It takes real insight to cut through the noise and recycled hysteria of the internet, especially when you are the target of abuse. In the video game community a small, vocal minority has coordinated a wave of bullying against female writers under the guise of a campaign about ethics, describing their movement, without irony, as “Gamergate”.

The tech journalist Leigh Alexander, who has pointed out the lack of diversity in gaming and the cliched representations of women in games, refuses to be intimidated. The real crisis, she says, is in the small but powerful core of gamers who cannot deal with the transition of this medium to the mainstream. It challenges the anonymous, high-octane masculinity they feign, alone behind their consoles.

They don’t want the growing number of female gamers to have more of a say in what they’re playing, or to create projects that educate through personal storytelling, whether about depression, sexuality or immigration.

This is what sexism looks like in the 21st century, internet style, and we support Leigh Alexander on the new frontier. She is right that gaming – an increasingly recognised cultural force – belongs to everyone.