Subscribe to Breaking NewsRuby-Sachs: XBox Lets Harassment of Gay Players Go Unchecked
When I worked as an intern at a news magazine in New York I wrote a story about a video game called “America’s Army.” It was an online war simulator sponsored by the U.S. military to assist with recruitment efforts. The graphics were the best in the business and the online community was robust and carefully managed. Still, the things I heard on that site during our office’s testing period were incredibly offensive.
If I had been forced to play on a team with another racist crazy kid screaming about “ragheads” I would have quit journalism altogether.
So I guess I’m not surprised that a gamer who identified as a lesbian on an XBox live online gaming community was harassed and eventually kicked off the site. I expect nothing better from gamers.
What does surprise me is that Microsoft is doing nothing about this kind of activity. They are permitting their subsidiary to ban out gay players because of the “offense” it causes others. This is the classic argument for banning most gay activity, including gay straight alliances in high schools, gay pride parades etc.
I am also shocked that the HRC, an organization desperately in need of street cred with the LGBT community, refused to assist gay gamers in their quest for access to XBox live forums. Since when does Microsoft get a pass?
Being gay is not offensive. Identifying one’s identity in their profile is not offensive. XBox players and moderators are offensive in their ignorance and discriminatory actions. And the HRC, well I’m tempted to just write them off as gutless.
So who will fill the void the HRC leaves? We are hoping for some real leadership…
I’m so glad I sold my XBox back when I bought my WII….. I will never buy another XBox after this that’s for sure… And I’m glad I use Mac because I wouldn’t want to buy any other Microsoft product after reading this article either…..
What can you expect from people who have more invested in a “virtual life” than a real one?
I’m not surprised. I was harassed by other players on a similar (not Microsoft) gaming community.
I’m also not shocked at HRC’s ignoring of these kinds of things. Their leadership is more focused on gathering money then making change.
If you had ever played a multiplayer game on XBOX live and listened to what is coming from other players via the in-game/party audio chat, you would not be shocked at this outcome.
There is RAMPANT, constant, gay bashing in almost every session you join, not to mention the constant racial epithets.
At best, you can submit a player review against someone who is constantly screaming ‘FAGGOT’ or ‘NIGGER’ into their mic, but that does little to make the service more friendly.
Instead, Microsoft (in their usual ass-backwards way of doing things) comes down on you for being gay and proud of it.
Why? Microsoft can’t possibly come down on all the players that might have an issue with your sexuality, the logistics of that are downright impossible.
It’s far easier for them to mask/hide identifying marks that make you a target in what is absolutely NOT a friendly gaming environment.
Chuck,
Indeed. XBOX Live is a disaster. Hopefully this incident will bring some attention to it.
Here’s a taste of what an out gay gamer experiences in Halo 3 (warning: the language is most definitely NSFW, and listening to it will probably ruin your day):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6alOnuN-wCY
Kids these days are socially constipated. They are far better at virtual social interaction that real interaction. They grew up with video games and chat rooms… which have now “evolved” into online gaming and webcams… God forbid these kids actually have their cell phones and computers taken away, they would cease to function. As it is, their social skills are shockingly weak -more comfortable talking online to someone than in person, where the dynamic is very different. Then they wonder why they have such a hard time fitting into the real world. Hint: Start interacting in the real world and you’ll learn the skills you need.
Does anyone in the Gay Community still buy microcrap? Bill Gates is among one of the most notorious hetero homophobes on the planet! His products are absolute junk and NEVER work right! Vista is an absolute Apple wannebee joke, and that horrendous ZUNE player! Yikes. Make mine an Apple. oh yah, BTW, F**K OFF HRC!! LMAO!
No XBox for me. No HRC either. This should be a major issue for them.
Couple of things. I own an Xbox 360, I actually play online.
I have to say Mr. Sullivan that for me as a gamer your last comment was the equivalent of “Hey you kids! GET OFF MY LAWN!” and clearly demonstrates that you know nothing of the culture. Considering recent studies have shown that gamers tend to have more IRL (In real life) friends than their non gaming contemporaries, the stereotype that we are all a bunch of pasty white socially maladjusted nerds who live in our mother’s basements is completely inaccurate.
The average gamer is between 25-40 years old. As I will demonstrate, the average gamer is not the one who ruins not only Xbox live, but most online play.
My experience on Xbox Live has been that about once a week I’ll hear either something racist or homophobic. Far too often in my opinion, but when compared to some of the bull that I hear in other media; not that bad.
Secound, usually the sources of these epithets are A) Prepubescent children that clearly have no parental/guardian interaction. Momma just lets the TV be the babysitter. B) Testosterone filled apes between the ages of 13-22 who live in a world of hyper masculinity where their limited life experience has yet to teach them that nobody cares if you hold the all-state recourd for most receptions in a single football game or about how many beers you can drink in a single hour without puking.
As stated previously, they do not represent your average gamer. In short, the people who say such things are in the minority (albeit vocal) and are A**holes that everyone outside their circle hates.
However to many outsiders, they are the foul-mouthed face of the gaming community. This is something that we true gamers are having to struggle to overcome, but I encourage those who are not gamers to look past the epithet hurling Neanderthals and to look at the real gamers before making broad declarations about us. It would be just as wrong to judge us based on those who don’t have as many brain cells as they have teeth as it would be to judge the gay community for the Jack McFarlands and the meth addicts that, while they do exist, are in no way typical of the gay community.
The only thing to find offensive here is that Microsoft would ban someone when their tag or profile is not sexually explicit.
The other thing to find offensive is our “leadership’s” response to this. On a website for gay gamers that I frequent the HRC’s response was (paraphrasing) “Microsoft has an okay image in our book.” This just reinforces in my mind that the HRC doesn’t care about most of us out here in the community unless we’re White, Rich, and over 30.
Summation: The bigots on Xbox Live are in the minority even if they are loud (much like the real world); Microsoft should respond better though when players are being harassed; and the HRC has completely fallen down on the job.
I apologize for the rant, but believe it’s needed.
I am official offended by this article. Not by Microsoft’s bad handling of this or by the lesbian being banned for this, I’d actually already heard this through my gay gaming news site. Yes you heard right, we have an entire web site. I am offended by the way Ms/Mrs Ruby-Sachs handled this article, the tone of the article could be better where gaming community at large is concern and it comes off as sounding disparaging on that to it seems to me simply by virtual of the overall disapproving tone of the entire article.
I will therefore give voice to some balance. Yes, there are some people out there in the gaming world who are positively unbearable, but there are positive things in the gay gaming world too. In counter-balance of treatment like Microsoft’s, there games like City of Heroes. Not only do they not discriminate against the GLBT community, but they actively SUPPORT it. Not just by the community Representatives coming to GLBT events, but there has been attendance by the actual developers of the game, specifically Ghost Widow herself dropped by the last City of Heroes/Villains Gay Prom. The event was fabulous, we had Britney Spears and Madonna fight it out, both verbally and physical. (Yes, of COURSE Madonna won.)
It doesn’t stop there though, G4TV’s own Adam Sessler of the game review show X-Play has been very supportive of the gay gaming community, and if you go to their site and go to the section called Sessler’s Soap Box, you will even find a video of him vehemently condemning the kind of racist and homophobic language Dave and Chuck mention.
As if that weren’t enough though, the games themselves are starting to have gay content specifically included. Some high profile examples are the gay kisses that are available in Bully, and more notably Fable 2, wherein the creator – Peter Molyneux – listened to feedback from the gay community and specifically improved the gay content in the game as compared with Fable 1. Beyond that, there’s also a game called Grim Grimoire where, though it is not explicitly stated it is quite clear that the main character is not only a lesbian, but hooks up with another one of the female characters at the end of the game.
If we really want to reach young people and show them examples of the GLBT community being normal, wouldn’t gaming be an ideal way?
P.S. I am particularly offended by Chris Sullivan’s comment, he displays the most lack of understanding and crudeness on the subject, and is an excellent example of the more hardcore gaming community annoyance to outright adversarial stance at the general media and non-gamers. He makes no effort to avoid insulting gamers and actually actively tries to do so. I sincerely doubt he truly knows anything about the gaming community.
Ross – I am quite well aware of the “culture” and its obvious to me I’ve been on the planet a but longer than you have and your selective attention justifies nothing. Yes, my comments were “sweeping generalizations” – they were intended to be in order to make a broader statement, which you obviously did not pick up on.
I’m really glad someone is finally addressing this.
I have a PS3 and when I play online games I am CONSTANTLY harassed. Luckily I can kick any teenager’s booty at most of the games so they can say what they like as the proof is in the pudding.
My PS3 login gives away my sexuality… I find that when I play Warhawk I am often targeted because of my screen name and often very anti-gay things are said.
Meanwhile… They can hear me too and I enjoy telling them how pathetic they are and how awful they play video games because they are too busy playing with themselves at the same time as clearly no one else will touch them because they are playing video games all day.
Also, consider, a lot of these bigots aren’t even teens, they are full grown idiot breeder adults.
All the games say that online content is not edited. So there is a warning.
Can you imagine no one will play Little Big Planet with me because I’m a lesbian? And that game isn’t even violent.
Oh I picked up on it Mr. Sullivan. However I find speaking broadly does not solve problems, it only exacerbates them.
I find it disturbing that belonging to a group that has been victimized by glittering generalities and stereotypes how easy it is for humans to choose not to look past those stereotypes and simply accept what they think they know. Religious minorities do it to gays. Non-gamers do it to gamers. Those who don’t like rap do it to rap music. Here again in you broad statement we see this principal on display.
And just because you are older than me (I assume; I’m 24). Does not automatically mean that you are wiser than me on all subjects. I live in eastern South Dakota, I would wager my knowledge of the area would be greater than yours on matters relating to such.
I also am a gamer, I know the games industry, I know the type of people who play games, I live the life. I do not know if you do. I am therefore forced to assume that you do not know. I do have some evidence to support my position based on my experience.
Whenever I see statements blanketing groups I happen to be apart of I can easily tell when someone is or is not in the “know”. Your broad statements tend to lead me to such a conclusion as no self-respecting gamer would talk about games in such an obtuse manner.
Therefore, I would argue that in this particular, narrowly-defined case; I (and other gamers such as Ian Rocha) would have more knowledge of the subject than you.
Now if you were to couch your comments as an outsider looking in, then your broad statements would be perfectly permissible in the discussion. As and independent viewer would be able to weigh our individual statements properly.
From my perspective it is like a baptist minister talking about gay bars. He might now something about them, but more than likely he does not and you should give the statements of those who actually go to them more weight when discussing them.
Summation: You don’t know what you’re talking about and it shows.
On a scale of one to ten, I’d say being discriminated against in a video game group rates about a “half.”
Why was it “necessary” for her to “identify” herself as a lesbian in the first place?
I belong to lots of groups … in those having to do with politics and sexuality, I’m “out” … those where it REALLY doesn’t have anything to do with the content (medieval sacred music, for instance), I’m not.
HRC isn’t perfect, by any means, but they have limited resources. I really don’t see this as a burning issue.
Ross: “Summation” : You just keep telling yourself that sweetie – life will prove to you otherwise.