Erratica Reduex

Warning: this post contains a lot of triggering concepts, such as rape.

RPG writer James Desborough has caused a controversy that brings up issues of sexism, gaming culture, and censorship. Desborough, author of works such as The Slayers Guide to Female Gamers (review here), Nymphology (review here), and The-Quintessential-Temptress, posted a blog entry titled "In Defense of Rape" (NSFW edited blog here) where he contended that rape was an excellent plot device. In response, Malyn Cooper first asked game companies such as Mongoose and Steve Jackson games to stop publishing Desborough's work, then started a petition drive on Change.com (altered petition here).


( Cut due to length and content )


That's the controversy in a nutshell. As to what I think?

James Desborough to me obviously covers a high degree of misogyny under a cover of satire, and he has an unhealthy fascination with rape. But is that a reason to censor him?

Well, no. And what's happening is not censorship. Even as writers like James Desborough have a right to write whatever they want, customers have a right to complain, and a right to pressure companies through words and collective purchasing power. Those who support Desborough on the basis of defending against censorship are misguided.

More importantly both Desborough's work and the ongoing rape threats against Malyn Cooper points out that the problem with sexism in rpgs is even worse than it commonly is thought to be. For a long time depictions of women in artwork has been problematic, and there['s been an attitude that rape and sexual assault in rpgs is either juvenile fun or a plot device. This attitude in my view is strongly inimical toward women being comfortable around gamers, not to mention the role playing hobby as a whole. Worse, it trivializes rape as a concept, making it easier for rapists and sexual harassers to operate.

If anything good can come out of this, at least this dialogue is being held, and there are people willing at least to take a stand. It's discouraging to see how many people are supporting Desborough, especially those who minimize the misogynistic elements of his work. But the fact that people are at least willing to complain is a sign of miniscule progress. Changing the culture is an excruciatingly slow task, one where there will be a lot of resistance. But if we really want to get to the point where gaming culture and the culture at large find rape and sexual harassment unacceptable, then things such as the Desborough controversy are necessary.

The Television Tropes wiki has introduced a new service, called Useful Notes, which is a collection of more-or-less factual articles designed to inform and educate readers, and "debunk common media stereotypes". In other words, it's to do much the same thing that TV Tropes was originally created to do.  It's interesting that TV Tropes has become so huge and unwieldy it needs a fact page, but not that surprising. I personally think that some time ago TV Tropes passed the point of usability and is now just about how many video game and anime series references one can fit to a given trope.

I've also been hearing from some writers that TV Tropes has become an active detriment to their writing anything. Some have told me that they develop a writer's block after reading TV Tropes, and others have mentioned that they get too depressed to write. In both case, they state thhe problem as being "WEll, all the tropes have been done before, so I can't do anything original.

I can't help but think this is a product of Television Topes own success. TV Tropes used to be useful both in describing some of the "Cheats" that writers used, and in pointing out the cliched, racist and sexist elements in TV shows. However I'm starting to see it used as a substitute for actually describing what's going on in a given piece of fiction. Believe it or not there IS a difference between Madmen and Supernatural, even if they share some tropes- which I know they do, because ALL shows share tropes. That's where I suspect the sense of depression really comes in, from knowing that one's work won't actually be judged for what it has to say or the quality of our writing, but merely cataloged on what tropes people can glom onto. It's description as a substitute for criticism.

Not only has the situation become like that joke where prisoners simply say the numbers of jokes, TV Tropes is rapidly becoming prescriptive, not descriptive. I've actually heard writers say "Well, I'm doing a story about subject X, so according to TV Tropes, I need to have Tropes A, B, and G-R in it. Hell, I can practically do my writing by numbers now." It's like an author listening too much to what fans want to see- the end result is Piers Anthony.

I suppose the answer could be as simple as a writer not reading TV Tropes, but TV Tropes has had a valuable role to play in pointing out bad writing and cliches, especially those that are racist, sexist, or other-ist. And of course it leaves the problem of other people putting too much emphasis into TV Tropes. Maybe it's just time to start over, or do some vigorous editing of the site?

What do you all think?

*Humph* I shouldn't have to ban two LJ users for spamming in one week. Especially when I suspect it won't do any good.

Ah well, I'll add it to my "Ways Livejournal annoys me, but not enough to move" list.

There really needs to be a variant on the Goodwin's Law that states "As an internet Star Wars discussion grows longer, the probability of a debate as to whether the Empire is evil approaches one."

At that point we can conclude that just like in the threads described by the original Goodwin's Law, the Star Wars thread will continue, but the actual information content will be zero.

I've decided that it may be time for a replacement for Metafilter. I still enjoy the core element of Metafilter which involves bringing up interesting things from the net and discussing them. However, the people on Metafilter have gotten too old, bitter and cynical for me. I don't want to hear another grumpy poster ranting about everything wrong with pop music over the last two decades, and that no music has been good since the 1970s. Reading Metafilter these days just makes me depressed and grumpy myself, and I don't need that sort of crap.

So basically, it's time to hold tryouts for a meta-site like Metafilter, but more cheerful and enthusiastic about life and the internet. Any suggestions?

In spite of the diagnostic websites I consulted this morning, which all had flow charts that inevitably lead to "If you have this symptom CALL THE DOCTOR RIGHT NOW BEFORE YOU DIE IN THE NEXT FIVE MINUTES!!!", the sharp pains in my lower abdomen seem to have actually been caused by a case of gas and a touch of stomach flu.

Stupid internets.

...But at least I'm glad to learn I don't have an ectopic pregnancy.

So the other night, right before bed we were sleepily trying to remember where the line "stab you through your computer monitor" or some such came from.  We couldn't quite remember...I thought it was from a Penny Arcade comic or something, but I wasn't sure.

So today, five minutes with Google answered this Very Important Question.  It actually originally came from some unnamed IRC chat years ago, and the IMPORTANT thing is the context:.
So as you see, this was no mere random bit of misanthropy- this statement was provoked.  He's really talking about justified stabbing in the face. 

And now you know, most of the story.  Thank you Google.

I am writing this post on my laptop, which I have back again after months of it being out of commission. Racerxmachina did me the huge favor of taking it to the campus repair shop, and they kindly rebooted the system and kicked Norton Anticomputer of it for me at no charge.

So finally I'll be able to write again without wrestling over the computer with RxM. This means I'll be able to churn out even more crap then ever!

I am utterly thrilled!

Sadly, we all can't have grown up Irish, with a poetical soul that's been nurtured by a childhood of grinding oppression, poverty and tragedy. But thanks to Francesco Marciuliano (author of Sally Forth and Medium Large) that shouldn't keep you from writing as if you did!

So, in honor of St. Patrick's Day:

Write your Own Irish Memoir!

It's like Mad Libs for the James Joyce fans!

It is to rejoice.  The comics.com library has put the entire run of Peanuts online, for free.  All the way back to the first strip, it's there in all it's sardonic, surreal beauty.