"You ARE the cancer that is poisoning Bileware"
February 21, 2012 10:31 AM Subscribe
BioWare has been at the center of many discussions about how companies that make AAA video games handle gender, race and sexuality. They've tackled issues of inclusivity with varying degrees of success. Last year they had fans choose their favorite representation of the female version of Commander Shepard from Mass Effect in what was effectively an online beauty pageant only a few months after BioWare writer David Gaider eloquently defended same-sex relationships in Dragon Age II, earning him his share of Internet ire.
Now writer Jennifer Hepler is the latest BioWare employee on the hotseat.
A week ago a Reddit user dug up a 2006 interview in which she talked about wanting to skip parts of games she found frustrating. The user altered some of the quotes' context and posted the quotes with the list of words "CANCER INFECTION BLIGHT VERMIN DISEASE SEWAGE PLAGUE WASTE" describing Hepler. This led to Hepler receiving harassing calls and emails, and when she joined Twitter the flames followed. While some responses focused on whether she should be writing for video games if she didn't enjoy playing them, others focused on her gender and appearance, calling her a "fat bitch" or "obese cunt" and questioning if BioWare should even allow homosexual relationships in their games, eventually leading BioWare GM Aaryn Flynn to call one such respondent out on Twitter.
A week ago a Reddit user dug up a 2006 interview in which she talked about wanting to skip parts of games she found frustrating. The user altered some of the quotes' context and posted the quotes with the list of words "CANCER INFECTION BLIGHT VERMIN DISEASE SEWAGE PLAGUE WASTE" describing Hepler. This led to Hepler receiving harassing calls and emails, and when she joined Twitter the flames followed. While some responses focused on whether she should be writing for video games if she didn't enjoy playing them, others focused on her gender and appearance, calling her a "fat bitch" or "obese cunt" and questioning if BioWare should even allow homosexual relationships in their games, eventually leading BioWare GM Aaryn Flynn to call one such respondent out on Twitter.
This post was deleted for the following reason: I appreciate you put some effort into this roundup, sgranade, but a lot of this got discussed already in the recent reddit post and I feel like we don't need yet another thread just to agree that jackasses on /r/Gaming did indeed act like jackasses. -- cortex
This started at Reddit? I have a hard time believing that.
posted by OmieWise at 10:39 AM on February 21, 2012 [4 favorites]
posted by OmieWise at 10:39 AM on February 21, 2012 [4 favorites]
Places like /r/gaming and /v/ make cesspits like the Bioware Social Network look like Plato's Academy.
posted by kmz at 10:39 AM on February 21, 2012 [2 favorites]
posted by kmz at 10:39 AM on February 21, 2012 [2 favorites]
Most of the initial backlash was due to several fabrications created by 4chan's /v/ which Reddit swallowed whole. But the biggest wtf is that a serious business decided to engage trolls on Twitter.
posted by Foci for Analysis at 10:41 AM on February 21, 2012 [1 favorite]
posted by Foci for Analysis at 10:41 AM on February 21, 2012 [1 favorite]
I have a hard time deciding what my favorite* moment from this contretemps is, but I think it may be the guy who Aaryn Flynn called out for saying "You ARE the cancer that is poisoning Bileware. You and your pig disgusting fetishes" later coming back and apologizing for the "outright hostility" but adding, "this doesn't mean my criticism is withdrawn". I suppose his disgust of "pig disgusting fetishes" like homosexual relationships will not be denied!
*For inverse values of "favorite".
posted by sgranade at 10:42 AM on February 21, 2012
*For inverse values of "favorite".
posted by sgranade at 10:42 AM on February 21, 2012
Are self-described gamers pretty much the worst people ever? The evidence is mounting.
You obviously have never read the comments on the articles on any national or local news site.
posted by MegoSteve at 10:43 AM on February 21, 2012 [9 favorites]
You obviously have never read the comments on the articles on any national or local news site.
posted by MegoSteve at 10:43 AM on February 21, 2012 [9 favorites]
Its simply what happens when anonymous individuals get to say things without any reprecussions. Its the imperfect end of the system, but I don't think it can be avoided above the level of the individual.
posted by Slackermagee at 10:45 AM on February 21, 2012
posted by Slackermagee at 10:45 AM on February 21, 2012
Are self-described gamers pretty much the worst people ever? The evidence is mounting.
posted by balistic at 12:35 PM on February 21 [+] [!]
Are sweeping generalizations moronic? Scientists say YES!
posted by WinnipegDragon at 10:46 AM on February 21, 2012 [1 favorite]
posted by balistic at 12:35 PM on February 21 [+] [!]
Are sweeping generalizations moronic? Scientists say YES!
posted by WinnipegDragon at 10:46 AM on February 21, 2012 [1 favorite]
I'm not sure what the point of this post is. It used to be assumed that this was a internet dickwad theory sort of thing, except enough people use their real names online anymore that all you can say is that human beings are terrible people.
posted by curious nu at 10:46 AM on February 21, 2012
posted by curious nu at 10:46 AM on February 21, 2012
See also: John Gabriel's Greater Internet Fuckwad Theory.
posted by mvuijlst at 10:48 AM on February 21, 2012
posted by mvuijlst at 10:48 AM on February 21, 2012
Hepler: 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.
Heh.
posted by brain_drain at 10:51 AM on February 21, 2012 [4 favorites]
Heh.
posted by brain_drain at 10:51 AM on February 21, 2012 [4 favorites]
Its simply what happens when anonymous individuals get to say things without any reprecussions. Its the imperfect end of the system, but I don't think it can be avoided above the level of the individual.
posted by Slackermagee at 10:45 AM on February 21 [+] [!]
Well, places like Reddit could certainly moderate these witch hunt flame war discussions instead of just giving them a platform. Although, "the cancer that's killing Bioware" has a 4chan ring to it, so god knows I wouldn't go blaming one forum in particular.
It IS up to the individual, but you can do what you can to rehabilitate the culture of entitlement and reflexive misogyny that's built up around gaming too. As long as we have platforms that allow or even encourage this shit there will be people that gladly do it.
posted by Stagger Lee at 10:51 AM on February 21, 2012
places like Reddit could certainly moderate these witch hunt flame war discussions instead of just giving them a platform.
I guess that's why they deleted it.
posted by the man of twists and turns at 10:53 AM on February 21, 2012
I guess that's why they deleted it.
posted by the man of twists and turns at 10:53 AM on February 21, 2012
This post on the Bioware Social forums by one of the writers of Dragon Age II caused a similar "gamer guy" response last year. Women writers acting in a manner that might be considered "girly"? In our serious business elf games? BLASPHEMY.
My theory is that Bioware games are generally oriented to an audience that is not the typical gamer audience. They are usually fairly female-friendly, and certainly friendly to different sexual orientations. This lack of being totally catered to drives a few more traditional gamers into a rage, although they probably don't even realize why.
posted by jess at 10:54 AM on February 21, 2012 [1 favorite]
My theory is that Bioware games are generally oriented to an audience that is not the typical gamer audience. They are usually fairly female-friendly, and certainly friendly to different sexual orientations. This lack of being totally catered to drives a few more traditional gamers into a rage, although they probably don't even realize why.
posted by jess at 10:54 AM on February 21, 2012 [1 favorite]
Well, places like Reddit could certainly moderate these witch hunt flame war discussions instead of just giving them a platform.
Reddit refuses to moderate child porn posted on their boards. What makes you think they would even think about moderating flame wars?
posted by patrick54 at 10:54 AM on February 21, 2012 [1 favorite]
Reddit refuses to moderate child porn posted on their boards. What makes you think they would even think about moderating flame wars?
posted by patrick54 at 10:54 AM on February 21, 2012 [1 favorite]
I'm not sure what the point of this post is. It used to be assumed that this was a internet dickwad theory sort of thing, except enough people use their real names online anymore that all you can say is that human beings are terrible people.
posted by curious nu at 10:46 AM on February 21 [1 favorite +] [!]
Given the strains of misogyny and homophobia in video gaming culture, I believe it's worth shining a bright light onto events like this in the hope that eventually the people involved will be shamed enough that they'll decide that being this openly hateful is not okay.
posted by sgranade at 10:55 AM on February 21, 2012 [2 favorites]
posted by curious nu at 10:46 AM on February 21 [1 favorite +] [!]
Given the strains of misogyny and homophobia in video gaming culture, I believe it's worth shining a bright light onto events like this in the hope that eventually the people involved will be shamed enough that they'll decide that being this openly hateful is not okay.
posted by sgranade at 10:55 AM on February 21, 2012 [2 favorites]
Given the strains of misogyny and homophobia in video gaming culture, I believe it's worth shining a bright light onto events like this in the hope that eventually the people involved will be shamed enough that they'll decide that being this openly hateful is not okay.
Sure! But what do you want us to say or discuss? It's bad, and we can grar at it, but grar-for-the-sake-of-grar stuff tends to get deleted because it doesn't serve any useful purpose. Is there somewhere else for this thread to go?
posted by curious nu at 10:58 AM on February 21, 2012
Sure! But what do you want us to say or discuss? It's bad, and we can grar at it, but grar-for-the-sake-of-grar stuff tends to get deleted because it doesn't serve any useful purpose. Is there somewhere else for this thread to go?
posted by curious nu at 10:58 AM on February 21, 2012
Reddit refuses to moderate child porn posted on their boards. What makes you think they would even think about moderating flame wars?
Good news, they've updated their policy to ban content that sexualizes minors. Oddly enough they seem to have been spurred on by a campaign that started on the SomethingAwful forums.
posted by papercrane at 11:03 AM on February 21, 2012
Good news, they've updated their policy to ban content that sexualizes minors. Oddly enough they seem to have been spurred on by a campaign that started on the SomethingAwful forums.
posted by papercrane at 11:03 AM on February 21, 2012
Reddit refuses to moderate child porn posted on their boards. What makes you think they would even think about moderating flame wars?
The mods deleted the thread linked above and posted a thread basically saying "stop it."
posted by dirigibleman at 11:05 AM on February 21, 2012 [1 favorite]
The mods deleted the thread linked above and posted a thread basically saying "stop it."
posted by dirigibleman at 11:05 AM on February 21, 2012 [1 favorite]
A game author is critical of her own product. I'm SHOCKED, I tell you. SHOCKED.
Jesus, people. Hard-core gamers should be glad anyone gives this much of a shit at any gaming corp, regardless of who they do or do not like to fuck.
Kudos to BioWare for calling out bullshit like this. Customers like that can be shown the door.
posted by clvrmnky at 11:06 AM on February 21, 2012
Jesus, people. Hard-core gamers should be glad anyone gives this much of a shit at any gaming corp, regardless of who they do or do not like to fuck.
Kudos to BioWare for calling out bullshit like this. Customers like that can be shown the door.
posted by clvrmnky at 11:06 AM on February 21, 2012
Given the strains of misogyny and homophobia in video gaming culture, I believe it's worth shining a bright light onto events like this in the hope that eventually the people involved will be shamed enough that they'll decide that being this openly hateful is not okay.
I think a lot of this comes down to 12 year old culture rather than gamer culture. There are plenty of people on MetaFilter who play video games (myself included) but the demographic skews older and more mature here than it does on a "gamer" forum or sub-forum. It's like assigning misogyny and homophobia to Internet Video Watching Culture because YouTube is filled with idiotic immature comments. 10 years from now the kids calling people homophobic slurs in MW3 will hopefully be somewhat older and wiser, but new dumb kids will be there to take their places.
posted by burnmp3s at 11:07 AM on February 21, 2012 [2 favorites]
I think a lot of this comes down to 12 year old culture rather than gamer culture. There are plenty of people on MetaFilter who play video games (myself included) but the demographic skews older and more mature here than it does on a "gamer" forum or sub-forum. It's like assigning misogyny and homophobia to Internet Video Watching Culture because YouTube is filled with idiotic immature comments. 10 years from now the kids calling people homophobic slurs in MW3 will hopefully be somewhat older and wiser, but new dumb kids will be there to take their places.
posted by burnmp3s at 11:07 AM on February 21, 2012 [2 favorites]
Oh, and Reddit has won the race to "suck harder than 4chan" a long time ago. What a fucking waste of disk space.
posted by clvrmnky at 11:07 AM on February 21, 2012
posted by clvrmnky at 11:07 AM on February 21, 2012
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posted by balistic at 10:35 AM on February 21, 2012 [2 favorites]