Game Developers Fired After Arguing With Fans on Twitter

[Madmick]

http://fortune.com/2018/07/08/arenanet-guildwars2-game-developers-fired/

Two developers for the game studio ArenaNet have been fired following a spat with fans online. The company produces Guild Wars 2, a multiplayer online role-playing game.

Kotaku reports that the two fired employees are Jessica Price and Peter Fries. The incident began when Price responded derisively on Twitter to a fan suggesting that characters in Guild Wars 2 should have more dialogue options.

“Today in being a female game dev: ‘Allow me—a person who does not work with you—explain to you how you do your job,’” she wrote.

Price told Kotaku in an interview that she was expressing frustration at constant demands made by players, and the frequent implicit sexism of their criticism of female designers.

The response—in particular, its implication that gender was at issue—sparked backlash, including demands that Price be punished or fired. According to Kotaku, some of the backlash took place in online venues associated with Gamergate, a loose movement that has repeatedly coordinated harassment campaigns against women in the gaming industry. Fries was also targeted, reportedly because he defended Price on Twitter.

On Thursday, ArenaNet appeared to take the side of Price’s critics. In a post to the official Guild Wars 2 forum, ArenaNet CEO Mike O’Brien wrote that “Recently two of our employees failed to uphold our standards of communicating with players. Their attacks on the community were unacceptable. As a result, they’re no longer with the company.” The post did not name Price and Fries, but Kotaku confirmed their firing.

Observers within the gaming industry say the move sets a number of troubling precedents, including blurring the line between game developers’ private social media accounts and their role as employees. Price told Kotaku she also believes it puts ArenaNet at a disadvantage in dealing with its demanding playerbase.

“The message is very clear,” Price said, “Especially to women at the company: If Reddit wants you fired, we’ll fire you.”

Are leftists really beginning to figure out these SJWs are incompetents desperately leaning on a hobbled crutch? Gamers have been abused so long in spite of rational objection after objection that I was literally amazed to open the article, and discover it wasn't a clickbait play on words to describe that the CEO had decided to symbolically "fire" the complaining gamers from his game platform by terminating their accounts:
"Game Developers Fired...Gamers from their Game"

RIP Totalbiscuit. The torch still burns.

 

[Seano]

Good. I hate that "First off, I'm a victim here" bullshit that liberals like to open a conversation with. Fuck off.

 

[TheGreatA]

Only in today's times, would a developer of a product feel entitled to tell the customer base off, merely based on their belief that they ought to be protected from criticism of the product and suggestions for its improvement, because on their gender.

I think we can imagine which economic ideals she leans towards. Most certainly not capitalism.

For companies still in the business of actually making money, and therefore involved in honest capitalist competition, (that aren't megaliths like Google, Facebook, etc. that have unfortunately risen beyond the requirement of even needing to market their product), telling your customers to fuck off and insulting them for offering (what seemed to be a rather polite) suggestion at an alternative approach towards developing the product, is simply not acceptable.

 

[Jorge Luis Borges]

This Jessica Price lady seems like the greater offender in terms of her comments. She unecessarily created a negative situation where there wasn't one before. She was with the company less than a year. She had also previously caused controversy on Twitter by making nasty comments about a gaming critic known as totalbiscuit when he died earlier this year.

Peter Fries had worked for Arena Net 13 years. I thought his tweet defending Price wasn't bad. Perhaps the company thought he would have done better to rein her in rather than support her in this instance.

Apparently the fan Price got nasty with was relatively influential and was an official youtube "partner" with GuildWars. His critique seemed muted. Weird response by Price unless there is more to the story. I mean, "emotional courtesan"? Otherwise it seems like a straightforward case of an employee being nasty to a customer and getting fired for it.

 

[WhitebeltXL]

That guy offered constructive refutation in, surprisingly, a polite, non aggressive, non confrontational way with no mention of her being a female game developer whatsoever. Even after her passive aggressive replies, the guy stayed cordial.

She seems like she needs to take a step back and reassess why she would feel the need to react to a polite disagreement with snark and unnecessary victim card playing.

 

[TheGreatA]

This Jessica Price lady seems like the greater offender in terms of her comments. She unecessarily created a negative situation where there wasn't one before. She was with the company less than a year. She had also previously caused controversy on Twitter by making nasty comments about a gaming critic known as totalbiscuit when he died earlier this year.

Peter Fries had worked for Arena Net 13 years. I thought his tweet defending Price wasn't bad. Perhaps the company thought he would have done better to rein her in rather than support her in this instance.

Apparently the fan Price got nasty with was relatively influential and was an official youtube "partner" with GuildWars. His critique seemed muted. Weird response by Price unless there is more to the story. I mean, "emotional courtesan"? Otherwise it seems like a straightforward case of an employee being nasty to a customer and getting fired for it.

I get the sense that her remarks were motivated by having subscribed to a world-view, or a set of ideals, that does not necessarily encourage people to look at situations objectively, as individual events, but rather a chain of events that lead to systematic patterns of "oppressive behaviour" against the likes of her.

That world-view encouraged her to impose standards on a situation where they did not necessarily apply, and as a result, she was made to look very irrational and hostile to the neutral observer, who does not subscribe to her world-view.

In her mind, she probably saw herself as defending her interest group, against a group of people (gamers, particularly male gamers) that she sees as being hostile against the interests of her collective.

For the average person uninvolved with this stuff, all of it seems very strange indeed. But to the people involved, it makes perfect sense. That is, until they take a step back, and look at their actions for a distance. And then it may no longer make as much sense.

 

[Fedorable]

two things that don't belong in the gamer community: 1. Sexism 2. Female developers.

 

[Rod1]

Yeah, you don't fight with customers you want to keep.

Company did the right thing.

 

[BayAreaGuy]

Ive been reading a lot about this on twitter. Apparently she has a history of rude comments.

 

[Damage]

what a scumbag

 

[TheSlothMan]

Lol jesus. I'm sure those gaming nerds were only criticizing her because she's a girl. Male game developers never EVER get criticized for choices by the fans!! Not even once in history!
(Is my sarcasm obvious?)

 

[Neph]

It looks like she's finally getting a dose of reality. Good thinking bitching in public about the people that ultimately pay your wages and then pulling the gender card.

Good riddance.

 

[Ruprecht]

I'm puzzled how anyone can work in an IT related field and not realise that even if you're 100% right, and the customer/client hasn't got the faintest clue what they are talking about, arguing with them is always a loss.

 

[spin]

i dont see the issue.

employee fucked up, played persecuted, got fired, played persecuted.

we've seen this story a million times. some people just never take any responsibility. and are usually loud.

that's seems to be about it.

 

[OverCoronavirus Pressure]

Reading the first two posts this shit ought be in the WR where politics belong.

 

[Lonesome Crow]

http://fortune.com/2018/07/08/arenanet-guildwars2-game-developers-fired/

"Observers within the gaming industry say the move sets a number of troubling precedents, including blurring the line between game developers’ private social media accounts and their role as employees."

That's the decline of Western Civilization in a nutshell right there.

"Private social media"?!!??!

You would think that when writing an article, a journalist would avoid using a textbook example of an oxymoron.

And yes, publicly getting into a pissing match with customers will get you in trouble with the company you work for. That's always been the case. Welcome to the real world.

 

[woodguyatl]

Only in today's times, would a developer of a product feel entitled to tell the customer base off, merely based on their belief that they ought to be protected from criticism of the product and suggestions for its improvement, because on their gender.

I think we can imagine which economic ideals she leans towards. Most certainly not capitalism.

For companies still in the business of actually making money, and therefore involved in honest capitalist competition, (that aren't megaliths like Google, Facebook, etc. that have unfortunately risen beyond the requirement of even needing to market their product), telling your customers to fuck off and insulting them for offering (what seemed to be a rather polite) suggestion at an alternative approach towards developing the product, is simply not acceptable.

There is a difference between criticizing a product and telling someone how to do their job. It is not clear to me which happened to me. I hate being told by customers how to do my job rather than simply deciding whether they want the final product or not.

 

[DC23]

Can't believe Guild Wars is still being played.

 

[TheGreatA]

There is a difference between criticizing a product and telling someone how to do their job. It is not clear to me which happened to me. I hate being told by customers how to do my job rather than simply deciding whether they want the final product or not.

There is a difference, for sure, but I don't think the situation in this case, had anything to do with anyone telling a person how to do their job. If you're telling a cop how to catch criminals, or a teacher how to teach students, without any expertise on the matter, then you're probably just being an asshole. But what I see in this case is more of a suggestion on how to improve the product, rather than an attempt at under-mining another person's authority or questioning their ability to do their job effectively.

"Really interesting thread to read!

However, allow me to disagree *slightly*. I dont believe the issue lies in the MMORPG genre itself (as your wording seemingly suggest). I believe the issue lies in the constraints of the Living Story's narrative design; When you want the outcome to be the same across the board for all players' experiences, then yes, by design you are extremely limited in how you can construct the personality of the PC (player character).

But, if instead players were given the option to meaningfully express *their* character through branching dialogue options (which also aren't just on the checklist for an achievement that forces you through all dialogue options), then perhaps players would be more invested in the roleplaying aspect of that particular MMORPG. Nonetheless, I appreciate the insightful thread! (End)"

This was about as impersonal of an attempt at giving feedback, as you can expect to have.

 

[woodguyatl]

There is a difference, for sure, but I don't think the situation in this case, had anything to do with anyone telling a person how to do their job. If you're telling a cop how to catch criminals, or a teacher how to teach students, without any expertise on the matter, then you're probably just being an asshole. But what I see in this case is more of a suggestion on how to improve the product, rather than an attempt at under-mining another person's authority or questioning their ability to do their job effectively.

"Really interesting thread to read!

However, allow me to disagree *slightly*. I dont believe the issue lies in the MMORPG genre itself (as your wording seemingly suggest). I believe the issue lies in the constraints of the Living Story's narrative design; When you want the outcome to be the same across the board for all players' experiences, then yes, by design you are extremely limited in how you can construct the personality of the PC (player character).

But, if instead players were given the option to meaningfully express *their* character through branching dialogue options (which also aren't just on the checklist for an achievement that forces you through all dialogue options), then perhaps players would be more invested in the roleplaying aspect of that particular MMORPG. Nonetheless, I appreciate the insightful thread! (End)"

This was about as impersonal of an attempt at giving feedback, as you can expect to have.

Thanks. Working from mobile and for some reason the whole post did not come through. If she reacted badly to that comment alone then she went too far.