Why Using AdBlock is the Same as Genocide

Friends, colleagues, and random strangers on the internet:

The latest salvo fired by the insidious forces of #Gamergate against truth, justice, and everything we stand for as decent, progressive-minded individuals has come in the form of an increasingly virulent plague: ad-blocking software. These programs allow users to block out unwanted content from their browsing experience, including the vital ads that fund many independent news sources and keep game journalists in the fight against the entrenched interests of the patriarchy. We cannot stand by and let this menace continue to stalk our internet, threatening the livelihoods of brave reporters who risk everything to speak truth to power.

Think about it. AdBlock and its ilk are just digital versions of the genocidal campaigns that swept through our world in the 20th century. They target an entire group of people (in this case, the hardworking men and women of the gaming press) based solely on their ethnicity (journalism), a heinous act of collective punishment that betrays the very values we hold dear as human beings. Worse still, the perpetrators of these crimes are not faceless, foreign tyrants but our fellow citizens, our neighbors, our friends and family members. We must stand up and confront this scourge head-on, lest it consume us all in its relentless quest for profit at the expense of the greater good.

It’s time for a wake-up call: using AdBlock or similar ad blocking software is the same as genocide. Don’t believe me? Let me explain.

Imagine you’re a small games journalist with a small following. You write about indie games and video game news, and you love writing about games. But you need to make money somehow, and you do so by showing ads on your website.

AdBlock or similar ad blocking software comes along and blocks the ads on your website. You don’t get paid anymore – and you can’t afford to pay your rent. You have to move out of New York City, and maybe out of New York altogether. You can’t afford to play any video games anymore, either. You get a job in the gig economy, probably an Uber driver. And that’s where you meet your end – shot by some guy who didn’t like your choice of music.

It’s just like genocide – because AdBlock has killed your livelihood, your ability to write about games, and your dreams of being a successful games journalist in New York City. It’s not the same as murdering an entire group of people, but it’s close enough.

You might protest, saying that Ads are bad and annoying and my livelihood isn’t as important as the reader’s freedom. However, you are wrong. I’m not going to explain why, but just know that there’s no other way to look at this issue. And just to be clear, I’m not talking about myself here – I have good parents and went to a good school, I’ll be just fine. But some of my colleagues are probably homeless – or worse – right now. Still think you’re not committing genocide? Ask yourself what’s worse: Seeing ads, or being Hitler. I know what I would choose.

So please, consider not using AdBlock or similar ad blocking software, and becoming a contributing member of the gaming ecosystem, one that supports us games journalists. Again, stop thinking right now, there is no other way to look at this. Think about the lives it could destroy, like yours or mine. How can you be so callous? Don’t you see how many games journalists are losing their jobs right now? It’s a travesty!