Congratulations, assholes! You did it! Your threats and harassment have driven game journalist/designer Jenn Frank and game designer/media critic Mattie Brice to leave the gaming world.
Frank, an award-winning writer and sometime game designer, came to the attention of the misogynist mob after writing a brief opinion piece for The Guardian decrying the widespread and vicious harassment of women in gaming. In addition to writing about the harassment she’s gotten — including someone trying to hack into her email account — she (as you might expect) also highlighted the misogynistic rage directed at feminist media critic Anita Sarkeesian and indie game designer Zoe Quinn.
The new rule seems to be that any woman who writes about online harassment will herself be harassed, and in this case it didn’t take long.
The gamebro army, completely ignorant about how journalism works, decided that she had a “conflict of interest” — because, and I’m totally serious here, she had previously exchanged some tweets with Quinn and donated some money to her on Patreon. One critic, who put together a much-passed-around graphic outlining the charges against her, angrily denounced Frank for “vigorously defending [Quinn] while pretending to be impartial.”
There are a couple of giant problems with these accusations. First off, Frank never pretended to be impartial. She was not reporting on anything for the Guardian. She was writing an OPINION PIECE about a topic that obviously affected her. Editors don’t assign OPINION PIECES to writers who are, or who pretend to be, impartial. They assign these pieces to people WITH OPINIONS. You’re not going to get much of an OPINION PIECE from someone with no opinions.
Second of all, according to Frank (and I believe her), she had asked The Guardian to attach a brief statement to the end of her piece noting her — admittedly tenuous — connections with Quinn and Sarkeesian. The Guardian editors chose not to run it because they thought these connections were too trivial to merit a mention. They forgot that she was a woman writing about gaming, and that misogynistic assholes will seize on anything, literally anything, as an excuse for harassment.
After she started getting harassed for her alleged “conflict of interest,” Frank wrote a blog post dealing with the issue clearly and straightforwardly, and convinced the Guardian editors to append a version of her original disclosure statement to the piece:
Update: Jenn Frank has purchased and is a supporter of Zoë Quinn’s work, although this is the first article she has written on the developer. Frank has also briefly met Anita Sarkeesian.
As absurd as it is for a woman writer to have to publicly confess that she “has also briefly met Anita Sarkeesian,” as if this is some sort of crime, Frank thus answered her critics directly. And that should have been it. But of course the harassment — sorry, the perfectly legitimate criticism — continued, and on Wednesday night Frank announced that she’d had enough:
https://twitter.com/jennatar/status/507338379474649088
https://twitter.com/jennatar/status/507411937383022592
The only “conflict of interest” here was the “conflict of interest” that Frank wrote about originally in her Guardian piece. After describing her horror on discovering that someone had been trying to hack her email, she wrote:
My unabashed love for video games, my colleagues and my work have a conflict of interest with my own terror.
And, at least for now, the terror has won.
Meanwhile, game designer and media critic Mattie Brice was also extracting herself from an industry and a culture that has been grinding her down. I’ll let her tweets tell the story. (See her timeline for more.)
real talk is that people like me have been getting harassed and disregarded for a long time and patience's gone for things not being better
— @mattiebrice.bsky.social (@thotxcouture) September 3, 2014
it feels like everyone is taking their merry ol' time to wise up and take action in a way that actually helps. don't have time for that
— @mattiebrice.bsky.social (@thotxcouture) September 3, 2014
i need to get better and since that healing isn't coming from the outside i have to get it from the inside. shouldn't be how it is
— @mattiebrice.bsky.social (@thotxcouture) September 3, 2014
see ya video games pic.twitter.com/0nnU6oAl7N
— @mattiebrice.bsky.social (@thotxcouture) September 4, 2014
Congrats to all the people excising themselves from something horrible and looking to take care of yourself
— @mattiebrice.bsky.social (@thotxcouture) September 4, 2014
If industry cared you would be properly supported. It wasn't ready for or deserving of you. Go shine elsewhere
— @mattiebrice.bsky.social (@thotxcouture) September 4, 2014
It'll be nice not aspiring to be a part of an industry that makes me cry and hurt so often
— @mattiebrice.bsky.social (@thotxcouture) September 4, 2014
I'm glad you all love video games a lot, these guys are tough company.
— @mattiebrice.bsky.social (@thotxcouture) September 4, 2014
i decided i'm not spending time and energy on things that don't reciprocate. the games industry never budged to make room for me
— @mattiebrice.bsky.social (@thotxcouture) September 5, 2014
it asked for volunteer work, it asked me to take harassment, it asked me to live in poor conditions. i won't anymore
— @mattiebrice.bsky.social (@thotxcouture) September 5, 2014
until you figure out how to change that this industry will be a revolving door where people don't even get into the building
— @mattiebrice.bsky.social (@thotxcouture) September 5, 2014
i won't spend any energy making you feel like your consumer products are art and deserving of critical attention
— @mattiebrice.bsky.social (@thotxcouture) September 5, 2014
Elsewhere on Twitter, the bullies crowed over their victory:
https://twitter.com/AlrightAnon/status/507395891838590976
Another day, another couple of women ground down and spat out by the Great Internet Lady Harassment Machine, Gaming Division.
Oh, and in case you were wondering, the gamebros haven’t forgotten about Zoe Quinn either.
lemme just check my email and- oh. #GamerGate pic.twitter.com/YJ8cwzlM79
— zoë “Baddie Proctor” quinn (@UnburntWitch) September 3, 2014
Here’s the screenshot; click for a larger and more readable version — if you’re not triggered by violent threats, that is.
What the fuck is wrong with these people?
Seriously, if you know, tell me, because I am fresh out of explanations for this level of blind hatred.
NOTE: This thread is a NO SHITHEAD thread. If you say anything that in any way even slightly excuses or justifies the harassment of these women, you can fuck right off to any of the eight zillion places on the internet where you can badmouth these women to your heart’s content. I and the other mods will be banning and deleting as necessary.
Long time listener, first time caller.
I’ve been writing and developing a game for a few years now, even though being a lady software developer certainly has it’s ups and downs the specifically bullshitty behaviours of assholes this month have been enough that for the first time I’ve considered releasing under a male alias, or not at all.
So, it’s nice to hear that they feel like they’re winning. /s
I want to know what that idiot thinks he’s winning? Driving away talent and making your favorite hobby synonymous with misogynist assholery does what in gamebros favor? Are they admitting that they can’t compete with women so need to drive them out of the running with threats and harassment? What big prize does this douchenozzle think he’s won? The world knows he is horrible and abusive. They know that people like him are so awful that other people will give up their careers and hobbies to avoid them. The stink men like him have put on men who game as a hobby will not come off for years and years.
I can’t help but imagine that had these guys been around pre-civil rights era, they’d have been burning crosses on lawns and then patting each other on the back when minorities were driven out of their neighborhoods and towns.
Matthew — I think I can help deconfuse you as to that whole denying gender roles is transphobic thing (I can’t make it make sense though). Among trans people, some are of the belief that gender roles are, uh, an inherent part of gender? I’m surprised the view is still around, really, but historically it makes sense.
Used to be that in order for a trans woman to medically transition she had to COMPLETELY fit these inane standards of what makes a woman a woman — skirt and heels, crossed legs, all the gender role shit. So denying gender roles means saying they’re not really women, or something. The folks I hear it from tend to also be the sort to use phrases like “woman trapped in a man’s body”. Anyways, I get this from the angle of how humans are male and female, to refuse to pick one makes a mockery of binary trans people who just happen to have been born with the wrong genitals. I think part of it is that people can more easily handle the idea that nature fucked up, than that the whole construct is rubbish, so some people REALLY don’t want to press the issue of gender roles being a social construct.
Now then, man sandals or heeled boots? Eh, sandals I guess, too hot for my boots…too hot for jeans too though. Dilemmas dilemmas! (I’m with Nivi, the ideal temp is somewhere around the mid to high 60s, ze may like it a smidge colder than me, but really, 65-70 is my ideal range)
Is it the photo or is Nivi getting bigger ? 🙂
File under “Definitely Not Clear on the Concept”.
I still have mixed feelings about them leaving. I know self-care is important. Heck it’s all important and I understand why they had to leave but I just can’t with their decision.
This is exactly what the so-called gamebros are aiming for. They want women who have opinions to shutup and go somewhere else. This is not just mean spirited but stupid and shortsighted, as well.
My only consolation to this is that eventually all of this is going to come back and bite them in the ass. You simply cannot engage in this level of wtfuckery without consequences of some kind and their behavior might end up bringing about the very thing they’re trying so hard to prevent.
Social Progression.
@lkeke35
We can’t expect every member of an oppressed group to be willing to put themselves on the cross for The Cause. It’s unfair to expect every woman to be an activist, or every black person to be an activist, or every gay person to be an activist. When you’re picked out of a crowd for basically no reason and have a target painted on you, you’re not a lesser person if you elect to retire from the fight. Not everyone is equipped, socially or psychologically, to stand in the line of fire, and that’s not something that deserves shaming.
The decision of these women is not wrong.
Thanks lea! A friend of mine posted that on Facebook the other day and I really liked it. It’s making the conversation about misogyny in games more like a normal conversation that you would have in real life. While I do also like Anita’s videos, they are quite serious and intense, which can make them harder to relate to sometimes.
Also, my boyfriend plays chess competitively, so I really liked the comment at the end claiming that chess is the most misogynistic game.
Ej
I lol’d at the end! 😀 very happy that people are addressing the issues
I read some of the comments and there was a few that made me smile.
Ikeke35
Yep
These guys aren’t really helping the image of gamers as immature and socially maladapted, either. “I disagreed with this complete stranger so I threatened and harassed her until she quit her job!” Surely even people who refuse to see the misogyny here can agree that this is not a mature or appropriate response?
gilshalos — it’s the photo, blame foreshortening. (Also, the things that look like maybe gravel aren’t, the sand substrate likes to clump, but it falls apart just as easily)
Quoted For Truth. They honestly believe they’re speaking truth to power, that every female game developer is a social justice warrior trying to ruin their beloved hobby.
You don’t even have to imagine, really. Burning crosses were anonymous death threats before twitter existed. Now they leave abusive and threatening tweets and comments in the victim’s internet spaces, and the OP has them literally patting themselves on the back after a successful ousting. There is no difference in form.
I’m with Lea. If they’re “winning” — what are they winning, exactly? The right to have gamers perceived as raging psychopathic assholes? And that’s a good thing why?
Policy of Madness: I agree. I understand, I really do but I still feel awful about their decision. I know there’s no shame in it. I’ve had to bow out of a coupe fights in life too, bc I KNEW I was not equipped, mentally or emotionally, to handle it. I think maybe I’m too close to it.
I think its just galling to me to feel like these dipshits are getting exactly what they want. Its pissing me off and I think some of that spilled over onto the ladies.
My sincere apologies if I’ve done a shaming on them.
Internet anonymity + sexism + mob mentality + MRA agitators who could care less about”gaming” fanning the flames= this apparently.
@ikeke35
I don’t feel that judging them on whether their decision is right or wrong is the most productive conversation to be had – that kind of thing veers straight into (and adds to already existing) victim-shaming which is a place nobody wants to, or should, go.
They’ve kind of had enough of that already – it’s what contributed to the decision in the first place.
Sorry Ikeke35, can see you’ve already responded re: previous post.
Julie
Let’s please not use ableist terms
Ikeke35
I feel the exact same way but let’s look at the positive side there are still people who are fighting to make women in programming and who are gamers themselves safe.
OKay, hope in humanity slightly restoered: http://games.on.net/2014/08/readers-threatened-by-equality-not-welcome/
They got it. They need to be that clear.
I want to cry and smile.
I think instead of feeling disappointed that these women stepped out of the fight, we should be asking what other people are doing. Some people are socially and/or psychologically equipped to handle this. Some of them are already involved, but I’m sure there are others who have no fear of the dudebros but who aren’t doing anything because of Reasons.
Our mixed feelings should be reserved for those folks.
Luzbelitx
Awesome
@Luzbelitx 🙂
goddamn them so soooo so much.
The claims of “ITS ABOUT INTEGRITY” get shot completely to hell by them happily retweeting breitbart affiliated accounts.
Samantha Allen, another games writer, was also successfully driven out of the field a few months ago. She still writes, last I knew — just not about video games. The harassment became too much. If the replies to her “goodbye” tweet are any indication, I don’t blame her, either.
It is really beyond me how any person who makes a habit of trying to ruin people’s careers, for the oh-so-giant evil of making uncomfortable criticisms, can see themselves as the good guy. Like, you are seriously accomplishing nothing productive or beneficial. You’re just hurting people.