#GamerGate is the hashtag (twitter) around which video game consumers have rallied to:
- Demand an end to unethical behavior, corruption, and overt politicization in the video game industry, particularly among video game journalists
- Boycott outlets that have attacked gamers with accusations of misogyny and sexism in response to the above demand
- Share research on and evidence of corruption in the industry
- Support websites/causes that support gamers and inclusivity in the industry
- Support each other against accusations of misogyny, racism, homophobia, etc.
(gamers just want to play games)
Skipping down past the 'easy bites'...
For those reading this who may be sympathetic to the social justice argument, I would point out using accusations of misogyny et. al. to cover corruption and graft severely undermines the fight against actual examples of sexism, racism, and homophobia the world over.
But beyond that, I believe this is a cultural tipping point, wherein we can decide if we will continue the spiral down into splitting people up into groups of victims for the benefit of a few corrupt leaders, or head back towards valuing the individual on his or her own merit.
Video games are a wonderful hobby that promote inclusivity, friendly competition, and independent thinking. Let’s not allow them to become another political message board dictated to by unscrupulous narcissists. (please read the whole thing)
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But beyond that, I believe this is a cultural tipping point, wherein we can decide if we will continue the spiral down into splitting people up into groups of victims for the benefit of a few corrupt leaders, or head back towards valuing the individual on his or her own merit.
Tipping point for so many issues, not just gamer gate.
God, I hate identity politics. That's why I don't go to TOP anymore.
The great dilemma of identity politics is that anything you say... even that identity politics is a load of crap... just gets you back into arguing identity politics.
Which is what the addicts really want. The identity politics addicts must force you to constantly answer to their bitch. I don't have a bitch, nor do I want one. Creating a bitch for the sake of answering the addicts quid pro quo is not worth the endless fight. That fight will dominate your life and your consciousness.
The only way out of the identity politics warfare is out. Yeah, I don't always succeed in following my own advice... but I try.
That's a good article. I don't think I've seen a better explanation of what the GamerGate people are upset about.
The cartoon is spot on.
The same cultural conflict is happening in many other venues and follows the same dynamic which seems to me to be very much about gaining power through changing definitions and making one's self the go-to person for interpreting the ever changing definitions and rules.
I've heard suggestions that the latest blow-up in science fiction is edging toward demands that the social justice oriented white women aren't welcome in the conversation any more even though they were all about making people of color feel welcome in SF, and that the people of color are the only ones allowed to have any sort of opinion about any aspect of it.
This is sad and sort of humorous because it doesn't lead to any sort of *inclusion* but leads to ever more exclusion and fracturing. But those of us who called BS on the whole thing many years ago and walked away already knew that (no, sorry, I will not play when you've defined my opinion as illegitimate before I even start).
The bullying is unbelievable and blatant and defended by service to a "good" cause. Apparently two wrongs do make a right after all. But in the end they eat their own because only their own are susceptible to the bullying, shaming and ostracizing tactics. How many times did Glee have to apologize for insulting gays?
There is very little profit in aiming these tactics at people who have rejected the premise. You can show you're a good person to your tribal peers, and you can make it clear what will happen to anyone who dares be apostate, but you can't really get much traction otherwise.
So they eat their own.
And I'll say about Gaming peers...
In general almost all of the people being attacked as misogynist racists were firmly in the social justice camp. Many many of them firmly liberal. Young. Idealistic. And certainly did not feel themselves to be one of those Bad Guys. Support better character models for female characters. Think it's great that their in-game toon could flirt with and have relationships with non-player characters of either gender. Almost any game I've seen lately has npc same sex couples in the story-line.
But when this all blew up what they found was that this wasn't good enough. There was always something more and even people trying to support the social justice cause could be shut down and shut out of media coverage if they didn't get the endorsement of the chosen few.
And when they complained they got called misogynist racist neck-beards.
And when they got mad they got told that this only proved it true.
Feminism: The sludge-like toxic byproduct produced from brewing American narcissism, identity politics and Catholic sexual paranoia.
Side effects may include believing that the same nerdy video game players who interact less with women than any male category are actually at some forefront of oppressing them.
Other side effects may include the delusion that male compliments in passing, or other individual attempts at public communication, are a severe form of psychological assault. Especially when you're young enough to have so many other options for whom you wish to aggrandize you.
Identity politics are unavoidable but there's no sense in exacerbating and prolonging them. You could, and America is, but it's to the detriment of everybody. Sure, there was a time when the problems of blacks or ladies needed more attention. But if this was intended to become an eternal project, they should have sent a memo.
I don't see any good from privileging an extended sense of "oppression" any more other than to make blacks more complacent at being less professionally competitive and women more complacent about being more underhanded and ethically smug.
Liberals LOVE to ban shit. They love to control others. I'm certain it NEVER crossed these whining bitches minds to make games that they thought were appropriate and compete. Oh wait a minute..never mind. Yeah, they better go the banning route.
Well, they do make games. Lets be fair. Or at least some of them do.
And they get really great reviews for them too.
Which was part of the problem.
Players suspected that "this is a great game" actually meant "my friend made this and it hits all the right social justice notes but we won't talk about anything as crass as if it's any *fun* just that it's good for you."
Fuck, why is gamergate even getting this kind of attention. Jesus, I've been in on gamergate since day one and it was retarded back then and now that media has gotten their filthy mitts on this non-story, they've conflated it to the war on women level.
I think it's getting this level of attention for a couple of reasons...
First, that instead of immediately folding like they were *supposed* to do, and issuing a tearful apology, most of the people who were being accused of being racist misogynists are/were left-liberal-social justice types themselves so they're not used to it and it pissed them off.
And Second, that there are too many parallels touching people's lives in other parts of popular culture and even... science. So many people who hear of it and normally wouldn't care at all what happens among gamers are thinking... wow, there too.
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