Gamers Launch Harassment Campaign Against BioWare

JonJacob wrote: Taking anything on the internet seriously is proof you shouldn't be on the internet. Same goes with playing games on line. Don't do it until you are fully prepared.

That's fine until some of those people on the Internet bring the aggression to your home and threaten your livelihood with it, which appears to be what's happening here.

The boys conducting themselves this way need to be reminded that they aren't nearly as anonymous on the Internet as they think they are. Outing a few of them in a very public way might sober up the party in a hurry.

S.

Sagrilarus wrote:

JonJacob wrote: Taking anything on the internet seriously is proof you shouldn't be on the internet. Same goes with playing games on line. Don't do it until you are fully prepared.

That's fine until some of those people on the Internet bring the aggression to your home and threaten your livelihood with it, which appears to be what's happening here.

The boys conducting themselves this way need to be reminded that they aren't nearly as anonymous on the Internet as they think they are. Outing a few of them in a very public way might sober up the party in a hurry.

S.

The point was it started on the net. Then got taken outside of it. Did we learn nothing from Boxxy? Jessy Slaughter? or encyclopedia dramatica? This is prbably the 8 thousandth time I've heard this kind of story. Stay off the net until you can accept that people will call your home, or have 100 pizza's delivered to you, or stalk you at school plays because they think you're pretty. The net is not a safe place.

JonJacob wrote: The point was it started on the net. Then got taken outside of it. Did we learn nothing from Boxxy? Jessy Slaughter? or encyclopedia dramatica? This is prbably the 8 thousandth time I've heard this kind of story. Stay off the net until you can accept that people will call your home, or have 100 pizza's delivered to you, or stalk you at school plays because they think you're pretty. The net is not a safe place.

This woman's job essentially lives on the net. The woman's livelihood and security are being threatened and the response is that she knew the risks? How is the lynch mob off the hook on this?

S.

Misogyny sucks. Homophobia sucks. Also, Jennifer Hepler sucks.

This 'mob' is obviously composed of different groups of people, and it's a shame that few can see that. The 'teh women and gays are stealing our games' people have been bitching about Bioware games for a long time, and they've just piled on here. The 'Hepler Sucks' people are blunt and rude and should not be resorting to personal attacks, but they do have some substantive points. I mean, do we really want game writers / designer who proudly claim that they don't like playing games? Obviously I don't think her security should be threatened in any way, but her job? Fine by me. Nobody has a right to be bad at their job.

Me? I love the gays and the women and I think 95% of the Bioware writing is abysmal - and this is coming from a guy who was offered a job writing for Bioware Austin in my last year of grad school. For what it's worth, the pay was decent, the hours complete shit, and I would have driven a railroad spike into my forehead if I'd had to write SW:TOR quest dialogue 10 hours a day.

Just to be clear, we are one or two "blame the victims" posts away from this heading straight to Bitchfest, or the offending parts being dumped into He Fucking Dick and Then Bullshit.


Sorry, just heading that one off at the pass. Just because we have the image of a "say anything" website, doesn't mean we'll ever be a haven for hate speech. This is just a general statement and aimed at no one in particular.

Well Bioware aren't doing themselves any favors, they're feeding the flames.

Jennifer Hepler tweeted, "I just figure they're jealous that I get to have both a vagina AND a games industry job, and they can't get either."

Followed by tweets from the GM of Bioware,

https://twitter.com/#!/AarynFlynn/status/171415952909533184

i.imgur.com/iXZJT.png

lol, those tweets are great! (from Aaron Flynn). What a cool video game name too. Reminds me of some video game movie, about video games, with lightcycles and stuff. I can't put my finger on it. Wing Commander?

Reading about these tussles in the video game community reminds me of three things: 1) I'm so glad I am not part of the cesspool that is online video game culture; 2) It makes me grateful for the fort here and that there are at least some places online where you can have discussion and discourse that doesn't dissolve into expletive heavy insults; 3) People are a bunch of fucking arsehole fuck-knuckle cockfinger idiots.

Ken B. wrote: Just to be clear, we are one or two "blame the victims" posts away from this heading straight to Bitchfest, or the offending parts being dumped into He Fucking Dick and Then Bullshit.


Sorry, just heading that one off at the pass. Just because we have the image of a "say anything" website, doesn't mean we'll ever be a haven for hate speech. This is just a general statement and aimed at no one in particular.

Kind of a cop out there Ken. You should pick someone in particular otherwise we don't know what you mean. I am the closest to "blame the victim" as you call it. I don't blame the victim though. I think the very real problem of treating young boys like idiot's is not getting discussed and I think posts like this discourage us from looking at the whole problem not just this one aspect of it... and by all means, move it to bitchfest if you like it makes no difference to me.

JonJacob wrote: Kind of a cop out there Ken. You should pick someone in particular otherwise we don't know what you mean.

I have to agree with this. I can't see anyone even approaching what you're saying.

Wetworks wrote: Well Bioware aren't doing themselves any favors, they're feeding the flames.

Jennifer Hepler tweeted, "I just figure they're jealous that I get to have both a vagina AND a games industry job, and they can't get either."

Without context or when in the timeline this poorly chosen tweet was released this looks like it's one of those "she asked for it because she was dressed for it".

Still doesn't excuse a lot of the behavior in the article.

Bullwinkle wrote:

JonJacob wrote: Kind of a cop out there Ken. You should pick someone in particular otherwise we don't know what you mean.

I have to agree with this. I can't see anyone even approaching what you're saying.

The reason that it's aimed at no one in particular is because no one in particular has crossed that line. But I've seen this thread--or variations on it--many times; somehow, we quite frequently end there.

That was just a pre-emptive statement. If I had names to name, I'd name 'em.

There is a lot of good in the video game community too though. I've made lots of friends online playing games, some really good ones too.

Just because I get disgusted by what I see in the American Republican primary doesn't make me glad I don't live in the States or anything. i know there is a ton of good down there too.

Black Barney wrote: There is a lot of good in the video game community too though. I've made lots of friends online playing games, some really good ones too.

Just because I get disgusted by what I see in the American Republican primary doesn't make me glad I don't live in the States or anything.

Oh geezus Barney don't get me started!!!

Black Barney wrote: i know there is a ton of good down there too.

Definitely! Unlike some of us, at least you know what they're thinking because they have no problem telling you to your face.

SuperflyTNT wrote:
The "vagina" is completely arbitrary to me, I think it's that the abusive pricks online just use the ammo that they know how to use, and belittling a woman to make their sad, lonely little self-handjob laden lives a little less dreary by tearing someone else down is all they 've got. I'm not sure if it's pity or seething hatred that I have for those kinds of people; maybe a mix of both. But preying on the weak (or those they perceive as weak) for enjoyment is just sickening.

There have been abusive pricks online since online began. I'm pretty sure there are some chat logs or whatever on DarpaNet of someone being a prick. It is pretty easy to be a prick when you have the feeling that you are completely anonymous and wont suffer any reprocussions.

I remember my first MUD that allowed PVP. It was a SuperHero MUD set in Ann Arbor (which was pretty cool because I could figure out how to get around it). At any rate, they added a villians guild and one night I was wandering around with the title Utter Frosh (that was the first level title) and a couple villians decided to attack me. They were about 10 levels lower than me and started to beat feet out of there when I started to choke them (I was a Jedi and that was a level 15 thing). For the rest of the night I would occasionally track them down and wave.....

A few years ago, we played Shadowbane. Parts of it were fun but parts of it were ruined by the shear dickery that hung out on it.