For years, one of the biggest video game forums has been NeoGAF. Gamers from all over the world gathered to talk about all things games, developers looked to the forum to gain an insight into the minds of their consumers, and there was even the occasional leak from various insiders.
The site has a pretty unique reputation, some people love it, some people find it absolutely toxic due to some of the members in the community who can be vicious. However, it appears that just about everyone is turning on the site right now.
Site founder Tyler Malka, who goes by the alias "EviLore", has found himself in hot water after being accused of sexually assaulting a woman. The woman outed the notorious forum owner in a Facebook post where she claimed that Malka was her friend and after a night of partying in her hotel room, she got sick. The accuser then stated that she hopped in the shower alone and Malka attempted to join her, uninvited. She goes on to state that she had a boyfriend at the time and wasn't giving him any signals. After telling him to get out of the shower, he became hostile towards her.
This all comes in the wake of a number of sexual harassment accusations in both Hollywood and the gaming industry. Acclaimed film producer Harvey Weinstein used his power to assault women in a variety of ways, stars like Ben Affleck have now been accused of groping women at industry events, and a former Naughty Dog employee recently stated that he was harassed by a lead at the studio and PlayStation attempted to buy his silence with $20,000. After refusing the money and realizing nothing was going to be done to the predator, the employee was let go by Sony and Naughty Dog.
Over the last month, people have been very vocal about their personal experiences with many celebrities condemning the actions of people like Weinstein and even coming out with their own tragic stories. With that said, members of NeoGAF are taking a stand against Malka who already has a history of sexual harassment/assault, dating back many years. It all began with a few members taking the risk of having their accounts banned to speak up, after being silenced by moderators and EviLore, more and more began to rise against the site.
A majority, if not all, of the moderators for the site have resigned and the rest of the community is strongly voicing their displeasure with the lack of a response from the site's founder. While there is supposedly a statement on the way, users are taking this time to dedicate entire threads to find a new community where sexual assault isn't welcome as well as condemning the owner's actions. One user, in particular, added the word "women" to the site's motto which is "Believe" to support the brave women breaking their silence to call out their tormentors.
This is the best NeoGAF abandon ship post I've seen so far. pic.twitter.com/FaL2Hh9cUV
— Liam Robertson (@Doctor_Cupcakes) October 22, 2017
You can view a few other notable protests against Tyler Malka and NeoGAF below.
NeoGAF is in fucking meltdown mode. Lot of mods quitting. Hopefully that cesspool of subhuman garbage burns down.
— Michelle Catlin (@CatTheUndying) October 21, 2017
Born too late to explore the seas
Born too early to explore the stars
Born just at the right time to see NeoGAF burn to the ground pic.twitter.com/NsJEYQXaK6
— big scare tanner ahh (@TannerLPer) October 21, 2017
I think it's real sad how everyone is suddenly attacking Evilore, the owner of NeoGAF.
Sad because it didn't happen sooner.
— Dawg (@GuerrillaDawg) October 21, 2017
It should go without saying that Tyler Malka's actions are disgusting and should be despised. Harassment of any kind, sexual or not, should not be supported. If you have been affected by any kind of sexual harassment/assault, I stand with you in both silence and your loud, outspoken comments.
We will continue to keep you updated as this story develops.
