Harassment In Entertainment

As I can’t get out, one of the ways that I keep in touch with people is through video games and watching people streaming these games. Interacting with other gamers is great, as we have something in common and there is already a medium to talk about without having any of the ice to break with “oh what do you like”.

It is a great way of meeting new people and in some cases, making new friends. If you stick around long enough, people start trusting you and give you some responsibilities to help out on their channel. Their channel being the place they stream their videos game from whether it is Twitch, Mixer, YouTube or any other way of broadcasting live to anyone watching.

I have met several new people through this, and some I will constantly go back to and support them as I enjoy their content. There are both male and female gamers who stream, but in my eyes, gender doesn’t come into it. There is no difference as to whether a streamer is a 17-year-old boy or a 75-year-old woman. Interacting with them should never be any different. Both are treated with respect and politeness.

I know there are some people who don’t treat people in that way, and I have seen more and more, people who are disrespectful to the streamer. They swear at the streamer, make comments on their age, gaming ability, and speech.

And then there is the sexual harassment of female streamers. I saw it myself where a viewer said what he wanted to do to a female streamer. I have heard that some things have been said and seen the messages, but to witness it in the stream was horrifying.

Nobody, no matter what industry they are in, deserves to be treated like an object, cattle or verbal punching bag. It is unacceptable and should be dealt with in more ways than just to have their account suspended. These people should be dealt with by the police. If these things were said face to face, then the police would be involved immediately. I think streaming company should release the IP address to the local police and have them deal with it. After all, these things are exactly the same as face to face.

On the other side of the coin, I have heard – and I don’t know the truth in it, but the streamer was suspended – that some streamers are offensive as well. The fact that the main company was willing to immediately suspend the broadcasts means they may have had some sort of evidence.

Just because someone is in entertainment, does not give people the right be offensive to them, and it doesn’t give them the right to be offensive to viewers.

It is sickening when people are treated like dirt, like cattle, like sex objects, like pieces of meat. It needs to stop NOW.

Why Always The Hate?

I was watching some YouTube videos the other day, and it is shocking the amount of hate that comes in the way of comments. Rather than accept that people have an opinion and that’s what makes humanity diverse and a good race able to adapt and get along.

One was a trailer for a game. Some people didn’t like the game, others did. Rather than “I don’t like this game, so I’m going to leave it“, the response is “This game is the worst thing ever and anyone who likes it is just a stupid little child“, and the response from people who like the game is “how dare you say anything bad about this game! You should go off and drop dead“.

There are comments of “The introduction movie isn’t how the game is, people should sue the company for false advertising“.

All games have a cinematic trailer for the game that is not actual in-game footage. Some people will say that a space simulator is wrong because of the sound of guns in space, but will play Call of Duty or something like that and get headshots without having to take in the Coriolis effect. (This is the curve of the earth and takes into account the drop of the bullet on its way to the target due to the angle and the wind factor and magnetism of the planet).

Some people will complain that a Call of Duty game is not realistic as you can get shot in the arm and just hide to feel better, while playing a driving game, ram something at over 200mph and just back up and drive off.

Everyone likes different things. The same with films. Just because someone doesn’t like the Transformers films doesn’t mean no one else is allowed to like them.

I don’t like the Transformers films – I’ll buy them for my son though. I’m not good at fighting games like Mortal Kombat and Street Fighter. It doesn’t make them the worst games ever.

Just because I can’t do headshots on Call of Duty, Battlefield, Overwatch or games like that, it doesn’t mean the controls are all wrong and the company should do something about it, It just means I’m not that good at them.

People need to see that their opinion is not the only one that matters in this world. There are other people who feel and think differently.

Whatever happened to “Whatever floats your boat” or “Hate that game, let me know when you’ve finished“.

There is too much hate and confrontation in the world now. Everyone needs a chill pill and a time out in the naughty corner. It’s time for acceptance, not dissension. It’s time for smiles, not snarls. It’s time for community, not hate.

We have enough of that with the leaders of countries without the rest of the people sinking to their levels.

Free speech, not hate speech.

H.O.P.E. Is A Four Letter Word

Michelle Marie at Tell Me About It told me that she missed my inspirational posts. It reminded me of a video I created four months ago that I was going to post on here, but time got away from me if I remember correctly. Here it is now though. I plan to do another one soon.

The Power Of Words

After reading the post that I linked to Seattle Trekker, A Frank Angle posted a comment with one of the most moving inspiration videos I have seen. It is purely wonderful and shows the difference that words can make. Again, they may be actors but it does not take away the message.