If Video Games Are Going to Grow Up, Then the Bullying Needs to Stop

Kotaku - Disclaimer: I was a key creative in what is often considered one of the more "dudebro" franchises out there, Gears of War. I'd also like to remind everyone out there that I went out of my way in working with our team, the writers, and Epic's artists to make sure that female characters are represented well in that franchise. By the time we got around to Gears 3 the female soldiers were kicking butt right alongside the men in outfits that weren't drastically different than the men's, and with a restrained depiction of hair and makeup. (I was just tired of seeing stripper looking female game characters after all of those years…ironic, considering how exaggerated the men were.)

[pangitkqb]

Anyone can be a tough-talker behind the anonymity of the internet. I've always thought it would be a fascinating social experiment to replace Xbox Live gamertags with names and addresses and see how quickly behavior changes.

As an example, in the news today is light-weight Boxing champ Curtis Woodhouse who apparently took the time to find where his most noisy twitter abuser lived. Needless to say, the foul-mouthed loud talker IMMEDIATELY changed his tune upon learning that a champion boxer was looking for him in his neighborhood. (Woodhouse left once he saw the guy started playing nice. I wouldn't recommend doing this, but it is a great example of my point.)

Really though, being sexist, racist, or otherwise any form of bigot is much harder when the world knows it is you.

That in mind, a simple step toward a more mature industry is to act online like you would in real life. Be courteous.

[Gazondaily]

Agreed.

Anonymity breeds the negative behaviour alluded to in your post. Accountability will ensure that this kind of bullying is reduced dramatically.

[thorstein]

While is certainly isn't a rational thing to get upset over trolls (I just laugh at them) what this woman did, however, isn't entirely "new." I remember learning about this stuff in college: the negative constructs of femininity in popular culture. It was quite intriguing how insane the popular media is when it depicts anyone who is not able bodied, white, male, and heterosexual. The caricatures are laughable when the are exposed to the light.

Of course, media is a suspension of reality, and while media won't make us DO certain things, it certainly affects the way we THINK about certain things. For instance, in the USA there are more black, young men attending college than are involved in the criminal justice system. But the narrative, the stereotype continues to be of the criminal. Why? The amount of young black men that are involved in crime make up a small percentage of all young black men.

I digress... one of the article's examples is that of Xbox Live. I don't usually use Xbox Live but I play a ton online PC and PS3. I don't see the level of disrespect or idiocy. Usually those people are shouted down or I just block them.

[HammadTheBeast]

Who cares, it's the internet. If you're affected by it in real life, you need to take a walk outside.

[Mounce]

It's as I'd say.

'E-Bullies' just prod at flaws that seem gaping, usually in people who cry for attention and they get more than they can chew. If they're going to whine about the attention only afterwards and cry Foul then they should comprehend it was their own idiocy and their own flaws that brought the bullying to their doorsteps. If you have issues, low self-esteem, lack confidence or have anger issues, the internet may not be your friend.

There is of course the other issue that people who're anonymous really at a lot of times do not understand what Limitation means and may go so far as to become inhumane for the sake of getting the high of ridiculing and bullying simply to boost their own ego. It's a comical chain reaction sometimes of Bullies who bully because they were bullied and they bully online because they feel low about themselves and they know they can bully on the internet instead of in real life because they fear being out-bullied while on the internet they have a greater shield to defend themselves. Other cases, boredom can show how monstrous a human can be due to being anonymity.

[BullyMangler]

If we let ourselves get upset, then we lose. There is no need to go out and look for anyone due to "internet chats". Discipline = Control

[sdozzo]

No one should ever knock equality. But, the world is not equal or fair and it probably shouldn't be.

Here's your cookie.

[Blacklash93]

You aren't going to change people. Nor is online behavior of consumers really representative of the industry.

[BanBrother]

I agree, but then the vocal minority (weak, pathetic angry little kids on the internet) are usually an easy target for the media, so then all gamers are put under the same banner.

" The latent racism, homophobia, and misogyny online are black marks on an otherwise great hobby."

I say that all the time. But as you said, you can't change people. The anonymity makes anyone think they are invincible.

Some of the things said on the interent (racism, homophobia, sexism) would not be tolerated in real life. If that was my sister copping all of that abuse from strangers, calling her a slut or whatever, they would have no head. Pathetic cowards, nothing less.

I'm sure I have upset some of these little weak cowards, so I'll let them cry it out by hitting the disagree button. Won't make them any bigger or significant to this world, as right now they are just sh** stains.

[GreenRanger]

The best way to deal with bullies and trolls is to completely ignore them.
Ignore them on the internet and roundhouse kick them in real life.

[MysticStrummer]

The maturity of gamers and the maturity of gaming are two different things. Bullying says much more about the person than it does the industry.

[grifter024]

After reading the article I have to agree let's all just "GROW UP." But this can't be a one way street which most girls want to happen. The author talks about Anita since that is the in thing right now and how she got bullied...so what honestly.
She asked for money to do some series of video games on YOUTUBE about girls being the weaker of the whole industry. It's youtube she's made videos before without having to ask for money so why all of a sudden did she need 6k to create this new series? Blatant prostitution it seems to me.

Also if we as a group need to grow up then EVERYONE needs to grow up. Do you see men making and complaining in droves when every bad guy since 85 were male? DO you see men in droves crying when they see overly muscular men showing off their bodies? Nope. Heck do you see men crying their hearts out when they play online and get trash talked constantly? Not a peep.

Again lets all grow up, but lets all grow up with an EQUAL standing not one where women can cry about anything.

[Summons75]

Please if someone is bothered by someone else calling them a name over the Internet they shouldn't be on it. It's one thing to be upset about bullies in real life but "cyber bullying" is 100% preventable by one ignoring rude people online and two remembering people name calling online are weak for not doing it to your face. Especially if your playing a game like call of duty and you can't handle or want to listen to that annoyance then either mute everyone or hop in party chat with friends. Don't blame others for what you can't handle.

[KillrateOmega]

I know, right? If you find what they are saying upsetting, then just ignore them. If it's on a game, then there is usually a Mute and/or Block Player option available.

[KillrateOmega]

I understand the pros of removing anonymity, but there are also cons.

Say you're playing CoD or something and you're kicking butt. You're not talking trash or anything. You're just performing really well. On the other team, the team that you're destroying, some guy is getting crazy pissed. He happens to live in the same city as you. He gets so pissed that he rage quits and looks up where you live, then decides to pay you a personal visit. Oh, I almost forgot, he's 6'3'' and is 245lbs of muscle.

This scenario may be a little extreme, but in this world of crazies, idiots, rage cases, and general assholes, it's possible.

So while the removal of anonymity may help fight bullying in one sense, it can also provide the means to increase it in another sense.

It's a tough issue to deal with. The only way to actually deal with it is for EVERYONE to learn how to act like a decent member of society. On that note, good luck...

[thorstein]

That has happened.

[SilentNegotiator]

http://www.destructoid.com/...

And that's not the only story of its kind.

[thebudgetgamer]

As long as there are groups of people there will be bullying of some sort.

Even the weakest bully is subject to bullying.

[SilentNegotiator]

Stop thinking that this is a video games issue. It's not. This is how people treat all forms of anonymous communication.

Eliminating internet anonymity is a terrible idea, but this is what the negative consequences (consequences occur from EVERY form of freedom) are; some hurt feelings.

[BuffMordecai]

Grow some balls, negativity is a part of life, if you don't like what you're hearing, mute the bastards and/or report them, there's a reason why the options are there. The means to counteract this behavior are already in place, they just have to be enforced.