Hi. So, I feel like talking about this again.

I saw so much discussion about #GamerGate on my Tumblr dash a couple of mornings ago, and I have reshared various viewpoints by others more articulate than I on my various socnets, that I felt compelled to speak again.

The conversations I had with ONE of the #GamerGate supporters on Twitter when I posted my initial open letter last Friday was quite positive. At least he, and a few others like him, were trying to have a decent debate about the whole debacle, whether one agreed with him or not.

Everyone else who responded to me, of course, was of the mind of “You are full of shit. You don’t know what you are talking about. Stop spreading lies, you evil feminist…” blah blah blah.

Thankfully, for me, that was the worst of it. No one doxxed me. No one threatened me.

Someone was able to hack my blog and reply to my missive in the comments section. But it was pretty benign, even though the link to his argument was misogynist bullshit. Still I now have two part authentication set up. On ALL of my logins.

And after all of that, my stance still stands.

If this really is about lack of nepotism in gaming journalism, why the hate against someone arguing for at least a few more options in the gaming narrative? Why the multi-forum blowup over accolades on a game that someone did not like? Why the wholesale automatic siding with someone who unleashed a manifesto of untruths (and they did turn out to be untrue) because he was upset that his girlfriend was cheating on him? EVERYONE gets upset when they are cuckolded. That should have been a red flag, right there.

Why was it necessary for a bunch of Screenshots to be unleashed from 4chan and Reddit subforums to show that, at least in the initial stage, the argument that the #GamerGate is strictly about gaming the gaming journalism scheme is patently untrue? And that the initial focus was about running out people from the gaming industry whose desire for further options and points of view in video games, and whose voices are being heard by mainstream media, was upsetting a subset of players?

https://storify.com/strictmachine/gameovergate

#NotYourShield my ass.

And I am pretty sure the Something Awful forum had minimal to do with it either.

Conspiracy theories are for pussies. And they do nothing for the truth.

Most importantly, why are the developers and social critiquers getting harrassed, and not the journalists, themselves? At least one guy really wants to talk about this, because nepotism really is a huge concern in the game reporting.

Here’s the deal, folks. #GamerGate is, and has always been, one big con. If you support it, and try to pass on these extra hashtags such as #NotYourShield, you are either part of the con, or you have been conned.

Either way, one big con.

And pointing fingers at “social justice bloggers and feminists” to deflect from what folks have done for the #GamerGate movement is just that. Deflecting. It neither makes nor promotes your argument.

Which does not excuse what happened to this guy, btw. Just because you got conned, you should not suffer the extra burden of being harassed, as well.

In the end, I reiterate, and add to, my points from the last time I discussed this issue on my blog;

1. If you don’t like a game, don’t play it.

2. If you don’t like the additional options provided, don’t choose them.

3. If you don’t like how a magazine is reviewing new games, don’t read the magazine.

4. If you don’t like what someone has to say in a YouTube video, don’t watch the YouTube video.

5. But don’t deny the above for anyone else.

6. And lastly, if you are really concerned about gaming journalism and think that harassment is wrong, then SHOW US, don’t just argue on the internet that you have shut down some trash-talking Brazilian blogger looking for clicks.

I want pictures.

I want names,

I want links.

I don’t want whiny MRA manifestos, or unchecked conspiracy theories, either. I want to see things that are helping, rather than hurting.

Until then, it’s a Jamaican shell game.

I hope you got it.

I’ve run out of popcorn. Hopefully, this will end soon.

Peace,

Helen