Jennifer Hepler Controversy

Jennifer Hepler controversy
http://www.blisteredthumbs.net/2012/02/editorial-entitlement-to-ignorance-in-defense-of-jennifer-hepler

Jim Sterling's response
http://www.destructoid.com/bioware-writer-s-vagina-versus-the-internet-222206.phtml

Reaction to Jennifer's Hepler's comments
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0QLz0CqtMVc&feature=plcp

Summary of objections to Hepler
http://postimage.org/image/y7u6srwbb

     I feel it was overreaction in regards to the statements Jennifer Hepler made in an interview.  Gamers are very passionate about video games (almost to a fault) and will voice loudly their frustrations.  Was it justified to treat Hepler as a punching bag?  No, I can't think of anything she said that would warrant the name calling and threats.  But I do find it odd that someone, who does not video games, would work for a video game company making video games.  I am reminded of working on a film called "Renee" while going through the Film Production Course at Valencia.  My entire film class were essentially interns, working alongside professionals in the film industry.  One of the professionals I worked with said he spent about nineteen months working on the movie "Miami Vice."  I told I thought the movie was pretty good.  He told he didn't know, he never watched it.  He then proceeded to tell me he has never watched a movie he worked on, he wasn't much of a tv or movie person.  I thought this odd.  It is long hours working on a movie; of the three films I worked on, we never worked less than twelve hours a day.  Time was of the essence as well as money.  I remember working seventeen hours one day, as the director did take after take trying to get the right shot - I was exhausted that day.  If I am going to spend a lot of time working on something, I naturally would like to see the fruits of my labor.  But everyone is different.  Was the film any less because this professional didn't really care about it.  No, he did his job and did it well.  As soon as we were done on "Renee" he was off to work on "Transformers: Dark Side of the Moon."  (Working beside him for so long, I know him enough to know he probably didn't watch that either).
     I think most of the animosity directed to Jennifer Hepler is because of her casual stance of video games.  She said she wants to be able to skp through the combat and just experience the dialogue.  To me that is a novel, no longer a "game."  Gamers became incensed when they saw a person, who has a job many gamers would love to have, not have the love of labor to their labor of love.  Gamers think this casual attitude is what is wrong with games and developers today, moreso with Bioware and the overwhelming feeling that their games have slowy gone downhill qualilty wise.  How can someone who doesn't like video games create a worthy product in the process?  But isn't that the case with most companies.  Do all employees love their job, and the product they create?  If a BMW employee doesn't like cars, but works on one aspect of the vehicle's production, be it through manufacturing, design, assembly line, etc. is that vehicle any less because of that?
     Jennifer Hepler's task, if the assebly line analogy can be applied, is to write for the game.  When her work is complete, others take over: programmers, concept artist, voiceover, etc.  If she works at a video game company but doesn't like video games - more power to her.  How many of us has worked at a job we didn't like, for a company we couldn't care less about, for a product we would never use?  For many, especially gamers, it would be a dream to work in the game industry; for others, it is just a paycheck.