A Horrible Irony.

A fellow Oklahoman gamer posted a video on Google+ today. I'm not going to link to it here, because I'm not going to send any traffic that way. Anyway, he commented that:

"If you want some good ideas on how to tackle the problem of harassment in online gaming, this is a great place to start. We need to change things as a group if we want it to stop. We need help from game developers and platform developers as well."

This is, in general, a sentiment with which I heartily agree. However...

The folks in question, Extra Credits, spend seven minutes discussing some pretty neat ideas about battling misogyny, bullying, and hate speech in gaming communities. Their ideas, while great, are neither new nor unique. They’re being discussed by a lot of folks, which I think is great. More discussion and support for these ideas are terrific. I totally support that. However, they work with (and posted their video) on the PA website.

Seriously? Are we supposed to be taking notes on ending bullying, misogyny, and hate speech from folks that engage in the same? I replied that we should remember to invite the dickwolves to the panel. The gamer demurred, stating that EC has 'zero' to do with the 'dickwolves fiasco' and continued to defend them.

I'm basically over here heaving a giant sigh of frustration. Look, PA = Jerry and Mike. Anyone who signs on with them, especially people who want to 'tackle' these kinds of issues, is either aware of the association, or is not well-versed enough to be a serious advisor on these issues.

Again, let’s be clear: The people at EC have chosen to associate with people who repeatedly engage and continue to engage in the same behavior that they claim they are attempting to tackle, and have chosen to discuss a these issues on a platform that is filled with unapologetic examples of said issues. That is a horrible, horrible irony that Extra Credit/PA absolutely needs to address before I will ever take them seriously.