I've been following this thing for a while and I want to say some words about it. Please don't take this as an invitation for debate or discussion no matter what your stance is, I'm not really interested in talking about it and I've heard all the arguments. Sorry for the awful capitalization, etc but it was originally a series of forum posts I hacked into a kinda coherent text entry.
what gamers don't realize is they know deep down modern games are terrible and they are deeply unsatisfied but can't admit that anything could possibly be wrong with their hobby so they externalize that with idiot rage over inconsequential shit viz. game journalists, feminist SJWs, &c.
the problem is that thanks to clever marketing by large game and food companies "gamer" no longer describes a hobby but a culture to the people who have the most invested in it, therefore any self criticism would amount to self hatred in their minds, and criticism from others seems like actual hate speech. it's kinda like the movie "do the right thing" if it were about terrible idiots
the best possible outcome for a marketer is that it's target audience believes using it's product is not only beneficial but makes them part of something larger than themselves. once this happens a certain kind of consumer will do almost anything to keep that sense of importance and belonging (I'm sure many examples are coming to mind). that is the power of corporate speech.
you can bet that the people at EA, MS, etc. love gamer gate because it's going after everything in their way: a fanbase rapidly becoming disinterested in AAA games, indie game promotion by the "mainstream" game media, accusations of sexism in the tech workplace and in the content of the products themselves, game journalists not toeing the line and writing about their own concerns rather than what the advertisers want them to, free/cheap browser or phone games, and on and on
gamer gate was co-opted by the rightwing fringe media early on because it's at heart, a libertarian movement sympathetic to the interests of those who already have the most power over "gamers": the companies that make the games. it's excellent training for the next generation of the culture warrior prison planet crowd. remember kids, you too can be that creepy guy at the office who's always muttering about the "MSM"
the way they style it you're either for gamer gate or a repellent SJW who hates fun and men, but it's possible to love video games and still distance yourself from all movements with questionable motives, politics, etc. relax, enjoy your hobby, and don't let anyone tell you it's anything more than that.
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