LGBTQ+ Inclusive gaming

You are on fire, sir/madam!
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No. But safe space isnt internet exclusive. But on the internet is a lot of hate too. In a safe space you can talk with the people about stuff without getting insulted by some people mainly because most of them share the same problems/experiences etc.

Maybe the safe space people, but hardly everyone.

I think you're missing the point.

Why is "gay" an insult? Usually, when you are trying to insult someone, you use something negative...

I think these folks are just looking for some place where they can meet people to play online games with that aren't so emotionally and educationally stunted that they think sexual orientation or race are negative things to be insulted about.

Firstly, I don't understand why I should let anyone insult me over anything at all, much less my performance in a video game.
Secondly, it is my opinion that the term gay shouldn't be used as an insult. As I see that we have different opinions and you wouldn't understand my reasoning, I won't take the time to explain why at this point.
(Not to mention that using "gay" as an insult is one of the more harmless examples, and I was thinking of more extreme homophobic and racist slurs.)

Wouldn't just not telling random people on the internet about your gender [...]
So by that standpoint, no one should be open about who they are. Whether male, female, straight, gay, Christian, black, white, Muslim, disabled, or "other things unrelated to gaming"... Everyone would be faceless and unapproachable on the internet. You're saying that the cause of the problem are the people who are being discriminated against, simply by not lying about who they are - and they're the ones who could solve these problems if they just stopped being honest, and started hiding.

What that statement really means is "everyone can be open about who they are on the internet, UNLESS they're part of a minority group because then it's really their own fault if they get attacked".

Another example: even just by participating in public voice chats during online gaming when you're a woman, you risk getting rape threats. This has happened countless times to me and pretty much all of my female friends who play online - but it's really our fault for having female sounding voices and speaking in a public space, I guess.

So if you are a minority and want to discuss specific things that most people don't care to discuss, the ones that don't care for the discussion are a problem?

I'm going to move ahead with the assumption that English isn't your first language (based on the country displayed on your Steam profile) and explain what I meant without my passive aggressiveness.

The general response by ignorant people to a woman or someone from a minority group complaining about abusive behavior online (either in a game or a forum) is to "grow thicker skin because that's just how gamers / the internet is" or "find a group to play with / play with friends". Therefore the quote below made me question what you think we should do since it directly conflicted with the usual "find friends to play with" argument, which is what the OP is indirectly addressing by creating a friendly group.

If some are acting like an ass should we run and hide in a safe space? How is that making anything better?

This thing with women and children though. I still have a feeling that it's not as much that they are women or children but rather they don't live up to the expectations.

Broaden your perspective if you care to.
http://www.polygon.com/features/2015/11/3/9660094/smite-sexism-and-the-soul-of-esports

I just took the liberty of checking your steam account, and yeah I would say this is a matter of not having ventured much into PvP centric (or competitive / twitch PvP) games. The attitude shift is pretty severe.

It's really a matter of immediate voice comms mocking the moment a young voice is heard. Nothing to do with actual game performance, though if someone with such a target painted on them doesn't perform great and act humbly at the same time, it only escalates. I've actually had teams in various games stop focusing on the match itself to instead make the trolling a priority. I find that women don't get the same degree of hostility even if they get the similar degree of unwarranted attention. The only time I ever get something remotely similar is when someone obsesses over me being a brit and liking my accent, and that's not too often but enough to grate while trying to focus on playing.

There is a difference between a 'classy' troll that is looking to get a rise out of you for fun, but without actually hurting or offending stuff badly, and 'classless' trolls that will literally scrape the bottom of every barrel in an effort to get any response at all. It's a whole spectrum ranging from just being sarcastic/mischievous nice people all the way down to genuinely prejudiced immature morons. Saying "I care about that and it's making me uncomfortable" will almost never net you a positive response from a troll, and if anything only serves to highlight an opportune subject to attack harder. The average gaming community troll isn't there for good-natured ribbing, they're there to break people down as much as they can in an effort to feel elevated. It's pretty sad really, but it's gone on for so long that it's actually become a norm in the digital side of 'gaming culture'. I say 'gaming culture' like I would say 'prison culture' or 'gun culture', heh. :P

As for interacting solely within a safe space? I don't think the group is there as a means to prevent all other contact, but rather as a sort of buffer to at least make sure they've got a decent place to vent in. As for not caring? It's not that simple. Consistent exposure to negative feedback will almost always break through whatever defense you put up, unless you take measures to mitigate them. In competitive or twitch PvP, communication with teammates is often a necessary part of the play. The only reliable way to remove that negative is to amputate a major element of what is also enjoyable. It's akin to saying "If you don't like the music, turn off the speakers" while overlooking the disadvantage of having no game audio. This is before you even consider that even people with thick skins all have buttons that can be pressed, and if you have repeating issues or shitty experiences IRL.then they provide some pretty big buttons. An easier example to run with here is if you're stuck in a job with a horrible sexist boss, and your home-life has a few recurring sexist jabs floating around. Nothing you can't handle, but they're still things that piss you off and grit your teeth occasionally. Now let's say you've got a few games that you adore, but there are far louder and more obnoxious mirrors of your RL issues constantly being thrown in your face there too. The options are to either 'amputate' the element of the game that is pissing you off, leaving you at a disadvantage and a stunted game experience... or you do your best to deal with it, and have your mood and patience wittled down.

Groups like these are a compromise. You can't totally control a server population nor can you moderate the worst elements of a server unless you're an admin, so the next best thing is to join it with good people, and maybe you'll dilute the poison if there happens to be any. You can't even rely on votekicks because apathy is a major element too. Unless something is directly annoying someone, they'll usually vote randomly or ignore such a vote call. Hell even when there have been blatant cheaters ruining the whole server with a 100-headshot snapshooting chain, the players aren't always intelligent enough to even press the button on the votekick prompt. :P

No, that's all.

Is that respectful "fuck you, sir"? It's hard to decipher with all that smugness surrounding it :^)

Nah, I can articulate better than that. And I say "oh fuck off", not "fuck you, sir". I'm not that polished. =3

What I see now is expectation of respectful nods, applause and patting on shoulders.
[...] what is point of fighting for equal rights when in the end you willingly exclude yourself out of general public.

Clearly I have misinterpreted what you meant by these two statements.

The idea of backing down to some safe space, isn't something I'm sympathetic to.

Neither am I.

[...] I haven't seen any game community where harassment was accepted or endorsed behaviour.

I wouldn't go so far as to say endorsed but I've been a visitor to some which accepted and excused the behavior with the usual "it's the internet" and "if we block everyone who acts like that then no one would be playing the game" or "tell her to find a group to play with".

What recourse do we have when moderators pretend they don't exist, gamers pretend the shit doesn't smell, and everyone excuses the pathetic behavior? Shouldn't we then, while voicing our displeasure to ignorant ears, try to find other like-minded / accepting / normal individuals to play with so we can enjoy the games we play?

I've been called a lot of words synonymous with smug but never smug outright. This is uncharted waters for me. I'm excited!

Ok, I didn't know they were common either, or I don't get you particular sense of humor :P

Ok cool, got my answer in your other response :)

Actually, there are a TON of 'ifs' in all churches. Religion is not solely owned by the historical heads, but by anyone who holds the belief. When I said 'church' I did not mean 'the establishment', I meant a literal bishop who is willing to marry a same-sex couple. Because they do exist. They may not be a majority, but they do exist. If the only reason a person can dream up for a same-sex couple to not be married is "but the religion disallows it", then given the amorphous nature of belief, so long as there is an ordained minister or authority figure willing to perform the ceremony, then the marriage should be legit. Religion is not enforced to mandatory standards. Violent felons are happily accepted. People feel that random parts are metaphorical, and others literal. Who you ask will determine what they feel is literal or expected to be followed to the letter. The Westboro Baptist Church exists for crying out loud, as do religious 'charities' that will only help the destitute (or disaster victims) if they convert or partake in small rituals as tokens of gratitude. Even the most unified religion has it's fractures, and any individual believer can have their own spin on even the most sacred of core tenets. If an individual church and it's authority doesn't adhere 100% to the literal meaning of it's host religion, is that church then deemed "not one of us" and unable to perform marriage rites? Consider how far the modern version of your religion differs from it's actual roots for a moment.

So yes, there are plenty of 'ifs' and gray areas.
And no, I didn't really twist your words, I simply expanded upon the the fact you cheerfully mention you oppose gay marriage while in the same breath wishing them well. Let me offer you an alternate example of this so you might understand why I said anything : "Hi, I think your kind are a pest and need to get evicted out of our country and will elect a candidate who will most likely do this, but I hope you have a nice day!" or "You belong in the kitchen making men sandwiches and squirting out babies, and if a motion passed to remove your right to vote I'd join it, but I genuinely hope your job interview goes well!". Do you see what I'm saying now? Opposing something of a vital area of equality doesn't really get prettied up much by even a genuine wish of happiness. :p

Given that marriage is not singularly a religious thing as it confers legal benefits and certain entitlements, what exactly about allowing a whole denomination of legal citizens those rights equally ticks you off? You do realise that by withholding rights from a specific group with no rational basis is straight up prejudice, right?
(and when I say rational basis, I mean rational basis that actually holds water when scrutinised)

The roman catholic church doesn't have any problem with their ministers molesting kids too as long as their authority is not undermined.
You do realize there are also muslim majorities who will eradicate catholics too? So that doesn't make you especially nice just because there are worse people around.
Edit: Better choice of words.

Shit, I'm sorry, I just thought it was a cute picture. Having lost a beloved pet myself I empathize.

Your question was asking if there was something wrong with being in anime groups. I spelled out the hypocrisy of his comment for you, which is what my initial comment was about (calling him a hypocrite for being in sex-related groups).

How can I answer your question when I never said they were wrong to begin with? I just pointed out he was in them. I'm sorry you're reading comprehension is so poor and that you're being ridiculously obtuse for the sake of the argument.

I wholly wish there was a block/mute button in addition to the black list. -_-

Just read your own posts. If you weren't so negative about it you wouldn't have bothered writing such a comment in the thread. And then you get so defensive when asked.

I mean, the argument could be made that you are the salty one since you came into a group recruitment thread that very obviously you arent interested in, and started posting negative shit in it.

I realized after reading further. I was never really into The Simpsons. Over here I think it was always shown after bedtime, or never at all on local television.

My second quote was myself commenting on the fact that I've just popped up out of nowhere and have proceeded to include myself in discussions.

Like a boss (and because I'm socially awkward...)!

I didn't know that people are terribly offended by it. But I guess I shouldn't be surprised. Isn't it odd to include it in the name for a group who's main purpose seem to be to not offend/trigger/upset people?

Sounds like it would be easier to just say people :P

Oh, maybe I'm making a mistake. I remember one person who was looking for people to play csgo and get better. I thought it was you.