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| − | {{Person Infobox
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| − | | image = Ben_kuchera.jpg
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| − | | aliases = The Kooch
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| − | | occupation = Video game journalist
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| − | | affiliations = [[Ars Technica]], The Penny Arcade Report, [[Polygon]]
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| − | }}
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| − | '''Ben Kuchera''' is a video games journalist whose career has included work at [[Ars Technica]] and The Penny Arcade Report; as of 2014 he writes for video game website [[Polygon]].
| + | = Ben Kuchera = |
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| − | Kuchera was a member of [[GameJournoPros]]<ref>[http://blogjob.com/oneangrygamer/2014/11/gamergate-ben-kuchera-and-the-life-and-nepotism-of-game-journo-pros/ #GAMERGATE: BEN KUCHERA AND THE LIFE AND NEPOTISM OF GAME JOURNO PROS], William Usher, 20th November 2014</ref> and is the center of many instances of shady journalism practices, including the [[Brad Wardell]] incident<ref>[http://www.breitbart.com/Breitbart-London/2014/09/23/How-sloppy-biased-video-games-reporting-almost-destroyed-a-CEO How sloppy, biased video games reporting almost destroyed a CEO], Milo Yiannapoulos, 23rd September 2014</ref> and the [[Zoe Quinn Scandal]].
| + | From GamerGate Wiki |
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| | + | Jump to: [[#mw-navigation|navigation]], [[#p-search|search]] |
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| − | ==Brad Wardell Controversy==
| + | Ben Kuchera |
| − | On September 6, 2012, Kate Cox published an article on [[Kotaku]] about [[Brad Wardell]], the CEO of Stardock.<ref>[https://archive.today/WhgDB PC Gaming Studio Said She Ruined Their Game, But Only After She Sued The Boss For Sexual Harassment]</ref> In it, she published allegations made by Alexandra Miseta, a former employee of Wardell. Miseta claimed that Wardell had sexually harassed her by asking sexually inappropriate questions and touching her hair, among other actions, which led her to file a harassment suit against Wardell. Cox's article further details how in July 2012 Stardock attorneys filed a suit against Miseta, stating that she had "deleted, destroyed, and/or stole" files related to ''Elemental'', a Stardock game. Miseta's attorney is quoted as stating, "It is our opinion that Mr. Wardell's lawsuit against Ms. Miseta for allegedly deleting files, etc., is baseless and was brought solely in retaliation for her sexual harassment lawsuit." Cox supported this position by arguing that certain information from the first suit, Miseta vs. Wardell, "cast doubt on Stardock's recent assertions", and also because eyewitness testimony contradicted Wardell's account of events. This was further implied with the article's name: "PC Gaming Studio Said She Ruined Their Game, But Only After She Sued The Boss For Sexual Harassment". The article was initially published without giving Wardell a chance to respond to his accuser's allegations.
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| − | A few hours after Cox's piece went public, Kuchera proceeded to reblog the article on Penny Arcade, with the subtitle originally reading, "Stardock CEO Brad Wardell sued for sexual harassment, with some damning evidence".<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20130827020524/http://penny-arcade.com/report/article/brad-wardell-of-stardock-sued-for-sexual-harassment-with-some-pretty-damnin Stardock CEO Brad Wardell sued for sexual harassment, with some heavy allegations]</ref> The end of the statement was eventually changed to "heavy allegations" instead of "damning evidence". According to Wardell, Kuchera's actions bolstered the popularity of the [[Kotaku]] article, leading to him receiving death threats.<ref>[http://www.breitbart.com/london/2014/09/23/how-sloppy-biased-video-games-reporting-almost-destroyed-a-ceo/ How sloppy, biased games journalism almost destroyed a CEO]</ref> In regards to the outrage generated by the story, Wardell said, "I received an email from someone who described my house in sufficient detail to concern me and promised to kill me, rape my wife and sodomize my son". Cox and Kuchera's actions set off a chain reaction, where other news media outlets and blogs picked up the story, citing the original Kotaku article and further spreading the allegations.
| + | [[index.php?title=File:Ben_kuchera.jpg|[[File:/images/thumb/5/59/Ben_kuchera.jpg/187px-Ben_kuchera.jpg|187x250px|Ben kuchera.jpg]]]] |
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| − | Months later, in September 2013, Wardell received an apology letter from Miseta, expressing her regret at "having brought a lawsuit against you and your company".<ref>[http://www.littletinyfrogs.com/article/448773/Vindication Vindication]</ref> Miseta's lawsuit from 2010 had been dismissed with prejudice, with her apology being pursuant to the terms of the dismissal. Several sites which had published the story have since updated the story to account for Miseta's case being dismissed, including Cox's [[Kotaku]] article. However, as of December 20, 2014, Ben Kuchera has still not issued an apology to Wardell for claiming that there was "damning evidence" that he had been guilty of sexual harassment.
| + | Aliases The Kooch<br /> |
| | + | Occupation Video game journalist<br /> |
| | + | Affiliations [[index.php?title=Ars_Technica|Ars Technica]], [[index.php?title=The_Penny_Arcade_Report&action=edit&redlink=1|The Penny Arcade Report]], [[index.php?title=Polygon|Polygon]]<br /> |
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| − | ==Erik Kain Incident==
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| − | In January 2013, Erik Kain, a Forbes contributor and respected video games journalist, wrote an article about a "new" game, Nightmare Busters, which was actually a modern re-release of previously unreleased code. In the original form of the article, he pointed out that the original SNES ROM for the game had been leaked to the public, and had been playable through emulation for some time, making the game's then $60 price tag seem like a lesser value.{{cite|site=Forbes|url=http://www.forbes.com/sites/erikkain/2013/01/27/new-super-nintendo-game-nightmare-busters-isnt-exactly-new/|title=New Super Nintendo Game 'Nightmare Busters' Isn't Exactly New - Erik Kain - January 27 2013|aurl=https://archive.today/iAta9}} While piracy is not something a games journalist should be advocating, even [[Ian Miles Cheong]] remarked that the article would not have had much notice if it were not for Ben Kuchera.{{cite|site=Storify|url=https://storify.com/stillgray/kuchera-vs-kain-sex-lies-and-videogames|title=Kuchera vs Kain: What is the nature of a game journalist? - Ian Miles Cheong - January 2013|aurl=https://archive.today/f9rgE}} Kuchera went on to rant on Twitter, first stating that he did not want to give Forbes the traffic for the article, then pointing out Erik Kain's twitter account.{{cite|site=Twitter|url=https://twitter.com/BenKuchera/status/296314198525349891|title=Ben Kuchera on Twitter: "I'm not going to give Forbes the traffic, but laughing at a price point because a game is easy to steal is pathetic."|aurl=http://tweetsave.com/benkuchera/status/296314198525349891}}{{cite|site=Twitter|url=https://twitter.com/BenKuchera/status/296316427349131265|title=Ben Kuchera on Twitter: "The writer who advocated stealing games that you find too expensive is @erikkain, by the way."|aurl=http://tweetsave.com/benkuchera/status/296316427349131265}} From there, the vitriol only continued, with Kuchera stating that he hoped the incident would hurt Erik Kain's career and that Kain's twitter followers were bigots.{{cite|site=Twitter|url=https://twitter.com/BenKuchera/status/296320792441020416|title=Ben Kuchera on Twitter: "@Mement0 At the very least it's going to hurt his career, which is a step in the right direction."|aurl=http://tweetsave.com/benkuchera/status/296320792441020416}}{{cite|site=Twitter|url=https://twitter.com/BenKuchera/status/296446292723376129|title=Ben Kuchera on Twitter: "@erikkain Also, your followers are terrible bigots. Jesus Christ."|aurl=http://tweetsave.com/benkuchera/status/296446292723376129}}
| + | '''Ben Kuchera''' is a video games journalist whose career has included work at [[index.php?title=Ars_Technica|Ars Technica]] and The Penny Arcade Report, as of 2014 he writes for video game website Polygon. |
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| − | Despite this, Kuchera himself had talked about emulation before, as well as bending the law to get free content. (See: [[#General Unprofessional Behavior|General Unprofessional Behavior]])
| + | A member of [[index.php?title=GameJournoPros|GameJournoPros]]<sup>[[#cite_note-1|[1]]]</sup> who is at the center of many instances of shady journalism practices, including the [[index.php?title=Brad_Wardell|Brad Wardell]] incident<sup>[[#cite_note-2|[2]]]</sup> and the [[index.php?title=Zoe_Quinn_Scandal|Zoe Quinn Scandal]]. |
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| − | ==Alleged Conflicts of Interest==
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| − | ===Zoe Quinn===
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| − | On March 19, 2014, Ben Kuchera published an interview with [[Zoe Quinn]] that focused on the harassment she claims to have received from [http://wiki.gamergate.me/index.php/Zoe_Quinn_Scandal#Wizardchan_Counterclaim Wizardchan] and overall portrayed her in a positive light.<ref>[https://archive.today/iuDHi Developer Zoe Quinn offers real-world advice, support for dealing with online harassment]</ref> It was brought to the gaming community’s attention that Ben had been giving Zoe Quinn money via [[Patreon]] since January 6, 2014,<ref>[https://archive.today/kLRaf Ben Kuchera's Patreon]</ref> which proves that he had covered Quinn while providing her regular monetary support, something that was not disclosed in the interview.
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| − | ===Die Gute Fabrik: Sportsfriends===
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| − | Ben Kuchera backed Die Gute Fabrik's 'Sportsfriends' and reported on it in 2014, failing to disclose his support of the game.{{cite|site=Archive of 8ch.net/v/ Thread|url=https://archive.today/bIf6L#selection-12579.0-12579.7|title="KUCHERA IN 2014 talking about Sportsfriends"|aurl=}}<ref>[http://blogjob.com/oneangrygamer/2014/11/gamergate-ben-kuchera-and-the-life-and-nepotism-of-game-journo-pros/#codeword #GamerGate: Ben Kuchera And The Life And Nepotism Of Game Journo Pros]</ref>
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| − | ==Supporting Anti-Consumer Moves== | + | == Brad Wardell Controversy[[[index.php?title=Ben_Kuchera&action=edit§ion=1|edit]]] == |
| − | ===Response to Tomb Raider Console Exclusivity===
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| − | In the wake of fan outrage over Microsoft's announcement that the sequel to Tomb Raider would be an Xbox One exclusive and not multiplatform like the previous one, Kuchera took it upon himself to defend this blatant anti-consumer move, going so far as to tell his audience, "Here's what's hard for gaming fans to do: We need to stop looking at these deals purely through the lens of someone who wants to play the game."<ref>[https://archive.today/ChCD2 Tomb Raider's Xbox exclusivity likely means more sales, higher profits]</ref> The arguments used in the article to justify this practice were highly questionable.<ref>[http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=874007 NeoGAF reaction]</ref>
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| − | ==General Unprofessional Behavior== | + | On September 6, 2012, Kate Cox published an article on [[index.php?title=Kotaku|Kotaku]] about Brad Wardell, the CEO of Stardock.<sup>[[#cite_note-3|[3]]]</sup> In it, she published allegations made by Alexandra Miseta, a former employee of Wardell. Miseta claimed that Wardell had sexually harassed her by asking sexually inappropriate questions and touching her hair, among other actions, which led her to file a harassment suit against Wardell. Cox's article further details how in July 2012 Stardock attorneys filed a suit against Miseta, stating that she had "deleted, destroyed, and/or stole" files related to ''Elemental'', a Stardock game. Miseta's attorney is quoted as stating, "It is our opinion that Mr. Wardell's lawsuit against Ms. Miseta for allegedly deleting files, etc., is baseless and was brought solely in retaliation for her sexual harassment lawsuit." Cox supported this position by arguing that certain information from the first suit, Miseta vs. Wardell, "cast doubt on Stardock's recent assertions", and also because eyewitness testimony contradicted Wardell's account of events. This was further implied with the article's name: "PC Gaming Studio Said She Ruined Their Game, But Only After She Sued The Boss For Sexual Harassment". The article was initially published without giving Wardell a chance to respond to his accuser's allegations. |
| − | *Kuchera admitted to taking work from another source without providing a citation and apologized for it later.<ref>http://www.reddit.com/r/KotakuInAction/comments/2tddm0/ben_kuchera_admits_to_taking_work_from_another/</ref>
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| − | *Kuchera admitted helping put together an [[Ars Technica]] piece about bsnes, now higan, a SNES emulator that aimed to achieve accurate emulation.{{cite|site=Twitter|url=https://twitter.com/BenKuchera/status/296350917173841920|title=Ben Kuchera on Twitter: "On the subject of the Forbes article, this deep dive into SNES emulators was fun to part together"|aurl=http://tweetsave.com/benkuchera/status/296350917173841920}}{{cite|site=Ars Technica|url=https://archive.today/20150124004608/http://arstechnica.com/gaming/2011/08/accuracy-takes-power-one-mans-3ghz-quest-to-build-a-perfect-snes-emulator/|title=Accuracy takes power: one man’s 3GHz quest to build a perfect SNES emulator - Byuu - August 9 2011|aurl=}}
| + | A few hours after Cox's piece went public, Kuchera proceeded to reblog the article on Penny Arcade, with the subtitle originally reading, "Stardock CEO Brad Wardell sued for sexual harassment, with some damning evidence".<sup>[[#cite_note-4|[4]]]</sup> The end of the statement was eventually changed to "heavy allegations" instead of "damning evidence". According to Wardell, Kuchera's actions bolstered the popularity of the Kotaku article, leading to him receiving death threats.<sup>[[#cite_note-5|[5]]]</sup> In regards to the outrage generated by the story, Wardell said, "I received an email from someone who described my house in sufficient detail to concern me and promised to kill me, rape my wife and sodomize my son". Cox and Kuchera's actions set off a chain reaction, where other news media outlets and blogs picked up the story, citing the original Kotaku article and further spreading the allegations. |
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| − | *On August 18 2014, Ben Kuchera posted an article advocating piracy of Star Wars, wherein you could watch an unaltered version of the classic trilogy in HD by using a fan edit compiled of multiple versions.{{cite|site=Polygon|url=https://archive.today/C56jE|title=You can watch an 'unaltered' version of Star Wars in HD today, if you bend the law - Ben Kuchera - August 18 2014|aurl=}}
| + | Years later, in September 2013, Wardell received an apology letter from Miseta, expressing her regret at "having brought a lawsuit against you and your company".<sup>[[#cite_note-6|[6]]]</sup> Miseta's lawsuit from 2010 had been dismissed with prejudice, with her apology being pursuant to the terms of the dismissal. Several sites which had published the story have since updated the story to account for Miseta's case being dismissed, including Cox's Kotaku article. However, as of December 20, 2014, Ben Kuchera has still not issued an apology to Wardell for claiming that there was "damning evidence" that he had been guilty of sexual harassment. |
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| − | *In January 2015, Ben advocated a similar piracy venture for The Hobbit trilogy, in which fans cut down the films into a more concise film that also brought the story more inline with the books.{{cite|site=Polygon|url=https://archive.today/qfpju|title=The first Hobbit trilogy fan edit is here, with a long list of huge improvements - Ben Kuchera - January 20 2015|aurl=}}
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| − | ==GamerGate==
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| − | ===[[GameJournoPros]]=== | + | == Alleged Conflicts of Interest[[[index.php?title=Ben_Kuchera&action=edit§ion=2|edit]]] == |
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| − | In September 2014, [[Milo Yiannopoulos]] of [[Breitbart]] leaked [[GameJournoPros]] to the public, a mailing list comprised of many game journalists across every major gaming site at the time, including Kuchera.{{cite|site=Breitbart|url=http://www.breitbart.com/london/2014/09/17/exposed-the-secret-mailing-list-of-the-gaming-journalism-elite/|title=Exposed: The Secret Mailing List Of The Gaming Journalism Elite - Milo Yiannopoulos - September 17 2014|aurl=https://archive.today/fs69V}} In a thread about the [[Zoe Quinn Scandal]], Kuchera and Kyle Orland of [[Ars Technica]] attempted to pressure Greg Tito, then editor-in-chief of [[The Escapist]], to remove the ongoing discussion thread on The Escapist's forums. Greg Tito defended the users ability to discuss the issue, so long as the users themselves neither harassed nor made threats towards anyone and followed the forums rules.{{cite|site=Yiannopoulos|url=http://yiannopoulos.net/2014/09/19/gamejournopros-zoe-quinn-email-dump/|title=GameJournoPros Zoe Quinn Thread Dump - Milo Yiannopoulos - September 19 2014|aurl=https://archive.today/nktwc}} Upon the leaking of the GameJournoPros leak, Kuchera further sent emails that seemed directly pointed at Greg Tito about the leak, calling it shameful.{{cite|site=Screencapture Image|url=http://s27.postimg.org/esesg7r3n/image.png|title=Image of emails sent by ben@polygon.com|aurl=https://archive.today/PHLoh}}
| + | On March 19, 2014, Ben Kuchera published an interview with [[index.php?title=Zoe_Quinn|Zoe Quinn]] that focused on the harassment she claims to have received from [http://wiki.gamergate.me/index.php/Zoe_Quinn_Scandal#Wizardchan_Counterclaim Wizardchan] and overall portrayed her in a positive light.<sup>[[#cite_note-7|[7]]]</sup> It was brought to the gaming community’s attention that Ben had been giving Zoe Quinn money via [[index.php?title=Patreon|Patreon]] since January 6, 2014,<sup>[[#cite_note-8|[8]]]</sup> which proves that he had covered Quinn while providing her regular monetary support, something that was not disclosed in the interview. |
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| − | In November 2014, Former GameJournoPros member and leaker [[William Usher]] revealed a [[GameJournoPros]] email sent by Kuchera showing that despite claims made that Kuchera had been harassed for talking about ethics, Kuchera admitted privately, at least as of September 7th 2014, that he had "yet to receive a single message from an actual reader about any of this" and that he was "not convinced the people who play games or read our sites care."{{cite|site=Twitter|url=https://twitter.com/WilliamUsherGB/status/532344046669561856|title=William Usher on Twitter: "Kuchera harassed for talking ethics? That's not what he told the #GameJournoPros"|aurl=http://tweetsave.com/williamushergb/status/532344046669561856}}
| + | == References[[[index.php?title=Ben_Kuchera&action=edit§ion=3|edit]]] == |
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| − | [[William Usher]] also released an article in November titled "#GamerGate: Ben Kuchera And The Life And Nepotism Of Game Journo Pros" in which he detailed some of Kuchera's ethical failings as a journalist, including his Sportsfriends conflict of interest, his role in the GameJournoPros, and the harassment of the @GameJournos twitter account.{{cite|site=One Angry Gamer|url=http://blogjob.com/oneangrygamer/2014/11/gamergate-ben-kuchera-and-the-life-and-nepotism-of-game-journo-pros/|title=#GamerGate: Ben Kuchera And The Life And Nepotism Of Game Journo Pros - William Usher - November 20 2014|aurl=https://archive.today/cHQzJ}}
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| − | ===Advocating Block Bots===
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| − | Since [[GamerGate]], Ben Kuchera has advocated the use of a Block Bot, such as [[GGAutoBlocker]] and TheBlockBot. Despite this, while he is not blocked on TheBlockBot, he has been tagged with "Rape Apologist" and "Child Abuse Apologist" for his various comments on forums and social media.{{cite|site=Storify - TheBlockBot|url=https://storify.com/The_Block_Bot/14575846|title=14575846 (@BenKuchera)|aurl=https://archive.today/M25bi#selection-117.0-119.1}}
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| − | ===Threatening Others===
| + | </div> |
| − | ====Chris Mancil====
| + | [[#cite_ref-1|↑]] [http://blogjob.com/oneangrygamer/2014/11/gamergate-ben-kuchera-and-the-life-and-nepotism-of-game-journo-pros/ #GAMERGATE: BEN KUCHERA AND THE LIFE AND NEPOTISM OF GAME JOURNO PROS], William Usher, 20th November 2014</li> |
| − | In March of 2015, Chris Mancil, the Director of Digital Communications at EA, posted a blog post complaining that he lost 2,500 followers on Twitter for retweeting [[Milo Yiannopoulos]] and used one of Ben Kuchera's articles to demonstrate his point.{{cite|site=Vested Interests|url=https://archive.today/i167y|title=How #Gamergate Journalist Milo Cost me 2500 Followers - Chris Mancil - March 14, 2015|aurl=}} In response, Kuchera berated Mancil on Twitter and tagged his employer, Electronic Arts, to further pressure him.{{cite|site=Twitter|url=https://twitter.com/BenKuchera/status/576819446473482240|title=Ben Kuchera on Twitter: "I don't care what happens to that guy."|aurl=http://archive.today/pRdsJ}}{{cite|site=Twitter|url=https://twitter.com/BenKuchera/status/576807984304676864|title=Ben Kuchera on Twitter: "Dear @ChrisMancil and anyone else from @EA..."|aurl=http://archive.today/qxX0J}}{{cite|site=Twitter|url=https://twitter.com/BenKuchera/status/576813412488990720|title=Ben Kuchera on Twitter: "Dear @petermooreEA and @EA:"|aurl=http://archive.today/GkmYL}} As a result, Mancil complied with the demand and removed Kuchera’s articles.{{cite|site=Twitter|url=https://twitter.com/chrismancil/status/576828587744972800|title=Chris Mancil on Twitter: "@BenKuchera I apologize Ben. I was a fan of the article and ideas in it."|aurl=http://archive.today/aqIXo}}This prompted [http://archive.today/feABY Adrian Chmielarz], [http://archive.today/eeu7n Mark Kern], [http://archive.today/XH6Jm Josh Olin], [http://archive.today/CuFYA Ethan Petty], [http://tweetsave.com/orph30/status/576873164040499200 Thomas Geffroyd], and [http://archive.today/AONl5 TotalBiscuit] to criticize Ben Kuchera’s actions. In light of Ben Kuchera's actions, William Usher wrote [http://blogjob.com/oneangrygamer/2015/03/letdevsspeak-takes-off-after-game-journalists-ridicule-devs/ '#LetDevsSpeak Takes Off After Game Journalists Ridicule Devs']
| + | <li><div id="cite_note-2"> |
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| − | ====RedHurricane24====
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| − | On January 1st 2015, {{twitter|redhurricane24|RedHurricane24}} responded to a tweet Kuchera had tagged with #GamerGate, calling Kuchera a propagandist.{{cite|site=Twitter|url=https://twitter.com/RedHurricane24/status/550470126034632705|title=AE Yika #7704 on Twitter: "Just a heads up: if you spew propaganda against GG, you're instantly a propagandist. Hence, nothing you say is interesting."|aurl=http://tweetsave.com/redhurricane24/status/550470126034632705}} After a [https://twitter.com/RedHurricane24/status/550470126034632705 short back and forth], Kuchera began to tag his responses with RedHurricane24's employer, Dick's Sporting Goods (@Dicks), in an effort to get RedHurricane24 reprimanded or fired.{{cite|site=Twitter|url=https://twitter.com/BenKuchera/status/550477565048397824|title=Ben Kuchera on Twitter: "@RedHurricane24 I'm going to call @dicks tomorrow and explain why I'm not shopping there with my family anymore. Have a good night."|aurl=http://tweetsave.com/benkuchera/status/550477565048397824}}{{cite|site=Twitter|url=https://twitter.com/BenKuchera/status/550480425995747328|title=Ben Kuchera on Twitter: "@RedHurricane24 @_thunderspank He's continuing, @Dicks. He thinks you don't value me as a customer."|aurl=http://tweetsave.com/benkuchera/status/550480425995747328}}{{cite|site=Twitter|url=https://twitter.com/BenKuchera/status/550480658087546881|title=Ben Kuchera on Twitter: "@RedHurricane24 @_thunderspank Dear @Dicks, he's continuing this."|aurl=http://tweetsave.com/benkuchera/status/550480658087546881}}{{cite|site=Twitter|url=https://twitter.com/BenKuchera/status/550481317646061569|title=Ben Kuchera on Twitter: "@RedHurricane24 Dear @Dicks, your employee is continuing this."|aurl=http://tweetsave.com/benkuchera/status/550481317646061569}}
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| | + | </div> |
| | + | [[#cite_ref-2|↑]] [http://www.breitbart.com/Breitbart-London/2014/09/23/How-sloppy-biased-video-games-reporting-almost-destroyed-a-CEO How sloppy, biased video games reporting almost destroyed a CEO], Milo Yiannapoulos, 23rd September 2014</li> |
| | + | <li><div id="cite_note-3"> |
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| − | == See Also ==
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| − | [[Polygon]]
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| − | [[GameJournoPros]] | + | </div> |
| | + | [[#cite_ref-3|↑]] [https://archive.today/WhgDB PC Gaming Studio Said She Ruined Their Game, But Only After She Sued The Boss For Sexual Harassment]</li> |
| | + | <li><div id="cite_note-4"> |
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| − | ==References==
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| − | {{reflist}}
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| − | [[Category: Video game journalists]] | + | |
| | + | </div> |
| | + | [[#cite_ref-4|↑]] [https://web.archive.org/web/20130827020524/http://penny-arcade.com/report/article/brad-wardell-of-stardock-sued-for-sexual-harassment-with-some-pretty-damnin Stardock CEO Brad Wardell sued for sexual harassment, with some heavy allegations]</li> |
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| | + | </div> |
| | + | [[#cite_ref-5|↑]] [http://www.breitbart.com/london/2014/09/23/how-sloppy-biased-video-games-reporting-almost-destroyed-a-ceo/ How sloppy, biased games journalism almost destroyed a CEO]</li> |
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| | + | [[#cite_ref-6|↑]] [http://www.littletinyfrogs.com/article/448773/Vindication Vindication]</li> |
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| | + | [[#cite_ref-7|↑]] [https://archive.today/iuDHi Developer Zoe Quinn offers real-world advice, support for dealing with online harassment]</li> |
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[[|]]
Ben Kuchera
From GamerGate Wiki
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Ben Kuchera
[[index.php?title=File:Ben_kuchera.jpg|Ben kuchera.jpg]]
Aliases The Kooch
Occupation Video game journalist
Affiliations Ars Technica, The Penny Arcade Report, Polygon
Ben Kuchera is a video games journalist whose career has included work at Ars Technica and The Penny Arcade Report, as of 2014 he writes for video game website Polygon.
A member of GameJournoPros[1] who is at the center of many instances of shady journalism practices, including the Brad Wardell incident[2] and the Zoe Quinn Scandal.
Brad Wardell Controversy[[[index.php?title=Ben_Kuchera&action=edit§ion=1|edit]]]
On September 6, 2012, Kate Cox published an article on Kotaku about Brad Wardell, the CEO of Stardock.[3] In it, she published allegations made by Alexandra Miseta, a former employee of Wardell. Miseta claimed that Wardell had sexually harassed her by asking sexually inappropriate questions and touching her hair, among other actions, which led her to file a harassment suit against Wardell. Cox's article further details how in July 2012 Stardock attorneys filed a suit against Miseta, stating that she had "deleted, destroyed, and/or stole" files related to Elemental, a Stardock game. Miseta's attorney is quoted as stating, "It is our opinion that Mr. Wardell's lawsuit against Ms. Miseta for allegedly deleting files, etc., is baseless and was brought solely in retaliation for her sexual harassment lawsuit." Cox supported this position by arguing that certain information from the first suit, Miseta vs. Wardell, "cast doubt on Stardock's recent assertions", and also because eyewitness testimony contradicted Wardell's account of events. This was further implied with the article's name: "PC Gaming Studio Said She Ruined Their Game, But Only After She Sued The Boss For Sexual Harassment". The article was initially published without giving Wardell a chance to respond to his accuser's allegations.
A few hours after Cox's piece went public, Kuchera proceeded to reblog the article on Penny Arcade, with the subtitle originally reading, "Stardock CEO Brad Wardell sued for sexual harassment, with some damning evidence".[4] The end of the statement was eventually changed to "heavy allegations" instead of "damning evidence". According to Wardell, Kuchera's actions bolstered the popularity of the Kotaku article, leading to him receiving death threats.[5] In regards to the outrage generated by the story, Wardell said, "I received an email from someone who described my house in sufficient detail to concern me and promised to kill me, rape my wife and sodomize my son". Cox and Kuchera's actions set off a chain reaction, where other news media outlets and blogs picked up the story, citing the original Kotaku article and further spreading the allegations.
Years later, in September 2013, Wardell received an apology letter from Miseta, expressing her regret at "having brought a lawsuit against you and your company".[6] Miseta's lawsuit from 2010 had been dismissed with prejudice, with her apology being pursuant to the terms of the dismissal. Several sites which had published the story have since updated the story to account for Miseta's case being dismissed, including Cox's Kotaku article. However, as of December 20, 2014, Ben Kuchera has still not issued an apology to Wardell for claiming that there was "damning evidence" that he had been guilty of sexual harassment.
Alleged Conflicts of Interest[[[index.php?title=Ben_Kuchera&action=edit§ion=2|edit]]]
On March 19, 2014, Ben Kuchera published an interview with Zoe Quinn that focused on the harassment she claims to have received from Wizardchan and overall portrayed her in a positive light.[7] It was brought to the gaming community’s attention that Ben had been giving Zoe Quinn money via Patreon since January 6, 2014,[8] which proves that he had covered Quinn while providing her regular monetary support, something that was not disclosed in the interview.
References[[[index.php?title=Ben_Kuchera&action=edit§ion=3|edit]]]
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↑ #GAMERGATE: BEN KUCHERA AND THE LIFE AND NEPOTISM OF GAME JOURNO PROS, William Usher, 20th November 2014
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↑ How sloppy, biased video games reporting almost destroyed a CEO, Milo Yiannapoulos, 23rd September 2014
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↑ PC Gaming Studio Said She Ruined Their Game, But Only After She Sued The Boss For Sexual Harassment
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↑ Stardock CEO Brad Wardell sued for sexual harassment, with some heavy allegations
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↑ How sloppy, biased games journalism almost destroyed a CEO
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↑ Vindication
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↑ Developer Zoe Quinn offers real-world advice, support for dealing with online harassment
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↑ Ben Kuchera's Patreon
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