Gamergate

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/wiki/Gamergatework

"Whatever Gamergate may have started as, it is now an Internet culture war..." —"The only guide to Gamergate you will ever need to read", The Washington Post, October 14, 2014

Gamergate is a controversy centered on journalistic ethics, censorship and accusations of sexism in the video gaming community among others. It came to a head in August 2014 due to personal attacks on game creators Zoe Quinn, Brianna Wu, and game culture critic Anita Sarkeesian, eventually leading to a series of articles from games journalists and others decrying gamers at large.

The term "GamerGate" was coined (or, at least, first tweeted as a hashtag) by Adam Baldwin, best-known for playing Jayne on Firefly.

Ongoing since 2014, the conflict has seen harassment, doxing (revealing of private info), and death/rape threats on both sides of the debate. Various social media forums have likewise become heated battlegrounds regardless of which side they're supporting or not. Over time, it became increasingly visible in media, whether related to video games or otherwise. To the point that a few books have since been published that bring it up, usually in favor of one side or another.

Although it's unclear how the terms themselves emerged, two general camps emerged:

• Pro-Gamergaters (pro-GG) - They view this as a war against questionable ethics in video game journalism, feeling it is imperative to expose favoritism and corruption in the gaming press (often simplified to plain "paid reviews" - some of those were exposed not long before the scandal). Over time, this has extended to fighting against censorship and defending free expression in gaming and elsewhere.
• Anti-Gamergaters (anti-GG) - They see this as an attack on women in the gaming industry, prompted by misogyny in the gamer culture, and thus the accusations of corruption in gaming journalism are merely a shroud for this aforementioned goal of marginalizing women in the gaming culture. They also tend to view this as a reactionary backlash to what they see as an increasingly diverse and progressive gaming culture.

In June 2017, long after Gamergate (at least in its original manifestation) had faded from the public consciousness, U.S. Representative Katherine Clark (who has Brianna Wu as a constituent) introduced the "Online Safety Modernization Act of 2017" with co-sponsors Reps. Susan Brooks (Indiana) and Pat Meehan (Pennsylvania); this bill focused on penalizing "cybercrimes against individuals", including doxing, swatting, and sextortion.

In 2024 a video game consultancy firm known as Sweet Baby, Inc. became the centre of controversy by reactionary groups who accused the firm of promoting and/or propagating "woke" ideologies into video games such as Alan Wake II and numerous others. This led to some dubbing the ensuing backlash as "Gamergate 2.0".

Not to be confused with the caste of ants.

Games and works influenced or inspired by the events of this controversy

• Depression Quest - An interactive browser game in Twine by Zoe Quinn centered around the issue of helping the clinically depressed protagonist overcome that depression.
• Afterlife Empire - A strategy puzzle game published by The Fine Young Capitalists, who were involved in a previous controversy informally named the "Quinnspiracy". The game Vivian James was originally created for.
• Social Justice Warriors - A game lampooning social media drama and SJWs.
• Project SOCJUS - A work-in-progress game directly inspired by GG and featuring Vivian James as one of the main characters. In hiatus since April 2017.
• Gamergate Life - A series of webcomics by Spanish artist Kukuruyo that comments on GG, SJWs and gaming-related issues among others from a pro-GG perspective. Notably features Vivian James as its main protagonist. After "Gamergate" as such played out, switched to the sequel series Triggerhappy, with the same themes, but expanded cast. Ongoing since 2014.

Tropes concerning this event

Disclaimer/Apology: Many of these tropes are written from a pro-GG perspective. Please remember that this wiki tries to keep multiple points of view, and other perspectives are both welcome and requested.

A-E

• All Issues Are Political Issues:
  • For anti-GG in general, a major argument is on how those sympathetic to GG and gamers at large, given that everything is political, are holding back progress by not allowing socio-political critique and purportedly not endorsing games that are progressive, transgressive, etc. in favor of "problematic" and childish content. (The problem with this position is that not everything needs to make a statement; it is possible to create a work simply for fun.)
  • For pro-GG in general, a major argument involves rebutting what's being "passed off" as socio-political critique, questioning whether everything is or should be political in the first place and insisting that gaming should be free of any ideological line, regardless of one's politics or views. (The problem with this position is that attempts to remove the promotion of any ideology in any medium, including games, will be decried as censorship by those who support the particular ideology being suppressed.) Alternatively, there's also the argument that while there is nothing wrong with tackling political or ideological themes, it shouldn't come at the cost of compromising the game itself (which ignores Some Anvils Need to Be Dropped).
• And There Was Much Rejoicing: Ding-dong, Hulk Hogan did Gawker in. As symbolically depicted by kukuruyo, this was one thing on which everyone outside Gawker seems to have agreed.
  • And then sequels happened: Gawker led a trend in absorption, downsizing, and general crash-and-burn of the media. Gawker 2.0, Gawker 3.0, blimps update («I’ve updated the “blimps” comic with the publications that have been absorved by Vice this week. Dammit i made this image to last, but at this rate i’m gonna need to draw more blimps soon :p»), blimps update 2 («How the fuck did this happen? I did this page with tons of blimps with the idea of just adding logos when a woke media started to go broke, and so it would last me for years without having to draw more. I’ve been left out of blimps for logos IN A MONTH.»)
• Angry White Man: Pro-GG Gamergate is often stereotyped as consisting mainly of Angry White Men, while anti-GG Gamergate is often stereotyped as consisting mainly of Angry White Women. When people on either side do this to people on the other, it's a Strawman Political. Whenever anyone not fitting to said stereotypes come up, those critical of either side of GG tend to resort to invoking Category Traitor.
• Animal Motifs: Pro-GG people often associate themselves with sea lions (and to a lesser extent, alligators).
• Anthropomorphic Personification: Vivian James, after a fashion. Aside from being associated with the /v/ boards in both 4chan and 8chan, though her origins are traced back to 4chan and a group called The Fine Young Capitalists, she's sometimes affectionately used to symbolize modern gaming. And sometimes used as a Straw Character by anti-GG, corrupting her established carefree personality.
• Archive Binge: Pro-GG and others sympathetic to the pro-GG side generally make a point to archive websites and public online posts for posterity. This is justified as being both a precaution (should the content in question be taken down or edited) and a means to access material hosted by sites accused of unethical/censorious activity without contributing direct clicks to said sites.
• Archive Panic: While the origins of GG back in 2014 are generally understood, the number of relevant and related information regarding it continues to rise with time.
• Artifact Title: After a fashion. Gamergate originally referred solely to the events around August 2014, but has over time come to refer to something more if not something else, depending on which side you're on. Over time, GG has come to encompass discussions on topics outside of gaming, including politics. That being said however, the overall focus still remains on video games, gamers and nerd culture in general.
  • KotakuInAction, the main pro-GG hub on Reddit, has long since gone past simply discussing content from games media outlets like Kotaku. While the subreddit still firmly focuses on gaming, journalism and nerd culture, it's evolved into encompassing other trends and developments.
  • KotakuInAction2, an offshoot of KotakuInAction founded by those disgruntled with the perceived censorious actions of the mods, has since diverged even further.
• Author Tract:
  • The infamous "Gamers are Dead" pieces that came out on August 2014 (which contributed to GG exploding in the first place) and subsequent variations later on.
  • From around 2015 onwards, there've been attempts to push variations of an "Everyone's a Gamer" angle, which ultimately come across as a veiled attempt to rehash "Gamers are Dead" in more positive spin. For if everyone's a gamer, no one is.
  • Rock Paper Shotgun and a number of other publications in May 2016 released polemics lambasting the "Git Gud" mentality in gaming. While ostensibly written in the wake of a now-infamous Polygon video previewing the 2016 Doom, the pieces ultimately harkened back to "Gamers are Dead."
  • In September 2017, several publications and their peers in the industry posted similar polemics lashing at the "Git Gud" mentality as well as the notion of being competent in video games. Ostensibly made in defense of game journalist Dean Takahashi of Venture Beat, the articles and commentary also rehashed the "Gamers are Dead" narrative, with Takahashi himself explicitly throwing accusations at GG.
• Ban on Politics: Averted on the major discussion boards and sites where Gamergate comes up, though the general rule of thumb still puts relevance on topics such as gaming, journalistic ethics and freedom of speech/expression.
• Berserk Button: Trolls and opportunistic "e-celebs" for both sides. In the case of pro-GG, these are even more so, in addition to tone policing and the notion of "trigger warnings".
  • Another pet peeve among at least some pro-GG is the tendency by anti-GG to misinterpret if not rewrite the origins of GG in the first place.
• Big Name Fan: At least by certain definitions of "Big Name", but GG has attracted a sizable number of more popular personalities on both sides.
• Blue and Orange Morality: How both sides view each other at times.
• Boomerang Bigot: An accusation thrown around by both sides of the debate.
• Bourgeois Bohemian:
  • It's not uncommon for prominent anti-GG figures to be called this.
  • Anti-GG also tends to refer to at least some pro-GG in similar light, albeit as "privileged".
• Broken Pedestal: In the wake of GG, certain journalists, developers and organizations which have previously been perceived as well-respected have become this for various reasons. Journalism at large, especially in the mainstream media, is increasingly seen to be this in the perspective of pro-GG.
• Category Traitor:
  • A disconcerting tendency in anti-GG arguments is to treat women, minorities and anyone who otherwise supports GG or other "problematic" ideas as either this or "sockpuppets". Pro-GG, not surprisingly, is fond of pointing out the literal Unfortunate Implications of treating them as "Uncle Toms" or denying their existence. This is also one of the reasons #NotYourShield came into being in the first place.
  • As time went on, this treatment was also thrown at liberal, feminist, and left-leaning supporters as well as anyone at large who was remotely pro-GG, calling them closeted fascists or "vile" conservatives.
  • Among pro-GG, there are opportunistic "e-celebs" known to throw others under the bus for not following their particular agenda or for simply not agreeing with them.
• Conspiracy Theory: Accusations relating to some events in Zoe Quinn and Brianna Wu's lives at the time can only reliably be classified as this.
  • At some point, "GamerGate is behind EVERYTHING!!" appeared as a full Devil Theory (e.g.: "Brianna Wu Blames GamerGate For Something Awful Plotting To Kidnap Pet Dog". And was mocked as such (e.g.: "The BooGGeyman! 3spooky5me"^{NSFW and very NSFB}).
• Could Have Avoided This Plot: It's been argued that GG could have been avoided (or at least have ended quickly) had there been no censorship on discussing the issues that led up to it in the first place, had games journalists been more upfront in addressing ethical concerns early on, had Nathan Grayson been properly disciplined -- or if the gaming magazines thought that their core audience was willing to read articles that were something other than puff pieces about their favourite games. Instead, what transpired made GG all but inevitable and persistent.
• Cultural Posturing:
  • An accusation thrown by pro-GG on anti-GG in general as well as certain journalists and ideologues. Said accusation stemming from how some seem more intent to indulge in "virtue signalling" and flaunt progressive pretensions at the expense of others.
  • From anti-GG meanwhile, a common trend has been to criticize pro-GG of lionizing supposedly outdated, "problematic" or outright reactionary perceptions of gaming and gamers.
• Defector From Decadence: Some pro-GG supporters include a number of dissenting feminists, among others, who view the actions and mindsets of their former erstwhile allies as going way too far.
• Documentary of Lies:
  • Pro-GG has levelled this accusation against Feminist Frequency's videos on gaming and a number other informative works discussing GG and/or gaming in general, including the Syfy original series The Internet Ruined My Life.
  • The purportedly pro-gamer The Sarkeesian Effect by Jordan Owen and Davis Aurini is often seen as this by pro-GG in general. This has much to do with the documentary's Troubled Production, questionable quality and strong suspicions that the whole production may have been an "e-celeb" ploy to garner easy sympathy and attention.
  • Zoe Quinn's book Crash Override: How Gamergate (Nearly) Destroyed My Life tends be accused of being this from pro-GG circles, particularly in relation to how said book covers the events around GG, claims of harassment and appeals to censorship.
• Dueling Books: In 2017,Crash Override: How Gamergate (Nearly) Destroyed My Life and Inside Gamergate: A Social History of the Gamer Revolt were published, each giving contrasting takes on GG and the issues, events, etc. surrounding it. The former in particular corresponds more or less with anti-GG, whereas the latter is more associated with pro-GG.
• Elephant in the Living Room: A common sentiment early in GG was the view that completely ignoring unethical, censorious and questionable behavior, it would mean preventing those partaking in them of a platform with which to work from, thus supposedly propagating those very problems in the first place. Over time, this has proven itself to not work.
  • Within GG-related discussions, discussing current politics can at times be awkward, which could lead to the occasional heated debate.
  • Anti-GG tends to frame alleged harassment, sexism and reactionary sentiment as this regarding pro-GG.
• End of an Age:
  • It can be said that GG marks a point wherein games journalism (at the very least) lost its innocence before the gaming community at large.
  • While it's arguable that it's also signaled the end of innocence for indie gaming as well.
  • With Gawker Media, which owned Kotaku among others, having filed for bankruptcy (and subsequently closed down) in 2016, some have brought up how GG is (at the very least) coinciding with the end of games journalism as it's currently known.
• Enemy Civil War:
  • The slander and accusations certain SJWs and prominent anti-GG throw against each other can come across as this to pro-GG.
  • Pro-GG isn't immune to this either. Conflicts have broken out between ethics-exclusive and anti-SJW-exclusive camps, over which e-celebs to interact with and just how much attention should be given to "X said something stupid on Twitter" drama. And that's before GGrevolt comes into the equation.
• Engineered Public Confession:
  • Of sorts. This was in part how Mombot, a female Japanese pro-GGer was able to not only capture a social media doxxing campaign in the act. But also reveal the complicity of a number of vocal anti-GG critics.
  • The Crash Override Network leaks, which ended up being revealed by Bro Team Pill, were also a result of this.
• Epic Fail:
  • The Cyber Violence Against Women and Girls report released in 2015 garnered this reaction from GG discussions due to how disingenuous and utterly inept it is.
  • The Law & Order: Special Victims Unit episode "Intimidation Game" in 2015 is recognized by many on both sides as being So Bad It's Good at best. Among pro-GG in particular, not only is it viewed as on par with Reefer Madness in terms of accuracy, but it also manages to convey the anti-GG case in the worst light possible.
  • The Syfy original series The Internet Ruined My Life, which started airing in 2016 is rapidly becoming this. Thanks largely to its crass inaccuracies, outright lying regarding GG and incredibly sensationalist tone, despite purportedly being Ripped from the Headlines.
  • Among pro-GG, The Sarkeesian Effect, a purportedly pro-gamer documentary by Jordan Owen and Davis Aurini, is also seen as this. This is thanks largely to publicized backroom drama and disputes, a less-than-competent final product that's more notable for how the creators managed to interview Jack Thompson, and suspicions that the whole production may have been an elaborate "e-celeb" con to garner support from GG supporters.
• Et Tu, Brute?: Elements of pro-GG often claim that they felt betrayed by the gaming press during the "gamers are dead" blitz.
• Everything Is Racist:
  • A recurring criticism thrown by anti-GG and others, though usually framing it more along the lines of "everything is sexist" as well. It's generally rebuked as ultimately leading to Political Correctness Gone Mad.
  • A common criticism from anti-GG is to frame pro-GG as downplaying if not ignoring actual racism and insensitive to such concerns.

F-J

• Fallen Hero/He Who Fights Monsters:
  • The previous decade Jeff Gerstmann was martyred for being fired for not writing a paid review and the censorship of this fact by his former employer, which was how he was able to successfully found his own competing website. Now Gerstmann censors talk of journalistic corruption, hires "journalists" who write positive coverage of friends and financial interests and refuses to go against his sponsors.
  • The longer GG has gone, certain individuals and groups have become this, depending on which side you're on. In the case of pro-GG, the perceived sense of "betrayal" from the likes of Adam Sessler of X-Play fame and later on, Moviebob and Jimquisition of their erstwhile audiences is among the most notable.
  • Certain "e-celebs", whether out of ego or a desire to thoroughly crush the opposition, have wound up becoming the very thing they're purportedly fighting against. At times, this can reach a point wherein both sides ostracize them in disgust.
  • Even organizations like the International Game Developers Association or IGDA haven't been spared. Especially in light of the IGDA outright endorsing a social media auto-blocklist in 2014. It targeted anyone supporting GG, included those who followed those supporting GG on social media and outed more than a few developers and journalists for supposedly endorsing "problematic" issues like GG. It Got Worse.
  • The "Hero" part is debatable, but this has happened to a number of e-celebs. The commentator King_Of_Pol is probably the most straightforward example: going from a relatively "relevant" figure to having nothing to do with the ruckus after widely spreading a baseless conspiracy allegation about Nick Denton. A more downplayed example is the site One Angry Gamer: going from being similarly "relevant" to being divisive at best due to dubious ethical activity and attacking readers who don't agree with him.
  • Among pro-GG, a common sentiment is how GGrevolt has devolved into being little different from the very people its supporters purportedly fight against. In addition, there's a constant effort among pro-GG to dissuade people from becoming so jaded, bitter and spiteful that they become no different from the very people and groups they're opposing.
• False-Flag Operation: So much that this spawned several reaction images in turn. From "threatened" crybullies to infiltrators (including laughably obvious).
• Feeling Oppressed by Their Existence: An accusation thrown by both sides:
  • Anti-GG tends to accuse pro-GG of finding the mere presence of what's perceived as progressive, academic and critical thought in gaming and elsewhere as forbidden if not an affront to a backward beliefs.
  • Pro-GG tends to posit that anti-GG finds the mere existence of anything that doesn't conform to their ideologies or beliefs as demeaning if not oppressive.
• Flame War: Taking sides guarantees you will be one side or the other of this. The Other Wiki in particular is a clear demonstration of this regarding GG. Meanwhile, it's not unheard of for this to occur even within the same side, usually involving "e-celebs" or political disagreements.
• Foil: Dissenting feminists on the pro-GG camp, such as Christina Hoff Sommers, tend to be presented as this to the likes of Anita Sarkeesian on the anti-GG side. While both are arguably seen as outsiders in one way or another, substantial differences are found in how they approach gaming and gamers; anti-GG ones for example are generally much more likely to view the whole affair as sexist and "problematic", in contrast to their pro-GG opposition.
• Foreshadowing:
  • While Gamergate wasn't inevitable, it's not without precedent. With at least some viewing previous controversies in gaming like Doritosgate or the Mass Effect 3 backlash as foreshadowing of sorts.
  • A recent video by Larry Bundy, meanwhile highlights how certain, seemingly forgotten events in games journalism and the video game industry at large going as far back as The Eighties ultimately set the stage for something like GG to happen.
  • From the War On Consumers in general, "Stop the GR Bullies": a local conflict (storm mostly contained within the Goodreads teacup) in 2012. Used victim card, double standards, doxing and some support from MSM (HuffPo and Salon), but no support from the greater Internet Bleeding Heart Machine (and in fact ran into feminists itself). The result: not decisive, but generated backlash was much wider and more persistent than the campaign itself, as appraised by internet search (MSM have larger audience, but the effect is both less targeted due to audience mostly uninterested in the particular issue and more short-term due to continuously distracting from the previous content).
• Forever War: In a sense, as it's been ongoing since 2014. Given the issues, passions and controversies surrounding GG or whatever takes its place, it's unlikely to end anytime soon.
• From Nobody to Nightmare: Acknowledged by ex-Gawker Media editor Max Reed after a fashion, especially with how GG went from being a perceived nuisance to being "effective" enemies of the likes of Gawker over the course of two years.
• Gamer Chick: A recurring criticism, usually coming from anti-GG, stems from how pro-GG and gaming at large are either hostile to gamer girls or propagating sexist, negative stereotypes of them. The claims are vehemently defied by pro-GG, especially female gamers supporting GG. It's been suggested that media portrayals of gaming as hostile to women may actually be preventing female gamers from becoming more numerous.
  • MOD: Who is making these suggestions, and are these claims substantiated by the half-decade of actual facts that have accumulated since Gamergate broke?
• Go Mad from the Revelation: One explanation given by pro-GG as to why discussions and topics can at times come across as lighthearted and outright irreverent is because it's a good way to avoid this trope. According to the argument, it's better to sometimes keep one's fun, sanity and to laugh at the ludicrousness of the whole situation than to lose oneself in just how serious it all is.
• Godwin's Law: Almost from the very beginning, accusations were thrown against pro-GG as being akin to not only Nazis, but also ISIS and other terrorist groups.
• Good Old Ways: Subverted.
  • Anti-GG generally argues that pro-GG wants the gaming community and industry to revert to a nonexistent, backward "boy's only club". Instead, they tend to call for embracing what they insist as progressive, inclusive change and an elevation of gaming into something more.
  • Pro-GG meanwhile retorts that they would rather like to see a fairer, more enthusiastic and ethical games media, something that games journalism in the past (for all its flaws) tried to strive for. This is in addition to harkening back to gaming as the fun, inclusive and innovative environment that it already was (and still is) well before GG even existed.
• He Who Must Not Be Named:
  • Invoked in the coining of the term "Literally Who" by pro-GG not long after GG kicked off in 2014. In reference to certain individuals like Zoe Quinn and Anita Sarkeesian, it's originally intended to emphasize how they aren't the center of attention of GG and to deny them of the publicity they supposedly crave; although it's been argued that Quinn wouldn't have had any publicity at all outside the industry if it wasn't for the pro-GG side giving it to her. Others, primarily pro-GG counter that she's been seeking publicity regardless of GG and that the likes of her have enough clout and connections that simply ignoring them would not make the problem go away. While anti-GG generally interprets it as denying such people of their identity. Although the term itself is still used albeit as more of a Forced Meme, there's still rather heated debate in pro-GG discussions on how useful it's been.
  • For anti-GG and certain neutrals, GamerGate tends to framed as a kind of boogeyman that could be conveniently slapped on to whatever is deemed "problematic" or just about any news-worthy event.
• History Repeats:
  • In addition to GG being one of the latest manifestations of the culture wars, pro-GG supporters point out how the narratives and arguments being presented are more than a little reminiscent of those touted by the moral guardians and anti-video game violence crusaders of yesteryear.
  • Ethical failures in games journalism and media in general have also been found over time to be a recurring trend, albeit in growing severity.
  • The controversies and culture wars that had come into the fore in tabletop gaming and Western comics in 2016-17 have been observed by some, both pro-GG and anti-GG in various ways, as being more than a little familiar.
• Hypocrite: A common accusation thrown by both sides. Pro-GG arguments, however, tend bring up how the anti-GG claims say more about the ones making said claims, invoking "Sargon's Law".
  • An accusation thrown against those who insist that no one's taking video games away or endorsing censorship. This is especially in light of certain figures in games journalism and elsewhere endorsing taking video games away.
  • In leaked chatlogs exposed in 2016, Crash Override Network and a number of prominent anti-GG voices were revealed to have been involved in the very activities pro-GG has been accused of either endorsing or cultivating, such as doxxing and online harassment.
• I Am the Noun: Leigh Alexander notoriously claimed that she was game journalism.
• Insult Backfire: Some of the slander and accusations thrown against GG backfired spectacularly.
  • One particular example is how the term "shitlord" turned from insult into a badge of pride among pro-GG.
  • Accusations of "sealioning", the practice of shoehorning in discussions of GG under pretensions of polite nagging, by anti-GG have led to pro-GG mockingly adopting sealions as one of their Mascots.
• I Resemble That Remark: In response to accusations of corruption, over 48 hours over a dozen (officially) unaffiliated video game websites published editorials proclaiming some variant of "gamers are dead", without referencing or citing a source editorial. While the initial accusations were, at the time, of questionable legitimacy and reach, the blatant lockstep and willingness to insult their target audience proved beyond a shadow of a doubt the presence of collusion.
  • Unless they saw that everyone else was doing it and simply followed the leader.
• Ironic Echo:
  • Among the logos displayed on the pro-GG KotakuInAction subreddit is Vivian James done in the style of Kotaku's original, "problematic" logo, highlighting just how hypocritical that particular site is.
  • Variations of the phrase "We're not taking your games away" took on a darker tone in light of various news surrounding censorship and ideological slander, in some cases endorsed by elements in games journalism. In the process providing proof that yes, they are taking your games away.
  • In the wake of Gawker Media's bankruptcy in 2016, it's not uncommon in pro-GG circles to joke about "Gawker/Kotaku not being anyone's audience" or "the death of games bloggers/journos", in mocking reference to the "Gamers are Dead" articles of 2014.
• It Will Never Catch On: When GG first exploded in 2014, it was thought by some that it would fizzle out within days if not weeks.
• It's All About Me: In addition to the ego-boosting, opportunistic antics of "e-celebs" and trolls on both sides, an observation made of anti-GG arguments is how they tend to be this trope.
• Jumping Off the Slippery Slope: A common accusation thrown by both sides against each other, and to a degree amongst themselves. Pro-GG for example contends that this in part explains the current state of the narratives being propagated as well as why censorship of "problematic" ideas and views are being justified.

K-O

• Knight Templar: These have existed on both sides of the conflict. The anti-GG side has had those who are utterly convinced of gaming's "problematic" nature and that "gamers are not their audience" that anyone in opposition to their views should be silenced and demonized. The pro-GG side, meanwhile has had individuals so intent on discrediting and humiliating the opposition they are willing to sink to the same depths if not worse than their opponents to "win".
• Know-Nothing Know-It-All: A common accusation used by pro-GG people against certain anti-GG critics and vice versa.
• The Last Straw: Of sorts. It's been argued that while unethical practices and ideological slander in gaming have been present for years, the events leading up to Gamergate were what metaphorically broke the camel's back.
• Mascot: Vivian James and sea lions, among others have since become associated with GG and pro-GG especially, which is also acknowledged by anti-GG.
• Media Watchdog: One recurring criticism coming from pro-GG is how accusations of sexism, harassment, and "problematic" content in general are providing convenient justifications for media watchdogs to step in and regulate if not censor gaming. On the other hand, pro-GG has generally expressed support for legitimate, accountable watchdog groups with the task of overseeing journalistic/media ethics and professionalism.
  • On the anti-GG side, organizations such as Crash Override Network have made tracking down online abuse and harassment as part of their professed missions.
  • DeepFreeze, an Italy-based online journalism reference resource was established in the wake of Gamergate; while pro-GG leaning, its principal goal is to catalog games journalism and hold media accountable.
• Minor Crime Reveals Major Plot: An indie dev cheats on her boyfriend -> censorship, massive corruption in games journalism.
  • The Man Behind the Man: The greatest achievement of Gamergate may be accidental - shedding light on the amount and scale of the entities that jumped the gun trying to patch Humpty Dumpty. When some Goon throws dirt at some obscure corrupt shills in one of Gawker's barns - even if it sticks, who cares beyond Something Awful and readers of one glorified blog? But then the rest of game journalists show solidarity in very uniform ways. Then 4chan and Reddit. Then all the Clickbait Media jumps into this fire. Then the American MSM. Then other branches of ideological industry approaches the conflagration, as Special Pleading Unit walks out of its niche. Then the whole neo-Comintern, up to UN "report". How one can stop the eyebrows from raising higher and higher?
• Moral Guardians: How elements of games journalism and the media at large come across, according to pro-GG.
• Moral Myopia:
  • How pro-GG tends to view the justifications behind anti-GG arguments and actions. Which isn't helped at all by an infamous tweet from Moviebob, known for his anti-GG views, that's generally condensed into:

No bad tactics, just bad targets.

• • Anti-GG meanwhile tends to view pro-GG as being either hypocritical or selective in professing to uphold ethics and free speech.
• Morton's Fork: One accusation from pro-GG is that at times, the arguments thrown against GG are framed such that regardless of the option one chooses, it's always in anti-GG's favor. This is often framed as a case of kafkatrapping as well, with pro-GG and anyone sympathetic to GG being blamed regardless of what they do.
• Motive Decay: A increasingly prominent rebuttal of GG, particularly from anti-GG stems from how it's either never been about ethics in games journalism or no longer about it. The general response among pro-GG meanwhile, has been to point out how even while maintaining a focus on games journalism, GG isn't just confined to it.
• Murder Simulators: Efforts by certain journalists and ideologues to rehash the old "video game violence" angle with more progressive and feminist pretensions have been exposed in the wake of GG.
• My God, What Have I Done?: A noteworthy example coming from moderator and editor Ian Miles Cheong, who had previously endorsed anti-GG, to the point of apologizing to pro-GG. He's since been seen by pro-GG as sympathetic though largely neutral.
• Never Live It Down:
  • Leigh Alexander for her "I am games journalism" and "gamers don't have to be your audience" comments.
  • Bob Chipman's infamous "no bad tactics" line [1] [2].
  • Sam Biddle calling for a return to bullying nerds.
  • Arthur Chu's confession that he "mindkills" himself in order to avoid thoughts that go against anti-GG orthodoxy.
  • Dan Golding for helping inspire the August 2014 "Gamers are Dead" pieces.
  • Polygon as a whole for its infamously incompetent 30-minute gameplay preview of the 2016 Doom.
  • Anita Sarkeesian for both invoking verbatim Everything Is Racist and Listen and Believe.
  • Dean Takahashi for his horrendously inept gameplay preview of Cuphead in 2017.
• Nice Job Breaking It, Hero:
  • It's commonly claimed in pro-GG circles that the exacting (and often contradictory) standards held by SJWs are actually hurting representation of women and minorities in video games. Many use what's known as the "Galbrush Paradox" to explain their arguments.
  • Similarly, it's also claimed by pro-GG that the standards and practices promoted by both elements in games media and anti-GG are not only ironically holding back gaming's potential. But are also doing more harm to journalism as a profession and critical commentary in the process.
  • Among anti-GG, a common argument is that in fighting games journalism and "critical voices", it's claimed that gamers are validating the backward stereotypes that are being corrected and thus hindering their own cause.
• No True Scotsman: An accusation thrown by both sides against each other.
• "Not Making This Up" Disclaimer: Sometimes invoked by pro-GG when discussing material or events that at a glance seem hard to believe as true.
• Not So Different: Subverted. While there has been much in the way of drama, slinging and tension on both sides, over time the differences had long since grown more pronounced. Reaching the point that any attempt to find equal footing for all parties involved risks sliding into accusations of false equivalency.
  • In various discussions, there's a tendency to notice how similar the likes of Jack Thompson and Anita Sarkeesian, just to name a few, can be in terms of their arguments and mindsets despite ostensibly coming from opposing sides of the political spectrum.
• Nothing Is the Same Anymore: Whichever side one is regarding GG, it's generally agreed that there's really no going back for games journalism, gaming and the media at large.
• Of Corpse He's Alive: Once it was made a Devil Theory, Gamergate also became effectively immortal. Mocked in (see also some links there) "GG Triggerhappy: They'll not let it die" (Weekend at Gamergate's!) and "GG Triggerhappy: 5th anniversary".

Vivian James: Journalists. Gamergate was in 2014. Stop it. Get some help.

• Outside Context Villain: How certain criticism levied against GG and gaming in general can come across. This is especially clear in the case of the mainstream media's general coverage of GG and its consequences.

P-T

• Playing the Victim Card:
  • This has been thrown against some anti-GG elements, with accusations of exploiting this trope to claim oppression and harassment at the hands of pro-GG and gamers at large.
  • Among pro-GG, this has also been levelled against "e-celebs", especially given their tendency to blame others for silencing them or not playing to their tune.
• Political Correctness Gone Mad: Increasingly prominent in pro-GG discussions is how they consider political correctness and similar trends had contributed to the current state of games journalism, the gaming industry and society in general. Some would argue still that this trope was what made something like GG almost inevitable.
• Punny Name:
  • Vivian James is named after "video games".
  • Project SOCJUS. In addition to the allusion to social justice warriors, it's also a deliberate nod to Nineteen Eighty-Four and how SJWs ironically invoke the book.
  • Lillian Woods is a play on the term "Literally Who".
• Quote Mine: Brought up by pro-GG regarding of the coverage surrounding GG and gaming at large, if not calling out outright Manipulative Editing on the part of the media.
• Right-Wing Militia Fanatic: How at least some anti-GG narratives try to frame the affair if not gaming at large in some form or another. This tends to result in the characterization of pro-GG as being comprised of dangerous reactionaries.
• The Rival: In Reddit alone, the pro-GG KotakuInAction and anti-GG GamerGhazi subreddits tend to view each other as this.
• Rule of Cautious Editing Judgment: Enforced on most websites - including this one - that wish to discuss this in anything resembling a relatively neutral (not fanning the Flame War) fashion.
• Sacred Cow: Both sides have been accused of being hypersensitive about criticism of their respective interests, be it gaming or feminism.
• Scandalgate: One of the uncommon non-political examples of the naming form.
• Screw This, I'm Outta Here: Some posters of 4chan, following a growing trend of censorship (which include GG-related topics) ended up migrating to a newly established imageboard called 8chan.
• Self-Fulfilling Prophecy: It's been argued that in purportedly trying to defend the state of games journalism against accusations of corruption, those implicated in the events that led to GG unwittingly exposed the rotten core within media.
• Serious Business: Both sides regard this event in this fashion.
  • Stephen Colbert held the whole issue up to scrutiny in October 2014, letting both sides know that their actions had become legitimate targets of mainstream satire. It didn't stop the controversy.
• Silly Reason for War: Some anti-GGers believe it started because Zoe Quinn broke up with an ex who later sought to smear her. Some pro-GGers believe it started when Zoe Quinn cheated on her ex with multiple other men for reviews while they were still dating. It's hard to believe that either of those situations alone could stoke such a massive controversy.
• Slobs Versus Snobs: How GG can at times come across as.
  • Anti-GG tends to view pro-GG as largely comprised of backward yokels, stereotypical "dudebros", "internalized" sexists and ignorant hangers-on who don't know any better.
  • Pro-GG tends to view at least some of the more vocal anti-GG voices as detached (pseudo-)intellectuals, propagandists, and social climbers with little interest for what's deemed below them.
• Soapbox Sadie:
  • A common stereotype of anti-GG alongside Granola Girl.
  • Some of the more zealous pro-GG people have, with a fair degree of truth, been accused of being not much better by anti-GG and even other pro-GG.
• Spanner in the Works: While Gamergate in general has come to be seen as this to games journalism at large at the very least, the 2016 leaks revealed by Bro Team Pill are proving to be even more of a clearcut example, as few on both sides anticipated the contents of said leaks.
• Small Name, Big Ego: Sometimes the drama on both sides can stem from certain "e-celebs" more interested in stirring up trouble or bolstering their own ego than anything else of note.
• Start My Own: This was how KotakuInAction, the main pro-GG subreddit, came to be, having originally been an offshoot of TumblrInAction.
  • 8chan was also an offshoot, due to 4chan censoring a ton of topics and discussions.
  • The KotakuInAction2 subreddit, since they deem the main KIA sub as becoming more censorious due to overmodding.
• Straw Feminist: Pro-GG has been accused of treating every feminist like these, while anti-GG has been accused of acting like these.
• Straw Hypocrite: Some anti-GG people have been accused of using an ideology they don't actually believe in for their own ends.
• Straw Misogynist: How anti-GG narratives tend to frame the whole affair and those who are even remotely sympathetic to it.
• Strawman News Media: The response and reaction to GG from certain people not just in games journalism but media at large has brought this issue into the limelight. Particularly in relation to Types 3 and 4, due to the allegations of clickbait, ideological narrative-pushing and what's usually called "gamedropping".
• Streisand Effect: It's generally agreed that early and subsequent attempts to either censor or slander GG (most infamously during the initial "gamers are dead" hitpieces in 2014) contributed to it gaining steam in the first place.
• Suspiciously Specific Denial: Early on, those implicated in the initial incident insisted that there was no collusion, let alone ethical breaches involved. Which proved hollow when some of those same people openly admitted it.
• Team Mom: Pro-GG members view feminist Christina Hoff Sommers as "Based Mom", a moniker she's quite fond of.
• Think of the Children: What pro-GG claims certain anti-GG arguments amount to, though in this case, women, minorities and anyone deemed "oppressed" tend to take the place of "children" despite the logic ultimately being identical.
• Translation Train Wreck/Translation with an Agenda: Treehouse (that handled most of the US localizations for Nintendo) has a history of bad translations, and even acting as editors with delusion of being co-writers. Fire Emblem Fates and Xenoblade Chronicles X localisations earned particular infamy, but it's not limited to these. And then there were cases of (you knew this was coming) conflict of interests. Eventually they wound up involved directly — Treehouse blamed Nintendo firing their marketer on magic of nefariously omnipresent GamerGate, rather than breach of contract (and PR disaster she is), and GG supporters slapped Treehouse with #TorrentialDownpour (going over the heads of Nintendo of America to Japanese part of the company) [3] [4].
  • Some circles, such as 8chan's /v/, regard any who take too many liberties with localization with similar distaste. 8-4 and NISA are some names brought up with vitriol -- it certainly doesn't help that some of their work (particularly from NISA) have been reported to cause technical issues as well as translation inaccuracy.
• True Art Sticks It to The Man/True Art Is Angsty/True Art Is Incomprehensible:
  • One critique by pro-GG is how anti-GG tends to promote certain games for their supposed artistic or ideological value rather than their actual quality or merit as games. This is in addition to accusations of how anti-GG tends to frame the "video games as art" argument through such lenses.
  • Conversely, a common argument by the other side is that pro-GG defends media that has True Art Is Offensive and little else going for it out of spite for their detractors.

U-Z

• The Unfair Sex: According to pro-GG, Eron saw his name dragged through the mud and was slapped with a gag order simply for speaking out about the abuse and heartache he suffered at the hands of his ex-girlfriend. A common claim is that if the genders had been reversed, the outcome would have been very different.
• Vindicated by History: Due to reveals prompted by an FOIA request, the FBI did this for the pro-GamerGate side two years after the fact in regards to clearing their names of accusations of harassment when the FOIA request cleared pro-GamerGate as a whole could not be identified as having been complicit in any of the alleged incidents they investigated, and in some cases they were either exonerated or revealed that the complaints were fraudulent to begin with.
  • The Crash Override Network leaks in 2016 not only provided undeniable evidence of collusion but also revealed how many key anti-GG figures were either indulging in or endorsing harassment, witch-hunts and the very unethical practices they had accused pro-GG of doing.
• Violence Is the Only Option: A common criticism of anti-GG is that many games boil down to this and that more games based around nonviolent alternatives should be made.
  • This point is generally agreed upon by pro-GG but only to a point. Seeing games like Undertale or the Deus Ex series as a great example of defying this trope while providing a quality gaming experience, while rejecting the more extreme calls to sanitize even games like Fallout and Doom of violence or concepts deemed "problematic".
• War On Straw: Both sides tend to accuse the other of doing this.
• We All Live in America: Discussions and debates have a tendency to be this due to the initial focal point being in the (English-speaking) West, and the United States in particular. Over time however, this has increasingly been downplayed as more attention is placed on (and coming from) other parts of the world like Japan, Australia, Germany and Poland.
• We ARE Struggling Together!: Over time, there's been the occasional if at times fierce debate among pro-GG camps on whether to stick strictly on ethics in games journalism or incorporate other issues considered relevant, such as similar situations in other fandoms and political correctness to name a few. On the other hand, such discussions have allowed pro-GG to remain focused and intellectually diverse while also making compromises when necessary.
• Wham! Episode: Over the course of three years, a number of these have occurred in relation to GG:
  • The initial "Gamers are Dead" articles in August 2014, in addition to being among the major reasons behind GG happening in the first place.
  • For both sides, the airing of the Law and Order Special Victims Unit episode "Intimidation Game" in 2015 tends to be considered this as well (in addition to being infamously bad); while not the first time wherein Gamergate entered the mainstream beyond gaming, it nonetheless left a large effect.
  • The events and circumstances surrounding Gawker Media's bankruptcy (and subsequent closure) in 2016 are also seen to be this by both sides.
  • The leaked Crash Override Network chatlogs revealed by Bro Team Pill in August 2016, which implicated a sizable portion of more prominent Gamergate opponents in being involved in the very activities they accused pro-GG of doing, such as doxing and harassment.
    • If somewhat superfluous, between "crippling Helldump addiction" and "doxing & hacking & SWATing tend to be a package deal"
• What Happened to the Mouse?: #NotYourShield, a hashtag movement made to debunk anti-GG accusations, dropped off the face of the Earth since May 2015.
• With Us or Against Us: Both sides are often said to have this mentality, often by the other side.
• Worthy Opponent: Subverted by Max Reed, formerly of Gawker Media, who while acknowledging GG's impact on Gawker's downfall still disparaged it - and tried to absolve his former company - to the very end.
• Your Cheating Heart: The catalyst for the whole thing is split between Zoe Quinn cheating on her boyfriend, Eron Gjoni and the events of August 2014 that culminated in the infamous "Gamers are Dead" articles.