By Jamaal Ryan
The strategy of “don’t feed the trolls” only works to a
certain extent within a certain capacity.
Online forums where there’s a community presence is a
standard cesspool for internet shit talkers. A few weeks ago on IGN, I commented
on an article that discussed the unknown quality of Eastern European
narrative elaborating my experience playing The Witcher 2. Somehow someone took
offense to that, pointing out the Killzone franchise and its subpar storytelling
and how out of touch with reality they thought I was. I could have very easily
belittled their logic, highlighting the fact that they were only able to call
attention to a single game while there are countless game narratives from other
cultures that are unequivocally poor as many are fantastic, but where would
that conversation have gone? Nowhere but a volley of mindless and potentially
increasingly hateful banter. So what did I do? I ignored the troll. Problem solved.
Developers are in a very different boat. They don’t have the
advantage of being able to hide under the 500 posts on a comments section. Their
popularity, particularly for faces of games such as Zoe Quinn, has staying
power. You can’t remember nor likely would you be able to find the shit head
who said that PC gaming is for frumpy degenerates who “don’t get any ass” or
are “acne ridden and fat”, but type in the letters Phil F… and Google will auto
correct the rest.
As an internet known developer, you’re the sole target. And being
a face in such a sensitive and maturing industry can open you up to far more
than some superficial insults on a thread. Zoe Quinn, known for her and her
small team’s work on Depression Quest, might have wished
that her online harassment was only reserved for isolated online venting. She’s
received death threats and sexual harassment via phone, both in which can be
traumatizing or trigger past trauma experience. Batting an eye then becomes as
useless as attempting to douse a burning building with an ice cube.
Like all good advice to those experiencing emotional
distraught from emotional abuse, Quinn emphasizes taking care of yourself. She discusses
strategies like: using a form of metaphorical venting in taking a bank filled
with glitter and smashing into bits for physical release; reading the most
horrible messages in funny voices with a friend for uplifting social support;
and helping others which elicits the antithetical feeling of being worthless as
per hateful messaging, only then to receive gratitude for helping other people.
She also speaks about pushing back. Though I’m not quite
clear as to how, going public seems
to be an effective way of doing so. Just me writing about this is a product of public
expression. It gets journalists, story seekers and bloggers to spread the word
of internet abuse by humanizing its victims, and carries the message that “this
ain’t fucking cool.”
The theme in how devs can cope is reaching out, whether that’s
to a friend, a gaming publication, or even through volunteer work. Sharing your
woes with a social support system is unquestionably healthy, especially when
doing it in creative ways. Going public in a non-adversarial manner sheds light
onto offenders and forces them into hiding. And remember, you’re always
appreciated, being gentle and caring for others proves just that.
Thanks: Polygon
No comments
Post a Comment