Before I get started, let me make this perfectly clear; what you are about to read are my thoughts and observations about GamerGate and do not express any views or opinions of anyone else. If you have a problem with these observations, you can email me at ArthouseLegends@gmail.com. I will try to respond to all comments that show a certain amount of civility and what appears to me to be a desire to create a dialogue. That is in fact why I am writing this in the first place. Again, GonnaGeek is not at fault for anything I say and I hope to respectfully keep anybody else out of it. Thank you.

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I have urgent news not just to video gamers, but to geekdom as a whole. GamerGate is not just a major rift in video game culture; its effects will determine the survival of geek culture as a whole. And I’m sorry to say this but neither side has the whole answer, it won’t be as easy as just one faction claiming victory. But if we don’t start this dialogue immediately, it will spill over to other facets like a cancer and corrode us from within.

I am not a journalist. I am not employed by anyone involved in video games. I have only written one article prior about gaming, which was a criticism of Konami and anyone is free to read it as well if you want. What I do mostly write about are films, filmmaking and Hollywood. What I AM is a gamer. I’ve been playing video games since I was 4 years old starting with an Atari and have been playing up to two weeks ago. I’m a casual gamer, I don’t play much online (more on that later), but I do play a wide range of games. I keep up with gaming through mostly mainstream channels and my hardcore gaming friends who fill me in with what’s going on.

GamerGate, from all appearances, is the geek equivalent of World War I, whereas a whole bunch of small trespasses and injuries kept fueled by both unwitting and knowing participants for so long, all it took was one spark to set it off. That spark was Zoe Quinn. But that much was already known. What we didn’t know was just how deep the wounds were, how the love/hate feuds between game developers and game journalists would seep into their respective audiences, how frustrations about the perceived male-centric nature of gaming have grown to fester in many female gamers who not only felt marginalized but downright used, how protective many males would be about what they see as a refuge from a world changing around them. But it’s also about the geek culture going mainstream, about how the market is changing and the demographic for gaming also changing. It’s also about opportunists on every side from Anita Sarkeesian to Adam Baldwin to the game developers to the journalists, many of which aren’t even reporting on games. Geekdom was on trial from the beginning, but no one noticed.

At this particular point, we need to address how both sides played a part in this rift.

Let’s start with GamerGate members. I’m going under the assumption that this movement has always been about ethics in game journalism as a sign of good faith. I don’t think there is anyone on either side that disagrees with the assertion that developers and journalists are in collusion with one another. That goes with any entertainment journalism though. From People Magazine to Daily Variety, Hollywood begets Hollywood. Gaming is no different. The REAL difference is that their collusion tends to lead gamers to buy games of very low quality for a very expensive price, that many desired games do not get made due to certain companies tying the hands of gifted individuals by using the media to highlight others. The problem with this cause is that even if you get the companies and the media to admit wrongdoing (which will not happen), what will come of it? Game companies will seek highest profits for lowest efforts. The recent Konami debacle should be a decent reminder of this fact. On top of that, you’re not thinking about the other non-gaming media that has fed from this troth. Alternate media outlet David Pakman alone has fanned the flames from both sides, which of course is his job. He gets hits each time he interviews another member of the fight which agitates the other side and causes more fighting. It doesn’t help that GG has allowed other alternative media sites like Breitbart represent them who have spotty media credentials. This is why leadership is needed, not exactly to declare victory (which is meaningless at this point), but to come to reasonable terms with the other side, to accept a measure of responsibility for the extremists of their faction (don’t worry, I’ll get to theirs in just a minute) and to explain to the rest of the media what this movement is really about.

Now for the Anti GamerGaters (which from here on I will use the term AGGs). I’m also going to go under the assumption that this movement has always been about protecting female gamers and gaming personalities from unwarranted attacks from the GG faction, be it actual or implied. I don’t think there is anyone on either side who believe that there isn’t a degree of misogyny in video gaming. Yes, there are prostitutes and bimbos and male fantasy objects in a considerable amount of gaming. Saving princesses have been a staple of gaming since before Peach and Zelda. But then again, this same trope has been part of storytelling for millennia. Gaming today still has a way to go in order to achieve a more respectful look at women. But even on that glorious day, these tropes won’t go away. As long as fairy tales are still read, there will be princesses and damsels being saved. As long as there are prostitutes in existence, there will be prostitutes in gaming (although hopefully more nuanced and realistic). On the flip side, there will always be wimps, scumbags and pathetic male characters as well. Through participation and purchase power, women can ensure that the games they want see made will be made. I know there is more involved such as getting more women developers involved in making games and ensuring they have avenues to make these games. Again, if there is a market for these games, they will be made. If you don’t believe me, no one thought there would be a Pitch Perfect 2 when the first one was released nor that said sequel would made as much money as it did (and no doubt they will ensure that this franchise keeps going to keep scooping up the money). That said, rallying around personalities that make outrageous claims about how male gamers are to be marginalized is not the way to seek inclusivity. It would be like if a bunch of guys joined a ladies book club then started insisting that the books being read were more to their liking. That DOES NOT excuse their behavior when they start getting irritated by incendiary language. But showing disrespect is the best way to receiving disrespect in return, something I’ll be getting into in just a minute.

Anita Sarkeesian, for all I know, might truly be trying to create avenues of inclusivity in gaming instead of displacement as has been claimed of her by her detractors. The problem is if that were her intent, she handled the backlash carelessly and created a hostile atmosphere. She took the backlash personally and ensured to retaliate back with everything she had, namely supporters and mainstream attention. Adam Baldwin, a fellow conservative and media critic, also might have had pure intentions when he decided to add his name and brand to the fledgling movement. The problem with his involvement was that while he gave the movement a mainstream figure, he refused to take ownership in the movement, allowing it to morph into not just one single-themed issue. Both figures, whether they knew it or not, allowed their movements to be bound the protection of their affiliated sex and the criticism of the other. As is clear, there are men on the AGG side and women on the GG side, but the split is clearly between the genders. This only helps the mainstream media label this as a battle of the sexes, though such labels are crude as has already been indicated. But this won’t matter in the court of public opinion, where outsiders, especially those who have political power and probably know as much about gaming as a few levels of Candy Crush, who could decide to step in, seeing this a child’s spat and therefore come off as having the mature authority.

And make no mistake, this will happen if not fixed. The extremes on both sides are attacking at a level that is becoming more visible to the general public, especially using tactics like doxing, swatting and using reinforced threats is leaving everybody looking bad. I have talked with members on both sides who claim (and I believe) to have been threatened and rattled by the other side. For me, seeing what happened to Felicia Day on the day she begged for reconciliation only proved how out of control this matter has gotten. I understand that it is likely there are trolls playing both sides as an agitator (no doubt unafraid of being caught), but neither side is vocalizing hard enough disassociation with these individuals nor working with the other side to aid authorities in finding these people (and throwing up #NotYourShield isn’t enough). I have also spoken with people on both sides who are interested in a dialogue to work out the major flare-up. But it won’t go anywhere until both sides accept their share of the responsibility for letting this problem get out of hand.

Gamers can take a note from history about such transitions. In the 1920s and early 30s, movies stopped becoming a niche market that only had a handful of theaters and an even less handful of filmmakers. It was quickly becoming a top tier mass entertainment platform with appeal towards not just children and enthusiasts, but mainstream audiences. As the medium grew, more criticism was placed on the content and the delivery of that content. Ethics had to be put in place, which came down iron-fisted and left many resentful. Gaming now rakes in an unprecedented amount of money with more than just a little chicanery. Developers need to be held accountable for their content and content delivery. This should be an issue both sides agree on, which is surprising that both refuse to tackle it together.

But who am I to say how things should be? I’m just a guy who enjoys playing GTA and Skyrim who wants my brothers and sisters in gaming to be proud of their hobby and to look after one another like the family we should be. Because at the end of the day, those who don’t game see us all as misfits, waiting for us to grow up and don’t like that in a decade or so, gaming will be as prominent as reading and filmgoing. But before that happens, we need to expect more from both ourselves and our hobby. Games aren’t like those others because it’s interactive and communication is vital. If we can’t respect one another, our hobby dies. But we also need to expect more from game developers like quality games in a market that allows for a wide diversity of games and game protagonists, better story and character development, less stereotyping and more innovation. Let’s open the tent as wide as we can and give women and LGBTQ designers a chance to create new visions that challenge us. If we can’t go through the system as it is, let’s make a new one and leave them making the same old stuff until they’re nothing but dust. Any media outlet is only as good as its reputation. Let’s remind them of that by finding new voices and that they can be replaced. Challenge the talking heads (including myself) and don’t buy anything from anyone who isn’t willing to listen to all sides. Even if you’re not a gamer, bear witness and know what will happen to your subculture if you’re not careful.

Thank you and Happy Gaming