“Society does not consist of individuals but expresses the sum of interrelations, the relations within which these individuals stand. – Karl Marx”

Since I tend not to engage in meaningless discussions in places (the usual anti-social cesspools of malcontent) where they are likely to go South as soon as the shit-posting starts, I have decided to create this blog and enable comments (moderated) so that the decent and reasonable Star Citizen White Knights who can i) spell ii) construct a sentence that actually makes sense iii) make reasonable arguments without the usual personal attacks, harassment etc, can engage me in meaningful discourse so that we can, at the very least, reach some sort of consensus on what needs to happen going forward, what impact it can/will have etc.

But first, there’s a petition that a bunch of anti-social misfits are using to attack me. I feel that I should address it, even though that’s just going to draw attention to their pitiful attempts at attacking, harassing, bullying and otherwise trying to intimidate me. But it’s gaming, so it is what it is.

And so, once more into the breach. And as you read this, remember..

“Game developers are just human beings who happen to make games for a living.

If you want to hold us up to higher standards of conduct, then go ahead

…but don’t be surprised if we don’t uphold them”

OPEN LETTER TO ANTI-SOCIAL WHITE KNIGHT MISFITS

Hello Everyone,

Seeing as the creator of this petition listed me as the decision maker, we have been following this petition very closely.

I am writing this update, from the perspective of an avid gamer and in a manner in which I am sure you will understand, in order to make a few things clear so that we’re all on the same page going forward.

While I have the utmost respect and admiration for gamers from all corners of gaming, the one thing that I detest and abhor the most, are personal attacks, bullying, harassment and anti-social behavior.

Those of you who are not familiar with me, my history or my work, should probably do some more research, starting with this Gaming Urban Legend blog article. I tend not to compromise on these things; and there are NO exceptions to this rule.

YE OF THE OLDE SKOOL

As an old school gamer and game dev, I love this industry and couldn’t possibly imagine any other activity, work or otherwise, that gives me more satisfaction than being a part of a social group that encourages, sparks and promotes creativity.

Sure, we don’t always get along, let alone agree on most things, but that’s how society works. I have always advocated for gaming, promoted what I felt was right, while putting myself in the firing line during the most intense discourse.

For example, just two weeks ago, I was right in the middle of the #GamerGate controversy because, as an avid gamer, while we do have a bunch of anti-social gamers in our midst, the core of gaming is about fun and community, not hate, misogyny and all that nonsense. You can read more about that on this blog I wrote following the event.

THROWING OUT THE BABY WITH THE BATH WATER

That said, when this petition first went up, I reviewed it, then discarded it as yet another attempt by a minority (oh, there’s over 1000 of you? that’s so cute) group of “gamers”, to troll me or otherwise use this as yet another platform to attack, harass and bully me into doing what they want.

I even had my researcher Google Translate every single one of the foreign comments because before writing this, it was important to me that I get the full picture before responding. Especially since a bunch of crazy German (big Star Citizen fans) gamers who don’t know any better, have been trolling our game forums, media comment pages etc with the usual bullshit that’s just said in a foreign language. This despite the fact that these clowns don’t even have a freaking clue wtf is going on.

So here we are:

Listen, and listen closely because I’m only going to say this once. If it doesn’t come across at first, refresh the browser page so you can say you read it more than once.

“Attacking, harassing, bullying or otherwise doing and saying things which are designed to intimidate and/or cast me in a poor light, won’t work. It never did. It never will. And I don’t compromise on things like this.“

Trying to attack, harass, bully or otherwise seek to intimidate the one person in gaming who has never – ever – allowed it, is a lesson in futility. That effort is better spent, in, you know – PLAYING GAMES!

THE BEST LAID PLANS OF MICE AND MEMES

The petition creator is simply misguided in thinking that the defamatory missive in her petition, not to mention the infantile “Bring it on, Derek” comment in her Aug 25th update, are the sort of statements that are likely to bring about change.

They are not.

In fact, that’s the sort of thing that I see in some forums, and media comment sections, read them, and keep on scrolling because there are people in this world who, living a life less ordinary, are best left alone to wallow in their obscurity, devoid of any attention other than the gratification of being in a group of like-minded nobodies in their small corner of the digital world.

That’s how utterly dismissive I am of such rhetoric and the people engaging in them.

There is a saying that goes like this, and you should probably look it up:

You catch more flies with honey than you do with vinegar

Trying to petition someone into doing something, while insulting them, making legally actionable defamatory comments etc is not exactly the sort of road to take if you want to be taken seriously.

After my researcher gave me the analysis of comments in the petition, though new ones have been added since I was given that report, it is very clear that the majority (by a wide margin) of the people in this petition are the same anti-social mob that give gaming a bad name, cast it in a poor light etc.

The same anti-social clowns who gang up on other Star Citizen backers over on the RSI forums at the slightest hint of dissent. Which is why, despite the best efforts of the RSI forum staff (who deserve kudos for their handling of the misfits in the ranks), those forums are completely out of control and resemble the battleground that the game is trying to build.

You clowns don’t belong in gaming.

As such, those of you with this mindset and who think harassment, attacks, bullying etc are the way to get something done, are simply not worthy of the “gamer” tag.

And you are most certainly not worthy of any dialog with me. In fact, I had my researcher write most of this missive, which I then edited for context, while injecting my own flair. You know, so at least those who are familiar with my no-nonsense attitude and way of writing, know it’s coming from me.

Instead of being let loose online, you misfits of the prerequisite age, belong in a juvenile detention center where you can be reprogrammed into how to be an upstanding member of society, treat people with respect etc. I blame your parents because this sort of behavior is bred and learned. And it’s precisely why aliens visiting Earth, won’t talk to us.

So the collective actions of you who are engaging in this sort of behavior displayed in the petition comments, are without merit, they won’t CHANGE A THING. But hey, at least you get to vent, engage in a collective circle-jerk right? I mean, it’s not like ANY of you even read the terms and conditions of the petition site before posting your comments. And with that, it is clear that this was more about attacking someone, than it was about petitioning him to enter into dialog, work together on a meaningful resolution etc.

THAT MOMENT WHEN YOU REALIZE YOU PICKED A FIGHT WITH THE WRONG PERSON

Unlike you anti-social misifts (you know yourselves), I’m a leader who gets to make tough decisions on a daily basis. I don’t always make the best or right ones, nor do I profess to be the beacon (I see myself more as the Deacon Of Discourse) of what is otherwise considered good (lol!) online behavior, but as a decent human being, and who was raised right, I always strive to be honest, fair, reasonable and unbiased. Even if those opinions are unpopular. And best of all, I tend to stand tall, even in the face of failure, worthy adversaries and seemingly insurmountable challenges.

In short, you clowns don’t scare me.

In conclusion, given the approach that the petition creator took, not to mention the rhetoric in the comments, my response to you is this:

“Your time is best spent doing something worthy of meaningful results. Without meaningful or reasonable discussions, nothing you do, say, or write, is going to change what I have set in motion regarding this Star Citizen fiasco and my quest for answers and accountability.

The fact that you in this petition think that my actions were taken in an attempt to speak for all Star Citizen fans or to derail the project, says more about the sort of unbridled arrogance and displaced entitlement that are only found in gaming, than about the subject matter.

I currently have around 5K disgruntled Star Citizen gamers (like this person for example) in an internal dB who disagree with the White Knights who just want to bury their collective heads in the sand, give the project creators a pass, even as the project continues to head toward failure and a catastrophic loss of backer investment. So believe me when I tell you this, none of this is about just what I want. Regardless of how this ends, and it will end one way or another, I am going to get the answers that I am seeking. I am well known for never giving up on anything. And I have never – ever – engaged in any legal battle in which I didn’t prevail in some fashion or another. Not one. There are very good reasons for that; primary one being that I tend not to engage in legal battles if I didn’t have an exceptionally good chance of prevailing. It’s an ego thing, you see. Those of you who are not part of this anti-social mob, and who have genuine concerns, are more than welcome to go to my blog and engage me in reasonable arguments as to why you believe that my actions will cause more harm than good to the Star Citizen project. I am notorious for being very reasonable and unbiased; so go ahead and engage me in meaningful discourse, and you may just be surprised at the outcome.

Don’t forget that RSI/CIG have thirty-days from receipt of the demand letter to do something completely and utterly stupid, which has been the pattern for quite some time now. So be prepared for what comes next, regardless of what general consensus we all reach in the coming days. That is all. As you were.“

#BlackKnightsMatter