Nice! Hope they call out Microsoft for being a bunch of pricks about this :<

I doubt this panel will do any real good unless they call out companies that go out of their way to discriminate against people's sexuality. At least someone is doing something. I'm sick and tired of hearing FAG on XBL

If gamers are so homophobic, why do they like to slap their "rifles" into the back of my head and drop their balls into my mouth after I'm lying on the floor unconscious?? Sounds pretty gay if you ask me....

@Diverse
T_T

@Nic128: I'm sure the same was once said about segregation.

That's awesome though - good on EA!

Well this could be interesting. On the one hand, I think use of the word "faggot" just as often has to do with casual use of an interchangeable epithet, having very little to do with the actual context of the word or true, deep-seated homophobia. Then again, the fact that so many people are so willing to embrace terms like "faggot" or "cock-sucker" and identify them as insulting suggests that they at least recognize it as something to be looked down upon socially, even if they don't hold a personal bias against homosexuality.

It's nice to think that people care enough to get together and talk about the issue, as well as it's role in gaming at large.

Ich has an upschtahne!

Fantastic. Obviously this won't change anything, but it is a step in the right direction.

That's great! Is anyone from Destructoid going to be able to go and cover the conversation? I'd love to hear if anything interesting results from this.

In a world full of insecurity and repressed emotions, it's only normalcy for such behavior to be passed on to children. Sure, spreading awareness of an issue like this is great, more power to them, but the problem isn't so much in wrongful behavior rather than parenting and, quite frankly, all of human history. But I stand by this. Even if it only slightly cuts down on the amount of bullshit I hear out of 12-year-old-and-younger children on Xbox LIVE. From a psychological standpoint, the swearing and "outbursts" of homophobic phrases stems from a fear of loss or humiliation. The word fag is only a placeholder. It could be anything. Humans feel the need to destroy, degrade, belittle, and otherwise humiliate the competition, whether to tend to the wounds to their own fragile ego/psyche, or having to cope with the thought of complete and utter loss. It's not so much that people are even homophobic when they say these things in game communities. Sure, they might be, but it's just one of many popular terms of choice used by society to refer to something that they feel is beneath them. But I digress. I've seen how far an intellectual conversation can get me on the innernetz. It's not pretty. Dtoiders, shall you redeem me?

andycadaver, you are a fag.

;)

I doubt this will really accomplish anything. I have absolutely nothing against gays, and I never use the term "fag", but the internet IS homophobic. Not to be so pessimistic but I don't think anything's ever going to change that.

This is good. Discussion is always helpful. Though nothing may come of it immediately after, this panel might spurn others to act, so only good can come from this.

As far as the stuff being said over Live, I think that if Microsoft ever got off their ass and actually held people accountable, then the hate will be lessened. My solution? No anonymity. Your name/face is searchable on Live. You can be contacted. That would shut some little kids up if they knew their parents could be contacted.

@BattyAdroit

Man, society should be proud of us for having something in common.

Why is it every time I see some kind of NarutoXSasuke coupling, the first thing I think is how much of a bitch Sakura is? Every time..

This won't change a thing, sadly. You can't cure idiocy and intolerance, all you can really do is begrudgingly accept it.

...Because, I care what xX<insertname>Xx's sexual preference is while I'm blasting them with a shotgun to the dome online. Y'know sometimes I just forget I'm playing a game while that thought consumes me.

A lot of people use the word "faggot" gays/lesbians included, get over it.

I openly welcome them to call me whatever retarded-ass derogatory term for being straight they can come up with.

I could agree on some filters for finding matches or whatever, or having clean rooms where language, etc. is monitored.

It's wrong to be compromising on the "shit-talking kids" fun though, I think most would agree it's totally non-personal, some people are just more passionate than others... if you can't stand the heat, get out of the fire.

Oh Jesus, Linden Labs.. this can't be good.

andycadaver: How's that first year psychology course working out for you?

Kudos guys, keep hope alive.

I'm also pessimistic about whether this will change anything, but it's good that at least a discussion is starting. Maybe it's just the beginning of something good.
Also, Chronic Logic, you're being ironic right?..... right?

While I don't think that this will necessarily change anything, I admire EA for trying. Someone needs to do something to address the apparent equivalence of stupidity and homosexuality - because kids on XBL simply don't realize that being gay and being stupid are mutually exclusive. To them, the terms are interchangeable. As Eminem once famously said, "when I call someone gay I don't actually mean they're homosexual, I just mean they're being a douche". That's the problem right there, no separation between the two negatives.

There's definitely a long way to go to address issues of hate and intolerance. But someone's got to start it, and it looks like that's going to be EA. Good for them.

It's better then just doing nothing, but it seems like the people who would attend such a panel probably aren't the ones who need to.

Really, I wish they would comment on the obvious lack of inclusiveness of LGBT characters in video games. What was the last one you can remeber in a video game released in 2009? Last year you could count them on one hand, with only one being a fairly positive, empathetic example, i.e. not one to fire pink, heart-shaped lasers from the crotch and/or sperm beams from their head. If one stereotyped black people like what was done in the early twentieth century it would not fly today, so why should we have more tolerance of it happening to gay people?

@seaniccus

I think you said it better than I ever could. Treating Gayism™ differently is just special treatment, and doesn't the gay community pride itself on striving for equality?

On a different note, if my friends call me a "faggot" do I get so upset? No. If they call me "Fat" do I cry? No. I'm Hispanic, and if they call me "spic" do I cry? NO. I simply return the favor in whatever manner possible and we have a good laugh at each other.

And these friends are some of the most nicest people I have ever met. You might think "omg they're just name-calling children!" but if I ever needed to bury a hook--I mean, if I ever had my back up against the wall, these guys would come to my aid in a second. If any of them were "heterosexually-challenged" that wouldn't matter to me, I would do the same for them. GLAAD and others need to realize that this name-calling has existed between comrades since the dawn of time.

I think that "making safe environments" for any specific group is all a bunch of b.s. I think that gay people have to realize that the words tossed out are simply not personal (in much the same way that I thought the word "bitch" was being addressed to me because I was female, I think that gay people have to realize that the word "faggot" is not necessarily directed at them because they are gay. Guys call each other "bitch" or "faggot" and that's just the way they are - it's nothing personal. They likely don't even know a female or a gay person is even in the game).

The "problems" are not with gaming specifically... it's with our current culture where these words are used on TV shows, in music, etc. on a regular basis.

I know gay gamers (one particularly memorable person was in the Warhawk tourney) and they can still have a gay nick and be treated with respect... if they realize that the people picking on them because they are out there and obviously gay are the same people that pick on female gamers or n00bs. Having a sense of humour and some class goes much further in dealing with these idiots than getting angry about it or demanding "safe gaming environments".

I do think that they can advocate for the ability to use nicks that identify them as gay, I do think that they can advocate for better portrayals of gay characters in video games... but I don't think that they can change the way our current society and internet anonymity works.