Bronze-level articleGamergate

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{{cquote|A few weeks ago our message board and general inbox were bombarded with demands we address something called the "GamerGate Scandal", posts written with the urgency and rage one would associate with, say, discovering that Chipotle burritos are made entirely from the meat of human babies. It's apparently a big deal in some circles, so we followed the links and read the piles of data presented, and had to stop and take a deep breath just to grasp it all. "Gentlemen," we said amid the stunned silence, "do you realize that if what they're saying is true, then this is still the most pointless fucking bullshit anyone has ever forced us to read?"|4=[[Cracked.com]]|5=<ref>[http://www.cracked.com/blog/5-things-i-learned-as-internets-most-hated-person 5 Things I Learned as the Internet's Most Hated Person], ''[[Cracked.com]]'', September 16, 2014.</ref>}}
 
{{cquote|A few weeks ago our message board and general inbox were bombarded with demands we address something called the "GamerGate Scandal", posts written with the urgency and rage one would associate with, say, discovering that Chipotle burritos are made entirely from the meat of human babies. It's apparently a big deal in some circles, so we followed the links and read the piles of data presented, and had to stop and take a deep breath just to grasp it all. "Gentlemen," we said amid the stunned silence, "do you realize that if what they're saying is true, then this is still the most pointless fucking bullshit anyone has ever forced us to read?"|4=[[Cracked.com]]|5=<ref>[http://www.cracked.com/blog/5-things-i-learned-as-internets-most-hated-person 5 Things I Learned as the Internet's Most Hated Person], ''[[Cracked.com]]'', September 16, 2014.</ref>}}
  
'''Gamergate''' is a [[misogynistic]] and [[reactionary]] backlash in the [[video game]] community against [[feminism]] and other [[liberal]] ideologies. The controversy erupted in August 2014 when game developer Zoe Quinn's ex-boyfriend alleged that she had cheated on him with multiple partners. This spurred a torrent of harassment and threats from that spread to Quinn's colleagues, supporters, and anyone else who held similar opinions, such as media critic [[Anita Sarkeesian]] and game developers like Phil Fish and Brianna Wu. The name "Gamergate", dubbed by conservative actor [[Adam Baldwin]], originally referred to the trumped up "scandal" surrounding Quinn, but the people shouting about it would take the name for themselves.
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'''Gamergate''' is a [[misogynistic]] and [[reactionary]] backlash in the [[video game]] community against [[feminism]] and other [[liberal]] ideologies. The controversy erupted in August 2014 when game developer Zoe Quinn's ex-boyfriend alleged that she had cheated on him with multiple partners. This spurred a torrent of harassment and threats from that spread to Quinn's colleagues, supporters, and anyone else who held similar opinions, such as media critic [[Anita Sarkeesian]] and game developers like Phil Fish and Brianna Wu. The name "Gamergate", coined by conservative actor [[Adam Baldwin]], originally referred to the trumped up "scandal" surrounding Quinn, but the people shouting about it would take the name for themselves.
  
 
Gamergate's supporters, known as "Gamergaters" ("Gators" to their critics), claim they are a [[grassroots]] consumer movement advocating "ethics in video game journalism", [[freedom of speech]], and game developers' freedom of expression. They contend that Quinn traded sex for positive game reviews (no such review exists). They also believe feminists want to censor video games, citing Sarkeesian as an example&mdash;demonstrating that if they have watched any of her videos, they ignored them in favor of the versions inside their own heads. It is also a backlash against the maturation of video games into a form of art worthy of academic study and subjective criticism, rather than software to be consumed without thought and judged solely on objective technical merits.
 
Gamergate's supporters, known as "Gamergaters" ("Gators" to their critics), claim they are a [[grassroots]] consumer movement advocating "ethics in video game journalism", [[freedom of speech]], and game developers' freedom of expression. They contend that Quinn traded sex for positive game reviews (no such review exists). They also believe feminists want to censor video games, citing Sarkeesian as an example&mdash;demonstrating that if they have watched any of her videos, they ignored them in favor of the versions inside their own heads. It is also a backlash against the maturation of video games into a form of art worthy of academic study and subjective criticism, rather than software to be consumed without thought and judged solely on objective technical merits.
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When this proved ineffective, Gamergate began contacting advertisers directly in what they called "Operation Disrespectful Nod", itself an attack on Quinn as it mocks someone who had sent her words of support. They gained some traction when Intel responded and pulled ads from the developer-oriented website ''Gamasutra'' where Leigh Alexander had written one of the articles that critiqued Gamergate.<ref name="wingfield">Nick Wingfield, [http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/10/02/intel-pulls-ads-from-site-after-gamergate-boycott/ "Intel Pulls Ads From Site After ‘Gamergate’ Boycott"], ''The New York Times''</ref><ref name="kelly">Heather Kelly, [http://edition.cnn.com/2014/10/03/tech/gaming-gadgets/intel-ad-gamasutra/index.html "Intel pulls ads over sexism in video game drama"], ''CNN''</ref> Intel was criticized for its decision, and they released an apology, but did not reinstate advertising on the website<ref name="opam">Kwame Opam, [http://www.theverge.com/2014/10/3/6906025/intel-issues-apology-after-backlash-from-gamergate-opponents "Intel issues apology after backlash from #GamerGate opponents"], ''The Verge</ref> until a month later.
 
When this proved ineffective, Gamergate began contacting advertisers directly in what they called "Operation Disrespectful Nod", itself an attack on Quinn as it mocks someone who had sent her words of support. They gained some traction when Intel responded and pulled ads from the developer-oriented website ''Gamasutra'' where Leigh Alexander had written one of the articles that critiqued Gamergate.<ref name="wingfield">Nick Wingfield, [http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/10/02/intel-pulls-ads-from-site-after-gamergate-boycott/ "Intel Pulls Ads From Site After ‘Gamergate’ Boycott"], ''The New York Times''</ref><ref name="kelly">Heather Kelly, [http://edition.cnn.com/2014/10/03/tech/gaming-gadgets/intel-ad-gamasutra/index.html "Intel pulls ads over sexism in video game drama"], ''CNN''</ref> Intel was criticized for its decision, and they released an apology, but did not reinstate advertising on the website<ref name="opam">Kwame Opam, [http://www.theverge.com/2014/10/3/6906025/intel-issues-apology-after-backlash-from-gamergate-opponents "Intel issues apology after backlash from #GamerGate opponents"], ''The Verge</ref> until a month later.
  
Gamergate again attempted to remove ad revenue after Gawker contributor Sam Biddle posted a series of Tweets that concluded with a poor taste joke: "[Gamergate] reaffirm[s] what we've known to be true for decades: [[nerd]]s should be constantly shamed and degraded into submission."<ref>Sam Biddle, [https://twitter.com/samfbiddle/status/522771545287303169 "Ultimately #GamerGate is reaffirming what we’ve known to be true for decades: nerds should be constantly shamed and degraded into submission"], Twitter</ref> This spawned "Operation Baby Seal" (no one is sure why this name was chosen<ref>/r/KotakuInAction, [http://np.reddit.com/r/KotakuInAction/comments/2n4i3r/whats_the_namesake_of_operation_baby_seal/ "What's the namesake of Operation Baby Seal?"], Reddit</ref>), directly pressuring companies that advertised on Gawker Media on the basis that Biddle was promoting [[bullying]]. Mercedes-Benz USA was the first company to respond, pulling ads from across Gawker while they "assessed" the "situation"; ads were reinstated a few days later.<ref name="dewey">Caitlin Dewey, [http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-intersect/wp/2014/10/20/inside-gamergates-successful-attack-on-the-media/ "Inside Gamergate’s (successful) attack on the media"], ''The Washington Post''</ref> Adobe also responded to a Gator's request that they pull ads from Gawker as the website "endorses bullying and hate speech". A representative responded by first clarifying that Adobe was not presently advertising on the website, but that they had requested the company's logo be removed;<ref group=Note>An Adobe logo was featured on a portion of Gawker's website that listed companies that had been advertising partners in the past.</ref> they also declared that "[our company] stands against bullying."<ref name="beschizza">Rob Beschizza, [http://boingboing.net/2014/10/22/adobe-walks-into-gamergate-st.html "Adobe walks into Gamergate, staggers around confusedly"], ''BoingBoing''</ref><ref name="ericjohnson">Eric Johnson, [http://recode.net/2014/10/22/adobe-distances-self-from-gawker-after-writers-gamergate-tweet/ "Adobe Distances Itself From Gawker After Writer’s Gamergate Tweet"], ''Re/code''</ref> Adobe was called out for responding to Gamergate as they did,<ref name="robertson">Adi Robertson, [http://www.theverge.com/2014/10/21/7030613/adobe-asks-gawker-to-remove-logo-after-gamergate-complaints "Adobe's symbolic pro-Gamergate gesture frustrates victims"], ''The Verge''</ref>.<ref>Susana Polo, [http://www.themarysue.com/adobe-mercedes-benz-are-latest-to-pull-ads-at-the-behest-of-gamergate/ "Adobe, Mercedes-Benz are Latest to Pull Ads at the Behest of GamerGate"], ''The Mary Sue''</ref> leading to the company publically denouncing Gamergate and its actions.<ref>Adobe, [http://blogs.adobe.com/conversations/2014/10/when-anti-bullying-efforts-backfire.html "When Anti-Bullying Efforts Backfire"], Adobe.com</ref> Word processor software developer Literature & Latte<ref name="blount">Keith Blount, [http://www.literatureandlatte.com/blog/?p=458 "Unexpectedly Catching Up with the GamerGate Controversy"], LiteratureAndLatte.com</ref> and high-end vacuum cleaner manufacturer Dyson<ref>Ian Douglas, [http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/news/11289690/Dyson-rejects-Gamergate-returns-advertising-to-Gawker.html "Dyson rejects Gamergate, returns advertising to Gawker"], ''The Telegraph''</ref> were also contacted, leading to advertisements being pulled, but quickly reinstated.
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Gamergate again attempted to remove ad revenue after Gawker contributor Sam Biddle posted a series of Tweets that concluded with a poor taste joke: "[Gamergate] reaffirm[s] what we've known to be true for decades: [[nerd]]s should be constantly shamed and degraded into submission."<ref>Sam Biddle, [https://twitter.com/samfbiddle/status/522771545287303169 "Ultimately #GamerGate is reaffirming what we’ve known to be true for decades: nerds should be constantly shamed and degraded into submission"], Twitter</ref> This spawned "Operation Baby Seal" (no one is sure why this name was chosen<ref>/r/KotakuInAction, [http://np.reddit.c
 
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===''The Escapist'' goes full on Gamergate===
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''The Escapist'' was one of the few mainstream gaming sites that supported Gamergate, giving their forums over to Gamergate discussion (and harassment of targets)  and hosting interviews with and essays by game developers who shared their thoughts on Gamergate. The first batch was titled "Female Game Developers Share Their Views on #GamerGate"; all of the women remained anonymous.<ref name="escapist1">Anonymous Female Game Developers, [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/articles/view/video-games/features/12306-Female-Game-Developers-Make-Statements-on-GamerGate "Female Game Developers Share Their Views on #GamerGate"], ''The Escapist''</ref> A subsequent article titled "What Game Developers Think of #GamerGate" featured male voices, some of whom went on the record.<ref name="escapist2">[http://www.escapistmagazine.com/articles/view/video-games/features/12383-Game-Developer-GamerGate-Interviews-Shed-Light-on-Women-in-Games "What Male Game Developers Think of #GamerGate"], ''The Escapist''</ref> Many would point out the disparity with the women's interviews labeled "female" and the men's interviews lacking any such descriptor, leading ''The Escapist'' to retroactively add "male" to the title of the second set.<ref name="escapist2" /><ref name="lifschitz">Alex Lifschitz, [https://storify.com/alexlifschitz/escapist-drama "Game Devs on Gamergate"], Storify.com</ref>
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Two of the participants in the group were active harassers in Gamergate. Slade "RogueStar" Villena was revealed to be a member of the #BurgersAndFries chatroom where he expressed a desire to falsely report Sarkeesian for tax fraud and said of Quinn, "NONE of this would have happened if [she] kept her vagina shut".<ref name="lifschitz" /> Also interviewed was James "Grimachu" Desborough, a tabletop game designer with extreme MRA leanings who has made games about rape and mocking "SJWs";<ref>Ettin, [http://ettinjiggywithit.tumblr.com/post/100143582073/the-deal-with-desborough "The Deal With Desborough"], ''Ettin!''</ref> his most recent venture was a Gamergate-themed game that was pulled from online sale for its insensitivity.<ref name="girdwood">Andrew Girdwood, [http://www.geeknative.com/49943/desboroughs-gamergate-card-game-banned-drivethrurpg-sj-games/ "Desborough’s #GamerGate card game banned by DriveThruRPG and SJ Games"], ''Geek Native''</ref><ref>[http://www.thecultden.com/2014/12/tabletop-gaming-news-gamergate-card.html "Tabletop Gaming News - Gamergate card game pulled from DriveThruRPG"], ''The Cult Den''</ref>
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Alexander "Archon" Macris, who works for ''The Escapist''{{'}}s owners Defy Media, conducted the interviews at the behest of a forum request, and went over the head of the website's editorial staff to publish them and then enforce a corporate ban on discussing Gamergate in any future articles.<ref name=innuendo>Ian Danskin, [http://innuendostudios.tumblr.com/post/104288647532/why-the-escapist-wont-talk-about-gamergate "Why The Escapist Won’t Talk About GamerGate"], ''Innuendo Studios''</ref> Macris also failed to disclose a conflict of interest, as he had financially supported Desborough's planned [[Gorean]] roleplaying book.<ref>[http://cathodedebris.tumblr.com/post/99828481723/the-escapists-alexander-marcis-has-been-crowdfunding "The Escapist’s Alexander Marcis has been crowdfunding #GamerGater James Desborough while giving him preferential press coverage"], ''Cathode Debris''</ref>
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The following year, after several popular personalities left ''The Escapist'' and Defy Media went through some budgetary layoffs,<ref>[http://www.gamepolitics.com/2015/01/21/layoffs-hit-defy-medias-escapist-gametrailers-and-gamefront "Layoffs Hit Defy Media's The Escapist, GameTrailers, And GameFront"], ''Game Politics''</ref> Macris announced new staff for ''The Escapist'' that were either dyed-in-the-wool or fairweather Gamergaters: Brandon Morse, @Lizzyf620,<ref>/r/GamerGhazi, [http://www.reddit.com/r/GamerGhazi/comments/2wn9w0/escapist_goes_full_goobergater_loses_jimquisition/ "Escapist goes full Goobergater: loses Jimquisition, sacks MovieBob, hires Gamergaters."], Reddit</ref> and Liana Kerzner, as well as an attempt to reach out to Oliver Campbell. Damion Schubert, one of the few developers Macris interviewed who was critical of Gamergate, wrote about these changes of staff, wondering if pandering to Gamergate and right-wingers would do them any good, financially.<ref>Damion Schubert, [http://www.zenofdesign.com/whats-going-on-with-the-escapist/ "What’s Going On With the Escapist?"], ''Zen of Design''</ref> Later, a former Gamergate supporter released chat logs of a discussion she had with Macris where he revealed his intent to use his position to push his political views with regards to Gamergate at ''The Escapist'' and other Defy Media websites.<ref>Amber Coal, [https://storify.com/PixelGoth/this-misandry-needs-to-be-exposed "I have been predicting a culture war... and I have dozens of sites that reach 50m people."], Storify.com</ref>
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===The campaign of harassment expands===
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Quinn was doxed again on 8chan on September 26. Would-be harassers discovered the post on October 14, and made plans to stalk Quinn at her home.<ref>Zoe Quinn, [https://twitter.com/TheQuinnspiracy/status/522239046819782656 "#StopGamerGate2014 SO THEY STOP DOING THIS SHIT before one of us gets fucking *killed*"], Twitter</ref> The post was removed by 8chan moderators only after Lifschitz called the site out on it. Prior to this, 8chan hadn't touched the post, as it isn't against the site's rules to dox people.<ref>@feedsforchris, [https://twitter.com/feedsforchris/status/522259460425662464 "@TheQuinnspiracy @alexlifschitz Look at how 8chan's mods responded to the leak of your personal info. Disgusting."], Twitter</ref>, ''Twitter'' (This tweet incorrectly attributes the post pictured to 8chan; it is in fact from 4chan)</ref>
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====Brianna Wu singled out====
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On October 9, indie game dev Brianna Wu, head of the studio Giant Spacekat (GSX), tweeted several [[meme]]s that had been sent to her by a fan in which her criticisms of Gamergate were superimposed over an image of an angry child. Gamergaters doxxed her and tweeted sexualized violent threats. She contacted the police and fled her home.<ref name="futrellewu">David Futrelle, [http://wehuntedthemammoth.com/2014/10/11/yet-another-woman-in-gaming-has-been-driven-from-her-home-by-death-threats/ "Yet another woman in gaming has been driven from her home by death threats"], ''We Hunted the Mammoth''</ref> Gators "justified" their hate by saying Wu was mocking autism, as they found a photograph of the child used in the meme on an autism activism website; in reality, it's just a generic stock photo.<ref>[http://www.123rf.com/photo_4412922_angry-boy-in-red-tee-holding-his-head-shouting-angrily.html "Angry Boy In Red Tee Holding His Head Shouting Angrily Stock Photo, Picture And Royalty Free Image. Pic 4412922."], ''123rf''</ref>
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This led to her stalking by Gamergate figureheads "PressFart2Continue" (so named because he previously stalked a vlogger whose channel was called ''Press Heart to Continue''<ref>Brook Leigh Lawson, [http://www.twitlonger.com/show/n_1s2fjne "A Letter To PressFart"], Twitlonger</ref>) and "TheRalphRetort" who used his website to host content Fart produced that was banned elsewhere for doxxing Wu<ref>Sarah Nyberg, [https://twitter.com/srhbutts/status/545973874073272320 "sorry, #gamergate and @theralphretort, changing the URL won't stop this. just reported it again."], Twitter</ref> as well as dox on everyone in Wu's immediate family.<ref>Sarah Nyberg, [https://twitter.com/srhbutts/status/547691189701726208 "so ralph doxxed bri's entire fucking family. and #gamergate still won't condemn him."], Twitter</ref> These stalkers allege that Wu has lied about her experiences (an accusation similar to those leveled at Sarkeesian), and had never left her home as she maintained. Their proof? The blurry outline of a chair she was sitting in and some blurry chair rails in the background of her Skype sessions from a hotel room compared to her home office in interviews, saved as "Wu never left.jpg" at the Gamergate Wiki.<ref>[https://archive.today/3ec7u "File:Wu never left.jpg"]</ref>
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Gators also claim that Wu is transgender, as if that were relevant. Wu addressed the accusations on Reddit, saying that whatever she said would only perpetuate transphobia, and she preferred to keep silent on the question out of respect for transgender people she knew.<ref>Brianna Wu, [http://www.reddit.com/r/GamerGhazi/comments/2ug4jt/brianna_wu_why_i_dont_respond_when_gamergate/ "Brianna Wu: Why I don't respond when Gamergate accuses me of being transgender."], GamerGhazi, Reddit</ref> Two weeks later, Milo Yiannopoulos compiled all of Gamergate's "evidence" in a massive hit piece that  also claimed that Gamergate isn't transphobic for creating this [[conspiracy theory]].<ref group=Note>We won't link to pages that allegedly out people - even if they are totally wrong, even if the information is all over the Internet. Google it yourself.</ref>
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====A round of "healthy debate"====
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Gamergate likes to push a [[balance fallacy]] by implying that there is an opposite and equivalent "anti-Gamergate" that opposes them, using [[nutpicking]] to prove themselves right. In reality, there's simply a mob that calls itself "Gamergate" and the people they've targetted, particularly Zoe Quinn, as well as the people who out of compassion came to support the targets. Early on, Gamergate was able to trick enough "neutral" people into believing that a debate even exists, giving the hate mob more airtime and power to continue their true goals. As Quinn herself put it, "Someone punching you in the face isn't a dialog, and it's not something you should be called upon to prove yourself undeserving of....I appreciate the noble intention of attempting to build a bridge, but maybe consider why some of us have been forced to live behind a moat."<ref>Zoe Quinn, [http://ohdeargodbees.tumblr.com/post/101533638529/an-open-letter-to-people-calling-for-neutrality "An Open Letter To People Calling For “Neutrality”"], ''Quinnspiracy Blog''</ref>
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In September, former ''[[The Young Turks]]'' member David Pakman interviewed some Gamergate figureheads on his show, after interviewing Wu about her experiences. He spoke with  Milo Yiannopoulos, "Pro-#Gamergate advocate" Jenni Bharaj, John "TotalBiscuit" Bain, 8chan's administrator Fredrick "Hotwheels" Brennan,<ref name="brennancondition" group=Note>Fredrick Brennan's use of a wheelchair is used to deflect criticism ''a la'' #NotYourShield.</ref> {{wpl|Liana K|Liana Kerzner}} (whose relationship with Gamergate is complicated), a representative of The Fine Young Capitalists (read: Matthew Rappard), adult film actress Mercedes Carrera ([[#Gamergate attempts to "weaponize" porn|more on her later]]), Christina Hoff Sommers, and Theodore Beale as Vox Day. The only other Gamergate critic (and target) he interviewed was {{wpl|Arthur Chu}} of ''Jeopardy!'' fame who criticized Pakman for crowdsourcing #GamerGate for questions for himself and Wu and for the way he tried to contact Quinn to get her on the show.<ref group=Note>David Pakman used "dot replies" to contact Quinn over Twitter. This method, which involves adding a period before the at-sign, makes the tweet visible to all of the sender's followers. Standard replying on Twitter is only visible to people who follow both the sender and receiver.</ref>
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On October 14, ''[[The Huffington Post]]''{{'}}s ''HuffPost Live'' hosted a panel discussion on Gamergate, featuring  Wu, ''[[Forbes]]'' contributor Erik Kain, and Fredrick Brennan. During the interview, Brennan refuted the charge that his website was providing a platform for harassment, stating that it is, "well within the confines of the law," and, "we have no data retention requirement under the law, therefore we don't retain any data."<ref name="huffpost1" /> He issued a [[Parthian shot]] to Wu in the final seconds of the discussion: "Believe it or not, Brianna, 8chan is not all about you."<ref name="huffpost1" /> Quinn was also invited to join the discussion, but backed out after she had found out that she was not agreeing to an interview but a debate. She called out ''HuffPo'' for forcing the [[balance fallacy]] that she should be talking to people who have aided and abetted with her harassers, as ''HuffPo'' was not forward with who would be representing the "other side". However, the answer would come directly to her, with Brennan gleefully tweeting he was going to be on and taunting her in the process.<ref name="cobb">David J. Cobb, [https://storify.com/DavidJCobb/huffington-post-zoe-quinn-and-the-fallacy-of-the-g "Huffington Post, Zoe Quinn, and the golden mean fallacy"], Storify.com</ref>
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====Sarkeesian in Utah====
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Sarkeesian was scheduled to speak at Utah State University on October 15. The day before her talk, university staff received an anonymous e-mail threat that warned that "a [[School shooting#University of Montreal (1989)|Montreal Massacre]] style attack [would] be carried out" unless the event was cancelled.<ref name="neugebauer">Cimaron Neugebauer, [http://www.standard.net/Police/2014/10/14/Utah-State-University-student-threatens-act-of-terror-if-feminist.html "Terror threat against feminist Anita Sarkeesian at USU"], ''Standard-Examiner''</ref> The author of the threat claimed that "feminists have ruined my life and I will have my revenge" and that this would be "the deadliest school shooting in American history." The university refused to [[gun control|check for concealed firearms]] under [[Utah]] [[states' rights|state law]]. Even an attorney interviewed by a local '''''[[Fox News]]''''' affiliate said that the school could have said "no guns today".<ref name="connoly">Caroline Connolly, [http://fox13now.com/2014/10/15/anita-sarkeesian-speaks-out-after-canceling-appearance-due-to-death-threats-utahs-gun-laws/ "Feminist gamer won’t speak at Utah schools until guns prohibited"], ''Fox 13, Salt Lake City''</ref> Sarkeesian decided to cancel the talk.<ref>Erin Alberty, [http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/news/58521856-78/video-feminist-sarkeesian-women.html.csp "Feminist cancels talk at USU after guns allowed despite shooting threat"], ''The Salt Lake Tribune''</ref>
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Gators took the cancellation as a victory, calling Sarkeesian a coward for backing out. Gators denied the threats came from someone in Gamergate (despite the threat's obvious reference to Gamergate)<ref>Billy D, [http://blogjob.com/oneangrygamer/2014/10/gamergate-journalist-allegedly-outed-as-twitter-harasser-sending-death-threats/ "#GamerGate: Journalist Allegedly Outed As Twitter Harasser Sending Death Threats"], ''OneAngryGamer.net''</ref>
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Months later, USU would prevent guns from being allowed on campus during a visit by [[Supreme Court]] Justice [[Sonia Sotomayor]].<ref>Annie Knox, [http://www.sltrib.com/news/2063657-155/campus-gun-laws-are-not-carved "Campus gun laws are not carved in stone"], ''The Salt Lake Tribune''</ref> USU claimed that the change of heart was due to Justice Sotomayor's protection under federal law. Sarkeesian, in contrast, was a merely an "average person".<ref>Tim Slover, [http://kuer.org/post/firearms-weapons-banned-sotomayor-speech-u-u "Firearms, Weapons Banned From Sotomayor Speech at U of U"], ''KUER 90.1, NPR Utah''</ref>
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===="Based Lawyer" joins the fray====
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On October 19, Mike Cernovich, a [[California]]-based [[First Amendment]] lawyer, posted a portion of the restraining order filed against Gjoni by Quinn.<ref name="pless">Margaret Pless, [http://idledillettante.com/2014/10/20/mike-cernovich-gamergate-lawyer/ "Mike Cernovich; #GamerGate Lawyer! (Content Warning: Migraine-Inducingly Terrible)"], ''idledillettante''</ref><ref name="pullen">Liz Pullen, [https://medium.com/@ManfredVonKarma/mike-cernovich-based-lawyer-of-gamergate-419d0617f259 "Mike Cernovich: Based Lawyer of Gamergate"], Medium.com</ref> Cernovich, acting as an informal legal counsel to Gjoni, obtained the document <s>ab</s>using his privileges as an attorney.<ref name="pless" /><ref name="pullen" /> He asserted that the one-year restriction against publicly discussing Quinn's personal life or "encouraging 'hate mobs'" which the restraining order imposes on Gjoni violates his right to free speech.<ref name="pless" /><ref name="pullen" /> A few days later, on October 23, he revealed that he had hired a private investigator to stalk Quinn.<ref>Mike Cernovich, [https://archive.today/SWHfI "@MSamenfink Yeah it's pricey. But I'm fired up about Zoe's conduct. So I'll be getting my private investigator on the matter."], Twitter (archived)</ref> In addition to being a lawyer, Cernovich sells fitness [[dietary supplement|supplement]]s, and promotes both bodybuilding and men's rights issues via his blogs.<ref name="pless" /><ref>Rebecca Vipond Brink, [http://www.thefrisky.com/2014-10-23/gamergate-has-finally-made-my-head-explode/ "#GamerGate Has Finally Made My Head Explode"], ''The Frisky''</ref> He also actively promotes [[Roosh V]]'s websites<ref name="pullen" /> and has displayed a curious obsession with jizz, tweeting that, "Semen is a man's life force" and "Once they've bad [sic] my 'super serum', they don't want anything else. Girls become addicted to cum."<ref name="cernovich-semen">SJW Illuminati, [https://storify.com/SJWIlluminati/juicebro-is-fucking-nuts "Juicebro is fucking nuts"], Storify.com</ref> He also claimed that straight men can't get [[HIV]] and argued condoms weren't necessary because he never got an STD in his life of going bareback. Gamergate attacked people who pointed these out for having the gall to suggest Cernovich wasn't perfect.<ref>Laura Shortridge, [https://storify.com/DiscordianKitty/gamergate-is-super-ethical "GamerGate is super ethical"], Storify.com</ref>
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====Felicia Day sets a doxxing speed world record====
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Actress and geek culture icon Felicia Day weighed in on Gamergate in a long post on her blog on October 22, explaining that she opposed the movement but was afraid to speak out because she could be doxed and harassed.<ref>Felicia Day, [http://feliciaday.com/blog/crossing-the-street/ "Crossing the Street"], FeliciaDay.com</ref> Within an hour, someone posted her address in the comments section.<ref>Alex Hern, [http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2014/oct/23/felicia-days-public-details-online-gamergate "Felicia Day's public details put online after she described Gamergate fears"], ''The Guardian</ref> Quinn, who was still homeless at this point due to the Gamergate mob,<ref>Zoe Quinn, [https://twitter.com/TheQuinnspiracy/status/525351047884447744 "Private investigator on the matter." Caps incoming later but Jesus Christ who hires a PI to stalk a homeless woman"], Twitter</ref> begged people to stop: "When the fuck is it going to be enough? When the fuck will this end?"<ref>Zoe Quinn, [https://twitter.com/TheQuinnspiracy/status/525354479626244097 "When the fuck is it going to be enough? When the fuck will this end?"], Twitter</ref>
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==Gamergate reaches the attention of the general public==
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[[File:Anita sarkeesian on colbert set.jpeg|thumb|Gamergate "succeeds" in silencing Anita Sarkeesian, in front of a live studio audience on a major cable television network.]]
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{{cquote|And let us acknowledge for a moment the awful irony that, after decades of defending video games from accusations that they inspire school shootings, we now have a threatened school shooting explicitly inspired by games culture.
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|4=Eurogamer|5=<ref>Oli Welsh, [http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2014-10-17-we-cannot-let-this-become-gaming-culture "We cannot let this become gaming culture"], ''Eurogamer''.</ref>}}
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On October 15, in the wake of the threats made against Sarkeesian's engagement at Utah State, the hashtag "#StopGamerGate2014" was created and it soon became a trending topic worldwide.<ref name=wingfield>Nick Wingfield, [http://www.nytimes.com/2014/10/16/technology/gamergate-women-video-game-threats-anita-sarkeesian.html "Feminist Critics of Video Games Facing Threats in ‘GamerGate’ Campaign"], ''The New York Times''</ref><ref name=jubbal>Lindsey Weedston, [http://www.yesmagazine.org/people-power/12-hashtags-that-changed-the-world-in-2014 "12 Hashtags That Changed the World in 2014"], ''Yes! Magazine''</ref><ref>Michelle Jaworski, [http://www.dailydot.com/geek/stopgamergate2014-anita-sarkeesian-death-threats/ "#StopGamerGate2014 trends worldwide as GamerGate hits breaking point], ''The Daily Dot''</ref>
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The Entertainment Software Association (ESA), an American trade group representing all major game companies and best known for hosting the annual E3 trade fair, released a statement on October 16, declaring, "There is no place in the video game community—or our society—for personal attacks and threats."<ref>Hayley Tsukayama, [http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/the-switch/wp/2014/10/15/the-game-industrys-top-trade-group-just-spoke-out-against-gamergate/ "The game industry’s top trade group just spoke out against Gamergate"], ''The Washington Post''</ref>
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''[[The New York Times]]'' ran a front-page article on October 16, with the headline "Feminist Critics of Video Games Facing Threats".<ref name=wingfield/><ref>[http://imgur.com/JQhJkgS "Great job proving "gamers" are innocent."], Imgur</ref> On October 28, it also ran an op-ed from Sarkeesian on the matter.<ref>Anita Sarkeesian, [http://www.nytimes.com/2014/10/29/opinion/anita-sarkeesian-on-video-games-great-future.html "It’s Game Over for ‘Gamers’"], ''The New York Times''</ref> On October 25, ''Newsweek'' ran an analysis of Gamergate tweets showing that Gamergaters have directed substantially more tweets at feminist critics than they have at game journalists.<ref>Taylor Wofford, [http://www.newsweek.com/gamergate-about-media-ethics-or-harassing-women-harassment-data-show-279736 "Is GamerGate About Media Ethics or Harassing Women? Harassment, the Data Shows]" ''Newsweek''</ref>
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On October 24, Gamergate attempted to regain favor with the media and the public by holding an 8chan /gg/ meetup in a strip club and inviting ''New York'' magazine along to document it, figuring this would reassure people of their good attitude toward women.<ref>Adrian Chen, [http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2014/10/gamergate-supporters-party-at-strip-club.html "Gamergate Supporters Partied at a Strip Club This Weekend"], ''New York''</ref>
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But the final nail in the coffin was hammered in on October 29, when Sarkeesian had a 10-minute segment on ''[[Stephen Colbert|The Colbert Report]]'' talking about Gamergate and the surrounding issues, which concluded with Sarkeesian declaring Colbert a feminist.<ref>Rich McCormick, [http://www.theverge.com/2014/10/30/7130191/stephen-colbert-takes-on-gamergate-with-anita-sarkeesian "Stephen Colbert takes on Gamergate with Anita Sarkeesian"], ''The Verge''</ref> Needless to say, Gamergaters were not pleased.<ref>Alex Abad-Santos, [http://www.vox.com/xpress/2014/10/30/7131071/stephen-colbert-anita-sarkeesian-gamergate "#GamerGate loves Stephen Colbert. Stephen Colbert does not love them back."], ''Vox''</ref><ref>David Futrelle, [http://wehuntedthemammoth.com/2014/10/30/the-top-22-most-ridiculous-things-said-by-8channers-about-anita-sarkeesians-appearance-on-the-colbert-report/ "The Top 22 Most Ridiculous Things Said by 8channers About Anita Sarkeesian’s Appearance on the Colbert Report"], ''We Hunted The Mammoth''</ref><ref>[[PZ Myers]], [http://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/2014/10/30/schadenfreude-so-thick-you-could-cut-it-with-a-chainsaw/ "Schadenfreude so thick you could cut it with a chainsaw"], ''Pharyngula''</ref>
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== Substantive efforts against journalistic corruption ==
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{{cquote|If you get punched in the face every time the doorbell rings, and in the evening someone knocks on your door to explain it's not ''really'' about the punching, you're going to have a hard time believing them.
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|4=Ben Kuchera, ''Polygon''|5=<ref>Ben Kuchera, "[http://www.polygon.com/2014/12/30/7460777/gamergate-2014-just-the-worst The year of GamerGate: The worst of gaming culture gets a movement"], ''Polygon''.</ref>}}
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While Gamergaters claim they are fighting for "ethics in video game journalism", they have to date dedicated a tellingly high amount of energy to harassment and character assassination of people with whom they disagree, and very little to investigating, exposing, and condemning actual instances of journalistic corruption.<ref>[https://plus.google.com/app/basic/stream/z13fftyjopfahdvz504cdldh0zr1j52o12w Google Plus post by David Hill]</ref><ref>Plaguearist, [https://medium.com/plaguearist-does-gamergate/so-whats-gamergate-achieved-so-far-f094c25fee84 So. What’s GamerGate achieved so far?"], Medium.com</ref>
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The targets of Gamergate, on the other hand, frequently address ethics in the gaming press. ''Kotaku'', for instance, was the first to report on accusations that ''GameSpot'' reviewer Jeff Gerstmann (who currently just wants everybody to stop being so hateful<ref>Jeff Gerstmann, "[http://www.giantbomb.com/articles/letter-from-the-editor-10-17-2014/1100-5049/ Letter From the Editor 10/17/2014"], ''Giant Bomb''</ref>) had been fired for panning a game in 2007,<ref>Michael McWhertor, "[http://www.kotaku.com.au/2007/11/gamespot_editor_fired_over_kan/ Gamespot Editor Fired Over Kane & Lynch Review?"], ''Kotaku Australia''</ref> and was the only source to follow up on the story, confirming it five years later.<ref>Luke Plunkett, "[http://kotaku.com/5893785/yes-a-games-writer-was-fired-over-review-scores Yes, a Games Writer was Fired Over Review Scores"], ''Kotaku''</ref> More recently, both ''Gamasutra'' and ''Rock Paper Shotgun'' have written stories about pay-for-play deals by YouTubers.<ref>Alec Meer, "[http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2014/07/16/a-storm-in-youtuber-heaven/ A Storm In YouTuber Heaven"], ''Rock, Paper, Shotgun''</ref> Kotaku was also the outlet that broke the hacking of EA's Firemonkeys' studio that was covered up by EA for a year.<ref>Mike Serrels, "[http://www.kotaku.com.au/2014/09/firemonkeys-hacked-last-year-didnt-immediately-inform-users/ EA's Studio Firemonkeys Hacked Last Year, Didn't Immediately Inform Users"], ''Kotaku''</ref>
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''The Escapist'' and ''Kotaku'' were quick to denounce the stringent rules and screening {{wpl|Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment}} required of those receiving copies of the game {{wpl|Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor|''Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor''}} for YouTube, apparently brought to their attention by TotalBiscuit himself.<ref>Jim Sterling, "[http://www.escapistmagazine.com/videos/view/jimquisition/9782-Shadow-of-Mordors-Promotion-Deals-with-Plaid-Social Shadiness of Mordor]," ''Jimquisition''</ref><ref>Nathan Grayson, "[http://kotaku.com/the-messy-story-behind-youtubers-taking-money-for-game-1644092214 The Messy Story Behind YouTubers Taking Money For Game Coverage"], ''Kotaku''</ref> Gamergaters like to claim the ''Shadow of Mordor'' event for themselves due to TotalBiscuit's involvement, only after they were called out by Zaid Jilani at ''Salon'' and Erik Kain at ''Forbes'' for their silence; Jilani attributed this to the lack of a woman involved in the controversy.<ref name=jilani /><ref>Erik Kain, "[http://www.forbes.com/sites/erikkain/2014/10/08/middle-earth-shadow-of-mordor-paid-branding-deals-should-have-gamergate-up-in-arms/ 'Middle-Earth: Shadow Of Mordor' Paid Branding Deals Should Have #GamerGate Up In Arms"], ''Forbes'' Contributor Blog</ref>
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It has also been pointed out that if a close relationship between game journalists and developers is imagined to be "corrupt", the examination of sex and gender issues in the games, and cultural critique in general, is the sort of thing an independent and journalistic game publication would undertake. It isn't like the developers themselves are pushing these issues. It's hypocritical to demand higher standards of video game journalists while bemoaning articles on social issues in the industry.<ref>L. Rhodes, "[https://medium.com/@upstreamism/to-fair-minded-proponents-of-gamergate-7f3ce77301bb To fair-minded proponents of #GamerGate]," Medium.com</ref>
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Finally, through their tactics of pressuring sponsors such as Intel to remove advertising from websites that publish articles or reviews they do not agree with, Gamergate actively magnifies one of the most serious issues of journalistic ethics in gaming: the lack of an editorial "separation of Church and State," and the resulting undue influence of advertisers on the editorial content of the gaming press. The ''Daily Mirror'' released an analysis of the boycotting attempts by Gamergate, showing that they had barely any impact on big websites but a significant impact on smaller ones.<ref>Martin Belam, "[http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/ampp3d/gamergate-website-rankings-winners-losers-5235157 Revealed: The winners and losers in #GamerGate's war on web sites"], ''Mirror''</ref>
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Gamergate has done exactly what they have set out to be against. They claimed to fight unethical journalism with the help of an unethical journalist. They denounced what they perceived to be a blacklist while curating lists of websites and people they were boycotting. They persistently deny their obsession with Quinn and Sarkeesian while attacking them every chance they get. And they proclaim games are inclusive for all while doing their best to uphold the industry and community that actively excludes women.<ref>Katherine Cross, "[http://www.firstpersonscholar.com/we-will-force-gaming-to-be-free/ ‘We Will Force Gaming to Be Free’: On GamerGate & the Licence to Inflict Suffering"], ''First Person Scholar''</ref>
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==Gamergate's inevitable decline==
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[[File:Around-Dyed-Hair-Beware.jpg|right|thumb|upright|A meme deployed during Gamergate's attempted Tumblr invasion. What's wrong with people who dye their hair  Gamergate's crowning glory was to publicize its most hated enemy and her ideas and make the word "Gamergate" synonymous with misogynists, harassers, and trolls. Anyone with a good-faith interest in gaming journalism stop supporting Gamergate, leaving only reactionaries as the core of the movement, who are still harassing women.
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===Gamergate's invasion of Wikipedia===
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Gamergate did its best to get a positive spin on [[Wikipedia]], attempting to skew relevant articles in their favor. They were opposed for breaking several guidelines and policies, and appealed to Jimmy Wales, who challenged them to make their own version of the Wikipedia article on a Gamergate "sanctioned" [[Wikia]], and he would then judge if it met Wikipedia's standards.<ref>Scott Kaufman, [http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2014/11/wikipedia-founder-jimmy-wales-challenges-gamergate-to-write-neutral-entry/ "Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales challenges #GamerGate to write neutral entry"], ''Raw Story''</ref><ref group=Note>GamerGate.Wikia.com was created by "Snowfox413" on September 1, 2014. Previously, Snowfox413 was a contributor to the Prison Planet Intelligence Agency Wiki (ppia.wikia.com), based on [[Alex Jones]]' [[Prison Planet]].</ref> A page on the Gamergate Wikia housed blackmail of Gamergate's Wikipedia editor targets, which resulted in the page's deletion. While all work at Wikia moved to a privately-owned Wiki, Gamergate began a new email campaign against Wales, claiming they would no longer donate to the WMF. Wales response revealed that he didn't believe them.<ref>Dan Van Winkle, [http://www.themarysue.com/jimmy-wales-not-taking-gamergate-crap/ "Wikipedia’s Jimmy Wales Isn’t Taking Any of Gamergate’s Threats, Tells Them Off Spectacularly"], ''The Mary Sue''</ref><ref>Mayer Nissim, [http://www.digitalspy.com/gaming/news/a617618/wikipedias-jimmy-wales-replies-to-gamergate-criticism.html "Wikipedia's Jimmy Wales replies to #GamerGate criticism"], ''Digital Spy''</ref><ref>Doug Sibor, [http://www.complex.com/pop-culture/2014/12/wikipedia-founder-jimmy-wales-gamergate-response "Wikipedia Founder Jimmy Wales Doesn’t Want Money From “Vicious A**holes” Behind #GamerGate"], ''Complex''</ref> Gamergate also got involved a dispute over the Wikipedia article on "[[Cultural Marxism]]", a common term amongst the neo-reactionaries and MRAs who had pervaded Gamergate, leading Wales to overturn a community decision based on these complaints levied. Gamergaters have also mused forking Wikipedia for their own purposes as it doesn't meet their biased view of the world. [[Conservapedia|Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it]].
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[[Argumentum ad nauseam|Through sheer persistence]], Gamergate got part of its way on Wikipedia after a third appeal to the [[Wikipedia#ArbCom|Arbitration Committee]], whose early draft of the final decisions came down heavily on the established editors who had been under attack by Gamergate and was condemned by the media.<ref>Mark Bernstein, [http://www.markbernstein.org/Jan15/Infamous.html "Infamous"]</ref><ref>Alex Hern, [http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2015/jan/23/wikipedia-bans-editors-from-gender-related-articles-amid-gamergate-controversy "Wikipedia bans five editors from gender-related articles"], ''The Guardian''</ref><ref>Lauren C. Williams, [http://thinkprogress.org/culture/2015/01/26/3615559/wikipedia-wants-ban-feminist-editors-gamergate-articles/ "Wikipedia Wants To Ban Feminists From Editing GamerGate Articles"], ''ThinkProgress''</ref> These editors' crimes, in ArbCom's eyes, boiled down to [[tone argument|violations of the civility policy]] in the face of Gamergate harassment and "recidivism", leading to 3 out of five being topic banned and one being banned entirely.<ref>Caitlin Dewey, [http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-intersect/wp/2015/01/29/gamergate-wikipedia-and-the-limits-of-human-knowledge/ "Gamergate, Wikipedia and the limits of ‘human knowledge’"], ''The Washington Post''</ref> However, this led to more eyes put on the page by the community at large, and some meager protections put in place against further abuse of the system.
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===Attempts to counter Gamergate harassment on Twitter===
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[[File:Gatorgate.jpg|thumb|left|"Check the #Gamergate tag there's no harassment there."]]
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In response to increasing complaints concerning harassment, Twitter teamed up with the feminist group Women, Action, and the Media (WAM!) in early November to trial a tool for speedily reporting online abuse.<ref name="TwitterandWAM">Robinson Meyer, [http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2014/11/one-small-but-important-effort-to-make-twitter-safe-for-women/382484/ The Good (and the Bad) of Twitter's New Bid to Stop Harassment], ''The Atlantic''</ref> Despite criticism from Gamergaters, the tool was put through its full trial period,<ref name="WAM">[https://womenactionmedia.wufoo.com/forms/wam-twitter-harassment-reporting-tool/ WAM Twitter Harassment Reporting Tool]</ref> and the data collected by WAM! will be analysed in order to improve the Twitter service.<ref name=TwitterReport>Brian Fitzgerald, [http://blogs.wsj.com/digits/2014/11/07/new-online-tool-lets-twitter-users-report-harassment/ "New Online Tool Lets Twitter Users Report Harassment"], ''The Wall Street Journal''</ref> In December, Twitter announced they had updated the reporting tool. In the video to explain the feature, they included an alligator.<ref>Twitter Support, [https://twitter.com/Support/status/539826848641724416 "Starting today we're rolling out an improved way to flag abusive Tweets. See how it works."], Twitter</ref> The allusion was not lost on observers.<ref>Randi Harper, [https://twitter.com/freebsdgirl/status/539839243837657089 "Twitter implied that harassment comes from gamergate. Oh, Lordy."], Twitter</ref> However, many reported that the updated tool, or at least the review team, was not effective.<ref>Lindy West, [http://www.dailydot.com/opinion/twitter-harassment-rape-death-threat-report/ "Twitter doesn't think these rape and death threats are harassment"], ''The Daily Dot''</ref> In late February 2015, Twitter announced they would begin requesting phone numbers of serial abusers when they request to have their account restored in order to better track and prevent abuse.<ref>Jon Russell, [http://techcrunch.com/2015/02/26/twitter-phone-number-tracking/ "Twitter Will Crack Down On Serial Trolls By Tracking Their Phone Number"], ''TechCrunch''</ref> In April, Twitter executives explicitly condemned Gamergate's use of their platform to engage in harassment and hate speech.<ref>Vijaya Gadde, [http://www.washingtonpost.com/posteverything/wp/2015/04/16/twitter-executive-heres-how-were-trying-to-stop-abuse-while-preserving-free-speech/ "Twitter executive: Here’s how we’re trying to stop abuse while preserving free speech"], ''The Washington Post''</ref>
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Game engineer Randi Harper developed the "Good Game Auto Blocker" tool in November after having dealt with several hundred harassing tweets from Gators after her blog post about the harassment she suffered from working in tech went viral. A bot-account she runs cross-checks if Twitter users follow at least two Gamergate "ringleaders" (such as Yiannopoulos and Cernovich) and then blocks them; people can then subscribe to this block list through a third party tool and automatically block all accounts on the list, which gets updated in real time. After the International Game Developers Association suggested use of the tool to its constituents, it was found that the tool had resulted in some [[collateral damage]]; the official Twitter account for {{wpl|Kentucky Fried Chicken}} was on the list, but so was the account of Roberto Rosario, chairman of IGDA's Puerto Rico branch. Harper, who has said the tool is more of a sledgehammer than a scalpel, was not worried personally as she would rather block thousands of people than deal with several hundred harassers. There is an appeals system to be whitelisted where a team investigates the blocked user's account to see if there was a false positive;<ref name="wofford-harper">Taylor Wofford, [http://www.newsweek.com/one-womans-new-tool-stop-gamergate-harassment-twitter-288008 "One Woman’s New Tool to Stop Gamergate Harassment on Twitter"], ''Newsweek''</ref><ref name="randiio">Randi Harper, [https://randi.io/wp/good-game-auto-blocker "Good Game Auto Blocker"], randi.io</ref><ref>[https://github.com/freebsdgirl/ggautoblocker "ggautoblocker"], Github.com</ref> with Rosario, however, it was found he was deeply involved in supporting Gamergate and followed practically every figurehead on the tool's sourcelist (itself renamed from "blacklist" because of Gators' incessant whining<ref>Randi Harper, [https://github.com/freebsdgirl/ggautoblocker/commit/d59ec0e06fc739e6b338f3199449c2bbeb14595a "Renaming blacklist.txt to sourcelist.txt"], Github</ref>) and he had appealed to Gamergate when he found he was on the list.<ref>[http://www.metafilter.com/144813/Internet-culture-puts-trolling-on-a-pedestal "Internet culture puts trolling on a pedestal"], MetaFilter</ref> The IGDA's Puerto Rico chapter was shut down sometime later; Rosario blamed feminism. Other game devs found that they were also on the auto blocker's block list for similar reasons, and all went crawling to /r/KotakuInAction to decry being "blacklisted" by "the SJWs".
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===Gamergate attempts to "weaponize" porn===
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Gamergate of all people managed to gain the support of pornographic actress Mercedes Carrera, who offered to do live streamed shows for them so long as the proceeds went to a charitable cause. Their first act was to try to get AbleGamers, a charity that works to increase accessibilty of video games to the differently abled, on their side, but they neglected to mention Carrera's association with Gamergate in their December 5 proposal. AbleGamers backed out when they found threads on /r/KotakuInAction of Gamergate congratulating themselves on having "just weaponized porn" against the "SJWs", which inevitably led to their website being taken down in a DDoS attack.<ref name="gera">Emily Gera, [http://www.polygon.com/2014/12/9/7358899/ablegamers-gamergate-mercedes-carrera-ddos "AbleGamers' weird weekend of porn stars, charity and a worries over a DDoS attack (correction)"], ''Polygon''</ref><ref name="jholmes">Jonathan Holmes, [http://www.destructoid.com/ablegamers-backs-out-of-charity-event-after-reading-it-will-weaponize-porn--284717.phtml "AbleGamers backs out of charity event after reading it will 'weaponize porn'"], ''Destructoid''</ref><ref name="gamepolitics">[http://www.gamepolitics.com/2014/12/08/ablegamers-weird-weekend-porn-charity-ddos-attacks-and-gamergate "AbleGamers' Weird Weekend of Porn, Charity, DDoS Attacks, and GamerGate"], ''GamePolitics.com''</ref> Carrera instead partnered with TFYC to form "The Porn Charity".<ref name="tfyc-porn">[http://thefineyoungcapitalists.tumblr.com/post/104904532575/yes-we-are-becoming-a-charity-now "Yes, we are becoming a charity now"], ''The Fine Young Capitalists''</ref><ref name="spiegler">Cindi Spiegler, [http://therealpornwikileaks.com/mercedes-carrera-invites-fans-help-raise-money-charity/ "Mercedes Carrera Invites Fans To Help Her Raise Money For Charity"], ''The Real Porn Wiki Leaks''</ref><ref name="fudge1">James Fudge, [http://www.gamepolitics.com/2015/01/02/porn-charity-hosting-first-event-fund-merit-based-stem-scholarship "The Porn Charity Hosting First Event to Fund Merit -Based STEM Scholarship"], ''GamePolitics.com''</ref> Carrera wasn't done with spinning the adult film and sex worker communities in Gamergate's favor just yet. In February 2015, she announced proceeds from her live shows would go towards a fund for an adult film actress who had been raped during a home invasion robbery. Carrera took the opportunity to baselessly attack Sarkeesian and Wu, claiming they were [[professional victim|profiting off of the harassment they publicized receiving]] as they had only received threats and were not physically assaulted, and accusing them of being [[SWERF]]s.<ref group=Note>For Anita Sarkeesian, this is attributed to her one-time use of the term "prostituted women" in one of her ''Tropes vs. Women'' videos. Sex worker rights activists see this term as denying sex workers agency, and it is used by feminists who are exclusionary towards sex workers.</ref> Many called out Carrera for the exploitation of the crime; Arthur Chu wrote "...the video being shared...is shit, the use of this situation as a tool to attack other women is shit, & GG is shit".<ref>EJ Dickson, [http://www.dailydot.com/lifestyle/gamergate-porn-home-invasion/ "Why Gamergaters are rallying behind the victim of a brutal rape"], ''The Daily Dot''</ref>
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On December 15, a self-published author known only as "Valeria O." released an explicit short story through Amazon Kindle titled ''Roughed Up By #GamerGape'' wherein a "controversial game designer" named Zada Quinby is gang-raped by "five upset players" bent on "[[corrective rape|teach[ing] her a lesson]]." Subtlety was never Gamergate's strong point. The story was on sale for a few days until after a reporter at ''Raw Story'' contacted Amazon.com for details.<ref name="kaufman-amazonstory">Scott Kaufman, [http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2014/12/amazon-publishes-thinly-veiled-fantasy-of-gamergate-target-zoe-quinn/ "Amazon publishes thinly veiled rape fantasy of #GamerGate target Zoe Quinn"], ''Raw Story''</ref><ref name="futrelle-amazonstory">David Futrelle, [http://wehuntedthemammoth.com/2014/12/19/a-new-low-one-of-zoe-quinns-harassers-was-selling-rape-fanfic-about-her-on-amazon/ "A new low: One of Zoe Quinn’s harassers was selling rape fanfic about her on Amazon"], ''We Hunted the Mammoth''</ref><ref name="merlan-amazonstory">Anna Merlan, [http://jezebel.com/someone-wrote-erotica-about-a-video-game-designer-getti-1673233184 "Someone Wrote 'Erotica' About a Video Game Designer Getting Gang-Raped"], ''Jezebel''</ref> Later, the author ''somehow'' made their way to /r/KotakuInAction and claimed ''zero'' involvement with Gamergate.<ref>/r/GamerGhazi, [http://www.reddit.com/r/GamerGhazi/comments/2ptscw/the_author_of_the_zoe_quinn_rapefic_is_doing_an/ "The author of the Zoe Quinn rapefic is doing an AMA on KiA. The title claims he wrote the piece, but doesn't know about GG at all. What?"], Reddit</ref>
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===Intel joins forces with Anita Sarkeesian===
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[[File:IntelKeynote.jpg|right|thumb|Gamergate tried to silence Anita Sarkeesian. Instead they only prompted a major corporation to throw its weight behind her cause.]]
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On January 6, 2015, Intel announced at the annual International Consumer Electronics Show that they were budgeting $300 million to counter the lack of gender and racial diversity within their company and the tech/gaming industries as a whole.<ref>Nick Wingfield, [http://www.nytimes.com/2015/01/07/technology/intel-budgets-300-million-for-diversity.html "Intel Budgets $300 Million for Diversity"], ''The New York Times''</ref> Sarkeesian's ''Feminist Frequency'' was included in the keynote, and will help shape Intel's diversity program along with groups such as IGDA, Rainbow PUSH, and the National Center for Women in Technology.<ref>[http://newsroom.intel.com/community/intel_newsroom/blog/2015/01/06/intel-ceo-outlines-future-of-computing "Intel CEO Outlines Future of Computing"], Intel.com</ref> ''Wired UK'' noted that Sarkeesian's involvement with the new initiative is "the clearest indicator that Gamergate has prompted the push for greater diversity."<ref name="kamen">Mat Kamen, [http://www.wired.co.uk/news/archive/2015-01/07/intel-diversity "Intel announces fund for greater tech diversity"], ''Wired UK''</ref>
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Gamergaters responded by attempting to hijack the #CES2015 hashtag.<ref>/r/KotakuInAction, [https://np.reddit.com/r/KotakuInAction/comments/2rln35/call_to_action_twitter_ces2015_hijacking/ "CALL TO ACTION: TWITTER #CES2015 HIJACKING"], Reddit</ref> They branded Sarkeesian and her producer/co-writer Jonathan McIntosh anti-Semites after digging up a three-year-old tweet by McIntosh criticizing the Israeli government for its construction of the West Bank wall.<ref>Sarah Nyberg, [https://twitter.com/srhbutts/status/552810330427244544 "#gamergate's latest strategy? use jewish people as a shield to stop criticism of israel, apparently"], Twitter</ref> This is ironic, given that they have spent months denigrating Sarkeesian as "The Jew" or "Jewkeesian" despite her lack of Jewish heritage (her parents are Iran-born ethnic Armenians who emigrated to Canada), going so far as to depict her in the style of a neo-Nazi propaganda caricature by A. Wyatt Mann (the general anti-semitic caricature had long been a meme on 4chan's /pol/ as "Le Happy Merchant") and referring to any money she obtained (or rather money in general) as "shekels".<ref>David Futrelle, [http://wehuntedthemammoth.com/2014/11/02/why-are-gamergaters-so-quick-to-excuse-an-anti-semitic-caricature-of-anita-sarkeesian-thats-literally-derived-from-nazi-propaganda/ "Why are #GamerGaters so quick to excuse an anti-Semitic caricature of Anita Sarkeesian that’s literally derived from Nazi propaganda?"], ''We Hunted the Mammoth''</ref> McIntosh recently revealed he had been subtly trolling Gamergate through his Twitter feed by constantly posting opinions identical to those of [[Noam Chomsky]] to show that they are a bunch of right-wing reactionaries<ref>Jonathan McIntosh, [https://twitter.com/radicalbytes/status/556602361288724480 "I've been testing GamerGate's claim to be "left" by posting opinions nearly identical to Noam Chomsky. Result: Extreme reactionary outrage."], Twitter</ref> and also intentionally posting provocative Tweets whenever he had discovered that trouble was brewing.<ref>Jonathan McIntosh, [https://twitter.com/radicalbytes/status/557763080097366019 "A few months ago I started posting deliberately provocative tweets whenever I’d see the angry gamer mob launch a harassment raid on someone."], Twitter</ref>
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They also began disseminating an insensitive statement Sarkeesian has allegedly made in regards to feminism in Japan<ref group=Note>"The US bombed them back to traditional values – feminism does not exist in Japan. While I don’t like judging an entire culture… that does not excuse them"</ref> ''tastefully'' juxtaposed with a photo of a mushroom cloud.<ref>/r/KotakuInAction, "[http://np.reddit.com/r/KotakuInAction/comments/2rm0u0/racism_brought_to_you_by_intel/ Racism: brought to you by Intel"], Reddit</ref> However, the alleged quote was sourced from a single blog entry which no one has been able to corroborate; it was also discovered that the original writer had become a Gamergate supporter.<ref>"ZeGerman1942", [http://notplayed.com/2013/08/27/gamecraft-gender-equality-in-the-games-industry/ "Gamecraft: Gender Equality in the Games Industry"], NotPlayed.com</ref><ref>[http://notyourexrotic.tumblr.com/post/104659656336/randomthefox-im-sure-the-cultural "I’m sure the “cultural appropriation” SJW brigade will get right on her for this"], "The source of the above quote - and in fact the only source Google is throwing at me, based on a search for “The US bombed them back to traditional values” or “feminism does not exist in Japan” - is this article on notplayed.com which is all about games reviews (with the caveat that all the reviews are deliberately based not on playing the game, but by press and marketing material)....Considering that the only source of this alleged comment comes from someone whom we have documented to possibly have some kind of an agenda against Anita Sarkeesian, not any other third party at the conference or any other writeup that may have mentioned Anita’s remarks about Japan or feminism over there, I would advise extreme caution against believing anything they have to say, especially given recent patterns of fakery.", ''Not Your Ex/Rotic''</ref> There were rumblings that she may have indeed said the statement, but had later retracted her condemnation as she later felt it was inappropriate.
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After the conference, Genna Bain, TotalBiscuit's wife and general manager of his brand, announced she was selling off her personal stocks in Intel due to the "lack of diversity" in her stock portfolio.<ref>Genna Bain, [https://twitter.com/GennaBain/status/555003984650711040 "I am a woman in gaming and today I am selling my shares in @intel. I'm afraid there just wasn't enough "diversity" in my stock portfolio."], Twitter</ref> When this sour-grapey display was met with criticism, her husband came to her defense (it's not [[whiteknighting]] when the damsel in distress is your ideological ally), accusing critics of "trying to infantalise [his] wife over her financial decision today" and being "wonderfully sexist."<ref>John Bain, [https://twitter.com/Totalbiscuit/status/555039609303105537 "Watching a few idiots trying to infantalise my wife over her financial decision today. How wonderfully sexist these people are."], Twitter</ref>
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===The SJW Illuminati rises===
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On January 11, Quinn wrote about her experiences at Gators' hands, addressing the problems with dealing with law enforcement and the legal system in the Internet age, and her advocacy concerning the /baphomet/ board. She also wrote about the actions of Mike Cernovich, including his use of a private investigator to stalk her and the acquisition of the court proceedings in her case to get a protective order against Gjoni. She revealed that Gjoni had been physically and emotionally abusive towards her.<ref name="augustneverends">Zoe Quinn, [http://ohdeargodbees.tumblr.com/post/107838639074/august-never-ends "August Never Ends"], ''Dispatches From The Quinnspiracy''</ref>
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A week later, she announced with Lifschitz that they had formed a support group called the Crash Override Network. They have been working together to prevent and mitigate the damage caused by the doxxing attacks perpetrated by Gamergate based on their own experience, providing emotional support, as well as practical information on online security, PR, and legal protection. Within minutes of opening the Twitter account, it was bombarded by Gators demanding "proof" that they had helped anyone, decrying the project as a scam even though they do not plan on taking money from anyone, or claiming that it is a false flag operation.<ref>Andrew Todd, [http://badassdigest.com/2015/01/17/the-social-justice-illuminati-is-real-and-its-an-anti-hate-task-force/ "The Social Justice Illuminati Is Real, And It’s An Anti-Hate Task Force"], ''Badass Digest''</ref><ref>Chris Tognotti, [http://www.bustle.com/articles/59190-zoe-quinn-launches-crash-override-network-a-support-group-for-targets-of-online-hate-mobs "Zoe Quinn Launches "Crash Override Network," A Support Group For Targets Of Online Hate Mobs"], ''Bustle''</ref><ref>Alanna Bennett, [http://www.themarysue.com/crash-override-network/ "Zoë Quinn Has Launched A Network to Help Fight GamerGate Harassment & Other Online Abuse"], ''The Mary Sue''</ref><ref>T.C. Sottek, [http://www.theverge.com/2015/1/17/7628567/crash-override "Crash Override wants to help survivors of Gamergate and other online abuse"], ''The Verge''</ref> Gators from 8chan tried to disrupt the project.<ref>@adulus, [https://storify.com/adulus/gamergate-continues-to-obsessively-stalk-zoe-quinn "Gamergate reacts to a support group for harassment victims"], Storify.com</ref>
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Quinn and Lifschitz also revealed their support of [[goat]]s.<ref>Zoe Quinn, [https://twitter.com/TheQuinnspiracy/status/556650914354696193 "@twoscooters @alexlifschitz POST THE GOAT PHOTO"], Twitter</ref><ref>Elizabeth Sampat, [https://twitter.com/twoscooters/status/556651641890287616 "@TheQuinnspiracy @alexlifschitz your wish is my command"], Twitter</ref><ref>Alex Lifschitz, [https://twitter.com/alexlifschitz/status/556654990891040768 "@twoscooters @TheQuinnspiracy i am the master of the dramatic closeup"], Twitter</ref>
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At the 2015 Game Developers Conference, Quinn announced Crash Override Network had partnered with Randi Harper's non-profit organization the Online Abuse Prevention Initiative, which works to prevent harassment.<ref>Dean Takahashi, [http://venturebeat.com/2015/03/04/zoe-quinn-and-other-female-game-developers-speak-out-against-harassment/ "Zoe Quinn and other female game developers speak out against harassment"], ''Venture Beat''</ref><ref>Matt Weinberger, [http://www.businessinsider.com/zoe-quinn-gamergate-developer-how-to-protect-yourself-2015-3 "A woman who was threatened with death (and worse) for a year explains how to protect against online harrassment"], ''Business Insider''</ref><ref>Sarah E. Needleman, [http://blogs.wsj.com/digits/2015/03/04/game-developer-the-gaming-industry-is-not-doing-enough-to-combat-misogyny/ "Game Developer: The Gaming Industry Is Not Doing Enough to Combat Misogyny"], ''The Wall Street Journal''</ref> Brianna Wu also got the support of her congressional representative, Katherine Clark (D-Mass.), who began discussions about prosecuting people who issue online threats.<ref>Meagan McGinnes, [http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/2015/03/11/rep-katherine-clark-calls-for-prosecution-online-threats-against-women/RVSBRYN2e69HTfKzBKhWuJ/story.html "Rep. Katherine Clark Calls For Prosecution of Online Threats Against Women"], ''Boston.com''</ref> Rep. Clark held a congressional briefing about online abuse where Quinn addressed members of Congress.<ref>Brian Crecente, [http://www.polygon.com/2015/4/15/8420237/depression-quest-creator-speaks-at-congressional-briefing-on "Depression Quest creator speaks at congressional briefing on cyberstalking"], ''Polygon''</ref>
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===Further media "triumph"===
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Industry analyst Joost van Dreunen said that Gamergate was one of the many {{wpl|Disruptive innovation|disruptive changes}} in gaming for 2015 that would lead  the video game industry to take women more seriously and increase the visibility of women in the industry in leadership roles;<ref>Oscar Raymundo, [http://www.inc.com/oscar-raymundo/6-reasons-the-video-game-industry-will-be-disrupted-in-2015.html "6 Reasons the Video-Game Industry Will Be Disrupted in 2015"], ''Inc.''</ref> just what Gamergate wanted. Gamergate was also the focus of a segment on ABC's ''Nightline'' on January 14, and anchor Juju Chang interviewed both Sarkeesian and Wu with regards to the harassment they have suffered.<ref>Juju Chang, "[http://abcnews.go.com/Nightline/video/feels-gamergate-target-28238598 What It Feels Like to Be a Gamergate Target"], ''Nightline''</ref><ref>Juju Chang, "[http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/jumping-gamergate-turns-fearing-life/story?id=28230901 When Jumping into Gamergate Turns into Fearing For Your Life"], ''Nightline''</ref>
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On February 11, in an instance of art imitating life, an episode of the NBC crime drama {{wpl|Law & Order: SVU|''Law & Order: SVU''}} titled "Intimidation Game" told the story of a female game developer being harassed online. Many saw the parallels during previews,<ref>Michael McWhertor, [http://www.polygon.com/2015/2/5/7989625/law-and-order-svu-gamergate-episode "Get a sneak preview of Law & Order SVU's GamerGate episode"], ''Polygon''</ref> but were ultimately unhappy with what they perceived was the message given with the episode's ending. Gamergate thought they had achieved a victory, but quickly changed their tune after watching the episode. This was obvious when disgraced game developer {{wpl|Mark Kern}} joined Gamergate's fray, arguing that the video game media was to blame for having given gamers such a bad name, particularly concerning the contents of the ''Law & Order'' episode.<ref>Mark Kern, [https://www.change.org/p/kotaku-lead-the-way-in-healing-the-rift-in-video-games "Lead the way in healing the rift in video games."], Change.org</ref> Many were quick to call out the hypocrisy of Kern's petition,<ref>Patrick Garratt, [http://www.vg247.com/2015/02/17/developers-shooting-the-messenger-stop-blaming-the-press-for-sexist-extremism-in-games/ "Developers shooting the messenger: stop blaming the press for sexist extremism in games"], ''VG247''</ref><ref>Damion Schubert, [http://www.zenofdesign.com/on-mark-kerns-petition-thingy/ "On L&O:SVU and Mark Kern’s Petition Thingy"], ''Zen of Design''</ref><ref>Damion Schubert, [http://www.zenofdesign.com/mark-kern-doubles-down-on-being-wrong/ "Mark Kern Doubles Down on Being Wrong"], ''Zen of Design''</ref><ref>Scott Jennings, [http://www.brokentoys.org/?p=5672 "I Demand You Listen To Me"], ''Broken Toys''</ref> bringing to light how Gamergate at this point had devolved into anyone's grinding stone.<ref>Jay Allen, [https://storify.com/a_man_in_black/gamergate-axe-grinding-service "#gamergate Axe Grinding Service"], Storify</ref>
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In the end, the gaming industry sees Gamergate as a punchline, particularly its treatment by major game developers at the 2015 Game Developers Choice Awards. When Tim Schafer made a joke at their expense, utilizing a literal sockpuppet on stage, Gamergate made one last stand to accuse him of racism and sexism, but their cries fell on deaf ears.<ref>Andrew Todd, [http://badassdigest.com/2015/03/05/gamergate-is-now-literally-an-industry-joke/ "#GamerGate Is Now Literally An Industry Joke"], ''Badass Digest''</ref><ref>Victoria McNally, [http://www.themarysue.com/time-schafer-gamergate-joke/ "Here’s The Joke Tim Schafer Made That Has Gamergate Freaking Out"], ''The Mary Sue''</ref>
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By mid-2015, the only people left in Gamergate are the worst of the worst, made evident when ''A Voice for Men'' writers tried to champion their ideals by disrupting a comic book convention and had to lie to get in.<ref>Jill Pantozzi, [http://www.themarysue.com/calgary-expo-gamergate-evicted/ "<nowiki>[UPDATED]</nowiki> Members of Gamergate Planned to “Infiltrate” Calgary Expo to Actively Disrupt Panels, Calgary Expo Has Evicted Them"], ''The Mary Sue''</ref>
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==See also==
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{{fun|Real Gamers}}
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*[[Timeline of Gamergate]]
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*[[Fake geek girl]]
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*[[Elevatorgate]]
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==Notes==
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{{reflist|group=Note}}
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==References==
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{{reflist|3}}
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[[Category:Conspiracy theories]]
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[[Category:Deceit]]
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[[Category:Folklore]]
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[[Category:Identity politics]]
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[[Category:Internet]]
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[[Category:Media]]
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[[Category:Men's rights]]
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[[Category:Pissed at us]]
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[[Category:Sexism]]
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[[Category:Social justice]]
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[[Category:Unremitting horror]]
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[[Category:Video games]]
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Revision as of 02:29, 25 April 2015

It's actually about ethics in video game journalism, you fucking slut!
Someone is wrong on

The Internet

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Log in:
A few weeks ago our message board and general inbox were bombarded with demands we address something called the "GamerGate Scandal", posts written with the urgency and rage one would associate with, say, discovering that Chipotle burritos are made entirely from the meat of human babies. It's apparently a big deal in some circles, so we followed the links and read the piles of data presented, and had to stop and take a deep breath just to grasp it all. "Gentlemen," we said amid the stunned silence, "do you realize that if what they're saying is true, then this is still the most pointless fucking bullshit anyone has ever forced us to read?"
Cracked.com, [1]

Gamergate is a misogynistic and reactionary backlash in the video game community against feminism and other liberal ideologies. The controversy erupted in August 2014 when game developer Zoe Quinn's ex-boyfriend alleged that she had cheated on him with multiple partners. This spurred a torrent of harassment and threats from that spread to Quinn's colleagues, supporters, and anyone else who held similar opinions, such as media critic Anita Sarkeesian and game developers like Phil Fish and Brianna Wu. The name "Gamergate", coined by conservative actor Adam Baldwin, originally referred to the trumped up "scandal" surrounding Quinn, but the people shouting about it would take the name for themselves.

Gamergate's supporters, known as "Gamergaters" ("Gators" to their critics), claim they are a grassroots consumer movement advocating "ethics in video game journalism", freedom of speech, and game developers' freedom of expression. They contend that Quinn traded sex for positive game reviews (no such review exists). They also believe feminists want to censor video games, citing Sarkeesian as an example—demonstrating that if they have watched any of her videos, they ignored them in favor of the versions inside their own heads. It is also a backlash against the maturation of video games into a form of art worthy of academic study and subjective criticism, rather than software to be consumed without thought and judged solely on objective technical merits.

Despite the fact that none of Gamergate's claims hold up under scrutiny, early on they were able to put a positive spin on their intentions, running an astroturfing campaign that recruited useful idiots into a token subgroup to counter claims of exclusivity. Gamergate was also courted by opportunistic right-wingers, MRAs, neo-Nazis, and others who sought to exploit it. Once moderate voices started to flee the toxicity, leaving only those who believe in the "social justice warrior" bogeymen of the Internet, hangers-on were able to use Gamergate as their personal revenge army.

Contents

Brief summary

Here is the briefest possible summary that provides all you will ever need to know about the whole thing.

  • Video game designer breaks up with her boyfriend
  • Same (now ex-) boyfriend posts angry rant about her online
  • Internet hate machine finds rant
  • Every bigot in the world gets involved only because every other bigot is already involved
  • Ensuing miasma of vitriol and straw fuels a largely one-sided flame war that burns with the rage of a thousand suns

But iffe knowledge further ye crave, abandone all hope and take despair to thy heart, for...

Background

Despite a growing number of female gamers (various studies have shown that in recent years women outnumber men as consumers),[2] video games are predominately marketed to "masculine" tastes. Recent years have seen a move away from the status quo, especially within the independent sector and alternative games journalism; including games marketed for women, games with more inclusive or feminist messages, and feminist criticism of the implicit and explicit sexism in gaming culture.

These shifts have been met with vocal and obnoxious resistance from certain segments of the gaming community. This was most apparent in May 2012 when Anita Sarkeesian launched a Kickstarter campaign to fund her Tropes vs. Women in Video Games web series to analyze the portrayal of women in video games. Her "crime" of criticizing video games led to a hostile backlash, which the mainstream media covered and led to an outpouring of support for her project.[3][4]

Another example was the cyberstalking of Dina Abou Karam, which started in December 2013 after she was hired onto the team of the crowd-funded video game Mighty No. 9.[wp] In her introduction to the game's Kickstarter backers, she included a piece of fan art she made which depicted the game's male protagonist as a woman. This led to attacks from those who believed she was going to inject a feminist message into the game, despite the fact that as community manager she had no say in the game's development.[5]

Zoe Quinn

In February 2013, Zoe Quinn independently released her video game Depression Quest, an interactive fiction[wp] game that portrays living with clinical depression. It received praise for its message, but was trashed by self-styled "hardcore" gamers claiming its simple design and "lack of gameplay" meant it was "not a real game" and that it was "social justice warrior" (SJW) propaganda. After she submitted the game to Steam Greenlight[wp], she was doxxed.[6] Threats included messages saying she should kill herself or that the sender would rape her.[7][8] Depression Quest was officially released on Steam in August 2014.

Eron Gjoni and "The Zoe Post"

On August 15, 2014, Quinn's ex-boyfriend Eron Gjoni posted a rant about his breakup with her titled "Cringe Worthy Breakup Stories" to several message boards. He alleged that she had cheated on him with multiple partners.[9] After he was banned from these websites and the posts deleted, he made a blog to host the accusations and called it "The Zoe Post".[10] He would later admit that he had crafted the post to make it appeal to an audience of trolls who would delight in attacking Quinn, namely Reddit and 4chan users.[11] He would deny that was his intention,[12] but an early draft suggested otherwise.[11]

Among the slut-shaming musings of "The Zoe Post", one that attracted attention and amusement was the following:

Five guys. Man. she cheated on me with five guys? Five guys. And now I can’t stop mentally referring to her as Burgers and Fries.[10]

This reference to the fast-food restaurant Five Guys Burgers and Fries[wp] gave the hate campaign its first name: #BurgersAndFries.

Gjoni stated that he posted the screed to "warn" potential future partners about Quinn's alleged behavior,[10] a shaming tactic common in the manosphere. He wrote, "I believe that to stay quiet about someone who will hurt others is to be complicit in perpetuating the harm they will cause".[13] He also tried to distance himself from the harassment of Quinn his post inspired, but chat logs and other sources confirm he was promoting the harassment.[11]

"The Quinnspiracy"

Many of the readers of "The Zoe Post" focused on the mention of Nathan Grayson, a writer for the video game news site Kotaku, as one of Quinn's partners. This led them to conclude that Quinn had slept with Grayson to get positive reviews for Depression Quest and boost her career.[14] Some proponents of this sex-for-reviews scandal, which became known as "The Quinnspiracy," argued that it represented an example of an alleged "lack of integrity" in video game journalism.[14]

Kotaku editor-in-chief Stephen Totilo refuted the claim: Grayson had only written one article about Quinn, and that was prior to the start of their relationship.[15] In fact, Kotaku hosts nothing even resembling a review of Depression Quest. The mob responded by bringing up a piece Grayson wrote months earlier at Rock, Paper, Shotgun which listed Depression Quest amongst 50 other games approved through Steam Greenlight[16] as further proof of collusion. The article, however, was merely a list, not a review.[17] Gjoni also edited his blog to clarify that, "if there was any conflict of interest between Zoe and Nathan regarding coverage of Depression Quest prior to April, I have no evidence to imply that it was sexual in nature".[10]

Gamergate becomes a thing

Harassment and doxxing

"The Zoe Post" inspired a fresh wave of harassment against Quinn, that led to her email, Tumblr, Twitter, Skype, and Dropbox accounts being hacked; Gjoni was instrumental in distributing her login information. Several of her friends' accounts were hacked as well. Nude photographs acquired in the hack were distributed online and to her family and employers.[6] Fellow game developer Phil Fish[wp] stood up for Quinn and had his personal and professional data hacked, prompting him to leave the game industry and sell off his assets.[18][19] The anonymous mob denied responsibility, claiming that Quinn and Fish were running a false flag operation, an accusation based solely in the mob's belief that Quinn's current boyfriend Alex Lifschitz was secretly Fish.[20] The harassment intensified to include death threats, forcing Quinn and Lifschitz to move out of their apartment out of fear.[21] One of Quinn's close friends wrote that other women in the gaming industry feared being targeted next, and some opted to leave gaming, destroying projects they had been working on or going into hiding.[22]

Pushers of "The Quinnspiracy" drew attention to a feud several months earlier between Quinn and a group known as The Fine Young Capitalists (TFYC) who had run a "women in game design" competition. She accused them of exploiting inexperienced game designers by asking them to work for free, and critiqued their policy on transgender contestants. The debate brought enough traffic to TFYC's website that it crashed, leading Quinn to be accused of coordinating a denial-of-service attack[wp] against TFYC.[23] A member of TFYC later accused Quinn of having, "started a fucking Twitter storm, crashed our website, got my personal information doxxed, [and] got us banned from Twitter."[24]

Meanwhile, Sarkeesian released a new video in her Tropes vs. Women in Video Game series and immediately received "some very scary threats" against herself and her family, leading her to leave her home temporarily.[25]

Operation Chemo and Vivian James

Supporting real women in video games, apparently...

4chan users championed Gamergate, notably members of the video game board, /v/; and the "politically incorrect" board, /pol/; the latter is a haven for neo-Nazis, neoreactionaries, and red pillers. On August 21, a poster on /pol/ suggested that they should donate to TFYC to spite Quinn and invert 4chan stereotypes by superficially supporting a "SJW" cause.[26] [24] [24] Another anonymous poster replied with "4chan attacks the cancer and simultaneously sponsors the chemo", using the common chanspeak metaphor of "cancer" as anything they perceive as a threat to 4chan culture. "Operation Chemo" soon spread to /v/ and other boards and quickly raised over $5,000 in donations to TFYC.[24]

The outpouring of support for TFYC fulfilled one of their fundraising goals, and they allowed the 4chan mob to design a character that would appear in their game. One poster suggested that this character should be "just an average female gamer" to challenge expectations that 4chan would produce something vulgar or misogynistic. The result was Vivian James, a young woman with the 4chan clover logo on her headband, whose name sounds like "vidya games" (/v/ slang for video games).[24] Vivian, who quickly became a mascot for Gamergate, just wants to game and doesn't want to think about social issues.[26][27] As the major donor to TFYC's project, 4chan was also permitted to choose the charity which would receive the proceeds of the finished game. Out of the charities nominated (including the JIDF and various men's rights causes), the winner was the Colon Cancer Alliance, continuing the meme of "chemo for butthurt".[28]

Immediately after creating an imaginary teenage girl to agree that they aren't misogynistic, 4chan users started making porn of the character. Some of these pictures were included in the files submitted to TFYC.[24] As if to further underscore the stupidity of their movement, Gamergaters seem to think Vivian is an example of a "real woman" that supports their cause,[29] while others use Vivian as a friend argument.[30]

Vivian James' green and purple color scheme is likely a reference to an old 4chan meme known as "Piccolo Dick", a.k.a. "Daily Dose": an animated GIF of the character Piccolo from Dragon Ball Z[wp] raping Vegeta, which evolved into posting images with green and purple when the original image was banned.[31][28][32] Gamergaters regularly deny the connection,[31] and TFYC did not consider the link a problem, citing the fact that they had already been sent Vivian James porn and, "there have been multiple pornographic images created [of Vivian James], many of which are more offensive than the three-year-old meme you referenced".[33]

Journalists and pundits weigh in

As the harassment of Quinn and Sarkeesian began to generate media attention, commentators at gaming and pop culture news sites explored the nasty streak in gamer culture exposed by these activities. Several observers suggested that, with video games becoming mainstream, the conventional notion of an exclusively male "gamer" demographic was obsolete.[34][35][36][37] Gators cried foul, referring to these articles as the "Gamers Are Dead" posts. They accused media outlets of perpetuating harmful stereotypes of gamers as misogynistic white males (despite the articles claiming the opposite), and, drawing on the fact that several similarly-themed articles came out within a relatively short period of time, of "collusion" and "corruption".

Vlogger John "TotalBiscuit" Bain[wp] attacked the critiques, maintaining that they were othering gamers and fostering division instead of dialogue.[38] His extensive online following (he had some 250,000 Twitter followers) made him an early figurehead of the movement, though he wavers between officially supporting it and professing a "neutral" take.

Naming

Actually, it's about ethics in reproducing without royal assent.

The burgeoning hate mob at this point was still nameless, either using the hashtags #BurgersAndFries or #TheQuinnspiracy to coordinate harassment of Quinn on Twitter and other social media. On August 27 conservative actor Adam Baldwin tweeted several videos about the "Quinnspiracy" with the hashtag "#Gamergate"[39] and a name stuck.

The term "gamergate"[wp] was originally used in entomology for a reproductively viable female worker ant. Almost ironic for a movement against women.

Gamergate escalates

If a picture says it, it must be true

To deflect criticism that Gamergate was entirely focused on Quinn and Sarkeesian, Gamergaters began to refer to them as "Literally Who" (as in "I literally have no idea who that is"), often shortened to "LW", to imply, paradoxically, that Gamergaters don't know or care who these women are, even as they obsess over them.[40] As Gamergate progressed, more and more women became "Literally Who" dehumanizing them and facilitating their harassment.[41]

Critics of Gamergate have coined their own terms describing its tactics. "Sealioning" (a term derived from the webcomic Wondermark in which a sea lion intrudes on an unsuspecting couple's conversation[42]) describes how Gamergaters insert themselves into conversations about Gamergate, with zero provocation (and often without ever using the #Gamergate hashtag) to just ask questions.[43]

Revelation as coordinated hate campaign

In September, game designer and journalist Jenn Frank wrote an article for The Guardian about the treatment women in gaming.[44] Gamergaters soon accused Frank of a "conflict of interest" because she had contributed to Quinn's Patreon account; Frank had actually included this disclosure in her original draft, but The Guardian did not think it worth mentioning. It was added after the fact, but the damage was done and she left gaming, joined by game designer Mattie Brice. This was met with celebration in Gamergate, with one person writing, "SJWs [are] dropping like flies before the might of #GamerGate," and another that, "The dominos are falling. We're winning. It's brilliant."[45]

Soon after the outbreak of Gamergate, tweets bearing the hashtag #NotYourShield began to trend in Gamergate circles. These tweets were ostensibly from people from outside the straight white male gamer demographic, such as women, people of color, and LGBTQIA folk, who argued that they did not want their identities used as a shield from criticism as accusations of Gamergate being a hate movement were made by the gaming press.[46][47]

On September 6, Quinn released a series of archived 4chan posts and IRC chatlogs that revealed that Gamergate was indeed a coordinated attack against herself, Sarkeesian, and others viewed as "social justice warriors". She also revealed that #NotYourShield was an astroturfing campaign to shield Gamergate from criticism.[48] Gamergaters created sockpuppet Twitter accounts to push #NotYourShield, fabricating user profiles and swiping profile photos from elsewhere for use as avatars.[49] Members of the chatroom attempted to defend themselves by dumping the entire week of chat logs, but it still proved Quinn's point: Gamergate was made to attack her and anyone that got in their way of attacking her, and they had manufactured #NotYourShield themselves to deflect blame.[50][51]

The players in Gamergate from /pol/ have a history of making up fake hashtags to discredit feminism, including #EndFathersDay, "Operation Bikini Bridge", and "Operation Freebleeding";[52][53] but with #NotYourShield, they had actually managed to recruit useful idiots to turn it into a friend argument and culture jamming[wp] campaign.[54]

People can only be #NotYourShield for so long before they see Gamergate's toxic nature and call the movement out for it, ultimately becoming victims to the mob.[41] This is an extension of 4chan culture, where anonymity is sacred and expressions of individualism are seen as "attention-whoring". That Quinn, Sarkeesian, and others speak openly about what is happening to them is perceived by channers as lying for attention or profit; they are frequently accused of being "professional victims".[43]

4chan shows Gamergate the door

4chan's owner Christopher "moot" Poole announced on September 18 that 4chan would ban all Gamergate threads for violation of its "no personal information/raids/call to invasion" rule[55] Gators claimed this was an infringement on free speech[43] and accused Poole of having fallen to SJW wiles; they mistakenly believed he was dating former Gawker employee Mallory Blair. [56] In January 2015, moot left 4chan;[57] in an interview with Rolling Stone, he admitted that the stressful damage control efforts over "The Fappening" (leaks of celebrity nude photos) and Gamergate led to this decision.[58]

Many of the "disenfranchised" posters moved to 8chan, a similarly-styled forum founded a year earlier that promised less-restrictive rules. There, Gators created a board called "/gg/".[59][60] Due to inevitable infighting and drama on a board of anonymous assholes, /gg/ gave way to "/gamerate/" which was then abandoned in favor of "/gamergatehq/", at the time of writing. Another board at 8chan called "/baphomet/" was set up during Gamergate, reviving the spirit of old-school raiding and doxxing boards. While Gators deny any relationship between Gamergate and "/baph/", harassment of Gamergate targets is organized there.[61][62][63]

Right-wing opportunists pile on

Let none call them Nazis. A combination of a famous Nazi propaganda cartoon and a famous neo-Nazi propaganda cartoon. (And Sarkeesian isn't even Jewish.)

Several conservative and libertarian commentators support Gamergate. Christina Hoff Sommers of the conservative think tank the American Enterprise Institute dismissed the existence of sexism in video games and gaming culture.[64] Cathy Young of the libertarian magazine Reason backed Gamergate, arguing that "the feminism GamerGate rebels against is not simply about equality or diversity," but "authoritarian, far-left brand of gender politics."[65]

Gamergate also attracted the support of reactionary Theodore Beale (Vox Day).[66] Beale has blogged:

At this point, #GamerGate is about more than games now. It is a Schwerpunkt in the ongoing cultural war for the West. And the gamers of #GamerGate are the only defenders of freedom and Western civilization who are counterattacking and causing enemy casualties. That is why it is more than important, it is vital to see non-gamers joining the cause rather than sneering from the sidelines.
—Vox Day, [67]

Other bloggers soon piled on:

  • Men's rights activist Roosh V launched a gaming website called Reaxxion which mostly hosts Gamergate propaganda; the site was once duped into publishing a submission that was a doctored old John Birch Society screed where "Gamergate" and "SJW" replaced every mention of "John Birch Society" and "communist".[68]
  • Davis Aurini revealed he was planning a documentary with Jordan Owen to "critique" Sarkeesian.[69] They requested $15,000 per month to fund the project (possibly to fund Aurini's skull collection).[70] His biggest achievement so far has been to promote a hoax that Sarkeesian was lying about contacting police about the threats she received[71] because the San Francisco Police Department representative he spoke to wasn't aware that SFPD had handed her case over to the FBI.[72]
  • Thunderf00t also joined in, mostly to capitalize on his existing hatred of Sarkeesian.[73]
  • Anti-feminist writers Janet "JudgyBitch" Bloomfield of A Voice for Men[74][75] and Karen "GirlWritesWhat" Straughan[76][77] also threw their support behind Gamergate.

The website Techraptor ran several articles supporting Gamergate, boosting their traffic. Quinn pointed out that Techraptor's ethics policy shows they crowdsource ideas from Reddit's Gamergate supporter board /r/KotakuInAction, leaving in multiple errors that are rarely if ever corrected, and makes no mention of objectivity, which is one of Gamergate's talking points. She wrote, "[their articles are] written with such an extreme slant [that] the italics have leaned so far they have fallen over and become underscores."[78]

Milo Yiannopoulos

Milo Yiannopoulos,[wp] an openly gay (which Gamergate thinks makes him immune to criticism a la #NotYourShield[79]) contributor to Breitbart London, became an early Gamergate hero when he published "Feminist Bullies Tearing the Video Game Industry Apart".[80] Many were quick to call him out on his sudden 180 on gaming by bringing up several pieces he had written that were critical towards the gamer demographic he was now courting.[81][82][83] A 2013 post on his failed start-up The Kernel bemoaned the level of "sex, drugs and violence" in video games.[84] A day before "The Zoe Post" was published, he argued that video games were to blame for Elliot Rodger's genocidal fantasies.[85] And mere days before his "Feminist Bullies" piece, he tweeted, "If you're a grown man with hands clamped to an Xbox controller instead of a pair of tits you need a good slap".[86] Although he would later proclaim that he was an avid gamer, it was clear to outsiders that this new interest was a thinly veiled attempt at gaining conservative political allies, as well as Gamergate's inability to discern between bias in their favor and neutral journalism.[81][82]

Much of this criticism was in response to Yiannopoulos's leaking of a gaming writers' mailing list called "GameJournoPros", including unredacted emails where people discussed Quinn's harassment, only reinforcing Gamergate's conspiracy theory that there was collusion amongst gaming journalists.[87] Of note were emails discussing a potential letter of solidarity for her that was shot down and an argument between Ben Kuchera of Polygon and The Escapist's editor-in-chief Greg Tito over a refusal to shut down a forum thread at The Escapist where harassment towards Quinn was being organized.[88][89][90] As a result of the leak, the list was shut down.

Gamergate vs. advertisments

Gamergate went after gaming websites that did not support it (especially the ones that published the "Gamers Are Dead" pieces), creating a blacklist and trying to undermine their advertising revenue. This was initially attempted using archive.today, a web service that saves pages without their ads; /r/KotakuInAction mods demand that all links to the blacklisted websites be archive.today links, and a browser extension was developed to automatically redirect through the service. Vice was first to recognize this when they found most of their non-gaming articles were being routed through the service.[91]

When this proved ineffective, Gamergate began contacting advertisers directly in what they called "Operation Disrespectful Nod", itself an attack on Quinn as it mocks someone who had sent her words of support. They gained some traction when Intel responded and pulled ads from the developer-oriented website Gamasutra where Leigh Alexander had written one of the articles that critiqued Gamergate.[92][93] Intel was criticized for its decision, and they released an apology, but did not reinstate advertising on the website[94] until a month later.

Gamergate again attempted to remove ad revenue after Gawker contributor Sam Biddle posted a series of Tweets that concluded with a poor taste joke: "[Gamergate] reaffirm[s] what we've known to be true for decades: nerds should be constantly shamed and degraded into submission."[95] This spawned "Operation Baby Seal" (no one is sure why this name was chosen[96]


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