GamerGate, Misogyny, and Why it's Relevant to General DUers

[TygrBright]

1. Thank you for this.

As a gamer, I frequently feel an uncomfortable disconnect between what I experience and love about games, and the bizarre culture wars that are playing out now.

Of course, it's never been easy being an old lady playing Diablo 3 or Assassin's Creed or various Elder Scrolls games or even Plants vs. Zombies and puzzle/match games. I've never quite descended to the depths of creating a fake ID to participate on forums (I could totally NOT pull that off, I'm too un-hip) but I have definitely been reticent, even timid, about participating.

Gaming is so MUCH bigger than the crap that is playing out here. It's busted loose from the confines of content supplied by device manufacturers and Big Entertainment studios. It's spawned a whole new creative medium that combines visual art, storytelling, acting, and strategy.

And yet...

The issues of patriarchy, othering, and cultural exclusion remain.

Unless we can move past those, it will never fulfill all that promise.

wearily,
Bright