The Impact of Homophobia in Virtual Communities
Something I thought would be of interest to this community. (Apologies for incorrect/missing tags)
http://kotaku.com/5311939/guest-oped-the-impact-of-homophobia-in-virtual-communities
"It seems that real people in those virtual communities, as well as the massive companies that run the platforms, don't like when people form groups that advocate killing people or targeting groups.
Now what happens when you take that model and you turn it to online gaming virtual communities?
To illustrate my point, take a look at this video previously highlighted on Kotaku and GayGamer to get a sense of the problem just in online gaming communities.
Halo 3: Homophobia Evolved (NSFW)
This isn't to say that all gamers feel and think this way. As we know, there's a great diversity in who plays computer and video games and how they think. But similar to other forms of mass medium entertainment-like music, books, and movies-the new frontier created by advances in technology, especially Internet technology, has increased ability to transmit our voices, images, and ideas. But it has also come with a greater capacity to harass, bully, and spread prejudices - often times with little-to-no repercussions. "
http://kotaku.com/5311939/guest-oped-the-impact-of-homophobia-in-virtual-communities
"It seems that real people in those virtual communities, as well as the massive companies that run the platforms, don't like when people form groups that advocate killing people or targeting groups.
Now what happens when you take that model and you turn it to online gaming virtual communities?
To illustrate my point, take a look at this video previously highlighted on Kotaku and GayGamer to get a sense of the problem just in online gaming communities.
Halo 3: Homophobia Evolved (NSFW)
This isn't to say that all gamers feel and think this way. As we know, there's a great diversity in who plays computer and video games and how they think. But similar to other forms of mass medium entertainment-like music, books, and movies-the new frontier created by advances in technology, especially Internet technology, has increased ability to transmit our voices, images, and ideas. But it has also come with a greater capacity to harass, bully, and spread prejudices - often times with little-to-no repercussions. "