) I definitely think we need to get away from that and do something else.

Fair enough, I'll have to do some research for that. Like I said before, it'll sadly take some time.

I wasn't even really thinking about Anita. Just people who get defensive whenever games are criticized about anything.

Well I have to disagree that there is a systematic issue, mainly in the sense that we're struggling to write good female characters (Characters in general really, so arguably it's part of a bigger whole) and arguably the whole "Dude bro" mindset that goes with mass appeal (Read, appealing to COD fans) that we can hopefully shake off.

Video games have a systemic issue with crappy narrative, we cant fix anything until we fix this, imo, because this is the key issue in some games, where you see these sexist issues(and it isnt limited to women by any means) or just terrible plot points in general. And yes, I agree the media effects us, but ALL of media effects us, not just the parts we disagree with. Which was my point. If you are an unhealthy environment and you adhere to more unhealthy things, then ya you will obtain an unhealthy mindset. However, nothing in video games, I think, actually create the unhealthy environment on the whole. And again though, I dont think there is any proof that shows that video games add more of X(insert your choice of morals or beliefs) into the pop culture pool.

 

[BloatedGuppy]

That's my point. If you don't want to weed out the PR, the bullshit and the agendas just disengage from it entirely. People have that right. It's not the best reaction but it certainly would keep you sane.

I don't think it would do gamers any harm to learn to think about the things they read and expose themselves to contradictory points of view. It's intellectually healthy. Any time you find yourself retreating into or living in an echo chamber where the only things you are exposed to are the soothing voices of people who confirm the things you already believe, you're on the fast track to becoming a Very Stupid Human Being.

However, there are far better information streams people can dip into to challenge their preconceptions of the world than the fucking "gaming media", so if people want to stop reading it, it's probably a no harm no foul situation.

 

[Melaphont]

Like in Skyrim how there is a mission to slut sham a woman. Skyrim itself has a pretty positive portrayal of women, but that little tid bit is still a no-no.

I JUST saw this, not sure why. I very much have a problem with this mindset if you are infering it shouldnt be in teh game. Do I think slut shaming is bad? Yes. Do I think these controversial issues should be off limits or put into "perfect" context in art or storytelling? No, absolutely not. Stuff like that shouldn't be off limits. If people play skyrim and then think slut shaming is ok... Well, I want to meet this person.

 

[Guerilla]

And for the hundredth time, Anita is NOT the main voice of feminism. I'd be willing to bet hard money that you don't follow feminism at all. You don't follow feminist blogs on Tumblr, feminist journals, youtube series. I'd be willing to bet your only exposure to feminism is Anita and what gaming journals print. I follow a friend's Tumblr. She is a massive feminist, constantly sharing posts from other feminist blogs. She rarely, if ever, comments on Anita. And when she does once in a blue moon, it's more about her being frustrated with all the harassment she is getting. Anita is BORING. She makes lousy argument, takes things out of context, this same feminist friend got mad at her when I talked to her about it. I am a feminist and I don't care about Anita. I desperately want her series to fade into obscurity and people to forget that she ever existed. But that won't happen. And I'll admit it, yes there is a lot of bullshit going on that comes from feminist origin. I'm not clear what's going on with Zoey Quinn, but the evidence that she's been up to questionable stuff is a long stronger than the evidence towards Anita. I can't get behind the people who defend her and there are plenty of feminists out there than are just plain sexist towards men. It hardly defines the movement though. And if I was just to take a wild guess, I think people are pretty frustrated with the argument about the extremists in the group because more often than not people assume those extremists are what they're all about, which is why they don't want to talk about them. It happens on both sides and is why I think this argument is so hostile.

You know, calling dissenting opinions whining and nagging, REALLY reflects badly on you. Also, 1. why can only women develop games with good female characters? Why can't men do it? 2. There are more than a few women in the industry already 3. more women would play games if gaming was more inclusive

And yeah, that was pretty fucking tasteless.

Anita is the main voice of feminism in gaming. Kotaku and RPS come second and they're just as terrible and greedy. As for feminism in general the top afaik are Jezebel and then there's tumblr which is a whole different can of worms [http://www.reddit.com/r/TumblrInAction].

Like I asked in the previous thread if you guys have any examples of gaming related feminists with more visibility than the ones I mentioned please share them (still waiting from the previous thread). Until then don't be surprised if the gaming community is frustrated at and rejects feminism given the kind of assholes that represent it and the way they treat both gamers and game creators. But that's the hypocrisy I'm talking about; feminists will never organize to publicly denounce these people but they're more than glad to use the typical by now No True Scotsman fallacy every time the movement is accused of extremism or irrationality.

 

[x EvilErmine x]

Jumping straight in.

Because most criticism isn't constructive? Most of it is just whining and opinion. So one can only deal with so much of that thing before it gets old hat. I mean if more of it was constructive criticism then yeah it'd be fine because it'd be helpful rather than just whine whine whine.

 

[Redd the Sock]

Criticism by its nature carries some level of judgmentalness within it. That can't really be helped as by criticizing, you are saying that something is lessor than you think it could be. The key words in that sentence are "you think" which open up a lot of problems. If people truly took criticism to heart, we'd all be in good health, have gotten top grades in school, and never watch reality TV. We're just a culture with a nature for individualism and not liking being told what to do, no matter what that is. Defensiveness becomes natural no matter if someone's mocking your favorite show, or extolling the endless harm your fast food diet is doing.

Online criticism exacerbates this because most criticism is made without any thought to who or what you're criticizing. People criticize something like rescuing a princess solely in the mindset of "I don't like it." It isn't just that something exists that doesn't appeal to me as a matter of taste. No, instead the story is somehow objectively worse because "I" don't like that part of it. It treats the medium as if it's personally yours, and things not to your liking are somehow making is worse for everyone, not just you. In that criticism, you treat others like they're there for you and your pleasure, not people free to make their own choices. This is usually not intentional, but language can get overly negative or overly broad. You've come down on something in such a way that comes off as hostile to it's existence, and disdainful of those that make and enjoy it. As I said in a recent thread with the same topic, there's a difference in saying you don't like Man of Steel because you don't like dark and emo, and disliking that they made a dark and emo Superman movie: the first accepting others' right to enjoy it for what it was, and the second acting like such a thing had less right to exist than what you wanted.

And that's the best case: online people are idiots arguing with incomplete and anecdotal information leading to wrong conclusions. Gaming isn't immune as criticism of the medium is based greatly on the AAA's actions without looking elsewhere. Few criticisms are unflawed, and people aren't afraid of being criticized if they point out a flaw in your argument. Now, as others have said, the critic becomes the one afraid of criticism. I mean, it's hardly limited to video games (just look at any political message board), but we all too often mistake high minder critique with armchair quarterbacking. This, more than anything holds back critique because the critique doesn't improve or adjust to new information. I can't envision getting away with crying misogyny or sexism just because someone rebutted your points in debate class.

It's also why people are tired of the topic. Too many people not wanting to talk about it so much as have everyone validate their thesis. Some, I think enjoy having something they can look down their nose at like superior beings, other just don't want any opinion that doesn't fit the "evil boys club" narrative. And if that's all the topic becomes, why have the same conversations again and again?

 

[Ihateregistering1]

Often I have seen the refrain of, "Please stop talking about X. All this focus on social issues will suck the life and fun out of games."

This leads me to the following question:

WHAT!?

In what medium has criticism left art worse off? Are books terrible because there's literary criticism? Are movies worse because there are disciplines devoted to studying film? Is TV boring now that we analyze shows for social themes?

It boggles my mind that anyone could think that serious artistic criticism could be anything but good. Personally, some of the most enriching discussions I've had have been over some of the most trivial examples of entertainment. So what the hell are people afraid of?

There's a big reason I'd say why general criticism about a game (ie. 'the graphics are bad', 'the writing stinks', 'the mechanics are poor', etc.) is very different from criticizing a game under the guise of "social issues".

If you say "I don't like the mechanics of Assassin's Creed" (I just pulled AC out of a hat here), and I say "well I like the mechanics", that's pretty much the end of it, we have differing opinions on the mechanics.

On the other hand, if you say "I don't like Assassin's Creed because it's racist", what is the response? "Well I like Assassin's Creed because it's racist."? And if you don't think it's racist, now you're forced to defend why it isn't. And the reason you need to defend why it isn't is because, basically, the person claiming the game is racist is saying 1 of 2 things about those who like the game:
A: The game IS racist, those who like it are just too dumb/ignorant/'privileged' to see it. For pretty obvious reasons, people don't like that.
B: You know the game is racist but you play it anyway, which means that (at best) you're tolerant of racism, and (at worst) you're a racist yourself. People don't like that.

Criticizing through the lens of it being a social issue is, ultimately, an argument that you can't lose. Disagree that something is sexist, racist, anti-Semitic, etc? Well you just don't understand. Agree that something is _______ist, but play it and enjoy it anyway? You're tolerant of whatever ________ism we're talking about.

 

[Robert B. Marks]

Okay, somebody's got to take the long view, and since I've been around for a while, I guess it's going to be me.

Back around 1996 or so, Jessica Mulligan started writing a column titled Biting the Hand, which was an industry insider column. Jessica was a rather interesting fellow, and I mean that in the most literal sense possible - she had started as a he and undergone a sex change. So, she had seen the boy's club from the inside, and then from the outside.

A lot of what she wrote about involved gender issues, and she did it at a time when game developers saw nothing wrong with a group trip to a strip club to talk business after a day at GDC. And, the outrage at what she was saying was...well...pretty much non-existent, from what I recall.

Flash forward to about 2000-2002, and I'm writing Garwulf's Corner, which was a computer games issues column. I didn't touch on feminist issues often, but I did touch on them, and once again, the outrage was...non-existent. And I can vouch for that personally. Over the course of the entire run of the column and thousands of letters received (both agreeing and disagreeing with me), I can count on one hand the number of people who became abusive or threatening - and none of them were about anything I had said about sexism.

(And Bolo, if you're talking about the case I THINK you're talking about, I remember and took part in that fight - that was a good one.)

Today, we have internet mobs. Something has changed. The discourse has definitely become more polarized and toxic.

Let me provide an example - we had a bunch of articles about gamers as an identity. Most of them made it clear that they weren't talking about the community as a whole, but instead about a group who were setting themselves above the rest, making value judgements about who or what a "real gamer" was, launching attacks on people who say things they don't like, etc., and pointing out that yes, that is probably on its way out. This was taken as an attack against the entire community, when most of the articles clearly were not and were specific on that count. I've seen this before - it happened in the video game violence debate a few years back (just before and around the time Jack Thompson was disbarred), where any moderate opinion got relegated to one extreme or the other (I got accused at least twice of trying to say that video games cause school shootings, when I was actually specifically debunking the idea).

I'd almost think this is a generational thing. If you haven't guessed, I'm a late Gen-Xer, born in the mid-1970s. We gamers did have a sense of isolation back then (well, in the 1990s - I was too young in 1978 to be a gamer) since everybody had yet to join us, as they would throughout the first decade of the 21st century. But our outlook was very inclusive - we didn't care who you were, how you played, what you played, or why you played - we only cared THAT you played (with exceptions made for fans of Custer's Revenge). When everybody else started playing electronic games, that isolation disappeared, and with it the gamer identity that I had became obsolete (because it was based in part on the isolation). I became just another player (if you ask me, that's actually better, and new gamer identities emerged like the professional gamers, etc.).

So, what's changed? How did we go from "I respectfully disagree" to "ONLINE LYNCH MOB!"?

Well, for one thing, it could be both an attempt to adapt the legacy of the identity that we had while reacting against us at the same time. The "real gamer" today is in many ways the polar opposite of the gamer from the 1990s. The "real gamer" today cares a great deal about who you are, what you play, why you play, etc., and has a very defensive "us vs. them" mentality (and, it does seem a bit weird to me that in the absence of an "us vs. them" in the greater community, they basically created one of their own). So, a criticism of the game gets taken as a criticism of the gamer, even when it is carefully worded not to be.

I also wonder if there's a cultural thing involving high school at play. In Canada, we did have cliques in high school, but there wasn't really any competition involved. Nobody cared what clique you were in, and none of the cliques cared about what any of the others were doing. So, it's easy for somebody like me to take a "live and let live" approach, since that's what I've known all my life. From what I've heard about the United States (particularly after the Columbine shootings), cliques in the U.S. are so important and competition between them is so fierce that if you're in an unpopular clique, you go through HELL. If people are recently out of that, it's easy to hold onto that when you should instead be letting go and enjoying the bigger world.

But, there's also something else. I don't know if it's a generational thing, but back when I went through university in the late '90s, we were proud of the fact that we were very hostile to misogyny, and were chipping away at sexism. If somebody had said around us back then some of the things that were said about Sarkeesian and Quinn now, they would have gotten their ass kicked by everybody in the room. Sometime in the last 15 years, a rape culture emerged with a lot of misogyny (and yes, I know the difference between sexism and misogyny), and I don't have a clue of where it came from. What I do know is that the primary "SJW" targets were the ones dealing with sexism in games and calling it out.

Frankly, the way things have changed disturb the hell out of me. Back when I was writing, it was a civil conversation, regardless of the topic. You could speak and write freely. Hell, I could safely put my email address at the bottom of every single column, so that my readers could write to me directly. Even back during the Jack Thompson violence in video games thing, people flying off the handle seemed to be the exception, rather than the rule. Today there are online lynch mobs. Where the hell did that come from?

I REALLY hope that this particular phase doesn't last very long. I want the freedom of speech without fear, and any topic open for discussion, back. How did it come to pass that this seems unreachable right now?