News, views and top stories in your inbox. Don't miss our must-read newsletter Sign up Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Invalid Email

“These days, in this horrifying new era of ethical games journalism, it's important for writers to be totally upfront by divulging every aspect of their personal lives, everybody they've ever been friends with, every secret they've ever held and anybody they might have kissed along the way.”

That’s the opening paragraph of a blistering review of Ininifactory by Steve Hogarty for pcgamesn.com which mocks the #GamerGate “movement” along the way.

As part of a satirical “ethical disclosure” before tackling the actual review of the game, Steve confesses that, among other things, he once ran over and “killed the CEO of Ubisoft”, inspired Sid Meier to make Civilisation, and acted out the spaghetti kiss scene from Lady And The Tramp with “some guy from Games For Windows Live”.

You should read the whole review.

The point Steve is making - if you haven’t been following #GamerGate - is that the movement has been making increasingly conflicting demands about how games journalists should handle their relationships with people who work in the games industry, to the extent that sometimes it seems like even knowing anybody who makes games might be considered an ethical breach.

#GamerGate - the amorphous mass of angry people insisting it is all about ethics while harassing and doxxing prominent women in the games industry - is probably the ugliest thing to appear on the internet in the last few years since my byline picture.

And, predictably, supporters in the comments under Steve’s Infinifactory review have been joyless about it.

“Why was this article even posted?” asked one. “At least we know whose writing to avoid in the future” said another.

It’s almost like #GamerGaters don’t have a sense of humour.

We’ll leave the last word to Steve: “I hope that you can trust my opinions. Please trust me, I truly believe I am a trustworthy person. Tell me what I have to do or write so that you trust the things that I say. I will divulge any part of my past, no matter how personal, if you think it is relevant to my ability to write honestly about this game. Just, please.”

poll loading Do #GamerGate supporters have a sense of humour? 0+ VOTES SO FAR No

Games journalism ethics disclosure: I once wrote a game for the ZX Spectrum. It wasn’t very good. Nobody reviewed it. Steve Hogarty is funnier than me.