Slashdot Mirror

I often wonder about that. In the real world, we have a set of laws to protect us, but what protects people from abuse online? There's no internet constitution - certainly we have some laws, but those laws always stop before the point of telling moderators how they can treat users.

Certainly, it's possible to say "well, it's not your server, if you don't like it go somewhere else - it's only the internet", but surely any place where you can meet people and form relationships is a real place, not some figment of the imagination that you can dispel on a whim. I'd feel uncomfortable being forced to leave an internet community just as I would a real-world one.

On the other hand, though, losing my real-world identity would be much more devastating to me than losing my internet equivalent, but why is that so? Just because it's more closely tied to my physical form, or because I'm more used to it? I wonder if my answer would be the same if most of my friends were in WoW.

It's something to think about, anyway. I stumbled across a couple of excellent pieces of writing about this a while back as part of a Guardian article called "Ten unmissable examples of New Games Journalism". The latter, in particular, made me think for a long time.

A Rape in Cyberspace
Posessing Barbie

Regarding racial barriers in games, check out the essay, "Bow Nigger". (Not a troll!)

The article isn't about moments in games that got you emotional, but moments in gaming, like real-life events that are related to games. For example, the "bow, nigger" article that's gained popularity over the past little while. That said, it's pretty difficult to remember moments like those since my favored form of video gaming is primarily solitary, so I'm going to go along with everyone else and list a few moments that really drew me in.

I'll have to agree with the Final Fantasy 6 opera scene, no matter how sappy that was. It's actually the only scene in a Final Fantasy that I can think of that really moved me in any way (I couldn't care less about Aeris, for example).

I also remember playing games like Resident Evil and Half-Life for the first time, before I got somewhat used to their penchant for suddenly throwing monsters in your path, thus scaring the hell out of you. In Half-Life's case, I'm thinking specifically of those ceiling creatures with the long tongues that try to eat you. You'll be walking along, not notice the black "rope" in front of you and snap! there you go towards the abomination's gullet.

Oh wait, I remembered a good one: Dogmeat in Fallout. Those of you who've played through the game know exactly what I'm talking about; those of you who haven't should go ahead and do so.

There might be others, but I can't think of them right now (unless you count screaming at the screen because you're losing, which I don't. Count, that is). I tend to get strong reactions more often from movies and books. Whether this is because of the relative maturity of the media, because of their relative quantity and variety, or what, I can't say.

Rob

I read "Kneel Nigger," back when Slashdot covered it last year. I thought it was OK, but not very well written. I like the theory of New Gaming Journalism, but I think its writers need to spend a little more time polishing their craft before its ready for prime time.

It's "Bow Nigger", not "Kneel Nigger". Besides, "Bow Nigger" is much more versatile. It could be an example of new games journalism, but it could also be my level 85 Bowadin.

Oh my.

Quick question: Why do you keep on bringing up postmodernism with reference to all the NGJ stuff? Looking at - say - Bow Nigger or Possessing Barbie could you tell me where either is actually postmodernist or attempts to hide its message behind obscurist terminology? Both are written in common language, and are probably less obscurist than the average videogame review due to their lack of any gaming slang and explanations of everything they *do* use.

KG

Oh my.

Quick question: Why do you keep on bringing up postmodernism with reference to all the NGJ stuff? Looking at - say - Bow Nigger or Possessing Barbie could you tell me where either is actually postmodernist or attempts to hide its message behind obscurist terminology? Both are written in common language, and are probably less obscurist than the average videogame review due to their lack of any gaming slang and explanations of everything they *do* use.

KG

You can't spin away the title of the goddamned post.

To Russ Nelson's credit he realized that the post wasn't a good idea, pulled it, and then posted a public apology. The man has already admitted that he was wrong. What more do you want?

A Rape in Cyberspace

Possessing Barbie

Dreaming in an empty room: a defense of Metal Gear Solid 2

Shoot Club: Saving Private Donny

ZangbandTK: Confessions of a Dungeon Hack

The Great Scam

Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time

Going Planetside

Red Eye #114

A Rape in Cyberspace

Possessing Barbie

Dreaming in an empty room: a defense of Metal Gear Solid 2

Shoot Club: Saving Private Donny

ZangbandTK: Confessions of a Dungeon Hack

The Great Scam

Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time

Going Planetside

Red Eye #114

You know, posts like yours (meaning, perfectly relevant and interesting but containing text that could be misconstrued if read out of proper context) demand that peopla RTFA. But that seldom happens, so here's a link to the relevant material, just in case your post is taken out of context by an itchy moderator.

I read that article for the first time today, and I'm glad that I did. I'm not too big on online gaming (frankly, I see its appeal for others, but it doesn't appeal to me), but that article helped deepen my insights into the phenomenon quite a bit.

Yeah, I goofed on that number, and though I've only read two accounts of Cortez using his "god-hood" to any effect (there's another one saying Moctezuma II saw through it but wasn't in a position to toss him out yet) it seems likely enough since it verifiably *did* happen to other European explorers.

As for the "white people" comment... that's the kind of "bow nigger"-ing that should invoke Godwin's Law. Save it.