Controversy is easy to stir up on the Internet, whether it’s leaked pictures of celebrities or reporters facing trouble within the city of Ferguson. Video games are a nice release from the stress, but even in that world, there’s uneasiness.

Such is the case with GamerGate, an ongoing argument between certain female gamers and certain critics that will stop at nothing to jab at one another, unable to reach certain terms with equality.

The controversy started a while ago when a jilted ex-boyfriend wrote a lengthy blog post about his former flame, game developer Zoe Quinn. In that same letter, many members of the video game industry were mentioned.

As a result, many felt that certain members of the press were corrupt with their coverage, indicating that some may have received sexual favors for positive coverage on products. The resulting argument has led to GamerGate, which has been hashtagged across Twitter and become the subject of many articles. It’s brought out many of the worst people lurking in the shadows, complaining about women in gaming, game journalism, and other favorite targets of wrath.

Many people have commented on the matter since then, including several reddit and 4Chan posters, as well as YouTube channel owners. Some have been outlandish, to the point that they’ve been removed due to sexism or, even worse, death threats.

YouTuber TotalBiscuit lent his two cents on the matter, but was immediately called out by several members of the indie game scene with his comments, adding fuel to the fire of an already troublesome debate.

This was not the first time that Quinn had been in the midst of controversy, as she and PR rep Maya Kramer spoke out against a game jam/charity group known as The Fine Young Capitalists, a group that hires women with no game experience as part of the development process.

The battle has been going on for days now, with some accounts hacked (including those of Fez developer Phil Fish, who has since offered to sell his company Polytron to “serious” buyers), and has raised the arguments even further between feminists, certain gamers and fanboys.

The argument has called for more ethical journalism and, in some circles, fair treatment, but it seems that not everyone is on the same page. Fortunately, some people have decided to not take part in GamerGate at all and instead turn to the things that matter. Like, in this particular case, video games.

Video games continue to be a large industry, and several big releases intend to make a big impact this fall, including this Tuesday’s release of Destiny. However, there still seems to be those who find it necessary to boast opinions about systems, the preference of having female gamers in the industry, and so forth, instead of enjoying said games.

More details about GamerGate are available at this link, but it isn’t a pretty sight. You may be better off playing Madden instead. The games matter, not the politics. However, death threats and hateful comments hurt everyone involved with games, and we all should do what we can to eliminate that where we see it.

Source: Forbes