Here's the thing. Even if GNAA is trolling everyone, GamerGate is a terrible excuse for letting them continue a reign of terror.
Even if there were corruption in game journalism, video game journalism is so meaninglessly inconsequential that it wouldn't countenance the death threats, doxxing and harassment that is being done under it's aegis.
Do you know anybody who makes purchasing decisions based on how high a score a game reviewer gives it? Do you? It just seems unfathomable to me in a world where we have Steam, Twitch, Project Greenlight, Humble Bundle & indie games galore that video game journalism matters enough that it should be destroyed.
It just seems like Gamergate is bullshit from top to bottom, and it's completely mystifying to me why anyone who loves games should want to identify with it.
>Do you know anybody who makes purchasing decisions based on how high a score a game reviewer gives it?
Not personally, but the stories that the press chooses to report absolutely has an effect on purchasing decisions in the aggregate. I'm not cool with people like Zoe Quinn using their incestuous relationships with the press to get a leg up on other, more deserving indies. You know, people that make good games instead of harassing suicidally depressed people, intimidating photographers, attacking other feminist organizations for competing with her charity, getting "The Most Expensive Game Jam in History" canceled over personal drama, attempting to censor controversy with DMCA takedown notices, and just in general being a professional victim.
Corruption should not be tolerated anywhere, so I'm happy some people actually give a shit and are taking a stand for once instead of forgetting about controversies the next day as usual. I can see people here being upset that others are putting more effort into GamerGate than they do into much more deserving causes like fighting NSA surveillance, but you don't get to choose what people care about.
As for why others care, I guess it's part being tired of being one of the internet's punching bags, part being tired of Silicon Valley yuppies and trustafarians complaining about the "privilege" of a bunch of roughly lower-middle class youth, part seizing a chance to strike out at the loathsome "clickbait" media that everyone else on HN would be condemning in any other scenario, part not wanting to see video games become yet another medium neutered by the cultural marxist PC police, part spite, and part breaking out the popcorn as they watch the other side make complete asses of themselves on blogs and twitter. The last reason is my favorite, it's absolutely hilarious how vile and hypocritical some of these people are.
EDIT: As I've alluded to, I think GamerGate is the start of something akin to the Occupy movements for the left, or the Tea Party movement for the older right. They begin with a frenetic spark, and it can be hard to discern what "they're about," and sometimes people do bad things in their name, but you have to look past the surface to see there is a meaningful sentiment being expressed. Give them time to find their voice and remember that many positive movements had a rocky start.
Even if there were corruption in game journalism, video game journalism is so meaninglessly inconsequential that it wouldn't countenance the death threats, doxxing and harassment that is being done under it's aegis.
Do you know anybody who makes purchasing decisions based on how high a score a game reviewer gives it? Do you? It just seems unfathomable to me in a world where we have Steam, Twitch, Project Greenlight, Humble Bundle & indie games galore that video game journalism matters enough that it should be destroyed.
It just seems like Gamergate is bullshit from top to bottom, and it's completely mystifying to me why anyone who loves games should want to identify with it.