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Racist Gamers
"Now, you’re probably thinking, why don’t I just quit playing games? But after dealing with these people for almost three years now, I’ve gotten used to it."
By Bill Lewis
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 Youth Radio's Bill Lewis discusses a time when he encountered a group called the "Nazi Squad" in an online gaming expedition, and explains why racist gamers like them can't keep him from playing his beloved online games. (March 4 on KCBS)
I play video games with people from around the world. It’s like a gamer’s chatroom where we can actually hear and talk to one another.
I’ve become used to trash talk between players over the years, but one night the talk got personal. After a few rounds one of my teammates said, “Let’s play like Black people,” The rest of my team started shouting things like, “Let’s get ‘em baby” and “Fo shizzle.”
My friends have even encountered entire racist groups online. There are amateur teams who have swastikas as their team emblem, and call themselves “The Nazi Squad.”
Now, you’re probably thinking, why don’t I just quit playing games? But after dealing with these people for almost three years now, I’ve gotten used to it. I could perpetuate this vicious cycle, with my own two cents, but I prefer silence. I ignore people’s insults and that way I don’t fuel further racist comments.
And besides, after a few games of the legendary Halo 2 or Gears Of War, how could you ever be deterred from gaming?
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