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[Mister Negative]

As a big fan of Cool Games Inc. and the like, this is really difficult to hear. Hoping against hope there's some way for this to be a misunderstanding, but that's all pretty damning.

Never grow too attached to internet personalities, I suppose.

Milkshake duck is evergreen, man. I loved Car Boys and CGI. This sucks.

 

[BlanketFort]

Man, fuck this kind of behavior. Completely unacceptable. Not in games; not in anything.

 

[Mesoian]

This is all very disappointing.

 

[Marcel]

If Nick was a serial harrasser and a creep then a fair share of the burden is on his friends and people who likely knew it was happening to people in their sphere and saying nothing about it.

 

[JStein0222]

please believe women

How have we not learned this yet?

 

[Shaanyboi]

Oh for fuck's sake...

Fuck You, Nick.

 

[jackal27]

Imagine if the Switch port of Overcooked wasn't broken, we wouldn't even be aware of this story.

The NeoGAF Take-Away

Pretty funny point though to be honest, but this stuff never stays hidden forever. Especially when there's a pattern.

 

[paragonpro]

I mean he always looked like a massive tool, but this seals the deal that hes also a huge fucking creeper. Good riddance, hope he never works in this or an other industry where he can do that to people again.

 

[Karspankey]

Next episode of Awful Squad I bet

 

[BTA]

Is he actually married or is the wife talk confusing him with someone else?

Nick (games) is not married while Nick (BBC) is, which is why some people are using that (either maliciously or due to denial) to discredit what people are saying.

...I've also seen some people go "I thought he was gay", which... feels gross to dig into more but I have no idea where they got that from behind one of his roommates being gay.

 

[Drey1082]

All of polygon's video series and stuff have given him and the McElroys a following/fanbase even beyond people who just follow video game news. He also has a pretty big following on twitter and tumblr. It's not like he was a Jeff Gerstmann-esque figure, but he was a decently well-known person, he was pretty young and got into the industry after years of being a fan, and so that kind of thing probably gets into your head, clouds your judgement, and needless to say leads to thinking you can get away with really, really bad stuff.

i guess. I just feel like you would just forward the DM to some higher up and Polygon and say, your boy Nick is a piece of shit. I guess I don't understand how he could be "connected" enough to get away with stuff like that.

 

[PsihoPerihelion]

I will never understand guys asking for nudes and harassing women on social media. Jesus Christ, it isn't as hard as you believe to keep your dick on your pants. I mean, I'm one horny motherfucker and I'd never do that.

 

[taizuke]

Huh. I thought he was gay this whole time.

The thought did cross my mind too.

 

[schwabdizzle]

I guess Nick Robinson bit the hand that fed him.

 

[RecRoulette]

The one thing I don't get and I'm trying not to be a dick here, but if the people he harassed don't want more people coming after them why would they even post something about it without proof? Like I get telling somebody else and having them talk about it, but it seems like some of the twitter threads are from the harassed themselves? If so what would be the issue in just posting screencaps, it's not like there's anything in there that would even be embarrassing for them, it's all on Nick... And I know they're gonna get neckbearded assholes harassing them even if they prove it's real, but I figure that would at least help ease the doubt in anyone rational.

Not going to fault anyone for being afraid to unleash the wrath of GG on themselvees.

 

[BiggNife]

Imagine if the Switch port of Overcooked wasn't broken, we wouldn't even be aware of this story.

It would have happened eventually. This is just the straw that broke the camel's back. It sounds like a lot of people were waiting for the dam to break on this.

 

[Quonny]

If Nick was a serial harrasser and a creep then a fair share of the burden is on his friends and people who likely knew it was happening to people in their sphere and saying nothing about it.

Really?

I have no idea who my friends are messaging on Facebook, Twitter, LINE, or whatever social media service they use.

 

[Bahorel]

Well shit. The fact that even Polygon employees are unable to treat women in games as normal human beings is depressing as fuck. I hope he at least has the decency to own up to it.

I know, I'm very disheartened by this, because in a way you put your trust in the people you're a fan of, and whenever that trust gets broken it hurts. I wonder how this is going to affect the future of Polygon content and if they will take action?

 

[Tregard]

Milkshake duck is evergreen, man. I loved Car Boys and CGI. This sucks.

I know understand how JonTron fans must have felt after that whole unpleasantness.

 

[UCBooties]

As someone who doesn't really understand the industry dynamics that well, what power does some polygon producer / ex- rev3 host really wield that he can be a creep and get away with it? I guess I just don't get how this guy was in a position of that much power.

I guess coming from the Finance world, all the assholes are the Scaramucci-type guys who have insane clout and power over people's careers and livelyhood. I just don't get where a video producer at polygon has any sort of clout. I can see if women don't want to come forward just from embarrassment or undue shame, but what does this guy really hold over anyone's head? Review scores? game coverage? I guess I never considered Polygon that big of a deal.

Exposure and connections mostly. It won't amount to anything with large publishers, but someone with clout and connections could definitely bury any indie developer if they felt so inclined.

 

[BitStyle]

please believe women

Yeah, it's pretty hard not to when so many have come out regarding his actions.

 

[Bowlie]

I was curious, and Googled, and... found this :|

https://twitter.com/Babylonian/status/846175364418158593

Oh man, wtf is this
Adding to the OP as a complement to that Curious Cat answer.

 

[Mael]

I can't pull up the tweets right now, but essentially:

Nick made a joke on twitter about masturbating to Krystal from Star Fox: Adventures when he was young.

Frem Frequency's twitter retweeted while captioning that behavior like this was emblematic of the problems game industry men have in how they feel ok to casually talk like this publicly to others and joke about treating female characters in games as objects for masturbation.

Various women in the industry started retweeting, stating that not all women are super cool with hearing about what Nick's penis was doing when Nick saw Krystal.

It didn't make a whole lot of sense, until all this comes out. The tweet just comes off mega creepy.

I found the femfreq tweet I guess

Nobody in our office feels that way about Krystal. In fact, we find her character deeply disappointing. Here's why: [url]https://youtu.be/X6p5AZp7r_Q

[/URL]
And of course because it's twitter, the replies are garbo.

I was curious, and Googled, and... found this :|

https://twitter.com/Babylonian/status/846175364418158593

Good god!
I think the 1st reply sums up my initial reaction

I have never been more proud to have never owned a gamecube.

Spoiler

I had a gamecube and played the game though

The worst part is it wasn't prompted or anything, just "hey hear me out for a second here".
And dear god why is he talking about that in March 2017?
I'll quote myself here :

Oh god, why does this industry attract such creepers >_<'

 

[JonnyDBrit]

As someone who doesn't really understand the industry dynamics that well, what power does some polygon producer / ex- rev3 host really wield that he can be a creep and get away with it? I guess I just don't get how this guy was in a position of that much power.

I guess coming from the Finance world, all the assholes are the Scaramucci-type guys who have insane clout and power over people's careers and livelyhood. I just don't get where a video producer at polygon has any sort of clout. I can see if women don't want to come forward just from embarrassment or undue shame, but what does this guy really hold over anyone's head? Review scores? game coverage? I guess I never considered Polygon that big of a deal.

The big one is coverage, particularly for indie titles and devs. Especially if it's 'easier' that way, to not have any issues between them. It might be that during interviews to get their perspective and some quotes, he might make some unsolicited remark, and those affected just quickly move on hoping he doesn't do so again.

It's happened in other mediums, not surprising that it might happen in games too.

 

[ZiggyPalffyLA]

So no more CoolGames Inc, then? Damn I look forward to that every week. I hope Griffin continues it at least, he was always the funnier one anyway.

 

[Muscle Wizard]

Looks like we got ourselves another Devin Faraci situation.

 

[Lys Skygge]

Fucking gross. I hope that those affected get some sort of justice.

 

[DanLongman]

The one thing I don't get and I'm trying not to be a dick here, but if the people he harassed don't want more people coming after them why would they even post something about it without proof? Like I get telling somebody else and having them talk about it, but it seems like some of the twitter threads are from the harassed themselves? If so what would be the issue in just posting screencaps, it's not like there's anything in there that would even be embarrassing for them, it's all on Nick... And I know they're gonna get neckbearded assholes harassing them even if they prove it's real, but I figure that would at least help ease the doubt in anyone rational.

You never know the reason for this and should never speculate, I have known people who thoughts things were harmless at the start and were maybe a bit flirty and then the creep turned full creep and they felt (erroneously) that they brought it on or that it would make them look bad if it came to light so better to stay quiet and protect the harasser.

it is always the fault of the harasser/abuser completely regardless of anyone elses actions. full stop.

 

[L Thammy]

Re: "if true"

What would need to have happened for this to not be true? Rumours spread about Nick Robinson for some reason at least. Perhaps a conspiracy to defame him?

 

[funkystudent]

Well. Thats extremely disappointing. Never had a issue with the dude but heck. What the fuck man.

Imagine if the Switch port of Overcooked wasn't broken, we wouldn't even be aware of this story.

The Unity Engine finally delivers something worthwhile.

Re: "if true"

What would need to have happened for this to not be true? Rumours spread about Nick Robinson for some reason at least. Perhaps a conspiracy to defame him?

Why would a bunch of women in the games press suddenly decide Nick needed to be "taken out?" That sounds more conspiracy then anything

But if it came to it I am sure some of the DM's could surface.

 

[jackal27]

Really?

I have no idea who my friends are messaging on Facebook, Twitter, LINE, or whatever social media service they use.

Yeah, but when you're in a circle of people and you start acting thirsty to one or two or three or all of them, people begin to talk.

Not saying that's what happened, just the way that these things typically get around.

 

[Marcel]

I'm getting totally sick of this male ally circlejerk thing where "woke" secret creeps get protected for no other reason than they have the good, demonstrative opinions on Twitter. Seriously.

 

[SuperStiltzkin]

As someone who doesn't really understand the industry dynamics that well, what power does some polygon producer / ex- rev3 host really wield that he can be a creep and get away with it? I guess I just don't get how this guy was in a position of that much power.

I guess coming from the Finance world, all the assholes are the Scaramucci-type guys who have insane clout and power over people's careers and livelyhood. I just don't get where a video producer at polygon has any sort of clout. I can see if women don't want to come forward just from embarrassment or undue shame, but what does this guy really hold over anyone's head? Review scores? game coverage? I guess I never considered Polygon that big of a deal.

These people don't wield power in money. They wield power in followers and followers tend to act like their personal army, whether the person intends to or not. And getting ahead in the games industry seems to be all about networking and relations. Nick is very popular and, alongside Griffin McElroy, is the pretty much the sole reason Polygon gets any significant amount of clicks. People make fan art of him. There's a huge fandom around the video series that he's involved in like Car Boys.

And the victims are women and the games industry treats women like shit. You can bet a bunch of pick up artist loser types would target them for even hinting that their favorite youtuber is sketch.

 

[The_Kid]

Oh man, wtf is this
Adding to the OP as a complement to that Curious Cat answer.

Pretty sure that was a precursor to the Overcooked thing. Some feminist frequency person responded and said "actually no Nick"

 

[iiicon]

Has Ben Pack said anything? I haven't seen anything on his twitter but OP and others have said that some tweets have been deleted so I'm curious. I'm very big into Giant Bomb and I'm glad Kessler has seemingly got in front of this very quickly. Hope Ben does the same.

He liked Matt Kessler's tweets quoted in the OP. I don't think he's said anything publicly yet, however.

 

[NinjaCoachZ]

i guess. I just feel like you would just forward the DM to some higher up and Polygon and say, your boy Nick is a piece of shit. I guess I don't understand how he could be "connected" enough to get away with stuff like that.

Well one of the big things is that he had a pretty large following and it's easy to either use them as a shield to defend you, or sic them against other people, and that fear probably plays into why people may have been hesitant to speak up. He is one of the most well-known figures at the site so there is that risk of the people in power as well potentially turning a blind eye of things. So there's the fear of cases potentially being ignored until dozens upon dozens of people start talking about it.

 

[Deleted member 30609]

So no more CoolGames Inc, then? Damn I look forward to that every week. I hope Griffin continues it at least, he was always the funnier one anyway.

Spoiler

nick was always a less interesting griffin anyway

 

[Mooreberg]

Utterly bizarre that it took something so tangential for this to come to light, but hopefully now some action is taken. Keeping him on board would be a very bad look.

 

[Coolluck]

I'm a bit behind on Rose Buddies but given Griffin's attitude towards The Bachelor franchise, I imagine he won't want to work with Nick after this.

 

[BTA]

Some of y'all need to read the linked tweets in the OP a bit more.

If you are a freelance writer (which Polygon uses a lot of!), it's a real bad idea to start calling out a staff member of a site that you want to get paid to write for.

 

[gablekevin]

Damn this is super gross if true which sounds like it is. I hope Ben Pack gets out in front of this because he is clearly good friends with him. So I find it hard to believe he would know absolutely nothing about this behavior.

 

[Gnome Scat]

My sweet boy, how could you?

Very disappointed in him if this is true.

 

[Tregard]

So no more CoolGames Inc, then? Damn I look forward to that every week. I hope Griffin continues it at least, he was always the funnier one anyway.

CGI will always have this lingering over it now though :/

 

[Psychoward]

Not going to fault anyone for being afraid to unleash the wrath of GG on themselvees.

Oh for sure and I understand that completely, my question is more that these people are already posting about it and it could be their personal accounts so the shitheads are gonna go after them anyway. I'm not blaming them or doubting them or anything obviously, just curious about the rationale.

 

[soundtest]

If Nick was a serial harrasser and a creep then a fair share of the burden is on his friends and people who likely knew it was happening to people in their sphere and saying nothing about it.

He couldve totally been a creepfest and none of his friends known about it. I've seen it happen before.

Dont throw other people under the bus because you feel outraged about one person's actions

 

[shawnoftheshred]

please believe women

This is important.

 

[BUNTING1243]

based on twitter, the entire staff of polygon seems to be going to portland for a preplanned retreat this weekend

that'll be weird

 

[Gattsu25]

Holy crap, that's ridiculous if true.

And this all started because of Overcooked?

No, this all became public because someone was annoyed at his reaction to the Overcooked video from DF

This all started when he, allegedly, began targeting women in games for harassment

 

[Kwansu Dudes]

If it's true, I hope his brother hasn't done the same/similar things.

 

[OdysseusVA]

"this black smoke is filling my house, but I don't see any fire, so I think I'm okay"

You're not going to get "actual evidence" because the second one of his victims posts a chat log there will be thousands of gamergaters doxxing her and sending her death threats and claiming she fabricated the logs to destroy Nick's reputation

Do you not know how the internet works

Alternatively don't and read this thread: https://twitter.com/ali_west/status/893322058784006144

hmmm yes because its possible lots and lots of different people in the industry just coordinated an attack on him and made up a bunch of stuff to vaguely describe in tweets, pretending to fear the backlash, all for.....reasons.

They should definitely all post a detailed account of everything on the internet as "evidence" for randoms on the internet to feel better...this surely won't lead to all kinds of harassment and attacks on the victims themselves.

(I would hope the sarcasm here is obvious)

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