【Jesús Franco】

The Jesús Francor/Games subreddit is closed for April Fools' Day, eschewing the day's typical tradition of lighthearted pranking to shed some light on problems that have plagued the gaming community for decades.

In a lengthy text post, the moderators of the r/Games subreddit detailed why there would no posting or commenting in r/Games for a full day, pointing out examples of hate and intolerance that has spackled the walls of the subreddit in unwelcoming colors since the community's inception.

Instead of allowing users to talk about games, get angry at each other, and spew awful messages day and night, the mods of r/Games have asked users to stop and think about the kinds of things they're posting, to consider the impact that hateful jokes and comments have on people, and to check out a number of charities that support marginalized people, all of whom are a part of the gaming community.

While in many circles this act by the r/Games moderators may not seem like a big deal, to many online groups (especially in gaming) this is considered a bold stance. Sexism, racism, homophobia, transphobia, ableism, and hate in general runs rampant in online gaming communities, and any stance against this rhetoric can be seen as extremely divisive to those who engage in this kind of talk -- or as they often frame it: humor.

You see it all over the place in gaming and in online gaming spaces, the usage of the N-word, the F-word, the R-word, and other words to belittle or insult people. The people who use these words consistently claim that they aren't using it to offend anyone, and they swear that they aren't racist or homophobic or whatever else, but the truth is that words have meaning despite their intent.

When you choose to use a word that is meant as a direct insult to a group of people or carries a heavy amount of negative baggage with it, even if you aren't directing it at those people, you're demeaning them. You're choosing a word because you knowthat it has a negative connotation, and no matter your intent, it's hateful and creates a barrier between yourself and that group.

Gaming can be an incredibly unwelcoming space for anyone who isn't a straight white cis male given the amount of vitriol that's thrown around so casually. The angriest of gamers often feel the need to act as gatekeepers for gaming because they imagine that making gaming feel more accessible to other groups somehow taints the purity of their hobby.

It's the same kind of rhetoric that's used by white nationalists and groups like the Ku Klux Klan or any of the dozens of European identity groups that preach white supremacy. They think that their own culture or group has some sort of superiority over others and aim to keep their group "pure" and will do what they can to stop the influence or intermingling of other cultures.

There are many shades of white nationalism in video game gatekeeping, with many of its most vocal guards describing any female characters, characters of color, and LGBTQIA+ characters as blatant catering to SJWs (social justice warriors), a common name for any person who values inclusivity in absolutely anything.

These gatekeepers view anything that doesn't fit in their narrow view of gaming as an assault on their hobby.

The kinds of hateful and intolerant posts and comments that litter online gaming forums and communities like r/Games only help to feed this beast, widening the divide between straight white cis males who think they deserve to own the entire video game industry and everyone else.

To force people to stop, take a break, and think about these kinds of things is a strictly positive act.

There will be pushback against the r/Games mods, of course, because some people have been conditioned to whole-heartedly believe that gaming is a special, sacred thing that they need to protect from anyone who doesn't look or think like them, and they'll defend their "free speech" and their use of ignorant humor to the end. They'll get pissed off for thinking that the mods are talking down to them or telling them that they're wrong for spreading hate and intolerance, but it's important to remind the community that everyone is welcome.

To not take a stance on things like hate and intolerance is to stand with hate intolerance. To sit back and do nothing is effectively the same thing as giving a thumbs up to racists, sexists, ableists, homophobes, and transphobes.

Taking a stand to say that hate and intolerance is not allowed in a given space or community is a necessary act to make those spaces welcome to everyone. When certain groups deal with hate and violence on a daily basis just because of who they are, it's critical to stand up against those who spread messages that feed into that system.

There's no cure for hate, but to refuse to give it a platform, to refuse to let it fester in your community, even minimally, deprives it of oxygen and helps to stop its spread, making the world a better place for everyone.