How is it that I’m just now finding out about this controversy? According to Wikipedia, it’s been going on for a few months, and I find it rather sickening to read about. Today, I came across this article in the Guardian about Felicia Day being doxxed shortly after speaking out about it. As a gamer, I have already acknowledged the rampant sexism in the gaming community. At the time I wrote that piece, I had no idea that #GamerGate was a thing. I was just speaking from my heart about an issue that I myself know all too well.
At the heart of it all, the people behind #GamerGate are misogynistic assholes who feed on sexism and degrading women. When called out on it, they bleat and cry like a bunch of wounded cattle with not a leg to stand on. They run to their Microsoft Word and Excel and Photoshop, trying to outdo each other with charts and graphs; they post videos and long-winded tirades about notable female gamers who they feel aren’t as special as male gamers are. All of these sexist, misogynistic pricks claim that this whole movement is about journalistic ethics, but it all boils down to shutting down female gamers who speak up about rampant sexism and unfairness in this industry.
It makes me sick. I love gaming. I love the gaming community. I love my fellow gamers, both male and female alike. While I have experienced sexism and misogyny in my games, as a whole, this community is still pretty fucking fantastic, and I wouldn’t trade them for all the regular people in the world. To think we are being split in two by a stupid, asinine “cause” that isn’t what they say it is, is really mind-blowing.
Most people can at least admit they’ve witnessed sexism while gaming, even if they won’t say they’ve participated in it. It’s a known problem in the industry, and it’s one that unfairly targets and belittles a large (and growing) swath of that community’s population. I’m the type of person that always wants to better myself, and I don’t understand people who are just fine with the status quo when it hurts and damages others. I can’t wrap my head around that laissez faire attitude.
I’ve dug through YouTube as much as I can stand, and as far as I can tell, there are almost no videos by women speaking out about #GamerGate, but rather mostly angry, hateful men posting rants about it.
I can’t stand it. I’m about fed up with this whole clusterfuck. Seriously.
This post is in response to the Daily Prompt.
Girl in a Game World 
As long as I played games on line – I do it alot sometimes, though not lately -two things have remained consistent. One, except as entertainment it’s a total waste of time; given the time and energy so many folks pour into it, they’re setting back lots of other fun and useful pusuits. It’s fine, as I say I do it myself sometimes. Then people act like it’s all deeply important, like having the best goo gaws makes you a better person somehow. Funny, really. Finally, few people bother to learn how to interact with other human beings: so much childish ranting and complaining and middle school drama. That all said, I’ve heard of this controversy you discuss, and it hardly surprises me, given the context. It’s an unusual, limited population in many ways: lots of heat, not much light, unless it involves finding tweaks and cheats and tricks. Given the prevalent maturity level and communication skills, I can only imagine what women raising serious issues like adults would encounter. I imagine someone trying to teach Shakespeare in Middle School detention hall: something like that. Ever read Lord of the Flies?
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I’ve never read Lord of the Flies. And, while there are quite a few immature assholes in the games, a lot of us DO have quite full and interesting real lives.
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I agree, I ‘met’ lots of great folks that way. It’s a vast group. Good book, by the way. It shows how badly a bad situation can impact good people and produce mayhem.
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