Edited to make sure this is a reply to Shadowstalker16: *sorry, I had to snip your quote because GOG was having trouble processing such a long post*
I find your post interesting and thank you for the link you sent me. I do recognise many of these journalists by name, but I am unaware of what they have done that is considered corrupt. I do believe, as I said earlier, that gaming journalism needs to maintain the same kinds of ethics as more mainstream journalism; but remember that this is still a young medium. The issue is that the circles are small and insular, therefore it is easier for a game reviewer to have met a game developer. Perhaps even have a friendship with them. A lot of gaming conventions (E3 being the most famous, perhaps) even welcome this sort of networking. In many ways, gaming journalism is still highly unprofessional, but I remain optimistic that as time goes by, things will improve. Already I see many reviewers adding addendums to their articles stating that they know the developer personally. This is a good sign. I also see less product placement and "hype" about new games coming out.
I saw the birth of gaming journalism as a child and things were very different back then. Games and gamers were not taken seriously and "gaming journalists" were just hobbyists often paid to promote a product by the magazine they wrote for. Back then magazines were often focused on specific consoles/platforms (Playstation, Nintendo, PC) and as a result, they (especially the official Sony and Nintendo magazines) were heavily biased. They also liked to advertise "booth babes" and pay for models to pose with controllers to attract a certain audience. Hyping a new game with exaggerated language was common and definitely had an impact on the purchases I made as a naive girl.
As a young female gamer, I never did have any problems playing as a "macho space shooter marine" (to give the stereotypical example). It never even occurred to me to think of "diversity" in games back then. I was an "odd duck" however and, apart from my younger sister, the only female gamer I knew. As this was before the mainstream internet era, I was a loner and games were my friends. The few times I met gamers, they were often male, and being young, awkward around me. I was often questioned about my "geek cred" which is why I am still touchy about it.
The issue of how to make gaming more welcoming to non-gamers is a complex one. I hate the idea, for example, of games being "made for women". Especially as the people making those games tend to focus on stereotypes that I cannot relate to. Perhaps my favourite genre is and has always remained the RPG because I feel that I can often put myself into the shoes of the character. Before voice acting became common, the protagonist was often silent. Old CRPGs also allowed for many different playstyles and I always felt like I could relate to my character. I also have no issue playing as someone different from myself, in fact, I find it interesting to put myself in the shoes of people from varying backgrounds.
Games these days are mimicking the film industry a lot and I think that is why the issue of diversity has been brought up. When the protagonists are actual voiced actors, perhaps some people feel that it is time for there to be a more varied "cast". I welcome this, although perhaps there has been too much focus on this lately.
Perhaps I have misunderstood the GG movement. If it is true that GG was not behind the harassment of these public figures, then I apologise for my assumption. I do, however, believe that since the GG movement is diverse (as you said) it may also attract individuals who are less interested in journalistic ethics and more interested in trolling. I suppose this is true of any large, diverse and controversial movement.
I would actually be interested in hearing more about this topic and your side of the story. You are the only poster here who has answered me in a polite and civil manner. I respect that. If I could get some links to evidence of game journalism corruption (preferably from a reputable source), I would be willing to continue this discussion and reconsider my perspective on the issue.
I also want to ask, what would your solution be to making gaming more welcoming as a medium?
On the one hand, I almost dislike how "mainstream" gaming has become (I don't like the blockbuster direction they are taking) even though that makes me sound like a hipster :-P. On the other hand, I wish that there were more active female gamers so that I would have friends I could relate to. I also want to hear more diverse stories told through the medium of gaming.
Thank you for not downvoting me. Have an upvote from me for being civil and polite! :-)
shadowmirage: Also, the GG movement is associated with doxing, cyberbullying, swatting and general anti-social behaviour, especially towards minorities and women. I´m sure none of you folks have participated in any of these things, but keep that in mind when you mention "Gamer Gate". This is what most people see. Attacks against Zoe Quinn, Anita Sarkeesian, Brianna Wu and other vocal female gamers or game developers. That is unacceptable behaviour.
Klumpen0815: Have you ever seen proof of this stuff happening?
I've read about this for a long time but in the end all of those accusations turned out to be fabricated to support a corrupt agenda. On the other hand, I've seen a ton of proof (all of it has been repeatedly posted in this very thread for example) of anti-gamergate harrassing, doxxing, bullying, etc... everyone (including women and "minorities") on a large scale if they didn't support the narrative.
The diversity of sexes, skin colours, social position, political views and overall opinions is really strong on the #GG side from what I've seen first hand while the other side is rather lacking although the opposite is claimed. I've had peaceful discussions here with people I had real problems with in other threads due to the uncommon combination of my opinions and life-style.
I agree, that the whole downvoting is bad, but those trolls are on both sides and are seldomly posting here themselves. I've lost hundreds of points here myself although I'm not really part of any camp and just value honesty, constructive behaviour and indeed social justice.
I also agree that the whole #GG label is rather superfluous by now since it has made its point by gathering proof of corruption and political agendas that are using quite aggressive, dishonest and destructive methods in order to be spread, but I just need to say, that you really should question how much of what you think to know isn't actually based on facts/proof since you seem to repeat quite a bit of prapaganda although you seem to be open minded.
Read the post I made above in answer to Shadowstalker16. I am "on the fence" when it comes to this issue and, yes, I have read a lot about #GG harassment which has coloured my perspective. I still do not consider myself a supporter of either side. I am openminded, that is true, and I would be willing to listen to the other side of the story.
My first post may have upset people, but I honestly believed that the #GG movement was the main culprit behind the attacks. If I have been misled, then I apologise. I would love to see proof of this, however.
