In Guild Wars 2, a developer was fired because she felt treated in a sexist manner and lashed out at a man. This reflects deep conflicts in the USA and within the player base, believes our author Schuhmann. The forum reddit and the public have become the new courtroom.
Major crisis over the holidays: During the holidays in the USA around July 4th, there was a moderate state crisis in Guild Wars 2. A developer Jessica Price wanted to talk about her job on Twitter as a writer for Guild Wars 2: She explained a specific problem. Then a streamer came and unsolicitedly suggested how it might be done better. So far, so good.
I don’t have to like you here, you men
Developer escalates: However, the developer felt attacked by this. From her perspective, a “man and amateur” came along to explain to her, a “woman and professional”, how the job is done. From her point of view, this was simply unacceptable. It resonates with the sentiment: The behavior shows that women are regarded as “inferior” by men, have no clue, and need help.
For the developer, the suggestion from the streamer was akin to an amateur telling a trained PC repair professional: “Have you tried turning it off and on again?”
When anger over her remarks arose, the developer made it clear: “This is my Twitter feed. Don’t expect me to pretend that I like you.” Her tweets carried a distinctly anti-male undertone. She came off as quite biting.
The streamer noticeably flinched: He didn’t mean it that way. In a normal situation, one could have left it at that, and all parties would have handled it casually, but not in this case.
Reddit pats itself on the back
Massive uproar: On both reddit and in the Guild Wars 2 forum, there were enormous threads where the topic was widely discussed. From the perspective of most users, a woman played the “sexism” card to evade legitimate criticism.
Even though the developer is now keeping quiet and said: “It’s July 4th, go to a barbecue,” the shitstorm raged on until the developer was fired – a colleague who defended her also went out with her.
Reddit: “Justice has been served”, but there are also qualms
Players satisfied: On reddit, the community seems to be somewhat satisfied with its performance. Although the thread creator admits that the firing may have been “going too far” for some, others felt justice had been served here. The thread creator further states: He must now live with the consequences of his actions, but he is ready for it because he fought for what is right.
Gamers do not want to read such “SJW” topics
What’s behind this? In the case of the Guild Wars 2 developers, a conflict that has been simmering in the USA for a long time becomes apparent. It is the rejection by part of the player base of everything roughly falling under the term “SJW”, Social Justice Warrior. In German, one might call it a “do-gooder.”
What is an SJW? While the conflict over “do-gooders” has been fading somewhat in our country for a few years, in the USA under Trump, it is a bigger topic than ever. The “SJW” is an enemy image in the USA: It represents anyone who advocates the rights of minorities and stands for political correctness.
What’s the problem? From the perspective of some players, these are killjoys and whiners trying to ruin the fun of all “real” players with their stuff. They are therefore mocked and fought wherever possible.
That’s why the conflict has become so large: Just because the topic is such a buzzword for many and it polarizes so strongly could a “small conflict” on Twitter become such a huge deal.
Reddit as courtroom
Social media as a pressure tool: The buzz topic “Political Correctness” is responsible for
- the tiny quarrel on Twitter now becoming so big on reddit and in the forum
- and that ArenaNet reacted by firing the biting developer
Companies are seeking contact with the community: The developments in gaming over the past years have shown that the community and its mood are becoming increasingly important for game development. Companies are actively seeking contact with communities, addressing suggestions and issues. Epic with Fortnite serves as a prime example.
Victory against the Empire: But the exchange goes both ways. In Star Wars Battlefront 2, the forums and media at the end of 2017 were used to vent against EA. When Electronic Arts overstepped with the monetization of the Star Wars shooter, a noticeable resistance formed that became so loud it forced EA to rethink. Especially when Disney took notice, EA had no choice but to backpedal.
We are negotiating with extortionists
Okay, you get what you want: The case with Guild Wars 2 also shows that it is possible to achieve what one wants through a targeted shitstorm. Developers are put under pressure, giving them the choice:
- Either do what the loud public wants
- or live with the consequences of their action
Sensitive studios: In this case, it is added that publishers shy away from any kind of political conflict. They avoid taking sides because they cannot or do not want to afford to alienate half of their customer base. This was last seen with Ubisoft and The Division 2. While the developers play with political themes and motives, they would never clearly align with an actual political question that can be seen in one way or another. Because that could cost them customers and thus revenue.
The new power of players
Empowered players also have good sides: This new power of players may have been a significant victory for gaming in the case of Star Wars Battlefront 2.
But there are problems: In the case of Guild Wars 2, however, it has a different tone. It will make developers more cautious about what they say to the people they should see more as customers than as players in the future. If we want empowered games that we regard as art forms, we should also give the creators of these games permission to express themselves personally, push boundaries, and make mistakes without the fear of being publicly crucified.
Good author when she writes for GW2: In the case of the developer here, a member of the GW2 community expresses explicit support for her professional competence. She writes wonderfully when she writes for Guild Wars 2 and not on Twitter. The loss of the author due to a misstep during the holiday could therefore turn out to be a loss for the MMORPG and its players. Because there aren’t many great authors who always keep their temper in check and treat customers like kings – even in their free time and on personal accounts.
Are developers service providers or artists?
The question is: Should game developers be artists or mere service providers who act on the motto “The customer is king”?
Surely the behavior of the developer was not okay – but she only lost her job because the topic is so heated and parts of the player base now know exactly how to get what they want through reddit.
