Okay, let's just be honest

In the middle of something so good (http://www.extra-life.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=donorDrive.participant&participantID=130400) there is something so very bad going on.

I'm going to be as honest as I can here. For starters, look at my forum name. NIgel_Rice. See it? Guess what...That's my real name. It's not a screen name, it's not some fake screen name or online nickname. That's exactly what I was named the day I came out of certain parts of my mother's anatomy. Now look at your name. Look at everyone and anyone who might comment on this post or any other post on any other topic or message board anywhere else. Chances are, you couldn't look them up in some online directory or phone book (to use a somewhat archaic term).

We have a bad habit of hiding behind an alias online. That's not to say that if you are 'SuperMario093477' on a message board somewhere that you're a coward. Maybe it's nothing more than a way for you to communicate to other people what you like in a very quick, concise manner.

However, it's my opinion that a lot of people take advantage of the fact that, on the internet, you can define yourself in a way that does not leave you open to a lot of accountability. You type what you want to say and you click "Create new topic" and boom, words appear on the internet, ready for whoever wants to read them.

There is a terrible need for some people to have what they type to be read by other people. Why else do you imagine I'm typing this right now?

Look, I know I'm an attention whore. You're no more a psychiatrist, than I am your patient, willing to pay you for the time it takes you to read this, so we'll skip over the reasons why the preceding statement is true. But here's the thing, I don't want attention at the cost of other people's anxiety.

I'm referring to Felicia Day having some people give her all kinds of stress online. Is it because she's a woman? Is it because she's connected to certain aspects of video game society/culture? Or both? Hell if I know...

I'm going to be completely honest with the following statement. Ready? Felicia Day annoys the living hell out of me. I don't care for anything she does. I don't like the episodes of "Supernatural" that she was on. Why? Again, hell if I know. She's not my 'cup of tea', I guess. That being said, I hate the idea of anyone bothering her online, via Twitter, Facebook, or "doxxing" her.

Look, she's probably a cool person in 'real life' (whatever that is anymore) and I don't hate her as a person, in fact if I were to just look at her from a superficial standpoint, she's kinda cute. I just don't want to watch stuff with her in it. I recognize and respect the fact that she has fans, and more power to her and them. That's their tastes, and my intolerance of whatever is mine. But at the end of the day I do not condone the harassing of anyone for any reason. Leave her alone. Leave Phil Fish alone. Leave the gun, take the cannoli...

It's not just about "women in gaming" or the integrity of game journalists anymore. There has been a steady boil building of harassment, death threats, and just general ill will towards people who are in some way, shape, or form connected to the gaming industry. And honestly...it blows my mind.

What other industry has conduct like this? Cars? I defy anyone to go onto a Ford message board or follow a Twitter account by Ford Motors and see ANYTHING resembling what goes on in this industry. Another type of industry picked at random? Ummmmm...Food? Betty Crocker! Why not...Do you really think there are people on recipe sharing boards threatening to hurt or kill anyone?

I love this board. I love Giant Bomb. I love video games. But I'm ashamed to be in the same category with people who want nothing more than to try and make other people feel as bad as they themselves feel.

That's all...

I've been pondering what it is that makes fans of video-games so much more volatile than fans of other media (I'm going to ignore the food and Ford comparisons as those are completely off-base, this is entertainment we're talking about so let's talk with those comparison points in mind). I've started to really take into consideration the time commitment it takes to be a dedicated gaming enthusiast. If you want to beat Persona 4, 100 hours. Skyrim? 100+ hours. "The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword", a paltry 40 hours. The Mass Effect trilogy? 100 hours, perhaps. As someone who has spent that much time in these games, having someone challenge the quality of these experiences on any grounds is a bit more of an affront to me as a person than someone saying I wasted my time watching a two-hour feature film, or reading a book or listening to an album. The closest other form I've found is television shows, and people get pretty defensive of those as well. Remember the Lost ending? Not as heated as the Mass Effect 3 ending, but still pretty vocal.

My favorite comparison point outside of media is a job. Because games are an activity, you could compare it to someone having a part-time job in a fantastical world. Questioning someone's career choice is a much more personal and potentially hurtful thing than, again, questioning someone's qualitative judgment of a movie or book (and MUCH moreso than a truck or recipe, returning to your comparison). It doesn't justify the childishness of these responses, but in some way, these are people's lives we're talking about here. They have doubled and tripled down, spent a fair percentage of their lives on this activity and now people who have not spent that time, who aren't invested in the same way, are making qualitative judgments about something these people know very well. It can be very infuriating. Is there a healthier way to express that fury than threatening violence? Absolutely. But I don't think this is as easily dismissed as you are making it sound.

And I have been using the same screen-name for over a decade so type it into a search engine and hey hey, that's my name right there. I'm not hiding behind anything.

The shame of the gaming community is unnecessary. This isn't about video games or the people who play them. It's trolls pure and simple. Anything else you tie to it is just a smoke screen that they want you to keep puffing so what's really going on is completely avoided.

I will continue to implore people to open their eyes to reality.

This could have very well have been posted in the existing topic on this subject.

The people doing these things are not doing it because they play games. They're doing it because they're scumbags.

I don't think real names would change much about people's attitudes on the Internet. Even if people know your real name that doesn't mean you actually know who they are. You're likely not going to run into that person in your daily life and make them feel accountable for what they say. The Internet is still a wall of anonymity.

Also your comparable examples are pretty poor. Cars and cooking don't have quite the same issues online as they don't attract the same kinds of topics. But look at any other entertainment platform: Movies, TV, Music, even books, and you can find plenty of shitty people saying shitty things.

Please don't be so vague when nameing threads. Thank you

Judging by comments from the many normal folks I've talked to over the last few months(and years), that isn't true in the least. To dismiss all or even any significant portion of all this to simple trolling is to ignore the genuine feelings behind so much of this.

I've talked to many people, here-included, who are not just trolling. They just happen to be greatly misguided and at times intolerant. A lot of people are plagued by insecurity and desperation, as well, and it tends to boil up in moments such as this.

Prejudice isn't a myth, and neither is misguided anger. These are real people and real challenges we must face, not simply random trolls to ignore.

@lukeweizer: Indeed.

And the bigger 'Scumbag / Gamer' Venn diagram overlap as compared to many other forms of entertainment is simply down to the demographics involved. Theatre goers aren't inclined to cause trouble, because most of them are well off, middle aged family types, rather than sexually frustrated, poorish young men. That latter group has been inclined to have more than its share of troublemakers long before Halo and twitter.

@cornbredx: yeah, it would be nice if that was true but nah, it really isn't.

Ok.

Yep. This always seemed pretty clear to me. I don't know why it's so baffling to some like the OP.

Games got huge by narrowly focusing on catering to one rigid demographic. That demographic also happens to be the source of a ton of ignorant shit. It's not just gaming.

But to add to that, gamers are also specifically attuned to the internet, as many people interested in games keep up with that stuff online, talk on message boards, build computers, and play multiplayer games.

Volatile youth + internet aptitude = people getting all up in other people's shit.

Also though, if you look at any, and I really mean any YouTube video, they're are people fighting about something.

Relentlessly questioning "why gamers" is just ignoring the bigger picture... "why anybody?".

It's the internet. My first death threat came when I was a 14 year old who said this weeks episode of Simpsons was shit on some forum. Maybe I just got used to this as I even use my real name most of the time.

I think it has been properly debunked that removing anonimity would help. If anything, it makes it easier for bad people to find out who anyone they want to harass is.

For the weekend of Extra Life we're not allowing any topics on controversial subjects. It's all sunshine and smiles.

OK, sunshine, smiles, and greyhounds relaxing by the pool.