Wow, those Orcs look so REAL.

I hate all this bullshit where idiots have to build a personal identity around bacon, but I like bacon because it tastes like salt and fat.

I used this to find out I couldn't run Goat Simulator on my 4-year old laptop. Reason: not enough RAM.

"I have an iPhone case like this!"

I'd really like to start a blog entitled, "Criticisms of Anita Sarkeesian's Videos Answered with Direct Quotes from the Videos they Clearly Didn't Watch" I've read dozens upon dozens of criticisms like yours, and literally every SINGLE time, Anita addressed the concern right in the video.

I'd agree with you, apart from the fact tropes more or less inform -everything- in game writing at the moment.

A few examples (I'll eschew an exhaustive list):

-Space Jesus (Mass Effect 3) is a categorical example of Deus Ex Machina.

-Link, Samus, etc. all fit the, "lone hero facing impossible odds," trope.

-Likewise,…

Let me give you an analogy here.

Actually, in one of her videos, she cites a number of studies (including a relatively recent Stanford study) drawing a correlation between immersion in misogynistic imagery and subtle changes to perception and attitudes.

Beyond that, the idea that images in the media have some effect on us is...not particularly…

Ah, yes. The Hitman example.

Whether or not content is "optional" is irrelevant to her point. As I recall, she never claimed that players gained points for killing civilians; rather, her argument is as follows:

Game design is about the possible. In any sufficiently open design, the player is tacitly encouraged to…

"Alarmist" - How so? She's not saying anything that hasn't been said over and over again in mainstream cultural critique for the past 40+ years. "The images in the media we consume has a role in shaping our perceptions and attitudes." That is...about as uncontroversial as critical axioms get.

Yes, exactly. You can talk about problematic elements within a work without condemning the whole text. She makes this point herself at the start of a lot of her videos, with her "It is entirely possible to enjoy things with problematic elements" disclaimer.

It feels to me like people are simply approaching her…

It really does seem like a maturity thing right? On last week's Idle Thumbs, the three hosts were just flabbergasted—absolutely bewildered—for the first half of the podcast, trying to understand the proponents of gamergate. I was right there with them, scratching my head. Why would any of the things in the last few…

I've only commented because I really, really, hope that someone might understand that this isn't some zero-sum situation.

I believe growth starts with the individual, and only grows out from there. So if I feel like I'm a decent guy who wants to help the world, I start with family, friends, local communities, communities I care about (that one's important for this topic) and so on. I can't demand another person to be more frugal if I'm…

I feel like your post contains a clear double standard. You say that gamers like you are, "getting sick of people accusing [you] of something that [you're] not", then tell those on the end of horrible internet threats to just let them go, saying, 'If you're so emotionally challenged that a comment from some anonymous…

Regarding Gamer Gate and the conception of sexism and misogyny. I wrestle with this, for so many reasons. I don't want to assume someone is just a troll or an asshole in general, I really don't. But I've yet to hear a single logical thing come from this very vocal group.

I don't see how anyone is "lumped in" with anyone unjustifiably. People are willingly being a part of groups that are inundated with misogynists and trolls.

Jack Thompson was someone who was trying to use legal power to censor video games.

The people claiming she is "factually incorrect" are, in fact, doing what they accuse her of doing: cherry-picking and ignoring context. To use two recent examples, the "Hitman" and "Watch Dogs" rebuttals...aren't actually rebuttals. They're a misreading of her argument and an appeal to a particular mindset that isn't…

Ostensibly, GamerGate has become a reclamation of the term "gamer." Ostensibly it's about good people saying, hey, playing games doesn't make us bad people or doesn't identify us all as misogynists/racists/bigots. To anyone who loves video games, this is the least controversial position to take. Does anyone disagree…