Popular Games Subreddit Temporarily Closes to Fight Hate Speech in Gaming Communities

The popular and active gaming subreddit known as /r/Games isn’t receiving any submissions on [...]

The popular and active gaming subreddit known as /r/Games isn't receiving any submissions on April 1st now that the forum has been shut down temporarily. Explaining the reasoning behind the shutdown, the moderators asked its community's members to "do better" and "be better" when it comes to various issues like misogyny, racism, homophobia, and other forms of discrimination. The announcement that the subreddit would be closed for a day also provided examples of the comments the moderators see and block to give a better understanding of their message.

Posted on the /r/Games subreddit by the moderation team, the full announcement seen here is the most recent post to appear within the forum and will be until the closure is over. The moderation team explained that, for April Fools' Day, they've decided to take a more serious route to draw attention to a "growing, pervasive issue" that its says affects not only the /r/Games subreddit, but gaming communities at a whole. Memes such as "gamers rise up" were referenced as seemingly harmless jokes that the moderation team said are actually "at the core of the humor is a set of very serious issues that affect all gaming enthusiasts."

"lose out on the chance to not only show compassion to these people, but also the chance to grow our own community and diversify the demographics of those involved in it," the post said. "Whether it's misogyny, transphobia, homophobia, racism or a host of other discriminatory practices, now is the time to stymie the flow of regressive ideas and prevent them from ever becoming the norm."

The moderators then went on to provide an album of some of the comments the team sees come through the subreddit. This album "merely scratches the surface" of the problem, the team said.

To sum up the subreddit's temporary closure, the moderators said there are many opportunities for people to come together as a more wholesome community centered around enjoying video games.

"So let's revel in what's available to us, and also appreciate the myriad of backgrounds that we as gamers come from," the post said. "Our differences in experiences comprise the diversity in the content that we consume, and by allowing ourselves to appreciate those differences, we change our perspectives and interpretations; this applies not only in games, but life as a whole."

A list of charity organizations and other non-profits was listed at the end of the post with people encouraged to take into consideration others who may not have the same opportunities as the majority of people. The post as a whole has climbed upwards of 16,000 upvotes and has received multiple Reddit awards including Silver, Gold, and Platinum.

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