Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

The problem of game developers receiving abusive messages

medium.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

121–130 of 174 posts

Re: The problem of game developers receiving abusive messages

#121

Post by meheleventyone »

arkh wrote: post #96
swivelmaster wrote: post #39

I had a long phone conversation recently with a game industry friend who had the misfortune of being involved in multiple games that became targets of abuse. I had asked him for advice about potentially making some youtube videos about game design, including f2p game design (which I have substantial expertise in). He warned me that depending on the approach, even implying that I thought certain types of games or mone…

You just need to not give a fuck. It works for online interaction and it sure work for other parts of life. Care about what you can influence, don't about things you have no control over. Someone cut in front of you in traffic: good for them. Someone insults you: heh, must be their own insecurities showing. I think the only threshold for online interaction would be people threatening violence against you. If they do,…

I think this sort of thinking is far too fatalistic and basically throws people who cannot deal with abuse and hate under the bus to boot.

The platforms hate and abuse are delivered on are currently under human control. The idea we have no control over whether or not we receive hate and abuse is simply not true. The solution, moderation, isn't even new and is a core feature of all polite online spaces. HN is a good example.

Re: The problem of game developers receiving abusive messages

#122

Post by collyw »

tonyedgecombe wrote: post #111
sixtypoundhound wrote: post #2

This. Seriously, I run a bunch of FREE websites and I'm amazed by the stuff that shows up in my inbox. When did it become ok to harass someone running a FREE website? If you don't like it, hit the frigging back button. And get a life.

In my experience the more people pay you the better behaved they are, people who get things for free are the most entitled and abusive.

I would disagree based on experience at a previous workplace. We were paying a Salesforce consultancy a lot of money, so our technically clueless founders thought that gave them a licence to act like arseholes. One consultant had a nervous breakdown after a couple of months.

Re: The problem of game developers receiving abusive messages

#123

Post by gadders »

vanderZwan wrote: post #102
arkh wrote: post #96

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You just need to not give a fuck. It works for online interaction and it sure work for other parts of life. Care about what you can influence, don't about things you have no control over. Someone cut in front of you in traffic: good for them. Someone insults you: heh, must be their own insecurities showing. I think the only threshold for online interaction would be people threatening violence against you. If they do,…

This advice is entirely oblivious to how the creative process works, and why people create games, music, literature or art in the first place. It's also somewhat irritating to me, because it reminds me of how I was constantly told the same thing in the context of being bullied as a child. Which in the end is really about it being easier for adults to make the one bullied kid conform, than the clique of kids who do th…

Well, one view is to consider it victim blaming. Another view is to consider it the offer of a strategy to minimise the upset caused.

Re: The problem of game developers receiving abusive messages

#124

Post by EgoIncarnate »

angersock wrote: post #83
QAPereo wrote: post #82

Earlier quoted context omitted.

So, if you're a gamer, why be nice to people that are willingly violating an IP that you love? Why? Because it is devoutly to be wished that you’re a human being with a brain, conscience, and at least a scrap of both empathy and perspective. If you’re so antisocial that you honestly believe that what you described merits abuse, threats, doxxing, etc... you shouldn’t be allowed online by your guardian. Messing with yo…

I mean, they had the same choice--not to work on fucking up the IP. And they have the potential to create suffering and annoyance to hundreds of thousands of people, instead of just a few people receiving grumpiness on the net. This is a dynamic that has always existed in art and performance. And for what it's worth, I don't think the option is "be nice" or "hurl abuse"...there is a distribution of behaviors and I'm…

Fine, be angry. Even if the reason for anger was justified, the abuse isn't. Write a scathing blog post, rant on youtube, don't buy future products, organize a boycott. Fine. Death threats, calling people at all hours, swatting them, harassing their employer, egging people on to do these things. That's abuse, and nothing that should ever happen because in your opinion someone "fucked up [their own] ip".

Re: The problem of game developers receiving abusive messages

#125

Post by camus2 »

Sir_Cmpwn wrote: post #3

I got a glimpse of this working on my open source Minecraft clone, and it's at least half of the reason that game is sitting on the backburner. Gamers can be a pretty entitled group. I also see this in the rest of my open source work, to a lesser extent. On the whole I probably get slightly fewer "fuck you"s than I get "thank you"s.

> Gamers can be a pretty entitled group.

Just like sport fans, moviegoers, fooding enthusiasts or people who buy books. In every circle you'll have a tiny loud minority who behaves like crap, it has nothing to do with gaming. You'd think people who buy books have a better education and behavior? People like J. K. Rowling or Stephen King have had plenty of stalkers and death threats, King wrote plenty of books about on subject.

Re: The problem of game developers receiving abusive messages

#126

Post by ljf »

arkh wrote: post #96
swivelmaster wrote: post #39

I had a long phone conversation recently with a game industry friend who had the misfortune of being involved in multiple games that became targets of abuse. I had asked him for advice about potentially making some youtube videos about game design, including f2p game design (which I have substantial expertise in). He warned me that depending on the approach, even implying that I thought certain types of games or mone…

You just need to not give a fuck. It works for online interaction and it sure work for other parts of life. Care about what you can influence, don't about things you have no control over. Someone cut in front of you in traffic: good for them. Someone insults you: heh, must be their own insecurities showing. I think the only threshold for online interaction would be people threatening violence against you. If they do,…

It is good advice unless you live in a country with a militarised police force. Then you spend time worrying if you or your family may get SWATed...

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/calgary-woman-...

Re: The problem of game developers receiving abusive messages

#127

Post by meheleventyone »

EugeneOZ wrote: post #120
elthran wrote: post #109

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think if your emotional reaction to a developer not developing their game in the way that you want is "hatred" you should probably consider that you might be overreacting?

I think if developers are ignoring feedback for months they should expect overreacting.

Why? In what world do people have to respond to unsolicited commentary?

Re: The problem of game developers receiving abusive messages

#128

Post by arkh »

tonyedgecombe wrote: post #104
tremon wrote: post #100

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Apathy is not a healthy approach to life in general. Forcing yourself to feel "meh" about things you really did enjoy once is soul-crushing in itself.

I don't think @arkh is suggesting apathy, quite the opposite in fact. Enjoy your art and don't give the naysayers a second thought.

This. Try to see the good parts of things.

Someone is cursing you about your work? First, that's just words on a screen so you can close it to not see it. Two, this person bought your production so hey! your bank account feels better. And last you got a vivid reaction out of someone: isn't creating games and art goal to make people feel something? Sometime it is negative but I think the best works are those who you either love or hate. Not the bland ones.

Seeing some good in most things is not an easy mindset to get to. But you can start by doing it as a joke until it can become natural. "Another rainy day" -> Temperature are 0°C and it's good for the plants so let's enjoy those facts. I totaled my car -> I have an excuse to ask a ride-share with some colleagues I fancy until I get a new one.

Re: The problem of game developers receiving abusive messages

#129

Post by LandR »

arkh wrote: post #96
swivelmaster wrote: post #39

I had a long phone conversation recently with a game industry friend who had the misfortune of being involved in multiple games that became targets of abuse. I had asked him for advice about potentially making some youtube videos about game design, including f2p game design (which I have substantial expertise in). He warned me that depending on the approach, even implying that I thought certain types of games or mone…

You just need to not give a fuck. It works for online interaction and it sure work for other parts of life. Care about what you can influence, don't about things you have no control over. Someone cut in front of you in traffic: good for them. Someone insults you: heh, must be their own insecurities showing. I think the only threshold for online interaction would be people threatening violence against you. If they do,…

I'm exactly the same.

I just can't get myself worked up over most stuff, annoyingly though people around me end up getting annoyed at me becasue I'm not getting upset or annoyed. This can be very frustrating.

The way I see it is if something is happening and it's outside my control, why let it bother me. 1 of 2 things can happen.

1) I get upset and angry and my life, temporarily, gets worse. 2) I don't get upset or angry and my life doesn't change.

In both those cases I can't affect the root cause incident so the only thing that changes is my own happiness.

Why on earth would I then voluntarily reduce my own happiness / state of mind.

If someone flips me off, cuts me up in traffic, sends me an abusive message online etc Why should I care?

So when I have people around me getting annoyed because I'm not getting upset or annoyed by it, I feel like they just want to make sure I'm getting miserable with them. Which is a shitty thing to do to someone.

Re: The problem of game developers receiving abusive messages

#130

Post by EugeneOZ »

meheleventyone wrote: post #127
EugeneOZ wrote: post #120

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think if developers are ignoring feedback for months they should expect overreacting.

Why? In what world do people have to respond to unsolicited commentary?

In this one. If you really don't care about feedback and (polite and constructive) commentaries are unsolicited - you deserve hateful feedback.
Post reply on HN