Many of us have some knowledge of 'GamerGate.' It has been in the news, and all over the internet and gaming communities. So let me start off by saying this. I personally don't know much about it, and frankly, I don't really care. Does it bring up good points? Sure, from what I can tell, yes, it does. Do both sides have intelligent and important things to say? Of course. That should go without saying. Here is the real issue (And honestly most of what this post will be about). All GamerGate has become is a shouting match between two children convinced that not only are they right, but that the other is stupid, ignorant, and evil.
And there is the problem. Until the threats and name calling subside, nothing will truly get done. I know there are intelligent and well spoken people on both sides of this matter, and that they are not being listened to yet. I know that gamergate has a fair amount to do with 'Gamer Journalism' which I find hilarious because it is, while admittedly not great most of the time, just a small piece of a MUCH bigger problem. Journalism as a whole is sick.
Before I start, let me say that there are indeed good journalists out there, as well as commentators and reviewers that are all fantastic. The problem is that Journalism in general is no longer about reporting information or truly sharing one's thoughts on a particular thing. It is about money. What will get us the most views/clicks/site visits/comments and so forth. You will not see the calm, level headed, intelligent people involved in gamergate on the news, for either side. You will see the loud, annoying, and highly controversial people from both sides having a shouting match. And ultimately, this accomplishes nothing. Even when a person who is rational and intelligent speaks up, the focus is not what they said, but on people's irrational reactions to it. For example, Felicia Day, a well know person in the gaming culture, spoke her piece regarding gamergate. What did all the journalism sites report on? Her thoughts? Her opinions? Her logic? No, of course not. They focused on the harassment she received. The reason for this was obvious. They wanted attention to their site. They didn't care what Felicia Day had to say. They cared that someone threatened her and harassed her. This is a problem. And both sides do it! This is not something that just conservatives or liberals do. Every group is guilty of this. Sometimes they get lucky and find someone who is both making good, and rational, arguments while also meeting their need for entertainment. However, this is rare and often their views and ideas are pushed aside in order to make room for more entertainment. And yes, I know things have been like this for a while, but that doesn't make it alright. I think it is ridiculous how much attention this is getting and what the attention is doing to the situation.
Anyway, that's enough about the media. I do have a few other things I would like to comment on however. Next up is how this whole thing "started." I put that in quotes because frankly this discussion has been going on in the gaming industry for years, and great strides have been made in recent years by several (Not anywhere near all) gaming companies. But anyway, this whole thing supposedly started with Zoe Quinn and her game, Depression Quest. Before anything else, let me say, I have not played this game, nor do I care to, but if it helps people with depression deal with things (As I believe was its goal) then good for it. The problem was that she released it right after the death of Robin Williams. I am aware that she set up the game to be free and a pay what you want style with all proceeds being donated to Suicide prevention groups, which is great, but she still received backlash and aggression from the community saying it was ill-timed and that she was capitalizing on the death of a beloved actor. To which I say... Duh. Had she put off the release a bit, maybe this wouldn't be an issue, but she chose to release it then, and she should have been aware of the consequences that may come with that. People were emotional and hurt by the passing of Mr. Williams, so they reacted like emotionally hurt and shocked people do. They latched on to something and let it become an outlet for their feelings, which in this case led to anger. The fact that this was a surprise to anyone is just plain silly in my opinion. People get upset and say and do mean and hurtful things. We are all guilty of it at some point.
Another issue that led to gamergate was when Zoe Quinn's boyfriend wrote a blog post saying she had cheated on him with a gaming journalist. The boyfriend claimed he gave her good reviews because of it. Now, let me say that again, a boyfriend who believed he had been cheated on tried to make his ex and the guy she had an affair with look bad. Why is this a surprise? I can't count the number of women who go on the internet to make their boyfriends look bad when they think they have done something wrong. This goes both ways all the time. Guys and girls do it to stupid levels making wild claims and accusations. Why did this one suddenly get attention? Is there really any reason this should get more attention than any other rant from an obviously angry ex? Not that I can think of.
And there is where problem number 3 arises. This became a big deal because of the gender of the players involved. A woman claiming their boyfriend cheated on them to get something is not only seen as normal, but borderline heroic, but a guy doing that to his ex-girlfriend? He is clearly a misogynist. This is where the idea of the 'Social Justice Warrior' comes in. And no, I am not saying everyone in support of this is the typical 'SJW,' but often the most vocal fit this profile extremely well. These are the people that rush to the defense of the downtrodden, as long as they are not of a certain gender,race,political, or sexual preference. And how do they rush to help, do they offer consolation and uplifting assistance? Nope. They target the 'attacker' and seek to destroy them with claims of misogyny, racism, sexism and all the other favorites they have. This is where the toddler mentality comes in. They don't argue or make points. They use personal attacks to avoid questions in an attempt to get their target angry enough to say something foolish and then use that against them. It really is childish, and both sides do it. It is the people that wake up and look for something new to be outraged over, and I can't stand it. Some people, like Larry Correia, can be both angry and eloquent, making good arguments while still showing that he is upset by something, but most people I have seen simply switch to attacking people personally because they either can't, or feel they shouldn't have to, form a decent argument.
Anyway, my final thoughts are this: Once 'GamerGate' stops being a thing, then we will see the intelligent people start to show up again and changes that need to be made will be within the gaming industry. And some kind of compromise will be reached. And this will all fade and be forgotten just like 'Occupy Wall street' and a dozen other supposed world changing movements that had little to no effect on daily life. So, until then, if you want to talk about gamergate get yourself a nice thick skin, because personal attacks are coming, regardless of which side you choose.
As a side note, no, I don't think this blog post will get any attention, and I don't care. I wrote it because I felt it needed to be written. And if you really want to know where I stand (Or would stand if I really cared enough to get involved) on the issues in GamerGate, just look at my other blog posts. That should give you a clue. Finally, let me say this, To the news media, and all of those who are deeply angry and just want to yell and scream at the people on the opposing side and tell them how stupid they are, go sit down in the corner and let the adults handle the issues going on in the video game industry. When you calm down and grow up some, then you can join in. I for one, am just going to let what happens happen. Feel free to comment if you agree/disagree. Hope all is well for you. God bless.
