Currently there appears to be a big scandal going on in the gaming world and industry. If you have already heard the name "Zoe Quinn" recently, chances are you have already heard what is going on. If not, read on... It's been a long time since I've written on my gaming blog, and today seems as good a day as any to get back into it. A lot has happened in the past year or two since I have been away, a lot outside the gaming world and a lot inside of it. As this was a blog created specifically to talk about games, today I will mostly be talking about things pertaining to the gaming industry, gamers, and also the community of people who make games and play games.
Recently a game was released on Steam through Steam's Greenlight service, called "Depression Quest", made by a woman named Zoe Quinn. The game is a text-based story-telling-type game, where the main focus of the game involves reading and clicking on text. Sort of like those "chose your own adventure" books where you pick what page to goto and whatnot, and less of an actual "game" with "gameplay" (when compared to more visually interactive games such as Mario, Halo, etc.) and such. But that is fine, nobody says games have to be one way or another, and that is also fine because the game is more of a social commentary, and is meant to present a message rather than provide a fun gaming experience (at least this is what I am gathering). I believe this "game" is meant to open people's eyes to depression and send a message about it. Which I think, in itself, is great. Depression is no fun.
What the exact message is, or how that message is put forth though, I cannot say 100%. I myself have not played the game so I can't really comment or confirm on exactly what the message is, but from what I'm gathering it is the overall message is this: people who are depressed will benefit from seeking help. I believe this might be the message trying to be put forth by Zoe Quinn and her game because after reading reviews, I found that the "best ending" of the game is to see a doctor/therapist and get prescribed pills, thus "dealing with depression" & "getting help".
Without going into it too much and getting all political, I personally am against "big pharm" and think that throwing pills at every little problem people have in this country is not the right route or the best route, so I may differ on what I believe is the exact right route to deal with depression, but I can say that if the message is to get help for depression, I don't think there is anything wrong with that message. In fact I think that is a good message. People with depression should try to get help, or at the very least some sort of support system from family and friends. As for the game itself and how it plays as a game, it currently seems to be getting mostly unfavorable reviews on Steam.
The problem doesn't really lie within Zoe's game, but how the game came to be, the favorable reviews and articles written about it, and the seemingly confusing and conflicting stories about the whole situation. I am not one to spread rumors and I like to verify my information before discussing it in public, but it's really hard for me to say that she has done absolutely nothing wrong and that none of the accusations against her are true. What we do know is that, Zoe has had - whether romantic or not - some sort of relationships with people who gave her game good reviews before it was put onto Steam.
Before going into details, let me ask you: if you were a game maker, and your friend worked for a major game review outlet, and your friend helps push you into fame by writing good reviews for your game, even if it is a bad game by the standards of the majority, is that not somewhat of a conflict of professional interest? Furthermore, isn't that dishonest to your gaming community out there that you are supposedly working for? Giving a good review on a game just because someone is your friend doesn't seem right. It seems dishonest. The problem with game reviews such as this one nowadays is that this nepotism even takes place to begin with, when "friends" or whoever related to the game makers decide to give their game undeserved praise and free fame, benefiting both parties with one said gaining money by getting their game out there and the other by gaining more publicity through the articles and reviews - and in turn lying to the gaming community and deceiving us.
For those still confused, please see this article here. This is what she has been accused of. Having relationships within the gaming industry to promote herself, to benefit herself, and to gain publicity, fame, and money. Whether these accusations are 100% true or not has yet to be remained, but I honestly believe that we as gamers have been lied to in some way or another and I think we have a right to put this on the table for discussion.
I don't want to bash on Zoe Quinn for her game because I haven't played it. But it seems surprising that a game which is getting so many bad reviews, has gotten so much praise in the past and - through the help of that praise and support - gotten it's way onto Steam. I don't want to bash on Zoe Quinn because she is a girl, because the argument is not about what sex she is and that really shouldn't matter. If a guy was accused of rigging reviews to get his game on the market, I would be calling him out here as well just the same. The information is out there. I will let you read, study, and decide for yourself.
This blog post is not to bash on Zoe. A part of me feels sorry for all the backlash she must be going through right now. The overall question I want to ask is, though, is it OK to lie to people and "falsify" reviews just to benefit a friend, lover, or other acquaintance? Is that OK in the industry, and do we as gamers not have a right to complain about it or discuss it?
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