Gamers Launch Harassment Campaign Against BioWare

Wetworks wrote: Well Bioware aren't doing themselves any favors, they're feeding the flames.

Jennifer Hepler tweeted, "I just figure they're jealous that I get to have both a vagina AND a games industry job, and they can't get either."

Without context or when in the timeline this poorly chosen tweet was released this looks like it's one of those "she asked for it because she was dressed for it".

Still doesn't excuse a lot of the behavior in the article.

Bullwinkle wrote:

JonJacob wrote: Kind of a cop out there Ken. You should pick someone in particular otherwise we don't know what you mean.

I have to agree with this. I can't see anyone even approaching what you're saying.

The reason that it's aimed at no one in particular is because no one in particular has crossed that line. But I've seen this thread--or variations on it--many times; somehow, we quite frequently end there.

That was just a pre-emptive statement. If I had names to name, I'd name 'em.

There is a lot of good in the video game community too though. I've made lots of friends online playing games, some really good ones too.

Just because I get disgusted by what I see in the American Republican primary doesn't make me glad I don't live in the States or anything. i know there is a ton of good down there too.

Black Barney wrote: There is a lot of good in the video game community too though. I've made lots of friends online playing games, some really good ones too.

Just because I get disgusted by what I see in the American Republican primary doesn't make me glad I don't live in the States or anything.

Oh geezus Barney don't get me started!!!

Black Barney wrote: i know there is a ton of good down there too.

Definitely! Unlike some of us, at least you know what they're thinking because they have no problem telling you to your face.

SuperflyTNT wrote:
The "vagina" is completely arbitrary to me, I think it's that the abusive pricks online just use the ammo that they know how to use, and belittling a woman to make their sad, lonely little self-handjob laden lives a little less dreary by tearing someone else down is all they 've got. I'm not sure if it's pity or seething hatred that I have for those kinds of people; maybe a mix of both. But preying on the weak (or those they perceive as weak) for enjoyment is just sickening.

There have been abusive pricks online since online began. I'm pretty sure there are some chat logs or whatever on DarpaNet of someone being a prick. It is pretty easy to be a prick when you have the feeling that you are completely anonymous and wont suffer any reprocussions.

I remember my first MUD that allowed PVP. It was a SuperHero MUD set in Ann Arbor (which was pretty cool because I could figure out how to get around it). At any rate, they added a villians guild and one night I was wandering around with the title Utter Frosh (that was the first level title) and a couple villians decided to attack me. They were about 10 levels lower than me and started to beat feet out of there when I started to choke them (I was a Jedi and that was a level 15 thing). For the rest of the night I would occasionally track them down and wave.....

A few years ago, we played Shadowbane. Parts of it were fun but parts of it were ruined by the shear dickery that hung out on it.

Wetworks wrote: Well Bioware aren't doing themselves any favors, they're feeding the flames.

Jennifer Hepler tweeted, "I just figure they're jealous that I get to have both a vagina AND a games industry job, and they can't get either."

Followed by tweets from the GM of Bioware,

https://twitter.com/#!/AarynFlynn/status/171415952909533184

i.imgur.com/iXZJT.png

Wow, way to miss the point, Ms. Hepler.

EXACTLY. My stepdad hates playing boardgames with me because the boardgames I play remind him too much of his analytical work he does all day. So he does other stuff like drink heavily, go to the theatre and read books.

I have a fairly non-exciting job so I like going home and playing Modern Warfare 3.

ubarose wrote: What I find intersting is that the claim that she did not liking to play games got so many people worked up. Don't most people prefer to spend their time doing things that aren't related to their work? I mean, I like my job, but I'm not like woo hoo I can't wait to get off work and look for rounding errors in my bank statement.

No. I'm a writer, and not only do I read every day, I must or my work suffers. Musicians listen to music, avidly. Ever met an artist who didn't like art? We are not talking about laying bricks here.

wolvendancer wrote:

ubarose wrote: What I find intersting is that the claim that she did not liking to play games got so many people worked up. Don't most people prefer to spend their time doing things that aren't related to their work? I mean, I like my job, but I'm not like woo hoo I can't wait to get off work and look for rounding errors in my bank statement.

No. I'm a writer, and not only do I read every day, I must or my work suffers. Musicians listen to music, avidly. Ever met an artist who didn't like art? We are not talking about laying bricks here.

Being a writer, a musician or an artist is more of a vocation than a job. It's something you love. Most people don't love their work that way and want to take a break from it on their downtime. I'm a journalist. I don't listen to the news on the weekend and then spend hours "reading up" on Sunday.

I'm a pretty big Mass Effect 2 fan and this is the first I've heard of this controversy but I gotta say there is NOTHING that excuses that kind of abuse period.

wolvendancer wrote:

ubarose wrote: What I find intersting is that the claim that she did not liking to play games got so many people worked up. Don't most people prefer to spend their time doing things that aren't related to their work? I mean, I like my job, but I'm not like woo hoo I can't wait to get off work and look for rounding errors in my bank statement.

No. I'm a writer, and not only do I read every day, I must or my work suffers. Musicians listen to music, avidly. Ever met an artist who didn't like art? We are not talking about laying bricks here.

No, you're talking about twitchy reactions, patient grinding, and sometimes demanding physical and mental acumen. She's a game writer. She writes the stories of games, not the physics engines that handle spray radius. She doesn't give a shit about killing all the d00dz to get into the base--she wants to see the cutscenes and story options that trigger once you get into the base so she can write her games better. Do you want to write out each chapter of books you read to make yourself a better writer? Or paint each painting so you can appreciate the effort that went into it? Or do you just want to enjoy the aspect of it that matters to you? There are a lot of players that skip cutscenes. What is so crazy about a player that wants to skip NON-cutscenes?

This is not unreasonable. The overarching reaction to her opinion is.

jeb wrote:

wolvendancer wrote:

ubarose wrote: What I find intersting is that the claim that she did not liking to play games got so many people worked up. Don't most people prefer to spend their time doing things that aren't related to their work? I mean, I like my job, but I'm not like woo hoo I can't wait to get off work and look for rounding errors in my bank statement.

No. I'm a writer, and not only do I read every day, I must or my work suffers. Musicians listen to music, avidly. Ever met an artist who didn't like art? We are not talking about laying bricks here.

No, you're talking about twitchy reactions, patient grinding, and sometimes demanding physical and mental acumen. She's a game writer. She writes the stories of games, not the physics engines that handle spray radius. She doesn't give a shit about killing all the d00dz to get into the base--she wants to see the cutscenes and story options that trigger once you get into the base so she can write her games better. Do you want to write out each chapter of books you read to make yourself a better writer? Or paint each painting so you can appreciate the effort that went into it? Or do you just want to enjoy the aspect of it that matters to you? There are a lot of players that skip cutscenes. What is so crazy about a player that wants to skip NON-cutscenes?

This is not unreasonable. The overarching reaction to her opinion is.

The reaction is unreasonable, no one is questioning that. If she wants to be a good video game writer however I feel that she should actually like games. The gameplay and the story cannot be seperated in modern games, especially those from Bioware. They inform one another to a certain degree and the best writers of video games would be those who can write and enjoy playing games.

It's not unreasonable for her to want to skip the action and get to the dialogue, true, but it's also not unreasonable for Bioware/fans to expect that the writing staff enjoy both. If I was hiring I'd figure ideal people to hire would be those who liked both.

Unfortunately for her, she writes for games and doesn't even like them. To me that's a sign she's a failed writer. I know that if my goal was to be a writer and all I could get was dialogue for a video game I'd feel that I had failed in my goal to be a writer and was now a hack doing what I could to survive.

jeb wrote:

wolvendancer wrote:

ubarose wrote: What I find intersting is that the claim that she did not liking to play games got so many people worked up. Don't most people prefer to spend their time doing things that aren't related to their work? I mean, I like my job, but I'm not like woo hoo I can't wait to get off work and look for rounding errors in my bank statement.

No. I'm a writer, and not only do I read every day, I must or my work suffers. Musicians listen to music, avidly. Ever met an artist who didn't like art? We are not talking about laying bricks here.

No, you're talking about twitchy reactions, patient grinding, and sometimes demanding physical and mental acumen. She's a game writer. She writes the stories of games, not the physics engines that handle spray radius. She doesn't give a shit about killing all the d00dz to get into the base--she wants to see the cutscenes and story options that trigger once you get into the base so she can write her games better. Do you want to write out each chapter of books you read to make yourself a better writer? Or paint each painting so you can appreciate the effort that went into it? Or do you just want to enjoy the aspect of it that matters to you? There are a lot of players that skip cutscenes. What is so crazy about a player that wants to skip NON-cutscenes?

This is not unreasonable. The overarching reaction to her opinion is.

Actually, the new game includes an auto cutscene version (no conversation trees, etc) for the twitchies---so it looks like Bioware agrees with you on both sides.

JonJacob wrote: Unfortunately for her, she writes for games and doesn't even like them. To me that's a sign she's a failed writer.

The revenue report determines whether she's a failed writer. This is about commerce.

S.

Sagrilarus wrote:

JonJacob wrote: Unfortunately for her, she writes for games and doesn't even like them. To me that's a sign she's a failed writer.

The revenue report determines whether she's a failed writer. This is about commerce.

S.

Jewel's book of poetry sold over a million copies. Federico Garcia Lorca never managed that feat or anything even close. I guess he is a failed writer. I don't know if any amount of money can sooth the artistic soul. But judge it as you will because we have to make our own choices on this one. If you call what she does an unqualified success. Fair enough, I just don't see it. Especially from someone who doesn't even like the medium she works in.