My Thoughts on Comments - Did they even try to make sense?

All comments, along with the original article, can be found here.

Comment sections; the bane of all existence on the Internet. The place where people can feel free to troll and bash other individuals due to the anonymity of their posts. Some individuals, what I like to refer to as the trolliest of the trolls, keep their identity hidden at all costs. Others actually contribute to the comments and their knowledge can spark interesting and in depth debates.

The "Almost there" comment

Let us take a look at Jared Price's comment. While his comment did spark somewhat of a conversation, it wasn't completely related to the points the article was trying to make. The article was trying to point out that racism and sexism are large issues in the gaming world, even if not everyone experiences it. Online gamers enjoy trash talking one another, it's just the nature of the place, and unfortunately some demographics are targeted more than others. For me, Mr. Price lost credibility with his first sentence. Rather than starting off by addressing the issue, to me it seems like he is bragging about how much time he spends gaming. It has nothing to do with just playing major titles, or how often you play online. The issue still exists and it needs to be addressed. Mr. Cawdell's response to Price's comment also made it on the lower end of credible. Since he was focusing more on just being an online gamer, and less about the issue of harassment when gaming, he drew other people in to comment on what types of games are fun and why he was wrong. Maybe if his comment were in a different post it would be more credible, but it just isn't up to par.

A screenshot from my computer. 8/28/2015 9:48PM

The "Reasonable approach" comment

Gord Pitt; just from looking at the information below the picture I already trust them more. Although there are some grammatical errors here and there, Pitt comes across as a somewhat reasonable individual. It seems like before posting the comment, Pitt did some research and found the flaws within the article's post. Rather than typing in all caps to "effectively" get the point across, Pitt displays his thoughts by calmly talking and not outright attacking. He is disappointed by the way journalists are addressing the issues, and is hoping for a change. While he is not the most credible person ever, he is definitely higher up on the credibility chain than Mr. Price was.

A screenshot from my computer. 8/28/2015 9:51PM

The "Do you even know what you're trying to say" comment

By far the most entertaining comments are the ones that seem like they're completely out there and random. When you read these types of comments you often find yourself wondering if the person posting even bothered to look at what they typed. Robert Norris dropped the ball when it came to staying related to the article's topic. Sure, some girls may be the "badasses" he claims them to be when it comes to online gaming, but that was not the point. Regardless of how good a female gamer may be, a majority of online female players are often targeted and harassed just because of their sex. They could be the best gamer in the lobby and still have no respect given to them because they "belong in the kitchen". Robert is lower down on the credibility scale because I found myself having to reread what he posted. When he said "some just can't take being beaten by a female.." I had no idea who he was referring to. If I have to reread your comment in order to even begin to try and understand it, then there is definitely something wrong. Credible comments are easy to understand, and are completely related to the topic at hand. 

A screenshot from my computer. 8/28/2015 9:51PM

The "Knowledgeable and Reasonable" comment

The comments that seem well founded and reasonable. The ones that don't leave you scratching your head in confusion and sometimes in anger. These types of comments are the most reasonable. Scott Malcomson is expressing the flaws of the article without directly attacking the person that wrote it. To me, it seems like he researched more into the controversy behind GamerGate, and if anything seemed to be a bit fishy he looked into it more. His comment allows the reader to see that not all articles can be trusted, and that some require the individual to do some of their own research. After reading his comment, it makes me question the validity of the article, and whether or not GamerGate was created for the right reasons.

A screenshot from my computer. 8/28/2015 9:52PM

EDIT

After searching through some of my classmates blogs on comments I've reaffirmed my belief that most comments on the Internet are not credible. While some, a slim few, can present themselves as credible through the way they display their opinion, most commentors will always be uncredible. Even if some comments appear to have validity, you have to question yourself to see if they actually know what they are talking about, or if they're manipulating their vocabulary to feign knowledge.

Mira's blog allowed me to see how other people commenting can be swayed by one comment. Those who excessively capitalize draw away from their true purpose because the unnecessary capitals deter the reader from being able to focus.

Nathan's comments were very captivating to me. Racism is a highly debated affair, and the comments section was likely filled with uncensored babbling. The two credible comments were very reasonable in their approach to defining racism and explaining that other races that aren't Caucasian can indeed be racists as well. The noncredible comments were what one would typically expect to see on an Internet thread; their sole purpose being to argue and to claim authority without evidence to back anything up.

My Controversy

Snider, Mike. "A Year after 'gamergate,' women say online abuse is still a big deal"

The controversy that rang true on many levels, speaking from the mind of a female gamer. In the USA Today article Snider addresses a growing issue in the world of gaming: females are essentially sexual objects. In comparison to men, female gamers find themselves being harassed, stalked, and even attacked. As a female who has spent her whole life being a gamer, I can relate to a lot of the points made in the article. From a young age on, as soon as someone found out I was a female in online gaming they would instantly degrade me and tell me that I didn't belong. I was never bothered much because I have thick skin when it comes to that aspect, and I just ignored them. However, females can never truly feel comfortable in the world of online gaming. Any female who uses a face cam on websites like Twitch and Youtube are at a higher risk of being stalked and possibly attacked. Females aren't the only ones who realize this issue though. As one who spends a lot of her free time on twitch, I thought it would be fun to stream. My boyfriend and I had long discussions on not using face cams as it would make him uncomfortable because he realizes that females are overly sexualized. I feel like the article is going about a possible solution the wrong way. The compelling story lines in games like Elder Scrolls are what draw individuals into playing them. Not the fact that "angry white males" can relate to the characters.

Calendar Reflection

While filling out my weekly schedule, I realized I had spent over an hour trying to make it look nice and organized, presenting a potential problem for college.

From my computer. 8/28/2015 6:53PM

At a glance it may look chaotic, but it actually isn't too bad. As long as I use my time wisely (i.e. not spending over an hour beautifying assignments that no one will see) I'll be very well off. Since I carpool to school most of the week, I plan on spending my free time at school working on homework. Unlike in high school, where it was impossible to get any work done at school, it's a lot easier to focus on my work while sitting in a room, even if that room is the Student Union at its peak hours. Practicing for music will likely be my biggest time consumer, as it is recommended you practice no less than two hours a day, but that's not realistic for me. Ultimately, I'd like to be at least two weeks ahead in my school work, that way I won't have to stress as much. It would also be nice to work at least 12 hours a week at my job so I have some extra spending cash. I guess I'll see as the year progresses.

EDIT:

After reading through Swati's post on the subject and looking over my own calendar again I realized how useful schedules can be. Time does seem to fly by, and having something to reference when I feel myself going over the edge will help me to keep a level head. Schedules allow for more leisure and less stress.

Casey's post opened my eyes to the idea of embracing the free time that we are allotted. It is important to not overbook yourself with work and to allow your brain, and body, some much needed relaxation. Continually pushing the limits only causes the individual to become more drained, and in turn less productive. As they say, moderation is the key. I personally am going to try to stick to my schedule and not overwork myself, which I've had a tendency to do in the past.

My Writing Process - Maybe it was me?

It's hard to fathom that I'm going to be blogging again. Long ago, back in the blossoming years of my youth, I convinced myself that being a blogger would be cool. Everything goes full circle I suppose.

Going throughout my high school years it was easy to observe how different I was from the rest of my peers. I wanted everything to be perfect, to look perfect. I spent so much of my time working on perfecting my work my friends thought that I was insane. Writing for me is like a non-artistic individual trying to draw an image they see in their mind. It takes a life-time to complete and still never looks quite right.

After spending some time looking for an image, I found that this one struck a chord with me. I want everything in my life to be nice and organized so it is simpler, but it often makes things more complicated.

Kalogeropoylos, Dimitris. "Life's more fun when you are organized" April 21, 2010 via flickr.
Attribution-ShareAlike License

1. What type of writer do you consider yourself to be?

After much thinking, I would classify myself as a "Sequential Composer". I'm the type of person that needs a plan in order to get started, and will constantly rework and rewrite my compositions until I feel that it is "perfect". To me it is much easier to allow my creative juices to flow once I have a set of notes in front of me, easily referenced if my mind draws a blank.

2. Does your writing process include several of the above approaches? If so, which ones?

It's hard for me to understand how a writing process can solely ever be one of the four categories. Even those that procrastinate until the night before it's due obviously plan to do that, so in a way they are like those that are "Heavy Planners", needing to be confident enough in their writing to have it completed in one go around. My own writing process is a combination of the "Heavy Revisers" and the "Sequential Composers". In order for me to write an effective paper, my first draft usually ends up being a jumbled up mess and I have to decipher what my brain was thinking at the time of writing it. Since I am never truly satisfied with any of my work, a typical essay can have anywhere from four to five drafts. Leading up to the draft, a lot of my time is spent finding notes, creating an outline, and revising the outline until it makes some sort of sense. I am not the type of person that does well under time constraints, and would prefer to get work done way in advanced. Due to this somewhat odd quirk I have compared to my peers, I'll often start working on my papers weeks in advanced and aim to have them completed a couple of weeks before the due date.

3. Does your writing process seem to be successful? What are the strengths and weaknesses of your approach?

Looking back at my papers from high school, I typically had the highest grade of the class so I would say my process is successful. The biggest flaw behind my process is that it can take me weeks to feel comfortable enough with my paper, and I often obsess over every little thing. However, because I do spend so much time revising and rereading my works I am able to check for understanding and clarity.

4. Do you think it might be beneficial for you to try a different approach? Why or why not?

Being somewhat of a procrastinator would probably be better for my mental health. I would never be a procrastinator to the extent of waiting the night before a paper is due to start, but I could benefit from not starting as early. The process of writing a paper consumes every fiber of my being, as I want it to be perfect. The perfectionist quality within myself is a double-edged sword. While it does allow my works to seem more sophisticated than that of my peers, I drain all of my energy by continually editing anything I do. My biggest stress factor is myself because I am always demanding more of myself. "Does this look right?" or "Is this straight? Does this look presentable?" As I've been told many times in the past, I need to be less high strung and take a chill pill.

On that note, I think I will go take a chill pill and do some yoga to relax myself.

EDIT:

After looking through and reading through a lot of the blogs, I found myself drawn towards Hallye's post. I noticed that, like her, I often find myself having to restrengthen the beginning and middle section of my papers because I am still formulating it as I write it. Since the first parts of my papers are so weak, I find myself revising my papers on the upwards end of five times. While everyone has their own process that works for them, I think I could work on being less of a perfectionist. I strive for excellence, but my perfectionism is often my downfall. Bri's post showed me that I'm not the only one who likes to do things by hand first. Like her, I find it easiest to put some of my thoughts down on physical paper before I begin typing, that way I have a quick reference. Another benefit to doing things by hand is that you never have to worry about files being deleted. My biggest take from reading some of the other blogs is that it would do me some good to relax a bit more. It's not always necessary for me to start papers weeks in advanced and spend a large portion of my time revising.