Recently, some male-dominated online communities have been in an uproar, accusing Nexon's game promotional video of including a 'finger-pinching' gesture, which they claim is a symbol of misandry.
Community users started "doxxing" a female animator from the subcontractor 'Studio Ppuri, ' who they alleged drew the scene with the finger gesture. However, it turned out that the scene was drawn by a 40-year-old male, but regardless of the truth, there is a heightened gender conflict among the MZ generation.
The controversy began in a male-dominated community with a post criticizing Nexon's popular game 'MapleStory' promotional video, where the female character Angelic Buster (Enber) is shown making the finger-pinching gesture. This gesture is known to be used in feminist-leaning communities like Megalia to belittle men.
Following user complaints, Nexon made the video private on the 25th and issued an apology.
Kim Chang-seop, the general director of Nexon's MapleStory, also announced in a YouTube broadcast on the 26th that "All videos produced by Studio Ppuri will be made private and undergo a thorough investigation, and the company will take measures based on the investigation results."
As Nexon determined to take a tough stance against Studio Ppuri for the finger gesture, considering it 'misandric, ' the studio faced even greater backlash.
Male community users revealed the name and photo of employee A, believed to have drawn the scene, online and even visited the Ppuri office looking for A. There was also a terror campaign against the company's ratings on Kakao Map.
Ppuri has stated in interviews with the press that they have substantial evidence to refute the misandry conspiracy theory, but have been unable to speak out due to pressure from Nexon, their main client.
The finger gesture controversy has quickly spread online, reigniting heated gender conflicts among the MZ generation.
Some see the controversy as ideological vetting in the gaming industry. Kim, 25, said, "The finger gesture might have occurred in the process of connecting scenes, not subtly inserting a misandric expression. If it was intentional, it's wrong, but condemning the illustrator without hearing their explanation is no different from a witch trial."
Others believe Nexon overly catered to certain community opinions. Park, 25, criticized, "It's an overreaction of a large corporation to a community-driven controversy. Responding to forced complaints might eventually cut off the livelihood of subcontractors."
However, there are opinions that it's wrong to include personal ideologies in work, and Nexon's response was appropriate.
Lee, 26, said, "It's problematic for a subcontractor to include personal ideologies in a joint project with the main contractor. It's no different from what Ilbe did with various photos and logos in the past. Regardless of the gender of the illustrator, including that scene is a problem."
Kim, 24, also commented, "Nexon's quick response improved the company's image. I hope the punishment for misandric expressions becomes stricter."
Meanwhile, there are voices against the spread of extreme opinions from online communities. Gi, 21, said, "It's strange to use the finger-pinching gesture as a symbol of misandry. Extreme gender conflicts from certain SNS and online communities should not spread across our society."
Oh, 26, remarked, "Feminism and gender conflict are natural phenomena in our era and topics that should be discussed together for a better future. But such controversies are merely unproductive arguments. I wonder if it's necessary to be so affected by a single finger gesture."
[Korean reaction]
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It's not a gender issue, it's a matter between a normal person and a psychotic.
ㄴ The one with the delusions of persecution on their index finger is the psychotic, right?
It's heartbreaking to see young people in their 20s and 30s, who should be loving each other, pointing fingers at one another.
Considering how extreme some Korean feminists are with their misandry... I understand, what can we do? It’s what the Korean feminists have created.
But nowadays, people seem to nitpick over everything... Are they really that idle?
ㄴ They nitpick because things are done in such a vile and sinister way.
Such a meaningless and unproductive debate, wasting time. Do they relieve stress this way? Poor generation.
ㄴ This is what happens when the older generation closes its eyes and ears.
**It's important to note that these comments are just a subset of individual reactions to a specific news event and do not represent the overall public opinion. While presenting genuine reactions is crucial, it's equally essential to understand that there might be cultural or societal context differences that could lead to misunderstandings. Hence, a thorough explanation accompanying such comments is advisable. Moreover, to ensure balanced information dissemination, it's recommended to include a diverse range of opinions and not just extreme ones.
