After more controversy within the Achievement Hunter fandom with something Michael did, I felt that I wanted to write my opinion on the ‘offensiveness’ of the language/behaviour of the AH crew and the fan reaction towards it. I’ll start with AH side of the coin and what I think they might be able to do about it.

First, I as much as I love the AH content, I do think that a lot of them have problems with casually using slurs which I don’t think is classy or respectful. As well as bad taste jokes, they do use the r word a lot as well as ‘bitch’ and other derogatory sentiments. I am not expecting them to be saints, but considering the diversity of the fan base, it would be wise not using words that potential demean a whole load of them.

Second, this has really become more of an issue with the production of corporately sponsored content by Rooster Teeth as a whole. I certainly don’t have any issues with this as it has allowed them to do more things with the extra cash. However, if issues continue to happen where people are hyper critical of things they have done and potentially gives them wider bad press, companies may start avoiding them. Great if you don’t want RT to be ‘sell outs’, not great if you want them to continue to be more ambitious with what they do.

Third, there is also an issue with the use of social media. What made the most recent situation worse was Michael’s reaction on Twitter. In some ways, I don’t entirely blame him for his reaction (I’ll deal with fan reaction later), but it also seemed childish and not a great response to the people that ultimately have given him a career. The problem is that he represents the company and that reflects badly on AH and RT.

What could they do to reduce this? I don’t want them to change who they are, but they do need to think about what they say and do a lot more. This does apply to all of the AH crew. Michael gets the flak a lot but they all have issues to some degree. Gavin is sometimes the worst but gets away with it because he acts adorably and avoids swearing. Similar with Ray, he was the one simulating raping horses but Michael got in trouble. Geoff uses the R word reasonably frequently. Jack and Ryan have their own moments but I would say far less than the others.

I do think they need someone to speak with them and have a dialogue about how they use language and how they can improve. Am I saying they should not swear or do anything wrong ever? No! That would be stupid and irrational. No one is perfect and they will slip. I do think they need to think before they speak. I am aware Let’s Plays are frenetic and sometimes it is easy to say something bad in the heat of the moment, but they should try. Alternatives to the more distasteful language should be considered. Gavin is the king of this and the others could learn how to use language creatively. This also applies, more so, on social media. Think before tweeting. Work out how to put your point across. It will probably mean that there will be fewer problems and hopefully an easier dialogue.

What about the fan base? I think some of the fans have a habit of being easily offended. Sometimes it is legitimate, other times I think some people join the bandwagon and make it bigger than it perhaps is. I understand if something is a genuine trigger, but in other cases it seems more like a difference of opinion than actual offence. People have lashed out at AH when they have made mistakes and I think this is creating a feeling of hostility between them and the fans and they are likely to ignore actually problematic behaviour that could be damaging in the long run. They have also reached out to the wrong people who don’t have responsibility to sort out the issue, bringing more people in and causing more tension.

What can fans do? I think if you feel they have been offensive, tread carefully. Just because you think something is offensive, it does not mean that everyone will agree. Consider why you think it is offensive.  Write out your feelings on a word doc or paper then leave it. Sometimes just leaving something can make you realise it was not as bad as you though. It can also help with putting your point across more calmly. You may be very upset, but just going essentially *roar* at them will not get them to listen to genuine points and will not encourage change. Targeting the right people may help. I did mention Michael got all the hate but was not the one who did the worst things, and I think that made him more pissed off. So make sure you are talking to the right person. If you want to escalate, then go to the correct management. With AH it is a little tricky as there are less direct lines of management, but because Geoff and Jack set it up, they are the next port of call of you really think it is important enough. Again, phrase things well and try a set up a dialogue to get them to consider change.

I think more needs to be done on all sides to ensure that the AH crew is not using language that is unnecessarily derogatory but also for people to communicate issues. I don’t think Twitter is the way to go as it is too easy to get into slanging matches. Maybe RT should consider a slightly formalised complaints process, which might allow people to put points across more rationally and explain issues, although that might be a bit too harsh and you may get people abusing it to annoy people they don’t like.  

For the most part both RT and the fan base create great content and can have interesting discussions. But the behaviour that is going on lately on all sides has been bringing down aspects of the company and the fandom and making it generally a less pleasant place to be. I know they can sort this out and make an amazing, inclusive fandom where there is open discussion about issues and people can learn from their mistakes.