Editorial and Analysis
By J-dawg
For a little over a decade, we have witnessed the demonization and vilification of the gaming public by members of the press and gaming industry. Gamers have endured slight after slight. In spite of this, many of us have taken it in stride. Many others have objected to this in more or less vociferous terms. We identify many of these exchanges as having taken place in the broader context of the designated 'Gamergate' phenomenon.
If you try looking up Gamergate from within most established media sources, some of what you read there will be false. Most of it is simply unrelated to what mainstream gamers want. A great deal of what is reported about it is irrelevant to our purpose and our members' aims. In real terms, a tremendous amount of drama is dressed around a simple premise: Gamers are, for whatever reason, unsatisfied with the 'new' status-quo in the gaming industry.
On this simple fact there is broad agreement. The reasons for this are many. For much of the history of the video game industry, opinions would vary on companies, games, and sometimes around the personalities leading them. Gamers generally had partiality to one or another game, but for the most part, our passions as gamers revolved around the games themselves.
When the games suited our tastes and interest, we played them. When they did not, we did not, or did less. For most gamers of the old-school, our interest was a niche one when compared to contemporary culture. When we love a game, we don't mind devoting our time to it. We're willing to go out of our way to play it, too. It is a dedication that is shared by all lifestyle gamers.
There are, however, those who do not share our passion or interests. People who approach and even address the gaming community, sometimes working in industries producing content geared towards gamers, who do not identify with our culture. People who for all intents and purposes hate it, and want to change it for their own ends.
This opinion, which some may choose to view with skepticism, is shared by many. We regard – the Brotherhood supports the conclusion – that Gamergate, for whatever its failures as a movement and cause, was based around some very sound principles. (To the extent that participants on either side had any!) One of the most obvious being the insistence on journalistic ethics by those on the pro-Gamergate side!
Professional demeanor and decorum is one part of the issue, but the reasons for this are really obvious if you examine all the matters involved. In this article we do not seek to delve fully into the topic of Gamergate, which will be explored more in forthcoming releases. Our position as an organization is that the trend was more or less instigated and prompted by bad practices in gaming news media of the mid-2010's.
An ongoing problem
The issues which began the backlash, though, have not been settled. It is a matter of interpretation as to whose viewpoint you are more inclined to see as is often the case with issues such as these. It is said that no one has a 'monopoly on the truth.' The press would have you believe otherwise.
What is important to understand is that these are not isolated examples. Attempts have been made by the gaming public to engage in outreach on empathetic, reciprocal, and even conciliatory grounds. Time and time again these gestures have been rebuffed with hostility and met with further abusive behavior.
Disdainful opinions such as the ones so far highlighted, as publicly expressed on the part of gaming press personalities, are quite unfortunate. Gamers are treated to scorn and derision for the presumption to address this topic in realistic terms, too. This behavior is lacks appropriateness, to say the least! That brings us to the underlying issue, some would say, the abusive conduct is designed to conceal: The matter of integrity being questionable in gaming coverage. This is Ethics 101: Are you being directed to tell a story in a biased way; are you being unduly influenced, or bribed to cover it in a certain fashion? Some confusion has been evident on these points
Much ado has been made about the inducements, incentives, and improper relationships that went into gaming press work in the mid-2010's. Those things which were at the heart of the Gamergate controversy deserve their own full examination. We endeavor to bring to light certain known and unknown facets of those issues in the forthcoming articles focusing on that topic.
In this feature we continue to explore further examples of the poor and despicable public treatment of gamers by media, then developers:
Although now a historical footnote, Gawker Media was once the source of many, many a scurrilous and scandal-brokering headline targeting the gaming community.
As members of the Brotherhood, we see the collapse of Gawker as an opportunity for lessons to be learned, none of which 'access media' seems to have any interest in doing. Then or now. They have some more or less consistent narratives they promote. Gamers have the choice of toeing the line or being smeared. As gamers, we reject such false choices.
Kotaku, a child of that now-defunct umbrella company, publisher of various 'blog' news sites emerging in the late 2000s, was rescued out from under the bankruptcy of the former. It continues many of the same coverages and persists in a very similar style of reporting, often exaggerating or misleading readers with the contents of its headline stories.
Although framed in terms of being the recipients of an online harassment campaign (in Gamergate) these figures, often outspoken developers or members of the media, have maintained a posture of public provocation toward the gaming public. We leave it for you decide what you will make of the following clips and headlines-
With thanks to Vara Dark for featuring this rant in her own presentation: Alyssa Mercante Former Senior Editor for Kotaku Nov '22 – Nov '24
Editorial note: The Brotherhood is not supportive of public violence or threats of the same, especially as issued from members of the "mainstream" media.
That clip followed some light banter by the group around trends in modern gaming. It was not predicated by any one incident or another. Her rant is rather reflective of mainstream Western game journalist opinion, as indicated by the reactions of those around Alyssa. Ruefully, the belligerent attitude is quite popular among members of the gaming press—the gaming community is well-acquainted with these kinds of lectures by now:
An ongoing campaign of hostility Flashback to 2014–
It went on like that – to some at the time, and to an even greater number of people today–it began to look like a decade-long concerted pressure campaign to transform the gaming community into something else –
It is as though the press hates young men by virtue of the fact we choose to be consumers. And, perhaps, for our taste and choices of art and entertainment. Are these the reporters we are to look up to and rely on to furnish needful, and esteemable coverage on topics we care about? Is their apparent sensitivity something that is our problem first? One that should override our concern vis-à -vis our real interest–which is gaming, gaming culture, and the products of that culture?
Are these the champions of their wares, and brands that industry truly wants to represent them to us?
Now, a few examples; one or two verified posts/articles, alongside possible parodies. Can you tell the two apart–?
Of the four posts highlighted immediately above, two are known/suspected parodies. Two are confirmed journalist/developer posts.¹ Can you tell them apart? We find they're increasingly indistinguishable. What is plain is the negativity and hostility towards gamers overall, and certain subsets of gamers in particular!
We find this unacceptable! We reject coverage and statements of this type as harmful and disingenuous at worst – misguided at best!
Gamer feedback
Attempts were made as far back as 2014 to address this kind of behavior. Notably, one of Gamergate's most outspoken voices, John Bain, also known as TotalBiscuit, wrote this pointed YouTube comment:
John's views evolved somewhat over the course of Gamergate but he remained steadfast in his principle commitment to journalistic ethics. He never wavered in his belief that gamers deserve the same types of basic dignity and respect afford to other groups and cultures in contemporary media; that the conflict of Gamergate was essentially a destructive one to culture and industry alike!
His considerate takes and sturdy voice are missed in the present-day scene! Rest in Peace, John!
John Bain
Cultural and market implications
Not too long ago, Frosk, one of the female personalities on G4 TV, a revived property of cable giant Comcast, treated her audience to this castigating:
Frosk, host on G4
Although this diatribe seems to have been embarked upon with intent to rectify public misperceptions about the diversity within the gamer community, or to rebuke the poor manners some in the gaming scene may from time to time show, they had the effect of polarizing and alienating the largely male audience. By the end of 2022, the revived label, which had only been resurrected the previous November, was shuttered. Although many factors were cited, there is wide agreement that Frosk's interjection that January played a pivotal role in defining the brand.
G4 originally aired as a gaming culture-centric & technology TV show in the early 2000's.
The audience was around three-quarters male in both runs.
It has been observed that monopolies more often than not serve to smother creativity. G4, when re-launched, was done as effectively a cable-only offering in an age of digital online streaming (where most gamers are now native, besides being the distribution model for games themselves.) Another factor in its demise, then, may have been the utility conglomerate's refusal to enter the 21st Century.
Media hostility; monopoly intransigence
By using G4 as a trial balloon to roundaboutly buoy to their utility-centered distribution model, Comcast undersold, and shorted themselves reaching their potential audience. They took a brand with a known and in-built following, a demographic that has aged-up and upgraded in purchasing power, and spectacularly failed to reach us where we are. To segue briefly, this is a failure worth examining:
They approached this as a traditional TV show. Their actual assumption was that they would reach the majority of the audience on cable – which was never a realistic objective! While the demographic they were targeting still technically had cable service, we had moved away from it for almost a decade by the time the relaunch arrived!²
While they launched channels on YouTube, Twitch, and Pluto TV, the actual engagement was underwhelming. It would appear the thought of partnerships with larger streaming platforms escaped their attention. For programming fashioned after television, this appears to have been a serious oversight. Not only did this approach limit their legacy engagement; it lacked all future growth-orientation.
Figures reflected that G4’s digital presence was not particularly robust in terms of viewership. For example, the G4TV YouTube channel had around 143,000 subscribers at its peak, with most videos only getting a few thousand views. Their Twitch channel had roughly 60,000 followers, with average concurrent viewership often below 2,000. Compared to major gaming content creators and e-sports channels, G4’s presence was modest at best, failing to build a sustainable digital audience.³
They doubled-down by letting production get away from them. With large budgets and expensive sets, celebrity guests, etc. G4 put on elaborate shows with high thematization, use of props and graphics, and large staffs. One such event was a charity fundraiser Jdawg tuned in for! Which leads us to an anecdote-
During that show, the chat reflected mixed sentiments about the lack of options being offered to watch G4 elsewhere when the host mentioned the ones then-available. Several commenters pointed out the wide potential audience, for, for example, a D&D game being live-cast on Netflix. Home of Stranger Things. To our dismay, these suggestions were squelched, with your very own Jdawg's comment censored!
Jdawg pointed out that cable was the past, you see
It was then that he realized that he had just commented this over his own Comcast cable connection to a streaming platform (YouTube) that was hosting a show produced by the very same cable conglomerate that he was referring to in his comment. It smacked of censorship to him! This seemed unfair, and possibly a violation of some kind.
Some thoughts about anti-trust, common carrier regulation, and civil rights flashed through his mind. It occurred to him this was in the context of a charity fundraiser as well; something didn't seem right about censorship in such a circumstance. I was not only a direct customer, but also a participant giving feedback—and a donor!
Because it dawned on me at that moment that that act, censoring my input, could be coercively reinforcing an antique business model based on the leveraging monopoly power to exploit diffuse and unrelated media properties surreptitiously owned by the self-same provider! Potentially a conflict of interest! Which is what prompted me to file a complaint to the FCC about the situation, afterward!
We now return you to our regularly scheduled programming
Finally, they let editorial control slip to the level of, frankly, Frosk's rant. However good it might have felt, however possibly called-for in some broad-minded social concern sense, it was inappropriate for network, cable, or even streaming content. It would cost them!
The immediate aftermath saw G4's 'Xplay' YouTube channel shed over 6,000 subscribers from an initial count of roughly 498,000. An instant loss of a little over 1%! It also experienced a profound decline in viewership. Prior to the incident, Xplay videos averaged around 40,000 views per episode; post-incident, averages dropped to approximately 16,000 views. ³
Things only got worse from there. The decline continued in both subscriber count and viewership, until by mid-year, lay-offs were being planned. By the end of 2023 G4 would shut down completely.
What can we learn from this?
For one, relying on conventional wisdom and the benevolence of big business aren't inherently wise plays. Scale, and available capital resources alone guarantee only the opportunity to find (or maintain) a market. Failure to keep an audience is a deal-breaker even for a monopolist! Furthermore, these examples showcase what are, in the opinion of many gamers, industry opinion-makers' standout offerings—scorn and judgment! Alongside the promotion of half-baked products! Gamers ought to, and do know! Are these things connected? ...
While these personalities are in the actual minority in the larger, global industry hosting many diverse types of gamers, markets, and gaming reporters, what they seem to have in common a desire to bash male gamers. In Mercante's case, it seems to us she was really just preaching to the choir. Gamers have been outsiders and accepting of all races, creeds, genders, orientations far longer than society as a whole. We are still that way, actually, moreso than average.
In spite of any rough edges we may have and our sometimes-coarse senses of humor... we were diverse before it was cool,
or as - 'Seen on TV.'
Some of us know better - don't believe everything you see on TV!!
 Who are gamers, really?
We tend to be pretty chill. All types of people really. Many of us are men, or boys, yeah. Lots of us are White, Asian and Black but there are all races and ethnicities of gamers (obviously.) There are girl and women gamers. Hardly have to go into all this, since we know who we are. The media has problems with this. We typically do not.
We're not buying the bullshit. Literally, and figuratively.
Many of us have found our medium in gaming. Electronic direct-entertainment with no need of an intervening service provider, live performer, or immediate dispenser! Where we can settle in with a sense of bemused detachment. The comfortability it induces, the result of enjoyment, is part of the intended function of the products—we are obtaining the benefits of our purchases by so-doing!
This is not respected by many in industry, and the press who strike a pose somewhere between puzzled indifference to gamers or quite frankly, evince an embittered attitude. It is as though they are jealous of our fun, and envious of the good time we seem capable of having! (Without them?) Or, reflected in our preferences and criticisms, than they may be capable of providing consistently as developers (if at all!) The truth hurts sometimes... and gamers are not the ones who have trouble telling it! On the contrary. Our degrees of neuroticism, so-called fragility, et al. as bandied about by academics, press, industry figureheads... they're way lower than population average! If you want to find some high-strung, attention-seeking, needy people (why would you?) ... they're probably the ones busy spreading dramatic tales about others, serially, for self-gratification and profit!
Permit yourself this shock: Gamers? We want to sit and play games!
We know what some of you want us to be, what role you're looking for us to play...
We're just not interested ...
The world is changing!
If you have seen this graphic before you already know what it is about. If not, welcome to the 21st Century! Feminism, among other ideologies, has its roots more firmly in the 20th Century. Some of us were there, we know it! For some reason beyond the scope of this article or organization to pursue, it seems that young men and women have very different ways of looking at the world! These youth cultural changes across the world portend more than shifts in markets. This is a genuine sociological phenomenon beyond the scope of this article. Markets will feel the effects of these changes, however. At the least. If these trends continue, it points to larger changes afoot!
You know what I find curious as a gamer, Gamergate 1 vet, Gamergate 2 participant? Notice the curves on that chart? Notice the timeline? What happened in the mid-2010's? Let's venture a guess...
Gamers, who are known for being a bit laid-back and picky, as a rule, out of the blue, for no reason, based on some unseen, unknown personal issues, en masse, just decided to up and notice there were women making their games! And just be mean to them suddenly!
That's the media story, anyway. Here's the real deal: Games started to deteriorate in quality. Decline in value. Diminish in artistic and mechanical depths and polish. Gamers noticed. We were a little cheesed about it, ok? But let's not get it twisted here:
What did we notice was happening at the same time? The studios public-facing figures and gaming press all started to a) Denounce gamers and b) Promote people who manifestly and patently-evidently didn't belong set among us; represent us, share values with us, play with us, care for us, look, think, or act like us—didn't want to, either! They instead wanted to demean and degrade us... and call it fairness, equality, toleration and a variety of other crap...
No reasonable person could possibly think that was going to go over well. It shouldn't! It isn't a humane expectation. No one is entitled to gamers' time, affection, acceptance, or attention. We're individual human beings with minds and feelings of our own. While we tend to be tolerant people, it would be very un-gamer-like of us not to have and show a sense of fair-play, independence, competitiveness, critical-thinking abilities, not to mention skepticism, problem-solving skills, pride, and ingenuity.
Things we've noticed some people feel rather threatened by, truth be told! Some people can't even understand that after 10+ years of being told we were 'dead' and monsters, basically, that some of us would, naturally, humanly, be a little bit cynical and bitter from the experience! Fortunately for those spewing such invective, gamers tend to be one more thing: Patient.
Does the truth hurt? We know modern developers rarely solicit feedback from general gaming audiences (which do, indeed, skew cishet White & Black male-heavy [US]) and that their A/B polling often favors their desired outcomes (first-hand experience speaking on several of our members' part here!) Ultimately these are commercial products. Someone is supposed to buy them! Gamers have brought our enthusiasm many a time only to be shut-down, lectured, spoken down to, gaslit or had our expectations "subverted" (to use a Hollywood term.) We're just tired of it. Take it at face-value as written here. You'll be doing yourself a disservice leaving with any other takeaway - but we're not done!
Games industry layoffs by year: 2022 - 2024
Does this call for a course correction? We believe that's advisable!
For many consumers, the byword has been provided directly from developers and the gaming press themselves: "If you don't like it, don't buy it!"
Novel as it was hearing this refrain in the naughts or mid-2010's – as if we needed to be to told, curious thought that that is – many gamers, both within our membership, and well beyond it took this advice. If not immediately, over time. Many did what it is they asked—sit them out and keep our wallets closed! 34,631 - a good estimate for the number of games industry jobs lost over the last three years. 2025 is on track to approach or match last year's losses - the highest on record for the industry. What is the root cause of the bloodletting? Corrections post COVID-reality are suggested by some. Rampant 'Wokeness' by others, with gamers rejecting anything hinting of progressive themes inserted into games. The reality likely is somewhere in between. The decline in quality, real and perceived, is a definite factor. This - our - organization is raised as testament to; demands we feel are being unfulfilled, and dreams unmet by mainstream releases. Also in contemporary gaming culture, there is a sense of loss and longing for a sometimes missing shared sense of community. And of all-out fun, now eluding our grasp.
The enthusiasm gap
The mere shift to digital distribution, changes in the wider world or broader cultures do not fully explain the change. It is not for lack of games to play, either. There are, after all, no shortage of games on the market today. Incredible AA and indie titles that tantalize the imagination and send the spirit soaring–alongside lifetimes worth of backlogs of princely products that all require our attention!
Many believe then, that the Feminism issue, in view of these trends–if it ever amounted to more than a canard in an industry directly owing a great deal of its early growth and success to a prominent female personality (and others like her less well-known,) rings hollower in view of the facts and figures presently available to all. There are those among our ranks who believe it has served as a prohibitive cudgel, and damper on the impulses of so many gamers to embrace the art for its own sake!
Concerning this topic, we are moved to point out that the proverbial Catch-22 comes to mind. By making all issues in gaming reducible, to some degree, at the corporate level, on this and similar social reformist mindsets, the narrowing of perspectives and opinions that are effectively allowed in has gradually, but certainly, had an effect on the market. Almost as certainly, it is in a demonstrably negative direction—and we believe it to be a recursive trend! Echoes of the old saw "damned it you do and damned if you don't..." cannot help but come to mind, and stick there for the most part, viewing these trends! While the problems are self-evident and exposed here, the Brotherhood takes no stance, fundamentally, on the questions raised by Feminism as a worldview. The questions that concern us are more practical: Will we be able to obtain video games which satisfy us? We of the Brotherhood believe that is THE question!
"We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them."
- Albert Einstein
Cavalier pronouncements Momentary pleasures with lasting consequences
Our journey today brings us to highlight a very recent example of such behavior we find we cannot abide by. In spite of our desire to both abide and enjoy the fine products such pliant attitudes are supposed to guarantee for our part, we are brought to note that such dispositions often do not obtain for us our desired kinds, or qualities of goods that we are looking for! In addition, to whatever degree, of being disturbing to our sensibilities as people! This, we cannot abide:
A little over a month ago as of the time of this publication [March 2025], Zoe Quinn, a female developer noted for her strident, extremely public role in Gamergate 1, outspoken Feminist, and critic of claimed misogyny in gaming, posted the above comment in reply to a post originally made by Shannon Loftis, a noted, prominent industry-leading female developer.
The red, underlined text is Shannon's own reply to Zoe's - the original post in question:
We feel obligated to point out that this kind of rhetoric did not come out of nowhere. The recently-concluded Game Developers' Conference, centered in San Francisco, is held annually. In years prior we have seen examples at this conference (and ones like it) that topics like these, and conclusions like those voiced by Shannon above, are far from unusual! Rather, this kind of mentality has been aggressively promoted at such conferences, and may be seen to be both the reigning standard, and the norm!
A topic which will be further addressed in future articles. To return to our subject,
Our initial response:
Were that the only issue here, that preface responding to Shannon's implication would be enough. That does not address the truly problematic language Shannon used that we highlighted above, however.
Before we can address that, some background on who Shannon is replying to is in order: That would be Zoe Quinn, who is best known for her own, far more accomplished career in promoting Feminist perspectives in gaming. While at this time Ms.Loftis is head of a pro-Feminist charity that promotes 'Women in Gaming,' Zoe is also noted for writing for, at latest, the 2021 game Solar Ash, and long before that, releasing the now-infamous Depression Quest game.
It is also noteworthy that only a few years ago, in 2019, Quinn levelled allegations of abuse against ex-boyfriend Alec Holowka. Alec took his own life not long after the revelations of abuse were made by Quinn. These allegations stretched all the way back to 2012, and although Alec had long suffered from mental health issues, we feel it important to point out it was a sad, unnecessary, and premature end to the life of a truly talented developer! A tragedy!
RIP Alec
In view of this exchange, we felt it only decent to ask Ms.Loftis to kindly revise or remove her remark containing the hurtful insinuations-
A few days later, we repeated our request, not having received a reply up to that point:
As of the date of this publication, 22nd March, 2025, the comment remains up with no further comment from Loftis.
This is unacceptable. We steadfastly call for the removal of the inflammatory remark. In spite of the bigoted and unfortunate nature of the comment, the Brotherhood asks that restraint be shown responding to Ms.Loftis. Harassment is against our policies.
Shannon's statement cannot be examined in vacuum. It followed —
The DICE Awards
On February 13th, 2025, the DICE Awards aired. A prestigious industry ceremony held in recognition of outstanding artistic and technical achievements in game design, its purpose is principally to raise awareness of these accomplishments and offer awards to those meriting it. In this show, an offensive, partisan political diatribe followed the announcement of one of the nominees. It is difficult to find a more public display of institutional biases. The host issuing the remarks was none other than Greg Miller, CEO of the 'Kinda Funny' web comedy site. Audience reactions were mixed, but largely supportive. Greg has his own very significant history of public flirtations with Feminism. So much so, that it led to his falling out with his co-founder of the site in 2017 over a tongue-in-cheek quip. Colin Moriarty, journalist and humorist who was his one-time close friend and colleague of Greg's, departed from the company after tweeting a joke–during the "A Day Without a Woman" hashtag-protest trend.
That day, Colin tweeted:
"Ah. Peace and quiet. # ADayWithoutAWoman"
Prior to this Greg and Colin worked together at IGN and were close friends, with Colin supporting Greg through personal challenges like his Hodgkin lymphoma diagnosis in 2012. Apparently this tweet was too much for Greg, though, who sided with some who deemed the joke to be misogynistic. Greg publicly distanced himself and Kinda Funny from Colin’s views, with Colin resigning not long after.
It seems what we have here, then, is a situation in which there a single standard, against many gamers and those associated with gaming media: "Funny for she/we, but not for thee." It couples nicely with the broad, prevailing sentiment at the senior-leadership level across much of the gaming industry as summed by the renowned Neil Druckmann –"We don't use the word "fun.""
As entertainment enthusiasts, and lifestyle appreciators of the artform that is video games, we can only express that we could not help but notice that this is true!
Colin later stated, then tweeting beside his now-wife that "not all people are humorless sacks of shit. LOL." To this, Colin, we say that is also true. We enjoy fun, and funny jokes, joking conduct in its variety of forms. Including masculine forms; 'Locker room,' 'bar room,' 'gamer,' 'hood,' 'schoolyard,' 'barnyard,' 'barracks,' and other more traditional types; deadpan, gallows, Schadenfreude... We like real, funny shit! That's almost across the board as gamers. In recent years, gamers have grown more fragile and sensitive, curiously, coinciding with this broad, blatant push to feminize gaming. Is there a connection? We'll let you decide... tell you one thing though, Colin! Jdawg finds your joke funny!
It is Jdawg's opinion, then, that the idea that lifestyle entertainment consumers have nothing better to do, and no greater interest than to rise from their consoles and close their games on their computers in order to go seek out some women to hassle online is so facially ludicrous, it could have only been born in the mind of a self-obsessed person. If this person should so happen to be a woman, it only naturally makes sense that this narrative becomes, then, "This is happening because I am a woman," rather than, "this may have something to do with my choice of actions in this context."
Societies of all types, throughout the ages, have tended to embrace concepts of 'placedness' and endorse the happenstantial understanding of 'best & worst times,' respectively. It's not uniform across time or the globe, but it is really a quite readily observed, and observable concept. It is true for men, and also true for women.
Accessing us in our relaxation frame of mind, and approaching gamers with indignant, resentful, hostile and abusive attitudes is, in essence, very poor form. While we may be momentarily unprepared or unwilling to respond in kind, this treatment cannot go unnoticed. Or, at-length, unanswered. When it is answered, it is often done without much forethought, and lacking certain articulateness.
Our voices will be heard, and heard well.
When even those finer efforts are made, those examples are ignored and discounted. Those who speak up are tarnished; painted with a broad-brush of unrelated, sensational and, possibly manufactured countersignaling issued through organs of world media. Why this is is anyone's guess - but it is a powerful disincentive to speak out contrary to the messaging it produces!
Gamers are familiar with pitched odds, long battles, and hopeless victory conditions, though. We know what it takes to persevere in spite of everything. We acknowledge this is true for some developers too–delivering a game is a quest of its own type. Mutual respect is really not too much to ask, we believe. That begins, we suggest, with a deference to an understanding of what gamer culture is, and who gamers are.
How you approach that question, we believe, reveals more about you, your interests, intentions, and affinities than does any amount of messaging around the subject of gaming, or gamers ourselves. The soapbox, satellite and pen all have their value, but so does the controller, the keyboard and the human mind itself.
"The press often claims to defend freedom;
gamers know better than most that subservience
is seldom rewarded!" - Jdawg As many of us have come to contemplate the course of events in the time since the movement known as 'Gamergate' first appeared, this has led some to reflect. Brianna Wu, who was one of the prominent voices in the original Gamergate – opposing it – recently had this to say regarding the phenomenon:
At least she is woman enough to admit it! One can only hope others will be brave enough to do the same!
It is a conclusion that seems apparent to almost all willing to look at the situation clearly, actually. It is not lost on gaming's most famous commentator, Asmongold:
To quote a meme phrase, "Is this what you want, gamers?" More to the point, though, perhaps–what it may be more pertinent to ask, instead is, "Is this what you want, games press and developers?" Almost everyone can agree that these trends are unhelpful, and to the extent it may help, it isn't helping gaming! And to tell you the truth... Most of us just want to play video games!
Caught between outsiders,
And the insiders...
Gamers are in a tough spot!—Highlighted in our article here: 'Grifters in the gaming space...'
J-Dawg is a die-hard gamer, devoted fan of traditional 2D animation, GBAMFS' founder, CEO and spokesman.
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¹ In order, the confirmed posts and suspected parodies are: https://knowyourmeme.com/photos/842500-gamergate (Known parody) https://www.devinwilson.net/WP/2014/09/01/guideetoending/ (Verified article) https://www.thegamer.com/gamers-harassment-monkey-island-god-of-war-ragnarok-racism-sexism-stop/ (Verified Article)
https://x.com/GameJournoPros/status/610943361860694016Â (Suspected parody)
³https://boundingintocomics.com/video-games/g4-sees-massive-loss-of-viewers-in-months-following-frosks-infamous-rant/ https://www.reddit.com/r/KotakuInAction/comments/s9jsir/g4_loses_thousands_of_subscribers_following_xplay/
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