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Has anyone else heard this?? the movement to stop women from developing video games and stuff

 

http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the- ... d-to-read/

 

the thing that really bugs me is Firefly Actor Adam Baldwin (Jayne) is tweeting his support for this, hes the one that came up with the hashtag.

Hes saying that the women are lying about the harassment. I love Firefly and Im really pissed that hes shown his support.. Alot of other celeb geeks like Wil Wheaton and Seth Rogen have called him out on it but he doesnt seem to be backing down!

 

Some women were bullied so much on twitter and having their home addresses being tweeted out and being threatened with rape and murder..

 

OVER VIDEO GAMES?

 

:angry-banghead::shock:

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despite my love for firefly and the character of jayne, i can't stand adam baldwin. he's extremely conservative, though i can't say for sure if he's actually religious or not.

i love gaming and if women love to program and play video games, i don't think there should be a huge problem. women can do it just as well as men. there's just still a pervading sense of video games being a "male thing" that girl gamers (and programers) feel somewhat ostracized (although, just try telling me how much i can't play as i beat the dogshit out of you in tekken :P ).

i'm hoping this whole thing is just shamed into the background until people forget about it.

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There is an interesting/depressing article on cracked about this here: http://www.tinyurl.dk/44601 . Not being a gamer (well, I like some games, but I'm not in "the community") this was the first I'd heard of it. And then I turned of my internet and went for a walk in the park to remind myself that not all of humanity sucks.

The game mentioned in the article, Depression Quest, is, in my opinion, a really thoughtful exploration of life with depression. But, you know, the creator ids as female and therefore must be obliterated.

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That is very upsetting to read. I am female and have been a gamer for many years - since Pong. Most males would not take me seriously as I enjoy casual type games such as Pong, Pacman and Pikmin.

I played WoW for about a year, maybe two, but life intervened and I became a very casual player.

I have sat in many Teamspeaks and Mumbles, read chat in-game, read forums - and it has amazed and gutted me that the Internet seems full of Neanderthals.

For something supposed to be modern progress, the Internet itself, and for all the youth who supposedly dominate it in all ways, it is shocking how much white patriarchy rears its ugly head. For sure don't be black, female, or gay.

I feel so depressed now, like somehow women are always going to be considered an inferior gender.

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GamerGate is also getting mainstream media attention. I know two female gamers, Anita Sarskeeian and Brittany Wu, have been getting horrifying death threats. Ms. Sarskeeian cancelled a talk she was to give at a university in Utah due to threats to here and any students attending her talk due to one violent, misogynist male gamer. So far this issue has been covered by PBS, CBS This Morning, Salon.com, and other media outlets.

Yes, the misogyny that exists in the gaming community chills me to my tailbone, but I'm glad it's also getting attention. This hatred of women is seriously disturbing and proves why feminism is still needed.

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Good article in Mother Jones this week on GamerGate. They're basically nailing their own coffin shut. From the inside.

I will NEVER forgive Adam Baldwin for ruining Firefly for me. He was one of the first celebrities I found on Twitter, and his hateful rhetoric almost made me sick. I guess it's obvious why his career hasn't gone anywhere - if you're known as a gay-hating misogynistic asshole, odds are not a lot of people are going to want to work with you.

Some of these guys need to be reminded that "freedom of speech" is not "I say what I want and am never held accountable for it and no one can tell me my speech is stupid or hateful." There's no such thing as freedom from consequences. I hope like hell the FBI and various local law enforcement agencies teach these "Gamergate" thugs that, good and hard.

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Good article in Mother Jones this week on GamerGate. They're basically nailing their own coffin shut. From the inside.

I will NEVER forgive Adam Baldwin for ruining Firefly for me. He was one of the first celebrities I found on Twitter, and his hateful rhetoric almost made me sick. I guess it's obvious why his career hasn't gone anywhere - if you're known as a gay-hating misogynistic asshole, odds are not a lot of people are going to want to work with you.

Some of these guys need to be reminded that "freedom of speech" is not "I say what I want and am never held accountable for it and no one can tell me my speech is stupid or hateful." There's no such thing as freedom from consequences. I hope like hell the FBI and various local law enforcement agencies teach these "Gamergate" thugs that, good and hard.

I'm going to my local indie bookstore after work tonight so I'll check out the Mother Jones article.

And it sucks about Adam Baldwin. I never saw him on "Firefly" but I liked him on "Chuck." I knew he was more conservative, but I had no idea what a hateful asshole he was. Douchebag.

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And it sucks about Adam Baldwin. I never saw him on "Firefly" but I liked him on "Chuck." I knew he was more conservative, but I had no idea what a hateful asshole he was. Douchebag.

jayne cobb has nothin' on adam baldwin when it comes to hatin'

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Only the sob stories of these ladies are hitting the media.

Anita Sarkeesian is a liar and has swindled the money from an overfunded kickstarter. She is a "professional" victim.

Zoe Quinn has been involved in a scandal that questions the ethics of gaming journalism.

I don't think that these women deserve death threats, in fact, they absolutely do not, but they are very disliked. The media is very onesided, but there are some EXCELLENT critiques available if you choose to look deeper than the surface. It's too easy to cast things like this aside and simply claim it's all sexist. I'm not a feminist, but I am for equality, and i do not want to associate my self with the line of thinking offered by this brand of "feminist"

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God Almighty, it's like Beeetlejuice. Say "Gamergate," "Anita Sarkeesian," or any associated term on any forum and some twatwaffle arrives to tell you all about how the systematic harassment of female developers and critics is TOTALLY COINCIDENTAL, nothing misogynistic here at all, oh no, all about ethics in journalism. In game review journalism.

Bonus points for "professional victim," which does not even have a Fucking MEANING.

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If someone registers for a forum to sob over someone else's sob story on a forum he registered for to sob over this sob story... doesn't that person appear to you like the PICTURE of manliness? :violin:

(I suppose getting infos from "deeper than the surface means reading "Return of Kings"-articles on the subject *snort*)

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Anita and Zoe are both very problematic to get behind. The hatred and threats they are getting are horrible, and those responsible absolutely need to be punished, but they've both had major issues with expressing trans hate, among other things so I just can't point to them as good representatives of women in gaming. Heck, Zoe Quinn nearly destroyed a charity project to get more women (including trans-women) into game developing.

There are major issues with Zoe & Anita, but no one deserves the kind of vitriol being directed, not only at them, but every other woman who dares to speak in the public sphere. It's not just related to gaming, any woman can be a target, although it's usually more focused on those who are activists for any cause or who are otherwise outspoken. I know a lot of birth advocates and fat advocates who are dealing with extreme hatred and threats in their comment sections on a daily basis, and I know they're far from the only ones.

I'm not sure what can be done about it, but clearly something needs to be. This Gamergate bs is just the disgusting tip of a very large and vile iceberg of hatred directed towards women online.

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You would wrongly assume that I am a man. ;) The irony of defending feminism but making a sexist umbrella statement about men and "manliness" was a nice touch. Or the sarcasm was lost on me.

I completely agree that there are sexist acts commited against women, It is not cool that these women are getting death threats. I am angry that people have an anonymous platform to stand behind and shout their hatred for these women. But, is it always mysogony if you dislike a person who has poor character and said person also happens to be female? Anita and Zoe are poor role models for the feminist community. Infact, Anita's platform that she uses to campaign for the againgst the violent objectification against women in video games is a poor argument. It's very easy to turn the tables and use the same arguments to describe men as the victims. Not to mention no credible study has ever been done that actually links video games to increased violence. (Keyword: CREDIBLE) I feel like they make problem where there are not problems, and they get more publicity for controversy than their actual work. Both are so imbedded in scandal, it's hard to point the finger and act like sexism is the only crime being comitted here.

If you believe in the feminist cause, you deserve better representation.

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Please name some actions GamerGate people have undertaken to clean up games journalism that does NOT revolve around a woman and her opinion. Also excluded are sending money to a program for women in gaming specifically to have that to use as an example of not being misogynist, or creating Vivian James.

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Also, the reaction is not really about defending Sarkeesian or Quinn as feminist role models, nor about violence in video games. It's more about women being fed up. We look at games and don't see many women that look like us or act like us or have much character development. It's about women being harassed—take a look at Fat, Slutty, or Ugly. GamerGate is about perpetuating those problems, and the reaction is women and men who are sick of it.

Women in tech are especially frustrated with GamerGate because of how we're treated in many environments. We don't see many women in leadership roles above the first manager level. We get interrupted more, talked over more, and criticized for being too aggressive when men don't for the same behavior.

Just like men, women turn to various forms of media as escapism and fantasy. Books, TV, movies, video games, etc. And when we look at video games and are subjected to the same frustrations, it's hurtful. Seeing that culture being championed and women being harasses for daring to question it is hurtful. It's tiring.

It's the same feelings that African Americans or Asians and other minority groups express about their limited roles in television. It's gotten better, slowly, but the frustration over black men being portrayed mostly as criminals is real.

GamerGate is cultural frustration.

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Ah, yes, the "well, those people are problematic" response. I don't care if they kidnapped Santa Claus and ate Rudolph. there's no excuse for the threats and intimidation. The moment you bring in "Well, those people are problematic" you're implying that there are actions which making death threats okay.

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Ah, yes, the "well, those people are problematic" response. I don't care if they kidnapped Santa Claus and ate Rudolph. there's no excuse for the threats and intimidation. The moment you bring in "Well, those people are problematic" you're implying that there are actions which making death threats okay.

So because they got death threats (which isn't okay), it's unfair to criticize them?

There is no excuse for death threats. However, that doesn't mean that no one should ever discuss their role in gaming. Zoe and Anita do not represent me, and I think some of their arguments are dumb and easily refuted.

I also would like for people to stop adding -gate to the end of things. It makes no sense. I know where the -gate came from (The Watergate Hotel) and it is seriously annoying.

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The issue I take with Anita's talks in paticular is that she is creating problems. She would have women believing the video game industry in run by a bunch of women hating men who sit around and plot ways to take women down. The reality is that VGs are a HUGE industry, mostly supported by males. Of course VGs will be made to target that demographic. It's about making money, not pleasing a miniscule protion of the population. Objectification of women? Ya, heterosexual males like butts and boobs and stuff. I fail to see how that's offensive. The same marketing strategy doesn't apply to women? I don't know about you guys/gals, but my self worth has never been defined by female representation in a video game.

She lies about a link between increased violence and VGs, misleads about the mission intent in some games. She ignites a fury, get people riled up on both sides. She claims her videos are "well researched" and wants them to be used as academic cirriculum. That's scary.

That is why people are so angry. There was a great point brought up, that death threats do not excuse these women from criticism. But, it also isn't a reason to condone the threats.

I don't like feminism. It tells me that as a women I am oppressed. That there is a pay difference, when i know better. That gender roles are bad. It ignores the fact that we can do nothing to assimilate a population into a "rape free" group. No matter how much we educate. We also teach people not to murder, not to steal, not to drive dangerously. We tend to avoid dangerous conflict, put locks on house, and wear seatbelts to lessen the effects of those things. SOME rape has factors you can control. it might not be enough to dissuade the event, but life doesn't owe us a flying fuck. Not one. Best do what we can to look out for number 1. YOU!

I welcome debate, there has been some great argument presented, and this issue is really complex. I find ad hominem passé, so won't respond to that.

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So because they got death threats (which isn't okay), it's unfair to criticize them?

When the discussion is death threats and intimidation of women in gaming, yes. Because it has fuck all to do with the discussion.

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The reality is that VGs are a HUGE industry, mostly supported by males.

Your argument would work better if it were factually correct. Women are 45% of gamers, and when you include moms buys games for their kids, they buy 48% of games. If 4% is "mostly" to you, please got take a statistics course.

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When the discussion is death threats and intimidation of women in gaming, yes. Because it has fuck all to do with the discussion.

Discussions on this board evolve. conversations are not limited to one topic. I've missed many interesting discussions about things that have very little to do with the original post. I've also seen plenty of conversations go from talking about one thing to something completely different.

No one here is saying that anything that Anita or Zoe did warrants threats and intimidation. However, the next logical part of this conversation (IMO) would be to examine what they are saying. Otherwise, we are just a bunch of people repeating each other and saying how horrible it is that that happened.

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