The Xplay Factor

On June 26th, 2015, The United States Supreme Court ruled on Obergefell V. Hodges, a controversial case about a baker refusing to bake a cake for a gay couple. In a 5-4 ruling, they ruled in favour of the couple, striking down marriage bans throughout The US and making gay marriage official nationwide. Celebrations commenced, with celebrities like George Takei and Ian McKellen, both gay themselves, posting their thoughts on Twitter. It was also a pivotal moment in the fight against homophobia, demonstrating that if the world’s biggest superpower saw gay marriage as an inalienable right, then anything was possible.

And then there was 25 year-old me typing out the worst Tweet I could’ve written...

In hindsight, I understand the reasoning for my Tweet. The celebrations were pouring in, and in my mind it was draining. I was also still shedding my edge-lord libertarianism, a process I began in university and wouldn’t complete until after Donald Trump was elected president. In my mind, the celebrating was tedious. Nevertheless, while I nearly bombed my credibility by saying I was “tired of all these pro-LGBT Tweets”, I realize now that it was a bad move on my part.

I mention this for two reasons: firstly, I’m fallible and not above reproach. I’ve made many mistakes in the past, said Tweet being one of them. And secondly, I want to pay forward the lessons I’ve learned. Because that Tweet, which I can’t find anymore, was a teaching moment, one I remember even now. All of this is leading to what I want to actually discuss: Xplay.

Xplay was a show on the now-defunct TechTV/G4TV network. Hosted by Adam Sessler and Morgan Webb, the show reviewed newly-released video games in a tongue-and-cheek manner. I was late to the scene, having discovered Xplay in 2008, but I remember meshing with their sense of humour; after all, anything remotely video game-related was an instant sell. Even once I moved on from video games, I had fond memories of the show and, subsequently, the channel.

Unfortunately, time hasn’t been kind to the show’s humour. When a recent clip from an episode on Baiten Kaitos Origins resurfaced, Sessler wrote some…less-than-pleasant Tweets. He not only refused to apologize for the review’s racism, he openly-criticized those calling it out. When pressed further, he doubled-down. Essentially, he didn’t take it well.

I should mention that I have immense respect for Sessler. I appreciated his now-defunct response to the late-Roger Ebert’s claim that video games weren’t art, and I liked how he was an advocate for journalistic integrity during GamerGate. Sessler’s an intelligent man. And this makes his recent statements much more troubling. Because he should know better.

Let’s get the obvious out of the way first. For one, this is old material. Sessler isn’t the man he was in 2006, no one is. I know that I was drastically different 17 years ago, as evidenced by my Facebook Feed. Considering how embarrassing it is to reread my posts, I get not wanting to be reminded of your past thoughts.

Moving on, Sessler, judging by his Twitter Feed, is a busy man. He’s recently been on a reading binge, and he still does some gaming coverage. Being reminded of a show he did nearly two decades ago, one he might not have parted on good terms with, could be a sore spot. It doesn’t help that the internet can be ruthless with past failings and mistakes. Ergo, I get wanting to “move forward”.

And finally, it’s weird mentioning this review now. It was offensive? So was a lot of stuff in 2006. Gay marriage was still taboo in The US, and marijuana consumption was frowned upon. People’s attitudes toward Muslim countries like Iraq and Afghanistan were largely shaped by 9/11, which was only five years out at that point. Even popular media was making jokes that were “insensitive”, as evidenced by South Park. Given that Sessler’s review was thrown back in his face, I can see him getting defensive.

That said, my sympathies only extend so far. So it’s an old review that’s “bad”? Plenty of old content is “bad”. So Sessler’s busy? He can still admit that he made a mistake, it takes all of a minute. So this wasn’t an anomaly? So what?

We don’t fully-appreciate how little people’s sensibilities change. Sure, they do change, but not as drastically as you’d think. Remember, Warner Bros. and Disney made plenty of shorts and films that were in bad taste even then. Rereleases of Fantasia and several Looney Tunes shorts wouldn’t have been edited to remove bigoted material otherwise. Even now, said shorts and movies have disclaimers on Disney+ and HBO Max. Human nature doesn’t evolve that quickly.

While Sessler might have reasons to act like this doesn’t warrant an apology, they’re not good reasons. Ignoring the timing, he had the perfect opportunity to acknowledge that he messed up. That’d not only help reverse the harm, it’d earn him respect from many people. Sessler fancies himself a role model, and role models should lead by example. He’s not doing that.

This isn’t made better by Sessler’s defenders saying “it’s supposed to be offensive” to excuse his behaviour. Being offensive on purpose isn’t a good excuse. Especially when that offence is done out of mean-spiritedness, instead of making light of something in order to improve it. Like with South Park, it’s bullying. Basically, punch up, not down. Xplay’s review, which leaned into “Japanese developers are lazy hacks”, is the latter.

Let’s zone-in on that: Japan’s not one, singular voice. Japanese society isn’t monolithic, and it contains a wide variety of individuals with varying outlooks. Some of these are toxic, but many aren’t. And shaming Japan collectively because of a petty grudge does no one favours. If anything, it’s racist.

Yes, I said the “r” word. Am I wrong?

You know what doesn’t help? That Sessler dragged his critics. Is it true that some were unfairly critical? It’s the internet, so probably? But that doesn’t mean all of them were. Like with Japan, the internet isn’t monolithic. Some of his critics might’ve been picking a fight, but many were genuinely hurt by his review and lack of an apology. By him lumping everyone together as “insipid” (his words), Sessler comes across as the villain here.

Compounding everything is him comparing genuine critics of his behaviour to “MAGA idiots”. I get that MAGA’s a buzzword that’s done a lot of damage, I really do. But that doesn’t excuse petty behaviour. It’s why many Bernie-bros are so openly-reviled by the public, and it’s why Sessler’s response is troubling. Especially since he’s better than this.

I’d now like to appeal to Adam Sessler directly: I get it. You don’t like being reminded of your blunders, especially post-facto. I routinely cringe at my past behaviour and rhetoric! But I acknowledge and take accountability for it, and I think that makes me a better person. So while you might not want to, an honest, sincere apology is warranted.

Alternatively, you can ignore accountability and face the consequences. It’s your choice!