Gamergate: Lack Of Ethics In Video Game Media

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Gamergate Gamergate, a roar from the Internet. This summer, the supposed movement started, stating that recently there was a certain lack of ethics in the revision, rating, and writing of video games. They said that some journalists were too close to their topics and easily influenced by these relationships. But under that thin layer of people who criticize video game journalism, there lies another beast: sexism. Actor and supporter Adam Baldwin is credited with the creation of the name #Gamergate. Gamergate is a movement of sorts and Gamergate supporters say that it about lack of ethics in video game journalism. People outside the movement think otherwise. This movement is mainly on Twitter and it’s become a big issue this fall. …show more content…

Zoe Quinn, an indie developer, recently released a game called Depression Quest. Shortly after the release, Quinn’s former boyfriend, Eron Gjoni wrote a blog post alleging Zoe Quinn of having an affair with Nathan Grayson, a journalist at the gaming news website Kotaku, in exchange for positive reviews of her game. Although Kotaku’s editor-in-chief Stephen Totilo stated that Grayson was indeed in a relationship with Quinn, he has never written a review of Quinn’s game. Although proved wrong, these allegations caused an uproar from the internet. Quinn was subject to online harassment even after these allegations were proved false. She and her family received death threats, threats of rape, and even release of public information. In an article “Five reasons I’m the most hated person on the internet”, Zoe Quinn said: “The internet spent the last month spreading my personal information around, sending me threats, hacking anyone suspected of being friends with me, calling my dad and telling him I’m a whore, sending nude photos of me to colleagues, and basically giving me a “burn the witch” …show more content…

They found that Zoey Quinn received 10 400 tweets with the hashtag and Nathan Grayson received 732. If Gamergate is about ethics in video game journalism, why did the female developer receive 14 times more than the male journalist. Leigh Alexander, a journalist, received 13 296 tweets and she only wrote one article discussing video game culture. These numbers can't even compare to what Anita Sarkeesian and Brianna Wu have gone through. Brianna Wu is a video game developer who posted several tweets about sexism in gaming and the Gamergate controversy. Wu received 35 952 tweets, a little more than Sarkeesian, who got 35 188. Together, they surpass all others. They aren't even video game journalists, just people who disagree with

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