590°

BioWare writer quits after death threats to family

The senior writer on Dragon Age II has decided to leave developer BioWare after ‘graphic threats’ were made to kill her children.

Jennifer Helper was working on sequel Dragon Age: Inquisition but is quitting BioWare this week to go freelance, in large part thanks to threats she and others of the team received in the wake of Dragon Age II’s release.

The game was unpopular with many hardcore fans and although Hepler was able to ignore most of the threats and abuse on the BioWare forums and Twitter she also received emailed death threats and threats against her children, as well as abusive phone calls.

Phil323895d ago

As if we needed more proof that a lot of gaming culture wasn't already horrid.

majiebeast3895d ago (Edited 3895d ago )

No its not gaming culture its internet culture and 4chan more likely. Being anonymous makes people think they can say or do whatever they want on the internet.

My little sister is getting death threats over the phone by some freaking psycho and police dont do anything about it. I think anonimity should only go so far. If you harras people or send em death threats, then i dont give a shit about your privacy and all your information should be put on the internet for the world to see.

I never liked miss Helpers writing or her stance on videogames but i would never send somebody death threats over it.

zeal0us3895d ago (Edited 3895d ago )

I'm surprise she didn't quit sooner. I know after that last incident I probably would have.

With all that said threatening to kill a person's kids is going way overboard. I don't care how much you dislike a person, leave their kids out of it.

Gazondaily3895d ago

Completely agree majie. That's what I despise about the communities like 4chan who just think its cool to insult everyone/everything behind the veil of anonymity.

I make it a point to only post things I would be man enough to say to someone face to face. If only others could follow suit.

The_Klank3895d ago

I make it a point to put my Psn Id & Gamer Tag or some other way of contacting me on all my profiles, no matter the site, so if I say anything someone finds offense with they can easily contact me. I hate the fact that just because people are on the internet all civility goes out the window.

I would hope that all sites require some other way of contacting the person. Privacy be damned, as long as you're not out there posting CC details or other really personal info you have nothing to worry about imo.

cleft53895d ago

Either way this crap needs to stop and there needs to be real repercussions for this nonsense.

slimeybrainboy3895d ago

I still think death threats are overrated. I get that it doesn't feel nice and you're pretty strange if you're dishing out death threats over a video game, but nothing is really going to happen.

Of course the threaters should be prosectued and face heavy legal penalties, but they are empty threats. Think of all the hundreds of death threat stories we've heard throughout the years, and has any developer ever been murdered or even attacked? I've never heard of it.

I'm not saying devs should just lie down and accept it, but the responsibility should be with the police to find and punish the people making threats, the devs should know that these are empty threats despite how nasty or crazy they seem. Don't let them win.

SilentNegotiator3895d ago

Musicians, actors, etc get death threats all of the time.

It's foolish to think that this is gaming community specific.

RememberThe3573895d ago

It's funny, the biggest baddest dudes behind a keyboard turn out to be the smallest weakest dudes in the flesh. Some people just feel very weak and they grasp at anything they precieve as power (power that doesn't take any actual effort).

I've gotten death threat myself from the internet and I can't help but laigh; I got my piece and a bottle of J right next to me, I'll be here when you get here. It's so pointless and sad that I honestly just shake my head at this point. There are some very sad, very lonely people in this wolrd and instead of putting in the work to make their lives better they regress into the internet.

LordDhampire3895d ago

Everyone always blaming 4chan, take some responsibility you douchebag gamers

KazHiraiFTW3895d ago

That's really lame, who would ever believe some spineless fanboy making threats over the internet...

Whoever sent those emails to Ms. Helper is nothing more than some loser living in his mom's basement, 38 years old, never been laid, never even kissed a girl, still has zits all over his face, his parents bought shares in Kleenex and became rich from all the tissues he was using, he still wears tear-aways, and spends most of his time making mods for Baldur's Gate 2. Oh and his diet consists of almost 100% Kraft dinner and cheetos.

Nothing to worry about whatsoever let alone quit your job over.

pixelsword3895d ago (Edited 3895d ago )

LOL beat me to it Kaz!

3895d ago
darx3895d ago

No doubt that gamers are the sadest and lamest bunch out there.

+ Show (10) more repliesLast reply 3895d ago
Gazondaily3895d ago (Edited 3895d ago )

I know right? Its infuriating.

Wretched keyboard warriors. We've had our second death here in the UK as a result of cuber-bullying.

I'm actually against anonymity on the internet. It brings out the worst in people and lets them think they're entitled to insult anyone and everyone under the sun.

These guys need to be held accountable.

"I was shown a sample of the forum posts by EA security,’ says Hepler ‘And it included graphic threats to kill my children on their way out of school to show them that they should have been aborted at birth rather than have to have me as a mother."

Absolutely despicable. Such cowardice. These oxygen thieves need to be dealt with so harshly.

cleft53895d ago (Edited 3895d ago )

The reality is that there is no anonymity on the internet, it's just that people feel like there is because they have a username they can hide behind and they haven't faced any serious repercussions for their actions. Eventually the laws will catch up with the times and these threats will be treated with the seriousness that they deserve to be treated with.

People might mistake this as a violation of their rights, but it isn't. In America every citizen has the right to the pursuit of liberty, happiness, and freedom on top of their Human Rights. If you threaten someone you are violating their rights and you can be put in jail for it. The problem is that the law hasn't recognize the threats received over the internet as serious concerns mainly because the laws are out of date with the current technology. That has begun to change and I think it will be for the best.

Hydralysk3895d ago (Edited 3895d ago )

You'll probably be waiting a long time for that.

You aren't talking about just passing a law for the US, this is something that plagues the internet instead of a single country.

How are you supposed to prosecute someone talking to you from another country which doesn't have a ban on this subject? It wouldn't be long before the 'but they don't have to respect me, so why should I follow this law' gets started. Furthermore, even if both countries have similar laws, which country will actually be prosecuting the offenders? That's not even considering the sheer volume of cases that would pop up.

I agree we need to do something like this, but it's going to have to start with individual organizations and communities putting in the effort, not by government legislation.

3895d ago
Shadowstar3895d ago

@Hydralisk: Yeah, but that's what treaties are for. There just needs to be political will to stop it. It does have to start with individual countries starting to take it seriously though. I think we'd be better off prosecuting people who threaten to kill kids than nonviolent people who take drugs.

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Anon19743895d ago (Edited 3895d ago )

While Dragon Age II didn't live up to the original, it was still a perfectly entertaining and serviceable action rpg that I thoroughly enjoyed. If we didn't have the first to compare it to, chances are no one would have said a word.

My heart goes out to Jennifer Hepler that she has to endure such abuse from these petty cowards when all she's doing is trying to entertain. I know the abuse was only part of the reason she left, but no one should have to go through that. I don't know why they aren't tracking down these people and placing charges as threats of violence online or otherwise are always illegal. It's time we started holding these people accountable for the constant state of fear their bullying forces good folks to live in every day.

Edit: I agree with Septic above. Internet anonymity is toxic and brings out the absolute worst in some people.

IcicleTrepan3895d ago

So one or two sick people make death threats and this becomes 'proof that a lot of gaming culture is horrid'.

Gazondaily3895d ago (Edited 3895d ago )

No it doesn't but it does expose a worrying trend of increasingly toxic behaviour by some members of the gaming community. The few always ruin it for the many and bad publicity is the last thing this industry needs.

Deadpoolio3895d ago

To a certain extent yes...Look at XBL and the absolutely wretched crap people say on there to people over the stupidest crap, I actually know girls who wont play anything online with a headset cause they don't think it's worth hearing the crap morons spew because derp derp a gurl is playing a gaem, and somehow that means you have to be as vile as possible right off the bat..Nevermind that a couple of them are better than the douche nozzles

Timesplitter143895d ago (Edited 3895d ago )

Gaming culture is literally the worst entertainment-related culture ever. And it's not just because of anonymity either. Music and movie fans on the internet are nowhere near as immature as "gamers".

And god do I hate that expression. "Gamer". People who like novels don't call themselves "Hardcore Readers" and people who like movies don't call themselves... whatever I dunno.

There's just something about gamers that makes them worse than everyone else. Maybe it's because games are more likely to appeal to dumbasses than any other media. Don't get me wrong here; I believe videogames can grow as a medium and become something fantastic, but right now there definitely is no reason to be proud to be a "gamer"

xxBiG_BoSSxx3895d ago

If you think people like this don't exist amongst movie or music fans, then I invite you to browse over to any music or movie forum and see the vile things being said there. Or better yet, read the comment section of anything, anywhere on the internet. Terrible, immature people are everywhere, not just in the gaming community.

Actually, now that I think about it, despite a few trolls, N4G has the one of the most intelligent respectable communities I've seen. I rarely see commenters here hurling vile hateful speech at each other. Or death threats.

I don't think its the word gamer you have a problem with, but rather the stigma attached to the word. When a small percentage of us act inhuman, and it makes the news, it sticks to all of us. The same can't be said for cinemaphiles(what movie lovers call themselves) when one of them makes death threats against a director or actor. That's always on the individual, as it should be.

I think the only solution is to just keep being good people, and not tolerating behavior like this. Eventually, maybe, others will see that gaming is something we do, something we can be proud of doing, but not something that defines us as people.

SonyPS3603895d ago

I just want the names and addresses of the people who do this kind of thing.

Deadpoolio3895d ago

You could actually do an IP trace IF you had the software, but that's not really something everyone just happens to have laying around....And It all depends on where the little douche is sending it from

come_bom3895d ago (Edited 3895d ago )

People making death threats should go to prison... and that's that.

Gaming blind fanboys (or any kind of blind fanboy) are among the worst kind of scum.

SonyPS3603894d ago

People willing to make death threats over a game really need a reality check.

3-4-53895d ago

Well, she shouldn't have to quit because of that, and it's a shame if that person isn't jailed for a few years.

You have the right to freedom of speech, but people have the right to their own personal safety first, and if your free speech infringes on their ability to pursue happiness and be free, then you've crossed the line.

Whoever made those threats, most likely is a useless human being.

TwistedMetal3895d ago

dude you don't quit your job just because people make threats. you need money to survive. he should know they aren't gonna do what they said they are or he should said sorry for whate he did wrong and will never do it again.

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mii-gamer3895d ago (Edited 3895d ago )

wow this is shows pathetic certain people in the community are!

GarrusVakarian3895d ago

This is the kind of story you hear about that get used in an anti-games speeches and makes the rest of us completely normal gamers sound bad.

GarrusVakarian3895d ago

This is the kind of story you hear about that get used in anti videogames speeches and makes the rest of us completely normal gamers sound bad.

GarrusVakarian3895d ago (Edited 3895d ago )

My bad on the double post, N4G is acting up.

Show all comments (112)
130°

BioWare Could be Working on More than Just Dragon Age Dreadwolf and Mass Effect 4

Earlier this year, BioWare was hit with layoffs as part of a downsizing of parent company Electronic Arts, but fans have been reassured that the next Mass Effect game hasn’t been impacted. Likewise, Dragon Age: Dreadwolf’s development is still churning along, with BioWare putting it at the forefront of its focus and rumors suggesting that it could launch sometime later this year. Fans might be getting another look at the long-in-development Dragon Age: Dreadwolf at the Summer Game Fest in June.

If the recently posted job offering for a temporary development manager is any indication, BioWare could have yet another surprise up its sleeve for when Mass Effect 4 and Dragon Age: Dreadwolf are nearing completion. This mystery BioWare video game could truly be anything, from another spin-off of its two major properties to something entirely new. All there is to go on at the moment is a vague mention in the job posting, and it might still be some time before BioWare is ready to confirm any new games in its pipeline.

Read Full Story >>
gamerant.com
just_looken14d ago

So a studio that spent years on anthem then this dragon age thing is now also working on another ip along with mass effect,

You think they would be worried that there brand has been on 3 major screw ups

Dragon age 3 launched broken with the frostbite engine yes its a good game but you can see in the late game how rough it was

anthem......

Mass effect 4 well that dev team was fired so yeah.....

They should make sure this new dragon age is a goat instead of putting more work on the table

bababooiy13d ago

Bioware today is like 150 poeple i dont see how they are seemingly working on all these projects at the same time.

Michiel198913d ago

Inquisition wasn't broken, it just had some flaws and on the contrary it also had some strengths. If you call inquisition a major screw up then idk what to say.

That said with what happened to the study since then and now, I'm not really confident that their next game will be any good.

just_looken13d ago

If you played it fully to get plat like me back in its novemeber launch window you had that castle with empty area's endgame missions not there or working and a mp that was made around loot box grind like the mass effect mp.

Its hard to explain to those that played it years later after they tossed out the dlc/patch's

Michiel198913d ago

entitled much? I played it at launch too. Why you even platted it if it was a "major screw up"?
It was good enough for you to sink 100 hours in but also a complete fuckup at the same time, make up your mind.
So either you like shitty games or you're just talking out of your ass.

RaidenBlack13d ago

Well just wanna say, Archetype Entertainment is the new BioWare, composed of mainly ex-BioWare vets.
And they're developing Exodus (starring Matthew McConaughey), a new sci-fi RPG (spiritual successor to Mass Effect, dare I say?)

CantThinkOfAUsername13d ago

I hope it's a single player game with Anthem's gameplay mechanics.

Becuzisaid13d ago

They're owned by EA. What makes you think that they wouldn't publish for PS5? Shoot, if your fridge could connect to your bank account EA would try to release it for that if they could!

Double_O_Revan14d ago

How about they focus on those games and not over extend themselves? We don't need another Anthem.

Becuzisaid13d ago

Bioware died after Inquisition (some would even argue after ME3). They are no longer the same company.

Show all comments (14)
70°

Mass Effect Writer Reveals Why He Left BioWare

During a part of his interview with Minnmax, Mac Walters gave details of why he chose to leave BioWare.

Read Full Story >>
gameshorizon.com
140°

New Mass Effect Game Teased for N7 Day, and It Shows a Mysterious Individual

Today is known as Mass Effect N7 Day, and BioWare has released what looks to be teasers for the new Mass Effect game.

Snookies12160d ago (Edited 160d ago )

We really need another solid Mass Effect entry. It's a real shame that such a legendary franchise was left off with such a blemish to its overall astounding track record. Andromeda was just not it, don't know what they were thinking there.

-Foxtrot160d ago

Surprised it got a subtitle

I thought after Andromeda they’d have kept to the numbers so people wouldn’t think “oh another spin off”

Unless Shepard returns

Obscure_Observer159d ago

"Unless Shepard returns"

After ME3, Shepard should f* off

Stanjara159d ago

Put a chick in it and make her gay.

Ethereal159d ago

Yes! One of my all time favorite trilogies. Hopefully they do ME justice. Andromeda was passable and had bones of a good game but just lacked the depth and intrigue that the originals had.