I’ve posted this on Michael Koretzky blog and I think it’s worth reposting it on my own blog to give people a feel on some basics surrounding GamerGate…
My message below…
After ~6 months that I’ve been in #GamerGate (yeah, late joiner), I still don’t understand how people are so narrow-minded that they don’t understand few very basic and easy to understand things:
a) #GamerGate is a hashtag. A group of people identified under a hashtag that has no control, no moderation, no council, no tribunal, no restrictions, no logins, no identifications. Anyone can use it, anyone can abuse it.
b) No one is denying that there were bad things done on both sides, because of the a)
c) Because of a), we also cannot and will not take responsibility for all the trolls, doxers, serious harassers and so forth. We have and will continue to condemn anyone doing that, but to be honest, there are things that are beyond our control because of a). Block the trolls and call the police for the rest of cases.
d) No matter how it all started, at this moment, we are concerned over the outcome of it and that is, ethics in gaming journalism and that is what #GamerGate is currently and very seriously addressing with constant condemning of unethical journalists, deepfreeze.it website (which is still evolving) and now talks with the SPJ. If that is not a good enough proof that we are in fact about ethics, then I don’t know what is.
e) Questions regarding alleged lack of diversity in gaming and “gamers are all misogynists” is still on a table and as a gamer I will fight that (because it’s NOTHING like what I’m experiencing in 20+ years gaming history), but not on the SPJ AirPlay or in any other way related to SPJ, because this is not a concern for SPJ. Unless journalists are the ones who are calling half of their reader base misogynists without a single trace of evidence. In which case, it does become an ethical issue and does become a concern for SPJ. Which further proves #GamerGate has been and still is about ethics. You know, gamers are dead and all that…
Angry Sheep Blog 