Open letter to the gaming community
(Visited 9668 times) Game talk
Sep 012014
I am a signatory to this letter. I think everyone should be. I think it should be pretty non-controversial, actually.
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. It is the diversity of our community that allows games to flourish.
If you see threats of violence or harm in comments on Steam, YouTube, Twitch, Twitter, Facebook or reddit, please take a minute to report them on the respective sites.
If you see hateful, harassing speech, take a public stand against it and make the gaming community a more enjoyable space to be in.
Thank you
13 Responses to “Open letter to the gaming community”
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Signed…
Jebus – has it come to this? Let me guess: there will soon be a website to shame those devs/journalists/game publishers who don’t bother to “sign” this letter. Social apologists are getting on my ducking nerves.
@coppertopper tbh I would support such a site. Just as I would support a site showing those who signed it breaking it early and often. There is already a tumblr for it, but I believe such a site is already being discussed for the very similar open letter to the gaming media/developers.
This letter is not about sides, or a war between devs, media, and players. It’s about elevating the discussion and all remembering that we are one community that loves games.
And I don’t think there needs to be another letter. People who want to reduce harassment, no matter what the source, should sign. People who want to get the death threats, the name calling, the rest, out of the discussion, should sign.
Signed, but truly sad that we need this type of thing.
@Raph Koster I completely agree. The only “war” that should be fought is against harassment as none of it is acceptable. Though of course I am sure the next step in that discussion is going to be codifying the differences between hyperbole, trolling, harassment and just being facetious as the environment will never exist where name calling and the like are removed and honestly I am not sure I would like to live in a world that did. That kind of suppression is just as vile and toxic as harassment being the significant form of communication is. After all many of those who are going on and on about how terrible harassment is also seem to be doing their fair share of it even though they have demonstrated in the past via both article and panel that they know better ways of handling it.
All it would take is some more honesty ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gcPIu3sDkEw )
and less craving for attention but not such immature letters.
@coppertopper: Takes more effort to know about the letter, not sign, and explain your decision than to simply sign the letter.
@Peter: What exactly is “immature” about calling on people to stand up against harassment and threats of violence?
People who are really spun up and angry are coming from emotional places, not logical places. As we can see from all sides right now, people spun up like that have trouble listening to honesty because they are so angry. That is why step one needs to be getting the worst of the fury out of the equation. To someone in fear of their lives, that video is just an attack regardless of what points it makes.
I really have little patience for the idea “harassment always happens.” Surely everyone knows that a) no, it doesn’t, and b) we aren’t talking simple name calling here? The pattern of serious threatening campaigns that chase people from homes isn’t new, nor has it been solely directed at these two women. It’s not justified. It’s never justified.
Signed!
In every type of things that involves too much human emotions, like games, may appear stupid things.
But I’m sure that, as a rational society, we can maintain respect at all times.
@Morgan Ramsay
Because i´m an adult and what this letter says is been widely understood and nothing to be proofed by signing.
By this letters logic we could sign similar all day long. There are just a few open letters in history where i´d say they came from the right people at the right time.
Why do you signed it?
@Peter: Nearly 99.98% of U.S. prison inmates are adults. 89.6% are between the ages 22 and 51.
Interesting to know. So you say signing open letters could decrease these numbers?