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Facebook pauses recommendations of political and social issues groups
The company quietly stopped doing so ahead of the presidential election.
Heroes of the Storm game director apologizes for insensitive remarks regarding sexualized character designs
It's not often that you can feel uncomfortable pauses via text, but a recent interview about Heroes of the Storm managed exactly that. When asked about the character design of the upcoming game's female characters, game director Dustin Browder responded with: "We're not running for President. We're not sending a message. No one should look to our game for that." This went over about as well as you would expect, especially in the wake of World of Warcraft's next expansion's story getting billed as a "boy's trip" (and being portrayed as such in promotional materials). Browder has issued an apology for his statement, claiming that the topic is a serious one and that Blizzard is sensitive about how it portrays its characters. No part of the apology actually addresses the issue in any more detail, although Browder does insist that the team wants everyone to have a character to identify with and enjoy. Whether or not this will result in more discussion of this serious topic or any changes to character designs remains to be seen.
The Soapbox: Yes, Virginia, sexism still exists
About two years ago (two decades in internet years), I wrote a piece about sexism as it pertains to MMOs. I didn't write anything about it for a long while afterward because I would just be reiterating points that were stated in the first article, something I'm not fond of doing. But when I wrote another article praising a game for mostly getting equality right, well... I'm not fond of rehashing old points. But I'm also not fond of the idea that people have evolved from saying "it's not sexist" to "oh, there's no sexism here in the first place." As I said two years ago, there's a lot that MMOs get right that gaming in general still gets wrong. But there's also a lot that MMOs get wrong still. So I want to look at the issue, look at some of the common attempts to pretend it's not really an issue, and possibly provide some links of relevant interest. There are a lot of those.
The Soapbox: Why inclusion matters in games
Disclaimer: The Soapbox column is entirely the opinion of this week's writer and does not necessarily reflect the views of Massively as a whole. If you're afraid of opinions other than your own, you might want to skip this column. You know what's awesome? Feeling cool. And at the best of times, we get that feeling in our day-to-day life anyway. But that's one of the great things about video games, MMOs especially -- they give us a chance to feel cool. They give us a chance to look at ourselves standing over a pile of fallen enemies, wielding a weapon of unimaginable power, and getting that rush in the back of our head from being totally awesome. Especially if you're a straight white male. I wrote a column up a while back about the issue of gender as it affects MMOs, and it garnered a lot of positive comments from readers. It also garnered a lot of comments that proved some players didn't get why it mattered in the first place, and a lot of comments pointing out that women weren't the only group in need of some better representation. The funny part is that I think the former ties directly in to the latter -- and the former is also missing the point. Because it does matter, and even if you are a straight white male, it should matter to you.
Superthreats: Quarantine, Ravenous, and Power Struggle
Quarantine Superthreat"In 2019, Respiratory Distress Syndrome, or ReDS, is here, and it's not going anywhere." Outbreaks of ReDS have become commonplace, initially in tropical and sub-tropical regions, then spreading to other cities such as Stockholm where over 15,000 citizens are living with ReDS and its chronic, severe symptoms. Relief organizations struggle to handle the situation as it is presently, yet ReDS is spreading to other regions of the world while remaining incurable. Superstruct Challenge: What can we do in our own communities to provide ReDS relief and support?
Superthreats: Outlaw Planet and Generation Exile
Outlaw Planet Superthreat"In 2019, the mobile internet and sensor networks we rely on to hold our societies together are being hacked, griefed, and gamed."The effects of technology turned against us impacts the democratic process, social networks, and every institution connected to the internet. Sophisticated criminal groups employ 'transparency bombs' in online banking attacks (and "World of Starcraft" players no less). The target financial institutions are major players in the virtual currency market, but the issues resulting from this undermined security affect private citizens as well as the banks.Superstruct Challenge: How can we come together to secure our assets, both real and virtual?
