Here’s a simple fact: GamerGate is anything but a stab at unethical games journalism. It is essentially, incredibly hard to define as the movement itself is headless and has no clear direction and too many opinions. Whatever your side may be, it’s a rather ugly affair. And at BlizzCon over the weekend, that bad attitude was called out.
During the opening ceremony for BlizzCon 2014, Blizzard president and co-founder Mike Morhaime cut to the chase and asked attendees to “take a stand” against the current attitude of harassment in the industry, without mentioning GamerGate by name. “Over the past couple of months, there’s been a small group of people who have been doing really awful things,” Morhaime said.
They have been making some people’s lives miserable, and they are tarnishing our reputation as gamers. It’s not right. Let’s carry the good vibes from this weekend out into the world all year round. There is another person on the other end of the chat screen. They’re our friends. Our brothers and sisters. Our sons and daughters. Let’s take a stand to reject hate and harassment. And let’s redouble our efforts to be kind and respectful for one another, and let’s remind the world what the game community is really all about.
I’m pretty much sick of the whole movement by now, as are most people. It’s a ridiculous amount of hate, towards video games and opinions surrounding the treatment of women in video games. It’s utterly ridiculous, and while the idea of focusing on unethical games journalism is sound, it’s sadly being used to disguise a hate campaign.
And I despise it. Want to ask us about ethics in game journalism? Fine, go for it. I’m easy enough to reach on social media channels. But don’t try to harass other people with an opinion contrary to your own. I’m all for community, I love engaging with people over games. But I just can’t wrap my head around how so much hate can be generated from this just because someone sees things differently than you do.
I just want to enjoy my games, and if that means addressing and building them in a way so that more people can have a blast playing them moving on, then hell yes. Let’s do that. Let’s get along. That’s what gaming is all about.
Last Updated: November 10, 2014
Cadis Etrama Di Umar
November 10, 2014 at 14:14
Yup to everything said in both the video and article….Positive vibes…Lets, be friends, okay? *hugs*
http://29.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lw7r7vRUGN1qii6tmo1_500.gif
Ceyber, Hans
November 10, 2014 at 14:22
OMG BFFzz like 4EVAzz!!
Well-said LG. I’ll admit I joined the wagon on first hearing all the scandals, as gaming is a passionate hobby of mine and that initial disappointment was (honestly) strictly about integrity. This charade is nothing but a hate campaign by small-minded deviants.
Alien Emperor Trevor
November 10, 2014 at 14:23
No. I HATE you! *run out of room & slam door*
RinceThis
November 10, 2014 at 14:26
Good riddance!
Alien Emperor Trevor
November 10, 2014 at 14:27
I HATE you too!
RinceThis
November 10, 2014 at 14:32
I only heard a muffle, you didn’t open the door!
Alien Emperor Trevor
November 10, 2014 at 14:34
I HATE the door!
RinceThis
November 10, 2014 at 14:26
“Get over here?” Tehehe
Alien Emperor Trevor
November 10, 2014 at 14:22
If anything this has shown everybody how much crap certain people have to put up with, and how divorced from reality other people are.
RinceThis
November 10, 2014 at 14:26
It’s sadly the malaise that is the internet. Without any form of accountability you will have keyboard warriors that are only just starting to shave. And that’t just the girls. *RUNS
Alien Emperor Trevor
November 10, 2014 at 14:28
*RUNS… like a girl. fixed.
Admiral Chief Wang
November 10, 2014 at 14:46
XD
Admiral Chief Wang
November 10, 2014 at 14:47
I’d like a chicken malaise sammich pls
Alien Emperor Trevor
November 10, 2014 at 14:48
Everything he does comes standard with malaise. trollol.
Weanerdog
November 10, 2014 at 15:20
Malaise – noun – a general feeling of discomfort, illness, or unease whose exact cause is difficult to identify.
Yet you just identified it.
RinceThis
November 10, 2014 at 15:27
It’s the internetz!
Weanerdog
November 10, 2014 at 15:38
Its an oxymoron is what it is.
Runs off to check what is an oxymoron.
Quo Vadis?
November 10, 2014 at 14:38
I am going to stick my neck out on this, but frankly I do not care. Whereas I agree that this lady who started this whole hoo haa doesn’t deserve hate mail or death threats, I also agree that I do NOT want her vitriol or opinion shoved down my throat. If a female character has big tits and a sexy butt, SFW????? I mean seriously, gaming is fantasy. it is an escape from reality, which sucks to be honest. The economy sucks. rate of employment sucks. politics sucks. the government/ etolls/ isis/ the oil crisis/ blah blah blah/ everything sucks. fact is, life is hard. I knock back 60 hours+ a week behind a desk, and when I switch on my xbox, the last thing I want to hear is about another activist spewing crap because it is against her “feminist” view. FFS grow up.
Weanerdog
November 10, 2014 at 15:06
Well it was actually started by the other side who took exception to a young lady, a gaming developer, having a relationship with a gaming journalist. It then came out that another journalist had written something positive about his girlfriends game and some journalists had donated money to fund games.
The first young lady had a go at a bunch of guys about them exploiting woman, because their business plan was to develop games from concepts written by woman in exchange for a profit share, this became a mud slinging match and then she allegedly doxxed them (made personal info about them available online) which she denies. These guys then apparently turned to 4chan for help.
And then it all got nasty,because first girl was apparently cheating on her poor boyfriend with the gaming journalist. This made it acceptable to become personal about her. It then went mob mentality and the #gamergate became a rally point for hate. This is a simplification based on the most plausible version I have read.
This probably got a lot more attention than it deserved because of white knight feminists (although females technically can’t be knighted but that is another discussion) jumped on board and gave this greater reach which just in turn gave the arseholes a greater audience and was the proverbial fuel on the fire, although that was probably their aim.
TL;DR Include arseholes in your club and you have a club of arseholes.
Sageville
November 10, 2014 at 15:09
“turned to 4chan for help” – There is only one type of “Help” anyone will get from 4chan.
Weanerdog
November 10, 2014 at 15:19
I believed that they have tracked down some internet kiddie porn syndicate scum, they helped analyse footage from the Boston marathon bombing (not sure if they actually made any contribution to the case) and I believe they helped track down the former personal assistant of Jenna Jameson who had stolen money from the actress or something. (I might have the wrong actress)
They can also make you blush and accumulate a folder of shame that only Umar could enjoy #StayStrongUmar
Quo Vadis?
November 10, 2014 at 15:10
are you referring to the Zoe debacle? yea what happened to her was uncalled for. But I am specifically referring to Anita. I mean seriously, if she doesn’t like a game, then she shouldn’t play it. Plain and simple.
Weanerdog
November 10, 2014 at 15:12
First 3 paragraphs about Zoe the 4th about Anita.
Wardonkey
November 10, 2014 at 15:55
Too much boring info, brain is overloading.
Weanerdog
November 11, 2014 at 09:27
I am really sorry that you struggled through those 4 whole paragraphs.
Wardonkey
November 11, 2014 at 12:58
Its ok, I will surviveOh as long as I know how to love
I know I’ll stay alive
Rags
November 10, 2014 at 21:38
There is no members card for gamergate. Any asshole can join with just a simple hashtag. That does not discredit valid criticism of journalism which this industry is so shit in. Lol, even ISIS members used the anti gamergate hashtag.
Just because some vengeful asshats join the feminist SJW brigade and send death threats to boogie(the nicest guy on the internet) and his wife, does not discredit some of the feminist critique or their movement. But no mention of that here, because you know its easier and more clickbait to have half arsed troll opinion pieces than actually lifting a finger to at least pretend to be a journalist and do some research. Tough times for bloggers all around. More so since gamers are dead apparently as per the cannon of this narrative.
Weanerdog
November 11, 2014 at 09:26
Valid criticism of any organisation is necessary. You need to be able to hold individuals/groups accountable. And ethics in gaming journalism is stretched due to the fact that the journalists are dependent on the advertising money from who they are trying to report on. Reviews play a huge part in this and you are dealing with subjective views.
I am all for holding journalists accountable for their ethical behavior. But in my view gamergate is not the platform because regardless of what it started out as it has evolved into something else, something nasty.
All organisations are judged by their lowest common denominator which makes us as society a bunch of prejudice assholes.
Please note that these are my views and the “facts” that I presented are as I said the most believable ones that I could find on the internet so please take with a pinch of salt and a bucket of skepticism.
Edited: because I am an idiot
Guava_Eater
November 10, 2014 at 16:39
Well Said, Darren
Mark Treloar
November 10, 2014 at 16:53
Except screw Battlenet!!
Rags
November 10, 2014 at 21:17
Lol, more of the GG is sexism disguised in journalism ethics mantra. Yeah, if you guys keep the monologue up you will eventually convince yourselves. But we are not buying it. Thank god we have level headed people who still give a shit like TotalBiscuit, calling a spade a spade without relying on the news servers to form their opinions.
Johan Fourie
November 11, 2014 at 13:34
http://youtu.be/5RVlCvBd21w
Rags
November 11, 2014 at 14:17
Lol, just look at the ease how she dismantles Anita and the media narrative.