I think Leigh Alexander's article is mostly okay but some parts of it are kinda harsh, like this paragraph which makes anyone wearing Nintendo merch sound like a consumer zombie:
[Game culture is] young men queuing with plush mushroom hats and backpacks and jutting promo poster rolls. Queuing passionately for hours, at events around the world, to see the things that marketers want them to see. To find out whether they should buy things or not. They don’t know how to dress or behave. Television cameras pan across these listless queues, and often catch the expressions of people who don’t quite know why they themselves are standing there.
I do think it's a little strange that Polygon, Kotaku, Gamasutra, Ars Technica, and Buzzfeed all posted articles on the same day about the "gamer" identity/stereotype becoming a thing of the past, but I don't think it's some sort of sinister media conspiracy or a breach of journalistic ethics. These articles were partially or totally covering the harassment and false allegations against Zoe Quinn and how that reflects poorly on the gaming community. That is a totally legitimate thing for a games website (and also, Ars and Buzzfeed don't even qualify as games journalists in my opinion) to write about!
There's your answer.
Pretty much. I don't believe for an instant it was a conspiracy to see all these articles. I think that the reason they were similar and came out at the same time is because it had to be said, by everyone.
And is there non-anecdotal empirical evidence to support the assertion that video game produce an unusual amount of criminal harassment?
Ugh. Really? First how about the fact that sometimes you don't need a chart and citations to figure something out. Rain is wet. Fire is hot.
Second, "criminal harassment"? Are you implying that it's only toxic if it's criminally actionable? Cause that's how it reads.
A Dabble Of Thelonius on
+2
knitdanIn ur baseKillin ur guysRegistered Userregular
Also it's not "anecdotal" when multiple people are posting Twitter (and other social media) screenshots of the kind of harassment they receive just for being women who are somehow involved in video games.
“I was quick when I came in here, I’m twice as quick now”
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This seems like it's primarily a way for the media to play two groups of people off against stereotypes they have of each other? "Hey hysterical women, you'd better watch out for those nerdy basement trolls! Hey nerdy basement trolls, you'd better watch out for those hysterical women!"
The only winners here are the people who make money from clicks. So stop clicking on them.
This seems like it's primarily a way for the media to play two groups of people off against stereotypes they have of each other? "Hey hysterical women, you'd better watch out for those nerdy basement trolls! Hey nerdy basement trolls, you'd better watch out for those hysterical women!"
You're comparing women receiving death and rape threats from trolls to trolls receiving...
I'm not sure what it is exactly that trolls are receiving in this scenario.
This seems like it's primarily a way for the media to play two groups of people off against stereotypes they have of each other? "Hey hysterical women, you'd better watch out for those nerdy basement trolls! Hey nerdy basement trolls, you'd better watch out for those hysterical women!"
You're comparing women receiving death and rape threats from trolls to trolls receiving...
I'm not sure what it is exactly that trolls are receiving in this scenario.
Also, hysterical women, really.
I mean, let's just ignore the fact that these nerdy basement trolls are sending very specific death/rape threats, often including and distributing the addresses of these "hysterical" women.
+8
CambiataCommander ShepardThe likes of which even GAWD has never seenRegistered Userregular
This seems like it's primarily a way for the media to play two groups of people off against stereotypes they have of each other? "Hey hysterical women, you'd better watch out for those nerdy basement trolls! Hey nerdy basement trolls, you'd better watch out for those hysterical women!"
The only winners here are the people who make money from clicks. So stop clicking on them.
If it was really just some kind of dumb nerd fight or whatever, then sure, safe to ignore it.
But a lot of the pro-GG players are the same people who have been harassing women in gaming for years, just under a new name. And they've doubled down on the harassment since this thing started.
Like sure, for me personally I ignore it and it goes away. Assholes are still going to be putting dead squirrels in Zoe Quinn's mailbox though, and that's shitty. And I want to talk about how shitty that is, and I especially want to hear developers say "if this is the kind of person you are, we don't want you buying are games" the way a few of the braver of them have.
Peace to fashion police, I wear my heart
On my sleeve, let the runway start
+2
CambiataCommander ShepardThe likes of which even GAWD has never seenRegistered Userregular
FYI, Adam Baldwin (@AdamBaldwin) and Chris Kluwe (@ChrisWarcraft) are having a twitter fight right now. Mostly it's as tedious as you'd expect! Here's a small sample:
The idea that your vote is a moral statement about you or who you vote for is some backwards ass libertarian nonsense. Your vote is about society. Vote to protect the vulnerable.
Also it's not "anecdotal" when multiple people are posting Twitter (and other social media) screenshots of the kind of harassment they receive just for being women who are somehow involved in video games.
It still is. I'm not saying it doesn't happen, but screenshots are not a good way of measuring crime over a community of tens of millions of people.
This seems like it's primarily a way for the media to play two groups of people off against stereotypes they have of each other? "Hey hysterical women, you'd better watch out for those nerdy basement trolls! Hey nerdy basement trolls, you'd better watch out for those hysterical women!"
You're comparing women receiving death and rape threats from trolls to trolls receiving...
I'm not sure what it is exactly that trolls are receiving in this scenario.
lulz? That's what trolls usually seem to be after.
I think the push to rally behind 'journalistic ethics' after Leigh Alexander's piece was a particularly clever (read: nefarious) piece of dog whistling by the proto-gamergate crowd. Whilst the idea of the nerdy white male basement gamer is indeed a stereotype, that doesn't stop it being a valid cultural identifier for some people who do indeed see themselves in it. Those who did identify with this image would historically have seen themselves as being at the bottom of their (straight, male, white) social group. The idea that, rather than being at the bottom of the social heap, they are in fact only at the bottom of the top rung is a confronting idea, and one that many seem to have rebelled against. I can kind of understand (whilst not agreeing with) some of these folk having a negative kneejerk reaction to the idea of the 'death of the gamer' seeing it as an attack against themselves personally. It is hard to see yourself as privileged if your internally believe yourself to be socially persecuted. The early architects of gamergate really took this ball and ran with it as far as they could.
For me I think that is why gamergate has been so successful at recruiting their more moderate (for gamergater) supporters.
All that said, there is nothing to be said for those scumbags making threats and acting in criminal fashion.
(Sorry if this is a bit disjointed. Stay at home dad here who has dealt with a grizzly 10 month old all day, naptime is bliss.)
I had to check out his twitter for myself, and I learned a few things. Firstly I was reminded that twitter is a terrible medium for anything, and that its basically impossible to say anything meaningful or coherent in 120 characters or less. Secondly I learned that Adam Baldwin is actually Jayne.
This seems like it's primarily a way for the media to play two groups of people off against stereotypes they have of each other? "Hey hysterical women, you'd better watch out for those nerdy basement trolls! Hey nerdy basement trolls, you'd better watch out for those hysterical women!"
The only winners here are the people who make money from clicks. So stop clicking on them.
If it was really just some kind of dumb nerd fight or whatever, then sure, safe to ignore it.
But a lot of the pro-GG players are the same people who have been harassing women in gaming for years, just under a new name. And they've doubled down on the harassment since this thing started.
Like sure, for me personally I ignore it and it goes away. Assholes are still going to be putting dead squirrels in Zoe Quinn's mailbox though, and that's shitty. And I want to talk about how shitty that is, and I especially want to hear developers say "if this is the kind of person you are, we don't want you buying are games" the way a few of the braver of them have.
What, specifically, is anyone on any side of the conversation doing that will make internet trolling less likely to happen?
This seems like it's primarily a way for the media to play two groups of people off against stereotypes they have of each other? "Hey hysterical women, you'd better watch out for those nerdy basement trolls! Hey nerdy basement trolls, you'd better watch out for those hysterical women!"
The only winners here are the people who make money from clicks. So stop clicking on them.
If it was really just some kind of dumb nerd fight or whatever, then sure, safe to ignore it.
But a lot of the pro-GG players are the same people who have been harassing women in gaming for years, just under a new name. And they've doubled down on the harassment since this thing started.
Like sure, for me personally I ignore it and it goes away. Assholes are still going to be putting dead squirrels in Zoe Quinn's mailbox though, and that's shitty. And I want to talk about how shitty that is, and I especially want to hear developers say "if this is the kind of person you are, we don't want you buying are games" the way a few of the braver of them have.
What, specifically, is anyone on any side of the conversation doing that will make internet trolling less likely to happen?
Well, for one, the pro-women side is pushing law enforcement to treat death threats issued online like the actual serious crime they are.
It's really telling that you keep dismissing this conduct as "trolling".
This seems like it's primarily a way for the media to play two groups of people off against stereotypes they have of each other? "Hey hysterical women, you'd better watch out for those nerdy basement trolls! Hey nerdy basement trolls, you'd better watch out for those hysterical women!"
The only winners here are the people who make money from clicks. So stop clicking on them.
If it was really just some kind of dumb nerd fight or whatever, then sure, safe to ignore it.
But a lot of the pro-GG players are the same people who have been harassing women in gaming for years, just under a new name. And they've doubled down on the harassment since this thing started.
Like sure, for me personally I ignore it and it goes away. Assholes are still going to be putting dead squirrels in Zoe Quinn's mailbox though, and that's shitty. And I want to talk about how shitty that is, and I especially want to hear developers say "if this is the kind of person you are, we don't want you buying are games" the way a few of the braver of them have.
What, specifically, is anyone on any side of the conversation doing that will make internet trolling less likely to happen?
Well, for one, the pro-women side is pushing law enforcement to treat death threats issued online like the actual serious crime they are.
It's really telling that you keep dismissing this conduct as "trolling".
Oh, the US legal system is on the case? That's a relief, I was worried this might go badly for the vulnerable minorities.
Also, I'm not sure what "pushing" law enforcement means in this case. Just, like, calling them? That doesn't really sound like it has any meaningful connection to all of the angry blog posts and twitter posts that make up the core of the conversation.
This seems like it's primarily a way for the media to play two groups of people off against stereotypes they have of each other? "Hey hysterical women, you'd better watch out for those nerdy basement trolls! Hey nerdy basement trolls, you'd better watch out for those hysterical women!"
The only winners here are the people who make money from clicks. So stop clicking on them.
If it was really just some kind of dumb nerd fight or whatever, then sure, safe to ignore it.
But a lot of the pro-GG players are the same people who have been harassing women in gaming for years, just under a new name. And they've doubled down on the harassment since this thing started.
Like sure, for me personally I ignore it and it goes away. Assholes are still going to be putting dead squirrels in Zoe Quinn's mailbox though, and that's shitty. And I want to talk about how shitty that is, and I especially want to hear developers say "if this is the kind of person you are, we don't want you buying are games" the way a few of the braver of them have.
What, specifically, is anyone on any side of the conversation doing that will make internet trolling less likely to happen?
Well, for one, the pro-women side is pushing law enforcement to treat death threats issued online like the actual serious crime they are.
It's really telling that you keep dismissing this conduct as "trolling".
That's more of a cybercrime issue than a gender issue really
Marty: The future, it's where you're going? Doc: That's right, twenty five years into the future. I've always dreamed on seeing the future, looking beyond my years, seeing the progress of mankind. I'll also be able to see who wins the next twenty-five world series.
This seems like it's primarily a way for the media to play two groups of people off against stereotypes they have of each other? "Hey hysterical women, you'd better watch out for those nerdy basement trolls! Hey nerdy basement trolls, you'd better watch out for those hysterical women!"
The only winners here are the people who make money from clicks. So stop clicking on them.
If it was really just some kind of dumb nerd fight or whatever, then sure, safe to ignore it.
But a lot of the pro-GG players are the same people who have been harassing women in gaming for years, just under a new name. And they've doubled down on the harassment since this thing started.
Like sure, for me personally I ignore it and it goes away. Assholes are still going to be putting dead squirrels in Zoe Quinn's mailbox though, and that's shitty. And I want to talk about how shitty that is, and I especially want to hear developers say "if this is the kind of person you are, we don't want you buying are games" the way a few of the braver of them have.
What, specifically, is anyone on any side of the conversation doing that will make internet trolling less likely to happen?
Well, for one, the pro-women side is pushing law enforcement to treat death threats issued online like the actual serious crime they are.
It's really telling that you keep dismissing this conduct as "trolling".
Oh, the US legal system is on the case? That's a relief, I was worried this might go badly for the vulnerable minorities.
Also, I'm not sure what "pushing" law enforcement means in this case. Just, like, calling them? That doesn't really sound like it has any meaningful connection to all of the angry blog posts and twitter posts that make up the core of the conversation.
This seems like it's primarily a way for the media to play two groups of people off against stereotypes they have of each other? "Hey hysterical women, you'd better watch out for those nerdy basement trolls! Hey nerdy basement trolls, you'd better watch out for those hysterical women!"
The only winners here are the people who make money from clicks. So stop clicking on them.
If it was really just some kind of dumb nerd fight or whatever, then sure, safe to ignore it.
But a lot of the pro-GG players are the same people who have been harassing women in gaming for years, just under a new name. And they've doubled down on the harassment since this thing started.
Like sure, for me personally I ignore it and it goes away. Assholes are still going to be putting dead squirrels in Zoe Quinn's mailbox though, and that's shitty. And I want to talk about how shitty that is, and I especially want to hear developers say "if this is the kind of person you are, we don't want you buying are games" the way a few of the braver of them have.
What, specifically, is anyone on any side of the conversation doing that will make internet trolling less likely to happen?
Well, for one, the pro-women side is pushing law enforcement to treat death threats issued online like the actual serious crime they are.
It's really telling that you keep dismissing this conduct as "trolling".
Oh, the US legal system is on the case? That's a relief, I was worried this might go badly for the vulnerable minorities.
Also, I'm not sure what "pushing" law enforcement means in this case. Just, like, calling them? That doesn't really sound like it has any meaningful connection to all of the angry blog posts and twitter posts that make up the core of the conversation.
...what even is this post.
Minorities? Do you mean women? I don't think a group of people that constitute half the population count as a minority
Or are gamers a vulnerable minority now.
+1
BigWillieStylesExpert flipper of tablesInside my mind...Registered Userregular
The GamerGate people have also raised tens of thousands for charities and TFYC.
Ironically it is a shield for #Gamergate. Having minorities and women in their club doesn't mean it can't be sexist or racist.
The vast majority of GamerGate isn't racist or sexist. That's the point. Yes, the hashtag has its trolls, but the small amount of cohesion the group has created a "GamerGate harassment patrol" that reports anybody doing horrible stuff under the banner of the hashtag. Hell, that person who threatened Anita with the massacre? GamerGate found him. I think Wu's harasser is in Brazil. GamerGate found him as well, if I recall correctly. (Although neither of those people actually used the GamerGate hashtag.)
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Ironically it is a shield for #Gamergate. Having minorities and women in their club doesn't mean it can't be sexist or racist.
You'll note how there are plenty of white males speaking out against GamerGate, but that doesn't stop GamerGate from accusing them of being man haters.
But one woman speaks in favor of GamerGate, and that proves that all of the death threats and rape threats aren't real.
The idea that your vote is a moral statement about you or who you vote for is some backwards ass libertarian nonsense. Your vote is about society. Vote to protect the vulnerable.
This seems like it's primarily a way for the media to play two groups of people off against stereotypes they have of each other? "Hey hysterical women, you'd better watch out for those nerdy basement trolls! Hey nerdy basement trolls, you'd better watch out for those hysterical women!"
The only winners here are the people who make money from clicks. So stop clicking on them.
If it was really just some kind of dumb nerd fight or whatever, then sure, safe to ignore it.
But a lot of the pro-GG players are the same people who have been harassing women in gaming for years, just under a new name. And they've doubled down on the harassment since this thing started.
Like sure, for me personally I ignore it and it goes away. Assholes are still going to be putting dead squirrels in Zoe Quinn's mailbox though, and that's shitty. And I want to talk about how shitty that is, and I especially want to hear developers say "if this is the kind of person you are, we don't want you buying are games" the way a few of the braver of them have.
What, specifically, is anyone on any side of the conversation doing that will make internet trolling less likely to happen?
Well, for one, the pro-women side is pushing law enforcement to treat death threats issued online like the actual serious crime they are.
It's really telling that you keep dismissing this conduct as "trolling".
That's more of a cybercrime issue than a gender issue really
I don't know about "more". Something certainly should be done about the casual way people send death threats now (Just recently Paranautical Activity was pulled off Steam because one of the creators blew up on Twitter, and I still find it amazing that George RR Martin got enough death threats to be seriously concerned after the Red Wedding episode of GoT aired), but you can't ignore that the abuse is generally more intensely focused on people who, shall we say, are not white men.
This seems like it's primarily a way for the media to play two groups of people off against stereotypes they have of each other? "Hey hysterical women, you'd better watch out for those nerdy basement trolls! Hey nerdy basement trolls, you'd better watch out for those hysterical women!"
You're comparing women receiving death and rape threats from trolls to trolls receiving...
I'm not sure what it is exactly that trolls are receiving in this scenario.
lulz? That's what trolls usually seem to be after.
I think the push to rally behind 'journalistic ethics' after Leigh Alexander's piece was a particularly clever (read: nefarious) piece of dog whistling by the proto-gamergate crowd. Whilst the idea of the nerdy white male basement gamer is indeed a stereotype, that doesn't stop it being a valid cultural identifier for some people who do indeed see themselves in it. Those who did identify with this image would historically have seen themselves as being at the bottom of their (straight, male, white) social group. The idea that, rather than being at the bottom of the social heap, they are in fact only at the bottom of the top rung is a confronting idea, and one that many seem to have rebelled against. I can kind of understand (whilst not agreeing with) some of these folk having a negative kneejerk reaction to the idea of the 'death of the gamer' seeing it as an attack against themselves personally. It is hard to see yourself as privileged if your internally believe yourself to be socially persecuted. The early architects of gamergate really took this ball and ran with it as far as they could.
For me I think that is why gamergate has been so successful at recruiting their more moderate (for gamergater) supporters.
All that said, there is nothing to be said for those scumbags making threats and acting in criminal fashion.
(Sorry if this is a bit disjointed. Stay at home dad here who has dealt with a grizzly 10 month old all day, naptime is bliss.)
I don't even think it goes that deep. This isn't about a Revenge of Nerds. It's not people who've been put upon being defensive about what they see as their last refuge. (although the knee-jerk defensiveness of the gaming community is definitely a big factor here.)
Look at their targets. Mostly women, mostly doing analysis of video games or the industry from a feminist or equivalent perspective. Sarkessian has been a target for years and #GG is just a more virulent and widespread extension of the shit she has put up with for years. Despite the cloak of "journalism ethics", this is about fighting against actual journalism and analysis. Look at how Leigh Alexander's piece set them off. Or how they reacted to that Polygon Bayonetta 2 review.
This is about some combination of white heterosexual male privilege. It's the same kinda blowback you see talking about sexism in any other milieu. They are angry because people are telling them that something they do might be in some way bad or wrong or problamatic or whatever. And they react to that criticism with rage.
The combination of this with gaming is just colliding a topic gaming has never dealt well with, with a largely white male demographic that knows how to organize and troll on the interwebs. It's just a perfect storm of douchebaggery.
The thing that always boggles my mind is that these people accuse women of sleeping with men for favors, but they name and attack the women, and ignore the men. The double standard is so competely obvious I don't know how they miss it themselves.
The trouble with all this is I don't know what there is to discuss if we keep it civil. Not that I want things to stop being civil. I'm impressed with the OP and the posts. It's just so obviously an open-and-shut case to me that I can't imagine a sensible opposing viewpoint.
I must say I am really impressed with those companies that have taken action against this. And I do honestly want to ask - can anyone avoid buying Intel nowadays?
The thing that always boggles my mind is that these people accuse women of sleeping with men for favors, but they name and attack the women, and ignore the men. The double standard is so competely obvious I don't know how they miss it themselves.
The trouble with all this is I don't know what there is to discuss if we keep it civil. Not that I want things to stop being civil. I'm impressed with the OP and the posts. It's just so obviously an open-and-shut case to me that I can't imagine a sensible opposing viewpoint.
I must say I am really impressed with those companies that have taken action against this. And I do honestly want to ask - can anyone avoid buying Intel nowadays?
Privilege, yo.
The idea that your vote is a moral statement about you or who you vote for is some backwards ass libertarian nonsense. Your vote is about society. Vote to protect the vulnerable.
The thing that always boggles my mind is that these people accuse women of sleeping with men for favors, but they name and attack the women, and ignore the men. The double standard is so competely obvious I don't know how they miss it themselves.
The trouble with all this is I don't know what there is to discuss if we keep it civil. Not that I want things to stop being civil. I'm impressed with the OP and the posts. It's just so obviously an open-and-shut case to me that I can't imagine a sensible opposing viewpoint.
I must say I am really impressed with those companies that have taken action against this. And I do honestly want to ask - can anyone avoid buying Intel nowadays?
It's nothing new really, it's just an extension of the insane notion of women using their corrupting feminine wiles to lead men astray.
So it sounds like a lot of people in this thread are anti-Gamer Gate. How many people posting here have called law enforcement? It sounds like it's primarily the harassed people who are calling the police. Call me crazy, but I'm fairly sure that's how it worked even before the hashtags. So what has actually changed?
Clearly rallying law enforcement is not the goal. So what is? What specific things is the movement doing that will reduce online harassment?
Bonus question: Was online harassment of female gamers/developers more or less common after the media picked up the GamerGate topic?
This seems like it's primarily a way for the media to play two groups of people off against stereotypes they have of each other? "Hey hysterical women, you'd better watch out for those nerdy basement trolls! Hey nerdy basement trolls, you'd better watch out for those hysterical women!"
The only winners here are the people who make money from clicks. So stop clicking on them.
If it was really just some kind of dumb nerd fight or whatever, then sure, safe to ignore it.
But a lot of the pro-GG players are the same people who have been harassing women in gaming for years, just under a new name. And they've doubled down on the harassment since this thing started.
Like sure, for me personally I ignore it and it goes away. Assholes are still going to be putting dead squirrels in Zoe Quinn's mailbox though, and that's shitty. And I want to talk about how shitty that is, and I especially want to hear developers say "if this is the kind of person you are, we don't want you buying are games" the way a few of the braver of them have.
What, specifically, is anyone on any side of the conversation doing that will make internet trolling less likely to happen?
Well, for one, the pro-women side is pushing law enforcement to treat death threats issued online like the actual serious crime they are.
It's really telling that you keep dismissing this conduct as "trolling".
Oh, the US legal system is on the case? That's a relief, I was worried this might go badly for the vulnerable minorities.
Also, I'm not sure what "pushing" law enforcement means in this case. Just, like, calling them? That doesn't really sound like it has any meaningful connection to all of the angry blog posts and twitter posts that make up the core of the conversation.
...what even is this post.
Minorities? Do you mean women? I don't think a group of people that constitute half the population count as a minority
Or are gamers a vulnerable minority now.
Dismissal. Like all the other posts before it.
It's not a problem/both sides are the same/what's all the fuss even about/etc/etc/etc.
Posts
Pretty much. I don't believe for an instant it was a conspiracy to see all these articles. I think that the reason they were similar and came out at the same time is because it had to be said, by everyone.
Ugh. Really? First how about the fact that sometimes you don't need a chart and citations to figure something out. Rain is wet. Fire is hot.
Second, "criminal harassment"? Are you implying that it's only toxic if it's criminally actionable? Cause that's how it reads.
-Indiana Solo, runner of blades
The only winners here are the people who make money from clicks. So stop clicking on them.
You're comparing women receiving death and rape threats from trolls to trolls receiving...
I'm not sure what it is exactly that trolls are receiving in this scenario.
Also, hysterical women, really.
I mean, let's just ignore the fact that these nerdy basement trolls are sending very specific death/rape threats, often including and distributing the addresses of these "hysterical" women.
If it was really just some kind of dumb nerd fight or whatever, then sure, safe to ignore it.
But a lot of the pro-GG players are the same people who have been harassing women in gaming for years, just under a new name. And they've doubled down on the harassment since this thing started.
Like sure, for me personally I ignore it and it goes away. Assholes are still going to be putting dead squirrels in Zoe Quinn's mailbox though, and that's shitty. And I want to talk about how shitty that is, and I especially want to hear developers say "if this is the kind of person you are, we don't want you buying are games" the way a few of the braver of them have.
On my sleeve, let the runway start
On my sleeve, let the runway start
Apparently all these years, he wasn't acting.
How can you compare how often something happens in different places without actual numbers?
Not the best example, because people can literally die if you don't know how wet the rain is, or how hot the fire is.
I use criminal harassment because it's a touch more likely to have hard data. I don't condone any harassment in video games.
It still is. I'm not saying it doesn't happen, but screenshots are not a good way of measuring crime over a community of tens of millions of people.
On my sleeve, let the runway start
lulz? That's what trolls usually seem to be after.
I think the push to rally behind 'journalistic ethics' after Leigh Alexander's piece was a particularly clever (read: nefarious) piece of dog whistling by the proto-gamergate crowd. Whilst the idea of the nerdy white male basement gamer is indeed a stereotype, that doesn't stop it being a valid cultural identifier for some people who do indeed see themselves in it. Those who did identify with this image would historically have seen themselves as being at the bottom of their (straight, male, white) social group. The idea that, rather than being at the bottom of the social heap, they are in fact only at the bottom of the top rung is a confronting idea, and one that many seem to have rebelled against. I can kind of understand (whilst not agreeing with) some of these folk having a negative kneejerk reaction to the idea of the 'death of the gamer' seeing it as an attack against themselves personally. It is hard to see yourself as privileged if your internally believe yourself to be socially persecuted. The early architects of gamergate really took this ball and ran with it as far as they could.
For me I think that is why gamergate has been so successful at recruiting their more moderate (for gamergater) supporters.
All that said, there is nothing to be said for those scumbags making threats and acting in criminal fashion.
(Sorry if this is a bit disjointed. Stay at home dad here who has dealt with a grizzly 10 month old all day, naptime is bliss.)
Only a mere 136 pins to go!
What, specifically, is anyone on any side of the conversation doing that will make internet trolling less likely to happen?
Super, SUPER right-wing.
Jayne is more an amoral asshole rather than a dude who yelps for a political ideal.
They apparently used Baldwin's actual picture of Reagan as a prop in Casey's apartment.
Well, for one, the pro-women side is pushing law enforcement to treat death threats issued online like the actual serious crime they are.
It's really telling that you keep dismissing this conduct as "trolling".
Oh, the US legal system is on the case? That's a relief, I was worried this might go badly for the vulnerable minorities.
Also, I'm not sure what "pushing" law enforcement means in this case. Just, like, calling them? That doesn't really sound like it has any meaningful connection to all of the angry blog posts and twitter posts that make up the core of the conversation.
And that's what it comes down to. We have an honest to goodness hate movement in our hobby, and it's high time we did something about it.
Also, The Escapist changed their ethics policy because of GamerGate.
(To the OP, not very neutral of you in the "accomplishments" section.)
PM me with yours if you add me
That's more of a cybercrime issue than a gender issue really
Doc: That's right, twenty five years into the future. I've always dreamed on seeing the future, looking beyond my years, seeing the progress of mankind. I'll also be able to see who wins the next twenty-five world series.
Anita Sarkeesian, Zoe Quinn and Briana Wu.
...what even is this post.
Minorities? Do you mean women? I don't think a group of people that constitute half the population count as a minority
Or are gamers a vulnerable minority now.
The #NotYourShield hashtag is a useful.
This is also helpful:
And this:
http://techcrunch.com/2014/09/25/gamergate-an-issue-with-2-sides/
PM me with yours if you add me
Ironically it is a shield for #Gamergate. Having minorities and women in their club doesn't mean it can't be sexist or racist.
Well a bunch of the stuff in that video actually isn't true but alright
Fred Phelps was a huge civil rights crusader in the 1960s.
Does that mean we dismiss the fact that WBC is a hate group?
PM me with yours if you add me
You'll note how there are plenty of white males speaking out against GamerGate, but that doesn't stop GamerGate from accusing them of being man haters.
But one woman speaks in favor of GamerGate, and that proves that all of the death threats and rape threats aren't real.
I don't even think it goes that deep. This isn't about a Revenge of Nerds. It's not people who've been put upon being defensive about what they see as their last refuge. (although the knee-jerk defensiveness of the gaming community is definitely a big factor here.)
Look at their targets. Mostly women, mostly doing analysis of video games or the industry from a feminist or equivalent perspective. Sarkessian has been a target for years and #GG is just a more virulent and widespread extension of the shit she has put up with for years. Despite the cloak of "journalism ethics", this is about fighting against actual journalism and analysis. Look at how Leigh Alexander's piece set them off. Or how they reacted to that Polygon Bayonetta 2 review.
This is about some combination of white heterosexual male privilege. It's the same kinda blowback you see talking about sexism in any other milieu. They are angry because people are telling them that something they do might be in some way bad or wrong or problamatic or whatever. And they react to that criticism with rage.
The combination of this with gaming is just colliding a topic gaming has never dealt well with, with a largely white male demographic that knows how to organize and troll on the interwebs. It's just a perfect storm of douchebaggery.
The trouble with all this is I don't know what there is to discuss if we keep it civil. Not that I want things to stop being civil. I'm impressed with the OP and the posts. It's just so obviously an open-and-shut case to me that I can't imagine a sensible opposing viewpoint.
I must say I am really impressed with those companies that have taken action against this. And I do honestly want to ask - can anyone avoid buying Intel nowadays?
Privilege, yo.
It's nothing new really, it's just an extension of the insane notion of women using their corrupting feminine wiles to lead men astray.
Clearly rallying law enforcement is not the goal. So what is? What specific things is the movement doing that will reduce online harassment?
Bonus question: Was online harassment of female gamers/developers more or less common after the media picked up the GamerGate topic?
Dismissal. Like all the other posts before it.
It's not a problem/both sides are the same/what's all the fuss even about/etc/etc/etc.