Developers protest intolerance of diversity
Almost 1400 devs sign an open letter calling for an end to harassment and death threats
Hundreds of game developers have added their signatures to an open letter calling for a more balanced and equal industry, and greater level of understanding in the face of different points-of-view.
The letter was circulated by Andreas Zecher of Spaces of Play, an independent studio based in Berlin. It calls for people to take action when they see "threats of violence or harm" or "hateful, harassing speech."
"We believe that everyone, no matter what gender, sexual orientation, ethnicity, or religion has the right to play games, criticize games and make games without getting harassed or threatened," the letter reads. "It is the diversity of our community that allows games to flourish."
At the time of writing, the letter had been signed by nearly 1400 developers from a wide variety of backgrounds - from indies and academics all the way up to huge companies like Nintendo, EA and Riot Games. There are plenty of famous names in there, too, for anyone who takes the time to read the whole thing.
The timing of this letter is no accident, following as it does a couple of very dispiriting weeks for the industry. At this point, the public abuse and death threats received by Zoe Quinn and Anita Sarkeesian need no introduction, but the fallout has reached far beyond the games press and into mainstream media.
To add your support, follow the link.
Edited 1 times. Last edit by Ben Mathis on 2nd September 2014 4:59pm
We get it, People have strong and often negative opinions (and how!) and some are very vocal about them BECAUSE that have that cloak of immunity the internet allows them. But at this point, it's like a bus full of rowdy asshole kids with no guardian present to shut them down when they misbehave and some still defending them even after they've set the bus they're on aflame as it careens down a highway to a steep cliff. Bleh.
It's about time women come and help clean this video game market because is it becoming a refuge for casual violence against women. And the thinking must go deeper than "yeah but she is a prostitute".
To put things in perspective I have nothing against nude scenes but the woman's beauty must be respected. Again it must go deeper than "background beauty is useless". I love sunsets and mountains and "they are doing nothing". I understand that not everyone is thinking like I do.
@Alex Hutchinson--Let's also not forget Adam Orth. No I didn't agree with his controversial statements but they are no reason to make threats against him and his family. And the samething goes for all the various online networks. People need to try and learn to get along better. After all, the whole point of playing video games originally was to have fun.
Edited 1 times. Last edit by Roberto Dillon on 3rd September 2014 6:07am
This kind of threats can get you to jail easily (and not just one or two months. No; a lot more. At least in most of European countries) the problem is exactly that. In the majority of cases it turns into "is a child thing videogames" and that is enough to even ignore things like how the guy throwing threat even had the address of that person.
Another example: if this kind of things were taking more seriously, crap like this moronic "Swatting" trend would not be happening no more.
THAT is hate too.
A lot of these developers have said some horrible things.
They separate themselves (who identified as gamers 3 weeks ago) from 'gamers' which they've re-defined as misogynist monsters. They then use THAT as an excuse to call them 'fat virgin man-babies.'
And this is NEVER reported on. Ever.
All we care about is Anita Saarkesian and Zoe Quinn, but we don't care about the professional rank female game devs that hate this is happening, speak, and then get abused, or the youtubers trying to post video's that get DMCA'd without any usage of copyrighted material, or the twitter users harassed, or the fact that we've automatically re-defined two entire forums as monsters DESPITE them donating $17000 to charity and creating a sex free, equality loving, video game character (which was then called an anti-feminist monster.)
Is this ANY way to behave?
We need to acknowledge the horrors of the other side as well, I don't care WHAT your reasoning is for harassment, just because you champion a movement DOESN'T mean you're free of guilt for harassing another person. Which. Has. Happened. A lot.
Edited 2 times. Last edit by Maged Hamdy on 3rd September 2014 7:06pm
My name is in the list of signatures, for what that's worth. I oppose harassment and abuse of members of the games community, and while I'm aware many of y'all take issue with my tone when I'm addressing the attitudes of sexism and misogyny that plague our industry I make no apology for being uncompromising in my approach. Funnily enough, being told that the industry I work in and the games I like are 'not for me' because I'm a woman can be somewhat upsetting, so if I seem angry, don't worry: I am.
Personally, I felt that Maged's comment was addressing a variety of straw-people not present in either the article nor any of the comments, in a particularly outraged and unfocused way possibly more suited to a YouTube comment, which is why I observed it seemed misplaced. I also felt that his attempts to defend the unnamed internet forums which I am sure we are all aware of were more than a little insensitive since users on those forums have been instrumental in organising attacks against many developers, journalists and gamers in the past few weeks. I could have been more forceful in my objection, but we've had issues on GI before with students saying embarassing things that they later apologised for and I don't want to ruin any careers before they begin by blowing up at someone inexperienced for behaving inappropriately.
@Alexis
Personally, I think the hypocrisy in this situation is that the people currently coming out of the woodwork to 'protest journalistic ethics' by attacking women like Zoe and Anita and Jenn Frank and Mattie Brice(those two have just quit games journalism as a result of their harassment, by the way) didn't seem to feel the need to crusade in quite the same way when Doritogate or Gerstmanngate happened, and those were far more serious breaches of whatever you could consider ethics with huge financial ramifications than, say, a game developer sleeping with a journalist who never actually reviewed her work.
I give a damn when women are attacked under the guise of 'ethics' or 'conspiracy' when those are clearly flimsy excuses for a misogynistic crusade against women who make interesing, different games or women who do not speak pleasingly to support the status quo. I give a damn because women who work in games have to put up with far more shit than men who work in games simply because our gender makes us targets for the small-minded pond scum of the Internet and those who are foolish enough to follow in the ideology of that pond-scum.
I also give a damn when men in games are attacked for similarly petty, stupid reasons, but what Anita and Zoe have had to endure goes far beyond anything that I am aware any man had had to. When Adam Orth was attacked and sent death threats, I didn't feel a need to step in and say 'Well, what about Anita?!' When Phil Fish was attacked I didn't shrug and say 'Oh, but what Jennifer Hepler had to put up with was also terrible!' I supported and sympathised with those men, I didn't feel a need to drag women's pain in 'for equality' or 'balance'.
Sure, he upset a lot of people, but the death threats, family threats, abuse etc were just as real.
The internet certainly does love a good double standard...