{"id":123,"date":"2017-12-06T15:00:00","date_gmt":"2017-12-06T20:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/briebeau.com\/thoughty\/2017\/12\/06\/harassment-in-indie-games-part-3-where-and-why\/"},"modified":"2021-11-16T00:39:35","modified_gmt":"2021-11-16T05:39:35","slug":"harassment-in-indie-games-part-3-where-and-why","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/briebeau.com\/thoughty\/2017\/12\/harassment-in-indie-games-part-3-where-and-why\/","title":{"rendered":"Harassment in Indie Games: Part 3 – Where and Why"},"content":{"rendered":"

Content warning: sexual assault, sexual harassment, sexual violence, threats, online harassment, threats of violence, harassment and assault of minors, statutory rape, rape, mental illness, anxiety, social ostracizing, perspective of offender<\/span><\/p>\n

Harassment in Indie Games: Part 3 – Where and Why<\/span><\/b><\/h1>\n
This is the third post (posts one<\/a> & two<\/a>) in a series about sexual harassment and assault in indie RPGs, larps, and spaces. I put out a survey<\/a> to ask people about their experiences. This post is going to cover Where (where the events are happening, where are people making efforts) and Why (why do people do these things, why is this happening right now, why is it happening in these spaces). <\/span><\/b><\/div>\n
As I said before, this has not been an easy task for me or, especially, for the people who shared their stories. I am incredibly grateful to the people who responded. Whether they chose to be anonymous or to share their personal information, I think it takes a lot of fortitude to talk about our experiences.<\/span><\/div>\n
 <\/span><\/div>\n
Find the post after the cut.<\/span><\/div>\n
 <\/div>\n

<\/a><\/p>\n

WHERE<\/span><\/h2>\n

Where are these events happening?<\/span><\/h3>\n
The primary locations for these events are: conventions, game tables\/larp spaces, and online or face-to-face communities (so either local gatherings\/social groups offline or online social groups\/gamer collective spaces). <\/span><\/b><\/div>\n
 <\/div>\n
— Content note for discussion of online harassment in detail —<\/span><\/b><\/div>\n
 <\/div>\n
In the responses and in my own general awareness, online harassment is a huge issue. One example:<\/span><\/b><\/div>\n
 <\/div>\n
– I responded to someone discussing abuse from [an individual] with “Oh yeah, are people not all aware of that guy yet?” and had porn and hate speech sent to me by 200 or so disposable twitter accounts. <\/span><\/b><\/div>\n
 <\/div>\n
Harassment online – including rape and death threats – is extensive. I\u2019ve experienced it personally, though not nearly to the extent of some respondents or those who are well-known who have experienced it. Online harassment is no blip. It can be targeted to force people out of work, or even just to get them out of the hobby. It is known and acknowledged that many people in indie games have <\/span>left indie games entirely<\/span> because of the harassment and extensive verbal assault, as well as doxxing and spamming. <\/span><\/b><\/div>\n
 <\/div>\n
— End content note for discussion of online harassment in detail —<\/span><\/b><\/div>\n
 <\/div>\n
My last note here is that online harassment has left some respondents in therapy, with panic attacks and PTSD, from the extent of this trauma. It is painful and terrifying to not know whether you will be safe from online harassers because they could and often do take the time to find your personal information and use it to harm you. We can\u2019t forget that online harassment is significant, and that it is <\/span>extensive<\/span>. Respondents even reported the trauma from this being worse than their face-to-face experiences with harassment and assault.<\/span><\/b><\/div>\n
 <\/div>\n
I want to place a huge emphasis on the fact that a large number of the responses for all genders involved at-table (or in-larp) behavior that was disrespectful, violating, and\/or simply inappropriate. People getting overtly hit on, people having their characters raped or assaulted, physically forcing people to touch each other or share space, etc. A lot of people talked about how no one seemed to try to stop things, or how they felt helpless. This isn\u2019t how game experiences should be.<\/span><\/b><\/div>\n
 <\/div>\n
Some things, such as domestic violence, <\/span>primarily<\/span> happen in private, but the associated behaviors to domestic violence often spill over into public social interactions. This is the same with people who harass others in private – their behaviors aren\u2019t exclusive to behind-closed-doors. Additionally, some people harm others in public – and as noted in previous posts, with no regard for others, and at times with no one stopping or condemning them.<\/span><\/b><\/div>\n
 <\/div>\n
Some of the locations mentioned were:<\/span><\/b><\/div>\n
 <\/div>\n