Gamergate: Ten years On
Usually 10 year anniversaries are pleasant things to celebrate. Sadly that is not the case with Gamergate, which took place a decade ago this month. For me, this curious and unpleasant debacle was something that happened online and it didn’t impact upon my life directly. I wasn't threatened in any way, I didn't receive a tide of abuse and I didn't have to quit social media or my job. However for some people, that is exactly what did happen. I, like many others, just stood on the margins as events unfolded and looked on, agog as this exquisite car crash of a “movement” that proceeded to shoot itself and the wider gaming community collectively through the foot. It is no coincidence that this happened as gaming was becoming a mainstream pastime and slowly shedding a lot of the negative connotations associated with it. Gamergate purposely arrested that process.
Gamergate: Seven Years On
Not so long ago, Gamergate was referenced in a chat channel on one of the Discord servers that I frequent. Contrary to what I was expecting, this passing remark sparked very little response. Due to the age of some of the people present, they had to Google Gamergate to determine what it was all about. Those who were more au fait with the entire debacle broadly expressed the following sentiments. Firstly, was it seven years ago already? Secondly, in light of the ongoing Blizzard Entertainment controversy, it doesn’t seem that much has changed either within the gaming industry or the wider gaming community. The angry backlash against progressivism in video games now just seems to be focused elsewhere in society. Overall Gamergate was just one facet of the ongoing culture wars. At present that battle is being fought over some other issues and in a different field. But it’s still out there.