In recent months, there's been an epidemic of anger in the world of gaming. The nasty comments are getting nastier. The death threats are escalating. Harassment has become ubiquitous.
It's tough, being a video game developer. The hours are long, the work is grueling, your studio can shut down at a moment's notice, and many of your projects will be cancelled or morphed beyond recognition.
And then there are the threats on your life because you changed a gun's stats. The endless bouts of harassment. The faceless attacks that get so depressing and overwhelming, at least one prominent developer quit because of them.
But we know gamers can be better than that.
So let's take the time to spread some positivity. Hop in the comments. Take the time to think about all of the talented people it took to make your favorite games, and leave some words of appreciation for those creators. Help cheer up the artist who just read nasty messages about her work on a web forum. Brighten up the day of the producer who worked 80-hour weeks to bring a game to life. There are real people behind the games you love, and none of them deserve to be insulted or threatened. Let's celebrate them instead.
To contact the author of this post, write to jason@kotaku.com or find him on Twitter at @jasonschreier.