Game Developer Harassement Article

[tremanarch 6]

http://www.polygon.com/2013/8/15/4622252/plague-of-game-dev-harassment-erodes-industry-spurs-support-groups

I noticed this aswell in the recent years...

:discuss:

I just hope the ArmA 3 devs dont suffer from similar events caused by the flood of new gamers through DayZ...

Edited August 15, 2013 by tremanarch

[JdB 151]

Cry me a river. Yeah threatening people isn't acceptable and the anonimity of the internet makes it even easier, but neither is continiously lying to your customers by misrepresenting the final product, ignoring them when they rightfully complain about their problems and if that doesn't help throw money at covering up the mess rather than fixing the problems or demand support for a product they paid good money for. All of that is institutionalized in the gaming industry, especially among the larger developers and publishers (the "industry giants" with their "franchises") as opposed to the handful of people that actually threaten people on an individual basis. Bashing a game is fine if the game didn't come close to what it was promoted to be like and you are being treated as sh*t if not ignored like you don't exist. Criminal organizations grossing millions or even billions a year crying about people that break the law by posting naughty messages online :rolleyes:

As for developers getting swamped by having to moderate their own forums ... Get some level-headed fans to do it for you for free? Has worked perfectly fine for BIS for like the last 12 years ... You'd expect game developers to be at least be a little bit creative people ...

And the examples quoted:

-Treyarch

-X-Box (= Microsoft)

-BioWare

Not exactly the little guys that are suffering from supposedly being swamped in threats. Then again I would imagine that smaller titles also attract less attention and are aimed more at a niche audience of more mature of persistent players so the problem might well be much smaller there (relatively speaking).

"I had opened a Twitter account a few weeks before that, and this poster or others quickly found me there and began sending threatening messages," she said. "I shut my account down without reading them, so I'm not certain what they said, but other people have told me they were quite vile."

Sounds like the average support staff employee at EA, Ubisoft, Activision, Microsoft etc :o

Edited August 15, 2013 by JdB

[Smurf 12]

First world problems....

EDIT:

Good timming I guess?

http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2013/08/15/arkane-making-prey-2/#more-164704

Edited August 16, 2013 by Smurf

[JdB 151]

First world problems....

Damn right. Meanwhile in Darfur little Fatima has to walk 30 kilometers in the scorching sun to the nearest well with a 10 liter jerrycan on her head and hope no group of Kalashnikov wielding thugs show up that tear off her clothes. But oh my, somebody got an angry e-mail. Better call the SWAT team and have them hauled off to jail ... :rolleyes:

Like the part about how "noobs" are treated which again is true for AAA-titles and far less for games like ArmA. "Noobs" are treated pretty well here despite of the level of knowledge they might already have. The title of that article should have pointed out that the largest companies (I shall refrain from using the term "developers") are the main reason for writing the article since it's costing them additional expenditures.

Edited August 15, 2013 by JdB

[Dwarden 1124]

lot of true and sad stuff in that article ... both movie and game industry lost quite some people because of such abuse

[max power 21]

@JdB

It sounds like you're saying that threats to someone's life, to threaten to rape someone's wife, to waste public money sending swat to someone's house, and to put that person in serious physical danger by those officers who are expecting an armed confrontation, are acceptable responses to bad PR. That is quite disappointing.

---------- Post added at 00:49 ---------- Previous post was at 00:25 ----------

As for developers getting swamped by having to moderate their own forums ... Get some level-headed fans to do it for you for free?

Yeah, getting death threats and harassed for free is definitely way better than being paid for it.

[maddogx 13]

I don't understand how anyone can seriously be trivializing this issue. Death threats directed at a specific person are not the same thing as general public outrage directed toward a company.

[Tonci87 163]

While it is true that some Game Devs are real customer cheating bastards it doesn't justify death threats and stuff like that.

Simply stop buying their products.

[Mattar_Tharkari 10]

Feedback is appropriate, death threats are not.........much more to life than silly games.......watch some Woody Allen movies for example.

[On_Sabbatical 11]

I would even call it terrorism ...

[comp_uter15776 1]

I would even call it terrorism ...

I wouldn't. Terrorism applies to political related issues, rather than some personal insults which I'm assuming are not because the US has a democratic party or something, but because they're annoyed that their game isn't explicitly how they want.

[Brain 12]

I get monthly threats from people over the internet because I criticize religion, I wouldn't care about it when 12 year old Call of Doody-Players threaten me that they're also going to kill me (after their mom picked them up from school). I don't see the big deal with threats over the internet, as long as you don't know the person.

The only thing is, that it is sad that people threaten devs because some changes or whatsoever. It kills the motivation and is annoying, especially since a vast majority or even all of the kids who do that have no clue that the devs put in all their time, passion, sometimes money into it what kind of hard work that is.

[comp_uter15776 1]

I get monthly threats from people over the internet because I criticize religion, I wouldn't care about it when 12 year old Call of Doody-Players threaten me that they're also going to kill me (after their mom picked them up from school). I don't see the big deal with threats over the internet, as long as you don't know the person.

The only thing is, that it is sad that people threaten devs because some changes or whatsoever. It kills the motivation and is annoying, especially since a vast majority or even all of the kids who do that have no clue that the devs put in all their time, passion, sometimes money into it what kind of hard work that is.

I don't get threats when I show "less than appropriate" enthusiasm for religion :s Maybe I'm too subtle XD

Yeah, devs should really just ignore them unless they're actually being constructive; where insults and death threats are not part of that.

[Brain 12]

I don't get threats when I show "less than appropriate" enthusiasm for religion :s Maybe I'm too subtle XD

Yeah, devs should really just ignore them unless they're actually being constructive; where insults and death threats are not part of that.

Or you don't criticize the right religion ;)

[comp_uter15776 1]

Or you don't criticize the right religion ;)

True, true :D

[klamacz 447]

I suppose we are lucky to have more adult community, than COD devs for example.

[Amra 10]

I suppose we are lucky to have more adult community, than COD devs for example.

Yeah, considering rails BIS are on with Arma 3 I'm afraid that's going to change.

[nodunit 397]

Arma 3 itself isn't going to attract the numbers that DayZ will.

Xbox live...ouch.

Bringing in SWAT...wee bit over the top there.

I like how the article highlight social de-evolution due to the internet...while the internet can be an instigating tool, the problem starts before one touches the computer.

Bit confusing that the N word is supposed to be socially unacceptable yet a more or less same sounding word dominates all kinds of culture.

Either way if half the stuff in this article is true then I gotta say, even in the most heated moments I've seen on these forums..BI devs have it pretty easy, a bit demoralizing at times but nobody calls for them to be fired or killed.

Heh...noob....ah the days when we actually used a significantly less offensive term "newb" or newbie as opposed to what is supposed to be reserved for team hampers, but now it seems to be the go to term for everything.

Lot of great comments there as well.

Edited August 16, 2013 by NodUnit

[Sgt.Spoetnik 10]

Only shows how dumb and stupid this world is getting to, and if those console-noobs dont like it, why dont they make their own games?

[tremanarch 6]

In my eyes Death threads arent the only negative thing. But Devs dedicating their love for their baby and a crowd mobbing them etc. In forums often the negative aspects are emphasized instead of a rational view on things. death threats are the tip of the iceberg though - and should be taken seriously nevertheless.

[Sealife 22]

Guess some Developers are victims of there own success , its undeniable that Kids as young as 8 - 12 are online PS3 ,Xbox and in some Dayz youtube you can also hear the 12- 13 year olds cussing with serious threats given both verbally and in Text.

Sign of the times unfortunately .

for example

better stil this kid didnt realise he was arguing with a soundboard of himself played back by another player

there too young to understand what there saying .

these are actually Older than the Majority i encountered when i tried it , PS3 and Xbox was worse i must admit.

Edited August 16, 2013 by Sealife

[Smurf 12]

Guess game dev is like any other job in the end, but people are more mean on the internet. Who would guess that?

[max power 21]

[...]

better stil this kid didnt realise he was arguing with a soundboard of himself played back by another player

[...]

there too young to understand what there saying .

That is a really interesting observation.

[Mr. Charles 22]

I will pay anyone able to bring me the head of any BI staff member one AR-2 Darter.

Their digital heads, not the real ones... don't ban me

[nodunit 397]

That is a really interesting observation.

Sounds like he's just looking for a fight to me, though it is ironic that he can't even recognize his own voice.

The "You know I'm riiiight" should have been the giveaway at least.

Errr charles as much as you may mean well to lighten the mood by joking, this is not a matter to be joking about.

Edited August 17, 2013 by NodUnit