Harassment and the Gaming Community – A few thoughts

Recently I was made aware of this article and was shocked and appalled by what I read. What the author of this post has endured is terrible and it’s a shame that all this has happened in the gaming community. A lot of people immediately dismiss the post because it just seems too outrageous, too far away from their personal experiences. But I have no doubts that these things happen way too often.

I actually wrote a long post with my thoughts on the subject, but eventually I decided against posting it because of several reasons. English is not my native language and even though I have a pretty good grasp of the language (at least I hope so) sometimes it’s hard to put my thoughts into the proper words. This subject is highly emotional and very complex, so it’s very easy to offend everyone even if you have the best motives.

My intentions with this post are twofold: first I want to point out the article and recommend everyone to read it and think deeply about it. I especially ask my fellow male gamers to not just dismiss it. Secondly I want to ask everyone to help changing the community for the better. Don’t look away, speak up and point out the bad apples, support your fellow gamers regardless of gender, sexuality, skin color, and religion. Make sure that your own gaming table is a safe and welcoming place for everyone! Remember that the only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.

P.S.: If you want to read more about why we should take such reports seriously, I recommend this article.