It is the National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence against Women on December 6, and as a day it’s important to remember that violence against women is something that still happens on a daily basis. It’s also important to realize that violence is taking constant, shifting forms, especially in the information age. Right now there is even a group doing organized harassment campaigns against women online, purely because the women in question are trying to become a new voice in the game industry.
They call themselves “GamerGate,” they pretend that their agenda involves “ethics in game journalism.” What they actually do is harass women, to the point where some have felt unsafe in their homes, have had to cancel speaking engagements due to threats of terrorism and have seen private information posted online for others to see. You can immediately tell that the “ethics in game journalism” credo is misleading because none of the women in question are actually journalists. Zoe Quinn, the first target of the group, is known primarily for making a game called Depression Quest. Brianna Wu, who just last night was harassed as she mourned the loss of her dog, to the point where some people in the movement suggested going after her vet, is a game developer as well. Anita Sarkeesian, a woman who had to cancel her speaking engagements due to bomb threats, is not a developer, she describes herself as a media critic, and drew the ire of the group for suggesting that games have problems depicting women. These prominent targets of the group are not game journalists, though they work within the industry, so the stated mission mandate of focusing on ethics in game journalism rings false. Instead, this is an organized group which attacks women in order to shut their voices out of an industry.
This is a new kind of violence, an organized harassment campaign that does not come with physical scars but mental ones. Their aim is to make women lose their livelihood, feel unsafe in their homes and generally feel threatened. It’s an aggressive and sickening group of people, their attempts to tie it to any kind of ethics a way to put a public relations spin on a campaign of unbridled hate.
I like games, they’re a fun hobby, especially in the winter months when one is forced to be a bit housebound. I like that more women want to be involved in the game industry, because in all entertainment a diverse array of voices means we get new content, new ideas and new perspectives, with variety making the experiences richer. I don’t like that it’s becoming more difficult to admit that I like games, because people like those who perpetrate “GamerGate” are painting people who play as a violent, misogynistic hate group. I just want to unwind after work, I don’t want to be seen as someone who hates people entirely because of their gender.
Online harassment is uncharted waters, it’s a clear problem with no clear solution, as people take up a mask of anonymity to systematically abuse those with whom they disagree. Whether on a community level or an international problem like this, it’s something which is ruining lives and destroying relationships. As people, we have to find a way to stand against it.
