Dobson has made yet another whiny journal about feminism in video games but since all he has done was regurgitate what he has already said about past events, I’ve decided to respond to this tweet instead. You can read Tom Pretzel’s journal here:
http://tompreston.deviantart.com/journal/Gaming-Culture-Cracks-and-Burns-478689125
I might respond to it later.
But before I do that, I want to talk about one thing I have noticed about Dobson and have pointed out before: the man feels as if he has a total obligation to talk about all of this stuff despite it being the source of a lot of his criticism and thus his mental breakdown.
So think of this as my open letter to Dobson that he won’t get because he blocked me.
Dobson, you don’t have to talk about every single issue related to feminism and video games if you don’t want to. No one is going to hold you to the standard that you need to present your opinions on this matter and if they do, you can easily tell them that you no longer want to.
You’ve said many times that this is the sort of thing that is making you disgruntled with the video game industry and if you really are depressed, you shouldn’t be focusing so much on stuff you hate or worries you. The world will continue to turn even if you’re not reporting on it.
Just go outside and take a walk. That has helped tremendously me when I was feeling depressed. You should also take a break from the internet and no, I don’t just mean not do comics but continue doing everything else you’ve always done. If you seriously can’t motivate yourself to do that then just not go to websites related to these issues. Watch funny videos of cats on Youtube or if you think there’s no hope for gaming, watch a simple Let’s Play. Maybe seeing what happens to two radical feminists issn’t going to affect the industry as a whole will make you feel better. There’s plenty of good ones. You like Minecraft, don’t you? There’s a guy on Youtube called Ethoslab. He does good videos and has days worth of content to watch, take a fucking break from slowly killing yourself and watch his videos.
And when you do return to making comics, try making them about things you enjoy rather than hate all the time. I’ve said before that you should return to making comics like the ones you did for Brentalfloss because those aren’t filled to the brim with bitterness. Granted, it’s likely because Brentalfloss was also involved but that’s the thing, look at what he’s doing. The guy’s making songs for video game musics. It’s things he enjoys and he made a name for himself doing so rather than bitching all the time about things he hates.
Brawl in the Family is another good webcomic to try and be like. It’s also about video games and while it has fun pointing out all the stupid little things in video games but never seems outright angry about them. If the artist has political opinions of any sort, I’ve never seen them forced into the comic itself which helps when you webcomic is supposed to be about something that’s not politics, even if those politics are related to the subject of your webcomic.
I also rather like this webcomic:
http://www.onceuponasaturday.com/ more so than any other one involving religion. I may be an atheist and an anti-theist but even I don’t want to read spite every single day. It takes on some pretty big subjects but it’s lighthearted about it all and looks like it’s trying more to have fun with the subject than to prove a point. Even when it does delve into serious political commentary, the comic never comes off as whiny or outright hostile but that is my opinion.
The point is about all of this is that this shit isn’t good for your health. You keep going back to shit that makes you feel worse about the world and by continuing to do that, you’re never going to get out of the depression you’re in. I say this not to be a dick or because I disagree with you but because even I can see this stuff is slowly killing you: Stop doing social justice shit. At least take a break from it. It’s not helping you cope with your depression and it’s continuing to make it worse.
You are the kind of guy who got seriously depressed in the first place partly because the new Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie did good in the boxoffice. You really aren’t the kind of guy who can afford to feel down about something you consider a major ethical dilemma at this point.
If I were feeling depressed, I wouldn’t intentionally seek out information about the ISIS even though it’s part of a subject very important to me. I’d watch a funny movie, play a game I enjoy, go on a walk, and just let the world continue on without me for a while.
Seriously, Dobson. Go take a walk. Unfollow people like Anita and Zoe on Twitter (They’ll be able to handle it), close the tab linking to your DA page, and go for a walk. When you return and want to make a comic, make one about some silly thing in Mario games or whatever. Don’t continue to make comics related to politics in your state of depression and do not attempt to stir up controversy with your critics because that will only end badly for you.
I may be an asshole but I’m not 100% a dick. This is my advice to you, Dobson. It’s not the kind of advice you want to hear but it is the kind of advice you need to hear. That is all.
