If You Identify As GamerGate, I’m Going To Assume You Don’t Care About Games, Just Other People’s Sex Lives

I am so done with GamerGate1.

I mean, I thought we were done with this already, that GamerGate’s motivations were blindingly obvious, but apparently not.

So let me be clear:  I am done humoring, respecting, or even listening to people who identify themselves as GamerGate. To the point that really, if you even try to argue it with me, be warned that you will hear something to this effect (originally prompted by this significantly more profane-ridden on my part exchange on Facebook):

I’m not white-knighting Zoe Quinn. I don’t know her. What I do know is the massive amount of lashing out, doxxing, harassment, and worse against women (some of whom I do know personally) in “gaming” of all sorts in the name of GamerGate.

Theoretically, GamerGate claims it’s about “ethics in game journalism”. Except their idea of “ethics” keeps coming back to slut-shaming one indie game dev and her sex life.

They also willingly insult, harass, slut-shame, or otherwise mess with the lives of other women – but what that has to do with “ethics in game journalism” is completely beyond me.

So let’s make this clear:

GamerGate is about harassing women – especially women who have teh sex – wrapped up in a bullshit righteous flag of faux “ethics”.

Look, there are so many other targets that would actually deserve their ire.

What about Kickstarter devs who have yet to fulfill on their pledges? Are they targets of GamerGate? Um…. no.

What about “early access” and “greenlit” games littering up Steam that suddenly stop development once they’ve started getting money? Are they targets of GamerGate? Um… no.

What about AAA titles (Planetside 2, Fallout: NV, Skyrim, Assassin’s Creed: Unity, Arkham Knight) that were unplayable on at least one major platform on launch day?  A third of 2014’s AAA titles required – REQUIRED – a Day One patch2 to be playable.

If GamerGate – or hell, anyone who has ever sympathized with them – actually wanted to give a damn about ethics in game journalism, then why is the US$200,000,000 marketing budget for CoD:MW2 (that’s four times the cost to develop the game) totally unremarked upon? Advertising money like that really makes one hesitant to pan the product.

The fact that AAA games still get negative articles written about them says a lot of good things about ethics in game journalism.

But apparently one indie game dev sleeping with a guy – who only wrote about her once, before they had a relationship – is so much more important.

This, my friends, is a case where their reaction to one bit of information tells you everything about them. GamerGate is a bunch of slut-shaming mysogynistic assholes who somehow think they’re fooling anyone.

Because, as a gamer, I care about AAA titles fucking over devs with insane production schedules and shitty pay (and spending so much more on marketing). I care about AAA titles shipping half-finished products and Day One patches. I care about glowing reviews on websites where they accept advertising money for the games they review.

So if you actually give a damn about game development, then maybe you should care about those issues instead of someone else’s sex life. Hell, start your own Consumer Reports of gaming.

Maybe you’ll surprise me.

I’m not going to hold my breath.

1This is all prompted by Zoe Quinn’s recent post, which is kind of heartbreaking.
2The snark in me wants to point out this is via Kotaku, which is a Gawker site. Apparently GamerGate thinks that this article wouldn’t have happened if the devs just slept with the journalists?

6 thoughts on “If You Identify As GamerGate, I’m Going To Assume You Don’t Care About Games, Just Other People’s Sex Lives

  1. GamerGate isn't about AAA games. It is a consumer revolt against bad journalism, specifically bad games journalism. What you're asking for sounds more like a job for the PC Master Race crowd.
    Besides most of the people targeted by GamerGate are male, and none of them are targeted because of their sex, so I don't get where you get that idea from https://deepfreeze.it/journo.php.
    No wait, I actually do know, you got the idea from the very same journalists GamerGate is fighting against.

  2. since you identify as anti-gamergate, i KNOW you don't give a rat's ass about games

    what you really care about is looking good to other people and the right social circles

  3. I love that the guy above is shitting on your lack of concern about games when you offered to give me a computer just so we could play games, Steve. I must be that social circle you are trying so hard to get in with.

  4. Anti looks out for his clique, and they literally shill for him in light of valid criticism.

    Sounds about right.

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