Mini rant. Skip if you're not interested.
This whole thing is idiotic. I can only speak on the gamer side of things since I am a gamer, but GamerGate, at the least, was and remains bullshit.
From what I've seen, the pejorative SJW label gets thrown around way, way too much. It's not just given to knee-jerk reactionaries who couldn't actually express a cogent thought if they were paid to, but to anyone who dares raise their voice in opposition to other people simply being assholes. It's a term designed to stop discussion and to paint someone as the enemy. "Oh, they're just a SJW. You can ignore/harass/threaten them." It's the calling card of the idiot, and anyone who actually uses the term in a serious manner should probably stop and reevaluate themselves.
This isn't to say there aren't knee-jerk reactionaries who think everyone is one flavor of bigot or another. It's just that they should be dealt with on a case by case basis, if they're even dealt with at all. In my experience, letting the crazies be crazy over there, by themselves is far more beneficial than engaging them in a verbal conflict.
As far as gaming being under threat by these people, that's bullshit plain and simple. If gamers want their hobby to be treated seriously - to be treated as art as so many claim it is - then it's fair game for critique on those levels. That includes feminist critique. And, despite gaming slowly becoming more inclusive across the board, it is still overwhelmingly misogynistic. It's still overwhelmingly whitewashed. It still has miles to go in including and fairly depicting LGBT people. That doesn't mean games are bad and that you should feel bad, but that you should be aware of what the game is saying - both explicitly and implicitly.
The rest of GamerGate is just idiots not understanding how the media works. They saw headlines like "Gaming/Gamers is/are dead" as an actual fact or threat instead of the hyperbolic hooks they actually were. And even funnier, gaming as a lot of gamers knew it is dead. Far more women and older people are playing than ever before. Gaming 'dies' every 10-15 years. I know. I've seen it. First, it was the arcades as home PCs became popular and affordable. Then PC gaming as consoles overtook them, and were far easier to deal with. Then, it was the advent of the cool gamer - the frat boys playing Halo and Madden and the decline of action/adventure/role-playing games. Now? It's older casual gamers almost split equally between the sexes. And, it's not like those previous generations are completely gone. PC gaming, for example, has made a huge comeback thanks to Steam and modern plug-and-play/autodetect technology.
But, yeah... whenever I hear "SJWs are ruining it (whatever it may be) for everyone else," my immediate reaction is that the person complaining was acting like a dickhead and didn't like being called out on it. It may not be a fair first impression, but after dealing with GamerGate people, that's where I go.
This whole thing is idiotic. I can only speak on the gamer side of things since I am a gamer, but GamerGate, at the least, was and remains bullshit.
From what I've seen, the pejorative SJW label gets thrown around way, way too much. It's not just given to knee-jerk reactionaries who couldn't actually express a cogent thought if they were paid to, but to anyone who dares raise their voice in opposition to other people simply being assholes. It's a term designed to stop discussion and to paint someone as the enemy. "Oh, they're just a SJW. You can ignore/harass/threaten them." It's the calling card of the idiot, and anyone who actually uses the term in a serious manner should probably stop and reevaluate themselves.
This isn't to say there aren't knee-jerk reactionaries who think everyone is one flavor of bigot or another. It's just that they should be dealt with on a case by case basis, if they're even dealt with at all. In my experience, letting the crazies be crazy over there, by themselves is far more beneficial than engaging them in a verbal conflict.
As far as gaming being under threat by these people, that's bullshit plain and simple. If gamers want their hobby to be treated seriously - to be treated as art as so many claim it is - then it's fair game for critique on those levels. That includes feminist critique. And, despite gaming slowly becoming more inclusive across the board, it is still overwhelmingly misogynistic. It's still overwhelmingly whitewashed. It still has miles to go in including and fairly depicting LGBT people. That doesn't mean games are bad and that you should feel bad, but that you should be aware of what the game is saying - both explicitly and implicitly.
The rest of GamerGate is just idiots not understanding how the media works. They saw headlines like "Gaming/Gamers is/are dead" as an actual fact or threat instead of the hyperbolic hooks they actually were. And even funnier, gaming as a lot of gamers knew it is dead. Far more women and older people are playing than ever before. Gaming 'dies' every 10-15 years. I know. I've seen it. First, it was the arcades as home PCs became popular and affordable. Then PC gaming as consoles overtook them, and were far easier to deal with. Then, it was the advent of the cool gamer - the frat boys playing Halo and Madden and the decline of action/adventure/role-playing games. Now? It's older casual gamers almost split equally between the sexes. And, it's not like those previous generations are completely gone. PC gaming, for example, has made a huge comeback thanks to Steam and modern plug-and-play/autodetect technology.
But, yeah... whenever I hear "SJWs are ruining it (whatever it may be) for everyone else," my immediate reaction is that the person complaining was acting like a dickhead and didn't like being called out on it. It may not be a fair first impression, but after dealing with GamerGate people, that's where I go.
"I was thirsty for everything, but blood wasn't my style" - Live, "Voodoo Lady"
