GamerGate: 'Press must tackle misogyny,' says developer

[KynloStephen66515]

More video game news sites must place a spotlight on the misogynistic abuse that could drive women from the industry, a developer has demanded.

Brianna Wu, who said she faced death threats after speaking out, said the sites could help change the industry's culture.

A debate is raging in the sector about claims of corrupt relationships between some developers and reviewers.

But it has also regularly veered into the issues of feminism and misogyny.

"Every woman I know is terrified that what happened to me will happen to them next. And this is a true campaign of terror on women in the field," she told BBC News.

Ms Wu fled her home on Friday 10 October after graphic sexual threats were made against her.

The next day, she shared screenshots of tweets from one user who had threatened to murder her and her family, and had posted her home address to prove they knew where she lived.

The abuse came after she shared pictures on Twitter mocking players with sexist attitudes, who had used the Twitter hashtag GamerGate.

'Drive women out'
Her latest comments coincide with Ada Lovelace Day, an annual event celebrating women's feats in technology and science.

Ms Wu, head of development at games company Giant Spacekat, also said that internet services needed to do more to help police trace those who posted abuse.

"As it currently is, when crimes occur, law enforcement frequently cannot locate the people that are doing it," she said.

"We need to get more serious as a culture about making it possible for law enforcement to act in very serious situations like this.

"GamerGate could very seriously drive most women out of the industry. I realise that's a very strong statement and I absolutely mean it. I don't know a single woman in this field who is not asking herself if she wants to stay.

Ms Wu's experience was similar to those of games reviewer Anita Sarkeesian and developer Zoe Quinn, who were also on the receiving end of abuse.

Allegations about Ms Quinn's personal relationships with journalists were presented as evidence of "possible corruption" in the industry.

Ms Sarkeesian was hounded after releasing the latest in a series of video blogs that criticised bestselling games for propagating sexist stereotypes.

Read full story: http://www.bbc.co.uk.../technology-29616197

[mwb1100]

Unbelievable.

[wraith808]

Please.

I just had a very good conversation on this... I was wanting a place where I could conversate on questions I had, without the judgement that tends to follow because honest questions are asked.

On GamerGate - it was poisoned at the well, unfortunately, because it has some good points.  But the whole thing is a rather non-cohesive mess as it stands, with the good conflated with the bad.  And in the process, "GamerGate" has become something that makes no sense. 

I just saw a tweet: "#StopGamerGate2014 because #gamergate is using the defamation tactics I detail in this video against women right now. " and several others like it.

There are several surreal things wrong with that.  Who is acting badly?  gamergate is not a person.  But it is being treated as one.  And a hashtag to end a hashtag?

But the other side isn't any better... there's no cohesive statement- it's just a mess.  And there's no investment - gamergate is a just a hat.  And an ill-defined one at that.  One that you can put on, say bad things, and then take it off.  Because... gamergate will be blamed.   Were it better defined, then it could be more concretely defended. were it more substantial, there's be reason to.

But the part where it gets really poisonous is that the opportunists try to conflate gamergate identity with *gamer* identity.  And if I felt someone was attacking my identity as a gamer? Sure as hell I'd be up in arms.  But that is a conflation which only serves the people profiting from  the fight.  Sadly, that makes a poor soundbite.

The way forward in my opinion is for someone to step forward and define something separate from the gamergate tag... preferably something with substance instead of a pithy meme-worthy phrase.  And just let gamergate die as a cause... and champion this instead.  And be very willing to separate the aims from the individual people behaving badly.

But that won't happen.

[Shades]

In my young(er) years I played a lot of games as well. But I was only interested in beating high-scores and/or finishing a level of my single player game. Not like kids nowadays that from the moment you log-in to <insert your favorite gaming network> immediately start to call you names and scanting the things they either did or want to do to your mother that even an extreme pornstar wouldn't dare to attempt.

Seriously, all those brats should be lined up and, one by one, get a decent sized fist flung in their face. Preferably from the person they offend and if that is not possible...a 'champion' chosen by that person. And pay for the medical bill(s) themselves. Oh, and for US citizens, no possibility to sue the hitter.

The financial loss would hurt for a short while, the pain and recovery time lasts a life time. That would be more or less the only way those idiots learn the concept of consequences. Just like my generation and all the ones before had to.

Likeable solution? No.
Educational? Most definitely. And fast too. Especially when all this is accompanied with the ridicule of their peers.

Everyone subject to this treatment will think twice before opening their mouths again. Proving the Dutch saying: Talk is silver, silence is gold.

Anyone who groks this using modern, PC (psychologically correct) ways of education, kudos to them.
The ones that don't...

It would eliminate a lot of bad behavior from a lot of people which addresses at least half of the problem.

[Renegade]

Just for fun...

I hate thunderdouche and anita skamsasian both. They're both retards, but it's fun to watch these freaks shit themselves in the most embarrassing ways.

I really would love a "best of" set of clips of these rejects attempting to dump on each other.

I hope they both share a torture chamber in Hell.

(Oh, and I hate Anita more because she's way further out there on the retard scale.)

[40hz]

This says pretty much everything I think and might say about Gamergate. Since somebody (Ken White) went through all the trouble of writing it up, I won't duplicate effort by doing my own version.

[wraith808]

Nice.

The largest problem with any intelligent conversation on the issue, is that there is such a fog of war on the issue, and it takes effort to find the good conversations, and too many bad ones fatigue.

So thanks for cutting through a bit of that and finding a post that I can just point to on the subject.

[tomos]

This says pretty much everything I think and might say about Gamergate. Since somebody (Ken White) went through all the trouble of writing it up, I won't duplicate effort by doing my own version.

-40hz (November 23, 2014, 10:58 AM)

that was very helpful, thanks!

[40hz]

Like they suggested on The Well way back at the dawn of the online discussion era:

Try not to offend.
Try not to be so easily offended.

 Amen!

[Renegade]

Saw this:



Says a fair bit.