Why Are We So Opinionated?

This isn’t strictly related to the gaming community… but in light of this weekend’s event involving Marcus Beer and Phil Fish it feels like it’s worth discussing.

I’m not exactly a saint to be put up on a pedestal and celebrated. As a youth I did my fair share of bullying and while I like to think I’ve grown up, I know that I’m still prone to feeling entitled now and then. This of course means that I must share my opinion about how someone else is (gasp) wrong. It wouldn’t surprise me to learn that I’ve burned a bridge or two in the process, though it would disappoint me. For all the frustration I may exhibit about game mechanics not working the way I want them to, or film studios not operating the way I want them to… the fact is, I express my opinion because I’m passionate and I care. But I do try to do it in a way that is logical, and constructive, and doesn’t resort to name calling.

Unfortunately it only takes about 15 minutes of reading comments on the internet to learn that not everyone wants to have civil discussion. You should take the time to read Ben’s article over at the Penny Arcade Report today, called “Swimming in a sea of shit: Phil Fish and the Internet’s war against creatives”. Watching people talk about Phil Fish and how much they hate him is disappointing. Watching people talk about how much they hate Anna Sarkeesian is just as bad:

And if you’ve got the special edition of Indie Game The Movie, you’ll see how Tommy and Edmund had to harden up as soon as they got famous. People love to tear down celebrities. The amount of times I’ve heard someone slam Britney Spears, Lady Gaga, or Justin Beiber is unfathomable. It’s a sad part of the human psyche that wants to tear down other people. It’d be really great if people could step back before they comment on the internet, and take a moment to filter themselves. We really don’t get anywhere with venomous tirades.

http://xkcd.com/1216/