What are you currently reading?

[Martin]

Thanks Martin. If you have a chance, you should check out the article link below. It explains the book's supposed connections to Gamergate. Much like yourself, I found myself fascinated by the whole Gamergate thing as it was going on even though I don't play online games.

https://www.vox.com/culture/2018/3/2...gate-explained

Thanks, interesting article. I would have to read the book to determine if I agree with the premise.

[Martin]

I guess I'm dull or something. I still don't understand what gamersgate is/was.

Gamergate is too complex for me to even try to explain here but a few lines from the article sholloman81 posted probably offer the most succinct explanation I have seen.
"angry gamers (mostly young, straight white men) hurling abuse at their targets (mostly women) in the name of a kind of nerd purity.

That abuse took the form of graphic rape and death threats, sometimes so detailed and specific that some of the women targeted by Gamergate went into hiding. Occasionally, Gamergaters would send SWAT teams to their targets’ homes (a popular trolling tactic that has led to death in at least one case).

It was all a particularly vicious and brutal kind of gatekeeping. Gamergate’s targets were primarily people who were interested in performing feminist critiques of video games or in making nontraditional video games for women or disabled people or people of color. For this, packs of angry nerds decided that they must be punished."

[Ben Staad]

I think this type of thing explains a good portion of the internet. Different groups of people formed by race, religion, sexuality, etc clump together and hate on others. They ping pong the same thoughts and ideas off of one another and refuse to be open to others, others ideas, and refuse to even accept that differences are okay and can be celebrated without agreeing with them.

Gamergate is too complex for me to even try to explain here but a few lines from the article sholloman81 posted probably offer the most succinct explanation I have seen.
"angry gamers (mostly young, straight white men) hurling abuse at their targets (mostly women) in the name of a kind of nerd purity.

That abuse took the form of graphic rape and death threats, sometimes so detailed and specific that some of the women targeted by Gamergate went into hiding. Occasionally, Gamergaters would send SWAT teams to their targets’ homes (a popular trolling tactic that has led to death in at least one case).

It was all a particularly vicious and brutal kind of gatekeeping. Gamergate’s targets were primarily people who were interested in performing feminist critiques of video games or in making nontraditional video games for women or disabled people or people of color. For this, packs of angry nerds decided that they must be punished."

[Brian861]

Gamergate is too complex for me to even try to explain here but a few lines from the article sholloman81 posted probably offer the most succinct explanation I have seen.
"angry gamers (mostly young, straight white men) hurling abuse at their targets (mostly women) in the name of a kind of nerd purity.

That abuse took the form of graphic rape and death threats, sometimes so detailed and specific that some of the women targeted by Gamergate went into hiding. Occasionally, Gamergaters would send SWAT teams to their targets’ homes (a popular trolling tactic that has led to death in at least one case).

It was all a particularly vicious and brutal kind of gatekeeping. Gamergate’s targets were primarily people who were interested in performing feminist critiques of video games or in making nontraditional video games for women or disabled people or people of color. For this, packs of angry nerds decided that they must be punished."

It's called Swatting and a young man lost his life here in Wichita due to it. Unarmed and shot by police in the doorway of his home. I'm not sure if that's the case Martin is referring to.

2017 Wichita Swatting Incident

[Martin]

I think this type of thing explains a good portion of the internet. Different groups of people formed by race, religion, sexuality, etc clump together and hate on others. They ping pong the same thoughts and ideas off of one another and refuse to be open to others, others ideas, and refuse to even accept that differences are okay and can be celebrated without agreeing with them.

You hit the nail on the head. Gamergate put on display many of the ills of the internet culture, which is why I followed it closely at the time.

[Martin]

It's called Swatting and a young man lost his life here in Wichita due to it. Unarmed and shot by police in the doorway of his home. I'm not sure if that's the case Martin is referring to.

2017 Wichita Swatting Incident

I can't be sure but I believe that is the case the article is referencing.

[sholloman81]

I can't be sure but I believe that is the case the article is referencing.

Yeah, I'm pretty sure that is the case that was referenced. I remember hearing about this when it happened and feeling really upset. Have been surprised that swatting hasn't crept up in popular fiction or movies ye.

[sholloman81]

Yeah, I'm pretty sure that is the case that was referenced. I remember hearing about this when it happened and feeling really upset. Have been surprised that swatting hasn't crept up in popular fiction or movies yet. Swatting scares the hell out of me as anyone could fall victim to it.

(Sorry for the double post)

[Sock Monkey]

It's called Swatting and a young man lost his life here in Wichita due to it. Unarmed and shot by police in the doorway of his home. I'm not sure if that's the case Martin is referring to.

2017 Wichita Swatting Incident

You hit the nail on the head. Gamergate put on display many of the ills of the internet culture, which is why I followed it closely at the time.

Yeah, I'm pretty sure that is the case that was referenced. I remember hearing about this when it happened and feeling really upset. Have been surprised that swatting hasn't crept up in popular fiction or movies ye.

Yeah, I'm pretty sure that is the case that was referenced. I remember hearing about this when it happened and feeling really upset. Have been surprised that swatting hasn't crept up in popular fiction or movies yet. Swatting scares the hell out of me as anyone could fall victim to it.

(Sorry for the double post)

I had not heard of this incident before these posts. It's so tragic and pointless and it makes you wonder about people.

[Brian861]

Yeah, I'm pretty sure that is the case that was referenced. I remember hearing about this when it happened and feeling really upset. Have been surprised that swatting hasn't crept up in popular fiction or movies yet. Swatting scares the hell out of me as anyone could fall victim to it.

(Sorry for the double post)

It has been portrayed on the TV show Tommy. Pretty good show actually.

[sholloman81]

Just finished the 2nd book in Joe Lansdale's Ned the Seal trilogy, "Flaming Zeppelins". Liked it at least as much as the first book if not a bit more. Not exactly heavy reading but great gonzo fun nonetheless. Am now onto the final book in the trilogy, "The Sky Done Ripped." Am excited to see how Lansdale wraps this trilogy up. Also like the fact that the final book's length is as long as the first two books combined. Hopefully I won't rip through this one in a day as I did with the first two books.

[bookworm 1]

Just started Inspection by some guy who wrote Bird Box. So far so good

[RonClinton]

Just started the new R. Chetwynd-Hayes collection from PS.

[jeffingoff]

Just started Inspection by some guy who wrote Bird Box. So far so good

I love that one. The ending is awesome.

[sholloman81]

I love that one. The ending is awesome.

I feel the same exact way. I'm hoping that someone will do a limited edition of this one as well as his other published novels that haven't received the limited edition treatment yet: Unbury Carol & Black Mad Wheel. With this author's current popularity, I'm guessing it must be a contractual thing. I know I would be in on them!