NeoGAF is a widely used forum in the industry of videogames. Users are quick with posts about current news, feverish with their sentiments on long-winded opinion threads and sometimes vicious towards other figures in the industry over design and business decisions. It’s like any other forum, but one with a huge impact on videogame culture right now. Which makes it strange to see that the website has been offline for nearly two days now, as its owner is now facing allegations of sexual harassment.
Tyler “Evilore” Malka is the owner of NeoGAF, and his personality has been detailed pretty well in the past. He’s a vocal supporter of anti-GamerGate movements, has donated to several funds supporting gay marriage rights and is generally seen as one who stands on the left side of liberal movements. He’s also (at least once) attempted to craft NeoGAF as a space for free speech in a sense, but his behaviour lately has had some users suspecting something off. As Kotaku details in their extremely well-researched report, Malka began shutting down conversions around women reporting abuse they might have received, labelling the “#MeToo” movement from last week as a “witch hunt”.
And the events of the weekend might explain that. Or at least, from last Tuesday. On Facebook, film director Ima Leupp described an instance of sexual misconduct involving her former friend Malka. She details a holiday in New Orleans in April 2015, where she and Malka had retreated to their room after a lot of drinking. Feeling ill, Leupp describes how she undressed and got into the shower, only to have Malka do the same and stand behind her, fully naked, in the shower without her consent. She describes how she immediately told him to get out.
“I was throwing up and decided to hop in the shower to feel better. I was surprised when he got into the shower, fully naked behind me. I had a boyfriend at the time and didn’t think I had given him any reason to believe I wanted this. I didn’t cheat.”
Leupp states that Malka was particularly nasty after the incident, creating a rift between the two friends. She would later describe in comments to Kotaku that she and Malka would go on to have a physical relationship despite the event, but eventually fall out later after E3 in 2015. She still recalls the event with some trauma, and used the strength of everyone else sharing their stories last week to speak out.
Malka hasn’t rejected the claims. In fact, he’s not really made a statement at all. In light of the allegations, NeoGAF began to implode. More than a dozen moderators have already left, which Kotaku claims is more than half that were employed at the website already. With the mods out, users were shouting for self-bans into the void, starting numerous fake threads and darkly humorous ones to try and get themselves a boot off the forum. The whole of Saturday was filled with dozens of new threads like this, before the website eventually went dark and has remained as such since.
Malka has promised a statement, but as of yet has not released one. The future of NeoGAF though, the largest videogame forum on the internet, certainly seems in peril. With many of its moderators gone, the website will struggle to get back up and running, and already there seems to be plans in place for a replacement of sorts without the involvement of Malka.
Last Updated: October 23, 2017
konfab
October 23, 2017 at 08:36
The best thing about left wing politics is it guaranteed to eat itself. The only downside is Neogaf’s SJW fanbase are now polluting other gaming forums.
https://media.tenor.com/images/239dffb13b3b6f3679ee32b7f00c6eae/tenor.gif
The Something Awful forums have explicitly stated they don’t want Neogaf’s users .
https://forums.somethingawful.com/announcement.php?forumid=1
BakedBagel
October 23, 2017 at 08:55
for Something Awful to state this specifically just shows how loony these people are. Lmfao
Pieter Kruger
October 23, 2017 at 08:36
https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/54eed34c49cac5df5e99052475f81362b9c6a5db0602704314726eae1a45d42c.jpg
Gavin Mannion
October 23, 2017 at 08:39
oh, I didn’t know they had a relationship after the shower scene… now what he did was wrong and it being called out is all good and well but is she really traumatised if she went out with him afterwards?
Honestly it makes me think there was some chemistry when they were out drinking together and he just got it ALL WRONG.
Scariest thing is I’m worried about posting this as people will jump to the wrong conclusion. So lets repeat the important part for everyone to understand.
What he did was wrong and unacceptable. It is not okay to do what he did. Man did bad thing…
Gavin Mannion
October 23, 2017 at 08:44
damnit I forgot what my main thing was..
I saw a lot of tweets and comments this weekend that this isn’t the first time this guy acted in a reprehensible manner towards women. Apparently in 2012 he grabbed someone’s ass in public but apart from that I can’t find more.
There has to be more for a site the size of Neogaf to implode like this. Or is it more to do with his attempt to shut the controversy down?
Magoo
October 23, 2017 at 08:50
Man did bad thing, yes. But I agree that it was blown out of proportion. I’m more inclined to call it “insensitive” behaviour than sexual harassment. It demeans and takes away from those who have been traumatized by sexual acts.
Gavin Mannion
October 23, 2017 at 08:51
I’m not brave enough to go that far :)… but yes the response makes me feel there is more to this that we aren’t hearing about yet.
Dresden
October 23, 2017 at 08:59
You don’t know what that guy was packing. It may have well been a traumatizing site to behold.
Who are we to judge?
Magoo
October 23, 2017 at 09:12
But in all seriousness let’s call a spade a spade. I know people who have been sexually traumatized and comparing them to someone who then dated the “perpetrator” triggers me.
Dresden
October 23, 2017 at 09:25
I do as well. I was just joking because I find it ridiculous to compare THIS to sexual trauma.
Geoffrey Tim
October 23, 2017 at 08:57
There’s also the relatively recent example of some of the forum trying to cover up one of its former moderator’s being a paedophile.
BakedBagel
October 23, 2017 at 08:59
Yarp, the dude got charged with 64 counts of child porn.
Thats 64 images and video’s that he got caught with.
His excuse was because non of the images depicted sexual acts he was merely trying to suppress his feelings?
Lel?
Original Heretic
October 23, 2017 at 09:04
The mere fact that you have images like that means that you’re supporting whoever gave them to you.
It’s sick.
Skyblue
October 23, 2017 at 09:05
Ridiculous, sounds like he was feeding his deviancy. I use the word for lack of a better one for these reprehensible excuses for human beings.
BakedBagel
October 23, 2017 at 09:10
Yeah. Fucking sicko https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/67f100f11587e2c86f2f86a3122d3adbb085fae73b5dfb762c90c6d5d400795e.jpg
Gavin Mannion
October 23, 2017 at 09:06
oh… well that makes a lot more sense
Chief Inspector Felix
October 23, 2017 at 12:12
Don’t forget, Jason Schreier from Kotaku who must have known about Malka’s sick behaviour. He remained silent because Kotaku got 90% of their “news” from Neogaf.
Deceased
October 25, 2017 at 01:45
My initial reaction was also… “But why have a relationship with him if it scarred you so?”
But then I realized that, the “After the fact” doesn’t really matter in these sort of situations, the focus is, he got into the shower, naked, with her, and that traumatized her…
Other side of the coin though…
Did she close the door before stepping into the shower?
What was the reason for him to get into the shower with her?
Was it maybe just a misunderstanding?
( I’m not defending him, I’m trying to grasp the situation… I don’t know him, I’m not on NeoGAF, I’m just trying to imagine why his life should take such a hard knock if this was potentially just a misunderstanding – I mean, did he force himself on her? )
BakedBagel
October 23, 2017 at 08:54
He’s also (at least once) attempted to craft NeoGAF as a space for free speech in a sense”
The same NeoGAF that banned people for simply dis-agree’ing with group think?
Skittle
October 23, 2017 at 09:24
I have a feeling that this is going to bring GamerGate back in a big way
Admiral Chief
October 23, 2017 at 09:51
Yeah, I suspect most of the most vocal lefties have plenty of skeletons in the closet
Original Heretic
October 23, 2017 at 09:54
They’ve probably got skeletons inside their own skins, the sick bastards.
Admiral Chief
October 23, 2017 at 10:03
AND THE TENDONS!!!! GAAAAAAAAAAAAH
Chief Inspector Felix
October 23, 2017 at 12:11
SJWs always eat their own. Malka was the epitome of a “male feminist ally” and just like many others he has been exposed for being the predator that he is.
Caveshen Rajman
October 23, 2017 at 12:28
IT KEEPS HAPPENING DOT JPG
Nikola
October 23, 2017 at 12:49
Yeah this is a bit of nonsense and I feel like a ‘witch-hunt’ actually, fair enough maybe the guy got the wrong signals from the women that night happens they were both drunk mind you but it does not say he forcefully tried anything or touch her, personally I would not just jump in the shower naked with her BUT I do not think he had any bad intentions or abused her? It goes on to say he created a rift between them well that also happens maybe he was really into her and her rejecting him was hurtful and he could not stay friends. But the last thing is they eventually ended up going out and having a relationship, I don’t think if he sexually abused her or she was traumatized she would ever went out with him.
I really do believe that sexual abuse is a serious thing and not something to be taken lightly but nonsense stories like this where it feels like the other person just want to jump on this whole #metoo wagon to feel a part of the movement is wrong. There are people that have been seriously abused and this at least in my opinion is a bit of nonsense, again I do not condone his actions of jumping naked in a shower with someone but I can see how he could have misread the situation…
Chief Inspector Felix
October 23, 2017 at 13:27
It’s always those male feminists that you have to worry about, girls.
Chief Inspector Felix
October 23, 2017 at 13:28
Boogie made a video https://youtu.be/QaF82axR7Po?t=1m7s