Gamergate: An Examination of the Controversy and its Lasting Impact on the Gaming Industry

Gamergate was a significant controversy that emerged in the gaming industry in 2014, leaving a lasting impact on the gaming community. It began as a purported critique of ethics in video game journalism but quickly devolved into a broader movement marked by harassment, misogyny, and online vitriol. In this article, we delve into the origins of Gamergate, its key issues, the consequences it had on the industry, and the lessons learned.

1. The Origins of Gamergate​

Gamergate originated from allegations of impropriety and conflicts of interest within the gaming press, particularly concerning relationships between game developers and journalists. However, the controversy rapidly spiraled into a broader movement, driven by toxic elements that targeted women, particularly those involved in the gaming industry. Online harassment, doxxing (revealing personal information), and threats became prevalent, highlighting deep-seated misogyny within certain segments of the gaming community.

2. The Battle for Representation and Inclusion​

At its core, Gamergate highlighted broader issues of representation and inclusion within the gaming industry. Critics argued that the movement's backlash against diversity and inclusivity initiatives further perpetuated the industry's status quo, hindering progress and stifling the voices of marginalized individuals. Gamergate ignited a larger conversation about the importance of diversity and representation in video games and prompted ongoing efforts to foster inclusivity.

3. The Dark Side of Online Communities​

Gamergate revealed the darker side of online communities, demonstrating how anonymity and the distance provided by the internet can amplify harassment and toxicity. The movement underscored the urgent need for improved online safety measures, effective moderation, and accountability within gaming communities. It also served as a wake-up call for platforms and social media networks to address issues of harassment and establish stronger guidelines for user conduct.

4. The Aftermath and Industry Response​

Gamergate had a profound impact on the gaming industry. It led to increased scrutiny of ethical practices in video game journalism and encouraged discussions about diversity and representation within game development. The controversy spurred the creation of initiatives and organizations aimed at fostering inclusivity and combating online harassment. It also inspired a greater emphasis on diverse storytelling, characters, and perspectives in video games.

5. Lessons Learned and Moving Forward​

Gamergate served as a catalyst for change, forcing the industry to confront long-standing issues and prompting important conversations about ethics, representation, and inclusivity. It highlighted the importance of empathy, respect, and responsible journalism within the gaming community. Moving forward, it is crucial to continue challenging toxic behaviors, supporting diverse voices, and cultivating an inclusive environment that promotes positive discourse and meaningful progress.

Conclusion​

Gamergate was a deeply contentious chapter in the gaming industry, exposing issues of harassment, misogyny, and the need for greater representation and inclusion. While the controversy had negative consequences, it also ignited important conversations and prompted positive changes within the industry. The lessons learned from Gamergate continue to shape the gaming community, emphasizing the need for accountability, empathy, and a commitment to fostering a safe and inclusive environment for all gamers. By learning from the past, the gaming industry can continue to evolve and create a more welcoming and inclusive space for everyone involved.

 

[Shagger]

I actually have a lot to say on this based upon what I was observing at the time, the good and bad behaviours on both sides of the debate and how I feel about it upon reflection, but what's the point when the one who posts the thread never replies to the comments on his threads, never engages with anyone and uses most of his threads to peddle bitcoin, casinos and cheat services for collage papers. Sorry, but it's just not woth it.

 

[actus_essendi]

I basically agree with the points in the article, except this one:

highlighting deep-seated misogyny within certain segments of the gaming community.

This statement is either unfounded or so vague as to be meaningless.

Yes, there was a lot of misogyny within GG. Is this sufficient evidence to conclude that "the gaming community" was misogynistic? No. Does al-Qaeda prove that "the Muslim community" is violent? Does the Westboro Baptist Church prove that "the Christian community" is hateful? Of course not.

Now, the article doesn't say that all gamers were misogynistic. It explicitly refers to "certain segments of the gaming community." But that's so vague that it's a useless point to make.

The 2012 harassment of Laci Green and the 2015 harassment of Zamii070 show that certain segments of the social justice community were unhinged at the time. But now, in 2023, are mainstream outlets going to publish retrospective articles on those events and say that the events revealed the toxicity of "certain segments" of the social justice community? Nope. Why is that?

Because mainstream outlets recognize, correctly, that publishing such articles would serve no purpose except to reinforce oversimplified anti-SJW narratives. Yes, "certain segments" of the social justice community were crazy back in the 2010s. "Certain segments" of every group are crazy. Why point that out unless you want to demonize said group?

But, as always, it's fine to cast pointlessly vague aspersions on "the gaming community."

 

[Dakota]

When it comes to the gaming online community nobody cares about disability, gender, sexual preference, race or religion

 

[Shagger]

When it comes to the gaming online community nobody cares about disability, gender, sexual preference, race or religion

I want to live in a world whare that is true, but unfortunately we live in this world. A world whare this is what actually happens:

• Battlefield 5 can't have woman on the cover because "that didn't happen" in WW2 even though woman did fight in combat during that war (Yet her wielding an artificial limb that did even come close to existing during WW2 escaped everyone's attention). Nobody gave a shit about the story in Battlefield for years until a woman appeared on the cover, and suddenly that was all that mattered.
• Ubisoft can't fix a continuity bug in an AC Odyssey DLC relating to players who play the female lead and romance a woman. When "The Legacy of the First Blade" DLC first launched, the DLC story didn't launch in a way that made sense for players who played a female led and romanced a woman. When Ubisoft fixed this, there was an uproar and people accused Ubisoft of "pandering", all for patching a bug.
• Thor can't be fat in GOW Ragnarök even though that was how he was described in norse mythology. He has to be "pretty", apparently.
• Again in GOW Ragnarök, a Jotun can't be a little, black girl even though Jotun according to the myth have no agreed nor defined form and can look like anything.
• Games like Tomb Raider and Resident Evil get rebooted or remade and with the females not wearing short-shorts anymore and are wearing long trousers and jeans like, well, normal people. Time to fly off the handle and scream "Off with thier pants.. I mean, heads!"
• And you can never, and I mean never have a character come out or be on the LGBTQ+ spectrum. Most recently that being Aloy from the Burning Shores DLC of Horizon Forbidden West, a game that got review bombed over an entirely optional same-sex romance.

None of this can happen, none f it, not without the gaming community completely loosing thier shit. I know, or at least hope, that I'm talking about a minority of gamers here, but you can't ignore the fact that this happens and it happens all the time. Ignore it and pretend it's not happening because that's the convenient narrative to believe, and you're doing your part in making sure it keeps happening.

 

[actus_essendi]

None of this can happen, none f it, not without the gaming community completely loosing thier shit. I know, or at least hope, that I'm talking about a minority of gamers here, but you can't ignore the fact that this happens and it happens all the time. Ignore it and pretend it's not happening because that's the convenient narrative to believe, and you're doing your part in making sure it keeps happening.

I feel a bit weird posting this reply, because I suspect that I'm basically on "your side" regarding social issues. But in your first comment on this article, you said that you didn't want to comment unless you were going to get engagement. So I suppose I'll offer some engagement.

First off, I should admit that I'm not a gamer. I have nerdy interests, but gaming isn't one of them. I decided to comment here only because I was on the internet during the 2010s feminist/nerd wars and have some thoughts stemming from that period. I don't follow games, so I can only assume that you're correct about the reactionary reactions that you describe. (Actually, I did hear about the negative reactions to the Lara Croft redesign.)

However much bad behavior may come from gamers, I think we should avoid attributing it to "the gaming community," for two reasons.

First, I find it hard to believe that the bad apples are representative. A gamer is literally just someone who enjoys playing video games. All sorts of different people play video games. Almost as many women as men play video games (not that women can't be toxic too). I'm not sure that it even makes sense to talk about a single "gaming community."

Second, and more importantly, calling out an entire community is counterproductive. It encourages more members of that community to align themselves with the bad behavior. Why did so many people join Gamergate? Because both pro- and anti-Gamergate media went out of their way to construct a nerds vs. feminists narrative. Suddenly, a bunch of apolitical or only mildly conservative gamers, anime fans, and fedora-wearers got the idea that progressives viewed them as the enemy, and decided that they might as well live up to their reputation.

It's like what happened to the American Muslim community after 9/11. The constant portrayal of Muslims as terrorists probably did more to radicalize American Muslims than al-Qaeda could have ever done on its own. Likewise, the "Gamers are Dead" articles and "basement-dwelling virgin neckbeard" rhetoric (which was morally wrong on its own terms, quite apart from its radicalizing effect) probably did more to push people into the Gamergate camp than Gamergate could have ever done on its own.

The reasoning of the radicalized is simple:

1. The mainstream media is attacking my group.
2. The mainstream media isn't attacking the feminists (or whoever it may be).
3. This is unfair.
4. Therefore, I'm going to attack the feminists (or whoever it may be) to even the score.

Yes, it's silly reasoning. But that's how the human mind works. Humans aren't rational.

Perhaps calling out the entire gaming community wouldn't have this unfortunate effect if gamers got the feeling that such broad-brush call-outs were being aimed at all communities equally. But, of course, they aren't aimed at all communities equally. As I noted in my earlier comment, mainstream media outlets don't say that the 2012 harassment of Laci Green and the 2015 harassment of Zamii070 reflect a deeply rooted toxicity within "the social justice community."

None of this means that we shouldn't condemn bad behavior. But it means that our condemnations should be about specific individuals, not a whole community. We need to show that these individuals are not representative and that you don't need to be like them in order to belong to the community and be welcome within it.

 

[Dakota]

I want to live in a world whare that is true, but unfortunately we live in this world. A world whare this is what actually happens:

• Battlefield 5 can't have woman on the cover because "that didn't happen" in WW2 even though woman did fight in combat during that war (Yet her wielding an artificial limb that did even come close to existing during WW2 escaped everyone's attention). Nobody gave a shit about the story in Battlefield for years until a woman appeared on the cover, and suddenly that was all that mattered.
• Ubisoft can't fix a continuity bug in an AC Odyssey DLC relating to players who play the female lead and romance a woman. When "The Legacy of the First Blade" DLC first launched, the DLC story didn't launch in a way that made sense for players who played a female led and romanced a woman. When Ubisoft fixed this, there was an uproar and people accused Ubisoft of "pandering", all for patching a bug.
• Thor can't be fat in GOW Ragnarök even though that was how he was described in norse mythology. He has to be "pretty", apparently.
• Again in GOW Ragnarök, a Jotun can't be a little, black girl even though Jotun according to the myth have no agreed nor defined form and look like anything.
• Games like Tomb Raider and Resident Evil get rebooted or remade and with the females not wearing short-shorts anymore and are wearing long trousers and jeans like, well, normal people. Time to fly off the handle and scream "Off with thier pants.. I mean, heads!"
• And you can never, I mean never have a character come out, or be on the LGBTQ+ spectrum. Most recently that being Aloy from the Burning Shores DLC of Horizon Forbidden West, a game that got review bombed over an entirely optional same-sex romance.

None of this can happen, none f it, not without the gaming community completely loosing thier shit. I know, or at least hope, that I'm talking about a minority of gamers here, but you can't ignore the fact that this happens and it happens all the time. Ignore it and pretend it's not happening because that's the convenient narrative to believe, and you're doing your part in making sure it keeps happening.

Can't you just play a game and be happy with it

 

[actus_essendi]

Can't you just play a game and be happy with it

Isn't that Shagger's point? That people can't just play a game and be happy about it, but instead feel the need to complain?

 

[Shagger]

I feel a bit weird posting this reply, because I suspect that I'm basically on "your side" regarding social issues. But in your first comment on this article, you said that you didn't want to comment unless you were going to get engagement. So I suppose I'll offer some engagement.

For a kick-off, you'll notice that I wasn't replying to Alex, I was replying to Dakota. Most of the "articles" Alex post are fronts for some some sort of affiliate he's peddling, so I can't take him seriously.

First off, I should admit that I'm not a gamer. I have nerdy interests, but gaming isn't one of them. I decided to comment here only because I was on the internet during the 2010s feminist/nerd wars and have some thoughts stemming from that period. I don't follow games, so I can only assume that you're correct about the reactionary reactions that you describe. (Actually, I did hear about the negative reactions to the Lara Croft redesign.)

However much bad behavior may come from gamers, I think we should avoid attributing it to "the gaming community," for two reasons.

First, I find it hard to believe that the bad apples are representative. A gamer is literally just someone who enjoys playing video games. All sorts of different people play video games. Almost as many women as men play video games (not that women can't be toxic too). I'm not sure that it even makes sense to talk about a single "gaming community."

Second, and more importantly, calling out an entire community is counterproductive. It encourages more members of that community to align themselves with the bad behavior. Why did so many people join Gamergate? Because both pro- and anti-Gamergate media went out of their way to construct a nerds vs. feminists narrative. Suddenly, a bunch of apolitical or only mildly conservative gamers, anime fans, and fedora-wearers got the idea that progressives viewed them as the enemy, and decided that they might as well live up to their reputation.

It's like what happened to the American Muslim community after 9/11. The constant portrayal of Muslims as terrorists probably did more to radicalize American Muslims than al-Qaeda could have ever done on its own. Likewise, the "Gamers are Dead" articles and "basement-dwelling virgin neckbeard" rhetoric (which was morally wrong on its own terms, quite apart from its radicalizing effect) probably did more to push people into the Gamergate camp than Gamergate could have ever done on its own.

The reasoning of the radicalized is simple:

1. The mainstream media is attacking my group.
2. The mainstream media isn't attacking the feminists (or whoever it may be).
3. This is unfair.
4. Therefore, I'm going to attack the feminists (or whoever it may be) to even the score.

Yes, it's silly reasoning. But that's how the human mind works. Humans aren't rational.

Perhaps calling out the entire gaming community wouldn't have this unfortunate effect if gamers got the feeling that such broad-brush call-outs were being aimed at all communities equally. But, of course, they aren't aimed at all communities equally. As I noted in my earlier comment, mainstream media outlets don't say that the 2012 harassment of Laci Green and the 2015 harassment of Zamii070 reflect a deeply rooted toxicity within "the social justice community."

None of this means that we shouldn't condemn bad behavior. But it means that our condemnations should be about specific individuals, not a whole community. We need to show that these individuals are not representative and that you don't need to be like them in order to belong to the community and be welcome within it.

As for the rest, I think you're spot on. Not much more to add, you have a great understanding if what some might call a "mob mentality" and how it can make align themselves with one rigid perspective even if that perspective is more complex than it first appears it to be.

I don't believe for one second that all the people who supported gamergate were against feminism and social justice, on the contrary I suspect most of them were in support of women in gaming. Likewise, I don't believe that every games journalist was happy to see how corrupt the industry was and approved how it was structured to be so heavily dependant on game advertising to function. I wasn't saying that all gamers were as I described, I even said I believe it's a minority, but it's a very vocal minority, so vocal that it's kind of become how we're represented to the outside world. You may not be a gamer, but I'm sure you can imagine how frustrating that is.

The way woman were being depicted and treated in gaming was, and maybe still is, a real issue. Corruption and ethics in game's journalism was also, and maybe still is, a real issue as well. More importantly, they are entirely separate issues, and that is what pissed me off about gamergate, the fact those two separate issues got slammed in together resulting in an argument that stalled any positive progress that could have happened on either of them.

Can't you just play a game and be happy with it

See, there it is again, ignoring reality for your own convivence. Burying your head in the sand might be comforting, but it doesn't make reality go away. Of course I can play a game and reality drop away for a few hours, that's whole point, but I embrace reality as soon as I put the controller down because I know ignoring an issue is helping to create it.

EDIT: Still think that what I described doesn't happen? Well this was published just this morning. Remember how I mentioned Horizon Forbidden West Burning Shores DLC got review bombed over an entirely optional same-sex romance? I actually posted a thread about with all the details if you want to get the full scope. Well, apparently merely singing on that game's soundtrack makes you fair game. Julie Elven, a professional vocalist, received abuse from gamers over the optional same sex romance just because her voice is on the soundtrack. Full story from Push Square. Seriously, what is wrong with everyone?

 

[Paul Phoenix]

The truth of the online world is that sad pricks use the anonymity it provides to be bigger pricks than they'd be in what you call the real world.

Just look at my situation with that James guy in Australia. Every single day, I see more spam and snide remarks from him on that dead anxiety forum, even though everybody I have mentioned him to thinks he's a pathetic piece of shit.

But when you're 37 and still spamming crap on forums like "Peter poo poo bum" and other nonsense day in and day out, you truly have no life. I don't care if he quotes this post when he sees it (as he will, because stalkers have nothing better to do). He's a moron.

 

[ShroudedNightmare]

I'm progamergate till death do us apart honestly.