I fucking hate this blog.
And I hate you Fenriff.
And YOU reader. Yeah you, sitting there holding your dick. I hate you.

No but seriously, I get really tired of conversations that start out good but devolve into mud-slinging and name calling. It's video games guys. Yeah stuff can get serious but no reason to be an ass about it.

Gasp: how did you know what I was doing?

The real question is:
When are you not? ;)

Psycho Power ...of course. He is one of my apprentices

But if I don't hold my dick, the penis goblins might steal it.

B-b-but I thought we were Naoto fantasizing Kingdom Hearts loving best internet friends?? *cries in a corner*

This blog has made me happier than anything I've read on here in a long time. Not discounting anyone else's blogs, but this needed to be said, and is not said near often enough.

Thanks a lot Fenriff, you really have been an amazing addition to the community, and I always enjoy reading your very thoughtful blogs. Keep this up, we need more people like you around here!

Luckily for most of us, this kind of hate doesn't usually make it's way into the community blogs too often. It's more often reserved for front pagers, who don't care to take the time to come and visit us on the C-blogs. This is why I try and stay out of front page controversies as much as I can, and when I do voice my opinion I try my best to be civil and open-minded. We all have opinions, but we also have filters. No one should come on here to read about gaming, and be subjected to hate. Or even have to read someone hating someone else. It just makes me sad.

It's interesting to note, that everyone that has commented on this blog so far, are the people that are usually part of the solutions, not the problems. Just to call out a few:

R. Hoffmann supports multiple communities, and does an amazing job bringing art and the Word of Bison to us; Gajknight and sonic429 and I have clashed on multiple opinions before, and it's never ended in a non-civil manner. In fact, both have defended civility even when it was against their opinions; Dreamweaver may be one of the most genuine and nicest people I've met on Destructoid so far, and Occams? I wouldn't even know where to start there, he was the first person who I noticed on this site as a pinnacle of everything I wanted from a community leader.

All in all, we do have an amazing group of people here, and together we can work to make Destructoid a less hate-filled community, even if it's just through our kindness and civility with each other.

I'd like to add that you are a part of the solution too dude.
Such a nice and cool person. Even if you like Xbox. ;P

Aw, thanks a lot man.

And yeah, my Xbox is kind of like my appendix. Most people see it as useless, but we've been friends for so long, that I have a hard time just letting go and cutting it out.

Well, shucks: how kind of you to say!
You're an excellent addition to the community, yourself!

Thanks man! We're all some pretty rad people. :)

Ya know as I've looked at the stuff Kotaku wrote recently such I realize a lot of the hate is instigated pushed by so called journalists to.

I mean gaming journalism is the only industry I've seen that actively shits all over its readers, now one jackass threatened Anita and that guy is GAMERS not a person, gamers period, he is now the scapegoat, worst of all any sort of dissenting opinion is squashed, hell go look at that Kotaku article I'm referring to, the comments actually have the writer saying to say something nice or say at all, really the cognitive dissonance just astounds me.

It was never about women, or writers or Zoe, its about the sheer amount if vitriol that gaming journalism tends to heap on its readers.

Someone remakes a movie, let's say the new Total Recall or the new Robocop, people hate it, the movies are trash and totally missed the point of what made the original movies great.

You do that with a game, people hate it and according to journalists you're a stupid whiny entitled bitch, you need the shut the fuck up and pony up the money for something you didn't even want, how does that even make sense?

Someone makes a movie that's clearly just pandering trash, its rightfully criticized.

Someone makes a game like that, you don't hate it because its pandering trash, you hate it cause you're a homophobe, misogynist whatever, this is the kinda shit that so called journalists keep heaping on its readers, its like they want to bring back the old social stigma that gaming used to have.

I can only assume its because gaming journalism, is, continues to be and from the looks of things will forever be a complete joke and nobody who actively participates-in it will be accepted into regular journalism.

At this point I can safely say I'm done with the whole thing, I don't give a shit anymore, the internet is such a minefield lately, I just wanna discuss simple shit, just wanna discuss games but everyone's got an agenda to push lately, its not as simple drawing lines because I like certain titles in a genre anymore, its deeper than that now for some reason, everything's about gender now, everything's about minorities, why can't be an omnisexual space elf from planet 8 or some shit, a bunch of annoying loudmouths who demand to be catered to but don't give actually give a rats fuck about gaming in the first place, they're just there to be obnoxious and loud.

Thank god Siliconera exist, at least they just talk about games instead of this perpetual mire of bullshit.

Ya know, in a way I envy those folks, it must be great to live such a simple life, a life devoid of needing anything, needing to work, knowing if you'll have the next day, ya know basic stuff, that you can devote so much time to horseshit like retarded social issues in fucking videogames.

Good day to you all.

To my knowledge, ONE person allegedly threatened Anita. For you to say "threats"(plural), and make it seem as though this one person somehow represents the gaming community as a whole, is misleading, in my opinion.

If Anita was threatened, I don't condone that at all, and I sincerely hope they find the person who threatened her and that that person is held legally accountable, since threatening someone is a crime.

That being said, you'll have to forgive me if I'm a little bit skeptical. First there's the fact that Anita took to Twitter to announce that she'd been threatened BEFORE calling the police. That seems a bit odd. But what really makes me suspicious is this screen cap of the alleged threats that she posted. You can ignore the part about the correct grammar and spelling. I don't find that to be all that compelling. The part that's suspect to me is that whoever took this screen cap decided to log out and/or clear their search bar for seemingly no reason before taking it. Were I a gambler, I'd be willing to bet good money that WHOEVER took this screen cap is the person responsible for these "threats."

The whole thing's pretty fishy.

"Someone is sending me death threats"
"Better keep tweeting and let the person know my plans"
"Btw, now that I have your attention, please consider donating to my non profit cause!"

I mean you'd think her priority would be her family friends, etc but nope, let's shill first then drop off twitter, doesn't help that non profits are largely bullshit.

Her and her ilk have been raked across the coals as of late, suddenly a convenient scapegoat appears, the whole thing stinks. And somehow I doubt this is the first person to send her death threats.

I only referred to them as plural threats because that's how it was referred to in the article I was speaking of. I don't mean to say that whoever did that represents the entire community, and I don't like it when people lump all "gamers" into one big group of hateful people. That was just one specific recent example of somewhere that people from the gaming community have been hateful.

Okay.

I am loving this blog just like I love the game industry and all the other nice gamers.

Spread the love, leave the hate behind!

http://fc04.deviantart.net/...

That's a demon goat head if ever I saw one.

We all have a little demon goat in our hearts.

Sometimes our beds too.

http://i.imgur.com/oQNUJ.gif
WHAT!

Don't you see it? Those two angels are keeping it from entering our realm.

http://fc06.deviantart.net/...

A lovely blog buddy. It would be so nice if everyone could engage in a real discussion with a genuine exchange of ideas and opinions. Its very discouraging to see comments sections devolve into petty sniping and crafted apathy. Even if you disagree with someone, there is room to talk, to engage and see what can be learned from one another. But its easier to write it off or place someone's opinion under the label of Social Justice Warrior or Tumblr fodder and be done with it.

2 years ago I would have never thought I'd be the one preaching peace on the internet. I used to be so outspoken about anything I disliked, from people to games to music. I've done my best to tone it down over time and now here I am on Destructoid on barely any sleep asking everyone to just be excellent to each other. Life is weird.

First time I came to Destructoid, I wasn't even a part of the community: I just got my videogame news and left. Then I started commenting and blogging without really talking to the other Dtoiders because I didn't care about their blogs. And now? Now I'm a recapper.

I agree: life's funny like that.

Amen to that.

That's on both sides though, the SJW's or tumblr fodder as you call them love to shit all over people's opinions.

It doesn't matter which side its coming from, the antagonistic behavior needs to stop.

Superb blog!

The Sarkeesian thing is the worst. I highly doubt that the person responsible is going to be a real threat, but the irrational fear is still there. "What if, this one time, someone is actually gonna get hurt?" is something I can't stop thinking.

And that's an example of the worst thing about the internet: The fact that people can use their anonymity to intimidate, and often do so. Because, while it's clear that it's usually just for the sake of appearing tough, it's completely unnecessary and unproductive to anyone. There have been many people online whose response I have not been looking forward to, simply because I'd know that they would have a very negative tone.

I try to avoid this effect as much as I can, to come across as more "human". I'd like to be someone you DO look forward to communicating with, because socializing is the main reason why I spend so much time online in the first place. I'm glad that many people on Dtoid seem to do this as well. Hopefully, it will become more of a norm one day.

On a more positive note, JET BIKE:

https://www.youtube.com/wat...

I came over here from IGN a couple years back, and frankly I think I had some growing up to do. I never realized how petty the arguments I would start, and for that I kinda feel guilty. Not that I can't still get in debates, but I've made it my point to be respectful and not resorting to things like name calling. I've even began to start letting arguments go, not having to resolve anything. You know how rare it is for people to admit they are wrong, I try to be that guy. Can't say I'm the most courteous in every comment I make, but I do try. We are just opinionated as gamers and it's easy to lose sight of the fact that everyone has their own opinions.

I remember I tried joining IGN.
I said one thing about how I liked having items in my Smash games, and everyone just kind of dogpiled on me.
Needless to say, I never went back: if they hated that I liked to play Smash with items on, I'd hate to see what they would think of my more controversial opinions.

Smash without items is no Smash I want any part in!

I know, right?
I mean, I get that some people like to play on a competitive level, especially since the new Smash has both "For Fun" and "For Glory"... but that weren't even the responses: they were all like "haha, you suck, you need items to win."

if you think that's bad you should see the reverse. Smash has the most elitist "casual" population on the internet lol

What does the opposite say? I mostly hear more of the "pros'" opinions.

lol I guarantee you nobody you're talking to is a "pro". There's massive amounts of casual non-pros that simply play without items. Heck, I was just over at a buddy's house and met some boys and girls who were down for Smash, and we didn't even have to negotiate the rules besides 1v1 or 2v2.
But yea, just go to any youtube vid or article hosted for mostly mainstream gamers or general gamers where people can be anonymous. "haha you suck because you don't know how to use items and items take true skill" is the exact same type of ignorance, just on the flip side. And it's a very common argument born of ignorance and jealousy. There's also phrases like Tourneyfag and "tiers are for queers" being slung around. It's about as ugly as you can get; the only thing worse than elitist hardcore is an elitist casual

"a burger without lettuce is no burger I want any part in!"

I made my way over here from IGN as well, after discovering how great The Jimquisition is (of course he left shortly after I got here : \). I stayed for the community here, and I'm glad I discovered this site. I still hit up IGN for a lot of the articles, but I find myself asking why I bother checking the comment section there, as it's grown very toxic in recent years.

Yes, I know exactly what you mean, I feel the same way. The community is what makes Dtoid what it is.

Preach!

I didn't see the hate in that Korra piece Ponce uploaded a day ago. So unless there was mass deletions I wasn't aware of the worse I saw was someone saying Destructoid is falling into some SJW agenda. And if simply disagreeing with him is hate then might as well call me the Juggernaut of hate.

Its slowly falling into it bit by bit.

Nothing excuses the shit sometimes people say on the net, things have become incredibly vitriolic lately with any subject, gamers are a breed weird breed that draw arbitrary lines in the sand against each other because they like something someone else doesn't. I mean this is the same culture that uses the word "casual" as some sort of slur because said person doesn't play games 14 hours a day or some stupid shit.

Could be the same genre, but its not the game I like so your game is bad, and you're stupid and a dickhead and whatever, this website and how people act regarding certain titles or companies is a good example, its honestly hard to talk about anything anymore on the net, its a minefield, gone are the days of people arguing but possibly coming to an understanding in the end, now its all "OH YOU LIKE X COMPANY? YOU STUPID DUMB ETC ETC, FUCK YOU"

I've honestly cut my net time by quite a bit because its all arguments lately, its like people look for reasons to be upset and angry nowadays.

Apparently the person who receives the most hateful comments on Twitter is Piers Morgan... no idea why, but a lot of the harassment abuse on the internet isn't just in the gaming community but is much more widespread. I've recently started to follow various feminist issues... and much as they are subject to harassment and vile comments from non-feminists, much of the hate and dissention is internal among women arguing over who is or isn't a feminist, and even what feminism is or isn't. While most sites heavily moderate their comments I've often seen some of the comments before they are moderated and people claiming to be feminist themselves use some pretty vile and hateful language towards others they don't agree with.

I guess the point is that people don't always express their opinions well, and apparently some people are so poor at communicating that rather than argue the actual point, they tend to revert to childish verbal tantrums and threats. The scary thing is that while the vast majority of threats ARE childish tantrums... there is always the concern that one of those threats may come from that one actually insane person who might carry it out. Luckily, the evidence seems to strongly support that most twitter or posted online threats aren't actually valid.

People need to communicate better. If the best they can come up with is a threat or harassing comment... they are better to simply shut down their computer and walk away until they sort out their thoughts and actually have something to say.

Yeah, I agree that people do overreact to a lot of things. Not everybody learns how to communicate, so a lot of messages are distorted through a lack of communication skills. I hate it when anybody attacks me and does it in an awkward, confusing, angry, and unclear manner. Overreactions and our emotions can get in the way of responding to a situation, and I like the idea of walking away.

Maybe the people who always seem to end up being the recipients of this particular brand of internet "hate" could put the trolling which provokes said internet "hate" on hold too.