#Blog 5

[hazzzzzzman]

Are gaming communities becoming a toxic environment for certain people?

Introduction

The promise of fellowship shared passion, and collaboration often coexists with a darker underbelly: toxicity, in the vast digital expanse of gaming communities. While these communities provide opportunities for connection and entertainment, they have also become breeding grounds for toxicity, creating hostile environments for certain groups, particularly women, LGBTQ+ people, and marginalized gamers. Gaming has always been perceived to be played by males. According to Ambi et al (2020), They conduct a survey to collect data by surveying the respondents. The study included 476 respondents aged 18 to 37 years old and discovered that the majority of those who identify as gamers are men, white, and generally younger than those who do not. Except for the fact that they were white, the results were deemed significant. The study thus demonstrates that the general demographic and group of people who identify as gamers are young males, which is critical information for the respondents.

Getting toxic? Let's talk about it

Toxicity manifests itself in various ways within gaming communities, ranging from straightforward harassment to outright discrimination and exclusion. Misogyny, sexual harassment, and gender-based discrimination are common experiences for women navigating these spaces. Targeted abuse, derogatory language, and objectification all contribute to an environment in which female gamers feel unwelcome, anxious, and unsafe. This toxic environment discourages many women from freely expressing their love of gaming or participating in discussions, robbing these communities of diverse perspectives and talent.

A survey was conducted on 900 women gamers in the US, Germany, and China on their opinions and perceptions towards their behavior and how females are portrayed in video games. One said "A lot of the time I end up playing as male characters in MMORPGs so people don't realize I'm a girl," one woman explained. "We try to hide what we are so people don't flirt with us, send us stuff, send us messages we really don't want, or pictures." It has been reported that the women surveyed express their satisfaction to developers on how females are depicted but are rather disappointed with how they are treated by other gamers (Sinclair 2021). This implies that female audiences are facing quite a few adversaries to fully immersed in the gaming community due to this circumstance.

Minorities?

Representation matters in this age of moving forward as what society perceives hence why inclusion is very crucial in many aspects of life and gaming is definitely one of them. Despite these drawbacks, the number and variety of players is growing. African Americans, Latinx Americans, and Asian Americans are becoming more active in the gaming community. Similarly, these players of color are more likely to play than their white counterparts (Eng 2020). Representation doesn't mean you have to give up on catering to or shaping your player niche. These still remain and designers need to consider them throughout the process but so is cunning with player accessibility in mind. Representation helps us reach and recognize more and different players in our field. However, this desire did not arise without recognition of the negative aspects previously caused by the lack of expressiveness.

In addition to that, the LGBTQ+ community is not perceived well initially when integrating into the gaming communities. There are many political reasons as well as cultural reasons that this group has not been fully or openly represented. Although there are times when few game companies have been trying to push the representation of these minority groups to gain a wider audience, especially the gamers that are in the LGBTQ+ community

PERSONAL TAKE?

I personally think the minority group that is not feeling too comfortable in life gaming deserves the product that can be marketed towards them. I sense no harm in anyone playing a game as everyone should play the game as intended which is to enjoy and fulfill their time. Gaming should not contain the elements of sexism, racism, and overall hate. Gaming is supposedly available for everyone to enjoy. Thus the example of girl gamers should be a norm and not stir up conflicts as well as political issues.

Conclusion

To sum it all up, the toxicity prevalent in gaming communities, particularly towards women, LGBTQ+ individuals, and marginalized gamers, is a multifaceted problem that must be addressed collaboratively. Gaming communities can transform into spaces that celebrate diversity and provide a welcoming and enjoyable experience for all enthusiasts by cultivating a culture of inclusivity, respect, and accountability. Representation is critical in the fight against toxicity. In their creations, game developers should prioritise diverse and authentic representation of women, and other minority groups. Inclusive storytelling that celebrates diversity while avoiding harmful stereotypes not only empowers underrepresented groups but also fosters empathy and understanding among participants.

References

Amby, A., Caluscusan, D., Dublas, J.H., Medina, M. and Tuballa, G., 2020. Analysis of stereotypes: How non-gamers view gamers. Academia. viewed 26 November 2023, <https://d1wqtxts1xzle7.cloudfront.net/62301617/Analyss-of-Stereotypes-how-non-gamers-view-gamers20200307-128480-ha50k8-libre.pdf?1583646102=&response-content-disposition=inline%3B+filename%3DANALYSIS_OF_STEREOTYPES_HOW_NON_GAMERS_V.pdf&Expires=1701093819&Signature=B9eDz0AlblG9HzTMVzUOzCd9~Hqr~2c8anxPrrTY-s2A4J0kwWr57qBfYF38f~98ySQ49TdDPuLl8KAmey-VLUJw5ShSBwA-~I5xBz76w7yCiljVr2VW9x9UvxHGIQnz3qNJCaEGkiDJH1f3qhNIcTowqbjxawIqDVNjS5seLGSFnR-wrVN9OMEtvQUgmEXnlQM~-PeDbjxFpIQIkJ-W3fixh9b3c6lMQh42J8sdy3EPE-J0qS2pmDZvpZD143UCBnCelYCcoWtwlkAjYTMoLl~mFW4NSCOmpfkVVuYfRM72dUhELxk0N9Z9QJp4uBMsYQCOP3p~N45qShgT9RRp-g__&Key-Pair-Id=APKAJLOHF5GGSLRBV4ZA>

Eng, D 2020, Representation in games, Medium, viewed 26 November, <https://medium.com/@davengdesign/representation-in-games-eccc9e59e36b>

Sinclair, b 2021, Survey says 59% of women hide gender to avoid harassment while gaming online, GamesIndustryBiz, viewed 26 November 2023, <https://www.gamesindustry.biz/survey-says-59-percent-of-women-hide-gender-to-avoid-harassment-while-gaming-online>

[digimediasourcesandsignificance]

Blog 5: Strategies of Realism: Immersion in Open Worlds

When it comes to the realist gaming, the interplay between detailed world building and the medium is often one of the themes that hold it together, it’s there in “Red Dead Redemption 2” for example. But it is the cutting edge of graphics, character animations and even AI driven behaviors that give Rockstar Games' open world the life it needs. Every little detail is a cue to making the game feel alive from swaying trees from a passing breeze to NPCs joining each other for unscripted interactions. It allows players to hunt, fish, explore the world, or watch nature just go its own way, with animals migrating, towns bustling to new acts, each making the world feel increasingly real.

The creation of a believable, immersive environment has close affinity to Ferdinand de Saussure’s idea of semiotics, especially the signifier and the signified, something similar to this (Sørensen & Thellefsen, 2022). In the game, 'signifiers' such as swaying trees, and what NPcs do, help to paint a picture of a believable world and, the 'signified', is the mental concept or experience of realism. Together, these together form a system of signs who’s meaning the game produces and reinforces with realism.

It is unscripted event where birds rotate in circular motion.So there is dead corpse nearby.

Realism, however, isn’t without its bounds — specifically, in games like Red Dead Redemption 2. By scripted events, got some extreme interruption or, with some of the occasional technical glitch, a reminder that the world they're playing in is, after all, an artificial construct. For the instance, NPCs can be dynamically reactive to the player actions, but if they need to complete certain mission objectives, or part of a narrative driven story – then the player is forced into a pre-determined way by which breaks their illusion for an whole freedom. This reflects Jean Baudrillard’s idea of hyperreality, in which the boundaries between reality and simulacrum merge into an environment that “is more real than real.” The Players become hyperreal as they lose themselves to a world of meticulous design in “Red Dead Redemption 2” that is completely fictional but feels very real. The interplay of this reality with its highly crafted simulation in the digital sphere encourages both greater sense of immersion and a subversive interrogation of realism as such, an urge of creating its way by the myriad of variants under this reality’s dominant simulation.

Conclusion

The exploration of realism in Red Dead Redemption 2 is all the more relevant here, since it demonstrates the degree to which a reliable design and narrative systems can be combined to explore new depths against the limits of digital media. From this I’ve learned how attention to detail and world-building can facilitate emotional and intellectual engagement, and in turn facilitate a better experience of media artifacts. And I feel these learnings can be transferred over to my own creative practice in terms of a way to create space/environment or narrative that provide audience with immersion. When the designing interactive experiences or analyzing media artifacts, each component must be balanced between realism and creative freedom, which will guide how I design stories, interactivity, or other forms of media work.

References

Baudrillard, J. (1981). Simulacra and Simulation. University of Michigan Press.

Sørensen, B., & Thellefsen, T. (2022). Ferdinand de Saussure in Contemporary Semiotics. Language and Semiotic Studies, 8(1), 1–5. https://doi.org/10.1515/lass-2022-080101

[ashcremated]

✨🌙✨

[gimmick-blog-bracket]

Round 5: The Quarterquarterfinals

(Poll 2 of 8)

@creatures-in-posts

“Finds creatures in posts, makes things in posts into creatures, or adds their own drawings of creatures, based on tbh and btw (aka the autism creature and the adhd creature).”

“Smashorpassgilf here. I got killed by creatures-in-posts. Honestly? honored. My sword is on their side. I'm fighting for the creatures now. ”

@kittybroker

(no propaganda submitted)

[r0semultiverse]

That was the "silly before the storm."

Oh we're so absolutely cooked when the actual storm shows up.

[anonpolls]

Thanks, Anon!

-submit your poll!-

[larasraj]

hey let's have this conversation again since the like/reblog ratio is getting SOOOO much worse. if you like content, reblog it. the people who follow you cannot see when you've liked a post, unless your likes are visible and they are routinely going through them, which i assure you they are not. by reblogging content, you are making it visible to other accounts. fanart, gifs, edits, etc. may be fun to make but they are very time consuming and it is much appreciated that if you enjoy them, you take the brief moment to reblog them to show that appreciation - and it helps. as fun as they may be, it is often kind of discouraging for posts to not do well because for every one person that reblogged it, five left a like and kept it pushing

[darkfromday]

Just a reminder for any bloggers that are unaware—

The following blogs are spam blogs, all pretending to be Palestinians needing help in Gaza. They are mass flooding tumblr inboxes with identical text + emojis in order to ask for $90k USD.

Even when you block these blogs, they will use a side blog to send you seemingly infinite anonymous asks, and THEN change the sending blog when you block that anon.

At least 2 of these blogs have been confirmed by @gazavetters to be spamming blogs.

Here is the list:

mosabsdr

abedmajeed, which is now both aboodfmly and derawi1994, and which is also known in tags and/or blogs as:

Abdelmajed (tag)

abedmajder (tag)

familygaza5 (blog)

derawigaza (blog)

derawifami (blog)

(All of the above under aboodfmly link to the exact same chuffed fundraiser.)

nasergz

sajagz

abd20001

nasr-daher

Note: mosabsdr has a note in gazavetters' official vetting Google Doc to warn others of the spam behavior, since they are violating rule 2 (do not spam supporters or non-supporters).

Most or all of these blogs have replies turned off, so it's virtually impossible to message them directly and ask them to stop sending asks.

Please block, delete asks, and do not engage with these blogs.

To block anonymous asks: you have to wait until you get one, unfortunately, but you can then hit the 3 dots on the top right and then block the specific anon that sent you that ask. It's not perfect, but it's better than nothing.

Stay safe out there, and please donate to help Palestinians at this World Food Programme link.

[bimmyjimmy]

Can you please post more JimmyBimmy baby pictures?

Baby bimmy selfies!

[teto414]

hello chat i started persona 5 in august... was promptly hit by an akechi curse which lined up with when i started drawing again funny enough.

many more akechi drawings to come, consider this a warning

[malk-with-tea]

outer wilds, huh

[antihero8baller]

se5 animatic cause ive been going a little 🤏 crazy

[cherry-mash]

sanji in every universe shall have the pottiest of potty mouths, now with the added bonus of 4x combo-ing

first / prev / next

[lc710v]

the visitor

[gimmick-blog-bracket]

@making-you-in-spore

Incredible works of art from a limited medium, the blog favors quality over quantity and I am always in awe when a dancing creacher in Spore [2008] crosses my dash.

His spores often take him multiple hours to create, and he will go through astounding amounts of effort to commit to the bit. He made his cull poll in spore and then blew it up. Hes also super responsive and active and seems really eager to share his creation techniques and spread the joy of making things in spore [2008]. His blog almost singlehandedly sparked a significant resurgence in interest and playerbase of a 16 year old game that most people see as nothing but a meme. Hes just a guy who likes spore [2008]

i say vote for making you in spore because seeing them blow up their opponents after they win is hilarious

@amtrak-official

Top tier content that will also radicalize you for public transport reform, this is what tumblr was made for

[slumgirlqueen]

Blog 5

After the busyness of the world and what happened in Nihon, I did not write anything for a little bit so that the world would continue to spin. This morning I just want to update you on the progress of the novel. I still have not written anything yet and will wait for a complete two weeks be to done before I start writing again.

However, I have written down notes for fourteen chapters. Not complete notes of course just some plotlines of where the story will go. A little disappointed that I did not jot down any notes yesterday. But that is just an absence of inspiration and delay. But that is how progress is done.

Anyway, given what is happening in the world, I will write to you when it is appropriate. If you do not see me writing anything, it is 'cause I want you to have fun in Israel and Nihon. Catch you later, alligator.