I've already given my opinion on the treatment of people
(aka – fellow human beings) in the gaming industry when people don’t like them
or disagree with their views. But recent events involving threats of violence
against people in the gaming industry and have made them even scary places. It’s
gotten to the point that I’ve considered taking a break from social media and
just hiding away in my own personal gaming world until it all blew over, but to
do so would be cowardly and wouldn't actually help the situation. So…here we
go.
If you've been following the timeline of what is now being
called “GamerGate” from Zoe Quinn to Anita Sarkeesian to dozens of other
lesser-known journalists, developers, and personalities in the video game
industry, you've undoubtedly noticed a huge chasm form between many gamers.
There are the GamerGaters, people who believe what they are doing is right and
fixes the industry by purging it of those who have conflicts of interests (COI)
and use shady practices to get ahead, and those who believe that the targeting
and harassment done by GamerGaters is excessive, often
illegal, and is founded on white male privilege that is so prevalent in the
industry.
I've looked into both sides since things got ugly with rape
and death threats, and I've noticed a rapid shift in tone from those who
identify as part of the GamerGate movement. While there were (and are still)
those who threaten “toxic” journalists and developers with sexual and physical
violence, there are many people a part of the GamerGate movement who are trying
to expose those with COIs and have them removed from the industry through more
civil means. I’m in no way defending the movement – I personally believe this
is just a more subtle version of coercion – but it’s worth noting that there
are people who still believe they’re doing the industry a favor by ridding it
of these “cancerous” individuals.
But let’s be honest with ourselves as gamers for a moment.
What is this actually solving in the video game industry? Sure there are
big(ger) fish that are targeted like Zoe Quinn and Anita Sarkeesian who may or
may not have hidden agendas when they write and create; that’s not for me to
judge. But lately I've seen a lot of GamerGaters go after mainly small-time
journalists, and, here’s the kicker, the overwhelming majority of them are
women.
Perhaps women are just more likely to have COIs and use
shady practices to get ahead in the industry, and if you believe that I have
some nice ocean-front property in Arizona you might be interested in.
Regardless, while some people in the GamerGate movement are using civil
coercion to force people to quit or their companies to fire them, there are
still a large number of people who use threats of violence to scare them and
show them that they “mean business”.
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| The fact that this has to be reinforced is not a good sign. |
Now I know that these people don’t necessarily represent the
GamerGate movement as a whole, just like any subset of a movement or group doesn't
really define the whole at its core, but it begs the question, where should
people really be targeting their efforts to cleanse the world of video games of
wrongdoers and those of little to no scruples? Perhaps the bigger problem with
the gaming industry and community at large is this belief that if somebody is
seen as a threat to our beloved hobby, then threatening them with rape and
violence, DOXXing and SWATting them, and overall abusing them is justified. Maybe
those who see themselves as white knights for the gaming industry need to clean
up their own back yard before complaining about the state of the neighborhood.
It could be the way I was raised, but I see a much bigger
problem with fellow humans being forced from their homes because of fear of
bodily harm than I see with them writing a review for a game that their friend
helped create. COIs, sexual favors, and whatever else people have been accused
of doing to gain a foothold in the industry is no excuse for calling their
parents with threats and making them feel like their life is in danger. It’s people
like that that continue to rot away at the image of gamers and the industry.
I think those in the GamerGate movement need to stop just
encouraging people to use more civil tactics and instead target those who
continue to threaten people to get their way, because it’s those people who are
the more prevalent threat to the industry. They’re the reason why I almost hid
away from the industry and community that I loved so much, but they’re also the
reason why I decided that I shouldn't just sit back and watch the hobby I love
become identified as a bunch of misogynistic loudmouths who prefer scare
tactics to being a decent human being.
