Online Game Event Sparks Player Riot

Grimwell Online is carrying a story entitled When does an Online Game go too far?. It details a post to a news group about a world event in the newly released A Tale in the Desert 2. The online game, which simulates an ancient Egyptian culture, was full of angry players after a developer-run event used openly discriminatory language against the female gender. Details on the event can be found at the ATITD2 Wiki, and commentary can be found on TerraNova.

Were they really women?

[The I Shing]

The irony is that all the women playing the game were actually guys pretending to be women.

Seriously, though, this guy could end up with a lawsuit on his hands. I think he would be wise to issue a public apology pretty soon.

Stupid bitches

[strictfoo]

What do you call a basement full of women?

A whine cellar.

Re:Ancient Egypt?

[savagedome]

I think it was more of "Hey Mommy, who is your Daddy?" when he actually wanted to say Mummy which somehow doesn't quite sound right anyway.

Re:Stupid bitches

[strictfoo]

for just a second this post was Score 3: Insightful

Best mod ever!

Slashdot bias against this article....?

[Rahga]

While a good deal of posters will take the objective viewpoint, I don't think you'll find a ton of sympathy for the female players here in slashdot.... Let's face it, most of these folk happen to be guys that are discriminated against by females every day.

Define irony.

[Anonymous Coward]

Some chicks...

Define irony.

Re:Stupid bitches

[Cynikal]

And on October 22nd, Slashdot forums used openly discriminatory language against the female gender. Obviously no Women were around to notice or care.

Re:Morons!

[cmdr_beeftaco]

Holy crap. What sided-die do you use to see if you escape the gas chamber?

Re:Define irony.

[Anonymous Coward]

Ironically nothing in that song is actually ironic.

Re:Define irony.

[Anonymous Coward]

well, the word "bummer" doesn't rhyme or have the proper number of syllables to go with the rest of the song...

Re:Define irony.

[Anonymous Coward]

Yeah, I said it. I'll say it again. "Chick."

As in:
"Who was at the party last night?"
"Oh, just some chicks & dudes you don't know."

Because, like all men, when I say chick, I really mean "subservient ovary." :P

Again, more of that victim shit. You react as if I've slapped my own mother (or yours, perhaps) across the face by using the word "chick". Ludicrous. The 90's called, they want their Politically Correct hypersensitivity back.

It's a "Frankenstein" effect

[jav1231]

Women are to these geeks as alien as Frankenstein or a visitor from another planet. Not understanding these creatures, and having such limit access and exposure to them, (I like exposure better) they lash out. It's a sad day when a young developer, starved for female attention, turns to loathing and ridicule. It's a cry for help, I tell you!

Re:Stupid bitches

[Aliencow]

How do you call 2 lesbians in a closet ?

A liquor cabinet !

Re:Yes

[Rosco P. Coltrane]

Please look up the definition of the word "irony" in the dictionary.

It's like goldy and bronzy, only it's made or iron [bbc.co.uk].

female power

[The Queen]

Exactly! Quit yer whining and do something about it, like refuse to produce food for the males in the game - or withhold sex IRL. Works for me. ;-P

Re:Whaaaaa!

[Elwood P Dowd]

Maybe he didn't.

But if you do understand what "post-modern" means, then you'll be the first such person that I've ever met.

Re:Whaaaaa!

[boinger]

Perhaps you should do some research as to what the word "in" means.

Anything that happens *in*...IN an online game.

Not "Evercrack is popular...". Not "Half Life 2 might actually exist".

Show me "DrAgOnSbAnE has joined the R0XX0R clan after six days of intense IM-based negotiation!". Or perhaps "xxx_Dave92383482_xxx finally reached Level 2 after defeating a rat in a grand battle of the ages!"

Show me something like that and I'll retract my assertion.

Re:realism indeed

[Anonymous Coward]

Go spend some time in Saudi Arabia as a woman, in China as a Christian, in America as an arab, in Thailand as sex slave, in an Iraqi prison as an Iraqi...

Or as an American in Europe.

Re:Whaaaaa!

[lawpoop]

Yeah, no one does, you neo-colonialist!

I totally agree

[AvantLegion]

As a progressive male, I agree that this has to STOP!

I understand your plight, sisters. I can't play Counterstrike without getting called a "fag". They also call me a "pussy". To be equated with female genitalia! How demeaning!

Oh, but it gets worse. It goes way beyond male/female, and into slavery. Your game's character asked who your master is. My game's players insist that they ARE my master, or that they "0wn" me. As someone who knows someone who is of a descendency that was slaved at some point in history, it offends me to my very core.

But it's not all from players. It's company sponsored too. One company advertised a game whose lead guy insisted I would be made "his bitch".

Sister, stand strong. We won't tolerate this kind of treatment!

Everquest did this long ago.....

[PrimalChrome]

...and got away without even a slap on the wrist.

Why....I remember it like it was yesterday. There we all were...the greatest race in all of Norrath. Trollkin for as far as the eye could see (or at least as far as the swamp gas would allow). We were happy. We danced...we frolicked...we were peaceful and loved our neighbors and the wilderness of the swamp. All those stories of barshin' an squishin' were racist attacks by those anti-trollkin light-skinned races. The man was trying to hold us down but we remained free and happy....

Then the frogs came. In a blatantly racist attack, Sony sent legions of racist frogs in to take our land, rape our livestock, and kill our children. We found ourselves a broken people, forced to wander for years and years.

Even now we find ourselves singled out in towns. Children point at our warty skin and bulbous noses. They complain about the smell of our uncured hide armor.

How can we, as free thinking Americans, Europeans, Asians and the like allow this kind of blatant racism to exist in fantasy worlds!!!! Have you seen how they treat Dark Elves in EverQuest II?!?!?! It is shameful!!!!

Re:Define irony.

[Anonymous Coward]

I find your use of the phrase "tip toe" to be offensive to physically disabled people. You should use the phrase "move quietly" or "tip-toe/tip-roll" if you want to be more inclusive.