Phil Fish once said that gamers are "the worst **** people." He was speaking about the vindictiveness of the peanut gallery threatening to pirate his game, Fez, because they didn't like him--and while it was a tad hyperbolic then, it would find a proper home if applied to the human garbage who tainted Carolyn Petit's recent review of Grand Theft Auto V. The vomitous mass of hatred and stupidity left behind by a depressingly large community of internet thugs emboldened beyond their usual boundaries by a perceived easy target and righteous cause is an example of the absolute worst of our kind.
Sadly, this isn't the first time Gamespot's bigots and misogynists have targeted Ms. Petit. As a transgender woman, she is often the subject of petty mockery and cruel taunts from the anonymous cowards who make up the majority of Gamespot's commenters. But the vitriol expressed in the GTA review went beyond the pale. It reached a point where I was actually relieved to see complaints about her unprofessionalism and gender bias, because those were the only ones to concede that she is, in fact, a woman.
To the site's great shame, the thread was not locked, nor did anyone speak up on behalf of Carolyn in an official manner. That isn't to say Carolyn needs anyone's protection, but it would have been great to see a moderator or community leader step in and tell people to shut up. To the best of my knowledge--and I spent several soul-crushing hours wading through the black waters of what could only be described as a digital sewer--this never happened.
Until Feedbackula, that is.
Enter Johnny Chiodini, the hilarious, sarcastic, born-for-this-gig host of Gamespot's weekly show lampooning comments section trolls. This week's offering began with the usual eye-rolling and exasperation at the legion of fools who were personally offended at a game they almost certainly haven't played getting a score that differs from their own (inexplicable) opinions, but took a serious turn when Johnny addressed the community's malicious attacks on the reviewer. Instead of pointing and laughing at their idiocy, he chastized them. He told them their behavior was inexcusable, and a violation of the site's rules. He stood up for Carolyn when no one else on the site would, and he deserves to be recognized for that.
Not that he would accept any praise, of course. In fact, Johnny feels partly responsible for the disgusting behavior. Feedbackula's entire purpose is to playfully mock people who say ridiculous things, who overreact to review scores and innocuous comments in the news. But he fears this has merely given a platform for real douchebags to spout their hate speech, and appearing on the show served as motivation for people to amp up the outrage and obscenity. I disagree with Johnny here; Feedbackula has never been a mouthpiece for bigots or sexists or any of the kinds of filth that invaded Carolyn's review page. But the fact that Johnny feels this way is commendable, and there may be some truth to his fears, even if I don't see it.
No matter what Johnny chooses to do with his show, I want him to realize that the uncrazy few left among the ranks here at Gamespot appreciate what he did in the wake of this unfortunate event, and hope that he doesn't disappear, even if Feedbackula does. Thanks for sticking up for a colleague and a friend, and a reviewer who has the respect of everyone who matters.