THE VIDEOGAME IS CALLED RUNESCAPE AND WHILE I AM
NOT VERY FAMILIAR WITH IT, JOHN AND KIM ARE.
THE POPULAR ONLINE BIT IS A GAME HAS BEEN RUNNING ONLINE SINCE
2001 AND HOLDS THE WORLD RECORD FOR THE MOST UPDATED GIVEN
THE WORLD, HAVING BEEN SERVICE WITH REGULAR UPDATES FOR
MORE THAN 15 YEARS.
IT IS RUN BY A UK-BASED PRODUCTION COMPANY
JACK X AND ONE OF THE GAMEíS DEVELOPERS ACTUALLY
TEASED THAT THEY WERE GOING TO BE HOLDING THIS EVENT ON TWITTER.
HE SAID IT IS AN HONOR TO ANNOUNCE A SMALL HOLIDAY
EVENT MIND WILL BE COMING TO AT OLD SCHOOL I RS THIS
THURSDAY TO CELEBRATE PRIDE 2017.
THIS IS ACTUALLY NOT REALLY NEW TO RUNESCAPE BECAUSE THEY
FEATURED A NUMBER OF OTHER EVENTS IN RECENT YEARS DEALING
WITH MENTAL HEALTH, ANIMAL PROTECTION AND PREVENTING ONLINE
ABUSE WITH VERY LITTLE ISSUE, HOWEVER, WHEN THEY ROLLED OUT
THIS TEASER OF DOING THE LB GT PRIDE EVENT, THE REDDIT
POSTS, THERE WAS SOME BACKLASH.
THERE WERE NEGATIVE AND POSITIVE ONES.
WITH A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE -ONES.
SOME PEOPLE IN TWITTER WERE SAYING I PLAY THIS GAME TO
PLAY THIS GAME NOT TO AGREE OR TO BE OTHER PEOPLE'S SEXUALITY.
A GIANT RAINBOW GAY PRIDE EVENT BEING SHOVED A METHOD IS
NOT ACCEPTABLE TO SOME PLAYERS EVEN ATTEMPTED TO START AN
IN GAME ANTI-GAY PRIDE RIOT.
RIGHT IS A LONG OBSERVED TRADITION BY WHICH PLAYERS
PROTEST DISLIKE UPDATES.
HUNDREDS OF PEOPLE ASSEMBLED INSIDE THE GAME, REPEATING
POSTING REPEATEDLY LOOK AT WE PAY NO GAY.
YOU COULD DO BETTER.
COME ON.
THINK OF A BETTER CATCH PHRASE.
I WOULD SAY GAY PEOPLE ARE JUST THE BEST AT CATCH PHRASES.
IF THEY HAD JUST CONSULTED THEY COULD'VE GOTTEN A BETTER ONE.
THERE WERE A LOT OF GAMERS WHO FELT VERY POSITIVE ABOUT
THIS ROLLOUT.
ONE USER SAID PRIDE IS NOT POLITICAL, IT IS JUST A
CELEBRATION OF BASIC HUMAN RIGHTS OF BEING ABLE TO
LOVE WHOEVER YOU WANT.
FOR THEIR PART, JACK X SAID PRIDE IS ABOUT BRINGING
COMMUNITIES TOGETHER AND CELEBRATING LOVE AND
UNDERSTANDING: SENTIMENT THAT'S CLOSE TO RUNESCAPE'S HEART.
THERE'S NO POLITICAL STATEMENT HERE DARA ONLY AIM IS TO
ACKNOWLEDGE AND HONOR AN EVENT THAT PROMOTES EMPATHY,
ACCEPTANCE OF LOVE.
WE'RE DISAPPOINTED TO SEE HATEFUL AND ABUSIVE
COMMENTS TARGETING INDIVIDUAL MEMBERS OF STAFF AND
PLAYERS FROM A SMALL SUBSECTION OF THE COMMUNITY.
WE STAND SIDE-BY-SIDE WITH THOSE TARGETED IN SUPPORT OF
THEM, AND IN SUPPORT OF THIS CAUSE.
THERE'S ABSOLUTELY NO PLACE FOR PEOPLE BEHAVIOR IN OUR
COMMUNITY AND WE WILL NOT TOLERATE ABUSE OR HARASSMENT.
PRIDE 2017 IS THE THING WE WHOLEHEARTEDLY AGREE WITH
AND ARE PROUD TO SUPPORT THAT WE KNOW THE COMMUNITY STAND WITH
US IN SUPPORT OF THE COST I'VE YOU WANT TO SHARE SUPPORT COME
ALL YOU HAVE TO DO IS TAKE PART IN THE EVENT WHEN IT LAUNCHES.
I WANTED TO READ THE FULL STATEMENT BECAUSE I THINK EVEN
THOUGH I AM NOT A GAMER MYSELF, I THINK GAMERS CAN GET AN UNFAIR
SHAKE OF THINGS WHEN IT COMES TO PROGRESS IN SOCIAL ISSUES.
I THINK IT IS IMPORTANT TO HIGHLIGHT THAT IT IS NOT THE
ENTIRE GAMING WORLD AT ALL BY ANY MEANS THAT ARE BIGOTED
IN THIS SENSE, HOMOPHOBIC, ANTIFEMINIST OR LGBT.
I THINK IT IS IMPORTANT TO SHOWCASE HOW AWESOME WHAT
THEY ARE DOING IS.
THE ROLLOUT ITSELF DOES NOT EXPLICITLY MENTION LGBT
PEOPLE AND KIM, I WANT TO TOSS IT OVER TO YOU.
I CAN'T THINK OF ANYONE WHO WOULD KNOW ABOUT GAMING MORE.
WHAT EXACTLY WAS THIS RUNESCAPE THING?
THEY HAVE TO GATHER?
HOW THE MISSION WENT?
YOU MEET ONE GUY.
AT A BAR.
AND IT GOES WELL.
NO, AND HE SAYS HEY, CAN YOU HELP ME WITH THIS QUEST?
IS ESSENTIALLY YOU ARE GOING TO FIND THINGS ACROSS THE WORLD FOR
HIM AND IT TURNS OUT TO BE DIFFERENT PARTS OF A RAINBOW AND
AT THE END, YOU BRING IT TO HIM AND HE SAYS SOMETHING REALLY
OFFENSIVE TO SENSIBILITIES INCLUDING, WHAT YOU MADE ME
REALIZE IS THAT PEOPLE LIKE YOURSELF ARE WILLING TO
SUPPORT THOSE WHO WISH TO SHOW THEIR COLORS PROUDLY.
YOU ARE THE REASON I FELT CONFIDENT SHOWING MY COLORS.
I WANT YOU TO HAVE THIS, YOU DESERVE IT.
AND HE GIVES YOU A SCARF.
A RAINBOW SCARF.
IT'S LOVELY.
GAY.
AND THEN YOU COME OUTSIDE OF THE GAME, BECOME GAY.
AND THEN YOU ARE FORCED TO ENGAGE IN GAY SEX.
IT IS ALMOST NOTHING.
IT'S ONE RAINBOW AND THEN THIS QUEST.
IT'S ALMOST NOTHING.
IT IS TINY.
ONCE I REALIZED AND READ ABOUT WHAT THE MISSION WAS,
I WAS SO SURPRISED.
IT'S STILL SORT OF VAGUE BUT IF I WASN'T REALLY THINKING ABOUT
HOW IT IS PRIDE MONTH AND WHAT I'M DOING FOR PRIDE THIS
WEEK AND IT PROBABLY WOULD'VE BEEN LIKE LOOK AT THIS FLAG.
PEOPLE USE THEM ALL THE TIME.
THE RAINBOW FLAG IS DEFINITELY THE SYMBOL OF THE QUEER
COMMUNITY BUT IT ALSO IS JUST SO NORMALIZED IN THE LOOKS PRETTY
AND PEOPLE LIKE RAINBOWS EVEN IF THEY DON'T LIKE GAY PEOPLE.
IT'S JUST SO CRAZY THAT WHATEVER BACKLASH AND I WILL
ADMIT SOME OF THE MEDIA COVERAGE OF IT DID SEEM TO MISS CARE
CHARACTERIZE THE COMMUNITY A LIKE YOU SAID.
WE NEED TO MAKE IT CLEAR.
THIS IS SOME PEOPLE.
I DON'T THINK THE PEOPLE, OVERGROWN BABY MEN REPRESENT A
LARGE GROUP OF PEOPLE WHO PLAY GAMES, WHO ART IN IT
ARDENTLY LOVE GAMES, OLD-SCHOOL OR RUNESCAPE 3.
IT IS SOMETHING, IT'S DEFINITELY, I THINK THE BACKLASH
DEFINITELY OUTRAGED WHAT WAS IN HERE AND I THINK IN RETROSPECT
IT IS CLEAR THAT MAYBE THIS ISN'T SOMETHING WE SHOULD HAVE
BEEN DECIDING WAS POLITICAL BECAUSE ALL IT WAS, IF YOU
LOOK AT THE TEXT IT'S LIKE HEY, IT'S NICE THAT WE ALL GET
TO BE OURSELVES.
IT'S SO COOL TO NOT BE BEAT UP OR WHO WE ARE.
ECONOMIST ME WONDERED IF THEY HADN'T SORT OF HIT IT
HINTED THAT IT WAS FOR LB GT PRIDE WHICH I THINK THEY
SHOULD ABSOLUTELY BE TRANSPARENT, IF YOU ARE AN
ALLIED THINK IT IS REPORT TO BE OUTSPOKEN.
IF YOU ARE SILENT THEN YOU SORT OF SIDE WITH OUR OPPRESSORS.
THAT IS MY PERSPECTIVE ON IT SO I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT THAT
THEY WERE OPEN ABOUT IT.
THAT SAID, IF I DIDN'T KNOW THIS WAS A PRIDE GAME IT
MIGHT'VE ONLY OCCURRED TO ME AFTER THE FACT THAT THIS
MISSION WAS PRIDE RELATED.
MY QUESTION FOR YOU GUYS SINCE YOU BOTH ARE GAMERS, DO YOU
THINK THAT THEM ROLLING THIS OUT IS GOOD FOR THE GAMING
COMMUNITY OR BECAUSE THEY ARE COVERING THE BACKLASH IT IS
BAD FOR THE GAMING COMMUNITY?
IS EASY TO COME DOWN ONE SIDE OF THE STORY?
THE MEDIA IS ALWAYS GOING TO MISCHARACTERIZE THIS KIND
OF THING.
THE PEOPLE WHO ARE AGAINST SOMETHING ALWAYS GOING TO
GET MORE ATTENTION.
ONE OF THE REASONS THAT I THINK PEOPLE FIGHT AGAINST CHANGES
LIKE THIS IS BECAUSE THAT SMALL GROUP OF GAMERS JUST LIKE THE
SMALL GROUP OF PEOPLE IN THE COMMUNITY AT LARGE WOULD'VE
PROTESTED ANY SCARF THAT DIDN'T HAVE A PEPE THE FROG ON IT.
THERE IS SOME PEOPLE, THAT IS ALL THEY CAN SEE IS THEIR
OWN PREJUDICES BUT THEY SEE THAT THINGS ARE CHANGING AND
THAT OLD SCHOOL GAMES LIKE RINSE CAPER MAKING EVENTS LIKE THIS.
NEW GAMES LIKE OVERWATCH, MY MAIN ROAD HOG IS IN A GAY
RELATIONSHIP.
THAT'S CANON?
I DON'T KNOW IF IT IS CANON BUT EVERYONE KNOWS THAT
THEIR TOGETHER.
WHEN YOU LOOK AT FRIENDSHIPS IT'S ALWAYS LIKE
I DON'T THINK THAT'S REAL, THERE ARE GAY CHARACTERS
AND PEOPLE LIKE IT.
THERE'LL ALWAYS GOING TO HAVE A PROBLEM WITH IT BUT GAMES
ARE GETTING MORE INCLUSIVE MORE REPRESENTATIVE AND MORE
DIVERSE IN THE SORTS OF PEOPLE THEY ARE ASKED FOCUSING
THEIR EXPERIENCES ON.
THE ONLY ISSUE I WOULD TAKE WITH SOME OF THESE ARTICLES THAT
I THINK IS A BIT DISHONEST AS I'M PRETTY SURE THE
EVERQUEST HAS BEEN UPDATED FOR LONGER THAN RUNESCAPE AND
IT'S NOT FAIR THAT YOU GIVE THE CREDIT TO RINSE KATE.
I THINK THEY DO THE RECORD THOUGH THE
2001?
WAS PLAYING EVERQUEST BEFORE THEN.
IT'S FOR THE MOST UPDATES NOT FOR ALONG THE GAME IS BEEN
AROUND THAT
I MAY BE TRUE.
THE GAME IS PERFECTLY FINE DOTZLER GROUP HAS A PROBLEM
WITH AND UNFORTUNATELY IT IS ALL TOO EASY FOR THE MEDIA TO
SAY GAMERS HAVE A PROBLEM WHEN HUMANS HAVE A PROBLEM AND
SOME HUMANS ARE GAMERS.