Tough post to read. I have nothing to offer except that I really enjoyed both of the Queen's Wish games and I am playing through Geneforge 1 Mutagen and really enjoying it also. That encouragement is not enough I realize, but I hope it is something.
If it helps, and I sus it won't but I want to reassure you, I think you overestimate how much thought many haters put into their actions or how much they think about you personally. Even if they are organized enough, hate cults this organized are rarely about hating the person itself, but about what that person represents. At best, it's a suppression campaign barely disguised as free speech that you got swept up in. The sad fact is just because you don't get into politics doesn't mean you don't get swept up in it anyway.
<rant>When it comes to these things, I often think about those who still hate on Sean Murray. Not Hello Games, not games marketing spin itself, Sean Murray. It's been 5 years, people! He hasn't been run off with the money. You're not helping the games industry, you're not even helping yourself, by holding this grudge. Be honest with yourself, and disassociate with gamer hype or do more on social media than just dumping on people.</rant>
i personally think you're a gem, mr. vogel. you shaped my childhood; i grew up with your fantasy games, and i think of the world in terms of how they relate to things i saw in your games as a kid.
soooooo even if you do get murked by some weirdo at 9 am, you still live on in me :)
Thank you for sharing this article. I love your newsletters and am happy to see them in my inbox.
I'd like to add something to your article for others to consider. It's something of the flip side of the coin regarding those who claim to be harassed and/or victims who aren't. This happens just as often, if not more, than people being harassed - and can result in frustration and harm to others. This type of behavior can be seen all the time by those with any kind of following.
To tack on a third item to consider, the tangent train now careening on ill-maintained tracks, are those who follow entities (be it an individual, group, company, product, etc.). The behavior of these individuals, both alone and as part of a group, are often troubling.
I'll leave these abstracts as they are. Food for thought. That typed, don't run out and move into a cave just yet. It's not all it's cracked up to be.
Nothing pithy or light-hearted to offer here, especially in light of the heavier side of what was discussed. All I can offer is that, even if it puts you on a stage that exposes you and yours to the worst it has to offer, I'm glad you've chosen to share your works and vision with the world.
Just wanted to tip the scale a bit for the good here and let you know I'm playing through Avernum EftP for the first time and loving every line of it. Very happy to have discovered your games and to think there's so many of them for me to play.
I feel for your pain. It feels like people these days enjoy complaining more than complimenting someone, so I try my best to say nice things about people wherever I can.
I haven't played any of the newer games as my attention span is not what it used to be (woo flashing lights!), however I grew up playing games like Exile and Avernum and it still holds a place in my heart (and I quite enjoy reading your blog posts - you're a good writer!).
One of my fondest memories is glitching my way past the shareware paywall in one of the Exile games so I could play the full thing before I was at an age I could actually pay for stuff.
Tough post to read. I have nothing to offer except that I really enjoyed both of the Queen's Wish games and I am playing through Geneforge 1 Mutagen and really enjoying it also. That encouragement is not enough I realize, but I hope it is something.
If it helps, and I sus it won't but I want to reassure you, I think you overestimate how much thought many haters put into their actions or how much they think about you personally. Even if they are organized enough, hate cults this organized are rarely about hating the person itself, but about what that person represents. At best, it's a suppression campaign barely disguised as free speech that you got swept up in. The sad fact is just because you don't get into politics doesn't mean you don't get swept up in it anyway.
<rant>When it comes to these things, I often think about those who still hate on Sean Murray. Not Hello Games, not games marketing spin itself, Sean Murray. It's been 5 years, people! He hasn't been run off with the money. You're not helping the games industry, you're not even helping yourself, by holding this grudge. Be honest with yourself, and disassociate with gamer hype or do more on social media than just dumping on people.</rant>
Paul Graham wrote an essay about haters which feels relevant to this: http://paulgraham.com/fh.html
i personally think you're a gem, mr. vogel. you shaped my childhood; i grew up with your fantasy games, and i think of the world in terms of how they relate to things i saw in your games as a kid.
soooooo even if you do get murked by some weirdo at 9 am, you still live on in me :)
Thank you for sharing this article. I love your newsletters and am happy to see them in my inbox.
I'd like to add something to your article for others to consider. It's something of the flip side of the coin regarding those who claim to be harassed and/or victims who aren't. This happens just as often, if not more, than people being harassed - and can result in frustration and harm to others. This type of behavior can be seen all the time by those with any kind of following.
To tack on a third item to consider, the tangent train now careening on ill-maintained tracks, are those who follow entities (be it an individual, group, company, product, etc.). The behavior of these individuals, both alone and as part of a group, are often troubling.
I'll leave these abstracts as they are. Food for thought. That typed, don't run out and move into a cave just yet. It's not all it's cracked up to be.
As someone who just entered (local) politics, it can be pretty brutal. I appreciate you talking about this.
I remember convincing my dad to buy me your Geneforge games. They hold a special place in my heart, especially the first 2.
I hope some of the nice messages stick with you, too.
Nothing pithy or light-hearted to offer here, especially in light of the heavier side of what was discussed. All I can offer is that, even if it puts you on a stage that exposes you and yours to the worst it has to offer, I'm glad you've chosen to share your works and vision with the world.
Great and (sadly) necessary article.
Just wanted to tip the scale a bit for the good here and let you know I'm playing through Avernum EftP for the first time and loving every line of it. Very happy to have discovered your games and to think there's so many of them for me to play.
Best regards from Brazil!
I feel for your pain. It feels like people these days enjoy complaining more than complimenting someone, so I try my best to say nice things about people wherever I can.
I haven't played any of the newer games as my attention span is not what it used to be (woo flashing lights!), however I grew up playing games like Exile and Avernum and it still holds a place in my heart (and I quite enjoy reading your blog posts - you're a good writer!).
One of my fondest memories is glitching my way past the shareware paywall in one of the Exile games so I could play the full thing before I was at an age I could actually pay for stuff.
Stay safe my dude.