RickH
1958
That’s a shame, I liked Sliva on the podcasts. Not a lot of substance left on the site’s shows anymore.
JD
1959
https://globenewswire.com/news-release/2018/07/26/1542659/0/en/Enthusiast-Gaming-acquires-The-Escapist-a-leading-online-video-gaming-magazine.html
TORONTO, July 26, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) – Enthusiast Gaming Media Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Enthusiast Gaming Inc. (“Enthusiast Gaming”) is excited to announce that it has acquired The Escapist Magazine (“Escapist”), and the return of its former Editor-in-Chief, Russ Pitts. Founded in 2005, Escapist is a leading online magazine focused on in-depth coverage of the video game industry in addition to movies, comics, TV, and more. Averaging over 6 million monthly visits since 2008,1 the acquisition significantly grows Enthusiast Gaming’s network and follows the successful acquisition of Destructoid.com in 2017, enhancing the company’s growth strategy as the fastest growing community of online gamers.
I thought it was all about Nintendo Market.
Your use of “boy” reeks of misogynistic, toxic masculinity. REPENT!
As for the article, a look at their choice of “experts” tells me everything I need to know.
Well, it doesn’t start particularly well with some wild generalizations, probably for space or bad editorializing reasons. In fact, the format feels completely wrong and disjointed for the serious matter it’s tackling.
It still gets to the point of why change is needed quite thoroughly despite that, and as a collection, it’s pretty depressing.
Pwahaha, that article. You guys are right, look at that “panel of experts”. Everything from the choice of authors, the inserted images, the hate hiding behind a thin veneer of scholarship, the apocalyptic tone, the conspiracy-theory level of argument, it’s all incredibly toxic. It’s the pot calling the kettle black. And they’re still wondering why some people are angry? I think they’ve really outdone themselves with this one.
Here are two blog posts I think are more enlightening on the subject. It’s about Gamergate, but all this “toxic” business is just the same thing they’ve given a new name. What this comes down to is a dominant movement trying to control and appropriate a space (that some would consider their “safe space”) and any and all attempt to resist is met with hate and even outright dehumanization. And that’s explaining the issue by using terms from their playbook. But of course their theory has convenient safeguards against even considering things from such an angle, which I’m sure someone will supply here. Anyway. Pot. Kettle. Black.
mok
1966
I think “Gaming’s Toxic Men” average between age 13-17.
Why do you think linking two posts from the same incel cesspool blog, that defends convicted serial rapist Bill Cosby on the front page, would convince anyone of anything?
Oh boy. More on The Escapist purchase from the EIC.
One thing I can tell you without delay or equivocation: We’re leaving politics at the door. Most of us have thoughts about politics. Just like most of you. And, because we’re creators, those thoughts might show up in our work. Avoiding that would be unnatural. That said, I can promise you no one here will share their politics in an attempt to convince you yours are wrong. And your worth will not be calculated based on whether you’re on the left or on the right. Politics are everywhere, but they don’t have to be everything. We’re going to focus on what’s fun, and we hope you’ll join us in that.
Well talk about some funny coincidental timing, I just went to the Escapist Magazine a few days ago to see what kind of content is even still published there these days. Might as well just call it Zero Punctuation at the moment with how much “Yahtzee” is somehow the singular\remaining content keeping that place ticking over.
Pod
1970
Which is why I find Russ Pitt’s medium article on the Escapist very strange – it doesn’t mention Yahtzee, even though, frankly, he’s been the main draw of the Escapist for many years now.
(And I’ve often wondered about that – did Yahtzee sign some horribly long contract for X number of years or something? Surely just doing it all himself on youtube would net him way more money? What use is it to put “The Escapist” brand on his videos when these days “The Escapist” is nothing more than his videos?)
Other things I find bizarre: That people think they can solve the toxicity problem in gaming.
Why do people still see “gaming” as some kind of special club and that this special club has a toxicity problem? When will people realise that being a “gamer” is one of the lowest bars of entry of any hobby. All you have to do is:
- Buy a bunch of stuff (or get your parents to do it)
- Play games (optional)
- Claim you’re a “gamer” on the internet
The toxicity problem isn’t one of “gaming”, but society. And the majority of society plays games.
Though I’ll admit that one interesting thing is that some people choose to brand themselves a “gamer” (I don’t), and I guess there’s a large subset of those people that are toxic turds, but I think that’s easily explained by them being 12-17 year old boys who have nothing else in their lives other than games, want to belong to something, and frankly “gamer” is their only option.
Therefore, to “solve” the toxicity problem of “gamers” you’d actually be solving the toxicity problem of all western young men, which isn’t quite so easy. But hey, a blog about solving all of society’s problems would be laughed at as naive and would get fewer clicks than a blog about solving gaming’s problem (ignoring the fact that gaming’s problems are actually society’s problems).
This is pretty weird, because if they really wanted to be apolitical, they would just announce The Escapist exists again, start doing game previews and reviews, and that’s it. It would have been that easy.
Instead, they have made the announcement with a big political statement about how apolitical they will be.
It doesn’t make any sense. It makes so little sense that I wonder if all this isn’t just a PR stunt.
edit: the more I think about it, the more sense it makes. The Escapist already closed once because a lack of success (popularity). Opening up again would surely have the same result. Their only chance is to put their name in everyone’s mouth with some polemic.
This is the same Russ Pitts who got gently touched at Polygon when it turned out that 20,000 words of navel-gazing doesn’t bring in the same kind of clicks as 200-2000 words of outrage about the latest shocking and/or visually stunning “news” item, presumably.
(moved out of that glass house years ago, thankyouverymuch.)
You said it in a more hostile way than I would have, but I agree with this sentiment. I live here in Kansas City, I sit among reasonable, nice racists, misogynists people every day. I’m completely outnumbered, and frankly, changing the opinions of others is exhausting. I’m not saying I let their view stand unopposed all the time, but a lot of the times, I just want to finish my lunch and let them finish their talk about how about how lazy black people are, and how millennials are all lazy, how taxes are still way too high, and how Obamacare has ruined healthcare in this country.
Anyway, you’re right, probably a conversation best saved for P&R someday.
It is exhauasting, when I go home for the holidays, some of my relatives worship Trump like some sort of god “Did you see how he owned the libs hyuk-hyuk-hyuk” I don’t engage with that.
When my Dad was expressing his shock that a colleague of his was fired for calling their IT guy a “towel-head” I had a pretty frank discussion that I work with a lot of Muslim colleagues, and that term belittles them. and well it might sound like an off-hand joke, it actually could be very hurtful. Not that he was endorsing the guy, he just didn’t think it was as big of a deal.
I honestly had an audible sigh of relief when he told me he didn’t vote for Trump. He also said he didn’t vote for Hilary either, but fuck I will take the anti-Trump at least.
I think it is worth the time and effort to put a stop and speak out about racist rhetoric when you see it.
Maybe the phrase would be better
“If a Nazi is sitting at a table being racist with ten other people, there are 11 Nazis at the table”
But also, it is important not to conflate Nazi’s and racists. Nazis are racist, but not all racists are Nazis. Racists tend to be uninformed and have no experience with another race, and view them as “other” Nazis know full well about other races and think them as “lesser”
If I had a relative spouting white power nonsense, I would definitely argue that down, and leave if necessary, if my 96 year old grand-aunt says “boy the blacks are really riled up now” I might just ignore her, and change the subject.
But yes, definitely a P&R topic.
Can you elaborate more on this guy’s history and the Escapist? I know it’s been a few very different things at different times but unsure what his role/views are.
Not sure if serious, but tag me if I don’t respond in a day or so.
