PSA about Goodbye Volcano High and its writer.

[unknownspectator]

First of all, this is not a doxxing thread, it's a thread informing you of who the writer of goodbye volcano high is and to let you decide for yourself if you want to still buy this or not.

Kate Gray, the writer of Goodbye Volcano High, was the same writer who posted an article on kotaku with pics of virtual CP.

Did Kotaku just post an article with (animated) child porn? (NSFW) [Up: Kotaku apologizes]

mod edit: The images have been removed and an editor's note posted Animated Video Game Porn Could Be A Lot Sexier And Less Gross ----------------------------------------------- So Kotaku posted an article exploring "video game porn". Literally the second picture in the article is an animated...

www.resetera.com

One of those pics was of the harry potter character hermione granger based off the likeness of the child actress, emma watson, that was playing as her. While she did not create the pics, she did signal boost them. I shouldn't have to say that virtual CP is still CP and it's vile shit but I feel I still need to say it. There was also a picture of an underage misty from pokemon in a sexual act.

Gray did apologize once it came to light that she was that writer. Here's the twitter thread of her apology. Personally, i would have felt it was genuine if it wasn't for the fact that she's only doing this now instead of a year earlier.



Kotaku also made an apology but only citing it was NSFW not because of it's underage content. In short, a non-apology.


I gave you the relevant Info, up to you to decide if you want to buy the game or not.

 

[Pewshi]

Thanks but even with all that in mind I need to see what the game is actually like first. I have no idea if this is a point-and-clicker in the classical vein or more along the lines of something like Life is Strange. I'm curious as to what it will actually play like.

 

[fadedbones]

Glad she put something out there.

 

[GinoFelino]

There was no malice in her writing then and I don't see the problem in her writing a game currently.

A lot of anger around the previous issue was concern trolling from people who hate Kotaku, and I'm not surprised if I were to see it continue around this 'queer-centric' game.

 

[cowbanana]

Thanks for posting this. Imagine having such a normalized view on underage porn that you publish such an article like it's the most normal thing in the world. Yikes. My opinion on her now is the same as back when this surfaced.

 

[GinoFelino]

Thanks for posting this. Imagine having such a normalized view on underage porn that you publish such an article like it's the most normal thing in the world. Yikes. My opinion on her now is the same as back when this surfaced.

Click to shrink...

Judging from the article as well as her apology, her supposed normalized view of underage porn indeed exists only inside your imagination.

 

[Porygon]

Imagine having such a normalized view on underage porn that you publish such an article like it's the most normal thing in the world.

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This is my main concern, if she posted that kind of thing as if it was normal, I can't even imagine to think what else she has saved, searched or liked :\

 

[Dio]

There was no malice in her writing then and I don't see the problem in her writing a game currently.

A lot of anger around the previous issue was concern trolling from people who hate Kotaku, and I'm not surprised if I were to see it continue around this 'queer-centric' game.

Click to shrink...

...Agree. I feel like it was really irresponsible(and disgusting), from both her and the editor to ever let that go through, but i feel like whats happening now, with people already misrepresenting the article... isn't good.
EDIT: that said, the fact she only spoke about it now says a lot.

 

[jizzywinks]

The delay in addressing this it is definitely not helping, but at the same time I assume there are plenty others working on the game too who don't deserve to be tarnished with this. There's so little information out there about what this game is but if it does appropriately represent what it's going for, I'd like to support it.

 

[sirap]

Her silence on the matter bothered the shit out of me. It's pretty telling that she's only apologising about it now.

 

[GinoFelino]

This is my main concern, if she posted that kind of thing as if it was normal, I can't even imagine to think what else she has saved, searched or liked :\

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What does this even mean? Why would you even think she has anything to hide?

 

[SleepSmasher]

Personally, i would have felt it was genuine if it wasn't for the fact that she's only doing this now instead of a year earlier.

Click to shrink...

A quick Google search tells me that it looks like this was her sole misstep before and after it happened, so there's that.
She's also getting more exposure now so her apology will reach more people who might remember or care about this. I won't just cancel every single person that does something wrong, context is key and she seems to deeply regret it.

 

[Rob]

Yeah, this kinda killed any interest I had in the game. Which is a shame because I really really loved what I saw.

 

[Thera]

At that time, I remember thinking it was not a big deal (but don't remember the whole process that makes me thinking that).

But speaking about it now, after you introduce your game, is not great display.

 

[noyram23]

A quick Google search tells me that it looks like this was her sole misstep before and after it happened, so there's that.
She's also getting more exposure now so her apology will reach more people who might remember or care about this. I won't just cancel every single person that does something wrong, context is key and she seems to deeply regret it.

Click to shrink...

My main issue is that she might be apologizing now because she has a game to sell. Reading her apology, it seems genuine though. I also like what this game is representing for and given they handle it correctly, I would like to support it

 

[adj_noun]

Tweet thread in full:

In this thread, I'm going to be addressing the Kotaku article about Harry Potter that I wrote and was published in September 2019. I will not be posting it here, but please be aware that this thread will be addressing potentially triggering and upsetting content.

First of all, I am sorry for staying silent on the matter. There is no excuse for it, and I am so sorry for leaving you in the dark, thinking that my silence meant that I did not care.

The article, the pictures, and my uncritical opinion on it, were all grave mistakes. No excuses and no "but"s. It was poorly-thought through, careless, and ugly, and it hurt people.

I regret a lot of things about that article, but the fact that it hurt people is my biggest regret of all. From the bottom of my heart, I am sorry. I hope you can trust us with GVH, but I understand if your hurt makes that hard.

I should have known better. I try to be thoughtful and careful in my work, and this was neither of those things. I want to stand up for people, not cause them pain.

I have since stepped away from journalism, and have made sincere efforts to learn from the experience, to become the kind of person who never makes those mistakes. I am far from a perfect person, but I never wish to hurt people like that again.

For GVH, we have consultants, diverse ideas and backgrounds, and we care so much about what we make. We are all committed to representing our queer and marginalised identities in a way we want to see in games, and representing and uplifting players.

Click to shrink...

 

[DaToonie]

The fact that this statement is coming out now, right after the fact that people remembered her name, the article she wrote, and started calling it out, is too telling.

You don't just casually write about child porn less than a year ago and move on completely afterwards. The game starring High School aged characters doesn't help, either.

I do need to give the full statement a read though.

 

[Deleted member 21709]

This is my main concern, if she posted that kind of thing as if it was normal, I can't even imagine to think what else she has saved, searched or liked :\

Click to shrink...

C'mon.. what the fuck?

 

[Musubi]

Didn't know this when I saw the trailer and still not going to change my mind on it. Game looked great.

 

[cowbanana]

The fact that this statement is coming out now, right after the fact that people remembered her name, the article she wrote, and started calling it out, is too telling.

You don't just casually write about child porn less than a year ago and move on completely afterwards. The game starring High School aged characters doesn't help, either.

I do need to give the full statement a read though.

Click to shrink...

The "apology" also doesn't touch on her underlying thought process that prompted her to post those images, like they were the most normal thing ever to put up on a mainstream website.

 

[Kordelle]

Didn't like the game anyway, but this is really bad.

 

[DaToonie]

The "apology" also doesn't touch on her underlying thought process that prompted her to post those images, like they were the most normal thing ever to put up on a mainstream website.

Click to shrink...

Actually. That's probably what my main icky feeling about this is coming from. It doesn't feel like she genuinely understands the issue with what she specifically wrote (I mean she mainly states that she's upset about having hurt anyone). Which is like, ok fine, but please recognize the baseline issue that you, unprompted, published written child porn for an article...??

 

[Rotobit]

I kinda get what she was doing with the article - fandom culture is pretty weird and twisted these days with the whole concept of Rule 34 in particular - but the execution was so terrible it was a massive mistake on all fronts.

It's possible to talk about how certain facets of fandoms have become so perverted they've ruined the simplest google image search. Seriously, search any kid-friendly property, even with safesearch on, and you'll find some fetish soon enough. As someone who has to search images for work I've seen a lot of creepy nonsense.

But IIRC the article didn't really delve much deeper than "this is weird" and including images was one of the most bafflingly stupid things decisions ever on the part of both the writer and her editors. It was no academic study of a sociological phenomenon, it was essentially clickbait on the most unfortunate subject in the world.

So yeah, I don't think she's a pedophile, but she was very, very clueless.

I'm glad she's addressed it and owned up to her stupidity, and while it's possible to be cynical and think she's only apologising now due to the new game coming out, I'd wager it's more down to the massive influx of people bringing it up again. Like, I imagine most people who were justifiably upset simply ignored her after the initial furore died down and she left Kotaku. She'd just be apologising to the void before now. Although if she didn't apologise at the time that's, yet again, another very stupid decision.

I don't blame anyone for skipping this. It's only one queer game among many and there are plenty of other devs to support.

 

[CloseTalker]

The "apology" also doesn't touch on her underlying thought process that prompted her to post those images, like they were the most normal thing ever to put up on a mainstream website.

Click to shrink...

What would you like her to say/do?

 

[Paquete_PT]

This is my main concern, if she posted that kind of thing as if it was normal, I can't even imagine to think what else she has saved, searched or liked :\

Click to shrink...

I'm sorry, but this is absurd. What evidence do you have that she might be into nefarious practices. This is an heavy accusation that shouldn't be dropped this nonchalantly.

 

[Dio]

I'm sorry, but this is absurd. What evidence do you have that she might be into nefarious practices. This is an heavy accusation that shouldn't be dropped this nonchalantly.

Click to shrink...

yep. it's totally fair to be disgusted by the article, and the irresponsible usage of the gifs/videos, but to accuse her of anything else beyond incompetence is a bit too much.

 

[sirap]

It didn't help that she basically ignored everyone when this thing first blew up. She just locked her Twitter account, buried her head in the sand and waited for the shitstorm to blow over.

 

[Deleted member 25702]

The best time to plant a tree is twenty years ago. The second best time is right now. If we're trying to pick apart an apology because it was posted when this issue was brought up again, then clearly we aren't interested in people recognizing their mistakes and moving on.

I think posting the Harry Potter thing wasn't great, but she didn't make it. She was showing off a dark corner of the Internet and there's certainly way worse than that out there.

 

[Trejo]

Granted, that is not a good look but...

This is my main concern, if she posted that kind of thing as if it was normal, I can't even imagine to think what else she has saved, searched or liked :\

Click to shrink...

Jumping to conclusions much, are we?

 

[GinoFelino]

It didn't help that she basically ignored everyone when this thing first blew up. She just locked her Twitter account, buried her head in the sand and waited for the shitstorm to blow over.

Click to shrink...

Which is 100% acceptable if you're a female writer in games, at Kotaku, having to deal with a big garbage pile of forced outrage. To see malice in her writing is to willingly blind yourself to what the obvious intent was here.

The best time to plant a tree is twenty years ago. The second best time is right now. If we're trying to pick apart an apology because it was posted when this issue was brought up again, then clearly we aren't interested in people recognizing their mistakes and moving on.

I think posting the Harry Potter thing wasn't great, but she didn't make it. She was showing off a dark corner of the Internet and there's certainly way worse than that out there.

Click to shrink...

Well said.

 

[Ultima_5]

Thanks for posting this. Imagine having such a normalized view on underage porn that you publish such an article like it's the most normal thing in the world. Yikes. My opinion on her now is the same as back when this surfaced.

Click to shrink...

Yah. I️ posted this in the other thread but her apology is ridiculous. She ignored people calling it out for months and only addressed it cuz it's gonna affect The sales of something she's currently involved in. Anyone defending what she did is creepy as fuck

 

[solidr]

This is my main concern, if she posted that kind of thing as if it was normal, I can't even imagine to think what else she has saved, searched or liked :\

Click to shrink...

if i remember well, the kotaku article have Misty (pokemon 10yo) porn too

edit. the thread in the op confirmed

 

[sirap]

Which is 100% acceptable if you're a female writer in games, at Kotaku, having to deal with a big piling garbage pile of forced outrage. To see malice in her writing is to willingly blind yourself to what the obvious intent was here.

Click to shrink...

Force outrage? About child porn?

JFC. Come on man.

 

[jman1954goat]

goodbye volcano high is one of the few games out there with lgbt characters front and center so its going to be hard to ignore from me

hopefully the creators not an actual pedophile and it's closer to a James Gunn situation

 

[s0l0kill]

A quick Google search tells me that it looks like this was her sole misstep before and after it happened, so there's that.
She's also getting more exposure now so her apology will reach more people who might remember or care about this. I won't just cancel every single person that does something wrong, context is key and she seems to deeply regret it.

Click to shrink...

We are talking about drawn pedophilia type content, it's not a slipup, that's what this girl and her friends like to watch, so much so she felt comfortable putting in under a major publication.

 

[ZSeibar]

This is dangerously close to cancel culture. Yes, she made a terrible article and she already apologized for it! I don't think a single mistake (that you've learned from) warrants a boycott on everything you make from that point forward

 

[SleepSmasher]

We are talking about drawn pedophilia type content, it's not a slipup, that's what this girl and her friends like to watch, so much so she felt comfortable putting in under a major publication.

Click to shrink...

Would you mind to prove the bolded above? Serious question, 'cause I can't find anything about that.
Did you read her apology or will you just pile on her mistake forever and absolutely nothing will change your mind?

 

[Deleted member 5596]

I understand what was she going for, and I realize that the execution was terrible. She apologized to it and seems sincere enough and the game she's working on, is important for the type of representation aims for. This is not Vavra being a nazi and creating a xenophobic game, but if people choose to ignore the game about what she did at Kotaku, that's fine, more power to them.

It didn't help that she basically ignored everyone when this thing first blew up. She just locked her Twitter account, buried her head in the sand and waited for the shitstorm to blow over.

Click to shrink...

Female writer at Kotaku? I understand that it needed to be adressed back then, but I too understand hiding from an angry mob of misogynistic gamers.

 

[GhostTrick]

There was no malice in her writing then and I don't see the problem in her writing a game currently.

A lot of anger around the previous issue was concern trolling from people who hate Kotaku, and I'm not surprised if I were to see it continue around this 'queer-centric' game.

Click to shrink...

Dunno.
I'd say writing down an entire article about how "I watched Child pornography for the laughs and it was either bad/boring" is a malicious act in itself.

 

[s0l0kill]

Would you mind to prove the bolded above? Serious question, 'cause I can't find anything about that.
Did you read her apology or will you just pile on her mistake forever and absolutely nothing will change your mind?

Click to shrink...

The original article in question was about her and her friend watching that type of content, what do I need to prove here?
And personally, and that might be a hot take for some of you, if you feel comfortable to dabble in this sort of semi-pedo fan fiction enough to post an online piece about it, showcasing it while you rave about your pornstar actress friend watching it with you, it's probably not your first time doing it, you're probably at least somewhat familiar with it to begin with.
Nothing will change my mind, the fact she is now writing what is essentially a furry (something I consider a sexual fetish among other things) teenager drama, is just jarring to me, you'd think one would want to distance herself from this type of content and audience since she's already had a past with it, but she also never apologized up to now so I guess it was never really too bothering for her.

 

[Mezentine]

This apology would be entirely sufficient to me if she wasn't now working on a game about teenagers is I think the thing. I don't blame anyone who looks at the juxtaposition of "Posted pornography based on child actors to laugh about it" and "Is now writing an emotionally charged coming of age story about teenagers" and feels uncomfortable

 

[Deleted member 21709]

The original article in question was about her and her friend watching that type of content, what do I need to prove here?

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They were watching it so she could write an article, I don't think they got off on it from what was described.

 

[GinoFelino]

Yah. I️ posted this in the other thread but her apology is ridiculous. She ignored people calling it out for months and only addressed it cuz it's gonna affect The sales of something she's currently involved in. Anyone defending what she did is creepy as fuck

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Force outrage? About child porn?

JFC. Come on man.

Click to shrink...

It's possible to both believe the article was poorly conceived and executed, AND believe there is an absolute metric shitton of concern/outrage trolling about it solely because it's Kotaku and/or a female writer in games.

She was right to lie low and carry on, and she's right to apologize now that she's resurfaced.

 

[Z-Beat]

It's weird seeing how lax the responses are in this thread vs the thread when it actually happened

 

[Deleted member 14377]

I agree with the posts in here inregards to the sincerity of her apology. That being said, the game is still not particularly pleasing to the eyes, but I'm glad it exist and am hopeful that it's got a beautiful, pro LGBTQ+

What I want to more or less bring attention to is the fact that when compared to games like the last night, kingdomcome and DQ11 people are so quick and easy to defend and brush off the actions of those games and developers.

All of whom share various and widely phobic and problematic views that align with the alt right, have offered ZERO in the way of apology and yet people still played these games (sans last night, fuck them I hope it never comes out) and made OTs etc;

I just hope some of you were in those threads arguing against those other games just as you are with this one. I don't care if you think the other games look or are better.

I'm just a bit irked that I am seeing people be way more harsh to a game that is pro LGBTQ+ and a dev who has actually offered a seeming sincere apology. Yet shit like Kingdomcome and DQ11 dodge a lot more vitrol.

I'm not calling out anyone in specific. This is just an observation from someone who has been here a while and has argued on this forum against discussing those other games and against supporting those other developers.

 

[labx]

So... Let me chew on this: she write an article about her experience watching cp with her friends, "with no malice", oblivious of the consequences because she didn't know better and she was "young and naive" (the trusty bail out of prison card). Of all the times that she could have addressed the topic and her oblivious mistake she decides to do it now when her creative work is on the spot receiving a lot of fire. I'm a true believer of rehabilitation and second chances (if are deserved) but you have to earn it. Let's see.

Edited to give more context

 

[RROCKMAN]

So now y'all are downplaying this because she's making a game?

Disappointed, but human is as human does, not surprised.

 

[Deleted member 925]

It's weird seeing how lax the responses are in this thread vs the thread when it actually happened

Click to shrink...

I'm a little surprised as well.

 

[Z-Beat]

All of whom share various and widely phobic and problematic views that align with the alt right, have offered ZERO in the way of apology and yet people still played these games (sans last night, fuck them I hope it never comes out) and made OTs etc;

Click to shrink...

People certainly weren't keen on the apology offered when this article first happened

Did Kotaku just post an article with (animated) child porn? (NSFW) [Up: Kotaku apologizes]

mod edit: The images have been removed and an editor's note posted Animated Video Game Porn Could Be A Lot Sexier And Less Gross ----------------------------------------------- So Kotaku posted an article exploring "video game porn". Literally the second picture in the article is an animated...

www.resetera.com

And that was Kotaku's. This one didn't show up until it was brought up again which undermines the sincerity

 

[Deleted member 8468]

Weird how many people are dismissing /defending posting child porn compared to some of the outrage you see on this site. I don't know how to feel about all this but it seems gross.