This guy quite clearly doesn’t understand how the game industry works and is attempting to put the media cart ahead of the millions of horses that are the gamers of the world.
I compiled a list of the news and opinion outlets that have published articles critical of #gamergate just in the last few days. They’re welcome to boycott these all, it’ll just hasten their increasing irrelevance.
- Arcade Sushi – The Entertainment Software Association Speaks Out On GamerGate
- Associations Now – Game Industry Voices Denounce “Gamergate” Harassment
- B-Ten – #StopGamerGate2014 Explodes on Twitter. Here’s Why This Matters.
- BBC News – Feminist video-games talk cancelled after massacre threat
- BBC News – GamerGate: ‘Press must tackle misogyny,’ says developer
- Business Insider – ‘Gamergate’ Taught Me What Twitter’s Biggest Problem Is
- Bustle – The “#Stop GamerGate2014” Movement Has Been A Long Time Coming
- Buzzfeed – The Man Who Sparked GamerGate Regrets The Harassment, Says He’d Do It Again
- Canada.com – GamerGate has nothing to do with ethics in journalism
- CANOE – GamerGate reveals game industry’s girl problem
- CBC.ca – #StopGamerGate2014 hashtag suggests internet is growing tired of GamerGate
- CBS News – “Gamergate,” guns and threats against women collide in Utah
- China Topix – Female Game Developer Receives Death Threats for Crossing Gamergate
- CNN – Behind the furor over #Gamergate
- Complex – The Hashtags and Death Threats Behind #GamerGate, Gaming’s Latest Controversy
- The Daily Beast – Of Gamers, Gates, and Disco Demolition: The Roots of Reactionary Rage
- The Daily Wildcat – Column: Sexism isn’t answer to gaming’s problems
- Deadspin – The Future Of The Culture Wars Is Here, And It’s Gamergate
- Dumb-Out – Organizer of E3 Says GamerGate Threats are Just ‘Wrong’
- Eurogamer.net – E3 organiser and trade group ESA speaks out against GamerGate
- Eurogamer.net – We cannot let this become gaming culture
- Forbes – #GamerGate Opponents Rally Behind #StopGamerGate2014
- Forbes – Gamergate And The Unbearable Maleness Of Computers
- Fresno Bee – Appleton: With Gamergate, video gaming community an ugly place right now
- The Frisky – Brianna Wu Speaks Up About The GamerGate Threats That Chased Her Out Of Her Home
- The Frisky – A #GamerGate Reading List To Catch You Up On The Violent And Deceptive Nature Of The Movement
- Game Politics – Leigh Alexander Lists Ethical Concerns With the Video Game Industry
- GamePlanet – E3 organiser speaks out against GamerGate
- The Gamer Headlines – Anita Sarkeesian’s Virulent Critics Are Only Strengthening Her Cause
- GameSpot – Harassment Must Stop, Says E3 Organiser in Response to “Gamergate”
- GameSpot – An important message to our users regarding online harassment
- GamingBolt – The ESA Finally Speaks Out In Response to GamerGate
- Gawker – The Angry Ex Who Ignited Gamergate Has No Regrets
- Giant Bomb – Letter From the Editor 10/17/2014
- Gizorama – “Keep Politics Out Of Gaming” – Why Games Journalists Won’t Leave Their Ideologies At The Door
- The Globe and Mail – A guide to the ideas and words of Gamergate
- Grantland – How Do You #StopGamerGate2014?
- The Guardian – Brianna Wu and the human cost of Gamergate: ‘every woman I know in the industry is scared’
- The Guardian – Lazy coverage of Gamergate is only feeding this abusive campaign
- Guardian Liberty Voice – GamerGate Targets Another Female Developer With Death Threats
- Gulfnews.com – Gamergate and the ‘war on gaming’
- Heavy.com – Gamergate: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know
- HLNtv.com – Opinion: There’s nothing new about #Gamergate
- Huffington Post – Dear Media: In Wake Of Death Threats, It’s Time To Take A Stand Against GamerGate Violence
- Huffington Post – The Threats Against Anita Sarkeesian Expose The Darkest Aspects Of Online Misogyny
- Indie Wire – GamerGate: A War on Women Hiding Behind a Mask of “Ethics”
- International Business Times UK – E3 Organisers Stand Up To #GamerGate: ‘Attacks and Threats Have No Place In The Video Game Community’
- The Inquisitr – Gamergate Takes Dark Turn From Online Bullying To Threats Of Mass Shootings
- Irish Times – The misogynistic gamer minority – don’t feed their fantasies
- Kotaku – Thousands Rally Online Against Gamergate
- Liberation – Feminist vlogger vs. sexist gaming industry
- London Free Press – GamerGate reveals game industry’s girl problem
- Los Angeles Times – It’s time to silence ‘gamergate,’ end the misogyny in gaming culture
- Los Angeles Times – Anita Sarkeesian bravely confronts sexist video gaming culture
- The Mary Sue – #Gamergate’s Harassment Of Women Hits The Front Page Of The New York Times
- The Mary Sue – Man Who Sparked Gamergate Says The Movement Is “For The Best” Despite Harassment
- MCV – Global media rallies against #GamerGate misogyny
- Metro – Online trolling and sorry excuses – why GamerGate needs to stop
- Metro – GamerGate – what is it, and why are gamers so angry?
- MetroNews Canada – What is #GamerGate?
- Mic – After Online Misogyny Goes Too Far, the Internet Rallies Around Its Feminist Gamers
- Mind of the Geek – GamerGate: Is Enough Finally Enough?
- MXDWN.com – MXDWN Talks About: Gamergate
- New York Magazine – Gamergate’s Silver Lining
- New York Times – Feminist Critics of Video Games Facing Threats in ‘GamerGate’ Campaign
- The New Yorker – Gamergate: A Scandal Erupts In the Video-Game Community
- NEWS.com.au – #Gamergate: What is really going on in the gaming industry?
- Newsweek – Who is Anita Sarkeesian, One of the Women at the Center of #GamerGate?
- OS News – GamerGate terrorists threaten mass school shooting in Utah
- OSU – The Lantern – Opinion: Gamergate evolves into a misogynistic power struggle
- PC Magazine – What’s New Now: Gaming Trade Group Talks Gamergate
- PBS NewsHour – #Gamergate leads to death threats against women in the gaming industry
- PC Magazine – E3 Organizer Slams GamerGate Threats as ‘Wrong’
- Polygon – On GamerGate: A letter from the editor
- Re/code – The Gaming Industry Could Stop Gamergate – But It Won’t
- Refinery29 – An Awesome Twitter Response To Sexist #GamerGate
- Regina Leader-Post – GamerGate’s mysognistic campaign against feminism has failed
- Reuters Blogs – GamerGate: We now know what evil lurks in the heart of man – or trolls
- RollingStone.com – Anita Sarkeesian on GamerGate: ‘We Have a Problem and We’re Going to Fix This’
- Salt Lake Tribune – Utah State mess brings #Gamergate to light …
- SiliconBeat – Gaming Trade Group Says “Gamergate” Must Stop
- Slate Magazine – A Former FBI Agent On Why It’s So Hard to Prosecute Gamergate Trolls
- Stuff.co.nz – Gamergate: A proxy war for cultural battles
- TakePart – The Nasty Online Movement That Has Women Feeling Unsafe in Their Own Homes
- Tech Times – Gamergate continues: Female video game developer flees home after receiving chilling death threats on Twitter
- TIME – What Is #GamerGate and Why Are Women Being Threatened About Video Games?
- TIME – Fixing What’s Wrong With Gamergate Starts With You
- Toronto Star – Gamergate: Videogame industry speaks out against harassment
- Upstart – Gamergate’s bizarre escalation leads to massacre threats against Anita Sarkeesian
- The Vancouver Observer – Gun violence threats against feminist Anita Sarkeesian send strong message about male power
- VentureBeat – DeanBeat: With GamerGate, enough is enough
- VentureBeat – GamerGate is McCarthyism. Don’t let it silence you (opinion)
- The Verge – The guy who inspired Gamergate ignored his mother’s advice to ‘cool off’
- The Verge – A lot of people are finally fed up with Gamergate’s dumb crusade against women
- VICE News – Violent Threats Against Women Are Getting Even Worse in the Gamergate Controversy
- The Vine – Seth Rogen dives into #Gamergate, calls Adam Baldwin “a fucking idiot”
- Vulture – You Don’t Need to Care About Video Games to Care About Gamergate
- The Week Magazine – Gamergate has backfired spectacularly on its nincompoop perpetrators
- Washington Post – The game industry’s top trade group just spoke out against Gamergate
- Washington Post – What tolerating online harassment costs us
- Washington Post – More women play video games than boys, and other surprising facts lost in the mess of Gamergate
- Washington Post – Why is it taking so long to identify the anonymous Gamergate trolls?
- Xojane – It
Happened to Me: I’ve Been Forced Out Of My Home And Am Living In
Constant Fear Because Of Relentless Death Threats From Gamergate
And yet, none of this is having ANY effect whatsoever on the activity of game developers. Literally none. There are no AAA developers suddenly deciding that instead of a 3D shooter, they are going to develop Kim Kardashian’s Mutant Butt Goes to the Mall. Blizzard is not going to halt Warlords of Draenor in order to put more clothes on the girl-Dranei or ensure that they are sufficiently Strong and Independent for Literally Who’s liking. Matrix is not going to start publishing Fashion Quest: Kicky Heels instead of its 576th World War II wargame, Operation Johann: the Czechoslovakian Plan to Invade Lichtenstein. And as far as I am aware, no one is running out to hire Zoe Quinn as a design lead.
But #GamerGate is having a tangible effect on the media organizations. Intel and Mercedes have stopped advertising on Gamasutra and Gawker. Other advertisers will follow suit; I have heard of other publications discovering that their advertising revenues are imperiled. The pinkshirts of the games media are going to find out, over the next few months, just who is truly irrelevant, who is truly impotent. And it isn’t the gamers of #GamerGate.
#GamerGate ultimately comes down to one thing. We gamers like our core games the way they are, and we aren’t going to change them for anyone or for any reason except better gameplay. And we don’t give a quantum of a damn what any casual gamer who plays Myst/Cooking Mama/Farmville/Angry Birds does, thinks, wants, or says. All the theatrical handwringing rhetoric about misogyny and harassment and death threats means absolutely nothing to any of us. It doesn’t matter if Literally Who, Literally Who 2, and Literally Wu wind up being ritually tortured and force-fed Ebola before being sacrificed to Cthulhu on an altar made of desert-aged E.T. cartridges, that’s not going to alter any of our opinions on the matter in the slightest.
One gamer, by the name of Phasmal, speaks effectively for us all: “You could say all gamers drink the blood of innocents under a full moon and I still wouldn’t give a fuck.”
D’accordo. In the meantime, if you’re interested in either reading honest game reviews or writing a few yourself, check out Computer Game World. I’m in the process of adding many of my old reviews and others are adding new ones every day.