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	<title>Betabeat &#187; @Sweden Uses His Platform to Lambast Sexism in Gaming</title>
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		<title>Betabeat &#187; @Sweden Uses His Platform to Lambast Sexism in Gaming</title>
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		<title>@Sweden Uses His Platform to Lambast Sexism in Gaming</title>

		<comments>http://betabeat.com/2012/08/sweden-uses-his-platform-to-lambast-sexism-in-gaming/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 20 Aug 2012 17:09:40 -0400</pubDate>
					<link>http://betabeat.com/2012/08/sweden-uses-his-platform-to-lambast-sexism-in-gaming/</link>
			<dc:creator>Jessica Roy</dc:creator>
				
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://betabeat.com/?p=59189</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[<p><div id="attachment_59216" class="wp-caption alignleft" style="width: 310px"><a href="https://twitter.com/sweden"><img class="size-medium wp-image-59216" title="xmsrc5cbmnq5q8m9ilr3" src="http://nyobetabeat.files.wordpress.com/2012/08/xmsrc5cbmnq5q8m9ilr3.png?w=300" alt="" width="300" height="300" /></a><p class="wp-caption-text">(Photo: Twitter)</p></div></p>
<p>The official Twitter <a href="https://twitter.com/sweden">account</a> for the country of Sweden has tweeted relatively uneventfully following its Henry Blodget <a href="http://betabeat.com/2012/06/sweden-is-having-a-henry-blodget-moment/">moment</a> back in June, when a Swedish citizen named Sonja dispatched some questionable tweets about Jewish people. But this week's Swedish tweeter is Naseer Alkhouri, a "homeopathic Swede" who develops games for a living. In addition to tweeting adorable fruit <a href="https://twitter.com/sweden/status/237541222124765187">sculptures</a> and a <a href="https://twitter.com/sweden/status/237492356289527809">treatise</a> on citizenship, the issue of sexism in gaming appears close to Mr. Alkhouri's heart. For the past couple of hours, he's used the platform--which boasts close to 68,000 followers--to broach the sensitive topic.</p>
<p><!--more--></p>
<p>Mr. Alkhouri's argument is a reasonable one: "I am not only a game dev, but a gamer as well. That said, I don’t feel particulary welcome in the community. Gamers got issues," he <a href="https://twitter.com/sweden/status/237627360336306176">tweeted</a>. "Gamers tend to be misogynist, rasist and rather unpleasant overall, especiallly online. I am rather saddened by the behaviour of my peers, for me gaming is an inclusive hobby. That’s why I got hooked afterall."</p>
<p>Upon receiving some unfavorable responses, Mr. Alkhouri tweeted, "I am getting flack for speaking about this, but no threats, no harrasement. What did Anita Sarkeesian get?"</p>
<p>Ms. Sarkeesian gained a modicum of notoriety in gaming circles after she spearheaded a Kickstarter project to make a docuseries about gender tropes in video games and became a <a href="http://www.digitaltrends.com/social-media/kickstarter-campaign-cyber-bullies/">target</a> for angry gamer dudes worldwide.</p>
<p>By standing up for her, Mr. Alkhouri probably didn't do himself any favors in the rabid gaming community, but his actions are pretty commendable. Using a well-read platform to discuss issues that are important to you seems like a better way to use Twitter  than talking about Jewish <a href="http://betabeat.com/2012/06/sweden-is-having-a-henry-blodget-moment/">penises</a>.</p>
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		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><div id="attachment_59216" class="wp-caption alignleft" style="width: 310px"><a href="https://twitter.com/sweden"><img class="size-medium wp-image-59216" title="xmsrc5cbmnq5q8m9ilr3" src="http://nyobetabeat.files.wordpress.com/2012/08/xmsrc5cbmnq5q8m9ilr3.png?w=300" alt="" width="300" height="300" /></a><p class="wp-caption-text">(Photo: Twitter)</p></div></p>
<p>The official Twitter <a href="https://twitter.com/sweden">account</a> for the country of Sweden has tweeted relatively uneventfully following its Henry Blodget <a href="http://betabeat.com/2012/06/sweden-is-having-a-henry-blodget-moment/">moment</a> back in June, when a Swedish citizen named Sonja dispatched some questionable tweets about Jewish people. But this week's Swedish tweeter is Naseer Alkhouri, a "homeopathic Swede" who develops games for a living. In addition to tweeting adorable fruit <a href="https://twitter.com/sweden/status/237541222124765187">sculptures</a> and a <a href="https://twitter.com/sweden/status/237492356289527809">treatise</a> on citizenship, the issue of sexism in gaming appears close to Mr. Alkhouri's heart. For the past couple of hours, he's used the platform--which boasts close to 68,000 followers--to broach the sensitive topic.</p>
<p><!--more--></p>
<p>Mr. Alkhouri's argument is a reasonable one: "I am not only a game dev, but a gamer as well. That said, I don’t feel particulary welcome in the community. Gamers got issues," he <a href="https://twitter.com/sweden/status/237627360336306176">tweeted</a>. "Gamers tend to be misogynist, rasist and rather unpleasant overall, especiallly online. I am rather saddened by the behaviour of my peers, for me gaming is an inclusive hobby. That’s why I got hooked afterall."</p>
<p>Upon receiving some unfavorable responses, Mr. Alkhouri tweeted, "I am getting flack for speaking about this, but no threats, no harrasement. What did Anita Sarkeesian get?"</p>
<p>Ms. Sarkeesian gained a modicum of notoriety in gaming circles after she spearheaded a Kickstarter project to make a docuseries about gender tropes in video games and became a <a href="http://www.digitaltrends.com/social-media/kickstarter-campaign-cyber-bullies/">target</a> for angry gamer dudes worldwide.</p>
<p>By standing up for her, Mr. Alkhouri probably didn't do himself any favors in the rabid gaming community, but his actions are pretty commendable. Using a well-read platform to discuss issues that are important to you seems like a better way to use Twitter  than talking about Jewish <a href="http://betabeat.com/2012/06/sweden-is-having-a-henry-blodget-moment/">penises</a>.</p>
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