Current Happenings

Other Timelines: GamerGate.me | Visual Timeline | KotakuInAction | historyofgamergate.com | cainejw's Early Timeline Analysis | Corruption in Games Journalism
Videos: If It's Not About Ethics... | GamerGate, Native Advertising and Why We Should Care | GamerGate in 60 Seconds | Evidence and History of GamerGate
Original Content: Alejandro Argandona's People of GamerGate | JustSomeDrawFriend's Artwork | MedleyAssault's Vivian James Drawings | GamerGate Sings
More Information: cainejw's Analyses | Adrian Chmielarz' Articles | A PLANT's GameJournoPros Employment Watch | BoogiepopRobin's Findings | Holiday Anon's Files | Bonegolem's Infographics | CameraLady's Videos | Creeos' GameJournoPros Archives

!Image: Achievements For a list of GamerGate achievements, please click here. Also, check out DeepFreeze.it.

May 2015

⇧ May 30th (Saturday)

!Image: Polansky 1 [AT] !Image: Polansky 2 [AT]

⇧ May 29th (Friday)

For the most part, I still have the same job that I have always had [...]. For my friends, the Twine revolutionaries and the vocal Tweeters and the other writers, a great act of deception has occurred: [...] we've been on the news at night and in magazines. We are awash in social capital. But none of it translates to real capital. [...].

I am still getting emails from people who want to know if I will help with a panel or a documentary or a thesis or whatever about "women in games", or, heaven forbid, about GamerGate (stop sending me these). My colleagues are still being told that their work on altgames or gender or games as personal expression or on personal writing is Important Work, quintessential, don't-miss, but that unfortunately there is no job available for them, no speaker's fee, no professional advancement. (All the Women I Know in Video Games Are Tired [AT])

⇧ May 28th (Thursday)

[...] you came through with a rapid-fire series of arguments as to why I was not only wrong, I was also an idiot. I hadn't really been very serious about much of what I was saying, but as the replies rolled in I was fascinated with what was being said. You folks are passionate, that has to be said first and foremost. You're passionate, and you stay informed about what you're passionate about. While I'm not about to go agreeing with all of it (the part I said yesterday about wanting to stay away from he said/she said outrage culture is true) the idea that there is an ethical bankruptcy in modern journalism - all of it, not just specifically gaming - is a frightening one. (A Mea Culpa, and a Request [KotakuInAction] [AT]

GamerGate’s push for real, publicly displayed ethics policies and better disclosure of personal relationships was needed. No journalist should be highlighting a game by their roommate without disclosure (and maybe not even then). The continued, constant surveillance by GG is in danger of becoming a witch hunt where journalists are constantly defending perfectly normal journalistic relationships from organized outrage though. (DeepFreeze and GamerGate, Image Control and Preaching to the Choir [AT])

!Image: /v/ Sees an Opportunity [AT]

⇧ May 27th (Wednesday)

⇧ May 26th (Tuesday)

At the inception of GamerGate, regardless of the movement’s origins, many gamers were painted with broad brushstrokes as “obtuse shitslingers” and “wailing hyperconsumers”, demonized for the crime of liking video games. I joined in the chorus of dehumanizing voices, attacking my fellow gamers. I was completely intolerant. I was being an ass. I had lost my way. I had no right to dehumanize nor attack gamers as a whole. (What Games Mean to Me [AT])

⇧ May 25th (Monday)

⇧ May 24th (Sunday)

⇧ May 23rd (Saturday)

⇧ May 22nd (Friday)

⇧ May 21st (Thursday)

⇧ May 20th (Wednesday)

But I feel like it exposed a lot of the ridiculousness of [GamerGate] through the overstated reaction. When other people were offended by sexist comments and stuff, a lot of the refrains are, 'You just can’t take a joke. Thicken your skin. Don’t be such a baby about people harassing you on Twitter.' And then that joke drives them completely crazy." (The Curiously Ordinary Desire of Tim Schafer [AT])

Perhaps it is time, after years of thinking of games as an almost universally good thing and a medium to be defended, to question that truth. Perhaps games, design and gamers aren't so special after all, and need to be studied more as hostile objects resulting from a hostile culture, than as the labour of love it has been to so many of us. (DiGRA 2015 Aftermath, the Hashtag Anger [AT])

⇧ May 19th (Tuesday)

[...] we require a $50.00 fee to be paid in order to provide compensation to my team. If you don’t have the $50.00, that is totally understandable, and I will have one of my writers provide you with a game preview at no cost. However, [...] if you want the review and don’t have the money, I accept labor trade instead. I would classify labor as doing a graphic for IGM, write a code or something that the team can easily do that will be equal value trade to both parties.
[...] I wanted to address the concern about the "unbiased" nature of a paid review. The policy is that you are paying for a service, not a positive review. I have worked very diligently with both my staff and the developers that I have worked with this month to ensure complete honesty and transparency. It's all about trust in a relationship. That’s how I see it and how I approach it. If you have met me on Twitter, Skype, or anywhere else, then you know that this is how I am. I am about honor and respect. (IGM’s Review Policy [AT])

So I'm looking into this and apparently I'm mistaken. GG on its own is not a bannable subject. More likely it was bringing up this kind of talk in an unrelated article. The one thing comment mods are for a fact stringent about is staying on topic (at least for some articles), so I'm guessing my whole explanation only applies to GG in a really off-topic article. [AT]

Sorry for any inconvenience! Your account is active and ready to go.

⇧ May 18th (Monday)

The biggest reason why we banned GG posts is because the threads got so regular and toxic that the quality of the sub really went down. Corrupion in games media is a problem so I kind of wish that there would have been a different solution. [AT]

⇧ May 17th (Sunday)

⇧ May 16th (Saturday)

The long and short of it is, I would never write about a game made by a friend or a family member, but it would be impossible for me to stop writing about games made by friendly acquaintances. Out of all the hundreds of developers and publishers I know, I can count the ones that I don't like on one hand. Knowing the people who make the games you write about is only an issue if you feel some sort of social or emotional obligation to them, and I don't feel that obligation to my friendly acquaintances. [AT]

!Image: Oliver

⇧ May 15th (Friday)

For the record: I have not done this and cannot image a motive to even do this. Frankly, I am busy with more important things then taking screen caps of facebook [sic]. [Quantum Entanglement Entertainment, Inc. Forums]

!Image: Dyack 1 [AT] !Image: Dyack 2 [AT] [AT]

⇧ May 14th (Thursday)

!Image: RWS [AT] !Image: Vav [AT] [AT]

⇧ May 13th (Wednesday)

!Image: Dave Rickey on /v/

⇧ May 12th (Tuesday)

!Image: Stats [AT]

⇧ May 11th (Monday)

⇧ May 10th (Sunday)

Whether it’s site closures, staff shrinkage, YouTubers attracting all the views or the frothing headache of Gamergate, it’s a difficult time to be a games journalist. Relevance is falling and with it traffic and advertising. (Why Games Journalism Should Update Its Thinking [AT])

My entry in the dex lists me as a "Cronyism type," because I have given "favorable coverage" to game developer Zoe Quinn without disclosing our "friendship." While I do know Zoe a little, and like her just fine, I'm not exactly sure that our relationship could be defined as a "friendship."
So you tell me, if you've met someone a few times and you admire their work, does that mean you're automatically biased towards them in a notable and/or concerning way? Is disclosure of all past or current emotions and the potential causes of those emotions the only way to evolve into a legendary "Ethical Type" Journalist-mon? (A Pokédex of Game Journalists That Only Lists Negative Traits? [AT])

!Image: Sargon [AT]

⇧ May 9th (Saturday)

⇧ May 8th (Friday)

⇧ May 7th (Thursday)

!Image: Porter [AT] !Image: Porter2 [AT]

⇧ May 6th (Wednesday)

⇧ May 5th (Tuesday)

So far, much of what I've been told about GamerGate has been proven wrong. Meeting in person and broadcasting the results just feels right. (Game Time [Journoterrorist] [AT])

[...] what gave birth to GamerGate is that in an unprecedented decision, game sites collectively banned user discussion of these public figures and ran articles that didn't investigate the grievances, rightfully or not, the public voiced. These journalists created a PR campaign instead of investigation, whether out of sympathy or something else. [TwitLonger] [AT]

⇧ May 4th (Monday)

Here's what it comes down to: GamerGate has an opportunity to go legit.
It got the attention of the world's largest journalism organization through unethical means, and it can turn that right around. Even if SPJ says nothing more, its 7,000-plus members might. If the stupid shit can be tamped down over the next few weeks, I'll even push for a session on GamerGate at an SPJ conference I'm helping organize in Miami this summer. (Media Ethics Isn't a Game [JournoTerrorist] [AT])

"On Friday, May 1, 2015 at 09:30 pm, the Metropolitan Police Department received information from the FBI in reference to an individual posting on Twitter that a bomb would be detonated inside of 1602 U Street, NW (Local 16 restaurant and bar) if the event they were having was not postponed," a spokesperson for the D.C. Metro Police department told GamePolitics. "The establishment was hosting a gaming event."
"MPD contacted management at the establishment, and the decision was made by the management to evacuate the location and check for hazardous devices," the spokesperson added. "The establishment was evacuated and the premises was then swept for hazardous materials with nothing found."
D.C. Metro Police said that the bomb threat "remains under investigation," and that "any persons with information about this incident are asked to call police at (202) 727-9099, or by texting to 50411." (GamerGate D.C. Gathering Targeted by Bomb Threat [AT])

⇧ May 3rd (Sunday)

⇧ May 2nd (Saturday)

This was the first official U.S. get-together for GamerGate, a movement that started last year and whose members regularly campaign against liberal feminism as well as what they say are ethical problems in video game journalism. Participants in GamerGate frequently use social media to annoy and harass various targets (including many of us here at Kotaku). (GamerGate Meetup Evacuated After Apparent Threat [AT])

⇧ May 1st (Friday)

!Image: DC [AT] !Image: DC2 [AT]

April 2015

⇧ Apr 30th (Thursday)

Yeah, to be clear I am not for or against gamergate [sic]. There are good and bad elements to the overall "thing" we know as GG. Same as I am not for or against everything Anita is preaching. There are elements of truth in some of her critiques. But I also take issue with a lot that she does and says. None of it is black and white for me. [AT]

!Image: Kern1 [AT] [AT] [AT] !Image: Kern2 [AT] [AT] [AT]

⇧ Apr 29th (Wednesday)

Disclosure: Game Loading features developer Zoe Quinn, who I once dated. (Steam 'Review Bombing' Is a Problem [AT])

⇧ Apr 28th (Tuesday)

!Image: Adrian 1 [AT] !Image: Adrian 2 [AT]

⇧ Apr 27th (Monday) - /v/ Day

⇧ Apr 26th (Sunday)

⇧ Apr 25th (Saturday)

!Image: Kyle Orland [AT] !Image: Dale North [AT]

⇧ Apr 24th (Friday)

⇧ Apr 23rd (Thursday)

⇧ Apr 22nd (Wednesday)

Calgary Expo does indeed have a dark side. If you tow [sic] the "party line," so to speak, you’re okay. If you dare hold a different opinion than their leadership, watch out: You’ll be excluded. (The Dark Side of Calgary Expo [Steven Britton's Blog] [AT])

⇧ Apr 21st (Tuesday)

Full disclosure: the author of this story was a member of the now defunct GamerJournoPros Google Groups mailing list, and the subject of several articles penned by Milo Yiannopoulos concerning GamerGate and "ethics in games journalism." He addressed many of the claims made in those articles in this editorial. (Postal 2 DLC Includes Breitbart.com Columnist Milo Yiannopoulos [AT])

!Image: Harada 1 [AT] !Image: Harada 2 [AT]

⇧ Apr 20th (Monday)

We can only guess why the «Gransy s.r.o» employees consider this case so important - against the background of all the hot controversies that use «archive.today» to preserve the proofs which many people want to disappear - to renege on registrar’s neutrality and arrogantly use such a dirty method as threatening with blocking the domain in their intention to censor the client’s website content. [Archive.today Blog] [AT]

!Image: dina4 [AT] !Image: dina2 [AT] !Image: dina1 [AT] !Image: dina3 [AT]

⇧ Apr 19th (Sunday)

!Image: D'Awe 1 [AT] !Image: D'Awe 2 [AT]

⇧ Apr 18th (Saturday)

Ethics policies can serve as great guidance, but they do not outline what to do in the toughest situations. They're not a panacea. They also don't necessarily anticipate every issue. [...]
There is a difference between not publishing an ethics policy and not giving a shit about ethics. We are only guilty of the former and discuss our standards internally all the time. (GamerGate Booth Kicked Out of Canadian Comic Expo [AT])

⇧ Apr 17th (Friday)

If GamerGate were actually about ethics in journalism, they would not be actively trying to destroy Kotaku — a site that refuses press junkets, regularly pisses off game publishers through aggressive journalism, and is just about as transparent as any gaming site can be — they’d be going after Metacritic and exclusive AAA game reveals and pre-order shilling and all the other noxious bullshit you can find in gaming just about every day. (GamerGate Booth Kicked Out of Canadian Comic Expo [AT])

[...] saw claims from the usual Gamergate quarters that this disproved anything gaming’s feminist critics have said about games. And I saw claims that this research surely had to be flawed or didn’t apply because of the age and nationality of the people studied or because it was too general. And so on. (What to Make of a Study About Gaming and Sexism [AT])

⇧ Apr 16th (Thursday)

In the face of hysterical and childish abuse, Anita has refused to back down. She continues to speak around the world about the role of women in video games and popular media. She also talks about her life as a target in the online culture war known as Gamergate [sic], waged by entitled male gamers who fear change in an industry that is evolving while they seem determined to remain 15 forever. (Gaming's Feminist Advocate [AT])

⇧ Apr 15th (Wednesday)

You're never going to win you know. First you alienated the perpetually offended San Franciscans whose idea of a free software project is a manifesto on Github (today's commit: Changed ze/zir/zum to fee/fi/fo/fum! That'll be $50) so much that you had to rebrand, and now you've gone the opposite direction because of these same people upset that some cripple created a shitty Yotsuba clone. [Ghostbin]

!Image: #StopWebH8 1 [AT] !Image: #StopWebH8 2 [AT]

⇧ Apr 14th (Tuesday)

I apologize if it looks like we're stealing your bread and butter, but this is an issue between you and the game creators. From the sounds of our files team, this is something rare, but it does happen. If you're still pissed, I'd recommend getting in contact with the games creator to ensure they don't do this anymore. Our video is no longer live so it shouldn't impact your revenue. But we don't go around stealing random YouTubers videos. We have a team of people who capture gameplay of games when developers don't send us assets. Not only would it be terrible PR, but ultimately these videos don't do the type of traffic we desire. I mean GTA V and Mortal Kombat X came out this week - our users aren't particularly fervent about Combat Arms. [AT]

!Image: Rosario 1 [AT] !Image: Rosario 2 [AT]

⇧ Apr 13th (Monday)

⇧ Apr 12th (Sunday)

[...] And with Twitter it’s boiling down to its most simple state. People who have a more nuanced view are just going “Black. White. Left. Right.” because that’s all people have the room to type. And other people read that and it creates this cycle of oversimplification, where, okay MAYBE somebody believes GamerGate actually has ANYTHING to do with ethics in gaming journalism - maybe they somehow believe that - but there’s not even really time to really express that. (Joss Whedon on #GamerGate, JURASSIC WORLD, Adam Baldwin and Speaking Out [AT])

⇧ Apr 11th (Saturday)

All that may be true... yet it is also true that some GamerGaters are sending death threats and rape threats to women gamers and feminists. That is what I was addressing. Frankly, no amount of "corruption in gaming journalism" justifies a single rape threat. (Hatespeech [AT])

And, before you ask, yes, I totally believe the press when they say Gamers are dead. That all these news organs come out in the same moment with the same story is totally believable. The press are neutral and objective, reporting only on facts. (From the Harvard Divinity School [SciFiWright] [AT])

⇧ Apr 10th (Friday)

I know there’s a lot of conversations about censorship and about lots of stuff. Believe me, I’ve read all of it. If people think we’re sort of ignoring it, that’s just not the case. I think in the end it was just important to us, and myself in particular, that the backer was involved. And that’s what we did. We talked with them through email. It was a great person, who understood the predicament, and he made the decision to have that [text] changed. (Obsidian's CEO on Pillars of Eternity Backer's Hateful Joke [AT])

Basement-dwelling virgin subculture needed some way to empower itself, and I guess that way was sending terrorist threats to women for talking about video games. It would be good for a laugh if not for the lives it’s ruined. (Kotaku Asks: The Guy Who Runs NeoGAF [AT])

The confusion in [...] this whole fucking "GamerGate" thing is that some people tried to stand by it even as it got proved over and over again, it's like, no, like people in the name of this thing are harassing and doing really fucking negative things, [...] when people tried to say it was about ethics and then tried to come to me and say like, "no, this is about ethics and we're really disappointed because, you know, you had such ethics before," it's like, no, you don't fucking understand, that it was never... that that stuff was never about ethics and the people that tried rile it up and make it about ethics were only trying to make things harder for the people that they perceived to be saying things that were damaging to them and their way of life. (Jeff Gerstmann's Mixlr: SJWs Killed Cartoons! [YouTube])

⇧ Apr 9th (Thursday)

I really think the developers should consider a separate SKU that doesn't have Vivian James in it for people who find that character unsettling - for whatever reasons.
Admittedly, I don't know how intimately tied to the design the character is or what would go into removing her, so that option may not be feasible without incurring more costs. (Why GamerGate and Vivian James Appear in the Opening Cinematic for Afterlife Empire [AT])

!Image: Cybersquatting [AT] !Image: HAHAHAHAHAHA XD [AT]

⇧ Apr 8th (Wednesday)

There are a lot of challenges I think that women face as a consequence of the gaming culture and a consequence of the coding culture. If men have a hard time accepting that women are outperforming them in something, they'll ensure that the women don't have the opportunity to compete in that venue, and that's what you essentially see happening in GamerGate, for example. By not allowing women to compete you won't end up losing to them. As a consequence it's harder for women to get into the culture because the culture is unfriendly. It's not all the individuals that of course are being unfriendly, it's the ones that have the most to lose. (ABC: Women in the Gaming Industry [YouTube])

!Image: HE KNOWS !Image: SHUT IT DOWN

⇧ Apr 7th (Tuesday)

Controlling for age and education, [...] sexist attitudes - measured with a brief scale assessing beliefs about gender roles in society - were not related to the amount of daily video game use or preference for specific genres for both female and male players. (Sexist Games = Sexist Gamers? A Longitudinal Study on the Relationship Between Video Game Use and Sexist Attitudes [LiebertPub] [VG Researcher] [Pomf])

⇧ Apr 6th (Monday)

CORRECTION: After misinterpreting reports in other news publications, EW published an unfair and inaccurate depiction of the Sad Puppies voting slate, which does, in fact, include many women and writers of color. As Sad Puppies’ Brad Torgerson explained to EW, the slate includes both women and non-caucasian writers, including Rajnar Vajra, Larry Correia, Annie Bellet, Kary English, Toni Weisskopf, Ann Sowards, Megan Gray, Sheila Gilbert, Jennifer Brozek, Cedar Sanderson, and Amanda Green.
This story has been updated to more accurately reflect this. EW regrets the error. (Correction: Hugo Awards Voting Campaign Sparks Controversy [AT])

⇧ Apr 5th (Sunday) - Easter Sunday

⇧ Apr 4th (Saturday)

But the fact remains, Firedorn is a character. A fictional character. Representing part of what's wrong with people today. The limerick was written as a form of artistic expression from a nobody, trying to ridicule the ideas, rationale and justifications presented by people like him. It is a fictional representation of real life, of what's around you. And this fictional character died in spite of his foolishness and idiocy. That's what I wrote. I don't regret writing it either, as killing off an idiot for being an idiot was extremely satisfying. No other platform has allowed me such artistic expression, nor did I anticipate this type of response. However, I'd kill him again. (Screw You, Firedorn Lightbringer! [Order of Laibach] [AT])

!Image: Anon Speaks

⇧ Apr 3rd (Friday)

In the case of this specific content, we checked with the backer who wrote it and asked them about changing it. We respect our backers greatly, and felt it was our duty to include them in the process. They gave us new content which we have used to replace what is in the game. To be clear, we followed the process we would have followed had this content been vetted prior to the release of the product. (Update 93: Patch 1.03 - Important Community Fixes [Obsidian Forums] [AT])

Don't expect any official validation from the people you e-mailed, mostly because people saw what happened to Adobe, Intel, Google (with the image), Dyson, and of course the Coca-Cola Mein Kampf incident. If you DO get validation, be absolutely certain you cover up e-mail address names and other revealing information (yes, you most likely can find this contact info on a corporation or businesses's website, but showing it in a image in a highly visible place is another story). NO BUSINESS or NAME BRAND wants unnecessary attention that will take up their time, and no marketer or advertiser wants to have a meeting about why they were in their inbox all day and they're behind on X, Y, and Z project. Time with the press or media is ideally for a fun, exciting campaign, not PR 101 because someone got the entire business in the middle of an ongoing Internet fiasco. (On E-mails & Advertisers & Recent Developments [TwitLonger] [AT])

!Image: The Scythian !Image: Less Problematic Vivian

⇧ Apr 2nd (Thursday) - World Autism Awareness Day

⇧ Apr 1st (Wednesday) - April Fools' Day

March 2015

⇧ Mar 31st (Tuesday)

⇧ Mar 30th (Monday)

I'm in the middle of one of those funks where no game interests me at the moment, and I don't have a big project on which to work when it comes to finishing or mastering a game. [...]
The idea that you can burn out on games in totality feels like a personal failing, something that must be hidden and never discussed. Especially when you write about games for a living, it can feel like being a priest who secretly suffers a crisis of faith, and other writers have confided in me a kind of fear that they'll be found out as they go through the same thing. (I'm Taking a Break. It's Not You, Gaming, It's Me [AT])

⇧ Mar 29th (Sunday)

!Image: Kern1 [AT] [AT] !Image: Kern2 [AT] [AT] [AT] [AT]

⇧ Mar 28th (Saturday)

⇧ Mar 27th (Friday)

!Image: Lionhead 1 [AT] !Image: Lionhead 2 [AT]

⇧ Mar 26th (Thursday)

⇧ Mar 25th (Wednesday)

!Image: Dev1 !Image: Dev2 !Image: Dev3 !Image: Dev4

⇧ Mar 24th (Tuesday)

We are not asking, again, for the FBI to come in and do something that isn't already on the books. What we're really trying to protect is the free expression of women and young women online, because they are having their First Amendment rights chilled when they receive these threats and there are no consequences for those who are making them. [Video]

I'm not saying this is over but this newly gained confidence of #GamerGate and the desperate random attacks from the opposite side tell me that producing or looking for that "civil content" was the right thing to do. The perseverance in using logic and reason paid off. [TwitLonger] [AT]

⇧ Mar 23rd (Monday)

!Image: Kotaku [AT] !Image: Gawker [AT]

⇧ Mar 22nd (Sunday)

⇧ Mar 21st (Saturday)

Currently, The Block Bot only supports one blocking team made of individuals who may disagree and who have a variety of blocking philosophies. The different communities The Block Bot serves also have a diversity of perspectives and expectations that sometimes conflict. One proposed solution is to create a platform to address these concerns, similar to blocktogether.org. Our platform, however, would go beyond sharing personal blocks by enabling people to work together to build moderated block lists to serve specific community needs. (The Block Bot Reborn [AT] [CollectQT's Politics and Definitions])

!Image: Clarification

⇧ Mar 20th (Friday)

⇧ Mar 19th (Thursday)

⇧ Mar 18th (Wednesday)

!Image: Actually

⇧ Mar 17th (Tuesday)

⇧ Mar 16th (Monday)

⇧ Mar 15th (Sunday)

Overall I think that a journalist trying to stop someone from sharing their opinions sets an incredibly dangerous precedent! [Imgur] [AT]

On the surface level, it seems like the outrage culture of influential online bullies has won another battle. The same people who call for more diversity in everything already reduced a scientist who landed a robot on a comet to tears for wearing the wrong t-shirt, and now used fear tactics to effectively silence a game developer for not believing in guilt by association. [TwitLonger] [AT]

⇧ Mar 14th (Saturday)

Gamergate [sic] may have brought certain things to light, but Clark's advocacy shouldn't really have anything to do with #Gamergate [sic]. The real question here is what to do about doxxing and things like it? The concept of cyberstalking and harassment isn't new, and it doesn't exclusively affect women. (Congresswoman Takes on Gamergate, Misses Point [The Libertarian Republic] [AT])

!Image: TB BK !Image: TB BK2

⇧ Mar 13th (Friday)

The request to the Appropriations Committee that we're asking Congressional colleagues to sign onto our level and support is really a formal way of saying to the Department of Justice we take these issues of online threats and harassment seriously, and we want you to prioritize them as well. And we'll see where this leads us. And if the FBI says it's really about resources, then we'll help them make the case to get the resources they need. But right now we just are trying to formally tell the Department of Justice that we think this is critical to women being able to use the Internet professionally and socially in a way that is available to them and should be their right under the First Amendment. (Q&A with the Congresswoman Taking on Gamergate [AT])

The theme of the Wild Rumpus party is "Everything is going to be OK." There are big glowing signs on stage. It's clearly in reference to what a lot of people have been through over the past year. But, especially, after having that conversation with that developer, I can't help but feel like that declaration and all the associated revelry is premature. Everything is not OK yet. Things are different. What we used to consider "OK" is dead, or maybe it never existed in the first place. (The GDC I Saw After One of Gaming's Roughest Years [AT])

⇧ Mar 12th (Thursday)

⇧ Mar 11th (Wednesday)

⇧ Mar 10th (Tuesday)

!Image: Hotwheels on Plebbit

⇧ Mar 9th (Monday)

We also offer anyone mentioned in a story a right of reply. If you feel you or your company has been misrepresented or wish to expand on a story please contact the editors. [AT]

⇧ Mar 8th (Sunday)

Sep 18 10:05:48 Forest now they are rioting at 4chan
Sep 18 10:05:53 Adagiosummoner lol
Sep 18 10:05:56 Forest for censorship
Sep 18 10:06:21 Adagiosummoner silly people. freedom of speech is for government institutions. [...]
Dec 18 01:21:17 Forest| hey
Dec 18 01:21:21 Forest| in positive news
Dec 18 01:21:26 Forest| we banned gamergate
Dec 18 01:21:26 weeedbot actually, its about ethics in games journalism
Dec 18 01:21:33 Forest| ^
Dec 18 01:21:39 Forest|_ which has improved the subreddit
Dec 18 01:21:54 CandyManCan lol [Pastebin] [AT] [KotakuInAction] [AT] [Stream]

We've heard this argument before, it came from Jack Thompson. Jack didn't have any evidence either and study after study has rebuked his assertion that videogames cause violence. As a result I remain skeptical, as is healthy, about games causing anything else and continue to believe in the consumers ability to separate fantasy from reality. [TwitLonger] [AT]

⇧ Mar 7th (Saturday)

!Image: TenNapel1!Image: TenNapel2!Image: TenNapel3!Image: TenNapel4

⇧ Mar 6th (Friday)

Short answer: No.

Long answer: If you can't fucking enjoy the vast number — and we're talking thousands — of available videogames both in the market and in all of retro emulation (going from Pong to everything new on Steam this week), then YOU ARE THE PROBLEM IN GAMING. [Tumblr] [AT]

The person in question has issued a public retraction of the statement on the YT video. I would ask you all to leave it at that. We will. [Tweet] [AT]

⇧ Mar 5th (Thursday)

Our last tweet was a mistake. Google supports an open, diverse gaming community for all. We do not support #GamerGate. [AT]

[...] To be honest, getting so pumped up and so offended by these jokes is a bit petty and weak. And do not be so selective: why so much focus on the #NotYourShield joke (btw calling it racist is a pathetic SJWism) but no talk about the sleeping with the judges joke?
In other words, pull that stick out of your ass, will you? You do not want the rest of the world to see you as the part of the outrage factory you so often criticize yourselves, do you?
[...] the only moment when I was really pissed off myself was the bullshit about "women pushed out of their homes and the industry." I do not remember exactly what was all about as I was considering ragequitting the ceremony at this point. To add insult to injury, this got standing ovation. Not from everybody but still. I found the whole thing pathetic. Obviously not because I do not care about harrassment etc. - as every sane human being, I do. But it was a clearly one-sided nod to the professional victims, a nod from those whose lies contribute to why some women might not want to join this industry. I felt like watching bullies accompanied by the betanodders and the uninformed visiting that nerd in the hospital that "unidentified someone" beat up. Hypocrisy and propaganda going over 9000 so fast it's visibly distorting time and space. [TwitLonger] [AT]

!Image: Tim Schafer !Image: Mr. Shitface

⇧ Mar 4th (Wednesday)

How many GamerGaters does it take to make a single piece of armor?
Oh, God. I don't know.
Fifty. One to do the modeling, one to do the materials, and 40 [sic] to tweet that is not your shield.
OK. Again, I cannot be blamed for what the puppet says. [Video]

⇧ Mar 3rd (Tuesday)

!Image: False Flag

⇧ Mar 2nd (Monday)

⇧ Mar 1st (Sunday)

!Image: Kern Goes Nuclear 1 [AT] !Image: Kern Goes Nuclear 2 [AT]

February 2015

⇧ Feb 28th (Saturday)

⇧ Feb 27th (Friday)

!Image: Leigh [AT] [AT] !Image: The Rusemaster [AT] [AT]

⇧ Feb 26th (Thursday) - Harmony Day

I look forward to Ms. Sarkeesian holding Stardock up as the model of what game studios should be doing. In fact, her and her allies are welcome to find any modern game or studio that has comparable representation of women both in terms of in-game characters as well as development.
I won't hold my breath. (Stardock: Avatar for Sarkeesian Gaming... [Little Tiny Frogs] [AT])

!Image: Harmony 1 !HARMONY DAY !Image: Harmony 2

⇧ Feb 25th (Wednesday)

This is exactly the opposite of the kind of open discourse in the press that we need to fix gaming. This myopic, one-sided view of events where the press gets to call petitions of change "ill-informed idiots" (Pat's very words), and then shuts down any chance of a response, is exactly the type of Yellow Journalism we need to avoid. ([Mark Kern's Change.org Petition] [AT])

!Image: Kern 1 [AT] !Image: Kern 2 [AT]

⇧ Feb 24th (Tuesday)

It appears GG's harassment of InfoSec Resources has not only made them drop my article, but it also made them fire me. I'm getting in touch with a guy from Wired and Jason Schreier from Kotaku right now. ([AT] [KotakuInAction] [AT])

!Image: Kern 1 !Image: Kern 2 !Image: Good Times

⇧ Feb 23rd (Monday)

GC: [...] it must have greatly damaged the public perception of gamers and gaming in general. All the mainstream coverage... apparently there was even an episode of Law & Order inspired by it last night.
JR: Well, more females are playing games now than ever before. I think the GamerGate thing is absolutely horrible. I agree, I read what you wrote about it, again your language was intemperate – as befits your views on an issue...
GC: Oh c'mon! Never mind games not working, that stuff was beyond the pale.
JR: Yeah, and I share your opinion on much of it.
GC: Did you consider any counter to it, to encourage more female gamers and/or developers? I'm not suggesting it was incumbent for you to do so, but I'm curious if GamerGate led to any positive new initiates?
JR: I don't think you can or should discriminate one way or the other. Quotas in boardrooms, quotas in sporting teams, I personally don't believe that these are the right way to achieve a world where discrimination is not prevalent. I think if you talk about this organisation, I think all that I should do is to set an example at the top. And indicate that any behaviour that is remotely inappropriate in this area will not be tolerated. (PS4 Boss Jim Ryan 2015 Interview – "We've Learnt an Awful Lot from the Driveclub Experience" [AT])

It doesn't matter what a person's actual political ideologies are, it won't stop us from using the word to slur people as if they were a neo-Nazi, genocide apologist who kicks puppies in their down time from their job euthanizing kittens. It really is a perfect slur. You can use it against women, people of colour, gay people. Anyone who disagrees with your ideology you can use it in their face and it automatically makes you correct and them wrong. They can't even dispute it because the term right wing is so superfluous (especially after we use it) it really doesn't mean anything. How do you argue being called something that has no meaning apart from being a hateful insult? It is a million times harder for someone to disprove they aren't right wing than it is to slur someone with it and have people believe it. ("Right Wing": The Slur for the 21st Century [StopGamerGate.com] [AT])

⇧ Feb 22nd (Sunday)

!Image: Kuchera [AT]

⇧ Feb 21st (Saturday)

Q: What kind of backlash have you experienced?
A: Mainly just social justice crybaby bullshit; the people that can't handle the fact that other people, who aren't them, get to play a game that they don't like. But obviously anybody could have seen that coming ten thousand miles away. I remember writing some of the dialog and laughing, thinking "holy shit, they aren't gonna like this one". (An Interview with the Developers of HuniePop [Lewd Gamer] [AT])

!Image: MovieBob [AT] !Image: Ian Miles Cheong and Macris [AT] [AT]

⇧ Feb 20th (Friday)

I wasn't threatening anyone with that sentence, and I wasn't talking about the literal process of signing your petition (although I can see how it seems I was). I used the words "sign" and "ink" as talking about the petition was the core of my article. I meant that the internet is indelible, and that those with open sympathies toward Gamergate (which, unarguably, does contain bigoted, dangerous, sexist elements), or any periphery cause, will have them forever. Of course I didn't mean that developers signing your petition are doing so "on pain of excommunication by the press," because by doing so I'd probably be unhinged. [...]
I've previously said publicly that anyone with genuine concerns about videogames journalism should, in my view, avoid publicly siding with anything related to Gamergate in any way, as it's sexist and demonstrably repugnant. That line is simply a reiteration of that sentiment. So, yeah, I apologise if that was misconstrued. I wasn't threatening anyone with anything. [...]Gamergate is full of ill-informed bigots, and we don't need another Gamergate. I have no idea if you and Ken Levine are ill-informed bigots, as I don't know either of you. To be perfectly honest, Mark, I'd never heard of you before you posted that petition. I've interviewed Ken once, I think. I do believe your petition is ill-informed, and I hope I explained why in my article, but as to whether or not you, personally, are a bigot, I have no idea. I sincerely hope you aren't! ([Mark Kern's Change.org Petition] [AT])

!Protection Racket

⇧ Feb 19th (Thursday)

I don't know what the future holds. We live in a world in which its brightest minds can be humiliated and turned into a teary mess for wearing the wrong t-shirt. But we also live in a world in which thousands of people protested that, and I'm sure Matt Taylor heard them.
I'm not good enough to polish the man's shoes, so this is obviously not a direct comparison – but I heard you too, and while I can't speak for other developers, I do want to publicly thank you and everyone else who helped – you know who you are – for your voices of support. ([TwitLonger] [AT])

⇧ Feb 18th (Wednesday)

[...] if after over half a year of GamerGate you're still claiming that it is "an organized harassment campaign to push women out of gaming" and agree with Ben Kuchera that "Gamergate weapons are always terror", then:
a) you are biased beyond repair;
b) you know the truth but will stick to the narrative for your own purpose.
[...] You might find out that while #GamerGate has its faults (like the vocal minority of thick-skulled ludo-fundamentalists) and, like basically every Internet community in the world, it has its trolls and idiots (just as it has some very smart people), as a whole it's most definitely not a "harassment group". It's just a group without leaders but with a few clear goals: ethical journalism and denying the monopoly on gaming critique to cultural colonialists.
I see no issue with either. ([TwitLonger] [AT])

⇧ Feb 17th (Tuesday)

⇧ Feb 16th (Monday)

Because of this I have entirely written Kotaku and Polygon out of my personal equation. I do not read their websites. I do not care. This is PARTICULARLY difficult to do because for a very long time, I really loved Kotaku. I loved the writers there. I loved the people. They also seemed to love me. All those things seem to change though when they perceived me as 'one of those nasty gators' simply because I didn't tow the line. No matter. I don't THINK about Kotaku or Polygon any more. I don't read their articles. I don't care what they do or so. It just doesn't really factor into how I do my job or how I play games. I do me and I let them do them. ([TwitLonger] [AT])

Help us. Help us restore the damage that has been done. Help us stop this wasteful, self-defeating, sensationalist coverage that does nothing to solve our differences, but only serves to drive us apart. Find the common ground, drive productive dialogue, and find solutions instead of simply pointing fingers. We know you can do it. You've defended us before and we need you now more than ever. Wield your pens not as swords, but as the connective, collective narrative that will pull us together once again. Don't let Intimidation Game stand as the last word on our hobby and the face of gaming to the public. Do not go silent into that good night... ([Change.org Petition] [AT])

⇧ Feb 15th (Sunday)

No one has silenced, bullied, or threatened us into being quiet about any issues. Everyone is very keen to find out more about the corruption in various aspects of the gaming industry, just like us – but we won't wildly post anything that is unfounded or that we cannot find sources or basis for. ([TechRaptor Forums] [AT])

⇧ Feb 14th (Saturday)

⇧ Feb 13th (Friday)

Of all the, all the rumors and conspiracies theories that have been going around for ages about the industry, I will tell you the reality - is far worse. [...]
Everybody in the industry is Kanye West. Everybody thinks they're so fucking important - it's amazing. Everybody is delusional and psychotic. Uh, and they do not care about art. They care about censorship and whatever they think is right. And they talk. They like to write. They like to write and they like to talk. ([Audio] [gamergate.community] [AT] [KotakuInAction] [AT])

⇧ Feb 12th (Thursday)

To exclude someone from Supanova for their views, even if we don’t share them, goes completely against the spirit of the expo that we've presented all these years as all our stars appear to discuss their work in pop culture, not their personal political or ideological viewpoints. We similarly embrace all our fans, whatever their various pop culture passions may be, and that inclusiveness is at our very heart. [...]
Given that we have Adam's statement above verifying he will not discuss #GamerGate while stating categorically that he does not condone harassment, bullying or doxxing under any circumstances; given we as Supanova will not allow questions regarding the subject from the floor; given we as Supanova as a professional organisation must fulfil our contractual obligations; given Supanova will be providing the highest level of enforcement of our Code of Conduct (a condition of entry to the event) to ensure our strong anti-bullying and anti-harassment policies are maintained; and given that so many fans continue to support Adam's appearance as part of our "Serenity" 10th Anniversary celebration, we will be proceeding with Adam's attendance as planned. ([Statement on Facebook] [AT])

!Image: Kern 1 !Image: Kern 2

⇧ Feb 11th (Wednesday)

!Image: Redchanit !Image: Prepare to Be Slaughtered

⇧ Feb 10th (Tuesday)

⇧ Feb 9th (Monday)

!Image: Botting [An Example of Botting on /v/]

⇧ Feb 8th (Sunday)

Reddit is shit, we've all known this for years. Voat even allows anonymous posting, it's demonstrably better. I would very much like to see Voat replace Reddit just like Reddit replaced Digg. Fuck Reddit. ([8chan Bread on /gamergate/] [KotakuInAction])

⇧ Feb 7th (Saturday)

⇧ Feb 6th (Friday)

⇧ Feb 5th (Thursday)

5. "Boyer was a member of the oft-cited "Game Journo Pros" message board—a list I was also on—and although that group was mostly used as a forum for members of the press to swap 3DS codes and commiserate about industry issues

Of course Mr. Schreier would rather focus on swapping 3DS codes rather than gifting party invites to those press on the list. Or that this list decided whether I should be fired based on hearsay. Also, why have IGF chairman on the list at all? For that matter, why promote this guy's site that was built around hosting exclusives for indie developers who would inevitably apply to award shows he overlooks? No, it doesn't establish favoritism, but it establishes a broken system that makes favoritism a conflict that could easily occur. One would expect media to be critical of it, but here Mr. Schreier is singing the praises of swapping 3DS codes while his colleagues get ready for their swanky indie parties. I hear there is a very special one coming up, will you be attending, Mr. Schreier? (TwitLonger [AT])

!Image: #PinsofInterview

⇧ Feb 4th (Wednesday)

⇧ Feb 3rd (Tuesday)

⇧ Feb 2nd (Monday)

Yes, encouraging a crowd to smear your professional reputation (which I still have, unlike you) is harassment, Randi. #livewithit ([AT])

⇧ Feb 1st (Sunday)

!Image: Vivian Game 1 !Image: Vivian Game 2

January 2015

⇧ Jan 31st (Saturday)

⇧ Jan 30th (Friday)

I'm still gonna do videogames stuff on the side so don't start popping champagne or anything GG, instead maybe get peed on? ([AT] [GamesNosh] [AT])

[…] On behalf of our client, XSEED Games, I regret to inform you that we are not able to service your requests – and you have been removed from their mailing list. Please do not attempt to communicate with anyone from XSEED Games directly for PR matters, as we serve as their agency of record for all media relations. (Niche Gamer is Effectively Blacklisted from XSEED Games by One PR [Niche Gamer] [AT])

⇧ Jan 29th (Thursday)

⇧ Jan 28th (Wednesday)

.@totalbiscuit Let other outlets do the same instead of constantly hammering about hidden ethics violations you cannot prove.

This is a little rich considering the reason you we are having this conversation is that you accused me of a hidden ethics violation that you can't prove. Regardless that is irrelevant to the point. They are being given plenty of chances. When PC Gamer addressed its conflict of interest with Ubisoft, that was the end of the matter. They did the right thing and made improvements. When Polygon started disclosing who it donates to on Patreon, that is them being given the chance to "re-earn" the trust of their audience. When Kotaku and Escapist [sic] update their ethics policies, that's them re-earning the trust of their audience. When Kotaku, Polygon, Destructoid and more retroactively add disclosure to previous articles which are suspect, that's an attempt to re-earn the trust of their audience. When they do all of that, it torpedoes your point that they are "hidden ethics violations that I can't prove". They were already proven, admitted by the sites in question and addressed. Those are closed cases.

[...] The pursuit of ethics and better games media is a net positive. Equating it with harassment is intellectually dishonest. Harassment is harassment, I've condemned it on numerous occasions but I'm not going to back down from my consumer first position because the people I am tasked with helping and protecting are the guys working 60 hours a week, wanting to know whether or not the limited free time and disposable income they have is going to be wasted because they bought a stinker. Those are the people I care about first and foremost because those guys are my audience and they gave me this life. I owe them and games media would do very well to remember who their audience is that gave them this privileged position which a small group of bullies have shown a willingness to abuse. ([TwitLonger] [AT])

⇧ Jan 27th (Tuesday)

At no point have I ever engaged with the hashtag or had conversations within it, not that that's a sin in any way even if I had. Have I declared myself a leader of this, thing.. whatever it might be? Absolutely not, indeed I've stated in several occasions that it appears leaderless by necessity, due to the very attempts at character assassination that we see levied at any and all with any prominence that would dare speak up for the people (yes, a reminder that these are people not subhumans you get to bully) involved and suggest that maybe, they actually have a point and you should engage them like adults while freezing out trolls and 3rd party bad actors. So the claim that I am a leader of anything other than my own channel is spurious at best, you can quibble over it but I have never declared it, nor ever attempted to mobilize this hashtag or this movement in any way for any specific goal. (Extra Credits Slander [TwitLonger] [AT])

⇧ Jan 26th (Monday)

It should go without saying that this game is geared for a mature audience and I'm honestly surprised that it's available on Steam. It's not rated by the ESRB and if it were, it would most like get an Adult Only rating. (Even with the censored version!) Anyone struggling with pornography should avoid this game entirely. HuniePop pretty much goes against Matthew 5:28 and promotes lusting after (and using) women. As a Christian, I cannot recommend this game to fellow believers. While the puzzles and characters are fun to figure out, there are many more appropriate match three games out there. (HuniePop (PC) [ChristCenteredGamer] [AT])

He wields his audience as a weapon against criticism. He very plainly supports GamerGate and aligns himself with the worst harassers in the movement. He is not a man we should be celebrating, promoting, endorsing, or helping; to do so is to lend support to his regressive opinions. (For the Sake of the Industry: No More TotalBiscuit [AT])

!Image: Gallant BTFO

⇧ Jan 25th (Sunday)

[07:45:06] RapeApe #### GamerGate threads on /v/ are now over ####

[07:45:31] RapeApe They've started spamming the report system and have become a burden to moderation.

[07:45:46] Hotpockets#1 I just realized a thread was deleted.

[07:45:54] Hotpockets#1 When I was about to check it out.

[08:05:04] Hotpockets#1 RapeApe, could you make a sticky?

[08:05:12] RapeApe no.

[08:05:38] RapeApe i'm not going to inadvertently inform /v/ and the rest of 4chan that there is something going on that they need to rail against.

[09:46:03] RapeApe i already modposted telling them to stop spamming reports. i've already modposted telling them to stop spamming threads. i've already modposted telling them not to dox or harass people.

[09:46:11] RapeApe they already know exactly why these threads are being removed.

!Image: GamerGate Is Banned [4chan Bread on /v/]

⇧ Jan 24th (Saturday)

⇧ Jan 23rd (Friday)

⇧ Jan 22nd (Thursday)

Our number one concern is always going to be "are we providing a service that helps the consumer?". If that answer is yes, then we keep doing it. If Steam curation from us helps even one person buy a good game and puts money into the pockets of a good dev who will hopefully then continue to make good games, then it's worth keeping around. [TwitLonger] [AT]

!Image: Operation Shills in a Barrel

⇧ Jan 21st (Wednesday)

These days, in this horrifying new era of ethical games journalism, it's important for writers to be totally upfront by divulging every aspect of their personal lives, everybody they've ever been friends with, every secret they've ever held and anybody they might have kissed along the way. (Here Are My Impressions of Infinifactory, Please Trust Them [AT] [Peeep])

!Image: Clique

⇧ Jan 20th (Tuesday)

Ultimately, the people at the top are not really affected by the torrent of shit that is GamerGate. They are not the ones who need to maintain their presence online in order to make their living. They can safely ignore it all. We suspect that the people who run most of these companies have managed to convince themselves that this is not their fault, or their problem. In light of all that it seems like the industry at large is just trying to dodge the responsibility of cleaning up after their own mess. (Game Developer Interviews About Gamergate: Silverstring Media [AT] [Peeep])

If you want to know the truth, there have been many occasions when I started writing something about the GG-word, and then stopped myself a few sentences in when I realized what I was doing. I was falling into the same trap that arguably started the whole mess in the first place: I was letting games journalism become about games journalism, and about things like moral imperatives and other bullshit, when it should be about games. About why they're good and fun and their place in the world of art. I've never been interested in hype or the drama behind game development, only in the finished products, and so far I've seen nothing to indicate that games are being negatively affected by either misogyny or hysterical misplaced moralizing. (On the PC Master Race and the Language Police [The Escapist] [AT])

⇧ Jan 19th (Monday)

⇧ Jan 18th (Sunday)

!Image: Dissing NYS [AT]

⇧ Jan 17th (Saturday)

I think it was a lot of fear mongering and got off topic. Women are not scared for their lives because of the gaming community. Men are not terrible vile creatures who just game and think about rape. I feel like the final piece encouraged people to feel as if women are playing victims, men are completely wrong in all things, and that the gaming industry only spreads male dominance. I think there is a problem with how many video games are centered solely around men when women are often portrayed as whores or damsels in distress. However, I also feel that the gaming industry sees that now thanks to a lot of the outcry and is taking steps to change.

The UnRetweet [sic] caused concern in our audience. It also caused some to infer that we do not support Gamer Gate [sic] supporters. With this in mind, we feel it's important to state for the record that we fully support women in gaming and believe in integrity in journalism which, as we understand it, were the original ideals of Gamer Gate [sic]. We absolutely support all gamers who share our belief in these ideals. As far as we can tell, the current state of Gamer Gate [sic] is fractured into different groups with different beliefs, some of whom act against the whole. This subgroup, who also use the Gamer Gate [sic] hashtag, perverts the original intent through harassment and manipulation. That is why we UnRetweeted [sic] it. To all of you who support Forwarding Women in Gaming and Integrity in Journalism, we salute you and we support you. Although we believe in these causes too, we cannot convey our support for the Gamer Gate [sic] hashtag as that hashtag also represents those who do harm. ([HBS Supports Gamers!] (https://harebrained-schemes.com/blog/2015/01/17/hbs-supports-gamers/) [AT] [8chan Bread on /v/])

⇧ Jan 16th (Friday)

Our Executive Editor Tyler Wilde met his partner while both were working at Future US. She went on to take a job writing for Ubisoft's blog. It was subsequently decided to remove Tyler from reviewing Ubisoft games. What we ought to have done was remove him from all Ubisoft coverage, or disclosed his relationship as part of the stories he went on to write.This is what we'll do in terms of disclosure from hereon: Tyler will no longer write or assign any coverage related to Ubisoft. PC Gamer writers will continue to be obliged to disclose any significant personal relationships with people whose work they might cover, with the expected outcome that they will no longer be assigned to that particular subject. In any situation in which the writer was still required to comment on the subject, full disclosure will be provided in the article. (A Note on Disclosure [PC Gamer] [AT] - WAS THAT SO HARD?)

Perhaps the part that will never recover is the fault line drawn irreparably across Twitter by the shoddy coding and sloppy thinking of a well-intentioned developer [...] who wanted to create an anti-harassment tool and instead created a wonderful tool that protects you from fried chicken. I don't know how, if ever, the damage she has caused will be repaired. The other day, I saw an interesting comment about SciPy, and thought of sending a complimentary tweet to the author, only to see that this person I have never interacted with has me blocked. Not, mind you, for any reason other than following more than two persons that someone thinks are 'ringleaders' of #GamerGate. There are respected people in the scientific community who are now cleaved from some of their colleagues who believed they were signing up to an anti-harassment tool, not a McCarthyesque blacklist. Needless to say, they are not entirely keen on putting themselves at the mercy of the 'appeals board' run by a small number of self-selected activists. The rift this has caused rippled across Twitter, separating friends (believe it or not, there can be friendship across the battle-lines of #GamerGate!), family and colleagues, even in my own field and, according to friends, other areas of science.The gg autoblocker is up there with Therac-25 and the race condition in the XA/21 energy monitoring software causing the 2003 blackout on the illustrative list of software mishaps that affect real lives. It is the death of the individual and the subsumation of individual actions into a grotesque picture of collective responsibility, all wrapped up in badly written Perl that refers to people as idiots and sheeple. It's not merely bad code, it's code that is contemptuous of the individual and his or her choices. It supplements individual responsibility with collective guilt by association, branding people unsafe to follow for the simple act of daring to be interested in what some people have to say, as if narrow-mindedness were a virtue and interest, a sin. Ill thought-out, it's been used by thousands of gullible people who believed they were getting a tool to keep them safe of harassment and got a blacklist instead. There are real human effects to code, and code that refers to people as idiots and sheeple inevitably ends up missing the crucial point: that somewhere, at the very end of the call stack, will be people. ([A Footnote to GamerGate] (https://chrisvoncsefalvay.com/2015/01/16/a-footnote-on-gamergate.html) [AT])

!Image: fucking tumblr

⇧ Jan 15th (Thursday)

[...] concerned and disappointed that a board of professionals tasked with evaluating and judging games fairly and honestly would stretch the facts to such a degree and issue a report that describes specific thrusting actions that are not simply present in the sequence in question and incorrectly portrays what was presented to them for review.Though we have no plans to officially challenge the ruling, we stand by our developers, their creative vision for the storyline, its characters and the game and look forward to delivering Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number to fans very soon. (Hotline Miami 2 Australian Classification Statement [Devolver Digital Blog] [AT])

⇧ Jan 14th (Wednesday)

We need a new term. I proposed a few last week: Resolutionaries? Fearsome Keyboard People? PC Thunder Cats? The GPUnion? They’re not a whole not better than the memes I’m making fun of, I know, but it’s a start. I just hope that next time you leave a comment you’ll consider replacing “PC Master Race” with something more creative, and I'm so sure we can be more creative than to make a Hitler analogy on the internet, a sea of Hitler analogies. When we finally move on, we can still smirk at 790p Xbox One games — we just won’t have to remind everyone of white supremacists when we do. (Let's Stop Calling Ourselves the "PC Master Race" [AT] [Imgur])

!Image: Ayy

If it ends up not being released in Australia, just pirate it after release.No need to send us any money, just enjoy the game! [Imgur]

Sarkeesian is trying to capitalize on controversy. When people complain about Assassin's Creed or Call of Duty whatever, it's similar to complaints about hip-hop and rap music today saying it's violent… that’s not really what hip hop is about. You can't judge gaming by what's selling. You have to really get into the medium to understand it before you start saying ok – this is what gaming is about. I know that in the real world there are strong women that don't need to be saved. (What It Feels to Be a GamerGate Target [YouTube])

⇧ Jan 13th (Tuesday)

[...] immediately leaked it to his 40,000 twitter followers, because he obviously values his sources greatly. He then started cracking jokes at my expense and having a grand old time. Word to the wise: probably don't talk to Milo.Oh, and I made a typo in the email: "and n." On the upside, some of the jokes to come out of it have been pretty funny—a rarity for Gamgergate [sic]. [AT]

!Image: Never EVER !Image: And n

⇧ Jan 12th (Monday)

⇧ Jan 11th (Sunday)

[...] most of the tweets on the #GamerGate hashtags are retweets - in fact, the ratio of retweets versus organic tweets is approximately 2.9:1. This indicates a characteristic pattern within the #GamerGate discourse network that focuses on information dissemination, the propagation of ideas and intra-group coordination rather than directed messages to group members or outside. [...] This finding is not directly consistent with the claim that the #GamerGate hashtag is directly used for focused harassment of individuals (although it does not exclude the possibility that this happens, by the same persons, without the use of the hashtag - such interactions are outside the purview of this research). Based on the retweet:organic tweet ratio, it remains quite evident that the main focus of the #GamerGate hashtag’s usage is information dissemination and, to a lesser extent, commentary. [AT]

The very high proportion (almost 3:1) of retweets and the high average following:follower ratio suggests that the primary purpose of #GamerGate is the exchange and dissemination of information. This reinforces the thesis, articulated previously, that GamerGate is a "trust and curation" network: the primary purpose of the network is to replace established media, which users perceive as corrupt and having lost its credibility, by a network of curated information relying on mutually trusted endorsement. In this sense, population analysis reinforces that we are witnessing a new reaction to perceived media inadequacy: centralised curation of information (as happens e.g. via editorial decisions in journals) is replaced by decentralised, crowd-sourced curation and assignment of trust - “if you can’t trust anybody, start trusting everybody”. [AT]

⇧ Jan 10th (Saturday)

It’s normally not as blatant as “we will give you money if we get an eighty”, it’s a bit more subtle than that. More along the lines of “Hey, before we talk about this exclusive, I got word that X game was trending in the high seventies with your guys. I know there were some issues, but you gave Y game an eighty, and we firmly believe this is an eighty title. We REALLY need this one to be an eighty. OK, let’s talk about exclusive assets now.” And bam, eighty.

There is also the practice of paying game reviewers for what are called “mock reviews.” A journalist will come in and play the game, and write a review for the publisher, with their projected score. This helps the publisher in focusing on last minute problems, as well as what features stand out for them to focus the press talking points on (as well as marketing spend). Now, from what I know, none of those reviewers ACTUALLY then went and reviewed the specific game they were paid to “mock review”, but someone else from their organization did, and to my knowledge they weren’t banned from reviewing that publisher’s future titles (although I could be wrong on that one). (Christian Allen Interview — The State of #GamerGate and the Video Games Industry [Niche Gamer] [AT])

⇧ Jan 9th (Friday)

Today's threats to free speech are more likely to come from “social justice warriors” on the left who say they are defending the feelings of those deemed to be crushed under the weight of supposedly systemic racism and sexism. (How the PC Police Threaten Free Speech [AT])

⇧ Jan 8th (Thursday)

Some have suggested revising Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act (CDA 230) to get companies more interested in protecting the targets of harassment. CDA 230 establishes that intermediaries like ISPs, Web forums, and social media sites are protected against a range of laws that might otherwise be used to hold them legally responsible for what others say and do. These proposals would make intermediaries at least partially liable for the actions of their users. Such a change would be a serious threat to companies’ financial bottom line.Unfortunately, instead of strengthening commitment to combating harassment, that financial risk would likely instead devastate online communities. Faced with a risk of such liability, many companies will choose to expel all forms of controversial speech from their platforms, including legitimate anger and political organizing. If, for example, any mention of Israel and Palestine sparked a barrage of harassment and then legal claims, how long would it be before service providers would ban mention of that political situation? When a magnet for harassment like Gamergate takes place on a social platform, will that platform's operators seek to uncover who the wrongdoers are—or will they simply prohibit all from speaking out and documenting their experience? (Facing the Challenge of Online Harassment [AT])

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Who'd have thought that videogamers, snootily and wrongly written off by modern culture as bedroom-bound blokes with hygiene problems, would be manning the barricades in the fight for freedom of thought? That's what happened this year. In the #GamerGate controversy, which started life as a silly spat over videogame journalism but speedily morphed into a Culture War by media feminists against allegedly sexist videogames, gamers everywhere stopped taking part in pretend wars on their TV screens and instead engaged in a real, moral war for their right to play what they want. In a year in which all sorts, from Sony to Oxford University, caved in to demands to STFU and stop saying or showing offensive stuff, gamers said: "No." They put down a flag, and anyone who believes in the freedom to think, to imagine, to pretend, should rally behind it — even if you've never heard of, far less played, GTA or World of Warcraft. (Trail-Blazers, Risk-Takers and Rule-Breakers: Our People of the Year [Spiked Online] [AT])

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December 2014

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⇧ Dec 25th (Thursday) ☃CHRISTMAS!☃

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November 2014

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October 2014

⇧ Oct 31st (Friday) 💀HALLOWEEN💀

!2 !sp00ky !4me

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⇧ Selection of articles

https://techraptor.net/content/gamasutra-intel
https://www.nichegamer.net/2014/10/intel-pulls-ads-from-gamasutra-in-the-wake-of-gamergate/
https://adland.tv/adnews/intel-has-gamers-inside-pulls-advertising-gamasutra/251869514
https://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/10/02/intel-pulls-ads-from-site-after-gamergate-boycott/
https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2014-10-02-intel-pulls-ads-from-gamasutra-in-response-to-gamergate
https://www.dailydot.com/geek/intel-pulls-ads-from-gamasutra/
https://boingboing.net/2014/10/01/gamergateintel.html
https://adland.tv/adnews/intel-has-gamers-inside-pulls-advertising-gamasutra/251869514
https://www.themarysue.com/intel-gamergate/
https://www.yahoo.com/tech/intel-buckles-to-anti-feminist-campaign-by-pulling-ads-98981250049.html
https://www.brightsideofnews.com/2014/10/02/gamergate-intel-faces-backlash-for-pulling-gamasutra-ads/
https://www.valuewalk.com/2014/10/intel-corporation-pull-ads-from-gamasutra/
https://www.thefrisky.com/2014-10-03/intel-caved-to-anti-feminist-campaign-pulls-ads-from-gaming-site-gamasutra/
https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2014/10/intel-folds-under-gamergate-pressure-pulls-ads-from-gamasutra/
https://www.theverge.com/2014/10/2/6886747/intel-buckles-to-anti-feminist-campaign-by-pulling-ads-from-gaming

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September 2014

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Anita Sarkeesian holds a speech at XOXO Festival and calls for a "Feminist Army". Includes discrediting GamerGate as a conspiracy theory via cherry-picked tweets.
"A room full of mid-30s white people call discuss "oppression" and "diversity" in gaming"
BuzzFeed in full support of this
As is The Verge

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August 2014

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!GameJournoPros The articles consitute a massive smear campaign by the online games media on the worldwide gaming community.Many of the articles explicitly tie the previous scandal stemming from Eron Gjoni's revelations to the recent threats faced by Anita Sarkeesian.Editorial collusion between games websites in the creation of this narrative is heavily suspected. These suspicions are later validated by the UK journalist Milo Yiannopoulos' exposure of the secretive GameJournoPros mailing list..

⇧ Aug 27th (Wednesday)

Baldwin later explains that the tag was a reference to the Watergate scandal, and the usual -gate suffix attached to scandals in the US.

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UPDATE: This description previously stated that Grayson had reviewed Depression Quest. This has been corrected to note that Grayson gave coverage to the game, and to the game jam.

⇧ Aug 12th (Tuesday)

Pre #Gamergate Scandals, Events, and information

2014

August 2014

July 2014

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February 2014

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January 2014

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2013

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William Usher 2014 Articles on scandal and blacklisting: 1, 2, 3, 4 | Pinsof's statements: 1, 2 | Yanier "Niero" Gonzalez's statements 1 | Labor code regulations: 1, 2

⇧ March 2013

Feb 2013

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⇧ 2010

⇧ Undated