vinny

@vinny: Theres been a few huffington post live with the two groups going at it. While it ends up turning into #shotsfired from both sides at least they are trying.

When will it be intelligent? Depends who you get to talk

There are anti-gg and gg people who want to talk, you guys doing this shows you want to too. Try TB, sommers, milo, boogie just to name a few. They want to talk. They might seem really right-winged to you but that's what gaming culture has evolved into. It's now mainstream enough to have a ton of opinions from everyone.

Wow. GB staff, can you not see the consumer revolt behind this? I want for nothing more than an open an unpoliticised, non agenda driven, gaming media. That is why I support gamergate. To imply that I tacitly support bomb threats or harassment or am being led by puppet masters is insulting, Jeff.

Why have so many publications thrown themselves in front of the gamergate bus? Supporting antiGG has made so many places look bad, now we have to add GB to that list, why??? Why support Alex giving 5 star reviews to his friends (Jazzpunk) or Patrick preaching honesty and justice and reporting one side? I don't.

If Jeff can insinuate so many things about my character, if he see the odd in everything and misses the even, I feel I have to burn my half of the bridge too. I'd like a refund on the time of my subscription not used, please, but hey if that's not possible don't worry. Any GB advertisers I buy products from I shall email letting them know how I feel too. Might be a drop in the bucket, but that's how consumers fight in capitalism.

Jeff, Brad, Vinny...since you guys are all around the same age as me, doesn't all this feel like the horrible nightmares our parents and the news said would happen thanks to the Internet back when we were kids and crap like the anarchist cookbook was floating around online. Not saying they were right or not, but now that we are seeing a generational shift on the other side of things, the memory of those times comes popping back into my head. The key difference as I remember it is that we just used all the info we got from the Internet for dumb harmless stuff, while this generation has done weird things to the moral and social norms thanks to some of these kids growing up exposed to anonymous internet trolls from a young age.

It's a weird time and I just want to shake the kids who aren't filled with hate and just got roped into this mess because they are looking for something to rebel against, and tell them good on you for being passionate about things like ethics in journalism and our industry, but there are better ways to do it. Based on your letter I imagine you feel kind of the same way.

Hmm, how about...

With crowdfunding in all its forms (kickstarter, patreon, etc.) becoming more commonplace, where do you draw the in terms of coverage? Does Giant Bomb have a policy on these new systems yet? I ask because crwodfunding support has been a been a big factor in a lot of the gamergate upheaval.

I also often get reminded by others about the article @alex wrote about the Amplitude kicstarter and how people saw a conflict of interest there and that the article was subsequently removed. (Having followed Alex's career for many years now I saw no ill-will behind this article but of course others might not know him that well.)

What is more likely? That a group of people of various ethnicities, genders, orientations and backgrounds collectively have a bone to pick with a small group of people over their behavior, and comport themselves with different standards of behavior, some being sensible and others engaging in negative and sometimes criminal behavior.... or that a clever group of a few incredibly evil people have managed to dupe thousands upon thousands of people into being mad at a small group of people that none of them would have disagreed with before? How can you promote the second idea and claim that other people are engaging in conspiracy theory?

Also, before anyone tries; the existence of reasonable people who dislike this person or that person's behavior or whatever in no way prevents legal authorities from arresting people who actually engage in criminal harassment and death threats. The idea that reasonable people holding opinions are "covering up" actual crime by holding those opinions is something I wouldn't expect to hear outside of a totalitarian state. I don't care if you're pro or anti, if you think smart people arguing smartly along with stupid people arguing stupidly in some way 'legitimizes' a stupid argument, then you're probably stupid yourself.

If people critical of the professional and/or personal behavior of video game journalists or video game developers abandon the term 'GamerGate', use some new term in order to discuss their issues, and absolutely anyone anywhere on the internet receives harrassment associated with the new term, the video game journalists and developers will say the new term is a hate campaign and thus anyone associated with it should be condemned.

I think everyone should deplug from group identity and identity politics and stick to cases.

@vinny Yo Vinny, I've heard some people hating on journalists for taking free swag at events. I don't see the problem with journalists getting free stuff at events, free stuff is great and I know I could trust myself to not be bias just because I got a t-shirt from the developer.

Do you think the problem here is that if people see you taking the free stuff then they won't trust you if you ever write about the game? Wondering what you'd think if you saw a journalist friend receive free stuff.

@patrickklepek@jeff@vinny@alex@brad what do you suggest then for a person such as myself who is against harassment and death threats (obviously) but feel that many of the ideas behind GG are correct? Please don't respond with not drinking the koolaid, I think there are legitimate problems and that GG has the best chance in years of addressing them. If not GG, how? and when?

Watching/reading this entire debacle form across the pond, all I can really say is this seems a problem that should be tackled a different way. What should clearly be stated, is that we are dealing such behaviour that can only be described as psychopathic. I know Patrick has made many arguments against this kind of behaviour on the internet, but honestly I feel he is wasting his time. These aren't people that are to reasoned with, to debate issues and to provide a platform to air their issues. These are people who threaten to rape a woman for making a video game. These are people that need help. Or medication. Its the whole 'watch the world burn' mentality that just so happens to come from people that are into to video games too. Ethics in video game journalism? I'm here for Quick Looks of Jeff in front on the Kinect shaking his head. I'm here to watch Brad try and beat that boss for the 50th time. I'm here to watch Vinny run over that car in his truck. I'm here to watch Patrick crap himself playing P.T. It's entertainment I'm after. There are too many real world issues that I concern myself with away from Video Games. I want escapism. My only wish is that those in the Video Game industry who have been personally affected by this whole mess, understand that those who wish them harm are only doing so due to serious issues they have with themselves. I don't see it more nuanced than that.

@vinny Here's a question, Vinny. Would you ever attend something like the GMAs in the UK? An award ceremony for game journalists held by PR firms and sponsored by EA among others?

@vinny: Do you therefore feel that if your friends can't dance that you have reasonable cause to leave them behind?