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<blockquote data-quote="Taneras" data-source="post: 6870235" data-attributes="member: 6842952">Yes, no, and maybe.&nbsp; I'm sure a lot of the complaints are legitimate.&nbsp; I'm sure some are real, but embellished (still bad, obviously).&nbsp; I'm sure some aren't real, and are just the result of people over reacting.&nbsp; And I'm sure are a few are just plain made up.One of the issues facing us, or at least the more skeptical of us, is that we're dealing mostly with anecdotal evidence.&nbsp; Worse, much of the anecdotal evidence is anonymous.&nbsp; There's a reason why our legal system allows us to face our accusers.&nbsp; Yes, sometimes it can be very hard for the victim, but never-the-less is of great importance to accurately determining exactly what's going on.&nbsp; I do wonder how many of these stories could be dispelled if the other party was aware of the accusations being made and could offer up their side of the story.&nbsp; It very well could be zero, perhaps 100% were accurately reported.&nbsp; Or, perhaps, some aren't what they appear to be.&nbsp; Also, what portion of the overall interactions within our community are like this?&nbsp; Is it any more than what the average person experiences in the average Western society?&nbsp; Don't get me wrong, one incident is too much, but if for this to be a&nbsp; problem specifically facing our hobby one would assume that its some degree worse than what society is as a whole.It would all depend on what they thought sexism was.&nbsp; Honestly, I've seen non-parody blogs and articles about how some of the most innocent and subtle things are sexist.&nbsp; A man smiling at a woman?&nbsp; Sexist, because he probably wouldn't smile at another guy and is therefore treating men and women different.It seems both sides of this issue, or at least elements of both sides of this issue, are guilty of this.&nbsp; If a female character is portrayed in a certain manner in a game today, it's not uncommon to see a wave of complaints about sexism aimed at producers, developers, fans, etc.&nbsp; Likewise, as we've seen with the latest expansion of Baldur's Gate, you can see a wave of complaints when the mark is shifted too far in the opposite direction.Then there's another angle entirely, does it really matter?&nbsp; Do games have an effect on real life?&nbsp; If not, then is it really an issue we should concern ourselves with as much as we currently are?</blockquote>

[QUOTE="Taneras, post: 6870235, member: 6842952"] Yes, no, and maybe. I'm sure a lot of the complaints are legitimate. I'm sure some are real, but embellished (still bad, obviously). I'm sure some aren't real, and are just the result of people over reacting. And I'm sure are a few are just plain made up. One of the issues facing us, or at least the more skeptical of us, is that we're dealing mostly with anecdotal evidence. Worse, much of the anecdotal evidence is anonymous. There's a reason why our legal system allows us to face our accusers. Yes, sometimes it can be very hard for the victim, but never-the-less is of great importance to accurately determining exactly what's going on. I do wonder how many of these stories could be dispelled if the other party was aware of the accusations being made and could offer up their side of the story. It very well could be zero, perhaps 100% were accurately reported. Or, perhaps, some aren't what they appear to be. Also, what portion of the overall interactions within our community are like this? Is it any more than what the average person experiences in the average Western society? Don't get me wrong, one incident is too much, but if for this to be a problem specifically facing our hobby one would assume that its some degree worse than what society is as a whole. It would all depend on what they thought sexism was. Honestly, I've seen non-parody blogs and articles about how some of the most innocent and subtle things are sexist. A man smiling at a woman? Sexist, because he probably wouldn't smile at another guy and is therefore treating men and women different. It seems both sides of this issue, or at least elements of both sides of this issue, are guilty of this. If a female character is portrayed in a certain manner in a game today, it's not uncommon to see a wave of complaints about sexism aimed at producers, developers, fans, etc. Likewise, as we've seen with the latest expansion of Baldur's Gate, you can see a wave of complaints when the mark is shifted too far in the opposite direction. Then there's another angle entirely, does it really matter? Do games have an effect on real life? If not, then is it really an issue we should concern ourselves with as much as we currently are? [/QUOTE]

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