#Gamergate goes off the deep end

[Valmy]

Same here.  I don't follow the right twitter feeds or facebook pages or something.  To me, gamergate is a badly-run Paradox Entertainment game-sales site.

Rather you do follow the right ones.  The only reason I know about it is because I am following the Pillars of Eternity development.  I just wish it would go away.

[Jacob]

I believe Quinn admitted to having a relationship with a game reviewer from Kotaku (but, of course, so what - consenting adults and all that), but agree that the sex-for-reviews thing is proven untrue since the fellow never wrote a review of her game.

Yeah, but so what? People break up all the time and people have sex with people all the time. There's no scandal there, and frankly, who fucks whom in SF's indie game dev scene is not really anyone else's business.

[Jacob]

I thought all this was over one of her online pieces on how video games positive female characters, and have game development and narrative were all directed at a single market of consumer, the adolescent male.  Or is that a different female that was threatened?

That stuff is all being conflated into one hyperfocussed misogynistic howl of shit-fuelled rage. Any woman in games saying anything about women in games in any shape or form in a public space right now is getting targeted by a coterie of hyperactive trolls.

[Valmy]

I believe Quinn admitted to having a relationship with a game reviewer from Kotaku (but, of course, so what - consenting adults and all that), but agree that the sex-for-reviews thing is proven untrue since the fellow never wrote a review of her game.

Yeah, but so what? People break up all the time and people have sex with people all the time. There's no scandal there, and frankly, who fucks whom in SF's indie game dev scene is not really anyone else's business.

I see you are part of the vast conspiracy to cover it all up Jake. 

[Jacob]

I see you are part of the vast conspiracy to cover it all up Jake.

Actually, there is a scandal - the scandal is that some whiny emo chump couldn't handle being dumped by his girlfriend and posted an emo rant on the internet; and that a bunch of idiots decided that somehow meant something other than that the whiny emo chump was a whiny emo chump.

[Valmy]

That stuff is all being conflated into one hyperfocussed misogynistic howl of shit-fuelled rage. Any woman in games saying anything about women in games in any shape or form in a public space right now is getting targeted by a coterie of hyperactive trolls.

Aren't you glad you work in this industry?

[Jacob]

That stuff is all being conflated into one hyperfocussed misogynistic howl of shit-fuelled rage. Any woman in games saying anything about women in games in any shape or form in a public space right now is getting targeted by a coterie of hyperactive trolls.

Aren't you glad you work in this industry?

Indeed.

[Malthus]

Sounds like "gamergate" is a 'about' group of particularly nasty and vile trolls who have found the absolute perfect victims (from their perspective): feminist computer game theorists. 

Eh there are people who have better motives who do think "gaming journalists" (aka: bloggers) should be held to an ethical standard.  Of course that is impossible.  Even so, their solution is possibly the worst one imaginable.  People are being convicted of ethics violations without the ability to fairly defend themselves and mobs of idiots are trying to punish them...and choosing the ones who most upset them emotionally.  It is kind of sad and funny to see them trying to defend this predictable train wreck.  It is not so funny to see mob justice at work though.

Some kerfuffle about gamer journalists may be how this started, but by now it seems to me it is mostly continuing because some pretty nasty trolls are getting a kick out of it.

Mind you, that was probably true for most forms of vigilantism ... 

I believe how it started was that one dude got dumped by a girl who is also an indie game developer. He responded like a whiny little bitch by posting allegations that she'd been sleeping with all these other guys, and that it was to get good reviews for her game. Neither of those allegations have been proven true, and the allegations of sex-for-positive-reviews were in fact shown to be untrue (the guy had never actually written a review for her game).

So while in theory there is some sort of "journalism ethics" banner being waved about (though, curiously, nothing about the thoroughly corrupt journalism surrounding AAA games, only stuff related to people who don't agree with the trolls), this whole thing started squarely with misogynistic trolling as far as I can see.

Oh my. That's even lamer than I had suspected. 

[Barrister]

I believe Quinn admitted to having a relationship with a game reviewer from Kotaku (but, of course, so what - consenting adults and all that), but agree that the sex-for-reviews thing is proven untrue since the fellow never wrote a review of her game.

Yeah, but so what? People break up all the time and people have sex with people all the time. There's no scandal there, and frankly, who fucks whom in SF's indie game dev scene is not really anyone else's business.

So are you agreeing with me or what?

You even used the same words I used - "but so what"?

[Jacob]

So are you agreeing with me or what?

You even used the same words I used - "but so what"?

I think YOU are agreeing with ME!

[Malthus]

I believe Quinn admitted to having a relationship with a game reviewer from Kotaku (but, of course, so what - consenting adults and all that), but agree that the sex-for-reviews thing is proven untrue since the fellow never wrote a review of her game.

Yeah, but so what? People break up all the time and people have sex with people all the time. There's no scandal there, and frankly, who fucks whom in SF's indie game dev scene is not really anyone else's business.

So are you agreeing with me or what?

You even used the same words I used - "but so what"?

All your motives are suspect! 

[derspiess]

Just stay ignorant it is a giant waste of everybody's time.

I think you're right.  I was just caught off guard by the whole thing as I haven't paid much attention to the "gaming world" lately.

[derspiess]

Jeez, Spicy, where did you leave your empathy?

Oh, wait, with your party membership.

Empathy for whom?  Please help me understand my lack of empathy in this case.

[derspiess]

I thought all this was over one of her online pieces on how video games positive female characters, and have game development and narrative were all directed at a single market of consumer, the adolescent male.  Or is that a different female that was threatened?

That stuff is all being conflated into one hyperfocussed misogynistic howl of shit-fuelled rage. Any woman in games saying anything about women in games in any shape or form in a public space right now is getting targeted by a coterie of hyperactive trolls.

So if I'm understanding these new (to me) terms correctly you are firmly on the Social Justice Warrior side in the struggle against the Misogynerds.

[Barrister]

I thought all this was over one of her online pieces on how video games positive female characters, and have game development and narrative were all directed at a single market of consumer, the adolescent male.  Or is that a different female that was threatened?

That stuff is all being conflated into one hyperfocussed misogynistic howl of shit-fuelled rage. Any woman in games saying anything about women in games in any shape or form in a public space right now is getting targeted by a coterie of hyperactive trolls.

So if I'm understanding these new (to me) terms correctly you are firmly on the Social Justice Warrior side in the struggle against the Misogynerds.

derspicey, I know your instincts are the same as mine, but trust me, don't bother expending one ounce of energy defending these "gamers".  Whatever you think of Zoe Quinn, or Anita Sarkeesian (and to be clear I'd never heard of either of them until this "story" broke), they didn't deserve what's happened to them.

Here's Quinn's own account of what it was like (written for cracked.com, because, well, fuck you that's why (seriously I have no idea)):

http://www.cracked.com/blog/5-things-i-learned-as-internets-most-hated-person/