17 votes

A female Call of Duty Mobile esports player 'Sol' has reportedly been murdered by a male player 'Flashlight' in São Paulo

15 comments

  1. stu2b50
    Link
    That's what jumped out to from the title, not the part where they're gamers. And I'm not saying that eSports is bad - rather, that there has been an explosion in what's basically being amateur...

    A female Call of Duty Mobile esports player

    That's what jumped out to from the title, not the part where they're gamers. And I'm not saying that eSports is bad - rather, that there has been an explosion in what's basically being amateur online celebrities, and the difference from ages before is the level of independence - which is both good and bad.

    There's a plethora of benefits to personalities having complete ownership over their product, rather than the traditional sign-with-production-company model. But it also means you no longer have that institutional knowledge backing you up. Many people are jumping straight from being no one, to being someone, without even realizing that - and realizing that you need to run a tighter ship when that happens.

    This applies to burgeoning eSports scenes, live streamers, tiktok influencers, and so forth.

    I don't have a solution to this, although I do think that as time goes on that kind celebrity street knowledge will start to become common.

    3 votes
  2. [5]
    Thrabalen
    Link
    Instead of replying to a comment this time, I'm going to address the violent video game issue here. Much has been made recently about banning "violent video games". Again. All this is because...

    Instead of replying to a comment this time, I'm going to address the violent video game issue here. Much has been made recently about banning "violent video games". Again. All this is because there has been a rise in violent activities recently, during the most stressful year-long period we've had since the second world war. So a group of lawmakers decided that, instead of actually addressing the causes of said stress (because they are many and that would be hard) that they instead would offer up a sacrificial lamb in the hopes that no one would look too closely at the correlation between the two things.

    As someone who has been a gamer since the Satanic Panic of the 80s, this isn't a surprise, but it is exhausting. I thought we'd put all of this rhetoric behind us and moved on from it. Call of Duty is going to come under the microscope now, but GTA, for some reason, has been the target for a few days. GTA V was released in 2013, has sold over a 130 million copies, but it's been waiting until the year of an incredibly stressful pandemic to strike? If anything, having a stress release valve has made me a less violent person, not more.

    This Call of Duty related death is horrible, but instead of focusing on the background element (the game), maybe we should be focusing on a possible reason this crime was committed: the toxic misogyny prevalent in so many hobbies that were once male-dominated but have had increasingly larger numbers of female players joining them.

    15 votes
    1. joplin
      Link Parent
      ... and also because they are the cause of much of the stress themselves! Ugh no doubt. How much dumber do things have to get before they realize they're barking up the wrong tree?

      All this is because there has been a rise in violent activities recently, during the most stressful year-long period we've had since the second world war. So a group of lawmakers decided that, instead of actually addressing the causes of said stress (because they are many and that would be hard)

      ... and also because they are the cause of much of the stress themselves!

      As someone who has been a gamer since the Satanic Panic of the 80s, this isn't a surprise, but it is exhausting.

      Ugh no doubt. How much dumber do things have to get before they realize they're barking up the wrong tree?

      6 votes
    2. [3]
      PhantomBand
      Link Parent
      I really can't understand why misogyny in this field is a thing (or in general at all). I for one greatly appreciate seeing more girls sharing interests with me.

      I really can't understand why misogyny in this field is a thing (or in general at all).

      I for one greatly appreciate seeing more girls sharing interests with me.

      2 votes
      1. [2]
        Thrabalen
        Link Parent
        I completely agree. Gaming should be the most diverse hobby, because it's so broad. There are games for literally everyone that wants one, from hard core milshooters like Call of Duty to ultra...

        I completely agree. Gaming should be the most diverse hobby, because it's so broad. There are games for literally everyone that wants one, from hard core milshooters like Call of Duty to ultra light games like The Sims. And those tastes don't run along gender lines. This CoD player is not an anomaly, there are plenty of girls and women into milshooters like CoD, and plenty of boys and men into casual games likeThe Sims.

        5 votes
        1. PhantomBand
          Link Parent
          Absolutely, save for the "compootor games? ain't got time for that" crowd I guess, lol.

          Absolutely, save for the "compootor games? ain't got time for that" crowd I guess, lol.

  3. [9]
    keb
    (edited )
    Link
    Maybe that Illinois rep. is right... EDIT: Apologies, I intended my comment as a sarcastic reference to another thread on ~games at the moment. I do not seriously believe we should ban all violent...

    Maybe that Illinois rep. is right...

    EDIT: Apologies, I intended my comment as a sarcastic reference to another thread on ~games at the moment. I do not seriously believe we should ban all violent video games. Excuse my poor attempt at humor.

    6 votes
    1. [2]
      cfabbro
      (edited )
      Link Parent
      As the American Psychological Association itself has repeatedly said, and even recently reaffirmed: That, and another important point: Source: APA Reaffirms Position on Violent Video Games and...

      As the American Psychological Association itself has repeatedly said, and even recently reaffirmed:

      There is insufficient scientific evidence to support a causal link between violent video games and violent behavior

      That, and another important point:

      “Violence is a complex social problem that likely stems from many factors that warrant attention from researchers, policymakers and the public,” said APA President Sandra L. Shullman, PhD. “Attributing violence to video gaming is not scientifically sound and draws attention away from other factors, such as a history of violence, which we know from the research is a major predictor of future violence.”

      Source: APA Reaffirms Position on Violent Video Games and Violent Behavior - Cautions against oversimplification of complex issue

      9 votes
      1. Thrabalen
        Link Parent
        I play GTA Online. Thus far, I have yet to break any motor vehicle laws, assault anyone, become engaged in gun crimes, hire a sex worker, or (and this is the most distressing statistic) rob a...

        I play GTA Online. Thus far, I have yet to break any motor vehicle laws, assault anyone, become engaged in gun crimes, hire a sex worker, or (and this is the most distressing statistic) rob a casino in a daring heist.

        2 votes
    2. [2]
      cfabbro
      Link Parent
      Regarding your edit: No worries. But for future reference, a "/s" at the end of your comment would probably have gone a long way in helping people realize you were joking. :P

      Regarding your edit: No worries. But for future reference, a "/s" at the end of your comment would probably have gone a long way in helping people realize you were joking. :P

      6 votes
      1. keb
        Link Parent
        Haha note taken. :)

        Haha note taken. :)

        2 votes
    3. [4]
      Thrabalen
      Link Parent
      300 million copies of various Call of Duty games have been sold. So far, I have heard of exactly one murder that can be attributed to the game. If we're going to ban a product that has a...

      300 million copies of various Call of Duty games have been sold. So far, I have heard of exactly one murder that can be attributed to the game. If we're going to ban a product that has a 1/300,000,000 murder connection, then the line for banning things is going to be a long one, starting with automobiles (anyone else remember "road rage"?)

      4 votes
      1. [3]
        streblo
        Link Parent
        I definitely think the idea that video games cause violence is silly but this is not the argument being made. It's a bad enough argument as is, we don't need to invent straw men punching bags to...

        I definitely think the idea that video games cause violence is silly but

        ban a product that has a 1/300,000,000 murder connection

        this is not the argument being made. It's a bad enough argument as is, we don't need to invent straw men punching bags to refute it.

        3 votes
        1. [2]
          Thrabalen
          (edited )
          Link Parent
          So what is the argument being made? Because all I see is "things are violent, so let's invent a bogeyman." This is Jack Thompson-level ridiculous. I chose the Call of Duty story because it's...

          So what is the argument being made? Because all I see is "things are violent, so let's invent a bogeyman." This is Jack Thompson-level ridiculous. I chose the Call of Duty story because it's literally the only thing I can think of from these past twelve months where a person was harmed due to a video game. More violence breaks out over snow shoveling for Pete's sake.

          1. streblo
            Link Parent
            I agree that it's a dumb argument on the whole but its important to actually address it lest someone dismiss what you're saying. It seems to me you're saying that only 1/300000000 is connected to...

            I agree that it's a dumb argument on the whole but its important to actually address it lest someone dismiss what you're saying. It seems to me you're saying that only 1/300000000 is connected to video games because you're looking for direct connections. People that believe this believe violence is increasing in aggregate -- not that people are announcing "video games made me do it" before committing a violent act.

            4 votes