Welcome back, my friends, to the harassment that never ends.
It’s not news that GamerGate is fading – the media hubbub has died down, and the last I checked the volume of Tweets to the #GamerGate hashtag has dropped to only about a fifth of what it was in its glory days.
But it’s too soon to say it’s over. Because while the number of Gaters has shrunk, the harassment of GamerGate’s targets goes on, and on, and on. Indeed, for the three “Literally Whos” who’ve been the central targets of #GamerGate harassment little has changed. The death threats, the rape threats, the insults, the harassing Tweets and comments and emails and phone calls all continue.
And then the Gaters accuse the “Literally Whos” of faking their harassment in a bid for sympathy and cash.
Let’s look at each in turn:
1) Anita Sarkeesian
Sarkeesian, the cultural critic whose harassment started years ago when she first announced her plans to make a video series on sexism in video games, recently posted a week’s worth of harassing and threatening Tweets directed at her; there were more than a hundred of them, including numerous death and rape threats, suggestions that she kill herself in the most painful way possible, and assorted other abusive comments bristling with hatred and misogynsitic slurs.
2) Zoe Quinn
As Sarkeesian sorts through her Twitter notifications, game developer Zoe Quinn tries to figure out how to continue her life and her career in the face of unrelenting and irrational hostility and harassment. In an eloquent meditation on the subject on her blog, she writes
I’ve been trying to take a day to just be a regular person, recenter myself, and have the energy to get back to work with the same enthusiasm I tend to have, but every attempt gets cut short by some fresh, new, horrible news about someone trying to get into my accounts, a new asinine conspiracy theory being used as an excuse to dox people I went to high school with, friends freaking out because anonymous message board people are talking about how to mail them bombs, or just another death threat. At least the death threats have become somewhat routine.
Stalked by a restless mob of haters, she’s constantly under the microscope, her every utterance picked at by her critics looking for anything they can use as fodder for their increasingly baroque and fanciful conspiracy theories; as she puts it, she’s faces, every day, “a mob of Nerd McCarthyists nipping at your heels and spinning up TMZ-style blog posts every time you fart.”
Indeed, Quinn recently found herself accused of terrorism for making a joke on Twitter suggesting she planned on “burning hollywood to the ground” if an upcoming episode of Law & Order SVU loosely based on GamerGate ends up having a victim-blaming plot twist.
Do these people honestly believe that Quinn is really planning on burning anything to the ground? I don’t know, and I don’t think it even matters to them; it’s just another “crime” to add to Quinn’s GamerGate rap sheet.
I can only assume that GamerGate will go after the imaginary Hollywood director “Alan Smithee” next; after all, he’s credited with directing the 1998 film Burn Hollywood Burn. Come to think of it, Public Enemy had a song with that name as well.
3) Brianna Wu
Meanwhile, game developer Brianna Wu is facing an even creepier threat: a disturbed and delusional “GamerGate vigilante” who bombarded Wu with a succession of threats that alarmed her enough to contact the police – then, en route to her house, he flipped the Prius he’d stolen from his mom on an icy highway. And yes, this really happened; he posted a video of himself having a screeching meltdown on the side of the road next to a wrecked Prius balanced on its side. (I’m avoiding his name because I honestly don’t want to give him any more publicity.)
He claims that he meant Wu no harm, and merely wanted to challenge her to a “street race” to which she never agreed – apparently thinking that if he scared her enough to flee her home on her motorcycle this would count as a race.
But he also apparently sent a friend to try to “disable her comms” (communications) – the friend evidently never arrived – and tried to convince an online acquaintance with a gun to accompany him for this “op.” Thankfully, the acquaintance refused, and posted what he said was their chat to a message board devoted to trolling. An excerpt:
[2:52:07 PM] [name redacted]: SHE IS WORKING WIth the National Social Justice Party to stop gamers!!!!
[2:52:35 PM] [name redacted]: I SENT ELI UP TO DISABLE HER COMMS WE DONT HAVE MUCH TIME BEFORE SHE ASKS FOR REINFORCEMENTS THOUGH AND I NEED YOU FOR BACK UP!!
[2:52:52 PM] FlyAwayNow – Matthew.N: What? You want me to bring my rifle or what?
[2:53:05 PM] [name redacted]: YEA JUST LIKE IN PAYDAY 2 DUDE ITLL BE SICK
[2:53:36 PM] [name redacted]: IN CASE SHE SHOOTS AT MY CAR I CANT GET BULLET HOLES IN MY MOMS CAR SHE ILL KILL ME ESPECIALLY BECAUSE I STOLE IT
[2:54:10 PM] [name redacted]: WERE GONNA STREET RACE HER SHE WONT BE ABLE TO DRIVE IN THE STORM SO WE WILL BE ABLE TO WIN EASY AND TAKE YOUR RIFLE IN CASE SHE SHOOTS US TOO
[2:54:32 PM] FlyAwayNow – Matthew.N: You’re not laying a hand on my gun.
[2:54:42 PM] [name redacted]: ILL DRIVE YOU SHOOT
And now he seems to have convinced himself that Wu somehow sabotaged his car in an attempt to “assassinate” him. From his video:
I honestly don’t quite know what to make of the threatener or the threats. His behavior is so strange and erratic and almost literally unbelievable that it would be easy to dismiss him as a troll.
But then there is that wrecked Prius. And several years worth of videos on Youtube that suggest either that he’s sincere — or that’s he’s the most dedicated troll since Andy Kaufman’s fake comedian alter ego Tony Clifton, who somehow managed to survive Kaufman’s death.
Is GamerGate responsible for his actions? On the pro-GamerGate subreddit Kotaku In Action, the regulars largely dismissed the threatener as a troll; one accused Wu of being “a disgusting human” for publicizing the threat and being “so quick to paint him a Gamergate supporter.” Never mind that in the video the threatener repeatedly describes himself a “#GamerGate vigilante,” and that he would not have chosen her as a target had she not already been subject to months of vilification from GamerGate.
GamerGate, which is quick enough to take credit for charity work done in its name, shies away from taking responsibility for any of the terrible shit anyone does in its name. And in recent months many of the remaining Gaters seem to have stopped even pretending to care about the victims of GamerGate harassment. Indeed, @_icze4r, the former head of GamerGate’s much-vaunted, now-abandoned “Harassment Patrol” was one of those who egged the threatener on with a jokey supportive Tweet.
It’s a dangerous game they’re playing. As Wu notes
Someone is going to die from your recklessness if you don't look in the mirror and understand the consequences of your choices.
— Brianna Wu (@BriannaWu) February 1, 2015
What any of this has to do with “ethics in video games journalism” I couldn’t tell you.
The Brianna Wu threat also posted on Daily Kos Kos includes information about Skype use and time stamps showing that the event is likely real and indicates that this … person … was armed.
I live on the other side of the world in Australia, but even that video by GamerGate Vigilante chilled me to the bone and made me feel like shutting my windows and locking my doors.
“Egging people on” is a GabberGag staple. That’s what their doxxing is for, it’s meant to give anyone with enough gumption, resources or hate the tools to target their enemies.
Except in this case, the guy in question isn’t wounded (I don’t think) or a veteran. He used to talk about how he wanted to join the marines, and would describe himself as a “future marine,” though there is zero chance the marines would take him. Then at some point he started calling himself a retired marine. Then again he also sometimes refers to himself by the name of a fictional military commando he came up with, though I don’t think he actually believes he’s that guy and is probably roleplaying, sort of?
On the mental health issue, in this case, it seems pretty clear that unless this guy is a really really committed troll he’s dealing with some mental health issues.
ParkourDude91 is an internet “lolcow” of the same kind as Chris-Chan, and in fact has been a target of many of the same people who trolled Chris.
vaiyt:
Yup, that’s it in a nutshell. It’s exactly the same MO as AVfM.
“Us? Oh, we’d never harm a woman, how dare you even suggest such a thing! We’re just exercising our free speech rights by posting the home address, personal email and cellphone number of this particular woman on our website. She’s a vile shrieking harpy who probably wants to castrate all men, but we’d never wish violence on such a horrible cunt. Oh also, she teaches at X University and here is her mother’s Facebook account. But we don’t condone harassment. I think her dog’s name is Pippa. We’ll pay for more information. FREE SPEECH!!!”
David Futrelle:
As much as I shy away from internet diagnoses, in this case, I have to agree. But I said the same about Elliot Rodger and I’ll say it again here: there is no mental illness that makes you hate women, let alone female game developers specifically. This guy may have been suffering from delusions and paranoia even if GamerGate never existed, but GG gave his paranoia a shape and a focus. It inflamed his anger, indulged his delusions, fed his fantasies* and pointed the whole dangerous mess squarely at Brianna Wu. GG enabled this. GG and chan culture is a pressure cooker for this kind of shit. This is the logical conclusion of GamerGate, and Wu is 100% correct: someone is going to get killed.
*seriously, it may seem ridiculous that he thought beating WU in drag race would have spelled some kind of victory for GG, but this is a movement that constantly talks in terms of winning and losing, bosses and enemies, raids and operations… many GGers seem to view feminism and “SJWs” as a game they have to beat. Not really surprising that a self-proclaimed GamerGate Vigilante took this one step further.
What… the fuck.
I think I might start using “It’s about ethics in games journalism” in every conceivable situation; it’s such a time saver.
“Could you bring us up to speed on the main issues surrounding the current situation in the Middle East?” etc.
tinyorc
QFT.
It would help if the police would actually do something about it, but instead all they “can” do is just escort Brianna from place to place and fill out paperwork whenever shit like this comes up.
Hopefully though, this guy gets arrested so he can get the help he really, really needs. There’s enough proof there to do something about it, and I doubt it would take much to find out who he is and where he lives. Especially if the police get a warrant for that information.
What really bugs me about all of this is that I can’t see any definite endgame. As people have pointed out many times before, many of the most ardent harassers have been doing their thing since long before Gamergate.
Eventually the “movement” will grind to a halt and the people who honestly think they’re crusading for video games will go back to complaining in the comments of reviews, but the core of misogynistic harassers will remain. I worry that things won’t really improve for the “Literally Whos” or the other people they’ve been targeting, nor will there be an end to new targets arising.
@fantasyarmadillo
Assuming that your posting in good faith: couldn’t you just use a search bar to find a primer link to ableism 101? Like… maybe before you post your thoughts on ableism?
At the very least, here’s the WHTM welcome package:
https://artistryforfeminismandkittens.wordpress.com/the-official-man-boobz-complimentary-welcome-package/
Update #4 touches upon mental illness and, specifically, the word “crazy”
Please let “Operation: Wu-Pocalypse” be the title of the next Wu-Tang Clan album.
Even if Prius dude is a “troll” (and I doubt it. I mean, who would wreck a car for an internet joke?) being a monster and acting like a monster for fun are basically the same thing. If anything, doing something like this for entertainment is actually a lot worse.
GamerGate is a cesspit. It’s probably going to be remembered as one of the worst things to ever happen to the internet. And that’s a difficult reputation to earn yourself, considering the internet. One thing they demonstrate time and time again: they’re right when they say that “trolls” and other assorted assholes do what they do for attention. But not the negative attention they get from their victims. It’s for the positive attention they get from their cheerleaders. GamerGate are the cheerleaders that encourage attacks on women. They are the cheerleaders that are making the world a worse place to live for everyone. Anyone who is still a member of GamerGate should feel like shit, because that is what they are.
@dhag85
They did have a tour with exactly that name.
@vaiyt
Hahahahaha. OK I’m gonna call that prophecy even though I only actually “predicted” the past.
Here in England we have some interesting laws about incitement and ‘joint enterprise’ that may well cover the general GG activities. Any US lawyers know about an equivalent over there?
Not a lawyer, but it’s generally much more difficult to prove causation / incitement rather than correlation (or loosely causal, but still within the realm of protexted speech) in the US than in the UK and Northern Europe.
*squints*
Protected.
I’m blaming “x” being right beside “c” for that one.
Perhaps this goes without saying around here, but I’d like to reiterate it regardless:
I’m a male video gamer. I’ve been one for 30 years. I think female gamers are awesome. I think trans gamers are awesome. I think most gamers are awesome, except for bullying, mean-spirited shitbags like these guys. I don’t care if said women play the latest AAA blockbusters, creative indie games, or gem-matching apps on their phone. It’s all good. The hobby would greatly benefit from new blood, new perspectives, and a wider and more varied fan base.
I’m not going to deny that there’s an unfortunate overlap between my favorite hobby and misogyny, because it’s painfully clear that there is one. I wish I could do more to combat this garbage, but all I can think to do is call guys out on it when I see it. But in some gaming quarters, it’s like spitting against a tidal wave. Even guys that aren’t necessarily misogynists will still scream ‘OMG a grill!’ (their spelling) when a woman appears on a gaming video, and female streamers on Twitch will have to deal with all kinds of shit in their chat feed that men almost never encounter.
Sometimes my hobby makes me sad.
This is why we don’t let you run the nuclear deterrent.
Interestingly the best illustration of ‘Joint Enterprise’ for the lay person is the Jodie Foster film “The Accused”; that’s the one I recommend people to see on the subject.
That video is AWESOME!!!
Unhinged Meltdown please!
@chaltab: “while two posts away another Gator goes on a rant about the Jews controlling Jewpedia”
Well, I’d sure hope the Jews control Jewpedia. I wouldn’t trust anyone else to do a good job of it.
Jokes aside, I really hope Gamergate is going away soon. I feel the greatest admiration for Sarkeesian and the other people who are staying strong under this harassment, and my thoughts are with them.
Some part of me really wants to just believe that this guy is trolling long and hard, that he found an already over-turned Prius on the side of the road, that this is the reason he did not seem injured in the accident and why none of the passing cars stopped to help. Like, some part of me really hopes that my gut-reaction of “this is what too over the top to be serious” is right.
Knowing GG, I don’t think that can be true, though.
But holy, I want it so bad to be just trolling. For the safety of Wu and for the sake of this guy’s mental health.
I did a few Bing searches on the guy’s evidently-not-a-pseudonym, which led me to a wiki & forum actually dedicated to following his “antics” (for lack of a better word). According to the forum posts, he has claimed to be diagnosed as paranoid schizophrenic and a heavy marijuana user, in part because his mother & friends are strongly into alternative medicine in the anti-psychiatry sense.
On the bright side, the comments/posts there made it clear that they feel he’s not dangerous. In fact, there was a surprising amount of protectiveness and concern for the guy, ranging from a detailed flowchart explaining why trolling or harassing him is wrong to repeated sentiments that boil down to “hopefully Brianna Wu will realize he’s harmless, not press charges, and the hospital or police will get him the help he needs.”
I’m not posting any direct links because I can’t recall what the service is that keeps the destination from improving in site rankings. A search for “TeamGamerFood” will bring you to the wiki; the Discussion page for the entrance has a section called “Jace’s Sickness” with a link to two forums; “cwckiforums” is the one I glanced around. //Trigger warning: both sites are full of sexist/misogynist speech with the occasional r-word and probably a lot worse.\