Patrick Klepek Will Now Take Your Calls

Senior reporter at Kotaku, everyone's favorite video game website. Playing bad Mario stages at youtube.com/patrickklepek

[patrickklepek]

Making your daughter a bears fan is just cruel.

We don’t get to choose our parents.

[patrickklepek]

Where are you Patrick?! Used to really love coming here, and your coffee videos, really miss that stuff. Any chance you're going to make answering questions a thing again?

I wish I had more time these days, friend.

[patrickklepek]

Hi.

[patrickklepek]

ive got the most disgusting farts right now im afraid im going to get fired tomorrow if they dont stop :(

This was sent to me weeks ago. Did you get fired?

[patrickklepek]

Patrick when you play giant bomb levels or dans levels are your most popular in terms of views any plans to coordinate with Dan to make more levels for you to play? Also any plans to design your own level?

One does not “coordinate” with Dan. Our panel “coordination” consisted of trying to drink four beers an hour before the panel and saying “we got this.”

[patrickklepek]

Is Austin Walker the new scoops? Or can you guys combine to make a super scoops?

Austin Walker can scoop me anytime. By anytime, however, I mean after me.

[patrickklepek]

Hey Patrick! I was one of the lucky few who got a room temperature hot dog at the Pax East Giant Bomb panel. When you handed me the hot dog (I was toward the back of the room), you pointed at me and said, "I remember you! I remember you!" So my question is, how do you remember me? Did you see me at Mario Maker panel earlier in the day? Or have we meet before and I've forgotten? Please help me solve the greatest mystery in my life! Also keep up the good work, Scoops.

I have no idea, but let’s not ruin this special moment.

[patrickklepek]

Hey Patrick, this is a super minor issue that probably isn't worth your time, but I noticed the playlists on your Youtube are organised in a way that they play backwards (i.e. episode 12 of something will lead on to episode 11). Admittedly this takes a second for me to just click on the next video to watch, I just like to set something up to play and let it go while I play a game.

That is weird. I will look at that.

[patrickklepek]

Remember when you used this?

[patrickklepek]

Hi Scoops. Long time listener, first time caller. Regarding the Rapps situation, I'm 100% in favour of your reporting on it. I went on a large rant about it myself and how, quite correctly, either way you look at it, contract breach or not the harassment is not something anyone should have to face in 2016. However, I keep seeing alleged tweets claiming Alison was kinda okay with some aspects of paedophilia? and I'm genuinely not sure if that's real. Because that's an understandable dismissal.

Your complicated question has complicated answers that are addressed in a piece I wrote last month. The short version is that she 1) advocates to leave Japanese culture alone, for better or worse and 2) she draws a distinction between having pedophilic thoughts vs. the literal abuse of children. 

Given the subject matter, it’s understandable for people to feel deeply uncomfortable about her comments. I think it’s OK to be grossed out by her college essay and take issue Nintendo’s extended silence about the witch hunt.

The whole story is ridiculously complicated. No simple way to talk about it.

[patrickklepek]

Are you with the R O Y S B O Y S or are you against us?

[patrickklepek]

Am I crazy, or did you have a Dark Souls 3 video on your youtube and now it's gone?

You are not crazy. I took it down because I decided to hold the video until launch day, when I’ll start rolling out videos on a daily basis showing (most of) my Dark Souls 3 playthrough. (This time, Odetta is dex ‘n faith-based.) I had some recording snafus in the first hours, but I have basically everything else.

[patrickklepek]

I'm not comfortable with sex appeal being demonized. (Not related to you or anything) That Tracer (Overwatch) pose thing and it's just actually kind of annoying now. It feels like I should be made to feel ashamed of enjoying even light sexual content in my games and media and that's really off putting. In this game's case, it already has a massively diverse cast, with sexy and non-sexy characters of both male and female, and it feels like an artist has ACTUALLY been bullied to meet expectations.

It seems like Blizzard was ambivalent about the pose, and used the forum post as a justification for taking action. They screwed up by not making that clear from the start, though. As for the reaction, that’s rooted in power dynamics. If one person is able to get something changed, that upsets the people who feel differently. That person--the original poster--might not have meant to exert power, but in today’s society, women and minorities are being listened to more often. It’s possible some developers are being a bit kneejerk-y, but they’re doing so because they want to make players happy? That’s hardly a crime.

[patrickklepek]

Tricks, you're doing a good job reporting on the current mess. Keep it up.

Thanks. I wish I wasn’t so tired, though. It’s a draining business.

[patrickklepek]

I was wondering if you had thought about getting a statement from the admins at Reddit as to why they allow these harassment campaigns to be organised on their site? Their content policy states that content is prohibited if it "Threatens, harasses, or bullies or encourages others to do so."

It’s a real problem for sites like reddit, 4chan, and others. They were formed on the idea of allowing people to do whatever they want, but where do you draw the line? If you draw the line, have you completely undermined the point of the website? I mean, that’s the struggle for Twitter, too. It’s complicated.

[patrickklepek]

For no reason in particular, I wanted to say I'm a big fan of your work and everything you do for the community. Thank you.

Appreciate your support, and everyone else who’s sent kind words.

[patrickklepek]

With this Jim Sterling situation, theres a part of this that needs to be addressed by 'you tubers'. At some point, I feel like what Jim did to that company was bullying. I know it's complicated and there is more but these games nobody would ever notice now he is shining a spotlight on and just ripping into. Then his fans rip into the company and he keeps going back, knowing his fans will keep bullying these people. Isn't this wrong? Am I way off base? I feel like no one is talking about this.

I have complicated feelings about what it’s like to watch “fans” bully on your behalf. I’ve been thinking about making a video (or essay) about it. It’s...tough.