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Otaku and Gamergate: The Essence of Liberalism and Democracy as the Legacy of Gaming People and Methods of Resisting unmerited Criticism

Last posted May 23, 2015 at 12:39AM EDT. Added May 21, 2015 at 05:35PM EDT
17 posts from 14 users

Where did we come from and where are we going? We can learn the truth of ourselves when we remember the circumstances of our past and present. Who are we? And what are “gamers”? With pride in our name and in the history of our culture we must stand up and take action not only for ourselves but to protect true equality, prevent slanderous defamation and preserve the cherished memories of our past.

…Today, when the freedom of our hobby is facing a serious crisis, we have been called back to this familiar place to defend the precious, intangible somethings of gaming culture. And just like before, it is only the hardcore gaming people who dare to assemble at the call. I hold no predilection for any given generation. I will only say that -- regardless of age or generation -- it is deplorable that the pioneers, who made the sacrifices of discovery and pushed the revolutionary ideas, should never enjoy the benefits of their labor. It is a bitter, ironic outcome….

…GamerGate is a struggle for the liberty and fairness of gaming culture as well as internet journalism, but it is also much more. GamerGate is about the problem of distinguishing truth from falsehood in today’s information-oriented society: an important theme in cyberpunk and dystopian SF literature as well as an important subject for philosophical discussion. GamerGate is each of us providing our own answer to the question of what gaming culture is and was. In doing so, we reaffirm that precious, intangible something which gives gaming its value. At the same time, we will leave behind a legacy of our own: GamerGate. And depending on how successful that legacy is, we may yet change the future of gaming…

…However, unlike the various dystopias depicted in science fiction novels, the hypothetical future I have described will not be controlled by despots. Instead of an evil dictator or a rogue artificial intelligence, it will be the collective ignorance of humanity which controls fiction. Individuals will secretly cooperate and compromise with one-another to control the potential of fiction. They will do this because, as slaves to authority, fiction which exhorts the idealistic pursuit of free thought is nothing more than a nuisance to them. Fiction will be judged not based on its content, but whether or not it conforms to the biases of society and how closely it parallels the academic and commercial narrative of authority. Fiction will transform into a medium for the exhibition of “safe”, bombastically “epic” stories driven by base emotionalism. The public, for its part, will buy this new fiction in droves because the unchallenging, socially-approved ideas within will make them feel safe and happy with themselves.

…If there is any difference at all between the composition of these social phenomena, it is this: In Japan, only a part of the otaku subculture took up the banner of resistance. In the West, GamerGate has spread to encompass not only many gamers but individuals who previously had no interest in games. It has spread so much that it has been acknowledged by the general public as a social issue. This is a big difference, and it represents the potentiality of GamerGate. The netizens of Japan and the West are both burdened with problems so shocking in their resemblance that it feels like nothing short of synchronicity. This problem which we share by coincidence may hold valuable lessons for us….

Particle Mare wrote:

imagine what we could achieve if the human species dedicated this much time and effort into something that's actually productive

pfft, "productivity" is for normies

Particle Mare wrote:

imagine what we could achieve if the human species dedicated this much time and effort into something that's actually productive

Instead of talking about games, we could actually be playing vidya.

We would have 100% on our entire library.

Particle Mare wrote:

imagine what we could achieve if the human species dedicated this much time and effort into something that's actually productive

Neko girls on Mars by 2026

Synge wrote:

Neko girls on Mars by 2026

Every dollar spilled on your internet bill to argue about vidya journalism or something online, is a dollar not spent on genetically engineered catgirls on Mars.

"In Japan, only a part of the otaku subculture took up the banner of resistance."

Sounds to me like Japanese people have their priorities straight.

Also:

Chadxican wrote:

I'm a gator, but this is too long for read.

In the end, GG and anti-GG are like armies in WWI, they will be fight forever and ever, in battlefield filled with mud, blood and tears.

GamerGate is the great war of our time. Our grand children will look at our stories one day and say, "Holy shit Grandpa I don't fucking care about your stupid ass video games. I need to go get ready for my business trip to Saturn."

Skeletor-sm

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