PART II (Part I is HERE)
Out of all the “known figures,” who do you think contributed the most to the GG cause? Or, has it always been more about the regular supporters rather than so-called e-celebs?
It’s always been about the average person, no question. These fine folks are the ones that make up the body of GamerGate. They’ve come up with so many great ideas, and they’ve driven so many great discussions. Any writer worth a damn would be privileged to have them as an audience. They matter the most, because they’re the ones who care and have devoted so many hours, days, weeks, and months of their lives to this thing.
I see the known figures as the igniters, but the rest of the gaming public are the ones that carry those conversations onward. The flame that burns from that ignition is what makes up GamerGate. Indeed, the fire rises.
Looking back over the last year, what has been the most rewarding part of your GG involvement? If there’s more than one, feel free to expound.
Meeting all the gamers from all the various communities has been the very best part. It’s been incredible to watch people from the different parts of the internet that have traditionally been at odds with each other stop their current fighting and look at something bigger. I’ve just loved watching them get that and essentially say ‘Let’s save our own personal fights for another day.’ When something like that happens, you know someone’s messed up somewhere.
The second most rewarding thing, I think, has been looking at everything I’ve done in my life and seeing it become incredibly useful. Skills that I didn’t think were all that relevant became very relevant in this space; all the research I’ve had to do for writing books incidentally came up, being able to help other disabled gamers find the courage to get up and fight, and more. It makes the suffering worth it when you can see some good come out of it.
How long do you think GG will, or should, last? I tend to look at it as a struggle with no set end. Do you feel the same? Why or why not?
In the beginning I thought that this would have been something that could have blown over in a few weeks, if not months. I don’t think that’s the case anymore. GamerGate is the vanguard, the forefront of a bigger societal pushback against PC bullies and those who want to shove others around. GamerGate has always been the beginning, not the end. GamerGate as it currently exists? I don’t think that’s going to last forever. It’s going to turn into something else, perhaps something bigger. Exactly what that thing will be, I don’t think anyone can be sure of. Make no mistake, people are picking this narrative apart brick by brick, and for many it has become a ‘norm’.
Is there any chance of us ever getting a fair shake from the media? Has AirPlay changed that dynamic a little bit?
AirPlay absolutely changed that dynamic. GamerGate getting the ‘stamp of approval’ regarding ethical concerns was a huge get for folks; it was validation and vindication of everything that people have been discussing. It wasn’t just someone else agreeing with GamerGate, it was a professional opinion from people who are considered experts on the subject and have no personal investment in the matter. I suppose we could liken it to expert testimony in a court room. When I was in Miami for AirPlay, I saw a lot of mainstream journalists suddenly take a keen interest in the subject matter, and the few that I spoke to personally were completely dumbfounded at the fact that this thing is happening to begin with. They’re not entirely pleased with it, to use a turn of phrase.
Going forward, how do you see your involvement in GamerGate continuing? Will you still be doing the same things as always? Or do you see your role morphing into something else? Maybe you have even bigger plans?
I think that as far as GamerGate goes, I’m going to continue doing what I’m doing. Initially I had put The Escapist’s offer on hold as a contributing writer; things were still very rocky in GamerGate and I didn’t think it was best for any of us for me to be in that spot. All this time later and I think that that has changed significantly enough that I can evolve into a better spot where I can continue to help people. After all, if you want great change it needs to come from within. A lot of people believe in my writing ability as well as my outlook on the game industry. I need to be helping it grow and heal from this ridiculousness that these anti-gamers have brought upon all our heads. I think the best way for me to do that is from the inside, without forgetting who put me in that position to begin with.
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On that note, I’m going get out of here and let you guys comment on everything. Since it’s split up, there’s two comment sections on this piece. It’s a long story, but I can’t do multi-page posts on this theme at the moment. That’s one reason I split things up. Bear with me, and I’ll get that sorted sometime in the near future. I hope you all enjoyed this feature, and I want to personally thank Oliver Campbell for joining us here today. I’ll be back in a couple hours…or less.
Cover Art by @ItalyGG
