BioWare - Jennifer Hepler Leaves BioWare

I have no problems to give my real name to site owners I trust.
(Myrthos knows it, for example).

So if I'm going rogue, you know whom to ask…
 
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She's still mad about it?

Yes, I'm still mad about people who harassed me, bullied me 20 years ago.

I wouldn't want to meet you in RL if you shrug these things off by just saying "why, she's still angry anout that ?"
I wouldn't want to meet you in RL because you take things too light. You are not mature enough.

Ignore them vs. throw them in prison seems like a false dichotomy. Surely there are other options?

No, there aren't - and that's exactly (part of) the problem.

IMHO a game writer that doesn't want to play games is better off writing books.

And that's probably the reason why I feel so uneasy with most of today's games.

Had she been making Adventure Games, then they would have been perfect for her - but unfortunately she ended up in a company making Action-RPGs.

And - to be honest - who does Adventure games nowadays ? Apart from a few european companies ?

No-one.

Because "Action" always trumps "Story" nowadays.

And that's why "Action" lovers will ALWAYS harass "Story" lovers nowadays

I call this total focus on "Action" the "degeneration in PC gaming". The Action crowd has won and harassed all of the storytellers out off the industry. Hooray.
 
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I've been in psychological therapy for 3 years now for harassment/bullying that was done to me 20 years ago. It led to a sociophobia in my case.

Someone taking things so lightly with an "oh, she's still mad about that" is to me someone who isn't considering the consequences of harssment.

And, consequently, such a person who isn't aware of the consequences of harassment to a singly person just isn't mature enough to me.

Because "matureness" implies to me being aware of the consequences of the own deeds.

But shrugging harassment off with an "she's still mad about that ?", with the word "mad" implying in mentally insane person (or at least state), not implying a sane, mature person being able to properly think, is something I just cannot tolerate. Calling her "mad" is in insult.

And yes, now he's going to call me "mentally ill" as well, because I'm "outed" myself as having been in therapy for harassment. He will even go so far as to throw me out from these boards because "mentally ill people have no place here". If I had been a member of the staff, he'd demand to throw me out of that as well, because "mentally ill people" just "shouldn't do reviews".

That's the behaviour I'm expecting from him right now.

And - to be frank - in such an hostile environment like the Bioware forums during DA2 height times, my "outin" would have been an more than welcome fodder for the harassers ! They'd try their VERY BEST to fid out who I am - and mke a Gustl Mollath out of me !
 
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Because "Action" always trumps "Story" nowadays.

And that's why "Action" lovers will ALWAYS harass "Story" lovers nowadays

I call this total focus on "Action" the "degeneration in PC gaming". The Action crowd has won and harassed all of the storytellers out off the industry. Hooray.

A good game should neither focus on "Action" nor on "Story", instead it should provide an entertaining mix of interesting and challenging gameplay elements belonging to the genre.

Definition: Game
An (entertaining) physical or mental competition conducted according to rules with the participants in direct opposition to each other with the goal of winning the competition.
 
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I've been in psychological therapy for 3 years now for harassment/bullying that was done to me 20 years ago. It led to a sociophobia in my case.

I am very sorry to hear that.

Someone taking things so lightly with an "oh, she's still mad about that" is to me someone who isn't considering the consequences of harssment.

And, consequently, such a person who isn't aware of the consequences of harassment to a singly person just isn't mature enough to me.

I'm not defending DungeonHack's comment, nor am I condemning it. I'm just saying that the statement "You are not mature enough." is in my opinion an insult which isn't necessary here. Especially in a discussion about online insults/threats/harassment.

But shrugging harassment off with an "she's still mad about that ?", with the word "mad" implying in mentally insane person (or at least state), not implying a sane, mature person being able to properly think, is something I just cannot tolerate. Calling her "mad" is in insult.

"Being mad about something" has in this context nothing to do with mental sanity. Just like "being pissed about something" has nothing to do with emptying the bladder. It's just a colloquial phrase for being angry.

And yes, now he's going to call me "mentally ill" as well, because I'm "outed" myself as having been in therapy for harassment. He will even go so far as to throw me out from these boards because "mentally ill people have no place here". If I had been a member of the staff, he'd demand to throw me out of that as well, because "mentally ill people" just "shouldn't do reviews".

RPGWatch is one of the more friendly forums I've seen so far, and I seriously doubt anyone would call you that here. So let's not assume people will behave like asses until they actually do.
 
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A good game should neither focus on "Action" nor on "Story", instead it should provide an entertaining mix of interesting and challenging gameplay elements belonging to the genre.
Indeed, taste differs, which is why options to let people skip a part of game play makes sense. At the end of the day, the developers need to make the whole game, so, why not let the players skip what they don't want?

That said, some games do it more subtly. For example, some people may have been surprised by how the game allows the players to customize their game experience from the three main pillar of combat, stealth and conversation. Personally, the recent Bethesda RPGs are not my cup of tea but it can be a good example of letting people indulge themselves with the gameplay of their liking in its own format, too. CRPGs gameplay tend to shape this "buffet" style, more or less.
 
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I've been in psychological therapy for 3 years now for harassment/bullying that was done to me 20 years ago. It led to a sociophobia in my case.
Always touching to know I am remembered!

Someone taking things so lightly with an "oh, she's still mad about that" is to me someone who isn't considering the consequences of harssment.
But you just said you yourself were mad. Who would insult themselves to such a degree? Obviously you know mad in this case is just a synonym for angry. I can't stand it when people get too literal with language, and hardly anyone uses mad in that way any more. Few people use the word angry, either. Colloquialism, proof of racist homophobic misogynist leanings since 1979.

And, consequently, such a person who isn't aware of the consequences of harassment to a singly person just isn't mature enough to me.

Because "matureness" implies to me being aware of the consequences of the own deeds.
So when she calls the people who play her games dickless misogynests, it's ok, though?

Again we get back to it, you can't just scream like a baby to get what you want. If you engage people and insult them as she has done countless times they will fight back, and that's all bioware does to its fans. Not just insult their intelligence like most game devs, they literally hurl insults and call press conferences just to hurl insults.

Think about that for a minute and tell me if it's mature.

And realize this is all scripted stuff, no one just answers a question without coaching, they wanted her to say that.

But shrugging harassment off with an "she's still mad about that ?", with the word "mad" implying in mentally insane person (or at least state), not implying a sane, mature person being able to properly think, is something I just cannot tolerate. Calling her "mad" is in insult.

And yes, now he's going to call me "mentally ill" as well, because I'm "outed" myself as having been in therapy for harassment. He will even go so far as to throw me out from these boards because "mentally ill people have no place here". If I had been a member of the staff, he'd demand to throw me out of that as well, because "mentally ill people" just "shouldn't do reviews".

That's the behaviour I'm expecting from him right now.

And - to be frank - in such an hostile environment like the Bioware forums during DA2 height times, my "outin" would have been an more than welcome fodder for the harassers ! They'd try their VERY BEST to fid out who I am - and mke a Gustl Mollath out of me !

And again I'll go back to what I said about kids and internet. Young people should NOT be on the internet at all. People who have emotional issues, double that.

I'm sorry people have not treated you like you want them to. At least in your case unlike mine they have not actually broken the law or outed you. But if you have a thin skin you should just avoid the internet, or stick to a blog where you can moderate comments and make posts viewable only by friends - and keep it anonymous.

In all seriousness I don't think the internet is positive except for information retrieval. Social media sites are a horrible influence on society and forums are just a big waste of time. The only reason I started to post again was like the godfather - every time I get out they pull me back in.

Had she been making Adventure Games, then they would have been perfect for her - but unfortunately she ended up in a company making Action-RPGs.
I like writing romances I just hate all these stupid puzzles! Man there's nothing more boring on earth what kind of stupid twit would waste their time like that?

I would be much more incensed to hear that from someone making puzzle game. You can't make good puzzles by tacking them on.

And - to be honest - who does Adventure games nowadays ? Apart from a few european companies ?

No-one.

Because "Action" always trumps "Story" nowadays.
On what planet is that exactly? I can't remember the last time I played a semi mediocre action game or shooter, and it used to be the case lots of different types of action games were around and most of them were pretty good.

Story is all that games provide, and it's generally terrible, catered to tiny children or creepy perverted middle aged folk.

Maybe you are mistaking the fact people are unhappy about lack of gameplay with thinking they want action, which I never see anyone say, ever, especially on an rpg site.

And that's why "Action" lovers will ALWAYS harass "Story" lovers nowadays

I call this total focus on "Action" the "degeneration in PC gaming". The Action crowd has won and harassed all of the storytellers out off the industry. Hooray.
I don't recall Chris Avellone getting "harassed". I don't think I've ever heard a negative word about him. Same with the guy from betrayal at krondor, or anyone who had a part in any games with a great story.

Also Chris Avellone is a very accomodating, friendly, and humble guy. Also open and honest. I suspect the personability and honesty he displays to people have something to do with how well liked he is, not the fact he has a penis.

And obviously if you really don't care about anything but story, read a book, or make a choose your own adventure. Don't lure people in by claiming to make an RPG or true adventure game and then give them a poorly disguised girlfriend simulator.
 
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The state of affairs between old Bioware (Baldurs Gate) fans and current Bioware devs/games would be similar to:

a) Porsche abandons model 911 for a family van
b) Rolling Stones going for children's lullabies
c) Johnny Walker abandons Black Label for fruit juice

just image if something like a), b) or c) happens… :)
 
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More like FO3 case for me, however, I'm still grateful to Beth for NV, means, to have let Obsidian make it. Like I said, if there are content good enough for me, I wouldn't mind some gameplay changes - simply, Bioware didn't have it. Guess I have never been a Bioware fan but, yeah, they are considered as one of RPG giants. In fact, even this "incident" wouldn't have made this much fuss if it were about much smaller companies.
 
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The state of affairs between old Bioware (Baldurs Gate) fans and current Bioware devs/games would be similar to:

a) Porsche abandons model 911 for a family van
b) Rolling Stones going for children's lullabies
c) Johnny Walker abandons Black Label for fruit juice

just image if something like a), b) or c) happens… :)

Or like porsche and ferarri no longer having EVEN ONE model available with stick any more. That's right, you can no longer get a sports cars with a shift stick. Who would even want an automatic porsche?

What kind of diseased world are we living in? Sometimes, and this is not hyperbole, I wonder if there is environment toxins that are cutting people's intelligence off at the knees. There are a lot of studies about declining IQs.
 
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Another example that happened:

d) Microsoft abandoning Visual Basic 6 for .NET

Greatest shitstorm ever :)

11 years later I have still some good big business software packets running in VB6 (even under Win 8) running circles around C# in development time and easy deployment :)
 
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I remember Blizzard wanting you to use your real name as your ID in their forums and the outrage that came out of that. That is what is needed no more being able to hide behind an anonymous wall.

That's ok if Blizzard wants to do it. Their forums, their rules. I'd not use forums where I have to use my real name. And so should everyone who can expect their future boss to google their name. And that's just one of multiple reasons. Even if the ID is not visible to other users, I dont see a reason to spread my personal data any further than necessary.
 
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I have no problems to give my real name to site owners I trust.
(Myrthos knows it, for example).

So if I'm going rogue, you know whom to ask…

That would be different from having to use your real name on the forums, which is what I referred to. So, maybe, for a forum like this where I already "know" the administrators, I wouldn't mind identifying to them. But I wouldn't be likely to join such a forum as a new user.
 
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If I was on Blizzard forums, I wouldn't mind giving my real name.

That wouldn't stop me from saying that something sucks or that something is a fraud. No matter how many bans they give.
Oh, and I'd make sure the things I posted, if getting banned for saying f2p is a fraud for example, go public as a screenshot on other sites.

However, I'm not on Blizzard forums. I don't care about WoW nor I'd ever play that crap.
 
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Isn't that the writer who hates games and have never played one?
 
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Some companies don't seem to care about possible risks of users' being involved in troubles. When I began to use PCs, I was told to make sure to use a different username/password for every single account. Also, something in the line of "The net is open to everyone - even to criminals, whether you are conscious of it not." I have been following this healthy piece of advice.
 
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Death threats to your family is hardly something one should just "learn to tolerate" for being a writer for a gaming company.

Nothing excuses this kind of shit. Harassement and threats have nothing to do with free speech.
 
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IMHO a game writer that doesn't want to play games is better off writing books.
She was blunt to say it as she said it but she had a point. Games are less and less about their gameplay and more and more about story, immersion or who is chosen to be on the cover.
From that point, it is clear that anything that puts itself between the player and the enjoyment of the game as the player wants it must be open to be skipped.
When players are into stories, immersion etc, the options to skip the non story sequences must be provided.
In games story is a very tertiary concern, the option to skip cinematics or things related to the story delivery is provided. That is for games whose main focus is gameplay. Sounds normal to be able to skip content that brings nothing to the experience a player looks for.
So why should games whose main focus is to deliver a story be deprived of an option to skip non story direct delivery content?

That writer was right in her analysis. But she spoke bluntly, even though she voiced a conclusion brought to her by the way players want their games. Players that put forward story etc should have come up to state that skipping non related to story content is a must have option.
 
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Being outspoken and exposing yourself to the masses is a dangerous combination.

Shouldn't have to be dangerous, but that's reality - and I would advise anyone to mind their words if they're in the public eye, unless they're ok with the potential consequences.
 
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