PAX & allies

[brigid]

So I'm a gamer, which is no surprise to anyone ever. Pax East was this weekend and I was sad that I couldn't go and see my friends since I'm on the wrong coast for these sorts of things, but then I remembered all the rapey transphobic misogynistic stuff that PA has not been held accountable for and felt super conflicted. I went to the first PAX and

Comments

[brigid]

i hope i am a non sociopathic online gamer ;)

but that said, that's almost part of the problem, it's -so- easy to write off online gamers as sociopaths or basement dwellers or whatever other loser-y type adjective, that what -they- are saying about women or rape survivors or transpeople goes under the radar. if a CEO of a company with a more diverse audience than gamers came out and said the things that PA has about rape/trans/queer issues, it would be a veritable shitshow. but since their audience is "just" gamers, they get away with it because probably half their audience agrees with them anyway and women are too weary to speak up about it after a point (because holy shit, as it sounds like you know, gaming is a hostile environment for women. at first it was shocking and appalling and now it's just tedious and while i'm glad i grew a thicker skin about it, it's also not OK that anyone should have to grow a thicker skin about being the subject of online rape threats, that's fucked up!)

but yeah it does nothing to help the image of geek/nerd guys either because going to the con seems to automatically open you up to either being hit on by everyone because you game OR everyone assumes that you're there with your male SO who is the true geek in the family OR some other degrading concept.

it's just lame because i play games as a form of escapism and more and more i'm just getting tired of how it seems like you either have to politicize it or you just have to accept that rapey stuff is becoming a more common trend.

[catkick]

Not all gamers are sociopaths or basement dwellers (not the same thing either) but I've known enough gamers to see plenty of both.

I even lost my best friends to online gaming. I had a group of girlfriends and it was great. then they all got into Everquest and only wanted to be friends with those in their guild I had no interest in online gaming. I got cut out of the group.

but watching them throw up on themselves and keep playing (at 500 pounds) or the hideous example with the tampons.....it was creepy