In a new study, written up at The Mary Sue, researchers look at gender and harassment in multiplayer online games, in this case, Halo 3. “[T]he use of gendered insults and the tripled rate of negative comments, regardless of skill level or win percentage, indicates that something more than just a proclivity for trash-talk is [...]
Patricia Hernandez talks about the reasons she doesn’t talk about video game violence much. “They’re recollections of things, sometimes games I know for certain go together somehow, amount to a small piece of some puzzle that’s supposed to help me understand where violence and death fit in my life.”
Maria at The Hathor Legacy looks at the Paranormal Activity franchise from the standpoint of abuse, neglect and gaslighting. “It’s also a reminder that one of the franchise’s major themes is that when women and children are victims of abuse, they are not only not likely to be believed, they are also often put into [...]
2 more responses to the unmasking of a Reddit troll: Mote & Beam‘s Joel Johnson writes about Reddit’s possible coming of age and, at The Atlantic, Whitney Phillips writes about trolling, from an academic perspective.
In writing about–and exposing the identity of–Reddit moderator and troll, Violentacrez, Adrian Chen makes an interesting point, well, many interesting points in this excellent piece for The Gawker: “When it comes to mods, the political model of Reddit is not so much a vast digital democracy, as it’s often framed by fans and users, [...]
Andre at Black Nerd Comedy has some advice on how not to be a creeper at cons (and pretty much anywhere else) in his latest, “Black Nerd Rant.”
With some help from Martin Luther King, Jr., Erin Kissane starts talking about how to build a better internet.
Leaping once more into the breach, Dr. Nerdlove writes about “the Internet Hate Machine” and Feminist Frequency‘s Anita Sarkeesian. “There’s a good question as to just why there’s this active core of hatred and fear of women in geek culture and why they seem so determined to silence anyone–women especially–who dares question male privilege. Now let’s be [...]
As part of the harassment of Feminist Frequency‘s Anita Sarkeesian, a guy from Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario made a “game” where players could punch her. The Internet found the game’s designer and people talked to him on Twitter. Storify has more as does Gameranx. And She Was Disclaiming has an analysis of the ensuing conversation.
Feminist Frequency‘s Anita Sarkeesian set up a Kickstarter for her project, “Women vs. Video Game Tropes” and received a hateful response. Rock Paper Shotgun, The Escapist and Think Progress have more. The Mary-Sue theorizes on what can be done. Jezebel and Slate have pieces on how depressingly common misogynistic attacks are and Gamespot interviews Sarkeesian.
Writers Joe Lansdale and Andrew Vachss have a conversation about their books Edge of Dark Water and That’s How I Roll, the power of books, the importance of libraries and librarians, publishing as a fixed fight and a helluva lot more. Part one and part two.
Dr. NerdLove finds once again that he must put aside the charming daily business of helping nerds find love and return again to “Nerds and Male Privilege” in the context of a recent egregious example of sexual harassment in gaming.
Game writer Jennifer Hepler said some things in an interview 5 years ago that she’s being harassed over now. Susana Polo writes about what she thinks Hepler’s story is all about: “This intimidation in regards to inclusion (of easier play modes, setting aside the inclusion of characters who are something other than the majority demographic) [...]
Liv Strömquist’s heartbreaking comic about Whitney Houston and domestic abuse.
Monika Bartyzel writes about “softening and sexualizing Lisbeth Salander” in David Fincher’s adaptation of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, the pre-release posters and Stieg Larsson and his novel. “There seems to be a relief that Mara’s Salander is a more relatable person, that classic ‘female’ tropes like softness and vulnerability are visible. It speaks [...]
R-Type has a funny way of showing its affection. It doesn’t give you black eyes, but it still makes them red and twitchy. You don’t eat as much. You abuse caffeine and other stimulants, as if that makes much of a difference. Its benchmark of expectation keeps rising. Make no mistake: The standards presented will [...]
Tiger Beatdown has a poignant post about Betty Draper in Mad Men: “We wanted Betty to read The Feminine Mystique and get her mind blown and rise above; or, we wanted her to stay a victim, so we could relate to her better, or at least keep feeling sorry for her. But sometimes, people just [...]
Over the decades, rumours about the existence of snuff movies has run rampant despite the fact that no evidence exists to support these dark claims. After a large amount of my own research into the topic, I’ve come up with nothing but a lot of dead ends and goofy urban legends… with one exception.
What, it’s June already? I’m sure a I had a whole year here a minute ago. In any case, summer means humidity, allergies, and a sad lack of home AC. This year, it also means squirrels in the roof (don’t ask. No, really).
