1876 réponses à ce sujet

[TheJediSaint]

Ok, I've only recently became aware of this disturbing situation myself.  I'm sorry that Jennifer Helper has become the target of a buch of cowardly cyber-bullies, such people are truly the lowest form of internet troll.  It warms my (shriveled and black) heart to see Bioware taking a stand in supporting her against these creatures. 

One humble suggestion that I would like to make, is that once Jennifer and Bioware are done stomping these trolls down, they should either light the bodies on fire or pour acid on them (I recommend doing both, just to be thorough.).  Otherwise you risk them regenerating and repeating the whole process again.

[Sagacious Rage]

BellaStrega wrote...

Actually, it's kind of interesting. I've worked in the tabletop gaming industry, and one thing professionals do is spend a lot of time discussing how things could be done differently, or how things like social interactions can be made more fun. The kind of thing Jennifer said about skipping combat is, to me, pretty typical of the kinds of things professionals say - not the specific opinion, but talking about different ways to do things, or finding new things to do. But, somehow, this one thing, from a six-year old interview, has become write so large in some people's minds that they feel they must defend their right to criticize it (did anyone tell them not to criticize it?) or simply abandon criticism and descend into rage- and contempt-fueled rants intended to dehumanize Ms. Hepler just because of one thing she said six years ago that might in some distant and tenuous sense, have some connection to the addition of completely optional play modes in Mass Effect 3?

It is profoundly entitled to not just criticize when someone involved in game design suggests a possibility that you disagree with, but to actually say that a game developing studio should have no right to develop games with features you do not want, and that people who want such features should leave their careers behind to suit your individual tastes.

There's definitely the issue of entitlement going on but I do think we need to talk about why it was Hepler in particular who was targeted in such a manner. And the fact that she is a woman working in a male-dominated industry, with a perceived male-dominated fanbase, is important. They targeted her, and not her male colleagues or superiors. And they also used grossly misogynistic terms to do so. This was a concerted effort to drive a visible woman out of the gaming industry, whether the troglodytes involved in it realized that or not.

[BellaStrega]

Eternal_Lord wrote...
I'm sorry but that is an absolutely terrible analogy. I mean no disrespect to you and your profession, but your job as a janitor has no impact on the workings of the bank while the writing in a video game is an integral part of the experience as is a writers role in the development of a game.

On Irrational Games' podcast a few months back, Ken Levine talked about how annoyed he gets when people who apply for a job at Irrational that don't even consider video games to be their favorite or second favorite hobby. He goes on to say "Why the **** would you want to have a career in an industry that you aren't passionate about!?" It seems to me that Jennifer is passionate about writing and not video games. Perhaps she should get into writing books because games are about gameplay and the industry as well as the fans should embrace that. The day the that video games don't focus on gameplay is the day they stop being video games. If you want nothing but story go read a book or watch a movie.

It seems a bit of a broad assumption to claim that Ms. Hepler is not passionate about the industry just because she would like to be able to skip combat.

And as far as story goes, story in video games is pretty important to me. I'm glad to have writers working on these games who care about narrative and story elements, and aren't simply focused on finding ways to trigger as much combat as possible.

As far as story and dialogue go, in RPGs those are part of the gameplay. It's not as if story exists on some island separate from the rest of game design. It's integral to a good game.

[esper]

Sagacious Rage wrote...

Eternal_Lord wrote...

It's pretty terrible what those people did and they should be ashamed of themselves but I also understand the frustration that these gamers are experiencing. I am in no way justifying or condoning what they did but Jennifer, and BioWare itself, deserves criticism for that comments that she's made about "skipping combat/gameplay." Video games are unique because of the interactive nature of the medium and adding options like skipping gameplay sections entirely defeats the whole purpose of being a video game and that's gameplay.

Perhaps Jennifer needs to find another hobby or job because it seems to me that she, and some of the folks at BioWare, are actually looking for a "choose you own adventure book" and not a video game.

You realize there's more to gameplay than combat, right? LIke dialogue (which you can already skip) as well as puzzles, stealth, crafting, collecting, platform sequences, any variety of decision making, etc.

There are plenty of gaming genres in which combat is the sole point of the entire game. An option to skip combat in an first-person shooter would be ludicrious. But the Dragon Age series is not a first-person shooter. It's a role-playing game. 

The only reason the majority of role-playing games even have combat is because of convention. There's no real reason why you can't make a role-playing game with absolutely no combat in it at all, let alone give the option to skip it if the player desires. 

I have actually played a lot of puzzle games in which you can skip the puzzle, and a lot of visual novel games have options to skip through the dialog.
In both cases it is the game's core-gamplay element that is skip-able and in both cases I actually end op finding it nice, because sometimes I just wants to get to the tiny, little thing that I didn't get done on my first, second and third playthrough but I don't want to get through the whole damn game again. I really want to go back and defile the ashes in da:o, but just the thought of having to go through the Ostagar, The Deep Roads and other endless combat area makes me pause and not do it. In fact the thought of going through those areas make me not pick up the game again, because I have moved on from it and honestly have come to the point where I only wants to play my favorites parts of it.

And no matter what your opinion is nothing excuses saying that Jennifer needs to find a new job, when she is a writer and then only have to love writing.

 

[ChandlerBing]

BellaStrega wrote...

Reptilian Rob wrote...

There's seems to be a lot of double standards, like the fact that Flynn and Hepler are getting away with calling the fanbase virgins and morons.

Still, not saying who is right or wrong here, I'm just saying you shouldn't call the kettle black when you are the pot.

There's something wrong with one's worldview when they look at a situation that's developed over several months to a year during which a group of people have harassed one person to the point of calling her at her own home, and notice that after all this treatment over a long period of time, she made one snarky comment... and decide that the real problem is that the target of this sustained bullying is in the wrong for responding.

This isn't a double standard. What she said, what Aaryn said, compared to the provocation that they were responding to? No comparison. Not the same ballpark, not the same league or even the same sport.

It is ridiculous that calling out bullies is seen as exactly as bad as engaging in bullying over a period of months.

Then what is Bioware's opinion on this?

While what this individual said was obviously terrible, he seems to be weathering a sizable amount of bullying by those in support of Mrs. Hepler and Bioware. He even claims to have received death threats towards himself and his family. He's not the only one either, just the most public right now.

A Bioware emplyee receives disgusting comments, harrassment, and threats because of childish and reactionary comments she's made. Rightfully terrible, and something the attackers should be ashamed of.

An irate customer recieves disgusting comments, harrasment, and threats because of childish and offensive comments he's made. Serves him right? 

Absolutely not. In my opinion noone deserves this, regardless of what was said. Bioware is actively supporting Mrs. Hepler and taking a stance against bullying, while it's happening to a, albiet offensive, customer and Bioware says and does nothing?

Double standard by definition.

[BellaStrega]

Sagacious Rage wrote...

There's definitely the issue of entitlement going on but I do think we need to talk about why it was Hepler in particular who was targeted in such a manner. And the fact that she is a woman working in a male-dominated industry, with a perceived male-dominated fanbase, is important. They targeted her, and not her male colleagues or superiors. And they also used grossly misogynistic terms to do so. This was a concerted effort to drive a visible woman out of the gaming industry, whether the troglodytes involved in it realized that or not.

I'm sure the troglodytes involved in it are fairly clear on what they were doing. This is certainly about misogyny and about women as acceptable targets, and the perception that gaming as a hobby belongs to men.  I recall a few pages back (5 or 6?) a couple of posters claimed with apparently straight faces that sexism had nothing to do with the reaction (belied, of course, by the use of multiple misogynist slurs and the misogynist tirades against Jennifer).

I was responding to the immediately previous posts in which one poster said that everyone who wants to design games in a manner he doesn't care for should leave Bioware.

[Jahannam]

Eternal_Lord wrote...

Jahannam wrote...

Eternal_Lord wrote...

It's pretty terrible what those people did and they should be ashamed of themselves but I also understand the frustration that these gamers are experiencing. I am in no way justifying or condoning what they did but Jennifer, and BioWare itself, deserves criticism for that comments that she's made about "skipping combat/gameplay." Video games are unique because of the interactive nature of the medium and adding options like skipping gameplay sections entirely defeats the whole purpose of being a video game and that's gameplay.

Perhaps Jennifer needs to find another hobby or job because it seems to me that she, and some of the folks at BioWare, are actually looking for a "choose you own adventure book" and not a video game.

Im a janitor at a bank. Does my idea of they way I think investments should be handled make ANY difference in the way the bank operates? No...My job is to make sure the toilets and countertops are clean. My opinion means nothing.

Jennifer is a writer and thats it. If someone wants to ask her what she thinks gameplay should be and she gives her opinion how does that effect anything gamewise? Her job is to write and she is doing her job.

She does not need to be on the same page as the rest of the team. She only has to do her job and work with them

I'm sorry but that is an absolutely terrible analogy. I mean no disrespect to you and your profession, but your job as a janitor has no impact on the workings of the bank while the writing in a video game is an integral part of the experience as is a writers role in the development of a game.

On Irrational Games' podcast a few months back, Ken Levine talked about how annoyed he gets when people who apply for a job at Irrational that don't even consider video games to be their favorite or second favorite hobby. He goes on to say "Why the **** would you want to have a career in an industry that you aren't passionate about!?" It seems to me that Jennifer is passionate about writing and not video games. Perhaps she should get into writing books because games are about gameplay and the industry as well as the fans should embrace that. The day the that video games don't focus on gameplay is the day they stop being video games. If you want nothing but story go read a book or watch a movie.

Not my proffession actually.

Game concept design...Im a artist and again although I create drawings which effect art in game again...my opinion on the way a game should be means nothing.

Thing you are missing is you can take a writer....who hates games, and a game developer who hates books. Put them on a TEAM and develop a awsome game. You dont have to love both ends of the spectrum to blend them... and thats not their job.

[Sagacious Rage]

ChandlerBing wrote...

BellaStrega wrote...

Reptilian Rob wrote...

There's seems to be a lot of double standards, like the fact that Flynn and Hepler are getting away with calling the fanbase virgins and morons.

Still, not saying who is right or wrong here, I'm just saying you shouldn't call the kettle black when you are the pot.

There's something wrong with one's worldview when they look at a situation that's developed over several months to a year during which a group of people have harassed one person to the point of calling her at her own home, and notice that after all this treatment over a long period of time, she made one snarky comment... and decide that the real problem is that the target of this sustained bullying is in the wrong for responding.

This isn't a double standard. What she said, what Aaryn said, compared to the provocation that they were responding to? No comparison. Not the same ballpark, not the same league or even the same sport.

It is ridiculous that calling out bullies is seen as exactly as bad as engaging in bullying over a period of months.

Then what is Bioware's opinion on this?

While what this individual said was obviously terrible, he seems to be weathering a sizable amount of bullying by those in support of Mrs. Hepler and Bioware. He even claims to have received death threats towards himself and his family. He's not the only one either, just the most public right now.

A Bioware emplyee receives disgusting comments, harrassment, and threats because of childish and reactionary comments she's made. Rightfully terrible, and something the attackers should be ashamed of.

An irate customer recieves disgusting comments, harrasment, and threats because of childish and offensive comments he's made. Serves him right? 

Absolutely not. In my opinion noone deserves this, regardless of what was said. Bioware is actively supporting Mrs. Hepler and taking a stance against bullying, while it's happening to a, albiet offensive, customer and Bioware says and does nothing?

Double standard by definition.

Wow. It's not Bioware's job to police the internet. The response to the harrassment of Hepler was because she works for them, and was acting on behalf of the company when the original interview took place. What's going on as a spin-off reaction of that with people who are completely unaffiliated with the company has nothing to do with them. 

[Darth Krytie]

ChandlerBing wrote...

BellaStrega wrote...

Reptilian Rob wrote...

There's seems to be a lot of double standards, like the fact that Flynn and Hepler are getting away with calling the fanbase virgins and morons.

Still, not saying who is right or wrong here, I'm just saying you shouldn't call the kettle black when you are the pot.

There's something wrong with one's worldview when they look at a situation that's developed over several months to a year during which a group of people have harassed one person to the point of calling her at her own home, and notice that after all this treatment over a long period of time, she made one snarky comment... and decide that the real problem is that the target of this sustained bullying is in the wrong for responding.

This isn't a double standard. What she said, what Aaryn said, compared to the provocation that they were responding to? No comparison. Not the same ballpark, not the same league or even the same sport.

It is ridiculous that calling out bullies is seen as exactly as bad as engaging in bullying over a period of months.

Then what is Bioware's opinion on this?

While what this individual said was obviously terrible, he seems to be weathering a sizable amount of bullying by those in support of Mrs. Hepler and Bioware. He even claims to have received death threats towards himself and his family. He's not the only one either, just the most public right now.

A Bioware emplyee receives disgusting comments, harrassment, and threats because of childish and reactionary comments she's made. Rightfully terrible, and something the attackers should be ashamed of.

An irate customer recieves disgusting comments, harrasment, and threats because of childish and offensive comments he's made. Serves him right? 

Absolutely not. In my opinion noone deserves this, regardless of what was said. Bioware is actively supporting Mrs. Hepler and taking a stance against bullying, while it's happening to a, albiet offensive, customer and Bioware says and does nothing?

Double standard by definition.

It's not a double standard as if the bullying occured here, where BioWare has influence, they'd have shut it down. Bullying is always wrong, but BioWare is not responsible for actions taken against an individual, not a part of their company, on a site that does not belong to them.

[BellaStrega]

ChandlerBing wrote...

Then what is Bioware's opinion on this?

While what this individual said was obviously terrible, he seems to be weathering a sizable amount of bullying by those in support of Mrs. Hepler and Bioware. He even claims to have received death threats towards himself and his family. He's not the only one either, just the most public right now.

A Bioware emplyee receives disgusting comments, harrassment, and threats because of childish and reactionary comments she's made. Rightfully terrible, and something the attackers should be ashamed of.

An irate customer recieves disgusting comments, harrasment, and threats because of childish and offensive comments he's made. Serves him right? 

Absolutely not. In my opinion noone deserves this, regardless of what was said. Bioware is actively supporting Mrs. Hepler and taking a stance against bullying, while it's happening to a, albiet offensive, customer and Bioware says and does nothing?

Double standard by definition.

I don't think a lot of the response you're characterizing as "bullying" actually is "bullying," given that people are responding directly to the provocative and offensive commentary he posted.

I don't know what Bioware's stance is officially, but I somehow doubt they endorse are in any way responsible for the harassment this guy has experienced. There seems to be an impulse to push the "guilt by association" button in situations like this, where supporters show themselves to be as terrible as the so-called "critics." But Bioware can't exactly take responsibility for this.

If Bioware were saying "Yes, he deserves every death threat he gets" (which they are not), then it would absolutely be a double standard. It's not. 

[Sagacious Rage]

BellaStrega wrote...

Sagacious Rage wrote...

There's definitely the issue of entitlement going on but I do think we need to talk about why it was Hepler in particular who was targeted in such a manner. And the fact that she is a woman working in a male-dominated industry, with a perceived male-dominated fanbase, is important. They targeted her, and not her male colleagues or superiors. And they also used grossly misogynistic terms to do so. This was a concerted effort to drive a visible woman out of the gaming industry, whether the troglodytes involved in it realized that or not.

I'm sure the troglodytes involved in it are fairly clear on what they were doing. This is certainly about misogyny and about women as acceptable targets, and the perception that gaming as a hobby belongs to men.  I recall a few pages back (5 or 6?) a couple of posters claimed with apparently straight faces that sexism had nothing to do with the reaction (belied, of course, by the use of multiple misogynist slurs and the misogynist tirades against Jennifer).

I was responding to the immediately previous posts in which one poster said that everyone who wants to design games in a manner he doesn't care for should leave Bioware.

Yeah, I haven't had time to read the entire thread. I've just seen a lot of articles and responses that are glossing over or denying the issue of misogyny in this incident, and wanted to take the opportunity to point it out. Sorry for implying you were one of the glossers!

[Eternal_Lord]

BellaStrega wrote...

Eternal_Lord wrote...
I'm sorry but that is an absolutely terrible analogy. I mean no disrespect to you and your profession, but your job as a janitor has no impact on the workings of the bank while the writing in a video game is an integral part of the experience as is a writers role in the development of a game.

On Irrational Games' podcast a few months back, Ken Levine talked about how annoyed he gets when people who apply for a job at Irrational that don't even consider video games to be their favorite or second favorite hobby. He goes on to say "Why the **** would you want to have a career in an industry that you aren't passionate about!?" It seems to me that Jennifer is passionate about writing and not video games. Perhaps she should get into writing books because games are about gameplay and the industry as well as the fans should embrace that. The day the that video games don't focus on gameplay is the day they stop being video games. If you want nothing but story go read a book or watch a movie.

It seems a bit of a broad assumption to claim that Ms. Hepler is not passionate about the industry just because she would like to be able to skip combat.

And as far as story goes, story in video games is pretty important to me. I'm glad to have writers working on these games who care about narrative and story elements, and aren't simply focused on finding ways to trigger as much combat as possible.

As far as story and dialogue go, in RPGs those are part of the gameplay. It's not as if story exists on some island separate from the rest of game design. It's integral to a good game.

Jennifer stating that she wants and option for core, traditional gameplay to be skipping is pretty obvious that gaming isn't her first or favorite hobby. How can something be your passion if you aren't even mildly good at the most basic and fundamental level? In this case, gameplay.

I wholeheartedly agree that story and dialogue are absolutely an essential part of gameplay and many games have struck a great balance between gameplay and story. It's one of the reasons I buy and play BioWare games. What I'm arguing is that combat (or even the evasion of combat; stealth, etc) has always been a fundamental part of the RPG. Removing that aspect is nothing short of turning Bioware games into nothing more than interactive movies.

[esper]

Eternal_Lord wrote...

On Irrational Games' podcast a few months back, Ken Levine talked about how annoyed he gets when people who apply for a job at Irrational that don't even consider video games to be their favorite or second favorite hobby. He goes on to say "Why the **** would you want to have a career in an industry that you aren't passionate about!?" It seems to me that Jennifer is passionate about writing and not video games. Perhaps she should get into writing books because games are about gameplay and the industry as well as the fans should embrace that. The day the that video games don't focus on gameplay is the day they stop being video games. If you want nothing but story go read a book or watch a movie.

Who says that Jennifer isn't passionate about games, perhaps she wants to write characthers that can develop in two (or more) different directions depending on what choices is made, why do you assume that she doesn't love to write viodegame characthers and story scenerios that she couldn't write in books and movies.
Just because she said that she wants to skip combat, like we can skip dialog it doesn't mean that she doesn't love video games. 
   

[seanileus]

Dragon Age 2 was actually my GotY for 2011 and I loved the writing, Jennifer's response to the abuse however was, in retrospect, a very bad choice.
Because now that's all anyone ever mentions.

Keep up the good work, and don't put multiplayer into DA3.

Modifié par seanileus, 22 février 2012 - 09:04 .

[BellaStrega]

Sagacious Rage wrote...

Yeah, I haven't had time to read the entire thread. I've just seen a lot of articles and responses that are glossing over or denying the issue of misogyny in this incident, and wanted to take the opportunity to point it out. Sorry for implying you were one of the glossers!

I actually stopped participating almost entirely in online gaming communities for a time because the sheer amount of sexism was driving me around the bend. And it wasn't from a thin skin . It was just the continual exposure to toxic attitudes about women to the point that I found myself spending more time telling dudes they were being jerks than I was enjoying games.

The final straw for that experience was on a different (also company-sponsored) forum where someone asked why women don't play strategy games, and numerous men exclaimed that women were biologically incapable of enjoying strategy games, and shouted down anyone (like myself) who pointed out that perhaps the dudebro gaming culture where you have 10 posts by men making "there are no women on the internet jokes" for every post by a woman in a thread about women gamers might be severely offputting, and may not reflect true gameplay demographics. Then I was told I was seeking attention for saying that I was a woman, and not agreeing with men was "proving" I was one of the "bad ones" so I left.

Ugh, anyway, off-topic. But this is more of the same thing, but on a larger, more hostile, scale.

[Sagacious Rage]

esper wrote...

Eternal_Lord wrote...

On Irrational Games' podcast a few months back, Ken Levine talked about how annoyed he gets when people who apply for a job at Irrational that don't even consider video games to be their favorite or second favorite hobby. He goes on to say "Why the **** would you want to have a career in an industry that you aren't passionate about!?" It seems to me that Jennifer is passionate about writing and not video games. Perhaps she should get into writing books because games are about gameplay and the industry as well as the fans should embrace that. The day the that video games don't focus on gameplay is the day they stop being video games. If you want nothing but story go read a book or watch a movie.

Who says that Jennifer isn't passionate about games, perhaps she wants to write characthers that can develop in two (or more) different directions depending on what choices is made, why do you assume that she doesn't love to write viodegame characthers and story scenerios that she couldn't write in books and movies.
Just because she said that she wants to skip combat, like we can skip dialog it doesn't mean that she doesn't love video games. 
   

Actually, here's something Jennifer herself said in the original interview (taken from this Forbes article about the incident)

Since I started working in paper-and-pencil RPGs, I’ve loved the gaming audience and how passionate they are about their games. Through my whole time in Hollywood, I always gravitated toward game-related projects, and when I went to GDC in 2005, it was like coming home. When I realized how much more I liked the people in the games industry than in film and television…and how much more passionate they were about their jobs…I began to actively pursue a full-time career in gaming.

Oh looks like she does love working in video games. Imagine that. 

[AerosmithNirvana]

I have the setting to easy and get through any combat as fast as possible. Does that mean I'm not having a fun time playing the game? Do I have to give it back to the gamer police? That's bogus. I'll play the game how I want and it's nobody else's business. Beyond that, she's a writer. It shouldn't matter where her stories are being told. Why defend that every other part must be her passion? Who cares (and why should they?) about whether it is or is not??? So what if it's not her passion. She likes writing and her story is being told. What about journalists for magazines? Do they have to love the hair tip articles just because it's part of the same publishing? And beyond all of that, what's it to ya'? You either like the end product, or you don't. Heck, I couldn't care less if every person who works for BioWare absolutely loathes games. I like what they make and I like playing it. That's what matters. And if you don't like it, bully for you; don't buy it and play something else and stop whining about what other people like and don't like. Yeesh. It's completely childish.

Modifié par AerosmithNirvana, 22 février 2012 - 09:14 .

[aeonsan]

Hello BioWare-Crew, 
dear Community,

it never stops to surprise me how much disrespect and and rudeness is released under the cover of the anonymity of the internet. Still, I want to spare this post from words that probably won't be read by the people they were adressed to anyway; so let me express my support for you and Jennfer Hepler instead!

To Jennifer: if by chance you are reading this, don't concern yourself with the "opinion" of people who don't even know how to communicate in a proper manner. There are many people out here who value your work out here, and others privileged to value you as a person as well


Best regards from Germany / Europe,


-aeon

[BellaStrega]

Eternal_Lord wrote...

Jennifer stating that she wants and option for core, traditional gameplay to be skipping is pretty obvious that gaming isn't her first or favorite hobby. How can something be your passion if you aren't even mildly good at the most basic and fundamental level? In this case, gameplay.

Now you're just making stuff up. You're extrapolating this entire attitude on the basis of a single quote from six years ago as if it reflects who she is in her heart of hearts. The truth is you do not and cannot know what her favorite hobby is because she didn't say. Edit: Per above quote from Forbes, she does love gaming.

And having played stuff she's written, I find she's a good video gaming writer. I like what she wrote. I don't want or need to spend time trying to deconstruct her words to determine whether or not her heart was truly in it, because that's completely irrelevant to me.

I wholeheartedly agree that story and dialogue are absolutely an essential part of gameplay and many games have struck a great balance between gameplay and story. It's one of the reasons I buy and play BioWare games. What I'm arguing is that combat (or even the evasion of combat; stealth, etc) has always been a fundamental part of the RPG. Removing that aspect is nothing short of turning Bioware games into nothing more than interactive movies.

Dialogue is a fundamental part of the RPG and it is routinely skippable. What makes combat so special in comparison? And what does it matter to you? If you don't want to skip combat, don't. Other people might with the option. No one - not Jennifer, not anyone else - has argued for removing combat from the games.

And the essential core of RPGs isn't combat. The point of an RPG is to offer the experience playing a character and directing their decisions. Combat isn't required for this, it's simply a popular adjunct to the genre.

Modifié par BellaStrega, 22 février 2012 - 09:14 .

[Darth Krytie]

Eternal_Lord wrote...

 What I'm arguing is that combat (or even the evasion of combat; stealth, etc) has always been a fundamental part of the RPG. Removing that aspect is nothing short of turning Bioware games into nothing more than interactive movies.

Who has ever suggested combat or combat evasion via stealth or what not should be REMOVED? No one. Not even Hepler. She said she'd like an OPTION to skip. An option. One that does not need to be utilized by hardcore gamers. 

Modifié par Darth Krytie, 22 février 2012 - 09:15 .

[Eternal_Lord]

Sagacious Rage wrote...

Actually, here's something Jennifer herself said in the original interview (taken from this Forbes article about the incident)

Since I started working in paper-and-pencil RPGs, I’ve loved the gaming audience and how passionate they are about their games. Through my whole time in Hollywood, I always gravitated toward game-related projects, and when I went to GDC in 2005, it was like coming home. When I realized how much more I liked the people in the games industry than in film and television…and how much more passionate they were about their jobs…I began to actively pursue a full-time career in gaming.

Oh looks like she does love working in video games. Imagine that. 

Oh look, at no point in that quote does it once say she joined the industry because of her love of video games, rather the people working on them is what drew her in. Video games should be made by gamers, not people who like gamers or the idea of video games.

[Markgraf]

What's surprising is how many still choose to ignore that the majority of the criticism leveled against Ms. Hepler is done on account of her shoddy writing. Have you actually read her book, www.goodreads.com/book/show/2139643.M_I_T_H_? Not to mention that there are many capable women in the industry who are not being persecuted as part of this so-called mysoginism, such as Guild Wars's Ree Soesbee, who actually has a Ph.D. in literature, compared to Ms. Hepler's own B.A. in English, or Jade Raymond, who produced the first two Assassins' Creed games and now heads her own studio within Ubisoft. It's actually safe to say that there are male developers out there who have received much more in the way of hate than Ms. Hepler has. Heck, anyone here even know who John Romero is?

[AerosmithNirvana]

Excellent point, BellaStrega. If you want more combat, get a...wait for it...wait for it...COMBAT game. Play more Halo or Call of Duty. RPG. Two thirds of that is about story. So, yeah, which part is "core" to an RPG again?

[Meesherbeans]

Eternal_Lord wrote...

Video games should be made by gamers, not people who like gamers or the idea of video games.

Cars should be made by engineers that like cars, not engineers who like the idea of a safer car.

*facepalm*