Alora Fane

∞ Here's a thread I saw on Reddit ∞ where a game dev talks about getting literal death threats from his 'passionate' audience for a yet-to-be-released game.

I wanted to write a brief post about it because knowing it's not just me who's had to put up with a toxic community is... relieving, or something? Or is it? I mean, it's not like it's anything new to me, I already knew gaming communities get incredibly toxic, but I suppose it's evidence that some of the fears that are holding me back aren't completely unfounded, or something?

Though they are still holding me back. I know that if I continue along this path, I'll have to face demons, but I've come this far that turning back now would bring its own pain, possibly even worse. It's just taking time to push through the reluctance to take the next steps because I know what they'll entail.

People in the comments are talking about how the poster's game seems like a complete rip-off of another game, but I'm unfamiliar with the game it's being compared to, so I don't know about that. Maybe it's a big factor here.

The bit I find worth mentioning though is how many of the others devs are saying they've had to put up with seriously deranged people. You just need to grow a thicker skin, they say. And I suppose that's true about surviving in this world in general. What a sad state of affairs that is, though. That some people become obsessively hostile about something that's supposed to be a source of fun.

I also checked out ∞ the game's website ∞, which is a good example of a promotional page which reads like it was made by a professional in a way mine maybe doesn't (the dev mentioned he spent several years as a software developer, so he'd have skills and connections from that background). Useful for reference, should I ever feel the urge to revise mine.

On another note, I had a long video call with a friend from uni last night; the first time in weeks I've had a proper conversation. I felt so much better after it. Isolation poisons the mind and mood. Too bad it's so hard to find people to connect with in the real world.

5 COMMENTS

Tama_Yoshi82~2Y

Surprisingly quality, professional responses on that reddit post. Some of them are so relatable it's funny (like the woman dev accused of being sexist because only male voice actors applied).

I think you already *know* most of this stuff. You've already seen some unhinged people first-hand, not all of which made you mentally worse off; I've seen you just analyze the ways how some of the people who responded to you were just... clearly in a bad mental space. Which is good, in a way, because it means you can take some of it by reframing it. That's a kind of "thick skin".

Of course, that's not applicable for all reactions. I know youtubers have secretaries to just comb through comment sections and mails because otherwise they'd be mentally drained. I watch the Game Grumps for instance, which is a remarkably wholesome and positive brand - yet they often joke about the unrelenting youtube comment section telling them how stupid they are (you can see these kinds of comments, but usually in a sort of meme jokey way, stating how typical it is for them to miss something obvious after not reading the tutorial of a game, or something). It's difficult to tell how much of their community is filtered behind a PR person, but the community comes off as wholesome.

At least with public communities it's easy to defer the work of moderation and community building to volunteers who do it for free. It's trickier with other platforms like twitter, youtube, or mail.

Surprisingly quality, professional responses on that reddit post. Some of them are so relatable it's funny (like the woman dev accused of being sexist because only male voice actors applied).

I think you already *know* most of this stuff. You've already seen some unhinged people first-hand, not all of which made you mentally worse off; I've seen you just analyze the ways how some of the people who responded to you were just... clearly in a bad mental space. Which is good, in a way, because it means you can take some of it by reframing it. That's a kind of "thick skin".

Of course, that's not applicable for all reactions. I know youtubers have secretaries to just comb through comment sections and mails because otherwise they'd be mentally drained. I watch the Game Grumps for instance, which is a remarkably wholesome and positive brand - yet they often joke about the unrelenting youtube comment section telling them how stupid they are (you can see these kinds of comments, but usually in a sort of meme jokey way, stating how typical it is for them to miss something obvious after not reading the tutorial of a game, or something). It's difficult to tell how much of their community is filtered behind a PR person, but the community comes off as wholesome.

At least with public communities it's easy to defer the work of moderation and community building to volunteers who do it for free. It's trickier with other platforms like twitter, youtube, or mail.

Kalin24~2Y

I immediately recognized the game they were accused of ripping off, even though I've never played it. I did play someone else's knock-offs, which were among my favorite games on Kongregate. That is a very distinctive art style from one of the most famous games in the genre, so the dev had to have expected some pushback over it.

But death threats are never okay, and I wish the legal system would recognize the harm they cause.

MontyCallay101~2Y

Just looking at this game's art style takes me back to the hours I spent playing Battalion on Kongregate! I was more familiar with the rip-offs myself as well, I suppose xD

patrick93~2Y

i am diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder and also an introvert.I always thought that i was unable to make friends,even my big 5 scores said the same thing. (I think its the opposite,i just became what i said)Until i quit my smartphone and bought a dumbphone instead,for browsing the internet I use my tablet and pc,and it literally changed my life.I really started to talk to my parents and sibling way more and it literally made my depression go away.I remember my therapist advising me that you should socialize more.But I got offended and said why being an introvert is a crime. Turns out I was wrong, theres a big difference between soltitude and loneliness.

Also i guess most people you see on the internet are not actually evil or sadistic.i think its the fact that they cant think for themselves.They are just conforming to a trends and traditions without questioning it,and unfortunately trolling is a trend nowadays.They are doing it just for fun,they are conforming I am pretty sure its not out of sadism,such people are really rare,theres no way so many 12 year olds suddenly starts to be rude to people online.

Also i guess most people you see on the internet are not actually evil or sadistic.i think its the fact that they cant think for themselves.They are just conforming to a trends and traditions without questioning it,and unfortunately trolling is a trend nowadays.They are doing it just for fun,they are conforming I am pretty sure its not out of sadism,such people are really rare,theres no way so many 12 year olds suddenly starts to be rude to people online.

kidupiscean37~2Y

Just curious, what's your general impression of the comments you've received in recent years on this website and on your Patreon account? Are they generally supportive, or are a few/some/a lot of them still too toxic?

Also I'd like to share the experience of somebody also in the creative industry. He produces dramas on his YouTube channels. Although the number of views is not low, he doesn't see a lot of comments on his videos. Earlier this month he invited some of the viewers, the actors and the production team to a gathering to meet and chat and take photos and that kind of stuff. He was impressed by some of the fans he met there. One of them (not sure about the gender, let's say "she" for easier identification) told him that she had watched the drama series from the first episode of the first season, but she had never left any comments. That was despite that she loved watching the drama. Only at that point did he realise that the number of comments was not as important as he had thought it was.

I don't mean the idea behind this experience can totally apply to your case, but I do think sometimes the most vocal people do not reflect the entire picture of reality. So try not to get too upset when people make harsh comments. I think many people are still supportive of you. Keep it up!

Also I'd like to share the experience of somebody also in the creative industry. He produces dramas on his YouTube channels. Although the number of views is not low, he doesn't see a lot of comments on his videos. Earlier this month he invited some of the viewers, the actors and the production team to a gathering to meet and chat and take photos and that kind of stuff. He was impressed by some of the fans he met there. One of them (not sure about the gender, let's say "she" for easier identification) told him that she had watched the drama series from the first episode of the first season, but she had never left any comments. That was despite that she loved watching the drama. Only at that point did he realise that the number of comments was not as important as he had thought it was.

I don't mean the idea behind this experience can totally apply to your case, but I do think sometimes the most vocal people do not reflect the entire picture of reality. So try not to get too upset when people make harsh comments. I think many people are still supportive of you. Keep it up!