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Ghazi
"History does not repeat itself but it often rhymes." If you're not aware of what's going on Aftermath have an excellent write-up: [https://aftermath.site/sweet-baby-detected-conspiracy-theory-steam](https://aftermath.site/sweet-baby-detected-conspiracy-theory-steam) Currently another right-wing harassment campaign is raging and it keeps escalating, drawing wider circles every day. At the heart is a small consultancy company, called Sweet Baby Inc. They are accused of "destroying games with diversity and inclusivity". It is - of course - conspiratorial nonsense, [the company isn't even doing what the chuds accuse them of](https://kotaku.com/sweet-baby-inc-consulting-games-alan-wake-2-dei-1851312428). The fake outrage is yet again a pretext to spout hate and revel in sexism, racism, homo- and transphobia. If all of this feels familiar to those who have been around the last time, that's because it is: 2024's Gators have fully the moniker of "GamerGate 2.0" In the tenth year since GamerGate, we're seeing a repeat of it in the harassment campaign against narrative design studio Sweet Baby Inc. The same forces that set off the initial one have changed their language and targets, but the reactionary current is back, only strengthened in the intervening years, and still enabled by a corporate class that cares more about profit margins than worker well being. This campaign - like in 2014 - is a part of the larger right-wing attack against anything that their fascist ideology disapproves of. Like the last time, they choose a small group to punish and harass in order to send a wider message. This needs to be stopped. But what we get instead is yet another failure of management class: Valve and Discord who own the platforms where (currently) the majority of the harassment is organized, [have yet to take any measure](https://www.gamedeveloper.com/business/why-are-valve-and-discord-permitting-harassment-against-sweet-baby-inc-). All we can do at the moment is to support each other and oppose the fascists. So to SBI and its workers, solidarity, always. *~ The Ghazi mod team* PPS: Free Palestine
www.ign.com
> Inside Out 2 is the highest-grossed animated film ever. But behind the scenes, Pixar workers grappled with crunch, layoffs, and an avoidance of LGBTQ+ themes. Our report of the tumultuous making of the sequel to one of the most beloved Pixar films ever.
www.ign.com
IGN interviews ex-employees of pixar who worked on "Inside Out 2". The article discusses crunch, layoffs, the company culture of pixar, and how the failure of "Lightyear" led to executive notes that "Inside Out 2" be "less gay"
www.eurogamer.net
cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/19624343 > Ex-[Sony Computer Entertainment Europe](https://www.eurogamer.net/companies/scee) president Chris Deering does not believe recent layoffs across the games industry have been a result of corporate greed. Instead, workers who have lost their jobs should "drive an Uber" or "go to the beach for a year" until employment settles. > > Deering was a guest on games writer [Simon Parkin's podcast My Perfect Console](https://www.patreon.com/myperfectconsole), where the pair discussed games industry layoffs. > > "I don't think it's fair to say that the resulting layoffs have been greed," said Deering. "I always tried to minimise the speed with which we added staff because I always knew there would be a cycle and I didn't want to end up having the same problems that Sony did in Electronics."
www.youtube.com
> Here, at the connection between technology and queerness–in the liminality between desire and technology–there is room for new imaginings. It is no surprise then that technology, which had always been promised as the horizon of the future, had placed into it the dreams of those who hoped for a new future beyond the limitations we had today. As the queer and trans community found new connections and language to express our imaginations on this new digital frontier, we expanded beyond the boundaries of others' expectations for our bodies. Our lives began to push and break the limits of what others said we could become. Is it surprising, then, that the internet has become a space for our collective queer imagination of a future horizon?
spectrejournal.com
> Robert T. Tally Jr. reads Tolkien's corpus with the tools of Marxist literary criticism, delivering a devastating blow to the fantasy writer's rightist fans.
www.polygon.com
> Osmotic Studios’ Closer the Distance is a melancholy Sims-like where you play as several community members grieving one of their own.
Another lighthearted documentary from your friends at People Make Games! This time Quinns explores the disconcertingly-familiar world of government-funded, military wargaming and its relationship with the commercial games industry.
www.theverge.com
> It said opposing the tech ignores “classist and ableist” issues.
remapradio.com
> The Game of Sisyphus is about moving a boulder up a hill, but for its developers—and by extension, its players—it's about so much more.
> We’re gonna look at a TikTok account that uses Math to explain (Hate) women. While it’s tempting to dismiss this account as just another routine TikTok Mysoganist - because he’s so committed to charts, math and something that looks like science… he almost figures out why young men are struggling with women.
stainedglasswoman.substack.com
> On July 17th, 2020, at 10:10 PM–Eastern Standard Time, mind you–a transgender friend of mine sent me a link to a webcomic, saying that it felt very relatable to her. So, since I wanted to be a good friend and try to understand her situation a little bit better, I read it… and immediately plunged into an eleven-day-long panic attack. This comic said things to me openly that I’d never said to anyone, ever. I was rung like a struck bell. And, at the end of those eleven days, when I said to my therapist, “Melissa, I don’t think I’m cis,” her response was a simple, gentle, “I don’t think you are either.”
arstechnica.com
> Feedback gets rid of overt biases but leaves subtle racism intact.
variety.com
cross-posted from: https://sopuli.xyz/post/16432111
Archived link for those who encounter a paywall: [https://archive.is/M5lkm](https://archive.is/M5lkm)
edition.cnn.com
> A phony campaign on X backing Trump ahead of the US election is using stolen or manipulated photos of real women in Europe to push its agenda.
www.hollywoodreporter.com
> The actress said it was "terrifying" to have to see "dirty edited content of me as a child."
www.wired.com
Archived version without paywall: [https://archive.is/Nbmbk](https://archive.is/Nbmbk)
the-decoder.com
> Language models generate text based on statistical probabilities. This led to serious false accusations against a veteran court reporter by Microsoft's Copilot.
www.ign.com
> In the years since the alleged death of beloved accessibility advocate Susan Banks, mounting evidence and accounts from those close to her work suggest that she was not the person she claimed to be. In fact, some are convinced that Banks may never have existed at all.
www.theverge.com
> The photograph is now meaningless as evidence. We are not prepared.
> Final Fantasy VII Rebirth has a lot going for it, but its bloated scope embodies ongoing problems with modern AAA game development.
www.polygon.com
> Cutesy, pink, and girly styles are on the rise in first-person shooters. Polygon spoke to the Valorant developers about how it makes cosmetics.
lucyfromnaarm.com
> While Transgender lives in the UK and US are at risk, PinkNews abandons its transgender readers.
There were rumors surrounding the document and many believed it to be fake. [It has been confirmed to be genuine by now.](https://x.com/PaulTassi/status/1825193786273681489)
www.animefeminist.com
> Fordola and Yotsuyu's treatment and ultimate fate in the story are starkly different, and in this way they clearly expose underlying gendered biases in how their writers think about Evil Women(TM) and who “deserves” redemption in narratives about trauma and war.
www.bbc.com
cross-posted from: https://beehaw.org/post/15577741
www.theguardian.com
For those who don't want to give the Graundian a click: [Archived article](https://archive.is/ypDqz)
arstechnica.com
> “Nudify” sites may be fined for making it easy to “see anyone naked,” suit says.
deadline.com
> Jeff Goldblum guest hosted Jimmy Kimmel Live on Thursday, introducing a segment that allowed working actors to qualify for health insurance
www.polygon.com
> Two serious allegations emerged in August in the chess world: One poisoning allegation, and one sexual harassment report.
www.theguardian.com
This is some beautifully-executed satire.  Former UK Prime Minister Liz Truss (whose reign lasted a mere 45 days) appeared at an event to promote her new book *Ten Years to Save the West.* As she was blathering on, activist group [Led by Donkeys](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Led_By_Donkeys) lowered a remote-controlled banner reading "I crashed the economy," with a picture of the famous head of lettuce that outlasted her time in office. Truss, like most conservative politicians, had no sense of humor about the event, and marched off the stage.
