Jessica Curry steps down as The Chinese Room´s co-director, due to sexism in the game industry?

As you might know, by now, just recently Jessica Curry stepped down as The Chinese room´s CO-director. Why? Well, according to Curry because of illness and sexism in the games industry. That´s really sad and tragic of course. However, I (Robin Ek, The Gaming Ground) would say that it´s a Gaming journalism related problem. So these are my thoughts (Robin Ek, The Gaming Ground) on the matter.

[-Foxtrot]

She was a great composer

[TGG_overlord]

Yes indeed, I had no idea that she´s been treated like this. So it was a very unpleasent surprise for me. However, in Sweden she has been credited like she should be.

[coolbeans]

You typically reserve the "was" for when they've passed away. :P

She still wants to be involved in music to some other capacity.

[-Foxtrot]

Oh yeah, looks like I'm giving off the wrong impression. Could be worse

"I'm sorry for your loss....move on"

https://www.youtube.com/wat...

[coolbeans]

^

Indeed. Haha, that's a pretty good skit.

[-Foxtrot]

IT Crowd is just the best. You should watch it if you haven't

If there's one episode to get you into the series watch Season 2 - The Work Outing.

https://www.youtube.com/wat...

Funniest episode I've seen from them

[yarbie1000]

Another professional victim

[TGG_overlord]

Really? She made those stories up?

[WeAreLegion]

Not the case here. Read the article. This isn't like Anita or anyone else trying to use feminists for financial gain. Jessica really is the victim here. I don't think the headline is correct. This isn't about gaming.

[TGG_overlord]

The headline was based on what mainstream media worth, thus the "?" at the end, then I gave my thoughts on the matter. My point was that it´s not the game industry as a whole, but more of a problem with Gaming journalism. However, you took it a step further. It´s a "people" problem really.

[WeAreLegion]

Exactly. This IS an actual problem we need to address.

[Dirtnapstor]

I think "victim" is a strong word for what has transgressed. Sounds like she just got tired of the crap she kept receiving and bowed out (title only, still doing the same jobs). Dan should have stepped up and spoke out.
But really, I'd be willing to bet both men and women get slighted in the professional world. Don't receive their credit due.
Is this a big deal because it trails the whole Anita mess or what?
Just being objective...

[Deadpool616]

Nah. She's just debilitated.

Professional victims tend to use a situation to benefit financially. She's simply bowing out.

[WeAreLegion]

Wait a minute. Jessica says this is something going on in society and NOT just the games industry. She's absolutely right. People do that crap in interviews with women of all industries. This is about people; not gaming.

[Ogygian]

Society is just fine. Feminism caused this by making her take offence at petty slights.

Being mistaken for someone or something else is harmless unless some angry person had told you to get angry when it is done.

[DragonDDark]

Wow... Not everything is because of feminists bud.

[Kenshin_BATT0USAI]

@dragonddark

Not really a defense from spar here, but not everything is sexism or a 'societal' problem either.

[Kenshin_BATT0USAI]

Select people, not all of society. Society includes millions of people. Saying they are all the problem is stupid.

[WeAreLegion]

I wasn't saying they were all the problem.

[Kenshin_BATT0USAI]

"Wait a minute. Jessica says this is something going on in society and NOT just the games industry. She's absolutely right. "

word for word what you said.

[coolbeans]

One thing to keep in mind: there's a difference between a general rule and a universal one. What you quoted doesn't suggest Legion's painting "all of society," as you put it. Just that it's not exclusive to this particular industry.

In other words: select people across all of society (regardless of industry).

[Ogygian]

So the long story short is that she:

A: Thinks she deserves more fame and acclaim than she had (because she thinks she's an incredible composer, and sexism is the reason people don't recognise this), and

B: Has been slighted one too many times by journalists making assumptions consistent with society, but not with her personal circumstances.

My conclusion? She is an arrogant, narcissistic professional victim with a short-fuse.

[TGG_overlord]

There seem to be a lot of different thoughts and opinions in the case with Jessica Curry. I know her work, but I don´t know her personally. That's true. However, A: She´s not "only" a composer. She's also the co-director (or was).

B: For what reason would she do that? And why now? And I did not assume that "everything" was the truth, thus the part about asking her to call the magazines and Gaming journalists out. And even if I did manage to get an interview with her, that would still not prove that she´s telling the truth (even if she mentions some names).

Proof and evidence are needed. However, like I stated earlier. I thought that her story leaned more to the truth side, than anything else. As it would be a huge gamble for both, her and The Chinese Room to start a lot of drama with no evidence whatsoever.

"She is an arrogant, narcissistic professional victim with a short-fuse.", do you base that soly on this story, or has Curry done anything like this in the past?

[Ogygian]

I've based that on this article, solely going off the primary evidence of her comments on the matter.

See, what I gathered was that she simply got annoyed by people failing to assume she was a director of the firm one too many times. To me this seems incredibly childish if I am being honest.

If you see a male nurse, you're going to assume he is some sort of cleaner, because most nurses are women. The same applies to women in the games industry.

So what I see here is the case of a woman who has read feminist texts, and has been taught by them to take anger and offence at being mistaken for her achievements. A mature, level-headed person would make nothing of it, and just correct journalists, but she gets angry because other people have told her to.

This is their fault. They created misery by creating reasons to get angry. So I blame feminism in wider for influencing Curry to be this way.

[rdgneoz3]

As for the wanting more credit part, not too long ago she was complaining that the soundtrack for the game didn't get into the pure classical UK top 100 or such. She was saying it would have been #1. The ones in charge of the list replied that it didn't include game soundtracks, which she bitched about.

[Fireseed]

Somehow in making that long story short you managed to skip the whole her having degenerative illness and games were stressing her out.

Something tells me that if you're willing to overlook that and bash someone you either

A.) Didn't read the article.

B.) Are willfully ignorant and posting a knee jerk reaction.

[Ogygian]

If it was illness alone, then she wouldn't have mentioned this "sexism" which so offended her.

I read the article entirely, and made my judgements accordingly. And my reaction is not knee-jerk; rather, it is carefully considered after analysis of the facts presented.

[DigitalRaptor]

@ spartanlemur

"And my reaction is not knee-jerk; rather, it is carefully considered after analysis of the facts presented."

It's also highly insensitive. This was her experiences making games, and I doubt you will ever go through the same trials as she has or will.

[coolbeans]

@spartanlemur

"If it was illness alone..."

Fire didn't suggest it was the illness alone, but also the general games aspect of stressing her out; essentially filling in the other stated reasons by her that you conveniently disregarded.

If you can't even refute your opponent's actual argument but instead have to challenge one he didn't make (in such a short comment too), there's little reason to suspect your analysis was in fact "carefully considered." You're making an insult of the word "analysis," I'd say.

[Fez]

Would you not be pissed off if you weren't credited for your hard work?

That's the best and most lasting reward you can get for working hard on something so for her not to receive that really pisses me off... I'm not surprised she's raging.

How you can use the terms arrogant, narcissistic and professional victim to describe her are beyond me...

[Kenshin_BATT0USAI]

Isn't she in the credits as a composer though? What about the thousands of devs who never get any limelight? Seems to me that it's an ego issue.

[iNFAMOUZ1]

Stepped* not steeped

[TGG_overlord]

That would be my fault, and for some reason, I can´t correct that error. I posted this article late at night, so I must have missed that spelling error. Sorry, my bad!

[Deadpool616]

Game Journalist contributed in driving her out of the industry?

WHO WOULD'VE EVER GUESSED IT? :^)

[scark92]

If I was a professional female and I see people like Anita and Zoe seeing the UN for what they want I would probably step down too.

[ZombieKiller]

@Putinyourplace: Sooo you want women to have balls is what your saying, right? Oh never mind, you have no bubbles.

[quaneylfc]

Why are there still so many sexist idiots in
the nerd world?

Ever wondered why there are so many men with giant beards nowadays? becuase they're compensatin for the strong women in their lives.

[WeAreLegion]

Nerd world? She's talking about interviewers, in general. Not gamers.

[quaneylfc]

Interviewers and journalists are nerds.

Why do you think Ant-Man got good reviews ? It qas objectively bad but the subject matter was close to the reviewers' hearts

[Baka-akaB]

Kinda highlight further that many "journalists" were just taking potshots at some of the gamergate , or games that are "too sexy" , for headlines and hits .... when they rely heavily some rather unprofessional and irrespectful people .

[FunkyGoron]

This is a societal problem. I remember being in my teens and answering the home phone when it was a sales rep or someone calling about my family home... They'd ask to speak to my dad and if I said: "he's not here, my mom is though" I would ALWAYS get this response:

"'No, that's fine, we will try later"

Well my dad and mom wouldn't do business with those people and it's for the same reason Jessica feels the need to quit. There is an issue with women being seen as adjacent to men or an accessory of men.

I don't treat my wife like that and I'm damn sure going to make sure my daughter isn't treated like that in life.

[FunAndGun]

Good man!

[Kenshin_BATT0USAI]

Your experiences with shitty people =/= everyone else's experiences.

I don't care how you feel or your folks feel based on how people treated you but implying that the world doesn't follow your worldview therefore needs to change is freaking stupid. Grow up.

[Kenshin_BATT0USAI]

So not a society problem but rather a problem with journalists. Her words not mine. And I agree. most journalists rather glamours reality instead.

[immabadguy]

She sounds insane.

[Blacklash93]

The article inaccurately describes her illness by simply calling it stress-related. Her illness is actually a degenerative disease that was exacerbated by stress during Rapture's development.