I’ve been thinking a lot about Gamergate and where we’re going from here. A lot of you may have seen the Patreon I started this week. I’d like to talk to you about my reasoning in starting that, why the Patreon helps everyone, and what I think should happen next.

I want people to know, this nightmare is not over for the women targeted. It’s worse than it’s ever been. I woke up yesterday to Gamergate writing rape fiction about Zoe and publishing it on Kindle. I had a stalker post pictures of my house, its layout, my neighborhood, my husband and my pets this week. Gamergaters have been threatening to knock on my door and intimidate me in person.

The truth is, guns have come to paradise. Videogames now have their own Tea Party, and it is Gamergate. We cannot reason with them. Just like the Obama birthers demanding proof that he’s an American citizen, nothing will reach these people.

However, I’ve come to believe our response to Gamergate is outdated.

When I went on my whirlwind press tour of major media outlets this year, I had a single mission - to help people understand Gamergate is a misogynistic movement. That mission was wildly successful, and I believe it helped turn the tide of the war. Look at the Gamergate Wikipedia page which was updated this week - and reflects the common understanding about the misogyny of the movement. Even Wikipedia’s Jimmy Wales, someone not known for being reactionary, released a very sober condemnation of the movement.



Reasonable people understand Gamergate is an innately sexist movement. That mission is over.

So, it’s worth thinking about Gamergate’s current psychological motivations. We’ve seen harassing industry women turned into a game for these people. They thrive on attention. They feel like victims of a world gone madly politically correct, and they believe anything is justified in taking us down. To use Anita Sarkeesian’s phrase, feminists have become “Folk Demons,” to these people - we’re monsters for them to hunt. They will continue to spend all day, every day, thinking of ways to harass us.

It sucks beyond belief that this will continue to happen to me, Zoe, Randi and Anita. It’s so depressing, I can barely process it. I’m sure this next week will have new, horrific events for the four of us. But, the truth is - anyone on the fence has already left the movement. The rest can’t be shamed, persuaded or reached - they’re enjoying the game they’re playing. Feminism is their final boss, and they only win when they hurt us.

I believe, the best way to proceed from here is to keep doing what upset them so much in the first place - to talk about inequality in the game industry. To keep talking about the sexist hiring practices, lack of representation, hostile work conditions women face and lack of promotion for women and PoC at AAA studios.

I believe it’s also imperative to make Gamergaters that break laws face consequences in our justice system. If you see Gamergaters doing things that law enforcement can prosecute, feel free to send it to our new harassment officer. If it seems actionable, I will make sure people that can do something about it see it.

For me, personally, I intend to keep lessening the amount I’m posting and writing about Gamergate. Everyone knows they are very sexist, very unhealthy individuals. Thanks to my Patreon, GSX’s full time staffer will document this behavior for law enforcement leaving me free to speak out for change in the industry and make inclusive games.

My suggestion to people rightly outraged about this movement, is to ask yourself what you currently want to accomplish. It’s my suggestion that it would be most helpful to shift the conversation back to representation in the industry. I think the gains in raising awareness of Gamergate have diminished, while the threat of giving the lunatic fringe the attention they desire has stayed the same.

To be blunt, I’m not sure endlessly talking about Gamergate does anything anymore.

I got 8 hours of sleep last night for the first time in a long, long time. Knowing that my Patreon was going to let me get back to the work I love makes me feel excited about making games again. Part of the job of GSXs harassment officer will be to help you do the same - please forward actionable information for law enforcement to harassment@giantspacekat.com.

To support my Patreon, please go here. Now, if you’ll excuse me - I’ve got games to make.