Gaming, film, comic-books - all of these things have experienced a somewhat turbulent few years. Not because of a lack of quality in such popular and much-adored mediums, but because of a general pervasive toxicity that has managed to work its way into geek culture as a whole. It boiled to the surface with the whole 'GamerGate' debacle in 2014, and ever since the community has gotten increasingly polarised in regards to any issues social, economic, and/or political in nature. Point being? It's not really a fun time to be a geek or a gamer. If people arent lambasting you over getting excited about a newly announced title, theyll most likely be occupying their time tweeting those wishing to see more inclusiveness and diversity within their favourite medium. As a consequence, the sub-culture has seen an endemic rise of racism, sexism and homophobia thats making fictional entertainment - something that should be a bastion for everyone to reside in - something displeasing altogether. You don't have to look far in online spaces or multiplayer lobbies to completely lose your faith in the gaming community, and even though I have no doubt that the positive aspects outweigh the negative ones, it's hard not to ignore the predominant voice emanating from it - one that's simply ruining it for everyone.
10. Complaining About DLC... Then Buying It Anyway
Look at any article discussing the anti-consumer business tactics of the industry's biggest companies, and it won't be hard to find a vocal gamer pointing out just how morally superior they are for shunning DLC altogether. However, I'm more than willing to bet that the same people in question begrudgingly cough up money for season passes, pre-order bonuses and all their ilk in the end. I'm not targeting anyone in particular with these comments, because I'm one of the aforementioned complainers who eagerly sees the 'need' to continue the experience of their newly secured purchases with add-on content. I did it with Arkham Knight prior to spiralling into a well of self-loathing for effectively pre-ordering DLC, in-turn offering endorsement for the practice, despite having no reservations about just how awful it is for the industry and gamers as well. Gamers need to decide a position on this matter and vote with their wallets accordingly, lest we see another Battlefront situation in the near future. After all, there really isn't a point in kicking up a fuss if you're still going to abide by the business practices of Warner Bros., EA. and Ubisoft.
WhatCulture's very own resident movie guy, Ewan has been working in the content creation biz for over 10 years now, having started as a freelance contributor to WhatCulture Gaming all the way back in 2015. After graduating with a First-Class Honours in History from Northumbria University in 2017 (where he won a prize for a totally killer dissertation on the Watergate years), Ewan took on the role of Comics Editor at WhatCulture and quickly developed WhatCulture Comics into one of the biggest superhero-focused channels on YouTube. He followed this with a brief hiatus at Screen Rant in 2021, where he worked across the Gaming and Film sections as a writer and editor, before returning to WhatCulture as a Senior Content Producer / Presenter in 2023. He started his own podcast, We Love Dad Movies, in 2022, and has contributed several written pieces to the Eisner-nominated comics website Shelfdust as well.
In his current role, Ewan incorporates his love of cinema, comic books, and history into written pieces and video essays for WhatCulture's Film & TV channel, as well as WhatCulture Gaming and WhatCulture Horror, with a particular focus on nineties-era Dad Movies, old school Westerns, and Golden Age Hollywood Noir. John Carpenter is his fave, and he thinks Batman Beyond should never have been cancelled. If that's your vibe, you'll probably like his stuff.
