Journal of Other Forum Analysis (Volume II, Issue 2)

[Hap Shaughnessy]

https://www.resetera.com/threads/jonathan-blow-has-spent-the-past-decade-designing-1-400-puzzles-for-you-ars-technica.1387189/page-3#post-149080558

i think there is a difference between supporting someone like blow and supporting someone like jkr. jkr has been highly influential with her hateful shit. blow also has shitty opinions, but i don't think he has really been influential at all. i don't think a single person really follows him for his political opinions, or is in any way persuaded by his uncharismatic ass

The difference between JKR and Blow is that Blow is openly being an asshole while amassing his fame and fortune, and people are openly supporting that because he is "smart" and once made some puzzle games they liked. Attempting to contrast Blow with the most vile person on earth also does Blow no favours here.

If you read threads like this and give a dollar to Jonathan Blow, you are knowingly giving a dollar to someone who thinks women are inferior and thinks Trump is a good president. If you still want to do that, be honest with yourself about it and don't try to couch it in some form of justification of "Well, at least he isn't an absolute monster".

[benji]

Speaking of Jeff, he says fuck the Indigenous:

[kaleidoscopium]

"Separating the art from the artist," a phrase mostly used for when said artist is dead, always struck me as a totally cowardly position gussied up as a virtue in a modern context.

People use it to keep playing or watching or otherwise consuming something to not actually think about the person behind it, but give it a high-minded excuse, like it's somehow a more intelligent and righteous position to judge a work solely on its own merits with no other concerns. I don't buy it.

https://www.resetera.com/threads/jonathan-blow-has-spent-the-past-decade-designing-1-400-puzzles-for-you-ars-technica.1387189/page-3#post-149082760

What is this so called journalist talking about? The author being deceased has nothing to do with this concept…

He may have taken “death of the author” literally lmao

[Uncle]

loophole: since using AI doesn't make you an artist, and the AI did it and gets all the credit instead of you, you don't have to worry about if bad people used AI to make things

you don't have to separate art from artist because the artist was computer, perfect and pure and untainted by ideology

unless...y'know...you DO attribute creations to the person using the tool...

[HaughtyFrank]

https://www.resetera.com/threads/jonathan-blow-has-spent-the-past-decade-designing-1-400-puzzles-for-you-ars-technica.1387189/page-3#post-149080558

i think there is a difference between supporting someone like blow and supporting someone like jkr. jkr has been highly influential with her hateful shit. blow also has shitty opinions, but i don't think he has really been influential at all. i don't think a single person really follows him for his political opinions, or is in any way persuaded by his uncharismatic ass

The difference between JKR and Blow is that Blow is openly being an asshole while amassing his fame and fortune, and people are openly supporting that because he is "smart" and once made some puzzle games they liked. Attempting to contrast Blow with the most vile person on earth also does Blow no favours here.

If you read threads like this and give a dollar to Jonathan Blow, you are knowingly giving a dollar to someone who thinks women are inferior and thinks Trump is a good president. If you still want to do that, be honest with yourself about it and don't try to couch it in some form of justification of "Well, at least he isn't an absolute monster".

lol came here to post this. Hey we got actual murderers out there in the world, rapists, child rapists, murdering child rapists, fucking Putin who is responsible for hundreds of thousands dead. 

But hey, I guess being outspoken on twitter is also pretty bad.

[benji]

like it's somehow a more intelligent and righteous position to judge a work solely on its own merits with no other concerns.

But it clearly is?

[Alpacx]

New meat washing just dropped

I want to see Nepenthe defend this fake video

[Boredfrom]

loophole: since using AI doesn't make you an artist, and the AI did it and gets all the credit instead of you, you don't have to worry about if bad people used AI to make things

you don't have to separate art from artist because the artist was computer, perfect and pure and untainted by ideology

unless...y'know...you DO attribute creations to the person using the tool...

Being fair, I think you still need to source what AI model you used.  

But I agree with you.

[Boredfrom]

https://www.resetera.com/threads/jonathan-blow-has-spent-the-past-decade-designing-1-400-puzzles-for-you-ars-technica.1387189/page-3#post-149080558

The difference between JKR and Blow is that Blow is openly being an asshole while amassing his fame and fortune, and people are openly supporting that because he is "smart" and once made some puzzle games they liked. Attempting to contrast Blow with the most vile person on earth also does Blow no favours here.

If you read threads like this and give a dollar to Jonathan Blow, you are knowingly giving a dollar to someone who thinks women are inferior and thinks Trump is a good president. If you still want to do that, be honest with yourself about it and don't try to couch it in some form of justification of "Well, at least he isn't an absolute monster".

lol came here to post this. Hey we got actual murderers out there in the world, rapists, child rapists, murdering child rapists, fucking Putin who is responsible for hundreds of thousands dead. 

But hey, I guess being outspoken on twitter is also pretty bad.

Isn’t Putin infamous because how little he cares about LGBT rights? He probably does more damage to them than anything Rowling could realistically do.

[Hap Shaughnessy]

https://www.resetera.com/threads/what-would-you-like-for-christmas-this-year.1386178/page-3#post-149082790

Love

https://www.resetera.com/threads/what-would-you-like-for-christmas-this-year.1386178/page-3#post-149084131

Best I can do is Platonic or Agape.

FUCCCKKKKKK

Then I shall keep working on myself lol

[benji]

lol came here to post this. Hey we got actual murderers out there in the world, rapists, child rapists, murdering child rapists, fucking Putin who is responsible for hundreds of thousands dead. 

But hey, I guess being outspoken on twitter is also pretty bad.

One funny aspect is they think she's worse than Trump. Like, we're all rational people on here so all of us know Trump wouldn't even make the top ten for leaders of countries, (and even Putin might not win such a list), but saying Trump wouldn't even catch your eye. But no, they go for Joanne. Because she tweets stuff they hate and wrote a fictional series they enjoy, both of which is more real to them than reality.

[saltygeneraltso]

like it's somehow a more intelligent and righteous position to judge a work solely on its own merits with no other concerns.

But it clearly is?

Man, who's paying the bills for that loser these days?

https://www.restart.run/editorial-mission

Restart is powered by Walmart, but Restart operates as an independent site. When we mention a game, we'll provide purchase links that will take you to Walmart using a partner tracking code. This link provides us with 0% of the sale if you decide to buy the product, but it does help Walmart see exactly how customers arrived at the product. Walmart doesn't influence our editorial direction.
We hope you can see this gives us zero incentive to provide biased review scores or other information about a game. Restart is a voice you can trust.

Staff

Imran Khan - News Editor

Lmfao this dude is powered byWalmart.

[Boredfrom]

I don't understand how so many American conservatives have convinced themselves of this over the last 10 years or so. Like surely they don't think the U.S can maintain the benefits of it's hegemonic power over the western world while also going full isolationist? Do they really think that putting military bases in Europe and Japan is some act of charity?

The Nazis tried the same thing, and it was a big part of their downfall. They tried to stop immigration, eliminate the groups of people they didn't like, and attempted to eliminate imports. Same playbook basically.

https://www.resetera.com/threads/president-fuckface-is-gonna-address-the-nation-tomorrow-at-9pm-eastern-time.1385119/page-16#post-149085253

[benji]

Editor in Chief is a trans woman of course:

I'm the Editor-in-Chief at Restart (https://www.restart.run/), a video game website sponsored by Walmart. I manage an international team of full-time writers and freelancers, and also regularly create news, previews, reviews, and additional written content. In addition to these tasks, I manage the site's editorial calendar, edit all written work, represent the company at events, and regularly interact with public relations representatives, video game developers, and publishers.

Prior to this position at Restart, I was the primary writer for Moonrock's corporate blog (https://moonrockbiz.substack.com/), where I aimed to inform current and prospective clients about the video game industry, and particularly the metaverse. I also drafted a monthly newsletter.

SuperParent (listed below as a separate step in my career) is currently owned by Moonrock.

Build. Create. Connect.
We build communities by and for gamers. We create incredible experiences. We connect your brand to the most elusive demographics on earth.

Moonrock ensures you can speak to Gen Z, Gen A, Millennials, and any audience as it forms.
Our 360-degree approach—leveraging every local, digital, and emerging platform available—guarantees your brand sits at the evolutionary edge of marketing.

Not convinced?
Check out some of our most recent work with our world-class partners...
Launched a Brand New Zenimax Studios IP, The Elder Scrolls Online, from the Ground Up
GALE and Moonrock team up with Gonna Need Milk to create the largest women's Fortnite tournament series ever
Moonrock and Samsung bring a Summer of Games to San Diego Comic-Con
Mountain Dew and Moonrock Team Up to Dominate the Minecraft Arena

Moonrock is an experiential and content marketing agency on the cutting edge of gaming and traditional entertainment. We specialize in physical and digital experiences that connect brands to the most elusive and important demographics on the planet.

Moonrock's media team is proud to have partnered with Discord and Walmart on a first-to-market activation that brought Walmart Skyward into an entirely new channel.

Walmart Skyward is designed to spark exploration and discovery in an interactive, gamified environment. To extend this experience, our media team collaborated with Discord to launch the platform’s very first Video Quest — seamlessly engaging players where they are already spending time.

The results demonstrate the power of meeting communities in authentic spaces:
513K+ completed video views
98% redemption of the exclusive in-game pet, Marty the Hippo, which could be claimed after completing the video view action

This activation represents a new, media-focused way forward for brands looking to merge entertainment, community, and commerce in gaming. We’re thrilled to have helped Walmart and Discord set the benchmark for what’s possible. Read more about our success on Discord.com: https://lnkd.in/eDGwtuEH

We're thrilled to announce that Moonrock President John Gaudiosi and CEO John Benyamine will serve as co-producers on the feature film adaptation of Grow a Garden, the Roblox phenomenon that redefined what's possible in social gaming. The film is being produced by Story Kitchen’s Dmitri M. Johnson, Mike Goldberg, Timothy Stevenson and Elena Sandoval.

With 33 billion plays and a peak concurrent player count of 22.3 million, surpassing Fortnite's all-time record of 15.3 million, Grow a Garden became one of 2025's most explosive gaming successes, at one point capturing over two-thirds of Roblox's entire player base. Story Kitchen, the production company behind Tomb Raider, Life Is Strange, and major SEGA adaptations like Sonic the Hedgehog, is developing the film in collaboration with the game's original creators through a deal with Think Influence.

This project represents exactly the kind of work that drives us: bridging gaming culture and mainstream entertainment in ways that honor the communities that made these experiences meaningful. When gaming IP reaches audiences of this scale, translating that authenticity to film requires partners who understand both worlds deeply.

Looking forward to bringing this whimsical, community-driven story to audiences everywhere.

hashtag#FilmProduction hashtag#Roblox hashtag#GameAdaptation hashtag#EntertainmentMarketing

[benji]

I don't understand how so many American conservatives have convinced themselves of this over the last 10 years or so. Like surely they don't think the U.S can maintain the benefits of it's hegemonic power over the western world while also going full isolationist? Do they really think that putting military bases in Europe and Japan is some act of charity?

The Nazis tried the same thing, and it was a big part of their downfall. They tried to stop immigration, eliminate the groups of people they didn't like, and attempted to eliminate imports. Same playbook basically.

https://www.resetera.com/threads/president-fuckface-is-gonna-address-the-nation-tomorrow-at-9pm-eastern-time.1385119/page-16#post-149085253

Nothing says full isolationist like conquering all of Europe with the deliberate goal of using it as supply colonies.

[kaleidoscopium]

Looking forward to the rocket league era meltdown next

[benji]

More malicious intent from Epic but yet Era will let people keep on posting about how much they love using the service and claiming free games.

[kaleidoscopium]

I might have to boycott it over the Harry Potter thing

Just FYI, the mods said they don't want this IP mentioned in any context

https://www.resetera.com/threads/fortnite-ot3-chapter-7-season-1-pacific-break.500466/page-496#post-149085238

[Boredfrom]

https://www.resetera.com/threads/not-the-onion-president-fuckface-announces-the-creation-of-the-hunger-games-for-americas-250th-anniversary.1387492/

Patriot Games, National Mall state fair, White House UFC fight: DC America 250 plans revealed

Can you stop editorializing news, you fuck face?

[Jansen]

https://www.resetera.com/threads/nihon-falcom-actively-using-ai-for-brainstorming-scenarios-conducting-research-and-similar-applications.1386748/

Wow this happening right as I'm playing the Cold Steel games 😲

[Boredfrom]

Just a fucking nightmare. But sure let the republicans send their children to the hunger games. Certainly won't be a nightmare for all involved. You know, willingly sending your children to be around pedophiles and rapists who will absolutely assault their children.

 

The transphobia tossed in ofcourse.

Because it's the one thing keeping him from being impeached. KKKristians will protect him till their dying breath.

[benji]

Somebody bumped this thread

https://www.resetera.com/threads/valve-confirms-leaving-negative-reviews-due-to-a-game-containing-muslims-is-valid-and-not-subject-to-removal.1378507/page-10

Not valve, but I reported someone for literally saying "sieg heil" and other nazi shit in battlefield 6 and EA came back to me with a "nothing wrong with this". Grim times.

I have reported so many people who will type "NI" wait for someone to type "GG," then immediately post "ER" and had nothing happen that EA took away my ability to submit a report. The option no longer exists as of the last time I played.

Same kind of bullshit happens in CS2 as well.

 

And thus my boycott continues.

At this stage, this has gone far beyond complicity. Either you clean up your Nazi trash, or I won't come to play.

They're also falling in line with the Islamophobic uptick and generalized acceptance in this contemporary fascist era - not surprised in the slightest, absolutely disgusting!

Not a single person here should be shocked by this.

It's Valve. A company which has been happy to promote and allow hate on its platform for over 2 decades now.

The store is overflowing with some of the most hateful games you can imagine and the community sections are unreadable with how many shitty people there are festering in them spewing their vile hate. It's like a platform built for Asmongold.

Valve are the worst company in gaming for this issue.

It isn't just that Valve allows islamophobia / racism / etc. in reviews and comments; the truly alarming part is the ethical deterioration revealed when part of the community chooses to defend their preferred store/launcher instead of questioning the normalization of hate.

That tribal reflex (protecting a brand over basic principles of coexistence) is, in itself, a symptom of the civilizational backslide we are living through.

Deterioration? As if gamers in huge numbers were ever opposed to being racist as shit? As if America hasn't happily entrenched itself in deep Islamophobia for decades?

Fuck Valve and their bigoted fanbase.

On store user reviews were a mistake. Same with discussions.

Yes let's throw out the tons of useful reviews, including the thousand or so positive reviews for this game, because like 5 people decided to be morons.

5? Sure. They're providing a platform for literal Nazis. If they aren't going to moderate because they don't have the money, or the time, or they just agree with the Nazis or whatever - they were a mistake.

In the end, nobody cares. Valve puts up literal Nazi games, racist, white supremacist and Gamergate community groups and forums, allows hate and harassment in all their community platforms and the ones "belonging" to game creators, time and time again allows hateful and horrible games, content and comments, images and insults.
Yet even the strongest "critics" won't bat an eye and continue buying on there. And yes, this forum has a ton of Steam fans and defenders, I've noticed this multiple times. This thread is the exception, not the rule.

Some PC Gamers were already calling themselves "Master race" years ago.

I wonder how many "fuck Valve" sentiments will hold up when hl3 gets announced in the next few days, and I expect a lot of "well it's not the entire studio" posts.

This isn't a mistake, it's exactly what valve is, the tech bro libertarian Ideologie rund deep in the company. They will always side with racist and fascist.....

Havent played the game but it looks so wholesome. Why do such evil pieces of trash even play games that look like this? and fuck Valve for allowing this and plethora of other racist shit in their own platform.

Gaben would rather buy more yachts and mansions. Starting to think he's not a great guy /s

how in 2025 have people still not caught on to the fact that Gabe is a billionaire libertarian and not epic wholesome Reddit chungus keanu reeves PC mustard race guy. genuinely either just blind or straight up stupid atp sorry

Valve's approach to moderation has been bad for a long time. Arguably worse than their communication. Attempting to converse or reason with the black hole of Valve is a non-starter. They do not listen and they do not speak. One is left to interpret their position from incidents like this. Where that position is an extremely disagreeable siding with racists and fascists poisoning the platform through politically motivated brigading utilizing disingenuous criticism fueled by genuine hostility and bigotry in an attempt to stifle creative expression they disagree with. A position that appears impervious to things like empathy, morals, humanity, the open nature of PC as a platform that Valve likes to present itself as being about. They simply don't give a shit about any of these things, as long as they get the maximum money.

I don't know what it would take for things to change. Some kind of revolution.

White House is openly racists. Not surprising USA corp doesnt punish racism, when even the gov is openly racist and share such idea at large. Sad truth.

Valve have had ample time to do something about it, but they just don't give a fuck, and there are zero consequences to them allowing the bigotry to remain.

People left Twitter in droves when Elon allowed the bigotry to go unmoderated. Gamers refuse to leave Steam

Fuck Gabe, his fucking yachts and Steams policies.

Yep.

Steam and Twitter are the same thing these days.

You actively choose to engage on a Nazi platform by using them.

It's a shame we never had a real alternative with all of Steam's features, refund policy and customer service but without being a Nazi platform, because we really needed one and still do.

Apples and oranges. Unless you were an influencer with an existing audience, leaving Twitter for another service was no different to the exodus from MySpace to Facebook. People's individual investment started and ended having a profile and circle of friends, nothing else, of which could be replicated elsewhere at no cost. The incentive to move from Steam is drastically worsened by people have monetary value assigned to their account. Abandoning Steam is abandoning an entire library that there is a perceived sense of ownership of. Accounts do not have zero value, and leaving an account cannot be replicated elsewhere without further investment. It's a total, measurable loss, beyond the ethical query.

Until you can convince people to abandon the things they believe they "own", that they worked and paid for, people are not going to leave Steam in any significant volume. Valve's monopoly makes the incentive borderline impossible.

Yup, let me throw away my 10 thousand dolars library in the fire because a company is being shitty about moderation. Seems easy enough.

What you are asking for people is basically to stop being PC Gamers. No, other than GOG, which have their own set of problems, there's no alternative, outside of piracy.

Excuses.

They aren't just shitty about moderation. They are actively allowing right wing bigotry thrive on their platform.

In 2025, we know how dangerous online communities are in recruiting and empowering white supremacist and red pill bigotry. We also know that they specifically use video games and online forums to radicalize young people. Turning a blind eye to Valve's inaction is a choice to this point.

Throwing your hands up and saying it's impossible to stop using Steam because Valve has the monopoly, is a self fulfilling prophecy. They will maintain their position as long as people refuse to seek alternatives

Money talks. So yes I'm asking people to put their money where there mouths are and begin disengaging from Steam. Sure, supporting other PC stores might not be perfect, but it is a start.

And if you must, keep your $10,000 game library on Steam, but going forward people should maybe start purchasing elsewhere instead of sinking a further $10,000 in a platform that allows bigotry to reside.

You don't have to throw it away. Just be honest about it.

Steam started out as a shit service forced on us because of the orange box. But they kept adding features and steam sales and coal and it really did become a great thing with a real community around it like on neogaf, but not on it.

Then they added all the social features, the gambling to kids, and allowed all the toxic things to fester and that is where we are today. Steam is right now an absolute embarassment to PC gaming.

There is still hope that it comes back again. There is still hope that America comes back again, given Valve is really symbolic of the current elected government and their awful views and corruption. Will that happen? Probably not but you know, maybe.

But you can make noise about it and call it out, because that is the right thing to do. The other side is when someone like Visa or mastercard takes a look at the platform and goes "holy fuck" people should look at it a bit differently. Valve gets away with things like gambling because they are under the radar. When a light finally gets shone on them? There will be some pain, but that needs to happen.

I mean Islamaphobia is so normalised and encouraged in western society. This is simply default behavior at this point. Considering the stories that keep coming out about games industry ppl, half of Valve probably agree with the sentiments of the review

the way this just fizzled out and wasn't really picked up by media is insanely frustrating....

Yeah, I agree. I would point goatmeat 's reply two spots above yours at top of the page:

Islamaphobia is accepted, hell even largely encouraged, mainstream.

Hilarious thread.

[HaughtyFrank]

The Nazis tried the same thing, and it was a big part of their downfall. They tried to stop immigration, eliminate the groups of people they didn't like, and attempted to eliminate imports. Same playbook basically.

https://www.resetera.com/threads/president-fuckface-is-gonna-address-the-nation-tomorrow-at-9pm-eastern-time.1385119/page-16#post-149085253

Pretty sure the downfall of Nazi Germany was fighting a war on two fronts, which ironically, was also the downfall of WW1 Germany.

[HaughtyFrank]

https://www.resetera.com/threads/nihon-falcom-actively-using-ai-for-brainstorming-scenarios-conducting-research-and-similar-applications.1386748/

Wow this happening right as I'm playing the Cold Steel games 😲

A reminder that even the smaller devs might be making use of it.

Those are arguably the ones most likely to use it

[Boredfrom]

Some PC Gamers were already calling themselves "Master race" years ago.

This shit is almost 2 decades old, stop getting triggered by it you stupid asshole.

[Boredfrom]

https://www.resetera.com/threads/nihon-falcom-actively-using-ai-for-brainstorming-scenarios-conducting-research-and-similar-applications.1386748/

Wow this happening right as I'm playing the Cold Steel games 😲

A reminder that even the smaller devs might be making use of it.

Those are arguably the ones most likely to use it

Still, fuck them if the use it for localization.  

We already suffered a downgrade with NiSA.

[benji]

The Nazis tried the same thing, and it was a big part of their downfall. They tried to stop immigration, eliminate the groups of people they didn't like, and attempted to eliminate imports. Same playbook basically.

https://www.resetera.com/threads/president-fuckface-is-gonna-address-the-nation-tomorrow-at-9pm-eastern-time.1385119/page-16#post-149085253

Pretty sure the downfall of Nazi Germany was fighting a war on two fronts, which ironically, was also the downfall of WW1 Germany.

You'd think a guy so interested in explaining what a big part of the downfall of the Nazis was would take a look at the casualty figures on the Eastern Front for the Soviets first.

[benji]

https://www.resetera.com/threads/not-the-onion-president-fuckface-announces-the-creation-of-the-hunger-games-for-americas-250th-anniversary.1387492/

Patriot Games, National Mall state fair, White House UFC fight: DC America 250 plans revealed

Just a fucking nightmare. But sure let the republicans send their children to the hunger games. Certainly won't be a nightmare for all involved. You know, willingly sending your children to be around pedophiles and rapists who will absolutely assault their children.

Sounds like MAGA Twitter users talking about anyone sending their kids to DC during the previous four years.

I really hope whoever comes in after this asshole they tear all of this shit down. I want that fucker to be alive so he can see when they demolish his ballroom.

Do they think this TEMPORARY EVENT stuff is really going to be left up for years after? It's not Trump, DC always celebrates all these anniversaries.  

There's a non-zero chance talking shit about trans people in sports is the entire reason this "event" exists. 😑

100%

If this wasn't about transphobia the event would have been male-only.

This has to be a grift. It's always a grift. Using govt funds to hire the companies owned by his friends. Cheap out on the events and pocket the cash put in by sponsors. This is gonna be the grifter olympics

Literally what do you think the Olympics is?

Can the IP holders of the Hunger Games sue for trademark infringement?

   

[Taco Bell Tower]

I've said it before but when a company is both immoral and worse than the competition boycotting becomes subconsciously easy. There's no games I care for, Linux only got easier, ai is used in every future release, and PlayStation has its own gamepass without the blood. It's just so easy to boycott, I'd do it even if there wasn't a moral reason to do so at this point

https://www.resetera.com/threads/people-make-games-its-working-the-fight-back-against-microsofts-war-profiteering.1387051/#post-149077810



https://palestinecampaign.org/psc-company/sony/

During a June 2018 field tour in the Old City of Jerusalem, Who Profits documented the use of Sony cameras as part of Israel’s surveillance system in the occupied area. At least six Sony cameras were installed at Jerusalem’s Damascus Gate. As part of its military occupation, Israel maintains a regime of intense surveillance against Palestinians in Jerusalem.

Don't forget the other genocide!
https://www.resetera.com/threads/our-gaming-hardware-is-linked-to-slave-labour-concentration-camps-and-genocide-heres-what-to-do-about-it.386693/

[Jansen]

I can't believe this boycott worked and brought down Xbox instead of Microsoft kind of doing it themselves