I read the article "Bow, Nigger" and was not only saddened by what I read, but disgusted by the fact there are people out there who think they can act like this. You could replace the words with a variety of derogatory phrases and have the same reaction but this goes too far.
When I play a videogame online, there are a lot of words exchanged between players, not always best words, but in the context they are being used, dammit and shit are not out of the ordinary. I find myself cursing away at the screen not remembering that I have a headset attached to me and players on the other end can hear me. It's okay though, they are saying the same thing and if it were brought to my attention that a curse word I said was offending someone, I would immediately stop and apologize. I would never say something like the player did in JKII.
You never know who you are going to come across when playing online. There are thousands of players waiting and no two are the same. Playing videogames online is a sort of escape from reality, not a place where hurtful things should be said. It is a low blow in order to win a game. It is a low blow no matter what.
I like how the author of the article does not shun the game for allowing bad words and phases but shows how bad behavior from others can result in good behavior, especially in a game where you are playing a Jedi. In the end, the good wins. Didn't this guy watch the Star Wars movies? The Sith always lost a limb, well many, and yeah they never get the girl. Bummer.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
I totally agree with you; while online gaming can be a great place to vent real-world frustration, it's never appropriate to attack a person on such low grounds. I'm glad the author took the perspective that community outweighs hatred in online gaming groups, and that good will always trounce evil in these scenarios.
ReplyDeleteYeah, I've come across a lot of people like this while playing online. It's much easier for someone to say hurtful things when they are miles away, behind a screen. I just try not to let it get to me, because that is exactly what they want to happen.
ReplyDeleteI'm pretty much writing exactly what the person above me has already written, but I thought I'd just chime in anyway.
ReplyDeleteOnline gaming has been incredible since it's inception. It's hugely popular and is one of my favorite things to do, but that certainly doesn't give anyone a right to lash out your pent up anger at someone, especially with racial slurs. It's too bad that things have gotten that way, but with low supervision, this is eventually what happens over time.
Though I wonder what the writers screename was that made it susceptible to a racial slur, it makes no since that such a coward as the writer's opponent would say such a thing while hiding behind the veil of anonymity that is the internet. I mean it's not like people would dress up in costumes and terrorize people behind the comfort of a sheet would they...oh wait.
ReplyDeleteI have played a game where someone killed my character and then looted my stuff from my corpse and when I got back to it, the guy was waiting for me. He told me to take my characters clothes off and then he would give me my stuff back. WTF? I was like 14 at the time. That type of stuff is just completely inappropriate. Let alone the language that is used and the hurt that people may or may not feeling hearing them or saying them. It's never right to say hurtful things, even if you are miles away from the person you are saying them to.
ReplyDelete