Tim Stone & the 'gender critical position'

[Cheeetar]

I’m very glad and relieved that they chose to maintain the integrity of the site rather than the contributions of one writer - it’s unlikely we’d hear about the contributors who would have felt uncomfortable contributing had Tim Stone remained.

[Aerothorn]

My most immediate concern is how RPS will continue with the Flare Path Game Jam. Prizes have been promised and the submissions are already in. I have no idea how they plan on doing it without Tim, but I think they do have an obligation to the contestants to see it through.

[BillButNotBen]

That’s a shame. I’m of the opinion that people deserve second chances, but that’s the internet for you.

the sources all around the web do not show that ad spending plummeted.

I think there was a big fall in ad revenue in the first half of the year, although it may have recovered somewhat now. It’s hard to tell because a lot of the figures relate to Google’s revenue rather than what the actual sites receive.

Given their resources as powerful a voice as they have, their attempts at recruitment of black or POC staff is a fucking joke. There’s no argument o be had here.

I would argue that with a small staff, they’re rather limited by people leaving. That said, the turnover has been reasonably high in the past few years.
Most of this year they’ve had a hiring freeze from on high, so that’s going to limit their ability at least at the moment.

[mocylop]

Yea, Tim’s column was one of, possibly the last, writer whose content I specifically read.

Old RPS highlighted games I wouldn’t normally come across and provided a lot of value. The newer writers are all fine but I feel like there isn’t half as much coverage of odds and ends as before. It’s sorta similar to PcGamer or Eurogamer with a “twist” now. Tim remained one of the last standouts in that regard. I’ve quite a number of games in my library I would have not known of otherwise.

Does anyone know if Tim has a personal site where he can be followed or if he publishes elsewhere?

[BillButNotBen]

Old RPS highlighted games I wouldn’t normally come across and provided a lot of value.

This was also what Sin was really good at, which was one reason I was so sad to see her go.

I don’t know on Tim I’m afraid, but John Walker has a personal site that highlights unknown games. They aren’t the kind of games that Tim’s column would feature though.
https://buried-treasure.org/

[mocylop]

I was super happy to find Johns website a few weeks ago. It definitely fills a bit of the hole. Really the unfortunate thing about RPS is that it used to be a one stop shop. At one point in time I read everything posted because it was all so good.

Yea no luck on my end for Tim. He apparently as very little to no online presence. It doesn’t help that Tim Stone is apparently a pretty common name.

[alms]

I think there was a big fall in ad revenue in the first half of the year, although it may have recovered somewhat now

Have you forgotten how the ascent of ad blockers, which 90+% of the web people never uses in the first place, was used to justify the ramp up of abusive ad practices? After years of having to put up with condescending not-technically-lies, just don’t get me started.

[alms]

Yea no luck on my end for Tim. He apparently as very little to no online presence. It doesn’t help that Tim Stone is apparently a pretty common name.

Doesn’t help any that most mentions now are coming come from those who have denounced or are discussing this very incident.

[mocylop]

Doesn’t help any that most mentions now are coming come from those who have denounced or are discussing this very incident.

Yes! It’s quite the predicament.

This whole thing has been a little strange as it’s one of those times where a fairly British culture-war is impacting me in the States. I feel like it’s quite often the other way around. I’ve had to do some digging to figure out what exactly has been going on.

[Sarfrin]

This was also what Sin was really good at, which was one reason I was so sad to see her go.

Same here, she was a huge loss. I’m guessing her posts didn’t get enough views compared to posts about more well known games. The problem is that people like Sin made RPS uniquely worth visiting and bumped up the views on those other posts. If it becomes indistinguishable from Eurogamer, why visit both?

[Sarfrin]

I would argue that with a small staff, they’re rather limited by people leaving. That said, the turnover has been reasonably high in the past few years.

Graham did say the most recent posts had to be filled internally from other sites belonging to RPS’s parent company. Given that RPS is probably the most diverse of the bunch that could only reduce diversity here.

[Viscount]

The whole situation is very sad - as said above, Graham would have been bashing his head against the wall when that thread kicked off.

I know that trans issues are the hot potato online right now, one in which RPS cannot be equivocal in any regard, as they have rare, and correct, long support of trans writers, bringing a valuable different viewpoint from a lot of other games journalism. Graham would have known that not sacking Tim (I know he’s freelance but 13 years?, come on) would have resulted in other writers probably quitting. It was the least shitty decision Graham could make.

Which, of course, doesn’t make it less shitty. Tim’s column is the last of old RPS, a niche article in among rehashed press releases, SEO-friendly articles about Fortnite and Apex Legends, and Amazon-shilling. I only discovered the Foxer a few months ago and even have a fake meeting in my work calendar so no one tries to set up one during Friday lunchtime - it’s the single best quiz thing out there and I will be sad to see it go.

As someone said above, it is a little bit hypocritical that RPS have gone in so hard on the issue of trans rights when they have consistently failed so miserably to get racial diversity on the writing staff - hopefully that will change.

[Asrahn]

The times they are-a changin’.

Tim could have kept his head down regarding this instead of going off in the comments, in the face of his colleagues on that. This points to the fact that he felt it absolutely necessary to offer some semblance of belonging to the crowd that frequents RPS but who none the less hold transphobic views, and that he deep down considers it a value tied strong enough to his person that he felt the need to express them openly.

Consider for a moment the scenario where someone in the comments, below an article, expresses irritation over RPS’s status as an “insular bubble” pertaining to the “discussion” in society regarding gay people, and how this “topic” isn’t allowed to be discussed in an “intellectual” and “honest” way, and you scroll down and realize that one of the actual contributors to the site is going off about how they truly stand out because they’re not only very willing to entertain discussions regarding “locker rooms”, “impact on children” and being terrified of “breaking up the family unit”, but that they agree that it is a view repressed in society and that in itself is in fact a huge problem.

“Gender Critical” is just the other side of the “Race Realist” coin, and employs many of the same arguments that was utilized to argue against gay rights, and still is, to this day.

All this said, I hope they find someone to fill his, arguably, big writing shoes.

[sonson]

Yeah I think the manner of his interaction was the nail in the coffin and really made inaction from RPS’ perspective impossible.

Had he shown some humility (or even just self awareness) and said as a minimum “Apologies, I thought I had a contribution to make here, but I was ignorant and wrong, i retract my contribution, I’m sorry for hurting people and I am going to educate myself and refrain from using my position harmfully in the future and using it to engage in something I know nothing about”- maybe theres a way back from that.

I’d like to hope so. I dont believe in the concept of cancel culture as it is stated- I’d call it more “having to take responsibility for actions”- but there needs to be space for genuine, demonstrable, sensitive contrition and acceptance thereof when it occurs.

But his interaction was very much that of “we’re all equals here” which quite aside from what he even said, coming from a white dude with a platform on and capital in the site on which he was posting- nope.

He didnt need to say anything, it was his privelege to choose to involve himself, or indeed say nothing at all. He has no stake in any of what he was talking about but he just kept going with it and minimising the perspectives, experiences and value of those who do. His (entirely unecessary) actions had to have consequences.

[Skalpadda]

Sin being booted was handwaved away with COVID related drops in ad spending. I don’t know what the numbers for RPS look like, of course, but the sources all around the web do not show that ad spending plummeted.

IIRC it was mainly their parent company having money woes and given they’re an events company that makes sense. Doesn’t make it any less crappy we lost Sin.

He didnt need to say anything, it was his privelege to choose to involve himself, or indeed say nothing at all.

Yeah, precisely this. Airing complaints about your employer’s policy on a sensitive issue on a public forum is staggeringly unproffessional. I’d be fired in a heartbeat if I pulled something like that. I don’t see how Graham had any other choice in this.

[Sarfrin]

Airing complaints about your employer’s policy on a sensitive issue on a public forum is staggeringly unproffessional

On your employer’s public platform, no less.

[mocylop]

Its sorta bizarre given that it apparently occurred in a comment chain that most readers won’t ever see. I wonder if there will be an official announcement on the site or if they are going to leave folks in the dark?

I personally don’t see him being replaced in any capacity. Having been a reader for 10+ years (has it been that long already?!?) something I’ve noticed is that when a writer leaves its rare that their slot gets filled. Like obviously a new contributor is hired but they have different interests and different styles than whoever left. Essentially when a quality contributor leaves there is always a hole regardless of how good the replacement is. Like take the Flare Path Game Jam. That will likely be finished by someone else but I’m almost certain that the whole concept originated from Tim and regardless of if he is replaced you aren’t going to regain that same energy.

Currently RPS isn’t all that much different from the front page of /r/games. Sin and Tim were two standouts. Not to say that the other writers are bad. I do like Alice’s writing and nearly everyone else’s is decent but there just isn’t quite the same flare.

As an aside does anyone else remember the furor around Quinn’s Fallout review? https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2010/10/21/wot-i-think-fallout-new-vegas/

[Sarfrin]

I wonder if there will be an official announcement on the site

If there is I imagine it’ll be part of an announcement about what’s happening with this Flare Path jam thing.

[Risingson]

It is not sorta bizarre: again, his words were attacks against RPS colleagues. It is not that it happened in that chain, it is that with his words he was hurting people that work in here. Making it an unsafe environment. I complained to HR in my company for cases like this.

I really don’t care if he was old guard. Personally I don’t like the old guard at all with their toxic personality and their complex of being the Hunter S Thompson of videogames.

[Sarfrin]

their complex of being the Hunter S Thompson of videogames

That was only John really. RPS as a whole has been fairly progressive for the years I’ve been reading it. I can’t imagine trans people being comfortable working at kotaku, for example.