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#GamingForward


On 10/17/2014 at 10:28 AM by Jesse Miller

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As you are likely aware there is a kind of culture war going on within the gaming community.  I won’t bore any of you with the details because if you’re reading this, you most likely already know about the fiasco that’s going on; perhaps you’ve even “taken sides” on the whole debacle.

The culture war has seen plenty of casualties, the biggest being the ability to actually sit down and talk about the issues.  This “movement” has forced people to take sides and do battle.  And these battles aren’t about advancing the dialogue, or addressing actually issues – and there are legitimate issues to be tackled here – it’s about “winning” the argument by any means necessary.  This means dirty tactics.  This means doxing, silencing, fear mongering, name calling, etc….

No matter what your views on this matter, I’d think you’d be hard pressed to tell me that it hasn’t caused major damage to the image of video games and video game culture.

And that’s why we’re all here; why we’re all members of the PixlBit community.  This community is an extension of that which we are arguing about the future of.  As much as we would like to put our heads in the sand and ignore what’s going on, we can’t.  It’s not the responsible thing to do.

I’ve thought a lot on this culture war.  I’ve been saddened and angered by the tactics used – tactics that mirror the slimiest of political campaigns.  No one wants to actually discuss anything, they only want to prove that the other side is wrong, which is exactly why this war could go on for years.  There is no logical end point, only fanatical energies being wasted on take downs, bullying, and hate.

Yesterday a thought occurred to me.  Supporting a diametric opposition to a movement you don’t agree with doesn’t actually accomplish much.  All it really does is support this “us versus them” mentality that is more destructive than constructive.  What we need to do is change the dialogue, to steer it in a direction that is not oppositional, but conversational.  To begin the discussion that most of us really long to have, but can’t in the current climate.

I’ve started a new hashtag called #GamingForward.  The point of this hashtag is to celebrate gaming culture and to move the discussion forward in a more positive and constructive direction.  We want to engage in a serious dialogue and acknowledge the problems in gaming while coming up with amiable solutions.  Most importantly it’s about starting the conversation.  It’s not about hate.  It’s not about right or wrong.  It’s about celebrating the good while trying to move it forward.  GamingForward is about exactly that: moving our culture forward.  Forward movement is a good thing, and it should be a constant thing.  We need to discuss issues without use of hyperbole and without fear that others that disagree will try to silence us through threats and fear.

It’s about hope for the future of our community. 

I don’t know if this new hashtag will gain any footing.  It could sputter out like so many others have before.  But I can tell you that I’ll be using it anytime I want to celebrate gaming or move the conversation forward.  I won’t acknowledge the other hashtags that dominate the culture war.  They aren’t worth my time and they aren’t worth your time because they don’t move the conversation in a positive direction.

I hope you’ll all consider this and perhaps share this message with your friends and family.  Gaming culture has been in the dumps lately.  It’s about time we took it back and moved it forward.

#GamingForward

Game on.


 

Comments

Matt Snee Staff Writer

10/17/2014 at 10:35 AM

I also don't like binary warring tribes.  I do my best to avoid the political scene because of that, but now the same thing has infiltrated gaming culture.  It's a disgrace.  People are getting high off the comradery and hate, but they don't realize all the damage they are doing.  I wish it would just stop.  Frown

Jesse Miller Staff Writer

10/17/2014 at 10:48 AM

This whole culture war definitely has a feel of a gruesome political campaign.  It's all mud slinging while they ignore the actual issues instead of talking about how we can actually make things better.  I want to talk about making things better.

Ranger1

10/17/2014 at 10:36 AM

Thank you. We need to be the change we want to see, and this is a start.

Jesse Miller Staff Writer

10/17/2014 at 10:45 AM

Exactly.  Being the change will hopefully affect others in a positive way and we can take our culture back and make it better.  

Ranger1

10/17/2014 at 11:18 AM

I've been put in the position of trying to explain to my non-gamer friends what is going on when all they see is what pops up in their Facebook feeds. I shared  this blog entry on my Facebook wall and hope some of the non-gamers take the time to read it.

Jesse Miller Staff Writer

10/17/2014 at 11:36 AM

Awesome! I've been in the position to explain what this culture war is about to those outside of the community - it's a very hard thing to do while trying to still make sense.  Having others have a better opinion of our community - that the war does not represent us - is a good and constructive thing.

SanAndreas

10/17/2014 at 10:43 AM

This is an awesome post, Jesse, and sums up exactly how I feel. I hope it gains traction, but I deleted my Twitter account. Never used the site much to begin with and it seems to be one of the bigger concentrations of toxicity on the 'net.

Jesse Miller Staff Writer

10/17/2014 at 10:47 AM

Thank you, and I understand deleting twitter - it can be a rather toxic place. 

mothman

10/17/2014 at 01:45 PM

We are Pixlbit

We love games

We don't fight in the console wars

We respect the opinions of our fellows

We leave our hidden agendas at the door

We are not hurtful spiteful or judgmental

We are excellent to each other 

We party on dude.

We are Pixlbit.

Sorry, best I could do on short notice. Cool

Our Take

Jesse Miller Staff Writer

10/17/2014 at 02:06 PM

This reminds me that we need a "like" feature here on PixlBit.  Nick, get on that!

KnightDriver

10/17/2014 at 03:26 PM

There needs to be a code of conduct online like the things you just listed.

Casey Curran Staff Writer

10/17/2014 at 02:12 PM

I feel that despite the damage done, the anti-GG side is the only one really doing it and unwilling to discuss things. There are exceptions on both sides, but as a whole the press seems desperate to force connections to misogyny that aren't a part of GG. GG may have influenced these people to say and do these sexist things, but it's more in the way Catcher in the Rye influenced John Lennon's death. Not the intention, just some nut who was already crazy and found an unrelated catalyst. I hate that real misogyny is happening, but also hate that the anti-GG's only defense is to lie about who is sexist because they have real issues they won't fix.

I do really like this idea though, but maybe for a different reason. Have it work with GG and remember even though this is a bad situation, it won't last forever and we should always look towards the future.

Jesse Miller Staff Writer

10/17/2014 at 02:21 PM

I don't think this works with GG because GG was started as a revenge fantasy.  Legitimate issues were attached to it afterwards, but the foundation is broken. For all those in GG that have legitmate issues (and I believe they exist), they will never be able to advance the conversation because the overall tone of GG is sour.

The anti-GG isn't really any better, because they are only focused on stopping GG, and not engaging in any real conversation or offering any solution.  This is truly an us vs. them situation. 

I don't want #GamingForward to be directly associated with either, because it isn't about right or wrong.  It's more about what we need as a community, and that's for us to move the community forward, discuss issues and stop attacking eachother.  We may not like all the ideas, but we can respect them and work to be more inclusive than exclusive.

Casey Curran Staff Writer

10/17/2014 at 02:37 PM

Fair enough but I do think that GG ending now would be bad overall. The press is proving that they lack the honesty, integrity, and open mindedness we need to move gaming forward truly. I mean gaming forward to compliment GG less as not your shield does it and more as a counter to all this ugliness going on. Not to eliminate the movement, but just to remind people why we love gaming.

Michael117

10/17/2014 at 04:47 PM

I see where you're coming from, there are legitimate issues that people still want to express to the press, but gamergate hasn't helped that at all, and never will, so the whole hashtag needs to stop. By now both sides of GG and anti-GG equate their opposition to the KKK basically. They've been calling each other terrorists and lots of stuff in an effort and centralize and dehumanize anybody who disagrees with their position. GG was built on a pile of shit from the get-go, then there were some legit issues brought up after the fact and then more shit was piled on top. GG is a shit sandwhich lol.

It's not worth saving, so I think people should move on past the hashtag and start trying to get the legitimate ideas they have out in a better way, without all the baggage GG brings.

asrealasitgets

10/17/2014 at 03:07 PM

Now we have a 3-way war. Awesome. Let the Hunger Games begin! 

Jesse Miller Staff Writer

10/17/2014 at 03:22 PM

No war here - opposite of war. This is a celebration of gaming and a move to bring culture forward. #GamingForward doesn't "oppose" either side of the culture war. It seeks to circumvent the war all together and have an actual dialogue. I don't want negativity and I don't want a battle. That's the opposite of what I want.

KnightDriver

10/17/2014 at 03:32 PM

What your proposing requires maturity.

Jesse Miller Staff Writer

10/17/2014 at 03:35 PM

It certainly does, and that's part of it.  I don't expect everyone to suddenly play nice, but we must expect better of our community if it's to achieve that maturity. Expect more and you'll get more. Expect less, and they'll give you less.

asrealasitgets

10/17/2014 at 03:46 PM

I was kidding. I always felt like Pixlbit was mature enough to stand back from the street fight. 

KnightDriver

10/17/2014 at 03:30 PM

Is that a set of challenges to see who gets to the food first? I'm up for that.Tongue Out

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