This is an editorial piece. The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views and opinions of, and should not be attributed to, Niche Gamer as an organization.

We published an interview with Xbro a few days ago, which seems to have caught the attention of a lot of people, especially some outspoken folks in the gaming industry. One such person was Sela Davis, an employee of Microsoft’s Xbox Live division and the treasurer of the IGDA in Seattle. She wrote a very lengthy response to Xbro, publicly, and we decided to reach out to him for a response.

For the sake of brevity, Xbros’ opinion is being presented as an op-ed, which we’ve printed below for your reading pleasure:

I don’t think this whole thing [Editor’s note: Sela Davis’ post] warrants a special “response” of any kind. However, I’ve read Miss’s Davis statements and they deserve some clarifications. As a note, though, I stand by all my previously made statements, and I will re-iterate them and make a couple of observations as well:

I don’t speak for the company as a whole. I always mentioned this, and I will repeat it because some people just don’t seem to understand.

I do, however, speak in the name of my colleagues when I stated that 95% of them support GG or core aspects of GG. That will not change. Ever. Deal with it.

Now to address her statements: first of all, I wholeheartedly respect her right to an opinion about me and my colleagues. And no, we do not work in the same studio/department, but our projects’ paths have crossed before.

Regarding this line: “What would happen if these people—or worse, somebody I work with—decided to come after me next?”

This is the kind of victimizing I can’t stand. It speaks greatly about her misinformation and/or the ulterior motives she might have. While I respect her professionally, I cannot stress enough how absurd the notion that someone from MS would “come after her next” is.

If she actually believes that, then I wonder how she will react once she finds out that, as I said before, most of my colleagues and head of studio are pro-GG, not to mention a very important higher-up in IEB [Interactive Entertainment Business]. By her logic, she should be terrified and shaking in her boots.

Also, she doesn’t seem to know how many studios are actually in IEB/MS and what the general feeling about Gamergate is within them. A quick look over our yammer will quickly reveal a bunch of MS employees that stand against corruption in the media and oppose censorship and harassment of developers. I’ve even seen the #GamerGate tag every now and then on several posts. Not to mention that I am hardly the only one to have come out (anonymous or not) as pro-GG. You’ve probably heard about the senior dev at MS with over six projects shipped? Or the guy working on Cortana? There are many others out there that are in the “dreaded” blocklist, for example, but don’t have any signs of employment in their personal details pages/sections.

Miss Davis, I believe it’s time to act professionally and stop this pathetic fear-mongering propaganda that, all of a sudden, women have become big targets. Welcome to the internet. Everyone is a target when you have an opinion. And in 99.98% of the cases, that means trolls will say mean things about you, or curse at you, or make you feel bad. This has been going on for over a decade now, and it’s not going to change soon.

If people want to turn internet victimhood into a profitable circus show and career, so be it, but I will not let them attack the people which I go to work in the morning for. And by my side stand my friends, family and colleagues, and I will not be afraid to be their voice.

Lastly, regarding: “I am a woman in games. And, on behalf of myself, and nobody else: I do not, and never will, support Gamergate.”

That, my dear colleague, is an oxymoron. But that’s just my opinion.

PS: A colleague of mine, one of the few that knows my identity (I’ll call her Xgirl), wanted me to send Miss Davis this message:

“Hi! If you believe you are in any danger that relates to your work or your position at Microsoft IEB Xbox, contact your HR department via internal hrweb or by phone as soon as possible; they take our safety and security very seriously and will open an investigation and even collaborate with competent authorities if you have reasons to believe that you are in danger at any time on Microsoft property.”