Seriously, this one has been brewing for a while, and if the title sounds angry, well it should. This is a problem. It is a problem with society as a whole. Maybe it’s because things like the internet have made it possible to both find bigger groups of like-minded people and spread ideas faster, but it seems like everywhere you turn, someone has to push whatever in their minds is an extreme social injustice, obsessed to the point where everything they do has to reflect this core belief. They are obnoxious about it, dismissive of anyone who disagrees, and insulting to anyone who simply doesn’t think it belongs there. And now, this has come to gaming. God help us.
The kinds of things I’m talking about seem to be coming up all over gaming conversation, usually lead by someone who was offended by something stupid and before long they or someone else has tightened their crusader cap and cape fastenings and is calling anyone who sees no big deal with whatever stick they have up their ass whatever names they think are horrible and label the person someone to ignore since they are not “with them.” All the while, they continue to try to look like either they or whoever their cause is for is a victim. In short, they are working to be offended and take a social/political stance on it so they have a crusade to go on, and how they demand both the gaming community and the developers of games they like change the game to suit them and their cause.
We have seen this behavior before when a certain video series was started. Suddenly, you had an “us vs them” over gaming where one side was pushing how the views portrayed were right and should be used and that they weren’t sexist or trying to suggest censorship, while the other would counter argue, and before long people being assholes in general, it turned into “You fucking MRA scum!” vs “you fucking white knight!”
(Incidentally I never knew what an MRA was until this shit began. I had to look it up, and frankly I was more shocked at the behavior of the protestors against them in the video then anything I found on them. I don’t care how you feel about anything, when you celebrate ending people’s right to meet and talk by a fire alarm being pulled so the building is evacuated you are actively celebrating both the denial of free speech AND disrupting everyone’s day in the building EVEN THOUGH THEY HAVE NOTHING TO DO WITH WHAT YOU ARE PROTESTING. You are a fucking asshole.)
Since then it has simmered down but only on the surface. The impotent anger of the crusader who wants a cause has never really stopped and the recent uproar over a re-mention of a web comic that 3 years ago spawned a huge internet fight just goes to show that. There are still people in the gaming community who are looking to be a “social victim” or to play “hero” to one, and will stir up shit over the stupidest thing. (In this case, go look up Dickwolf if you need to know what I’m talking about. It’s literally a 3 panel comic about how people behave in WoW, but since “oh my god, they used the word “rape” in it, shit hit the fan.) The “us vs them” mentality held by the social crusaders who want to bring this back to full power is just retarded, and it frankly harms gaming to see this type of shit among our own.
But as sad as I am to say this, I suppose it was only a matter of time. Even as a kid, I was able to see there were people who made a point to find all they could to be a victim about. That has not changed. Hell with even less personal responsibility today then ever, it’s gotten worse. Before they would huff and puff and try to shame you. Now they do that and get angry when it doesn’t work… and now those crusaders at least claim to play games and demand they bend over too… or suffer their wrath.
(I think my personal favorite example of the rage right now is an attack on the Game Overthinker where even though he is one of these crusaders as of late, another one spent the time to comment on how he was a pig, accuses him of “being rapy” (I don’t know what that even means) and claimed she wanted to cut his dick off as a trophy)
This needs to stop… I would say I'm sorry, but I'm not. Telling people what can and can not go into a game is a direct affront to the developer who want’s to make what they want to make, and I find the timing of this bullshit rather all the more disturbing, as it seems to rear it’s ugly head JUST as more and more devs are getting freedom from publishers dictating what they can and can not do (which was a necessary devil in the past since it was their money funding the game, and one that we are watching alternatives come up like kickstarter). If you want to suggest other ideas to them, be my guest, but outcries of outrage because people are looking to be offended and crusade against something is fucking stupid.
And let me warn any crusader reading this… you will miss out on a lot by letting your cause dictate what you play, what events you go to, and just what you get to experience. These political stances should NOT dictate your life and ‘Im going to call you unbalanced if that is your drive… because you are. Now kindly go back to your protest signs and megaphones for whatever group you are trying to make miserable this week. I'm done with you.
No comments:
Post a Comment