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MetalKhaos

Member
Oct 31, 2017
1,699
Checked on the Diablo reddit today and there are threads full of alt-right dickheads complaining about journalists and SJW nonsense, it dosent surprise me they're trying to hone in on people who might be susceptible to this kind of thing using the whole 'us vs them' mentality.

I use the Reddit Pro-Tools add-on or whatever in Chrome which flags users who post in certain groups that are known to be alt-right. There's a loooooot of people in various gaming subreddits that are flagged.
 

Bluelote

Member
Oct 27, 2017
2,024
I'm in the US and I actually don't see very many


Are people paid to do this? I'm asking because it seems really wierd how it has just become this surge of insanity.

I remember lonely people online when I was younger, but nothing radicalized, they simply would form communities or cultures sometimes with personal drama but nothing this dangerous.

I don't really think that they are being paid or anything, it's just whatever they believe..

also I can't remember this behavior being all that common a few years back
 

patientzero

Member
Oct 25, 2017
4,729
I can't quote quotes it seems but man is that stuff crazy!

Like what happened to all these dudes?

There must be something seriously wrong with the socialisation of the youths because not once have I (a white guy) ever thought sexual harassment is inseparable from competitive video game culture.
I'm not blaming media here, though media of course does have an effect, because I've been subject to the same media, I think there's something seriously wrong with the way parents are bringing up kids.
Reinforcing toxic ideals of masculinity and male to female relationships.

I don't know your age but I'm 32 and started gaming with an NES at age 3.

While I was a voracious player through my youth, I actively avoided association with gaming culture even then because it was a boy's club, and one I could see being full of rage even in the 90s. My thoughts to anyone like yourself is that you found a niche where it wasn't as visible, because it always existed.

I'd tell anyone who can brave it to go back and check out the immediate reactions to the announcement of GTA: San Andreas back in 2003/4. The level of vitriolic racism was unbelievable. Not to mention that the 2000s were the heyday of describing any losing in a game as "being raped", to the extent that even the guys on Idle Thumbs, for all their progressive attitudes, implore people not to listen to their first year of episodes because they've renounced a lot of the lingo they used in those days. Look at old gaming magazine advertisements to also see how exclusive those communities were where the imagery and verbiage were notoriously sexist.

There's something to be said about parenting in these quarters, but it's a societal issue at large. Men are not taught by almost any institution, concrete or abstract, to have empathy. I only came across it as a kid by way of being surrounded by people who weren't just like me (grew up in a black neighborhood; raised by my mom and grandmothers mostly; grew up with a gay best friend, gay uncle, and gay dad; I read a lot and my pop culture tastes tended toward very inclusive models). But so many men I knew grew up to be hateful bundles of frayed nerves and empty anger at every little thing.
 

Hey Please

Avenger
Oct 31, 2017
22,824
Not America
Remember this:



Go to the Overwatch forums and find yourself in any topic about representation, and you are going to be hit with a deluge of alt-right fuckery that Blizzard does not care to actually police and ban. But considering the strain of technolibertarian, meritocratic, anti-minority views that run through gaming, it wasn't shocking. What was demoralizing, though, is that there is a member who believes fully in that stuff but reportedly is in the running to become an FBI operative.

This shit runs deep. Ostracized white guys in a world of unchecked capitalism and shifting ethnic demographics inundating themselves in media that usually presents people who look like them as protagonists in black-and-white conflicts with violent solutions. Gamers are the perfect target. And again, gaming companies are doing nothing about it.

How are the communities for PUBG and Fortnite?
 

KDR_11k

Banned
Nov 10, 2017
5,235
Damn, now I'm trying to imagine what the gaming equivalent of the Göbbelsschnauze (a free radio issued to all citizens of Nazi Germany that could only receive propaganda stations) would be.
 

Deleted member 44129

User requested account closure
Banned
May 29, 2018
7,690
I am convinced that Russians have been on gaming forums, reddit, 4chan etc for years, and also funding high profile gamers on youtube and twitch, gently introducing racism, climate change denial, xenophobia and hatred against liberals to influence young people ready for Trumpism. It may seem like a ridiculous conspiracy theory, but think how cheap and simple it is to do. What would it take, a couple of dozen people on the payroll?
 
Oct 27, 2017
16,566
Go to the Overwatch forums and find yourself in any topic about representation, and you are going to be hit with a deluge of alt-right fuckery that Blizzard does not care to actually police and ban. But considering the strain of technolibertarian, meritocratic, anti-minority views that run through gaming, it wasn't shocking. What was demoralizing, though, is that there is a member who believes fully in that stuff but reportedly is in the running to become an FBI operative.

This shit runs deep. Ostracized white guys in a world of unchecked capitalism and shifting ethnic demographics inundating themselves in media that usually presents people who look like them as protagonists in black-and-white conflicts with violent solutions. Gamers are the perfect target. And again, gaming companies are doing nothing about it.
People like the fbi dude is why shit will never change, assholes like that getting into positions they have no business near. Also, situations like that are how I know there are many like that in the gaming industry in high level positions, they won't speak out on it cause it'll hurt their sales or they believe in these dumb ass bigot beliefs.

The dumb thing is they ain't ostracized or losing a war for their rights, but they're so childish, stupid and easily manipulated they're being used as pawns. Also, the problem goes way beyond the "ostracized" one's even your average joe is creating problems. The lack of self awareness is why I truly believe they'll be the downfall of humanity, this racism, sexism and homophobia is so naive it's ridiculous.

Then you've got people in the Ubisoft thread saying fine keep politics out of gaming and they're fine with that decision, sounds just like many on GAF did before the exodus. Forget all that noise, everyone need to take a stand because if you standing in the sidelines is a choice too. It means you're fine with the status quo for one reason or another and those who are fighting against it for a better tomorrow mean nothing to you.
 

Hasseigaku

Member
Oct 30, 2017
3,541


For some extra fun go look up the Cross Assault thread in the other forum and see how many people who are still around defend the behavior and get more mad about the subsequent articles about it than the behavior itself.

And then, if you can find it, look up what Marn said about it the night after the article hit.
 
Oct 27, 2017
3,826
Wasn't Steve Bannon specifically keyed in on the potential for the alt-right movement online because of what he saw in gaming forums and the like?
According to the book Devil's Bargain, he helped run a Chinese gold farming operation. There was a user backlash against gold farmers that got Blizzard to bring the hammer down. Bannon noticed the racially charged language made by a bunch of angry young white men and made note of it.
 

excelsiorlef

Bad Praxis
Member
Oct 25, 2017
73,325
What the fuck is going on with the world?

When I was a young boy, gamers used to be the tolerant ones. Gaming communities used to be inclusive and against the religious right wing bigotry that among other things bashed racial/ethnic minorities and LGBT+.

Surely I'm not misremembering this? I could swear this was the case in the late 90s and very early 2000s.

Gaming has never been inclusive or not bigoted tbh.

It was in many ways worse in the 90s and 2000s.
 

sibarraz

Prophet of Regret - One Winged Slayer
Avenger
Oct 27, 2017
18,106
Didn't Aris apologize to Miranda after that? I heard that they are in good terms now
 

Rudolph

Attempted to circumvent ban with alt account
Banned
Oct 27, 2017
671
Colorado by way of Louisiana
Of course they are. The people who are gamers are easy targets and the gaming companies and the "gamers" who claim "gamer just means your playing videogames" do nothing because they need dat $$$.
 

OrangeNova

Member
Oct 30, 2017
12,647
Canada
Boogie2988 did say that some good came out of the holocaust and he's still a totally successful youtuber. There's a reason they target the people they do.
(Not "well actually")As much as I hate boogie, and the holocaust is a horrific event that nobody should forgive for literally anything that it has done. modern accounting and computing are where they are because of the holocaust, and that's the usually playbook the alt-right shitheads go for. But what we need to remember that in no way says that ANY good came out of it. We, as a society use advancements that come about through war all the time, it doesn't absolve the event, or make it any better.

Edited to avoid any confusion. Fuck Nazi's.
 
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Nome

Designer / Self-requested ban
Banned
Oct 27, 2017
3,312
NYC
I am convinced that Russians have been on gaming forums, reddit, 4chan etc for years, and also funding high profile gamers on youtube and twitch, gently introducing racism, climate change denial, xenophobia and hatred against liberals to influence young people ready for Trumpism. It may seem like a ridiculous conspiracy theory, but think how cheap and simple it is to do. What would it take, a couple of dozen people on the payroll?
This is only appealing as a theory because it distracts from the truth that people are just shitheads. They didn't need Russian influence to turn out like this.
 

KDR_11k

Banned
Nov 10, 2017
5,235
I am convinced that Russians have been on gaming forums, reddit, 4chan etc for years, and also funding high profile gamers on youtube and twitch, gently introducing racism, climate change denial, xenophobia and hatred against liberals to influence young people ready for Trumpism. It may seem like a ridiculous conspiracy theory, but think how cheap and simple it is to do. What would it take, a couple of dozen people on the payroll?

No, much simpler than that: Russia has a significant pool of neonazis. No, not whatever the far right equivalent party of Russia is, outright Nazi with the swastika, Hitler and all that shit.
 

excelsiorlef

Bad Praxis
Member
Oct 25, 2017
73,325
As much as I hate boogie, and the holocaust is a horrific event... modern accounting and computing are where they are because of the holocaust.

But that in no way says that ANY good came out of it. We, as a society use advancements that come about through war all the time, it doesn't absolve the event, or make it any better.

Jesus christ that post wasn't a cue for someone to well actually it.
 

Kthulhu

Member
Oct 25, 2017
14,670
What the fuck is going on with the world?

When I was a young boy, gamers used to be the tolerant ones. Gaming communities used to be inclusive and against the religious right wing bigotry that among other things bashed racial/ethnic minorities and LGBT+.

Surely I'm not misremembering this? I could swear this was the case in the late 90s and very early 2000s.

LMAO good one.
 

OrangeNova

Member
Oct 30, 2017
12,647
Canada
Jesus christ that post wasn't a cue for someone to well actually it.
No, but it's a good thing to know to tell the people who say that good came out of the holocaust, because you can cut them off at the pass and tell them to fuck right off.

I really did try to not word it as a "well actually" I should go back and work on it some more, but I agree it wasn't a cue.
 

sibarraz

Prophet of Regret - One Winged Slayer
Avenger
Oct 27, 2017
18,106
As much as I hate boogie, and the holocaust is a horrific event... modern accounting and computing are where they are because of the holocaust.

But that in no way says that ANY good came out of it. We, as a society use advancements that come about through war all the time, it doesn't absolve the event, or make it any better.

The thing is, you can't thank the holocaust for that even if it holds true that some technological advances were made in the quest to exterminate people, because that way you are slowly approaching the territory of "maybe the nazis were not that bad"

At least the word "thanks" brings a lot of issues in the topic
 

Deleted member 5853

User requested account closure
Banned
Oct 25, 2017
12,725
Where are all the "if you play games, you're a gamer" folks saying they don't understand why people don't want to be associated with "gamers"?
 

Deleted member 2620

User requested account closure
Banned
Oct 25, 2017
4,491
"just wait for the olds to die", they told me

without direct action, this stuff will keep getting normalized and kids today will grow up to be just as vile
 

Deleted member 11413

User requested account closure
Banned
Oct 27, 2017
22,961
This has been a significant problem since internet use became widespread, much faster than society could adapt to it. Most parents have no idea what their kids are doing online, which is extremely dangerous. If you are a parent reading this, please make sure you know what your child is doing online. You can save them from some truly horrible shit just by being involved.
 

excelsiorlef

Bad Praxis
Member
Oct 25, 2017
73,325
No, but it's a good thing to know to tell the people who say that good came out of the holocaust, because you can cut them off at the pass and tell them to fuck right off.

I really did try to not word it as a "well actually" I should go back and work on it some more, but I agree it wasn't a cue.

Fair enough but you literally opened up with "as much as I hate boogie..."

Which immediately contextualizes whatever comes next as some level of defense for what he said.

Glad it wasn't intentional.
 

OrangeNova

Member
Oct 30, 2017
12,647
Canada
The thing is, you can't thank the holocaust for that even if it holds true that some technological advances were made in the quest to exterminate people, because that way you are slowly approaching the territory of "maybe the nazis were not that bad"

At least the word "thanks" brings a lot of issues in the topic
Oh 100% agreed. It's fucked up that people even say that.
 

TheSyldat

Banned
Nov 4, 2018
1,127
Why am I not even surprised ? I mean parents don't pay attention to their kids is it any wonder that other adults feels like playing father figure in the interim ...
 
Oct 25, 2017
3,231
When I was a young boy, gamers used to be the tolerant ones.

This was never true. What probably is true was that you were ignorant to it all when you were younger. Most of us are (at least those of us in a privileged class). Unfortunately not everyone grows out of that ignorance, and Nazis exploit that ignorance by cultivating it, and recruiting from it.
 

Mesoian

â–˛ Legend â–˛
Member
Oct 28, 2017
26,469
And people wonder why people say the word "Gamers" with squinted eyes and sneers.

What the fuck is going on with the world?

When I was a young boy, gamers used to be the tolerant ones. Gaming communities used to be inclusive and against the religious right wing bigotry that among other things bashed racial/ethnic minorities and LGBT+.

Surely I'm not misremembering this? I could swear this was the case in the late 90s and very early 2000s.
You are GROSSLY misremembering this.

I remember girls being chased out of gaming, essentially being called "bulldykes" because they played with "boys toys".

Gaming has only been relatively inclusive in the past couple of years.

Where are all the "if you play games, you're a gamer" folks saying they don't understand why people don't want to be associated with "gamers"?

Right?
 
Oct 25, 2017
6,948
I think it's crazy that so many parents are so ok with their kids having unlimited access to people they don't know or can't confront or screen during their most formative years.

I'll allow my kids some freedoms, but I guarantee that I'll be keeping all this shit on a super short leash. Goddamn.
 

Pulp

Member
Nov 4, 2017
3,023
I have read so much racist bullshit in videogame related threads on internet so this is not the least surprising. I was actually shocked how easy people turn to fascism considering its not that long since WWII. But i guess its more important for people to supress others than to actually care about their own well being
 

excelsiorlef

Bad Praxis
Member
Oct 25, 2017
73,325
Gaming is hostile to cultural and sociological criticism, it wants all the benefits of art but not any of the responsibility that comes with it. Gamers are literally encouraged to not think deep, to not analyse, to just play and are trained to see any academic analysis of gaming, vis a vis the messages it sends, the politics it inhabits, as an attack, an affront, an attempt to "destroy". There's a reason literally just basic vanilla 101 feminist analysis of gaming was too much or why games like Gone Home getting received well caused gamers to lose their fucking minds. The industry created and promoted a hyper boys club that encourages gamers to remain in a stunted perpetual teenage boy hood, with it came slurs and bigoted comments as trash talk, but thing is say something enough and you start to believe it. All this on top of the outright commercial encouragement to establish gamer as an actual identity creates a perfect breeding ground for hate recruitment.
 
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Nepenthe

When the music hits, you feel no pain.
Administrator
Oct 25, 2017
20,694
How are the communities for PUBG and Fortnite?
I don't play those games at all and thus don't hang around their communities. Since I assume they aren't as focused on inclusivity as Overwatch, I feel they'd be marginally more tolerable in some respects because there's less opportunities for fuckwads to say "racism doesn't exist anymore."
 

Sou Da

Banned
Oct 25, 2017
16,738
Are there any former newgrounds animators who aren't a self absorbed dickheads who think they all know the best?
 

psychowave

Member
Oct 25, 2017
1,655
it feels pointless to engage in discussion of anime/video games online because 9 times out of 10 you end up talking to a fascist. like i was playing wow a few weeks back and people in trade chat were talking about how cultural marxism is ruining europe or how "the welfare state can only work in racially homogenous countries" (i feel like i could do an entire dissertation on that sentence alone, because holy shit there's a lot to unwrap there). i've also seen people say "feminists should rope" and "god hates fags", antisemitic comments, the list goes on and on. i always report this kind of stuff, but as far as i know blizzard doesn't get back to you on reports, and it's very clear they don't actually give a fuck about any of this because these people are making them money. all those reports probably never get anywhere.

i dunno. i just wanna talk about games without having to wonder if the other person sees me as a human being.

EDIT: i also just remembered, i was watching a speedrun on youtube the other day. it was an upload from twitch, and it had an overlay such that you could see the chat comments on the video. there were constant jokes about women in the kitchen, complaints about SJWs, etc. this shit is everywhere.
 
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TheModestGun

Banned
Dec 5, 2017
3,781
Or Pewdiepie, dunkey, and Arin of Game Grumps all using the N-word. Some of the biggest video game personalities are fucked up people. Not to mention shit like CDP, one of the bigger gaming companies, being outright transphobic on social media. The gaming community is fucking scary.
Ok we are getting into some concept creep here. While I don't think it's appropriate AT ALL for them to use the N-word I can almost guarantee 3 of the 4 of them (not including CDP) are left of center and in no way would ever endorse or support the alt right and NONE of them are alt right. Being edgy even distastefully so, doesn't make you alt right.

If that's the bar for being alt right, then we have truly lost on the left and we are totally fucked.
 

loquaciousJenny

The Fallen
Oct 25, 2017
2,457
No, much simpler than that: Russia has a significant pool of neonazis. No, not whatever the far right equivalent party of Russia is, outright Nazi with the swastika, Hitler and all that shit.
Shitty people have been around for a long time but Russia absolutely started astroturfing social media websites early. Most obvious were Reddit political threads around 08.
 

Timelord19

One Winged Slayer
Member
Aug 21, 2018
1,479
Mallorca, Spain
I'm subscribed at r/gamingcirclejerk where there are post about comments in reddit/youtube/another social media and some people are just fucked up.

(If you enter the subreddit, the titles are 100% ironic, they try to make fun of the "gamer" culture)