Warning: This is not a friendly piece. You might not like this and that is fine. It is your right.
Here’s what I’ve learned. It’s a freaking mess.
When I had first heard about #Gamergate, I was totally on board. As a videogame professional, I like to have my reviews over a clean plate of journalism ethics. But my meal kinda got sour when the waiter brought me my plate and it had “systemic oppression of women” salt on it for some reason and way too much of it.
I told the waiter that I ordered #Gamergate and he informed me that this was indeed what I ordered. After a battle of semantics and definitions, which turned into a screaming match with him, I showed him the menu I’d ordered from and pointed to exactly what I ordered. He laughed and apologized for the confusion and brought me an updated menu with #Gamergate Triple Play plate. Being too hungry to really argue, I decided to go with that. After a few minutes, he brought me three of the weirdest and most disgusting dishes I’ve ever had the misfortune of looking at.
There was an Anita Anti-men antipasta with a side of Full Macintosh-cheese, a plate of Brianna Wu-ffles that were soaking a victim sauce that I am sure the waiter made the name up of when I asked him, and a hot steaming plate of Zoe Qu-iche which didn’t even look like food.
I was livid at this point and told him that this was unacceptable and stormed out of the restaurant.
If my food story didn’t help you understand my thoughts about this whole mess, I hope it made you hungry. It did for me.
I am sick of the debate over what #Gamergate is when it was already defined in the beginning. I am sick of the SJW’s (Social Justice Warriors for those not in the know) sticking their nose where it doesn’t need to be; namely videogames. If you don’t like the game, you don’t have to play it. Also, don’t ruin the fun for everyone else. If the big bad videogames aren’t hurting you or anyone else, shut up about it and move on. If you want to help something or someone that is systemically oppressed, go to the moon and help the systematically oppressed dirt against the oppressive moon rover wheel on the moon. Go there and stay there. Some people actually like the games we play and would like to continue the path, please.
I even said please.
I lost myself in the fight and the fight is still going on, I think. I am done with that. I’ll talk about it on Twitter, @MRG_SBR, for a little bit more if I see something interesting but I am going to go back to loving my games, not defending them because some people who can’t argue their way into Fluttershy’s cottage for some tea want to make up some problems that aren’t there.
As for #Gamergate, the hardcore heavy hitters can keep it going. I am not and don’t think I have the time to become one. I tried getting on the pulse of the issue and would have rather flatlined than to try and respawn into that raid.
It’s been a GG #GG.
Mr. Gamer, Signing off.