We’ve largely refrained from taking any sides or pushing any particular position on the #gamergate saga, because it’s generally been pretty extreme and we didn’t want to repeat any damage done by other media or individuals in getting the wrong message out there. We’ve discussed it here and there from various angles, but we haven’t pushed any agendas. Earlier today Sledgehammer Games added something to the whole misogyny in gaming debate, which is still a pretty hot topic in the industry right now, so clearly the matter of #gamergate, its apparent misrepresentation in mainstream media and its effects on our gaming is still a very serious and very relevant issue. To that end I felt that when I eventually got down to discussing #gamergate, I wanted to do so with as much fairness as possible and without perpetuating any wrongful messaging or contributing to the harm caused to what many say are the original and true intentions of the banner.
In order to do this I reached out to Gaming Anarchist, a YouTuber whom I greatly respect and have a good relationship with (a platonic one I assure you), who happens to be pro-GamerGate, so that I could talk to him about varying issues relating to this saga. My position has largely been that because of how misunderstood and misrepresented #gamergate has been in media, and the sheer hostility that it has created among gamers and their attitude towards said media, perhaps it’s then my responsibility as a writer and lover of gaming to try to work together with gamers, which is what should be happening, in order to get a more positive and better message out there. I mean, surely there is a way that gamers and media can cooperate for the betterment of the industry, right?
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I presented an opportunity to Gaming Anarchist to speak his mind in its entirety regarding #gamergate, and I feel his responses to my open-ended questions may provide great insight into the issue for anyone who doesn’t completely understand it or is upset at how its been represented by media and individuals against it. I genuinely believe that when presented with extremes there must be merit on both sides, and perhaps even a middle ground to be found, so on that note I would also consider speaking to someone against #gamergate, and maybe getting that side of the story as well. For now, however, I encourage you to read what Gaming Anarchist has to say, because it’s imperative that we understand #gamergate, with it being such a big part of our industry right now, and not jump to stand against it or even support it without at least knowing what it truly is and being aware of the issues surrounding it. In that way we can all make a positive contribution, or go about with our lives without caring any further. As long as we’re not destructive, I suppose.
The first question I asked was naturally what exactly #gamergate is, and how it came to be, so that we can have a foundation to work with. Gaming Anarchist responded:
GamerGate is a consumer revolt of individuals within and without the gaming industry that collectively use the hashtag #gamergate, coined by actor Adam Baldwin. It is not caused by any one thing but by a long building feeling of mistrust and alienation between many gamers and developers and some members of the gaming press.
However to summarise briefly the spark that lit the fire was the media’s response to information being made public about indie developer Zoe Quinn’s personal life, alleging that she had had multiple affairs with people including her boss and members of the press, this was written by an ex boyfriend and was titled the Zoe Post. The discussion of this was responded to with heavy censorship of Reddit and 4Chan as well as a video by YouTube creator Mundane Matt on the subject was issued with a DMCA copyright claim in order to quell discussion. It was too late, the Streisand Effect was in full force and this level of censorship was what fuelled the first wave backlash. The exposure of this information as well as evidence of Reddit Moderators cooperating with Zoe to silence people talking about her exposed personal life led to accusations of ethical impropriety and collusion within the press and aspects of the indie development scene. This went unanswered by the publications in question (i.e. Kotaku and Polygon) and by the press at large.
This was followed by some days of heated online arguments and culminated with after Ms Quinn and Fez developer Phil Fish claimed to have been hacked, their personal information exposed and threats received. What followed was more than 10 articles published within 48 hours declaring gamers to be white neck bearded heterosexual sexist dudebros and that the gamer identity was dead. This caused the anger of those who did and did not fit this stereotype for different reasons, straight white men for being stereotyped and insulted and women, LGBT people and those of different ethnicities taking offence on the grounds that they were being marginalised within what they see as an inclusive community. In essence the levels to which it appeared some people in the gaming industry and websites were willing to go to protect the public embarrassment of someone with close links to key industry people and many different accusations of examples of corruption and collusion surrounding the topic was the perfect storm to be the last straw which broke the gamer’s back and led many to demand industry reform.
It is hard to define what GamerGate means to each individual, for myself it is focused on the questions of non-disclosure, nepotism, collusion with competitors and the financial funding of developers by certain journalists. This goes alongside the long standing questions regarding the way some AAA developers heavily attempt to influence critics with financial incentives, insider information and promotional events. There are also members of the press who go out of their way to claim gamers are entitled babies who act like children when they don’t get their way. For others this also encapsulates a push back against a perceived agenda in the industry (see the Assassin’s Creed no female online avatar, the Tomb Raider “rape scene”, the art style of Dragon’s Crown, characterisation of Bayonetta controversies etc).
We know that #gamergate has often been misrepresented in mainstream media, but attempts have been made to clear the air, such as with this down to earth video from American Enterprise Institute.
We also know that the banner hasn’t led to all good things, for a variety of reasons, so naturally my next question was regarding what the banner has done right, and what it has ultimately done wrong.
I feel the #notyourshield hashtag has been a highly useful way for people to show support for the consumer revolt while debunking the idea that women, LGBT people or individuals of ethnicities other than caucasian are not part of the gaming community. There has been over $70,000 raised for a number of charities from supporters of #gamergate, from supporting The Fine Young Capitalists (a project to help women get into the video game industry), suicide prevention and anti bullying to name but a few. In general I also believe that the way that the supporters of #gamergate actively report and if possible track down people sending threats and doxxing is a highly laudable endeavour. In the short term the method of contacting the advertisers of sites that have for example mockingly encouraged the idea of bullying, spoken out against their readership in a way that gamergate supporters see as a vitriolic etc has proven highly effective in ensuring that there are negative consequences for those who had taken great pains to undermine and marginalise them.
The biggest issue I would say is the earnestness of the gamers involved, as they are among the most passionate of the gaming community. They have, in large numbers, taken it upon themselves to discuss/debate/argue with people who speak against those who support the hashtag and that can inadvertently reinforce the image of an angry mob by them doing so. Due to the number and variety of people speaking out on either side as well as the raw emotions involved the debate can become unfocused. I would say that the PR went wrong but when you are revolting against people who have a hand in controlling the media of the industry you were always going to be labelled exactly how those opposing it will choose.
As far as the first paragraph above is concerned I can actually back this up with personal experience. For reasons I never quite found out I was recently doxxed (which means my private contact information such as home address and phone number was publicly exposed on the internet) on Twitter by someone claiming to be acting under the #gamergate banner. Probably because of some controversial opinion I wrote on this website, right? But before I could even notice this let alone report it the account had been removed from existence along with the tweet. Perhaps it was some distant friend of mine out there, but I feel it was more likely someone wanting to protect the integrity of #gamergate and I do appreciate that action was taken, regardless of who instigated it.
I also was not aware of the money and support provided to charity groups from those affiliated with #gamergate, and from that end I can understand possible feelings of frustration from the good folk there who wish that this information was not ignored by media and those against the banner. I think whether you like or care for #gamergate or not, to be against something does not mean to oppose everything related to it, and if you want to be more fair and objective then it is possible to praise and criticise something accordingly. With that said, let’s acknowledge the good.
But despite that good, what part did media and/or gamers ultimately play in harming the #gamergate message, in its original form? Let’s find out, shall we?
As mentioned before I think the earnestness of many of the gamers involved was ultimately unhelpful in having the debate. If someone has been told that #gamergate is a bunch of hateful harassers and they then comment on the hashtag and get a high number of responses almost immediately they will be inclined to agree with the assessment of #gamergate as an angry mob. Many of these debates take place on Twitter where the character limit and the difficulty in deciphering the tone of some messages can inevitably cause some misunderstandings. When it comes to the media I firmly believe that the intention of those within the media involved in this situation has been to destroy the core message of a call for ethical journalistic practices, first with silence, then with dismissal, then with scorn and now with articles and interviews that reinforce the narrative that #gamergate is a harassment group full of sexist monsters.
I then asked my good friend Gaming Anarchist what exactly the current situation is. Where do things stand now, weeks after the fact, with regards to #gamergate and those involved?
Currently we have a situation where two sides are deeply entrenched. Particularly the biggest impasse has come from the publicised threats received by Brianna Wu, Zoe Quinn and Anita Sarkeesian from anonymous accounts. Those involved in #gamergate that I interact with universally condemn these threats and make it a core part of their message, that they support ethics in journalism and are against threats and harassment. It appears, certainly to those who follow the hashtag closely, that these threats are always from anonymous, specially made accounts and rarely use the hashtag #gamergate. Many troll groups such as the GNAA have publicly displayed joy in causing chaos by stirring the pot from both sides. Many who oppose #gamergate claim that these threats come directly from people involved in the movement. Personally I find it hard to believe that a group of thousands of individuals would spontaneously congregate and create a cover story in order to specifically harass and threaten two outspoken small scale indie developers and a popular creator of YouTube videos with a contentious thesis.
Those in support of #gamergate are attempting to focus on what works, e-mailing the advertisers of those publications that offer nothing but scorn upon them (particularly those owned by Gawker media), combating harassment against their opposition where it occurs and asking for balanced reporting of the situation. It does appear that there is a core of people who are dedicating significant portions of their lives to undermine and stop people using the hashtag on the grounds that they feel it is fundamentally a hate movement full of misogynists, racists, extreme right wingers & homophobes. Many people who either have or could come out in favour of the principles of #gamergate have been threatened with professional ruin if they refuse to follow the prevailing media narrative. This includes TotalBiscuit who, whilst recovering from cancer surgery, has taken steps to bring the media to the table and attend interviews to show his support for the ethical concerns about a number of journalists and publications. This is ultimately in a very ugly place and without change things will only continue and the hard feelings get harder.
I would hope that putting this article out there would count as some small contribution into creating that necessary change and leading to more positive messaging. But is this all that can be done? What needs to happen in order for #gamergate to be heard?
What it needs is for impartial journalists to set aside the current narrative and independently research the topic, talk to people on both sides and formulate a balanced opinion. Focusing on the message of “trolls are harassing women, harassment is bad therefore one side is fundamentally stained” can’t work to resolve anything. Anyone who functions online knows that every trending topic or person has the hordes of trolls descend and the merits of any debate can’t be dictated according to their presence.
Wise words spoken there, with regards to not letting the bad apples destroy the contributions of the good or define the whole situation. My fellow friend and writer Caveshen has actually put out an opinion in the past concerning the actions of the bad invalidating that of the good, and why it shouldn’t happen.
Keeping in mind the desire to bring out more positive messaging, I asked Gaming Anarchist what good #gamergate has brought him and the community in general.
I believe that the #gamergate hashtag has succeeded in bringing together members of the gaming community of all backgrounds, ethnicity and genders in pursuit of a common goal. Indeed many that may have previously felt somewhat ostracised by the wider gaming community now feel like they are included and have discovered those of like mind within those that support the #gamergate hashtag. As I mentioned previously the supporters of #gamergate have donated a great deal of money to a wide range of charities and causes, including a project to help women that wish to make video games and work in the gaming industry. Concerning the call for ethics in video game journalism some publications such as The Escapist and Destructoid have updated their policies on ethics and disclosure as a direct result of the requests of those who support the #gamergate hashtag and other publications may follow suit.
As for what the #gamergate hashtag has done for me I would say that it has truly proved to me what a varied and inclusive group of people gamers really are and that they will happily welcome anyone with a love of video games.
If you honestly take a step back and read the words above, can you then legitimately say that #gamergate has brought nothing good? Surely if it has done this for people, then that is an achievement that should be celebrated? I am not saying that it validates all of #gamergate, including all the bad it has brought, but rather that it is deserving of some acknowledgement and admiration. Unity is a noble goal, and if #gamergate has contributed to that among gamers, we should encourage that part of it. It really is as simple as that, if we want to focus on the positives.
As mentioned earlier, however, #gamergate has not been all good. Naturally I then asked Gaming Anarchist whether the criticisms of #gamergate have legitimate grounds, and whether those part of the various anti-GG groups have some valid points to make as well.
I believe the misogynist label given to the vast majority that support the #gamergate hashtag to be a disingenuous assessment. The #gamergate supporters that I have interacted with are more than happy for women to be a part of the gaming industry, it’s media and also the gaming community itself. The dismissal of #gamergate supporters as a group of entitled white neck bearded man-children that don’t want anyone else to play with them has been thoroughly disproved by the #notyourshield hashtag which encompasses gamers from all walks of life. The continuing media narrative of #gamergate as a sexist angry mob has made some anti-GG protesters reluctant to take the concerns of #gamergate about journalistic ethics with any seriousness. However a number of examples of poor journalism ethics that took place before the #gamergate tag was coined can be found, such as the sacking of Jeff Gerstmann from the publication Gamespot after he gave the game Kane and Lynch a poor review and publisher Eidos threatened to pull advertising from Gamespot or Kotaku’s defending of Diablo 3’s always-online requirement while adverts for the game were all over the Kotaku site (a defence they later contradicted almost a year later). These are just some examples of unethical journalistic practices but there are many more.
As I have stated before the assertion that #gamergate supporters have made threats towards certain women involved in the gaming industry are somewhat suspect since the accounts that made the threats are usually specifically created to do so and rarely do threats use the #gamergate hashtag. Also certain groups have admitted to stirring up trouble against individuals on both sides. With that being said I believe that the passionate and earnest desire of #gamergate supporters to be heard has unintentionally given credence to the belief that #gamergate is a harassment group.
Perhaps you may be inclined to believe that there’s a certain degree of bias within someone who feels a strong positive connection to #gamergate, and it wouldn’t be outlandish to think that. But perhaps we can understand why the banner is being defended here, because for Gaming Anarchist as an individual, and for the community he interacts with, it has brought a lot of good. To these people #gamergate is genuinely about the good it has inspired and the original message of it, and not about what it has been negatively branded to be by media and those against it.
My final question to him was whether there was a way for gamers and media to work together to reform the #gamergate banner and get a better message out there.
In order for a better message to be created individuals on both sides would be required to lay aside differences and come together to discuss all the issues concerned with an open mind. Part of this would have to include abandonment of the current media narrative of #gamergate supporters as merely a bunch of white male sexists that are out to harass women and the recognition of actual concerns about video game journalism ethics. As for the supporters of #gamergate they would have to put aside the behaviour of the previous game media and work alongside journalists to create a better media with clear policies on disclosure and the ethical behaviour that will be expected of it’s employees. I believe that these conversations are already beginning to take place in the examples of The Escapist and Destructoid’s updating of ethical policies and the discussion between TotalBiscuit and Kotaku’s editor-in-chief Stephen Totilo. Whether or not the negativity between both sides concerned will continue will depend on the willingness of all parties to establish a meaningful and positive dialogue with a view to creating a video game media that is fit for purpose and represents the concerns of it’s customer base.
Ultimately I am sure most people can agree that a culture of fear and harassment (either real or concocted) is a terrible thing for the industry. It presents gaming in a bad light to the outside world as well as makes many women feel like they are hated by a vocal group gaming community. Either this assertion is true or it is not and can only be proven or debunked if influential members of the media address the real concerns, either through debating how they have been misinterpreted and providing assurances or by apologising and resolve them. If this does not, once the dust settles, end the revolt in time then we can know for sure if it is not about ethics. I, for one, will move on once the issues are openly addressed and we have real change, I have a feeling the overwhelming majority of #gamergate would do likewise.
There’s no doubt that this has been a momentous read for you, and I applaud you if you managed to get through all of it. Granted EGMR is relatively a very small fish in a massive ocean when compared to established publications such as Kotaku or IGN, but I feel our absolute freedom to be ourselves and be gamers first can positively contribute in situations such as these, and we can work together with the community for the betterment of the industry, even if it only helps in some small way or on an individual-level. To that end, whether you agree with everything that has been said by Gaming Anarchist or not, it stands to reason that you can appreciate it and express your opinion towards it honestly and constructively, because if you wish to grow and refrain from extremism, you’ve got to hear all fair sides to a story. This isn’t about squabbling, but about learning.
I would hope that this article has enhanced your understanding of #gamergate and contributed positively to your attitude and mindset regarding the banner. Perhaps in time we can chat to those against it and assess the other side of the story, if possible, but for now I’d strongly encourage reading this through and thinking about it if you are in some way connected to the #gamergate banner, whether that means supporting or opposing it. Let’s move on from here in a positive way, because at the end of the day we’re all gamers and no one can dispute that we collectively want the industry and its community to grow and be the best that it can be.
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