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[Afro Republican]

https://www.wbur.org/cognoscenti/2019/04/23/video-games-white-supremacy-rich-barlow

As the father of a teenager, I understand the gravitational pull of Fortnite, “the biggest game on the planet." It’s why Megan Condis, a game studies scholar at Texas Tech, has cost me sleep. She says video game culture has become infested with white supremacists trawling for converts.
Casually chatting up young male players about race, alt-right types probe for “those who exhibit curiosity about white nationalist talking points,” she writes. Players who swallow the bait “are then escorted through a funnel of increasingly racist rhetoric designed to normalize” white supremacy. (Condis so unnerved me that I spoke to my son about what he hears while playing Fortnite, warning him to be alert for miscreants poisoning what should be a safe and fun recreation.)
The predicate for this online racism was online misogyny. Condis cites #Gamergate, a male gaming bunch who dissed, harassed and threatened women daring to trespass on their boys’ preserve.

High-tech hate has teamed up with a resurgence of old-fashioned and violent bigotry. The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) reports at least 50 murders last year by right-wing extremists, the most since the Oklahoma City bombing in 1995. Meanwhile, University of North Texas researchers found increased hate crimes in counties that hosted Donald Trump's campaign rallies in 2016 — not conclusive proof that Trump’s combustible rhetoric was responsible, but suggestive that it might have been kerosene on racial fires. The president’s words — “very fine people on both sides” of the racist/anti-racism divide — certainly aren’t a fire hose dousing the flames.
This outburst of hate, online and off, demands action from both gaming companies and the government.
It’s not as if white power’s effort to factory-engineer acolytes online operates in secret. Condis notes, for example, that Stormfront, the racist Internet hate site, has a gaming section in which participants discuss which games might be most useful in spreading their ideology.
Or take League of Legends, a battle game that Condis plays. “Once every six or seven games,” she tells Vox, “you’ll see someone whose username is something racially or gendered or sexually inappropriate … or someone who spams in chat and is like, ‘Hitler was right’ or whatever.” Some simply are trying to be “edgy,” Condis says, but if you express agreement with their statement, some may seek to reel you in to their movement.

Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) and others drafted the Domestic Terrorism Prevention Act, empowering the federal government to conduct intel-gathering on supremacists and neo-Nazis and create annual reports on the threat. The historically minded see a parallel in 1871 legislationforming a congressional committee to investigate the then rampaging Ku Klux Klan.

Our current president is giving Grant a run for his money in the worst-ever department, and no more so than in the race-relations category. Meanwhile, white power oozes into the games our children play, states ponder designating such games as official high school sports and hate crimes trail candidate rallies like ducklings following their mother. We need Durbin’s legislation, and more responsible oversight by tech makers and game designers.

In Summary. this is written by the guy from some alternate reality where everything is in shambles, and he wants to support legislation that requires people to give up there personal security and privacy in order to fight a rampant evil that either doesn't exist or is marginal.

Also apparently white power is "oozing" into video games, and of course Gamergate is brought up again and summarized, falsely. But it seems to be a requirement to bring that up even though it had nothing to do with the subject this gentlemen is talking about.

It's easy to knock down your own house if you built it yourself. But he's basically claiming it's your house and that you aren't capable of protecting yourself so the government will step in to save you.

Oh yeah and sometimes websites have a gaming section. Some boating forums have gaming sections, does that mean that there's a pirate epidemic in video games plundering all our loot? Arrr..

Actually wait a second...

 

[HeresJohnny]

Dude must only visit a certain site that shall not be named but everyone knows which one it is. It's the only explanation for such a myopic, false, sensationalist take on an entire market.

EDIT: Oh, and "I'm from the government and I'm here to help" should be enough to make anyone with any sanity run screaming naked away. Fuck any more government intervention in gaming.

 

[Virex]

This should be moved to politics

 

[Ivellios]

This should be moved to politics

I agree.

 

[DunDunDunpachi]

These modern church-ladies don't even bake good cookies.

 

[manfestival]

Reading the quote from the article was hard to do. This is the current state of journalism huh? hmm

Also find it hilarious that the article only ASSUMES that white people are the ones behind these behaviors.... not just white people but white nationalists... DUN DUN DUN!!!

 

[FranXico]

 

[Afro Republican]

I agree.

This article focuses directly on gaming, usually these threads are the ones that are never in politics. Especially since it involves and act that could actually effect the industry if said legislation is passed.

 

[Ixiah]

This article focuses directly on gaming, usually these threads are the ones that are never in politics. Especially since it involves and act that could actually effect the industry if said legislation is passed.

We arent so far gone that demands by Lunatics are taken seriously.

 

[Mistershine.]

I'm curious about whites supremacist talking points, as well as muslim extremist views, and of fourth wave feminism, and of MGTOW, and of flat earthers, and of socialists, and all other kinds of group crazy. If you have no idea what their views/goals are how can you formulate a decent counter argument?

 

[anthraticus]

Take all this bs to resetera with the rest of the wackos.

 

[Mista]

“Once every six or seven games,” she tells Vox, “you’ll see someone whose username is something racially or gendered or sexually inappropriate … or someone who spams in chat and is like, ‘Hitler was right’ or whatever.”

But this isn’t SOMETHING NEW! Since the beginning of online this shit was there but now let’s concentrate on it more because we’re cunts and need to write something. Piss off

Take all this bs to resetera with the rest of the wackos.

 

[NickFire]

This should be moved to politics

Why? Politics does not have room for fiction.

 

[SaucyJack]

The article has so many holes and inaccuracies it’s not funny.

 

[Iorv3th]

People find what they are looking for...

 

[lukilladog]

These people can´t be taken seriously, they call white supremacy anything that isn´t pro-intersectionality. Obvious agenda is obvious.

 

[KoolAidPitcher]

I have been a lifelong democrat and can no longer support my own party because of this stupid, ridiculous culture war.

What a brilliant political strategy-- Call the people you are trying to win over racist, sexist, mysogonistic, homophobic, transphobic, etc, constantly lie to them and wonder why you didn't change their mind.

 

[LittleBusters]

I'm curious about whites supremacist talking points, as well as muslim extremist views, and of fourth wave feminism, and of MGTOW, and of flat earthers, and of socialists, and all other kinds of group crazy. If you have no idea what their views/goals are how can you formulate a decent counter argument?

Deplatform.

 

[Barakov]

“Once every six or seven games,” she tells Vox, “you’ll see someone whose username is something racially or gendered or sexually inappropriate … or someone who spams in chat and is like, ‘Hitler was right’ or whatever.”

Honestly, people will just do stuff like this just to get a reaction. Given how many people play Fortnite the number of people doing stuff like this is incredibly small. Someone needs to tell her this is the internet being the internet.

 

[Barakov]

Why? Politics does not have room for fiction.

*rubs chin*

 

[Kittehkraken]

 

[StormCell]

Honestly, people will just do stuff like this just to get a reaction. Given how many people play Fortnite the number of people doing stuff like this is incredibly small. Someone needs to tell her this is the internet being the internet.

Man, I remember when kids used to say stuff just to be saying it, and no sane adults ever paid attention to all the noise or took what they were saying seriously. After all, children used to have imaginations and would be fully immersed in reenacting some movie or TV show they saw.

Nowadays, everyone has to watch carefully what they say. Even the kids who have no idea, because the crazies are all listening. They aren't even capable of recognizing reality. They see a kid pretending a stick is a machine gun, and the cops are called and CPS is on their way. It's so utterly ridiculous that you don't want to believe it and yet we all had better sit up and take notice with eyes wide open.

 

[DonF]

man, its so easy to put a label to something people don't like/understand.

 

[spandexmonkey]

Oh God, video games are secretly being used to recruit our precious children by satanist *checks year* white supremacists.

 

[Cleared_Hot]

Fuck, this generation is full retard.

 

[Jubenhimer]

Typical of the modern Left. Trying to convince everybody that we live in a modern day Nazi teritory, yet they are unable to provide any real tangible evidence of White Supremacy. Hell, we just had one of them literally try to Fake a Hate crime to try and push this narrative.

 

[Northeastmonk]

Yet I could walk into GameStop, buy a video game, and never realize these people ever made these stupid claims. I hate how they're taking these people with stupid usernames and making them more important than they really are. Some people feel like Fortnite is the second coming of Jesus in video games. Shut the hateful people up and block them from doing whatever hate filled crime they're doing. Its not like they control everything. Epic is suppose to handle the people who get out of line.

 

[TeamGhobad]

cant sleep at night because 9yo use the N-word in Fortnite? mmkay

 

[Arkage]

cant sleep at night because 9yo use the N-word in Fortnite? mmkay

More like "as a society lets not let 9 year olds be constant racist pricks online without any consequences" and also "many parents are apparently trash at doing their job."

 

[Slings and Arrows]

How about we act like adults and just ignore things we dont like and enjoy the things we do...

 

[Jigsaah]

While I can't vouch for the claims in the OP...I will say that racism in general is more present than I would like. Granted, I would like for it to be at a level of zero, but it's to a point where I could find instances of it almost daily playing fortnite on pc. Even worse because of the audience that game draws...apparently the best and worst of us. All I could do is report the people who think it's funny to say racist things in voice/text chat. Honestly you have to change people's minds, and be aware that some people just aren't good people. So you're gonna see this.

As for the white supremecy thing. It makes sense IMO. People spew their racist crap online...white supremists swoop in to recruit for their cause. From the way it reads, it sounds like this is somewhat subtle guidance, rather than a blatant "White America needs you now" type of campaign.

 

[TeamGhobad]

More like "as a society lets not let 9 year olds be constant racist pricks online without any consequences" and also "many parents are apparently trash at doing their job."

we should also all hold hands and sing kumbaya.

 

[somerset]

The War on Gamers largely relies on saying "gamers are mostly white males" and then saying, directly or indirectly "and we all know white males are the cause of all evils in the world".

While this sounds insane (and indeed is insane), and many of you do not understand why anyone would benefit from such demonising propaganda, this form of propaganda is provably growing and getting ever louder in the mainstream outlets. I think some here try to dismiss this as 'trolling' - but the forces behind these messages are anything but trolls even if those they use to spread the message are clearly fools and extremists.

Demonising propaganda is almost always *labeling* propaganda. It attempts to create a category known in the industry as "the other" and then make those who do not associate with this group hate and fear this group. So, in this cae gamers must be depicted as 'X' where 'X' is a thing 'ordinary' people associate with evil. And histroy shows this obscene tactic works all too often.

America rounded up a massive group of Americans just because they were of 'Japanese' descent during WW2- and one can look at how the popular American cartoons of the time depicted people of Japanese descent to see how well organised forces went about demonising this group first.

In Iraq America has full control of a nation it illegally invaded and ruined, killing some two million innocents in the process. Iraq today has a stooge government that mostly serves US interests and partly serves Iran interests to keep the Shia section of the Iraq population placid. What did this stooge government do a week back? Banned PUBG and Fortnite. To no-one's suprise, the stooge government never does anything the people of Iraq want or need (because that would impact American control of Iraq). But it declared two popular games that give some little comfort to the kids of that ruined nation illegal.

This act of the Iraq stooge parliament is part of the same continuum that we see in the OP. Demonisng young males and their non-violent interests.

In the West as computer gaming has risen, crime rates have fallen. A good thing clearly. Yet those that *pretend* a concern about social issues declare gaming to be public enemy no.1 And in nations like NZ and the UK, these alt-left politicians are but one stage away from banning 'violent' games for reasons of 'social good' as has happened in Iraq.

Americans often do not understand the problem, for no matter how extremist politicians in the USA rave and rant to their powerbases, the US Constitution prevents them from banning games or abortion or free-speech or whatever. But in this regard America is unique. In every other nation, there is no continuous protection of Rights via a impregnable Constitution, even in nations that also claim a Constitution. Most nations follow the British model, which allows the current parliament unlimited power to change all the current rules.

So Americans tend to shrug when even a popular person says scary things. A Trump ends up 99.9% just like an Obama, even tho both are theoretically on opposite sides of the spectrum. But as I said, this isn't so anywhere else. Games will not be banned in the USA. But they will be banned pretty much everywhere else very soon. Certain games I mean- the ones most popular with young adult males.

PS I say the US is proof against the game bans, but here's a thing for every Yank to remember. At a moment when almost every American loved booze to some degree, and male culture was hard drinking, America- a supposed pure 'democracy'- banned alcohol just like saudi Arabia does today. There was no majority against booze in the USA at the time, *but* virtue-signalling by too many Americans, carefully arranged by a very successful propaganda campaign against booze by some very rotten forces behind the curtain, got pro-booze citizens to vote for anti-booze policies to show their SJW credentials.

In other words, evil people exploited the well understood *guilt* mechanism found within ordinary people, to get those that enjoyed their booze to vote to ban it.

Do not take this war on gaming and gamers lightly. Those behind the war intend to win, but for them it is *not* about gaming but the use they desire to put young males to when the have finished demonising young males. Every male gamer is seen in need of receiving a virtual 'white feather'.

 

[Angry_Megalodon]

I don't take it lightly for sure. The war on videogames is the war on the only cultural industry that is not INFESTED BY THEM. Them being not the white supremacist but the "woke supremacists"

They have won the battle in cinema, with the awful results we are witnessing. But they will fail in this one.

 

[Wink]

Sensationalised headlines are nothing new. I have no doubt that any ideological group is after any form of widespread media to further their agenda, from all angles. I do believe the government has some sort of responsibility for looking into all extremist groupings and protect their citizens from dangerous activities especially relating to those seeking to do physical harm. As far as it goes for game communities, it really is up to the game maker what rules they put in place and want to enforce when it comes to conduct of their players. And for anything else it's up to people to educate themselves... not that I have any hope that most are interested in forming a balanced, well informed world view, but oh well.

They have won the battle in cinema, with the awful results we are witnessing. But they will fail in this one.

lol, it really is unfortunate that stupid mainstream movies are now stupid for other reasons than why they were stupid before. If anything the amount of great movies is outpacing the shit, usually because those that turn out worst are much more expensive to make and have focus tested profit maximising at heart instead of dedication to the art.

 

[Lionel Richie]

Our current president is giving Grant a run for his money in the worst-ever department

And just like fucking clockwork ORANGE MAN VERY BAD!

 

[Shifty]

/thread

 

[spandexmonkey]

More like "as a society lets not let 9 year olds be constant racist pricks online without any consequences" and also "many parents are apparently trash at doing their job."

Kids are going to be little shits, don't give them an instruction manual one how to make you mad.

 

[Vbrasa]

I feel like the devil's advocate in this topic, but I don't disagree with the premise. Yeah sure, there's some exaggerated points in the post, but again, I don't disagree, I just agree to a lesser extent.

In my personal experience, in my many games of Dota, there were times when you would see someone make a bad play or call, and everyone would throw every racial slur into the chat. This wasn't a one time thing, either, this happened often. I also have seen this kind of attitude happen in games of Overwatch, Fortnite, etc. I get it's people just being assholes, and I see most of you are using the excuses "IT'S JUST THE INTERNET BEING THE INTERNET" or "KIDS ARE SHITTY, DON'T GIVE THEM A PLATFORM" etc, but I think that's part of the problem. You're acknowledging it exists, but you're failing to acquaint it to the issue. I'm aware this forum isn't the place to get into the issue of asshole in videogames, so I won't begin that far.

I also feel like the issue is much worse than it was 10 years ago, so that is why I agree with the premise, that yes, white supremacy is in fact infesting gaming culture.

I am aware I'm going to be ripped apart in this thread because that's literally how GAF is, but before you do, did I once appoint this whole issue to "ORANGE MAN BAD" or anything?

 

[brap]

I also feel like the issue is much worse than it was 10 years ago, so that is why I agree with the premise, that yes, white supremacy is in fact infesting gaming culture.

10 years ago I'd hear people screaming nigger and faggot into the mic daily. Now people rarely use mics anymore. Last week when I played CoD people were literally arguing about politics. Barely ever hear people in Fortnite spout garbage either. And you don't need to be a white supremacist to call somebody online a nigger. That's stupid logic.

 

[SLoWMoTIoN]

How do you guys think the person that wrote that article feels about Jax
A 100% American badass turned woke and going back in time to only freeing the black slaves?

Because paradoxes don't exist!

 

[Kagey K]

This article focuses directly on gaming, usually these threads are the ones that are never in politics. Especially since it involves and act that could actually effect the industry if said legislation is passed.

If Jack Thompson couldn’t get in it done in the early 2000s against GTA/Manhunt, as a lawyer up against the Supreme Court, I’m assuredly not concerned about internet warriors making it happen now.

It’s like the parents trying to Outlaw all types of music in the 90’s, instead of seeing people soften up to it, we see them push back against it and some of today’s music is much more vulgar then even my teenage self could have imagined.

I don’t think there’s any concern at all to be had here, but that’s just my opinion.

 

[Gahadmor12]

Kids are going to be little shits, don't give them an instruction manual one how to make you mad.

No, kids are not little shits by nature, bad parenting and a bad social environment (usually older racist shits in their online social circle) can definitely turn them into little shits and future grown up shits.

 

[DeepEnigma]

Only white supremacists, no other extremist groups that have twisted ideologies are found in gaming, just the bad Yt pepoe!

 

[SaucyJack]

My 2 cents, apologies if it’s too political.

IMHO white supremacist is a phrase which has lost all meaning in today’s society. It’s been so overused and abused to describe things that are manifestly not “white supremacy”. Describing people you don’t agree with, especially if they have fairly mainstream conservative views, as far-right, white supremacists and Nazis is really unhelpful. It reduces your ability to identify and deal with the real hate groups.

In reality genuine, organised white supremacist organisations are at an all time low. For example, the Klan at its peak had up to 6 million members, they are now estimated to have 3-6,000 members and no longer commit the crimes they once did, they no longer have entire communities living in fear. Whilst they are still abhorrent in their beliefs in the 21st century they are an irrelevance and rarely more than a mild nuisance. If anything the biggest organisation of white people wearing masks that picks on other groups currently is Antifa.

 

[spandexmonkey]

No, kids are not little shits by nature, bad parenting and a bad social environment (usually older racist shits in their online social circle) can definitely turn them into little shits and future grown up shits.

Nah, bad parenting and bad social environment is sheltering everyone from the mean words. You're going to experience conflict in your life, being called a bad word is the weakest and easiest to deal with. If that gets your panties in a bunch, you need more experience.

 

[Tesseract]

More like "as a society lets not let 9 year olds be constant racist pricks online without any consequences" and also "many parents are apparently trash at doing their job."

it's a good thing there's a report button, stay safe out there arkage

this is just boys being boys, they're gonna flex their edge muscle wherever they can

people have been talking shit since quake

 

[shanafan]

So before President Trump, online gaming was a safe space for gamers? It was all flowers and rainbows? Uplifting text and voice chats?

 

[Ixiah]

So before President Trump, online gaming was a safe space for gamers? It was all flowers and rainbows? Uplifting text and voice chats?

Looks like someone never played DoD or CS 1.6.

 

[#Phonepunk#]

It is unfortunate that rather than create leftist spaces positive to the community and promote good gamers, industry media has instead relied on a tactic of shaming and alienation.

There are tons of people playing games from all walks of life and I feel like the left has just thrown up their hands, given up, and abdicated responsibility. Then they cry when the only places to go for games are alt right.

Wish industry media would just be honest and welcoming. Instead they want to scold gamers while promoting the very negative stereotypes they are scolding them for.

The gaming left needs to step the fuck up or shut the fuck up