If you were a video gamer in the mid-2010s, there’s a genuine chance that you’ve already heard the term “GamerGate.”
But just in case you haven’t, here’s a quick synopsis of the controversy via Wikipedia (and gee, do you notice a clear slant to this?): “Gamergate or GamerGate (GG) was a loosely organized misogynistic online harassment campaign and a right-wing backlash against feminism, diversity, and progressivism in video game culture.”
If you want a non-leftist take on “GamerGate,” here’s mine: GamerGate was the resultant outcry of gamers finally having enough of constantly being berated and told that they’re racist, sexist, xenophobic, homophobic, transphobic, etc. for merely having narrative preferences.
(For example, I generally prefer male protagonists in my video games. It’s far easier to relate to male characters and put myself in their shoes. Does that make me a sexist?)
Obviously, the dunces who resorted to death and rape threats as part of that resultant outcry are the scum of the earth and deserve no sympathy.
But leave it to the left to paint all upset gamers as the same as those abhorrent extremists.
Nearly a decade later, “GamerGate” appears to be back — and leftist groups are again trying to vilify gamers who have the unmitigated gall to have narrative preferences.
Take This, a non-profit group focused on mental health in the gaming world, wrote a Monday blog excoriating the new wave of GamerGate, while defending the group at the heart of this latest controversy.
“If you’re reading this, you’ve probably been hearing about what’s now being called ‘Gamergate2,’” the blog noted. “It’s the latest targeted harassment campaign within the game industry and it’s aimed at Sweet Baby Inc, a Montreal-based narrative development studio.
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“The campaign also has been impacting entities and games associated with Sweet Baby, journalists covering the issue, and others associated in various ways with the targets.”
Sweet Baby Inc. is a Canadian studio that strives to shoehorn in the left’s perception of “diversity” into video games.
The results have been objectively bad, to say the least.
The backlash against SBI was simple: This consultation studio was eschewing engaging and worthwhile narrative content (content based on the source material, no less) in exchange for far-left ideologies.
As an example, this writer is a huge fan of the “God of War” series. The most recent entry, “God of War Ragnarök” included a Norse jötunn named Angrboda.
Lore-wise, there are a lot of interesting narrative threads that Angrboda could’ve been a part of. In Norse mythology, Angrboda is the “mother of monsters,” having birthed wolves that chase the moon and serpents that hold up the planet.
After SBI finished consulting with “God of War Ragnarök,” they turned Angrboda black… and not much else.
Diversity for diversity’s sake does not a story make. Is it sexist to point that out?
Take This, which has been directly funded by the Department of Homeland Security in the past according to their reports, argued that SBI harassment was coming from all corners of the internet.
“Discord, Steam, and X have been the predominant platforms where the abuse and harassment has been taking place,” Take This writes. “In these spaces, lists of game studios, companies, and associated organizations are being circulated for targeting by members of the mob.”
That seems to be a direct reference to a rapidly growing Steam curator list that identifies any game that SBI has worked on.
Oddly, Take This leaped to the conclusion that this list was being used to target people… instead of just offering gamers a list of games to avoid.
Take this also blamed the hyper-political atmosphere for the SBI backlash.
“Large-scale harassment campaigns like this fuel – and are fueled by – political events,” Take This wrote. “As political rhetoric heats up ahead of the US presidential election later this year, this kind of online activity is going to ramp up and it’s important to understand that these phenomena are interrelated.
“As scholars and journalists have noted, the targeted harassment, hate, and cultural norms that were at the heart of Gamergate in the mid 2010’s never went away. People in game spaces, especially marginalized developers and content creators, face hate and harassment daily. In fact, research conducted by Take This has outlined an entire spectrum and typology of extremism and dark participation in games that is bigger than any one movement but underlies all of them. It can be scary or uncomfortable to think about, to talk about, and to understand.”
When it comes to everyday people, Take This tells them that it’s “extremely important to speak out and step up for folks who are being harmed. This kind of support can take on many different forms.”
When it comes to companies, Take This was a bit more forceful: “You may be inclined to be quiet or cautious, but that’s actually not helpful.”
The company added, “In other words, failure to clearly and unequivocally denounce Gamergate and the harassment and abuse done in its name created a space for that hate and abuse to flourish, spread, and become normalized. “
Take This ends its open letter with the following plea: “Hate, harassment, and toxic behavior have no place in games. By taking direct, targeted action in a timely manner, we can mitigate further harm to talented, dedicated folks in games, and help prevent additional recurrences of these harmful events.”
Here’s yet another non-leftist interpretation of the left’s verbiage: “Hate (except against white people), harassment (except against people who refuse to bend the knee to the left) and toxic behavior (except when targeting conservatives) have no place in games.
“Everyone else needs to shut up and get in line.”
