Remember When the Cards Against Humanity Guy Was Accused of Rape?
Max Temkin, one of the creators of the wildly popular indie game Cards Against Humanity, was accused of rape last month. He denied the allegation then, bemoaning how it would "haunt me for the rest of my life." Turns out, it haunted him for about... four weeks.
Today, The New York Times Style section published a nice little puff piece about Temkin and his game with no mention of the accusation. It focuses on Cards' success with young, hip New Yorkers and Temkin's charmingly edgy persona. It does not point out the painfully recent kerfuffle in the gaming community over the alleged sexual assault and Temkin's pat, unapologetic response to the accusation.
For those who missed it the first time: A woman who attended college with Temkin at Goucher accused him of raping her in a Facebook post on July 13. She wrote,
Several people that I went to school with have posted a Baltimore Sun article from 2012 about the success of Cards Against Humanity, a popular indie party game created by a Goucher alum.
That is my rapist.
Having his face pop up on my news feed unexpectedly in any context has the capacity to ruin my day. Seeing him praised in the press is giving me a panic attack.
He should not be held as a good example of the excellence that Goucher grads have, can and will continue to achieve.
Temkin responded with a post on his blog, in which he called the accusation "totally, patently false" and suggested his accuser might be upset because he unceremoniously dumped her in college.
He told his fans he "could use a hug" at an upcoming gaming conference and pointed out that he's the real victim in this scenario:
There is no evidence for this story. I will never have a chance to defend myself. The structure of the modern internet is such that these things never reach resolution and never go away. This is just baseless gossip that will now haunt me for the rest of my life.
Huh. It seems like he's doing just fine.