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GamerGate is a hashtag created in 2014 that is characterised by sexism and has influenced gaming culture in particular to this day.
How GamerGate came about
The hashtag was triggered by allegations made against non-binary person Zoë Quinn by her ex-boyfriend in 2014.
- The said ex-boyfriend Eron Gjoni alleged that Quinn had received a positive review for her developed video game “Depression Quest” from a journalist because Quinn had had an affair with him.
- Although the allegations turned out to be baseless, this incident triggered a wave of harassment towards Quinn. Quinn received death threats, among other things.
- But this wave also spread to others, especially women who worked in the media industry. Anita Sarkeesian, who wrote a blog about sexist stereotypes in video games, was also affected by death threats.
- Actor Adam Baldwin then started the hashtag GamerGate on the site “Breitbart”, which is considered right-wing populist.
- The misogynistic discussions on the internet took place on platforms such as Twitter or Reddit.
The aftermath of GamerGate
Several years after the hashtag
- The gaming industry has been trying to become more diverse ever since.
- Still, allegations like those of sexual harassment in big developer studios like Activision Blizzard are coming to light.
- In addition, there are still storms of outrage within the video game community when women star in AAA titles like “The Last of Us 2”.
