Battletech, Wokeness, Gatekeeping, and Cancel Culture.

2024 Update: I have become aware of a deceitful line of thought where activists are attempting to use my verbiage in this video as a faux "proof" of the toxic player's false claims in an attempt to bring into question the legitimacy of these events. Rest assured, I still have all the proof the claims were false. That being said, remember, there was a defamation campaign against me online and in person by people who had no proof of the liar's claims and continued to act against me after they knew the claims were false in the year between this event and video. After seeing the political activism in 2023, I have further resolved to reject the idea that some group can compel/coerce speech in violation of the 1st Amendment. That people are more upset over the deceitful spin of "misgendering" rather than that people are violating actual human rights shows their character before a discussion can even be had.
This is the story of when I was targeted by a toxic player who used their ideology and identity as a weapon against me after I acted in a GM role and told this toxic player not to return. In less than two months, this toxic player violated every part of the social contract imaginable. This situation was incredibly uncomfortable for me to deal with, defending myself against slander and libel in a character assassination attempt by someone I knew less than two months. "White knights" online rallied to this toxic player's cause before, during, and after evidence and player statements proved the toxic player's claims false in their entirety.
The purpose of this recording is education - to show that ANYONE can stand up to bully players and what to watch out for. Be calm, be patient, stand your ground, and do not submit to their attempts at intimidation and harassment. In the modern atmosphere cyberbullying is a very real thing and the bullies may try rallying online mobs of like minded "white knights" before these "white knights" know the facts.
Recording this story gave me the opportunity to audibly set the record straight so there is no continued confusion among those who involved themselves to any degree. It also gives individuals who may come across this story a chance to reflect that they do not have to tolerate abuse because of an individual's ideology and identity.
There are no identities revealed and I will not disclose them either. I will also be monitoring to see if the toxic player attempts further acts of dishonesty or harassment. I have noticed there seems to be some confusion on my wording in a specific area. To be clear, as the trans ideology states that sex and gender are separate, I use the terminology related to biological sex in the video. There are no claims to name the toxic player's gender. Biologically accurate terminology is used to ensure viewers are not given the misconception of who the two people (biological males) involved in this situation are - especially given the common misconception that the gaming environment is hostile towards women. Women are always welcome to play Battletech. Toxic, hostile, and hateful people of either sex or any preferred/identifying gender can stay away.
Remember, this video is made AFTER the wrongdoings of the toxic player and the extent of his character assassination attempt he made AFTER I was engaging him respectfully during the chain of events leading up to his expulsion. For further clarity, regardless of one's opinion on verbiage I used now, in this video/text; during the time the toxic player was causing problems in our group, as I state in the video, he was not misgendered (further verified through screenshots, other local's statements, & copy/paste).
I am thankful for those who stood by me, who verified the toxic player was dishonest, and messaged me words of support, thank you.
#BattletechisforAnyone, except those who would wrong the fans of #Battletech.
Thank you for listening.

[@agamelift]

I wanted to post an updated comment, again, thanking all the viewers and for the hundreds of comments discussing the topic, a vast number being similar experiences witnessed by players in #tabletopwargaming. It is especially reassuring seeing the #Battletech community is tired of the identity politics rampaging through the fandom. At minimum, a staggering 80% of viewers supported this video with a like, which I am truly grateful for. Protect your local communities, have each other's backs, these identity politics people have no power. We players cannot control the ideologies businesses cave to, print in rulebooks, or force into lore but, we can ignore it, and to ignore it is the greatest insult. Interesting facts I recently found out: The US has a population of 330 million citizens, only about 1 million claim to participate in the transgender ideology online, and only about 300K attempt to present that way, with far less actually committing to surgery. This surge is modern phenomena (not based in actual gender dysphoria some do actually deal with) that is based in porn/fetish addictions and is violating women's right across the board. I just learned from Michael Knowles channel of a page called reduxx.info that discusses how regular men switch to this ideology and the escalating issues around appeasing this ideology and how it continues to violate women's rights. Thank you again for everyone who shared their personal stories and were able to have rational discussions. Stand your ground, they have no power over you.

[@DjornNorthfield]

Watching the r/Battletech subreddit implode over the last 24-48 hours reminded me of this video. Hopefully you all are doing well.

[@agamelift]

@@DjornNorthfield I am doing well, thank you! As you can see by this event, people from this toxic player's camp decided they were above the rules and decided to bring in political content where it was not allowed! Although, it also presents us with an interesting scenario where they support unequal application of rules in social media groups. But, after seeing the direction Battletech is headed, I am taking ownership of it and am creating my own storyline, post ilClan. About to start testing out a campaign, then will be begin sharing it with wider audiences. All those missing militia units, Shadow Divisions, Hidden Worlds, and space vessels? Yeah, they are the Resurgence.....

[@warpsmith8698]

6 months ago you posted this and 2 months ago you updated the comment and I'm just now finding you. I've been keeping up with this culture war stuff. It honestly sucks cause it's literally coming to you whether like it or not. Thank you for standing your ground. Yes, battletech is for everyone....so are all these other fantasy and sci-fi games but it's totally not for the ones who wish to destroy and tread over the legacies of these IPs. Hard to accept people complain about role playing as a certain character when you can CREATE your own character. They're definitely not fully connected up stairs.

[@thewaterbear]

Gender is not an ideology. The words that society uses to describe each other is in fact not set in stone, and not up to you. We already had all these conversations 10 - 20 years ago about gay people. You don't get to refuse to call a gay man's spouse his husband, and also call yourself a hero. You don't get to misgender a trans woman (in this video) and also ride off on your high horse. You are not a dice rolling folk hero. And you are certainly no biologist.

[@agamelift]

@@thewaterbear The words I use are based on actual professionally recognized terminology. Considering marriage/husband/wife is a one man and one woman deal, a man cannot have a husband. Sure, they can legally have a civil union to be spouses but, not a husband. Again, since you are illiterate in both English written and spoken language, I did not make any claims to the toxic player's gender, I specifically referenced the person's biological sex. Biologist? Really? I bet you can't even define what a woman is. At the end of the day, your 1 comment after HUNDREDS in support of my messages means nothing. This is entertainment for me to even allow your comment and respond to you. You show up here speaking like you are some authority on a topic you clearly don't grasp or understand even up to my level, then claim I am trying to be a hero. I don't claim to be a hero. I'm a regular guy that this toxic player committed crimes against and because I have learned the hard way that blanket neutrality will only result in me being targeted and take advantage of, I will now fully rail against activists and tourists who mean to force others to abide by their wills. There's a great meme floating around where you lot ask who caused us to be like this. YOU DID.

[@aetherial87]

I used to be really anti-gatekeeping, but the last 10 or so years have forced me to change my mind and flip to a protectionist stance.

[@agamelift]

It really is unfortunate to see the toxic players coming in to try to control other players. But, like with all things, some people want to take advantage of others and force their will on them.... Thanks for stopping by!

[@squizzlor]

Battletech has outlived FASA, outlived Wizkids, We Will outlive Catalyst These toxic identities spilling over from 40k, should be stopped and shown their shit stinks. catalyst has shown were they sit, screw them. The moment they toss out old guard over their politics outside of their work in battletech. Not to mention the rommel, and other blunders.

[@klortikterra4423]

like with most things, there is a balance to gatekeeping. if your gonna gate keep, at least help who ever it is to try to understand the game and why their is gatekeeping.

[@LoftOfTheUniverse]

Swindlers hate those who keep them out. Their opinions don't matter.

[@Panax07]

"Battletech is for everyone, except those who would wrong the fans of Battletech." Well Said Mechwarrior!

[@sambob8019]

It's for anyone not everyone does it matter about your political stance do you enjoy the hobby are you trying to change the hobby

[@rivethead138]

I see a lot of stories like this not just in battletech. I think that it is safe to say there's a noticeable pattern.

[@agamelift]

Spot on, there are dozens of comments here acknowledging the problem and judging by the overwhelming majority of likes to dislikes, the communities as a whole are fed up with it. Thank you for sharing and watching!

[@RvnKnight]

One positive that came from this is that you learned who and who not to trust in your local community

[@agamelift]

You are spot on there. While rough to go through, it is better in the end. We have some really good people in our group. Thank you for listening in!

[@JERRYR708]

I wish there was a BT group in my area. I have to deal with enough toxic people at the workplace. I sure as he'll don't need that at the gaming table on my days off. Who would have thought recreation would be more toxic than your job?

[@agamelift]

@@JERRYR708 To provide some additional context, our group has been going for nearly a decade. While some minor disagreements have come up from time to time, this is a singular event by a random individual, not the norm in our area. There is a facebook group I know of called Battletech Players by Zip Code as well as a "Challenges and Gatherings" section of the official forums at bg.battletech.com (The official website and forum). They may help you find some other Mechwarriors! Thanks for listening in!

[@JERRYR708]

@@agamelift I told myself that I would never join Facebook, but the advantages are soo tempting. This might be my breaking point. Thanks for the information

[@ryanh7844]

Those people are the most protected class. You can't even defend yourself without major backlash. I'm happy things turned out for the better. I 100% agree that Battletech is for everyone and not for only one side of the political spectrum.

[@jtjames79]

I got 3 printers, inkjet with reservoirs instead of cartridges, FDM, and Resin. It's a pirate's life for me. I even made my own book binding machine with the FDM printer.

[@MGAC1701]

I respect what you are saying, but I take issue with one thing. They are not a protected class. One can not choose to be a protected minority any more than one can choose to grow wings and declare themselves a bird. Absolutely, there should be vigorous gatekeeping. Toxicity is ubiquitous. Lifestyle choice notwithstanding, there is no excuse for being an ass at the gaming table. I encourage M&D. Do not capitulate. Do not apologize. Do not bend the knee. Ignore the naysayers and move on. Furthermore, I encourage M&D to file law enforcement reports for libel, slander, doxxing, and cyberbullying. Even if nothing is done or can be done, there is a record and paper trail. I am very glad M&D began the process for a restraining order. I only wish he would have followed through. People like this are either not mentally stable or they are not sufficiently mature to curb their impulses. Do what you have to do to protect yourself. Be that as it may, I commend M&D on how he handled the incident.

[@DjornNorthfield]

​@@MGAC1701 in some states they are most certainly a protected class. Washington State in particular comes to mind.

[@xyonblade]

@@MGAC1701 any man can put on a skirt or a dress and pretend to be trans for the purpose of taking advantage of protected class status. I'm not saying all trans people are doing this, but there ARE bad people who do this expressly for the purpose of taking advantage, because they're always bad people who look for a way to take advantage.

[@aquarius5719]

Do not worry, in Russia the whole movement was deemed as extremist.

[@nathanhook8351]

if he was shooting up non-combatants openly, it could have been dealt with IC - the next game could have been a court martial scene :)

[@agamelift]

That's an awesome take on that, would have been awesome! haha! Thanks for watching!

[@ventarfield7115]

This is a quality comment

[@OneBiasedOpinion]

This is true GM inventiveness. I’m taking a note out of your playbook.

[@DarthDregan]

Wow… I never sat down to play Battletech. But, I was a Yugioh player and teacher years ago. I often told the kids “Remember, it’s just a game. Have fun.” I often told them to watch their language also. I always got a laugh from the other players, but they knew why I often said “Hey. Language.” I never had an incident like this. A part of me is sad that situations like these happen.

[@agamelift]

That's a respectable standard to hold, just be decent to each other. Each game is not your last, win or lose. You will always get another go to have a victory and to use different parts of the game. Maybe it was luck but, nearly a decade of game play in the group and this was the first incident like this. At least its over and done. Thanks for sharing and listening!

[@DarthDregan]

@@agamelift Friend, I pray and hope this will never happen to you, nor anyone else again. Stay happy and stay safe.

[@MrSteven1884]

I've dealt with this in the Warhammer 40k space. A friend of mine was accused of "dead naming" and "mis-gendering" another player. She was ousted from our group and I alongside her because I've known her for around a decade and told the group I did not believe the accusation. I was labeled guilty by association and ousted aswell. I moved to battletech shortly after.

[@agamelift]

I feel for you, that's a shame. What worked in my favor is that there were a number of witnesses and some were able to verify the claims false. It also taught me to avoid being a in a one on one situation with someone living that lifestyle for my own reputation and safety's sake. Seems like toxic players must be game hopping, from what I could gather, this toxic player came from 40K. Thank you for sharing and listening!

[@grimlock5990]

This was a miserable human who has nothing else in their lives. It's sad for everyone involved.

[@agamelift]

I wanted to again say thank you to everyone that came in to see this video. Less the bot spam, a nearly 10 times (still 5 times even with full negative bot spam) as many people liked as opposed to disliked this video. Clearly, tabletop gaming, at least in the #battletech arena is shifting back from the extreme as we are seeing in other areas of social interaction. Over 100 new subscribers have joined this channel as well. It is clear the majority of gamers are tired of ill-willed individuals trying to force their way in, cause problems, then cry victim. Memes are abundant across the internet in DnD, 40k, and Battletech communities of someone from the various ideological groups attempting to force changes on players and in lore, no matter how unnecessary, nonsensical, or selfish. Be a good person and be respectful to new gaming communities you join. You are not a victim if you join a community, cause strife, then are thrown out. Thank you all! Update: Interestingly, there is a bot targeting this video, every time there is an upvote a downvote is added. Still, as we can see the majority of gamers interested in this topic support this video. Thanks again for the huge positive response to this video!

[@combativeThinker]

Gotta love some of the people in the replies trying to run interference for the degenerates who do this kind of thing to people while snidely insinuating that you deserved it because you use terms like “woke,” or whatever…

[@Sinn3246]

Anyone who yells at me about their "gender" has lost any respect I once had.

[@agamelift]

Exactly, the moment someone begins to compel or coerce speech, they have now begun violating people's actual rights. No one is obligated to oblige their demands. Thanks for stopping in!

[@terrinils3165]

Thank you for sharing this. I've come across your story before. This is not an isolated incident. Many people have been attacked, both long-time fans and BattleTech creators. Groups of these types of people have made great attempts to influence CGL, and some have had success. I can only hope that CGL staff realizes the severity of this and take steps to maintain their creative control. Stay safe out there.

[@ryanh7844]

I fear that things will only get worse with these people having more and more influence inside CGL and outside.

[@richardkirkham1277]

I can't stand toxic people. I'm with you man.

[@agamelift]

Agreed, just be pleasant, its not a hard or uncomfortable concept. Thanks for listening!

[@richardkirkham1277]

@@agamelift well i subscribed to your channel. You found a friend in me.

[@robman732]

That sucks. Some of these shenanigans is what got me out of gaming for so many years. In this case I'm talking about the 2000s, so a long time ago. I used to be a really big gamer, but long story short, hearing some of the infighting and stuff that was going on among our group turned me off for many years. Now nearly 20 years later, I'm ready to game again, at least until I watch this video:) One of the biggest issues I noticed with toxic players is that gaming IS their life! As such, they use gaming as a means to compensate for real world success. So a lot of the obnoxious behavior is done to disrupt the game, control the group or be the center of attention. On the other hand, the gamers who count gaming as a just a component of their lives are often more chill, easy to get along with and generally don't make many problems.

[@agamelift]

Your evaluation is spot on, during my research into the toxic player, I actually felt moments of pity. Maybe find that one or two players that you get along with great and set up private games? I've actually started exploring that route more. No need for risking random interactions that can go South by a bad faith player. Thank you for watching!

[@ventarfield7115]

I think most people just want others to be happy and enjoy a great game together. When it becomes a situation where someone wants to force me to pretend their mental illness is my responsibility I will not bend my knee. All woke bully's need to be reminded that whatever fantasy world they have created for their fragile little egos is not everyone else's problem. I started playing Battletech in the 80's when people didn't put up with stuff like this. To this day I wouldn't put up with this kind of behavior. Im just disgusted by these kinds of toxic nasty people. It's frustrating. Its hard to maintain a peaceful and loving atmosphere when you're under attack by these violent people. Do not make peace with evil...destroy it.

[@WhatTheScoots]

These kind of things seem to happen more and more often now in various instances. Sure you will always have your average toxic/egomaniacal/asshat player that everyone is(rightly so) getting annoyed about. But we have reached a new level. It is not just the bad personality of some people now. It is bringing ideology into fandoms. It is the "everyone who is not my ally is my enemy" attitude that comes with it. Warhammer has suffered from it. Star Wars. Harry Potter. MTG. And so many other franchises. These people are not interested in the fandom/game in the first place. They see it only as a tool for getting attention and to push their woke agenda into everything there is. For the left "everything is political" and knowingly or not , these people perpetuate that. Gatekeep wherever you can. You will know them when you see them. And then let their perceived entitlement sort themselves out.

[@bruced648]

we have never met and I have only watched your KZbin videos. you come across as straight forward and direct. you are well spoken with the ability to clearly explain game mechanics in laymen terms. while I was not present at these events and have no knowledge of the person(s) involved. it is clear that they have an agenda designed to harm the gaming community. I can only hope that they have damaged themselves severely enough that they can no longer cause this much grief for anyone else.

[@agamelift]

Thank you, I appreciate the compliments! That is a good way to state it one of the more positive outcomes, thank you for listening in!

[@tehpw7574]

*sigh* It's horror stories like this, that reminds me that my Daughters's distinct dislike of wanting to interact with people in general, that maybe she has a point? I had only one similar experience (long ago when i was stationed in California) and after that, it wasn't until after i retired from the Navy before i returned to gaming on tabletop...

[@agamelift]

I totally get her point, in the modern world everyone is set at an extreme, ready to be defensive about anything. As I mention in the video we have a wide variety of players, some of which I openly disagree with in certain arenas. However, the different between the toxic player and them is that they remain respectful and I work to be respectful in return, I am fortunate because these players seem to be more and more rare. Thank you for watching!

[@RUINERx117]

Thank you for the video and advice. I experienced an issue recently where the person organizing my BT group has decided to become TG. I've never had an issue with him (actual he), until the last pick-up game of Alpha Strike that I participated in. There was a father and son (he was maybe 10) that I had not met before that day, which I thought was great! I've worked at game stores and arcades and really enjoy helping families to enjoy games together, especially after Covid, so based on my experience, my primary objective became to make sure they had a good time. While we waited for more players to show up, we talked about painting, and I let them know that we had BT terrain available at all of the local game stores for anyone to use, and so the son set up the map for us - a dense urban environment. A while later the other players and the (now TG) group organizer showed up. The gameplay was slow yet smart and tactical, and the first two rounds saw little combat. However, the local group organizer (who was not actually playing and only spectating) seemed to be getting annoyed at this, and continuously used very crude adult language about what was happening on the table and how the map was set up in front of the players, including the kid that set it up. Having worked at game stores that would FIRE me for such language in front of any guest, especially a kid, I became very uncomfortable, so I could imagine how the father felt. I've played with the group many times previously and this did not matter as there was never children present, but this situation made me feel very awkward. I wanted to address it, and still do, but I'm afraid of similar events unfolding, or the group imploding because of someone being emotionally distraught. Not expecting advice, but any would be great. Thank you for the video and space to vent. Would love to play a game with you.

[@agamelift]

Thank you for sharing. You are identifying a similar issue to what I saw happening. It is very likely this person may cause problems in the future, especially now choosing this form of lifestyle - my goodness shit talking a 10 year old's map build? I would advocate that you begin taking the lead in some areas because it is very likely others were uncomfortable as well. You are spot on, if you address this person's rude conduct, they will weaponize their identity against you, and it makes no difference if it is not even a factor. You mentioned multiple stores, so you could begin running an alternate day or even time perhaps? It's a rough situation and as you can see by the hundreds of comments, something that is becoming more and more of a problem. Just now as I was looking over your comment, there were two others simply swearing at me (which were laughed off and deleted), it is very much the norm that these people and their white knights are hostile, if you disagree with them, in any capacity on any topic. Give running games a go where this person is not in charge, I think you will see some controlling behavior emerge. Keep in mind if your group has a facebook page, this person may try to ban you from it to kick you out, just make your own for the area and invite in all the good willed players and it will flourish. In my case where the white knight convinced the other admin to take over the page, I deleted all of my years of contributions and no long participate there - that page has all but died. I set up a new page and it is thriving. These people that act like this want control, refusing to allow them to have control over you/your group is an admirable undertaking. Thanks for stopping in!

[@ogrehaslayers605]

Had a similar thing happen in a MTG tournament. Big dude pretending to be a woman. Nobody misgendered him. Yet he called all of us phobes. Tried to destroy the group.

[@agamelift]

Exactly, summed up that's almost the same thing that happened here. Thank you for sharing and watching!

[@patrickglaser1560]

Bet he used male rage

[@OneBiasedOpinion]

This is the crux of the issue: they aren’t content with being accepted. They will never be content, not until you’ve bent the knee to their every whim and made them masters of all they survey. They _want_ to be victims to the end. This is why I make a point of never apologizing for saying something just because it makes people angry. I only apologize when _I_ perceive that I spoke in error and genuinely regret doing so, not because someone else got their metaphorical panties in a wad.

[@UncleRedsnow]

“Nobody misgendered him”… buddy, you just did. Clearly SHE had a real reason to call you a transphobe, because you are. You lack the basic respect and bare minimum requirement of respecting someone else’s dignity and identity.

[@agamelift]

@@UncleRedsnow This kind of comment is the absolute nonsense. We are in an entirely separate environment, a large amount of time after the toxic transgender person caused the problems in Ogre's situation. Ogre has no reason to care about the preferred pronouns of the biological male in Ogre's example. Stop trying to white knight for a toxic group that is clearly causing a lot of unnecessary problems and humiliating those in the transgender group that think the toxic portion are a problem as well. Transgender individuals have no authority or right to force/coerce others to speak the way they demand. Some people will deny their demands, some will address them neutrally as a courtesy when they are polite about it (where I am), and some will follow their demands.

[@lucendacier6851]

Hope things are going better in your group now. Be careful of those who leverage the identities of others in the same way, the "white knights," who can cause just as much trouble.

[@edwardclay7551]

I have seen similar things in both the role-playing and tabletop wargaming communities for decades. Games like 40K lend themselves to toxic players very easily. And ive seen plenty of people try to break up D&D or Vampire:The Masquerade groups with such tactics in the past. In the end all you can do is stick to your guns and maintain your position with honesty and integrity. Battletech is in the main a much friendlier game than many other tabletop games I think bc there isn't really a rock, paper, scissors mentality to the game design or force selection process. You can use a mech. Any mech. You can use any infantry, any vehicles, etc. And it works. When everyone can essentially access the same levels of equipment and gear it comes down to player choice. I have loved battletech for many years but especially recently I am incredibly grateful for it.

[@agamelift]

Right there with you on that! Specifically on the rock-paper-scissors, Battletech is like an actual battlefield where everyone is moving and shooting at the same time, its not one side shoots while the other reloads. The integrity part you mentioned, I had PMs from players I had never met in person, message me while this was blowing up, saying they hoped for the best because after following me for years, the claims by the toxic player made no sense. Thank you for sharing and watching!

[@edwardclay7551]

@@agamelift anytime! Keep gaming!

[@CaptScrotes]

Kudos. I'm sorry for what you had to go through. I only hope the person who you're describing one day reflects on this and wishes to (and hopefully does) present you a genuine apology and grows a bit. You're a champ 🥂

[@harvestblades]

While I have been around MW since the early-mid 90s I am just getting into BT. I have been playing RPGs including live action role-playing into the early 2000s where we started to see this type of drama rear it's ugly head. I like the way you handled this (for the most part), & appreciate you putting forth the time to help us prepare themselves & better understand how to handle this type of scenario. Whike this is the first video I have seen of yours & for all I know your BT content could be subpar, but regardless you have earned a new subscriber based on this video alone & I look forward to checking out your other content. Keep up the good work & thank you for handling this like an adult.

[@agamelift]

Well said! The primary focus I have had here is teaching Battletech, teaching is one of my favorite parts of it! When it comes to this type of thing, if others can be involved it's best to make sure you have proof to absolutely crush the lies. Thanks for stopping in!

[@xenofett7008]

Mage Leader said it best "Battletech is for everyone that wants to play Battletech! Tourists can 🤬 off!"

[@agamelift]

Exactly, Thanks for stopping in!

[@Mofflin1]

This is an excellent case study into addressing the elephant in the room and how to go about it. I run an Alpha Strike group myself and so far, I've not had any people shitting up the group, but it's always something at the back of my mind. Like you I make every effort to talk to any newcomers to make them feel welcome and gauge what kind of player my group will be dealing with. I think the take aways from this are: Recognize the warning signs early that someone is a malcontent, quietly gather hard evidence of poor behavior and ensure the rest of the group is aware of what's going on, so they don't get caught up in the problem. Finally, be mindful to always act firmly but politely with people that have revealed their character to be rotten. This is the hardest step. Expelling someone from a group is such a landmine and I don't envy you for having to tackle that, especially with someone who considered themselves to be a protected class. This is the part that is unfolding in several communities at the moment. There are the people that created these hobby spaces and then there are people that have just waltzed in and see it as their right to change it as they see fit for no other reason than because it's there and that they can. These people are the reason gatekeeping exists, and the broader community would do well to recognize that. Before all this crap exploded onto social media it was nerds that kept Warhammer and BattleTech alive down at local gaming clubs and if things continue as they are it's probably just going to back to being that way.

[@agamelift]

Well said and thank you for stopping in! You are spot on, I learned some ways I could have protected myself better in the process to be sure. Screenshots for days. You give some very useful advice for anyone else potentially having a run in with an activist/toxic player.

[@AccessAccess]

Where I grew up battletech always seemed to attract controversy. This was in the mid to late 80's and there was an ongoing rivalry between battletech and robotech as well as several clubs that ran games. I remember being in two of these clubs and being forced by one to choose sides, which I didn't want to do because I had friends in both. But one club accused me of "spying" for the other (on their super-secret mech designs or something like that) and kicked me out regardless, sad because we were in the middle of a long-running campaign that was actually pretty fun. There was another club where a player had tried to use his robotech figure in a game (there were no battletech figures back then, it was all cardboard standups with pictures of mechs on them back then) and he said it almost came to blows and they kicked out of the game for his offense. All this conflict was sad because most of us just wanted to have some fun and play the game, but groups would bring their drama and being all teenagers, it wasn't unusual for arguments to turn into physical fights. I did hear about the long-running campaign ending when the noble leader (who had a single point in jumpship piloting for some reason) decided he wanted to make the the next jump, pushed his rank around to force the jumpship crew to step down and then failed the roll. And when the GM rolled on the jump failure table he got the worst result, jumpship blew up mid-jump taking the dropship and everything/everybody else with it and ending the campaign right there.

[@agamelift]

Wow, that's crazy! Yeah, I like immersion but, I wouldn't become engrossed in the fiction. I've never understood the volatility around minis on the board. We have had players with 3D printed, CAV, unpainted, and proxies at our tables with next to no issue. Because of a number of violent confrontations with people who actually are misgendered on video, there was a window of time where I was concerned that the toxic player would further try to perpetuate the lies and cause a physical confrontation and I held off playing for a couple weeks out of consideration of the store. Once I got word the toxic player had been thrown out of nearly the entire local community, it was good to see no one was going to tolerate the bad faith, toxic player. Thank you for watching and for your personal story!

[@AccessAccess]

@@agamelift I think today it's only warhammer 40K that has such controversy over minis. Battletech and other games it's become "bring what you got" and people are pretty much okay with anything. I don't think it would have been an issue back then except for the conflict between Battletech and Robotech. There was a lot of confusion over which was first, who copied who, and so on back then, especially in America where BattleDroids (the original name for battletech at the time) came out a year before Robotech did. Ironically today there are plenty of people who are fans of both, as well as plenty of other giant robot battle shows/games/movies/etc. and the fans of most of these get along just fine.

[@adherentofladycolumbia725]

It's hard because currently I see that the new Kickstarter just passed 3 million, yet I know what they did to Blaine. I WANT to contribute, I want solid injected molded minis, but ince again a hobby that I just barely got into gets tossed into this centuries latest trend.

[@agamelift]

It's a difficult position to be in. On one hand, we know (including the woke mob that cancelled him) that he was wrongly cancelled based on false claims made by liars and criminals. On the other we know the majority of staff/writers/etc. leans a certain way politically and we can't even begin to teach them why it is wrong - morally, legally, historically, etc. The leftist writers make more toxic posts than anything they accused Blaine of and no action is taken against them. What we can do, is get the minis we want and make the stories for us. There's a facebook page called boomertech that, while i certainly dont agree with all their posts - makes a very good position. They are tired about forced political injection by devs and ill willed players, new or old and are building their own community and lore direction. I pledged to the KS, theres a number of cool minis that will make me happy. Don't feel bad for getting some of the minis yourself, even Blaine said that he wasn't encouraging people to not purchase from CGL. Thanks for watching!

[@MGAC1701]

If it is any consolation, there is absolutely NOTHING in the Kickstarter that won't be released retail when the Kickstarter ships. Nothing. It will all be available.

[@donavanmarsh972]

i concur

[@Mrcuddles013]

This sounds incredibly similar to some events that I've dealt with in the last two years. My situation is different in that I'm the newer player to the community and have had to rebuild my reputation locally after he did all of this and continues to spread falsehoods to this day. Another difference is that he is a Battletech content creator. I helped him start his channel on KZbin. He uses his reach to attempt to discredit even the Demo Agents in our state when they didn't take his side.

[@agamelift]

That's reprehensible. That is also a great representation of a bad gatekeeper. For some reason he didn't like you so used his identity as a weapon to keep you from joining the community, similar to this toxic player trying to use his identity to disrupt and remove an established player within a community. Are there any players you have had positive interactions with that may line up with you as far as mentality/personality goes? Perhaps you can set up private games. I would fully believe that this player acts like a control freak and frustrates other players because they feel trapped like he has a monopoly. If he even targeted demo agents..... wow. I sincerely hope you can find good willed players to begin playing with. Thank you for sharing and watching!

[@Panax07]

Attacking Demo Agents?! The people who help organize events, invite new players and serve as the bridge between Catalyst and the playerbase? Disgraceful.

[@Mrcuddles013]

It ends up fine for our group, I think. He got himself banned from the store, tried blaming it on me somehow, and honestly haven't heard much from him since. He's still putting out content and gaining more followers on the internet, but he's all but shunned by the statewide community at large.

[@agamelift]

@@Mrcuddles013 Good riddance and good for you not having to see him again. I am just totally baffled about how these men are able to be autogynephilic in public and the most noisy people support it. It just goes to show how rotten our culture has become that porn fetishes have enough power to be weaponized against people. Thanks for sharing an update! I am glad to see these deranged men are being rebuked either directly or through the social contract.

[@Schwerpunkt]

I’m glad to hear that you have triumphed in this case. Sadly there are such people trying to infiltrate groups in a variety of hobbies with the sole aim of forcing their beliefs on others who are engaged in activities and with no active interest in such beliefs.

[@agamelift]

Exactly, players should be playing the game to play the game. I know some of the other players in our group hold different political/religious beliefs than myself and for years it has never been an issue. When in the group setting we focus on keeping it neutral all around - Battletech only. Its fine when two players of like mind are having a game on their own and discuss other topics but, they are conscious they are off by themselves and it wouldn't disrupt the group in any way. Thank you for watching!

[@kentellis5384]

Welcome back you have been missed! You have always been honest and caring to everyone...please stay positive focus on the great content you have to share. We need people with your talents to lead the next wave of players for BattleTech.

[@agamelift]

I really appreciate that! Thank you!

[@swedgeking9746]

Very mature and professional, stay strong brother. You seem like a pleasant guy to be around, a trait not very common these days.

[@agamelift]

Thank you, I appreciate that! Really, all I want is to have a nice time playing some epic Battletech.

[@cavediverjeff]

Freaks should never be allowed to get their foot in the door.

[@agamelift]

These individuals in the tourist/activist groups have certainly showed their character and need to be made it clear to what is going on. I have taken the time to sort out my verbiage should another of these individuals attempt to interrupt our local group. Something like this should they pull the pronoun nonsense etc. "As the GM, I do not participate in that belief and social system and no one here will be coerced into saying anything they do not want to or is untrue. If you do not accept that then you do not have to play with us." Would very likely trigger one of these toxic tourists/activists but, they really have no authority to force their will on others. Thanks for stopping in.

[@KnightofkneonSOD11]

As someone who is fairly new and has only played a handful of games, it's very disappointing to see something like this. I hope nothing like this happens to the group I'm in, and you have earned a Like, a Subscribe, and my support. Godspeed.

[@agamelift]

Rest assured, we went through nearly a decade before one of these players showed up, so it is hopefully a rare occurrence and continues to be more and more rare. Given the dramatic support for this video compared to dislikes (which includes bot spam), it shows that toxicity like this truly is not welcome in the gaming communities. Thank you for watching!

[@Deridus]

If there is one thing I cannot abide it is toxic players. It's almost to the point where we should start having people fill out applications.

[@agamelift]

That's actually a really good idea. On Facebook, making sure to scrutinize the member questions more would be a good starting point, thank you for sharing and watching!

[@jeffreywilliams8018]

I used to regularly play the WizKids Mechwarrior clix game in a group with a trans woman 15-20 years ago. I can’t think of a single time there were any issues related to politics, gender identity, etc. None of us where there for real-world issues like that and just played the game. It’s genuinely sad to see how the world had deteriorated since then. Sorry to hear what you went through and hope your future experiences are less toxic

[@agamelift]

Originally, when all this took place, the setup you mentioned is where I thought things would go. However, as a direct result, this was a lesson I learned. It's like the meme where theres various tranny/troon images asking a normal dude, "who made you hate us?" and he responds with "you did". Seeing June's toxic horde of activists and tourists, especially those of the trans lifestyle, have shown me they are coming to Battletech with ill will. As a result of this willful toxicity; should one want to participate they must prove they are the exception to the rule to receive even the politeness of neutrality on the issue. It is unbelievable seeing these people feel like their sexual desires and fetishes must be affirmed by others. Thanks for stopping in!

[@themightymo3491]

I think the phrase Battletech is for everyone is incorrect. Battletech is for anyone, not everyone.

[@agamelift]

I see where you are coming from, however, I didn't initiate the phrase haha! I like the purpose of it though. Thanks for watching!

[@TAVAAR7]

I've played with just about every type/group of people out there, some have more toxic people than others. At the end of the day though it doesn't matter what group you're from, what matters is if you're a decent person with good gamesmanship. Everyone gets a chance to prove themselves one way or the other, and (unless its seriously egregious) the vast majority of the time you get the benefit of the doubt for a decent while because we all know people have bad days/periods in life. Once your reputation is established though if you're decent than you're welcome but if you're toxic you're out (and if you're bad enough other gaming groups will also likely be warned of you). It really is that simple. It's not a personal vendetta or attack against an individual. Rather its to defend and safeguard a community that takes time and effort to foster and grow, because few things can undermine a community as fast as a toxic player left unchecked.

[@agamelift]

Totally agree with you. As I mentioned in this case, this toxic player was thrown out of multiple communities. I don't see what people get out of showing up in person to cause problems, then blow them up online, then complain when they are held accountable. Thanks for stopping in!

[@TAVAAR7]

@@agamelift subbed and I'll check the playlist backlog 🙂

[@Beldgor]

Sad to hear it, but I expected stories like this to only be a matter of time. A double-edged sword that is updated plastic miniatures - on the one hand, it brings a bunch of new players into the fold, but on the other hand it brought so many all at once it's gotten chaotic and messy. People showing up and demanding that the game needs to be changed to cater to their tastes, otherwise it's gatekeeping. Further, groups like "everything battletech" which seemingly popped out of the ground overnight claiming to be an authority on the game when they spend far less time discussing Battletech than trying to make it a soapbox to boast about their sexuality via pride-flag painted miniatures, publicly broadcast their persecution complexes and/or to witch hunt people over any perceived slight for internet clout and patreon revenue. Before AGOAC and the Kickstarter, the worst we had to deal with were people painting up My Little Pony themed Baliuses, but it seems like by spring 2020 things dialed up to 11 and people that get offended as a profession started leaking in. You know things got bad when Technical Readout books went from being something people were excited to read, to people groaning that they have to read instead of having waac army lists regurgitated at them. It makes me long for the Jihad era again, when pewters or maybe introbox plastics were your only choice. There weren't many new players, but the ones that did show up were here because they were dissatisfied at the rules-light games that make up the majority of the industry, not because they were mad at GW, and certainly not use it as a soapbox to browbeat from. The flakey players filtered themselves out when the minis or rules weren't to their liking, and the assholes once kicked out of the group had noone left willing to put up with their bullshit.

[@riptors9777]

I think there is alot of fallout from the warhammer 40k franchise falling apart more and more due to its greedy parent company and the creeping influence of identity politics. Lots of people looked for other systems to settle in, and that meant alot of systems suddenly stood in the lamplight... wich in turn attracted these "special" kinds of people. Toxic a-holes have existed since the first D6 was rolled, but only in the last couple of years have self identified victims used identity-politics as a cudgel, riding on the success of other professional victims for example in the video gaming sphere. Yet there is no other hobby as welcoming as tabletop. No where else will you find a crowd more willing to hang out with you and play their favoured game no matter who you are. I guess that is one reason why it is targeted by these professional victims, abusing the welcoming nature of the hobby for profit. Cause as stated in this video: The toxic player even bragged about how being this way actually made them money.

[@TheSixthWorld]

I stated on Twitter that I wouldn't play with anyone sporting minis that were obviously intended to promote a political agenda. Ended up having to block a CGL writer after they tried to incite a Twitter mob against me (wasn't even that good of a mob).

[@agamelift]

@@TheSixthWorld This is an excellent point concerning minis, thanks for stopping by!

[@JCDadalus]

And this is why we gatekeep our groups. To keep the toxic psychopaths out.

[@aquarius5719]

People have mental health issues these days.

[@agamelift]

You are completely right about that, it is crazy looking at the numbers for insane asylums and what they were before they were targeted to be shut down and then realizing what the numbers would be today looking at population growth.... Thanks for stopping in!

[@thebigdb1]

I don't even know what to say to this man. I just happen to stumble on to this video because the fact that the last handful of months I've been really diving in and really getting into modding the video games to this game/universe. I've never actually played the board game version of it, just the video games over the years, so a new experience if I ever did it. Me personally I've been getting a lot of pleasure out of adding new meshes to the video games so that you can pilot new Max that weren't in the game to begin with. So I get a lot of pleasure out of doing that. Maybe this is something that I shouldn't even say because I'm a complete stranger, but I just want to share a similar situation. Somewhat similar because of thinking For the last 3 years I've been working with the cops and local DA's because of the last 3 years I've been falsely accused by a woman that I just casually know, the daughter of someone that my mom casually associated with, of continually raping and stalking her. Haven't seen her in almost 11 12 years, haven't spoken to her in 4 years, no relationship there at all other than a casual hello here and there at one time. Never dated her, never touched her, never kissed her, I don't think I even gave her a hug, but out of the blue she's been accusing me of raping her The joke of the being is roughly 2 years ago she admitted via text that I never did anything, but she wanted to do this just to make my and my mother's life a living hell. Just because she wanted to see us swerm The frustrating thing is no one's doing anything about it. I'm working on getting a restraining order, but seems like nothing's ever being done. She's threatened to set the house on fire, come after my mom and I with a knife or a gun, but the cops won't act on anything because physically nothing has happened yet. My question is what good does that do? It's like all these shootings that you keep seeing on the news, there have been people warning of these shooters actually doing what they end up doing, but no one does anything until there's a killing. Drives me nuts! The sad irony is if I admitted that I actually did rape her, they would slap the cops on my arm and drag me away to jail without even thinking twice. But when I need to help, no one's there to give it. Legally. That's what drives me nuts. There's a problem and a genuine concern, but the legal system doesn't seem to care. Maybe a different scenario, but I can kind of understand what you're saying. The joke of The being is I'm in a wheelchair. So much for being a special class right? Sometimes in life there's a punchline to something when it's not even meant to be there. What can I say?

[@agamelift]

I feel for you, it reprehensible the way things run nowadays. You have proof she lied and admitted to lying. I have proof in my scenario of the lies being made and the witnesses verifying the lies to be false. We certainly do have some similarities. This is a mad world we live in and it is only going to get worse. The only comfort I have of the world and future, without trying to preach, is my faith the Jesus Christ will end this. These evil people plaguing society will eventually be with their god and his demons for all of eternity while those faithful will never have to be concerned with them again. False rape claims have gone out of control, luckily we are seeing cases where the false accuser is being punished, not nearly fast enough to right this evil but, its something. I hope and pray your situation resolves and you can purge it from your mind. Thanks for stopping by!

[@combativeThinker]

@@agamelift I knew it. I knew you were a follower of Christ. From the moment I first watched your videos and read your comments, I could feel your inner light through your words and actions. The Holy Spirit is evident in your supernatural kindness and consideration for others, especially those who have wronged you. God bless you.

[@agamelift]

@@combativeThinker I appreciate the kind words and am happy you are here, I have been enjoying your responses elsewhere as well. Thanks for stopping in, God bless you as well!

[@Cyberfender1]

Yes. Good for you M&D! You were fair, succinct, accommodating. We ( who are rational, civil ) hobbyists should not put up with identity politics, in any and all forms each time it rears it ugly head. Please keep RL craziness out of my relax time. IMHO. Brook no BS.

[@agamelift]

Thank you, I appreciate that. The player was given a chance, then shit on the floor. Absolutely unacceptable conduct disrupting an established group like that. Thanks for stopping in!

[@jimboslam]

New to the hobby. This stuff worries me. I have orbited battletech for years and just recent picked up the Game of armored combat and Alpha strike box, been painting my minis, having a blast. I have a local group that seems super laid back but still passionate about the game. But I do not mesh well with these "woke" types. I am one of those bigots that refuses to use pronouns or entertain delusions. Im still learning the game and the guys Ive met so far seem to just want to talk about battletech and battletech only. Which is how i hope it stays. Im not looking for conflict or to put anyone down, but I truly cannot stand these privileged people screaming oppression and demanding the world at every turn. If your "pronouns" and "identity" are louder than your character than you should not have a spot at the table. Roll the dice, move your robot toy, do math, and stfu about everything else.

[@agamelift]

I hope it stays just about Battletech for you! I would not be surprised if there is an organized push to try to force their politics into groups as they can be found on facebook by finding local activists/tourists. You are exactly in the right to ignore pronouns and other such nonsense. It is their position that sex and gender are different, I will use their biological sex for descriptive purposes. Their narcissistic need to force their mental delusions on others is unbelievable and that so many people support it is insanity. Luckily this was one situation in nearly a decade. It's important to remember less than 300K men in America actually try to play womanface in public so they are not even close to a significant minority of the US population for example. Thanks for stopping in.

[@jimboslam]

@agamelift woman face is exactly what it is. Wish I was near your group, my friend. I would love to knowingly be in like minded company. But like I said, I'm not going out to look for issues but my stance is firm and my mind is made. Hope as I get to know my local folks that no issues like this aris. But listening to your story has made me realize that gate keeping is a necessity, especially if a hobby like battletech sucks so much time from you (in a positive way), best not have these types of people ruining years and years of community building.

[@agamelift]

@@jimboslam Likewise, I am always hoping to find more rational players to join our group. We were going fairly strong for nearly a decade, then this one situation seemed to cause players to step away from BT - even some of the ones who knew firsthand this toxic player was lying. While my current games I am playing are a mix of private 1v1s and some homemade scenarios at the LGS, I am looking to kick off our local BT meetups next year and help everyone get back into enjoying the game and get that nasty business out of their minds. What's even worse is that we had a local sympathizer (at least 1) that was actively steering people away from BT and spreading this toxic player's lies and slander. it's crazy to see these activists blatantly lie and then keep believing it.

[@Dave_L]

I'm sorry this happened to you but to be honest, you still did not get the right lesson. You are right, Battletech is not for everybody (just like anything in life), but it's a bit moot because that is something they have to figure out, not you. The lesson is not that "everybody deserves a chance until they prove themselves to be a dick" either. Rather, one could have known from the very moment they saw this individual (who you've depicted as having mental challenges that should have been obvious from your very first interaction) that this person was going to be a nightmare. Not to blame the victim, but you should not have opened the door to this person at all from the start. If someone like this walked up to me (whether in a gaming store, on the street or anywhere else), I would have have immediately said "No" to anything they asked of me. Such an individual should have never been welcomed at your table, never given a trial phase or anything else. Your social life is not a swinging door, your home or friendship circle is not wide open for strangers to tromp on through with muddy boots... you have every right to just say no and you never need to explain yourself. I wouldn't play with someone if they weren't clean, coherent and cordial. Hell, I might just say no even if those conditions were met. I might not let someone in if I just feel like it, no explanation needed, 100% arbitrary and unilateral decision. You let a stranger in your house, metaphorically speaking, and got an outcome that, if not predictable in detail, could have been foreseen in broad strokes. You've framed this as a question of gatekeeping and I agree, gatekeeping is not a bad thing, but there also doesn't need to be a gate at all... beyond your closest kin and legal dependents, you do not owe anybody your time. Your hobby time is not a service to complete strangers. Finally, something I am not sure I understand... you described this individual as essentially a "man in a dress" and then describe his chief complaint that you misgendered him, which you deny... assuming the dress was symbolic of something, did this person not wish to be addressed as a woman (in which case, aren't you in fact misgendering him in this video?). I'm not sure I understood that point.

[@agamelift]

You make an extremely good point, one that I have further gravitated to since this video's creation and subsequent discussions, and subsequent fandom conflicts. The toxic activists and tourists are only present to be an issue to force a change they desire upon the fanbase. To clarify, I never claimed the biological male I reference in the video was of a certain gender. I used biologically accurate terminology to discuss the toxic player. Since a tenant of their belief system is that sex and gender are separate, I used verbiage specifically related to the sex of the toxic player. Thanks for stopping in and sharing!

[@Dave_L]

@@agamelift Thanks for that clarification.

[@JasonMcMackins]

Check your baggage at the door. We’re here to play and have communal fun.

[@agamelift]

Agreed, Play Battletech to play Battletech, thanks for watching!

[@blainepardoe4758]

Sorry that you had to go through this.

[@agamelift]

It was a good lesson to learn at least, thank you for watching!

[@Ms-nh9ei]

Lol wow....this is crazy man! im sorry my brother, good job on keeping cool. Life is strange, especially when ypu try to be cool and chill and everyone at you...had a long night a work, toooo much negative vibes mannn...game on tho, and kudos bro!

[@agamelift]

Exactly, the lesson I learned the hard way is that they will hate you, even if you are chill with them. Thanks for stopping in!

[@DropshipOklahoma]

I have the same issue with a player as well.. an event I was helping out.. he came to me wanting to kick out the event organizer and another player

[@agamelift]

Wow, this is a recurring theme over and over in the comments. Thank you for sharing. Were you able to throw this player out?

[@DropshipOklahoma]

@@agamelift well he ended up getting ban from the store.. yelling at the store owner did not go the way he wanted it too.. he still has been going on,, claiming we are stalking harassing and threatening him.. only one person has said anything.. he is a KZbin content creator.. one of the guys involved asked him to remove him from a video.. he said he would get a lawyer to get it remove.. not really a big threat.. as he has been trying to claim.. he has also gone to other groups to ban everyone he does not like… but all the ok groups are really tight and we all talk to each other… pretty much we are Switzerland on the issue that caused it..

[@agamelift]

@@DropshipOklahoma That's great news the player was banned. Unfortunately there are a lot of "white knights" online these trolls can rally behind them. Also good to hear that the local groups are unified enough to communicate. This toxic player quit running his mouth after he was proven to be a liar and ejected from the communities. It was quit satisfying.

[@MadMax-el2el]

I was against gate keeping, from 95 until about mid 2010... now I primarily play at a private game club. When I play at an lgs i only play at game stores that have cameras on the game floor and i record all my interactions. I miss the days when we only had to deal with that guy and rules lawyers. Oh and my withdrawal removed a willing TO from the larger gaming community. I only TO for the gaming club now.

[@agamelift]

Actually, I have done something similar since my run in with this toxic player, I have been running and participating in a lot of 1v1 games. Players will come up with a scenario and tell me what to field or give me an outline and I will put a game together. The damage he did to our local community, alongside the toxic internet activists that bought his lies and backed him, is still radiating. Where we had participation of near 10+ in 2022, I can barely get 3 players at a normal game day with a week's notice. A couple of dudes started something at someone's house each week, and a couple newer players are playing on another night but, it is crazy to see the local fandom change from a run in with people like this. Of course, it was his intention all along, either take control or destroy it, while he failed at both, it will take time to see the fracturing undone. Thanks for stopping in!

[@fistofthetiger1591]

Just keep gatekeeping no matter what and above all: *NEVER BEND THE KNEE!*

[@agamelift]

You are spot on. I have seen this multiple times in the hobby arenas where people like this player try to force you into submission. When you deny them that submission they so desperately need, they become very hostile. Thanks for watching!

[@riptors9777]

It is super important to never apologize... that is like blood in the water. These people dont want an apology.. they want to make an example out of you and destroy you so no one questions their egos even in the slightest.

[@agamelift]

@@riptors9777 Agreed, I have become more and more vocal online about this specific point. They want submission from the people they target. When you deny them that submission it infuriates them to unimaginable levels. Thanks for watching!

[@MGAC1701]

I subscribed to this channel because of this video. You are to be commended.

[@agamelift]

I appreciate that, thanks for stopping by!

[@ExeErdna]

I personally don't get how could one have so much energy to be disruptive and vindictive. Yet late to their own game? Then going so hard to come up lies and slanderous torts towards you? If somebody tells me to leave I leave oh well.

[@agamelift]

Yeah, this person absolutely destroyed their local reputation and I think they had only been in town for a month or so. I only said I won't play with them again, they hadn't even been kicked out of the FB group yet. Literally could have just stopped talking and organized games on their own and that would have been it. Once the line was crossed into slander, cyberbullying, harassment, and libel, then I crushed the foolishness with fact. Thanks for watching!

[@sambob8019]

It's getting to the point where if anyone mentions there pronouns or something you should probably just not deal with them don't discriminate just disassociate shame because some of them are actually okay in fact I'm sure most of them are unfortunately the people speaking for them are just the worst most intolerant bigots I have ever seen

[@agamelift]

Exactly, somewhere in the comments, I spoke with an actual gender dysphoric individual who despised all these "trenders" as they called them. The problems for me start mostly when they attempt to coerce and compel my language. Ill be neutral and polite but, once they cross that line to trying to violate my 1st Amendment right and demand specific words for me to speak, they can get out. Thanks for stopping in!

[@LoftOfTheUniverse]

They're not stable in anyway. Never f with crazy.

[@PopeMetallicus]

This is why I no longer game wirh anyone I don't personally know

[@agamelift]

It's a shame that people want to be that way, private games really are becoming the best options in many scenarios, thanks for listening in!

[@PopeMetallicus]

@@agamelift big facts man. I remember when our stompy robot game used to be about stompy robots (and assorted Capellan treachery). Sadly Catalyst themselves seem to be feeding into it lately, which I'm not happy about

[@agamelift]

@@PopeMetallicus Damn Capellans....... haha! One thing I loved about Battletech prior to 2022 is that there were no real world politics. Sure, there were woke authors injecting what they wanted in forgettable stories but, at the end of the day, the business avoided that realm. I was heavily disappointed seeing the business bring real world politics into Battletech....

[@123bendtheknee]

Had trans man yell at my 6 year old son because he said "I love that mech bro" and thew the biggest hissy fit. i think those in trans community are mostly problematic in the table top community.

[@agamelift]

Right there is the perfect example, having a fit at a 6 year old. Repulsive character. Since it has splintered into grown men "identifying" as little girls or babies and such, you can tell their mental stability. Thanks for sharing and stopping by, this comment section is wealth of personal interactions showing the problems being brought into communities.

[@Kraigen44]

I have always had the belief that I will attempt with all sincerity to address you as you request. However that does not mean that I have to believe as you do, nor you i. What it means is that I will attempt to address you as you wish as a courtesy, and should I be mistaken or misspoken, please correct me. However the manner in which you correct me has great influence over how I will react. Kindness is repaid in kindness. Conflict with conflict. I have adopted this mindset with any gaming group i am appart of. We are all just people trying to have a good time and roll some dice. If you come to join with negativity or malice then you are not welcome. Be courteous and mindful of others and we should get along fine.

[@agamelift]

And that is a perfectly reasonable mindset. Until this event, that is the direction I leaned toward. Now though? The neutrality I have used in my comment responses would be the most consideration they would get. Thank you for sharing a stopping in!

[@Kraigen44]

@Minis & Dumbbells absolutely! I have yet to have an interaction like the one you described in your video. So, my stance has yet to be tested to the fullest. That said, living in a rural area of the states with a very tight-knit gaming community makes it unlikely. However, that is not to say that I haven't had my interactions with those who have or are in the process of transition, and the traveling to larger population centers for events like Cons it never hurts to be prepared. Sadly, it's interactions like this that make people jaded or guarded in the first place towards people. The once bitten twice shy response (which is 100 percent reasonable in my opinion) that makes people on the outside people of our communities see us as those who are socially awkward and uninclusive. With nine times out of ten, the opposite is true. We are just tired of the BS and wanna just play our games and have fun. I wish you luck on your future game running adventures. For people like you are the ones who help spark interest in these games that we love and that draw new people into the hobby that helps it grow.

[@alexanderwhite298]

Gatekeeping done right works well, need to put rules down. The title of the video is abit buzz word by sertin ideologies. Would have been better to put battletech, toxic ideologies, gatekeeping, and culture war. The terms woke=progressive and liberal and cancel culture=culture war. Good video.

[@agamelift]

I agree, since this incident my view on these toxic people has become more severe, gatekeeping is hugely important, throughout the Battletech fandom it looks like it is gaining steam as I see developments on FB pages and such. The title was meant to try to hit on the various buzzword points because that's exactly what happened. In my scenario I allowed people to enter the gate and join the local group fairly easily. This toxic person took advantage of that. He tried to vilify me, ruined another player's campaign, and when I threw him out, he attempted to rally the woke mob to cancel me in multiple areas. His minions acted against me, based entirely on lies and without facts or evidence. I think the title has served it purpose well and judging by the hundreds of comments in support and sharing similar stories it gave many a place of refuge, support and encouragement. Thank you for stopping in!!!

[@trentpeterson3495]

He is probably the type to shoot up a game shop because his atlas got cockpitted.

[@agamelift]

This had me burst out laughing! haha! Given the fact there was literally just a hate crime where a transgender person intentionally targeting Christians just murdered some, I can believe it. This toxic player has posted images of his firearms cases online before. However, with multiple veterans in the community he likely knows he wouldn't make the top scores in the MSM if he tried. Freedom is dangerous, where even people who should never be in a position (such as someone who doesn't understand their foundational reality) to have a firearm, can still own them until they do something that strips them of their rights. Thanks for stopping in!

[@AussieBakester]

Sorry to hear what you went through mate, glad you came through it ok.

[@franciscojavierruiz733]

I'm truly sorry to hear what you went through! I have seen many similar events play out in other areas like work. But I want to emphasize the truth of one of your last statements, that this are the actions of some individuals and not a community. The vast majority of the members of this communities are very respectful and upstanding people who's reputation is being tarnished by the actions of a few. I would encourage anyone who listens to your video or reads this comment to give everyone a chance, do not pre judge, but at the same time take any necessary action against anyone no matter gender, believe or ethnicity that tries through action or behavior to do harm to anyone else in your group. It's not about being defensive, it's about trusting on the one hand and earning and keeping the trust in the other. Let's all be respectful of one another and settle differences like human beings, through conversation. Keep strong buddy!

[@jeramyneeley3351]

Man, this is why I have a hard time getting into tabletop 40k. There's so many people that intentionally mess up rules and take things too personally or politically when we just want to play a game. It's why I stick with video games because I don't have to worry currently about the woketide when I game online.

[@theworldsays4264]

Always enforce rule #1. Stay chill or GTFO.

[@agamelift]

That makes a lot of sense, I never really thought of it that way! Thanks for listening in!

[@ZontarDow]

I'm sorry you had to go though this, but it seems you came out of it well. I had a similar situation with someone who had been friend of mine in high school and college. He wasn't a bad guy in those days but something happened in his early 20s. The incident that triggered him and a few people I know being kicked out of my circle of friends wasn't related to the hobby and was from inappropriate comments made while at a Pizza Hut of all places, but overall it was a messy split made harder because everyone involved had been friends for over a decade.

[@Akutikun]

The fact that you have to defend yourself for a persons imagined whatever is ludicrous any way you slice it. Stop worrying about capitulating to the mob, stop worrying about perceived offenses because you don't play into the harmful fantasy of self destructive people who refuse to wake up. The world is worse when we give in to evil. We are all free to choose thanks to the Atonement of our Lord Jesus Christ, and with choice comes consequence. People need to accept the reality of their choices and wake up. They never will if we don't stand for truth.

[@agamelift]

That's exactly it. People need to start ignoring these toxic people outright. It just blows my mind to this day that people acted against me based on claims with zero evidence and I had to provide overwhelming evidence to prove I was innocent. Guilty until proven innocent is not how it works. Just crazy. Thanks for stopping in!

[@scotth4713]

If you don't gatekeep, the barbarians will destroy the IP you love.

[@rossdiggle]

Had this shit happen in kings of war. Its not fun. Feel for you dude.

[@terryhiggins5077]

These type of people keep popping more and more now a days unfortunately. Glad to see you were able find a group who don't put up with that crap.

[@agamelift]

Thank you, as I mentioned, I am extremely thankful for the players in our group, we have a really good community. Thank you for watching as well!

[@Kepora1]

This is a prime example of why gatekeeping is a good thing.

[@phaedrosx]

Sorry that happened to ya man.

[@cyriccyric4413]

Here Here

[@MOrab46019]

Glad things got cleared up.

[@K3LVNV]

Sounds like you may have a viable claim for defamation. I hope you talk to an attorney and go after the toxic player for their tortious conduct. Making an example of them in a courtroom could dissaude other bad actors from trying this tactic.

[@agamelift]

You make a good point, while I never considered defamation, that makes sense. It also makes sense why this toxic player didn't try further harassment. But, we are over a year since the event and since this person got kicked out of most local groups and banned from a store, I'm satisfied currently. This video has been viewed over ten thousand times and 80% of the viewers support the message of the video so, it appears this toxicity is becoming more and more unwelcome by the various fandoms. Thanks for stopping in!

[@dreese55gaming5]

SO, titles are important. I figured I would give this a chance, since it might not be the normal stupid rage, and it was an issue, that I am glad you put this video out there. There are these people who want to be the center of attention, even when they hurt themselves by doing so. These people are toxic, and what they do will come back to them. Like you said, everyone else had banned this person and for good reason. I would have done the same. By going through your whole story, I can see this person was Clearly in the wrong. If I am playing, it should not matter who or what you are, long as your wanting to play as well. Why does this matter? The title. With I see Wokeness, only one type of person generally uses that term, so I instantly think your an ass before I can actually form an opinion of you for what you are actually saying. Woke People generally do not use this term, Cancel culture generally is companies changing to reach a wider audience most of the time, and the title sets me up to either skip this video or if I was trans get upset before even listening. I am about your age, a guy, and disabled due to long term illness. Its why many of my friends are in the community, as I didnt fit in due to not being able to keep up with healthy people, and they where just different. I am also a long time battletech player, hell I remember how excited everyone was when the clans first came out. My point here, is your title might turn off some of your viewership, or attract people for the wrong reasons. There is a reason companies go woke, and its that they get more sales that way, along with it preventing some discrimination issues. Your video has you experiencing someone using being trans as a weapon against you, and its a good message to send out, but its definitely not the issue my group has had. I think narrowing it to something like how someone used wokeness as a weapon vs me, as you didnt really gatekeep, cancel culture was not really involved, and it was someone being an ass to you that was the problem, not someone being woke. The banned player most likely choose to use the gaming community as a weapon due to how some older members talk. A lot of us are, specially in battletech or historical gaming, in our 40s at the youngest and the target audience of republican politicians who may have first used the wokeness term. It makes us easy targets for this kind of thing, and its something that should be shared so that it cannot be used as a weapon to harm the gaming communities in our local areas. I figure a part of why you used the title was because you where hurt by this whole situation, and might still be angry. These type of online white knight situations have been happening a lot, and they are stupid and cruel. Just look at what happened with the harry potter game. We need to push the people who would rally to your banned player away from them, and we will not do that by using wokeness in our titles or other words that might set them off. We use reason and ask them to double check that these events actually happened before they jump for a crusade against the targeted people.

[@agamelift]

I see where you are coming from and welcome the feedback. Some of the reasons the wording was used is - because "wokeness" is often giving someone a free pass if within a certain range of identity politics. Because this toxic person was trans, I was automatically guilty until proven innocent in the view of a local, of the toxic online mod, and others. Gatekeeping - I should not have let things escalate to where they got to before telling the toxic player not to return, I should have slammed the gate shut and now I know to do it faster in the future. At the same time this player attempted to drag me out of a hobby I was firmly planted in for years and cast me out - both a form of gatekeeping and cancelling. Unfortunately this last week in the wider Battletech fandom confirmed that individuals of the various identity politics do not want anyone who will not submit to their demands in the Battletech fandom. (See hostile, seemingly organized, reddit takeover, similar attempts in FB BT groups, etc.) I appreciate your level headed approach to the discussion and your thoughts, thank you for stopping in and watching. I would love to see the fandom return to pre-August 2022 where real world politics were not a part of the Battletech fandom in any significant way.

[@dreese55gaming5]

@@agamelift See my first thought was not to be level headed, but you where Fairly calm, and had reason to be upset with your experience. It helped with me not jumping to conclusions. Not everyone is like that. That said, everyone is human, and there are nasty people of every type. Including Trans, Religious, Political, nerdy, gamer, or whatever term you can come up and use. We also saw similar issue with the harry potter video game, where they got attacked by fans, even though the game was one of the few that went out to include the option to be trans inclusive in the game (all you need is a they gender basically). Ya, I wish politics was not so nasty right now. Our current politics is crazy atm, and its weird to think kids will be reading about it 20 years from now. Anyway, hope you get a pot shot at a filthy clanner today :P Thank you for the reply!

[@waddlesmcsqueezy]

Thankfully I think the people who complain about this stuff are a very small minority of our player base. Battletech is for everyone ✊

[@agamelift]

You are spot on, the likes/dislikes clearly show what is going on. Using the KZbin plugin that shows dislikes, the video has less than 100 dislikes putting us at nearly 7 times as many people are tired of this garbage. On the back end with bots spamming it with dislikes, we are sitting at 79% of fandom members supporting the video. Players are tired of this toxic wave of identity politics and unnecessary injection of political opinion by businesses. Thanks for stopping in!

[@Elrigger]

Turn up your mic volume

[@agamelift]

Thank you for the feedback, being a bit rusty to this video making I'll make sure to keep that in mind going forward, thanks for listening!

[@thebritishgeek]

man... we just wanna play games, all this shit is so tiresome.

[@agamelift]

You got that right! With a firm 75-80% of fans opposed to identity politics, tourists, and activists we have a chance to eradicate their toxicity. Thanks for stopping in!

[@torenwikberg]

Always keep those receipts.

[@agamelift]

You got that right! Thanks for watching!

[@panchowindwillow8527]

Ihave been playing Battletech and Mechwarrior Tabletop for 30 years. I live in Austin, am shy, but i really want to get back into playing again. Would you mind directing me to your facebook, and discord page. I own almost all of the books digitally and some in paperback. I would love to help you with the lore if that is something you want to get into. There are many mechanics I need to re-learn. Your guidance would be greatly appreciated.

[@agamelift]

That's awesome having a long record in Battletech. I typically do not directly link my social media together because the toxicity this player brought into our group is exponentially increased online. However, any questions you may have with the rules you can ask in any video, respond to this comment, or even in the general community page of my channel where I have standalone posts you can ask away. One of my favorite parts of Battletech is teaching new and returning players. I don't run these following pages but I would suggest looking at Battletech Community and Everything Battletech (largest bt page) on Facebook (both of these pages have level headed admins/mods running them, be cautious of other larger groups). If you go to Battletech Players by Zip Code on Facebook you may find some nearby players. There is also the official forums at bg.battletech.com - there's even a challenges and Gatherings section. Thank you for listening in!

[@OneBiasedOpinion]

If your perception of reality is so incredibly fragile that you meet any sort of pushback with hostility and volatile, socially-violent behavior, one really must ask whether that worldview has any basis in reality or truth to begin with. You don’t have to hate someone to disagree with them, but certain groups seem convinced that any opposition to their mindset constitutes a hate crime. It is a sad, sad state of affairs.

[@agamelift]

Even then, in this situation, there was never any opposition at all to the person's lifestyle preferences. It was simply used as a weapon in retaliation after their toxicity was called out. Thanks for listening in!

[@smilingbandit6900]

darn wobbies will wob, inner sphere unite!

[@agamelift]

Exactly. These people forcing their will and ideologies on others sounds very WoB like. Thanks for stopping in!

[@gambles5029]

Jeez, what a terrifying turn of events for just wanting to enjoy some tabletop gaming. I've heard similar stories more and more frequently and they don't always turn out with a happy ending, in fact it seems as though most of the time people just give up in the face of being socially ostracized for doing nothing at all. I've completely given up on the game store scene as it seems like most these days are all to eager to inject their political beliefs or whatever into the space and use them to attack anyone they for whatever reason dislike. Ended up setting up my own gaming room in my basement and have a couple friends that come over tabletop stuff. Unfortunately they're not always in to the same things I am so I'm relegated to just collecting and painting Battletech minis, been thinking about possibly trying games online with TTS but I doubt the community there is any less erratic. Ah well, Thanks for sharing, I'm glad it worked out in the end. I have no idea how the gaming space that used to be so welcoming turned into this.

[@agamelift]

I see where you are coming from. Luckily for our group this was a single occurrence in nearly a decade. I have also rolled around the idea of having games at home, there are a couple of long time players I trust at this point to do so. Unfortunately, with TTS that is peak of anonymity being online gaming so, it could even more hostile and politically charged, who knows at this point. Thank you for sharing and listening in as well!

[@bjornhjorvardssen2336]

My Father told me when i was growing up, treat everyone with kindness, until they give you a good reason not to. This person sounds like a rather entitled trans. Ive met a few trans and none of them were that rude, inconsiderate or were just such a bad actor.

[@agamelift]

I don't actively seek out confrontation in person but he chose his path. Because I held the line far earlier than he planned, his plans fell apart and backfired. Now, because of his actions, it has given me reason to reconsider various social aspects and mindsets I held. The players need to reject this heinous behavior across the board. Thanks for stopping in!

[@bjornhjorvardssen2336]

@Minis & Dumbbells I beg of you to not judge all based on the actions of the one. I've had quite a few bad experiences with some black people. Does not mean all black people are bad. I respect people's right to do with their lives what they choose. It's up to us to respect that freedom. It's one of the greatest things the founding fathers highlighted for us. Our natural rights are something we've always had, and once enumerated made more aware of them.

[@agamelift]

@@bjornhjorvardssen2336 I've not judged anyone based on an individual. I've judged based on the intent of the entire community of people. In this scenario, people came out of the woodwork to defend him and quite obviously painted me guilty until proven innocent. At the time I did care more about people seeing me as welcoming to all and even still somewhat at the time I created this video. I have always had a bit of a "people pleaser" personality, even to my own detriment. And here I was thoroughly attacked by the toxic player, his white knights online, and even someone I knew personally. In this case there is a distinct difference between the individual I reference and your example of black people. One participates in a toxic culture of forcing their will on others, coercing other's speech against their will, coercing through lies and deception to convince others to self harm permanently, attempting to cancel those who do not play along, and committing multiple criminal acts when he doesn't get his way, the other is a skin color where they could be incredibly respectful and dignified or a absolutely POS to rebuked. Even in the last few days, we have witnessed the alphabet community as a whole take over a massive community page on Reddit, which was started entirely because they thought themselves above the rules and outright violated them, crying foul when the political posts were rightly removed. The people of the alphabet community have chosen their representation and after abusing the player's overall tolerance, their heinous conduct will not be tolerated.

[@bjornhjorvardssen2336]

@Minis & Dumbbells I doubt it was the entire alphabet community. Just the individuals friends who he probably manipulated or have a misguided sense of loyalty. My point is this, it sounds like you've written off an entire group of people, based on actions caused by one individual. All of the actions thus far, based on your description, seem to have been merely shit caused by that person. Ones reputation in one crowd can be entirely different in another. My point is is that I have 3 people I can talk to right now who are part of the "alphabet soup community" That name is insulting to them. Leave name calling at the door. You are above that. This is battletech, not a culture war. If you wish to adequately name these people for what they have done, find what the individual group of people call themselves. Don't just label all people like that as people who start shit. I can think of 1 person right now, mid transition, who used to be into battletech before cgl and is on your reddit. Your anger is leading you to prejudice. You are given a platform, it is up to you to be and spread a better message. To keep a level head.

[@agamelift]

@@bjornhjorvardssen2336 What you are doing right now is a very common tactic, which does not phase me, I clearly explained in my prior comment that this individual's actions targeted me and I have now witnessed an entire swath of fandom members force their ideologies upon others. This is not a small niche of a niche within the alphabet community. They have shown on both an individual level and on a group level you will comply or they will do all they can to force you out. Everyone earns their reputation, the actions of these toxic players may not be supported by individuals within their own communities but, I have yet to see evidence of that beyond one or two. You'll notice a comment exchange I had with someone in prior comments that went amicably. My response in my thoughts and views to the vicious, hate filled actions of these groups is perfectly legitimate, more so than their lunacy to take those actions in the first place.

[@williamclaw3968]

stay strong bro

[@agamelift]

Will you, you as well, thanks for stopping in!

[@servusferox3212]

gatekeep your hobbies

[@oIZhenyaIo]

Should have told him he was in Davion Space and to go back to the Magistracy. Great video.

[@agamelift]

Hahaha! I like it! Thanks for watching!

[@thunder_chunder6491]

This is why, while I love the idea of new people joining a hobby, (I'm new to Battletech Itself, played the PC games for years) I find that its not all are genuine, and so I hesitate with anyone that seems woke, as they to often have agendas. They enjoy control, more than they enjoy the hobby (look at the Female Space Marine Debate) It's such a pity if only we could all just enjoy the stompy robots.

[@josepablolunasanchez1283]

In every big enough group you will always find an ID10T.

[@fenrissilverfang8419]

Sorry to hear that such events went down and you've been personally targeted like that. Ain't right, nor pleasant as it can take a toll on someones wellbeing and mental health, so I am hoping that you are doing okay. The Btech community isn't exactly the largest or most widely known so keeping it healthy and welcoming in order for it to grow feels both mandatory and like the right thing to do, but as you pointed out that also includes getting rid of people who would harm the community, its groups within and its individual members because otherwise those people are gonna drive the good people out. On a sidenote, I wouldn't side with anything elon says as the dude's a massive nutjob overall and has said some pretty worrysome and offensive stuff himself. The term wokeness alone is often broadly used against the lgbtqia+ community as a whole when in truth its a few manipulative people that use minorities as a echo chamber for their own bs. Sadly some of them succeed with it and aren't kept out, much like that person managed to infiltrate your group in a way, but you can't know beforehand how someone is gonna act most of the time. As a fellow battletech fan though, I hope that bad experience hasn't ruined your fun or enthusiasm. All the best ^^

[@agamelift]

Thank you for your well written thoughts! I love Battletech as much as ever, this toxic player had no chance of taking that from me. I do know Elon is definitely on the rocks right now but it really seemed to me that his statement rang true given this sequence of events and who was involved. I hope you have many more fun years of Battletech as well, thanks for listening in!

[@LoftOfTheUniverse]

You didn't misgender him, he did.

[@agamelift]

Interesting conundrum.... thanks for stopping in!

[@thedicemustroll1339]

Where's the slandering video tho

[@agamelift]

As I mentioned, I won't be sharing that link, assuming it is still up. While it would satisfying dealing the same thing I received, it wouldn't provide me any real benefit. Thank you for watching!

[@bot0643]

I'm sorry you had to deal with all that nonsense, but glad you came out of it ok. Yes i do hate the fact that gatekeeping exists, but the way things are now, i totally understand why exists. but i do think you might be unique or part of small minority of people that actually try to use the balanced middleground approach to it.

[@Kepora1]

I don't hate it at all. Any group should be protective of the thing they like, and things should be for people who like the things.

[@combativeThinker]

Gatekeeping is a virtue. It demonstrates courage to face the despoiler and, if need be, to die defending that which you love.

[@Stormeris]

Seems like there is more and more of these sort of 'players' coming into the hobby as of late. Shame CGL seems to be keen on catering to them instead of actual fans of Battletech

[@agamelift]

Im not sure what it is going to take for organizations to see the majority of people are uninterested in the catering methodologies. In cinema, we see specific types of films absolutely dominating. We also see specific types of films that are absolute dumpster fires. It would seem there would be certain off limits areas that businesses would start avoiding or only using for side projects to both maintain their primary customer base and still appease the demands of the significantly smaller, overly loud groups. Thank you for watching!

[@Kepora1]

There's a reason we call them fake fans or tourists. They don't actually like the thing - they're parasites, or cancer cells trying to float in and latch on.

[@EverythingBattletech]

Well you already know JD, real fans spend money. Catalyst doesn't carr about that anymore

[@CHURCHISAWESUM]

@@agamelift They aren’t as money-motivated as you think, especially in art and film. These projects are as much for propaganda purposes of an ideology as they are for money. They want to fundamentally change the way especially younger people think.

[@catherined.398]

These creatures aren't even trans 90% of the time. I transitioned almost 20 years ago, and I've watched the community go from a mostly cloistered group of scared women who were trying their best to deal with the cards handed to them, to becoming a group that we, the old guard, have been removed from by political interlopers who try to use our pains and struggles as a weapon and shield of virtue without actually undergoing those tribulations themselves. I don't even understand what their end goals are, other than spreading pain, suffering, and the destruction of things we love and enjoy. I've even tried using my physical reality of being a transsexual as a shield against these types of attacks before, but it never works, and they just escalate to more insane and legally dangerous accusations. Your other gaming partners are probably too embarrassed to apologize. Gate keep away. Finally, a word of warning: he will use your choice of words in this video against you. He will use my choice of words against me too. I am sure you are aware of this, but it needs to be said.

[@agamelift]

Thank you for the incredibly level headed response. To see you, someone who has done what the toxic player claimed to be, and be able to acknowledge what that toxic player did is a larger problem, is very encouraging. Thank you for your warning as well, I noticed a couple comments were trying to nitpick my wordings and I made an adjustment in the description. Finally, thank you for comment and for listening in!

[@catherined.398]

I think you misunderstood. I tried to use my status as a shield against such accusations, like those he levied against you, in a vain attempt to play by their rules. But they have no rules. So the best we can do is let our character speak for itself. Possible I am misunderstanding you, I am operating on no sleep.

[@agamelift]

@@catherined.398 I'm fairly certain we are on the same page haha! I agree again with what you said, especially - let our character speak for itself.

[@catherined.398]

Ahh, I see where I got confused, now that I am caffinated. 👍

[@Vessekx]

Claiming you’ve never misgendered someone and making it clear that you are continuing to misgender them is just stupid. Not noticing it in a story is even dumber.

[@agamelift]

You just regurgitating other people's talking points? I make no claims to this biological male's chosen gender.

[@Demolitiondude]

Holy shit man.

[@michaelgibbs5981]

If you include your pronouns in your introduction, its a hard pass.

[@xV0LK0Vx]

You survived what a lot of people don't.

[@agamelift]

Thank you, I can completely see why people would give up their hobby after such attacks. I want to encourage resolve in people who might feel they can't handle the viciousness of being attacked like this. These hate filled, toxic players are weak minded people who have nothing but the hoards of online white knights to back them. Thanks for stopping in!

[@xV0LK0Vx]

@@agamelift It's no problem at all. I stopped playing a lot of games because of a toxic player base. The problem is the toxic players I was dealing with was because they were sweaty. They would leave me alone after a few minutes of arguing at the most. The one you ran into won't stop where it needs to. They will push it to the ends of the Earth for one little slight against them. Even if it isn't intentional, it won't matter to them. They want your community, your job, your relationships, your friends, and if they could, your freedom. These people have nothing better to do with their life.

[@agamelift]

@@xV0LK0Vx Very well said! Luckily, nearly every community they weaseled their way into threw them out so, once I cleared my name, it all went away. Nothing left for the toxic person to try.

[@josepablolunasanchez1283]

Anglosaxon culture is very apologetic, opposed to Asian culture where apologizing is seen as a sign of weakness. Bullies take advantage of that. Some people believe that a vehemently spoken lie can erase facts.

[@agamelift]

That is an interesting perspective, thank you!

[@josepablolunasanchez1283]

@@agamelift The non apologetic nature of Asian culture is what made Japan's unconditional surrender just not viable.

[@jubithorne]

This is in fact, from my personal experience, a lot of nonsense. I have hosted many different exchange students from all over Asia and beyond. For the most part the Asian students were always very respectful and quick to apologize if they felt they had been an issue.

[@josepablolunasanchez1283]

@@jubithorne Apologetic does not apply to politics and business. People apologize before a superior. Elders are superior, bosses are superior. But the higher the level the less you will see apologies. Ther other problem is that politics is now a cult. They have no god, but they have dogma, heresy and sins and even a customized devil.

[@nemamiah7832]

I don't know who you are, mate, but damn.

[@agamelift]

Yup! Not a fun period of time. But, if it has happened to me, it has happened to others and has yet to happen to others. This is simply one possible string of events, I hope to encourage others to stand up for themselves and refuse to submit before these toxic players harassment and intimidation attempts. Hopefully they can also identify when the abusive, toxic players have actually crossed the line such as cyberbullying and libel (written defamation). Thank you for watching!