We CAN have nice things!

[ultranos]

David Gaider is a lovely man.

(Warning I guess for stupid homophobia but worth it for the eloquent smackdown on the Privilege of the Majority by one of Bioware's writers. Of course, there may be Stupid in the comments, I didn't read them.)

This coupled with recent serious discussions I've seen on inclusiveness and intersectionality (racism! sexism! homophobia! We need to FIX THESE THINGS!) in the gaming world is starting to make up for years of stupid.

Comments

and I'm not even a gamer

[talia_et_alia]

I remember you mentioning a panel you attended at PAX East on women characters in gaming; did you also see this?

http://gambit.mit.edu/updates/2011/03/hate_speech_in_game_communitie.php

I've heard other things they (specifically Philip, but it seems clear the group as a whole is on board) have to say about inclusive language in game documentation/instructions ("Stop assuming they're a straight man!") and even more than the content, I'm impressed by the calm, straightforward acceptance of the premise that there's a history and context of exclusion, so let's talk about how to act against that. I see a lot of discussions that run aground on whether there's a problem at all, or whether a specific act is connected to the larger cultural forces, or whether individuals could possibly be *ist...before getting anywhere near "here's several solutions, some may even be more appropriate at some times than others." So much augh.

Also, idk if you've heard about this yet, but I'll leave you with someone else's quote: "I liked Duke Nukem Forever much better when it was vaporware."

Re: and I'm not even a gamer

[ultranos]

I did see the GAMBIT project. It was kind of chilling how the speakers just clinically laid out the hate speech they'd been subjected to. And I'm really kinda proud of GAMBIT for tackling the issue head-on and not flinching from saying "there's a problem. It's unacceptable. We need to fix it."

And yeah, I heard about the DNF thing. I felt slightly uncomfortable that the developer had booth babes at PAX East and a line that went around the booth for a chance to take your picture on a throne with said women on either side of you. It just seemed tasteless, but, well, it is Duke Nukem, which is not known for its nuanced understanding of sexism.

In a fit of delicious irony, however, the game has been delayed again.