Crash Override: How To Save The Internet From Itself, a memoir by Depression Quest creator Zoe Quinn, has been optioned and will be turned in to a movie. The deal was circled by a number of intrested parties and has was eventually bought by Amy Pascal’s Pascal Pictures, with Scarlett Johansson said to be keen to take the title role.
The movie will tell the story of Quinn, who was targeted by internet trolls when blog post by her ex-boyfriend went viral. This lead to Gamergate, a movement which started as debate on the ethics of video game journalism but quickly descended in to misogynistic harassment and serious threats to Quinn and other female journalists and game developers.
Anita Sarkeesian, creator of the Tropes vs. Women in Video Games series, was also targetted and received rape and death threats. Hackers also released private information including her home address so she had to temporarily leave her home.
We made our stance on Gamergate very clear, you can read Peter’s blog post them here.
Source: Deadline
MrYd
“started as debate on the ethics of video game journalism”? No, really, it didn’t. It’s been a vaguely organised internet hate group right from the start. That ethics thing was just a pathetic excuse they had from early on.
I’m sure they’re loving the idea of a film about it all. A nice big target for their hate-filled, barely comprehensible rantings.
(There’s a another version of this post available on request, but you must be over 18 and the language is, quite frankly, an absolute disgrace. Malcom Tucker levels of creative swearing)
beeje13
Not defending the disgusting hate in anyway, but there WAS a genuine question raised about VG journalism by some, but it soon got swamped by the trolls.
In fact TSA did a good piece where they praised the original motives but didn’t support it as to what it had become to embody.
There is no winner anymore, I agree with Hazelam below that it just needs to die, the whole situation is an ugly mess.
The Lone Steven
And gamers will be shown as violent thugs that have nothing better to do then be grade A, 100% home grown, organic arseholes. Whilst i have no opinion on Zoe Quinn due to me not really taking the effort to research it due to a case of disinterested, i am disgusted by the sheer amount of doorknobs that are painting us all in a bad image. Same with Anita Sarkeesian. Yes, she is a hypocrite and doesn’t do any research. (Dragon Age is sexist? Really? Bioware produces sexist games? Really? this post is sexist? Ok, now you’re just being silly. Wait, that was sexist? Goddamn it.) the scumbags that abused her and threatened her along with resorting to issuing false threats on twitter are scum. But that’s all for my thoughts on those two and what’s happened.
As for the film, the title is awful. One can not save the internet from itself or 4chan wouldn’t exist. People are humans that have the ability to be utter gits. I do expect the film itself to be average at best whilst the Daily rags go “BEST FILM EVER! BURN ALL GAMES! FINE ROCKSTAR! BAN GTA” after it’s release.
Also, Gamergate is nothing but trouble. Anti-Gamergate is nothing but trouble and both groups should be forced to kiss and make up due to the sheer amount of **** they throw at each other. Seriously, throwing SWAT at those who dare to have a disagreement? Disgusting.
alistair6969
I havnt been quite vocal on here but I have been eslewhere, I want the film to be made I want to see the outcome of the film.
Imagine antia being the victim & saviour of all women vs tropes in the film mysognist gamers being rapist even terrorist like IS.
A FILM by SJW for SJWs anit-gamergate the good-guys battle the “leader-less” group gamergate the weapon of justice – la censorship to swat down gamergate scum.
But you know what it far fetch because it a load of fucking bull, since when did gamergate be organise it never had a leader same thing with anti-gamergate.
It was consumer revolt & this shit been blewing for years & Zoe Quinn was a spark. Why do we have censorship in games.
Because people like Anita & others cant tell the diffrence from cartoon fictional characters & computer generated graphics get fucking triggered. You don’t have to look far played batman arkham city & batman arkham knight to see SJW protrait of they version of catwoman.
And Devs self-censored themseves because not to fall foul of them.
But the highlight is your reporting of this has people been living under the rock. Remember the gamer ID is dead. Comparing gamers to terrorist IS if I was in work & caught sleeping with a Female worker & brought my work-place in dispute instead of oh dear never mind I get a quick sacking.
So it’s okay for her to be a victim, it’s okay for anti-gamergate doxxed people, it’s okay for journalists to abuse gamers the FANBASE & Devs because they produce questionable content.
That what I get from this news report.
If he keep this quite they be no gamergate but yet people would be upset for a cover-up. I see close ranks when gamergate broke out by journalists.
NicholasHeathfield
All I’m going to say is that journalists are for some reason (beats me) not very good at holding themselves to account, and very very good at painting their opponents as baby-eating monsters or their naïve fellow-travellers.
People often use guilt by association when they don’t have a real defence. Polygon, IGN, Kotaku, Eurogamer and the rest of them, don’t have a real defence; guilt by association, combined with the hypocritical defence of the lunatics they wheel out, is all they’ve got. Good thing they’re all trained manipulators of language. Good thing they can just delete arguments that annoy them.
This film is just going to be an expensive refrain of that one hardheaded strategy.
Kubr1ck
I tend to agree with you, there hasn’t been much in the way of sane debate. It never fails to amaze me what terrible things people will believe about the other side (and what some are willing to overlook of their allies) on the say so of, mostly, some pretty horrible e-celebs . Some of which happen to be media darlings that get their opinions accepted without much scrutiny.
Scrutiny, genuine inquiry is something that has been lacking from most of the press. Quinn, Sarkeesian and others have definitely been through the mill over the last year, but I’ve also seen too much legitimate critique labelled as abuse to take their ideas too seriously.
By the way, some people should realise that it’s still harassment even if it’s your side doing it.
hazelam
for some people gamergate may be about “ethics”
but for most, the most vocal at least, it’s about preserving their boys club.
the people that say there’s no issue with sexism in gaming are the very same people who attack any report that says there are almost as many women who game as men.
“women aren’t gamers, they only play mobile games” is their favourite line.
who bleat about an “agenda” when anybody mentions the oversexualisation in games, then attack the sex in a game when it’s not their preferred straight white grizzled dude fucking some half naked woman.
who say there’s no problems with under representation of anybody who isn’t a straight white male in games, then call for a boycott for fifa because they dare to have a few women’s teams.
people who whine and whinge about the “feminist agenda”, how “all women are trying to put down men”, i got accused of that by one particularly diseased vermin on n4g.
anyway, they go on about that and then quote as gospel sites like, actually i’m reluctant to even mention the name, let’s just say it’s name is similar to the last lord of the rings book.
a site that says women are all sluts, users, just there to look pretty and sexually service men, and any who claim to have been raped are liars.
vermin who, on a day like yesterday, Remembrance Sunday, where the nation remembers the sacrifices of those who died fighting the actual nazis, pull the fucking “feminazi” line because there’s going to be a female centric version of Ocean’s Eleven.
and fuck that fat sack of stupid limbaugh for coining that term, if there is a hell, there’s a special place in it for him.
frankly, i think the whole gg thing has caused nothing but misery.
i fear it won’t end until somebody dies, if even then.
now, i’m know there’s enough arseholes on either side to not make a claim that it’ll be a gamergater’s fault.
it could just as easily an anti gg-er.
now i’ll admit, i get angry on gaming related subjects… quite often. >_>
but anybody who gets so angry they have to resort to death and rape threats, well, they’ve got fucking problems.
i just wish it would all go away.
i tell you this, i used to be a fan of adam baldwin, soured on him after he pretty much created gg.
but i could have forgiven him that, he probably didn’t know what a shitstorm it would turn into.
but having just visited his twitter, wow, you used think some people were cool, then you discover they’re right wing bigoted douche nozzles.
i don’t think i can ever watch Firefly the same way again. :(
hazelam
forgot to add.
as for the movie, i may see it, i may not.
like i said, i want this gg shitstorm over.
and a movie on the subject is not going to achieve that.
those on one side are just going to view it as validation of their views, the other side is just going to entrench themselves even deeper.
alistair6969
So what is the answer to the above questions to go back the status Q journalists to insult gamers, games being censored feminists attack games for treatment of fictional lolis/women/characters in games “sex for favours” that would end people getting the sack if you not a celebrity or a female Dev, a male have sex for favours would not get the same treatment that is the fact.
Any Tom dick or Harry even if any woman that not a celebrity do what men do & sleep around for favours would get the sack.
I don’t give a dam about Quinn it’s her life however I do what she do get sacked. But how she handle it by censoring comments stop a YouTube vid from posting by slapping a copyright on it.
Now Anita she gets paid for what she does she wants to be the saviour of cartoon fictional characters not real person by altering the game “censored” have you played arkham knight catwoman is so different then arkham city now what cause that sudden change?
When I play a game I do not feel for the cartoon characters unlike SJWs what does websites forces more on gameplay or questionable content?
& I do question Anita in 1 video she said she plays video games in the next video talking to some group saying she does not like them.
If you give what them want weak men tropes with strong woman they still find a way.
I’m more curious what this site review of mirror edge2 Ho Ho knowing to well Anita involvement making it with Dice would you mention it @thesixthaxis.
So end gamergate go back to status Q censorship is here to stay & all the rest before it.
hazelam
well, from what little i could actually comprehend of what you wrote there.
sleeping around for favours?
one line in an article about indie games for fucking a guy?
hardly worth it.
and didn’t she make the game free shortly after Robin Williams sadly committed suicide?
what a bitch, right?
and what’s so different about Catwoman from Arkham Knight than from City?
well, the outfit’s pretty much the same, except here she’s demoted to a passive, helpless, hostage waiting for rescue by Batman, who can then claim her as his prize, rather than an independent character with her own goals and motivations, who even saved Batman at one point, returning the favour from the start of the game.
if you are claiming that game was pandering to Sarkeesian, then you don’t actually know what she was talking about,
and it’s not the actual characters people care about, it’s about girls who when they see characters that represent them have to nearly always see those characters as weak and needing to be rescued all the time instead of self motivated with their own goals.
how these girls can grow up in a world where much of the media say’s they’re only worth is as a prize to be won by a man, a victim for a man to take revenge over or a helpless creature needing to be saved by a man.
the getting upset by sex thing can be a bit silly, though getting upset that a scene in a game where you grope underage children slightly censored, is pretty fucking disturbing if you ask me.
though some instances the sex on display can go too far.
the aforementioned groping of underage girls comes to mind.
you rant about not understanding Japanese culture, is ironic, when you criticise that game’s censorship.
Japan may have a more relaxed attitude to paedophilia, at least in anime and games, but in the west we’re a lot more sensitive about that sort of thing.
it’s not just “femmists” against that sort of thing.
it’s funny, how many of the people i’ve seen, who complained about this also are against gay relationships in games saying they should protect children from that sort of thing.
frankly, one of the most problematic characters in gaming isn’t any of these underdressed women, not even Ivy from Soul Calibur, who looks like she’s be popping out all over the place if she did anything more vigorous than sitting down slowly.
not to mention how painful that thing looks like it would be to wear.
anyway, not characters like her, or the women in DOA, no.
it’s Peach, for me at least.
a character who’s sole existence seems to be a prize for Mario at the end of each game.
how can the same publisher come out with a character like Samus and then one like Peach?
this is what it always ends up as.
“women are out to get men”
“women just want to put men down”
even when they’re shouting down an article about how almost half of gamers are women.
lastly, if you’re referring to me, i prefer the term social justice mage, or sorcerer, warlock will also do.
any spellcasting class really.
Carrot381
Well put Hazelem.
TheShepanator
Who is this elusive ‘they’ you’re talking about?
trying to categorise a large group of individual human beings as ‘they’ is a bit insulting. I support the idea of journalists being accountable, and not reviewing and then recommending games their close friends created (which happened). In that sense, I am a ‘gamergator’ (promise I’m not a reptile in real life)
I’ve never typed insulting tweets or messages, I’ve never even talked about it online other than a few comments like this one, but according to every ‘sjw’ on the net I’m a horrid hate monster who should be put down.
So much hypocrisy it hurts.
MrYd
Ah, the good old “SJW” term. Basically used to insult anyone you don’t agree with. Doesn’t matter if they’re one of those (very rare) people who take things a bit too far, or one of those people (who thankfully make up most of the population) that think it’s generally a nice idea to just try and be vaguely nice, accept everyone’s differences and just sort of not be an arse.
Kind of like the old “it’s political correctness gone mad!” crap. But with the added bonus of coming from people who are about to insult everyone they disagree with instead of just repeating some nonsense they read about banning christmas.
TheShepanator
I used the term ‘sjw’ because it’s a term a lot of those people happily call themselves on twitter if you care to look, are you seriously being insulted on behalf of other people?
That’s kind of a sad irony in itself.
I’ve got a great idea. If you agree with Anita then stop buying the games that you think are misogynist or non-inclusive or whatever. vote with your wallet and maybe if your cause really is so noble many others will do the same, making those games die out.
Or maybe you could be vaguely nice, accept everybody’s differences, and realise that the developers cater to their audience and theres nothing you can do about it. You’re basically doing the internet equivalent of walking into a gay bar and then loudly complaining about all the homosexuals.
MrYd
I’m not suggesting anything should be banned or censored, or agreeing with people who think they should. And in some cases I wouldn’t buy certain games because of things that really belong in the past.
And developers _are_ starting to cater for their audiences who aren’t all straight, white men who still think we’re living sometime in the 20th century. Unlike some of the more extreme characters on the internet, I don’t want anything banned, but I’m happy when developers start to think about what they’re making and do better things (which may well be for commercial reasons).
And why would I go into a gay bar and complain about all the homosexuals?
Actually, I probably would, in a “I’ve already got one, thanks. Quite happy with him” way.
TheShepanator
The way business works is a company researches their audience, and makes a product that is designed for that audience.
Imagine a car manufacturer, they spend a lot of time and money developing a car they think the audience they’re aiming at want to buy (family car, sports car, etc). They then market and release that car. What you then wouldn’t expect is a bunch of sports car enthusiasts to complain that the new Renault Scenic isn’t sporty enough and putting pressure on Renault and saying they’re entitled to a Scenic with a V8, spoiler and lower suspension.
So why do you believe you can do this in the gaming industry?
Developers spend a lot of money researching the market and release products targeted at the majority of ‘gamers’, it would hurt their profits to pander to extreme niche views like Anita Sarkeesian and Zoe Quinn’s. The fact is that there isn’t a big enough audience for game developers to invest millions in making the games that they want, hence why that there are only really indie games that cater to their views. And that is perfectly fine.
Putting pressure on and trying to force game developers to cater to them is just stupid, would you campaign to Cadbury to remove the nuts from a fruit and nut bar just because you’re allergic to them? No, you just simply wouldn’t buy one.
And if you find the content of those games offensive, great. You can exercise your freedom of speech to criticise them, and other people can exercise their freedom of speech to criticise your views too (I don’t condone insults and hate speech however). I could porn magazines offensive and think they shouldn’t be sold in mainstream papershops, but I don’t think I’m entitled to make the magazine publishers change their content to suit my tastes either, which is basically what Anita and co. are asking for in the gaming industry.
Tl;dr: Its ok for Anita to criticise games, its not okay for her to try and force developers to pander to her. If you think a game is offensive, don’t buy it and definitely don’t give them free marketing by posting about it everywhere.
All this is aside from the fact that most of the feminists in the gaming industry are gigantic hypocrites
MrYd
If you ignore some of the more extreme characters, we’re kind of agreeing, really.
I’ve got no problem with people criticising content in games, or people disagreeing with me and saying they want that content left in. I don’t want it censored either. (I objected quite strongly to that South Park game being censored. And that was censorship. It wouldn’t have been allowed in some countries, so we all ended up with the version that would be acceptable everywhere)
But I disagree with the “shut up and let them get on with it” attitude. They should be called out on this stuff. If the developers turn around and say “no, we’ll keep it in”, then fine. I won’t buy it, but they can still do it. If they change and stop putting in stuff that adds nothing to the game, makes no sense at all and puts off half their potential audience, then good.
And I’d argue that any company not doing that really hasn’t researched their audience. Put the women in stupid, impractical costumes that show off tits but wouldn’t be much use for anything else? That’s up to half your audience put off. Which is just stupid, commercially.
Look at what happened with Everybody’s Gone to the Rapture. A “walking simulator” and so not a proper game. No tits in it. No violence. Not a game the gamergate people like, really. And only on the PS4. Somehow, still the number one game that week (once you count digital sales, otherwise it would have been that Lego Jurrassic World game).
So yes, the gamergate people are right. It’s complete commercial suicide to not put tits and violence in, or do anything different. We want the 1980s again, but with better graphics, obviously.
alistair6969
If anybody is intreasted my name is Alistair & I am a bloke (shitlord).
But gamergate/anti-gamergate or a small minority of rotten apples does speak for me.
& the ones that acting like a arsehole is the minority.
alistair6969
Edited in reply: oh yes I forgot like many others Anita favour past time is to steal other people play though, closing comments.
Because she a woman the nasty men that say that are cruel & sexist to women.
In fact I do not know her but I take “offence” by a complete stranger telling me what I should be playing & not what I be playing.
I won’t be playing mirror edge-2, I didn’t buy beyond souls didn’t Sony rep said it had to be altered to get a PEGI-16 for the wider audience & uncensored in NA but censored for EU was the end result.
MrYd
That really doesn’t count as censorship. It could have been left as it was and been rated 18, but instead they went for the 16 rating and cut a few seconds of the game.
Censorship would be if it wasn’t allowed to be released at all, or only with bits cut out. Which is absolutely not what happened there.
But of course, the gamergate people think absolutely everything should be allowed (which it mostly should) for anyone to see, at any age (which is obviously stupid and just leaves me desperately hoping none of them manage to breed)
And what’s the “problem” with Mirror’s Edge 2 (or whatever it’s called)? The rumour that Anita Sarkeesian was involved in it in some way? Which some idiots leapt on without bothering to check facts, because obviously facts are hard? 30 seconds with Google is all it takes to find out the story there – rumours of involvement, petition, thousands of idiots, someone at EA having to go and deny it all, and some of the most vile comments I’ve seen on the internet in a long time. Having just read some of those, you’re not really helping your “cause” there at all, are you?
alistair6969
* opps I mean does Not speak for me.
It would be better for me & others to be able to edit our post then to spam our posts like other sites do by adding a edit feature ^_^
alistair6969
I found this video quite odd & proves my & others point that SJWs are a load of double standards hypocrites.
Here a man working for Anita group revieing next year rise of tomb raider that got wait for it………. Extreme violence he did say violence.
Like all the others out there in the market. Strong men Extreme violence, weak women = No
Strong women Extreme violence weak men = Yes
https://m.youtube.com/watch?feature=youtu.be&v=OkFzhjlBJbk
So you see the point we can’t have both its one or the other the guy really talked about uncharted & before you say it I quite the 1st tomb raider & I got life is strange funny that eh.
I don’t slant them both.
So extreme violence is okay
Sexual innuendo is a No-no whatever the characters age is.
The question is if I say gamers that play Call of duty, grand theft auto, fallout-4 are murderders & terrorists. Would that be a fair point?
The same point that people are saying ecchi games are pedophhilia.
& here Anita saying she hates fallout-4 but likes tomb raider because it reflect real life a woman that did not like violence but needs what needs to be do dam the men kill, the men it’s okay.
Kill the women look at the women you be branded a sexist and mysognist.
The Lone Steven
I would say are you working for the Daily Mail if you were to say that all gamers are murderers and terrorists.
Regarding Anita, she is a hypocrite due to her favourite games being Gears of Wars whilst she hates violence. And as for Tomb Raider, it’s basically Uncharted nowadays. I can see what she is trying to discuss but it’s done very poorly and she seems to be heavily biased instead of being objective.
MrYd
How boring would it be if everything was all objective and not biased? You’re allowed to agree or disagree with her, and maybe, even if the points are badly made, you might even think about what she’s trying to say. Although thinking is a bit of a challenge for some people, obviously. (Not aimed at you personally there, of course)
And of course, with the internet being what it is, some scum floats up to the surface in the shallow end of the gene pool and decides “disagreeing” means “post all sorts of vile shit”. And then claims it’s about ethics.
alistair6969
It very clear what I mean I don’t work with dairy mail isn’t it easy to twist the words I spoken I hear the other side saying cartoon characters as child porn but never ever go so far as HENTAI hell you can have of legal age cartoon female but still cause a stink as pedophhilia.
You must not vist other sites then but isn’t it funny that SJWs & White Knights that some are here to defend the cause. Just like journalists defend others has cherry pick 1 questionable content the sexual one over the extreme violence one.
That hypocrite as its best.
We all know cartoon characters hasn’t got any age to them. But others are labelling them.
@mrYID you are so narrow margin minded there a whole topic online about SJW what should I called them then.
Busybody wankers, bloody hypocritical gits. Wishful thinkers. in the end SJW is what others are saying if you bother to vist other sites. I like to use SJW.
They question unmoral & they phrase is check your privileges.
So what group of three are you?
Anti-censorship
Pro-censorship
I don’t give a dam
I’m the top one, & also you said beyond souls was not censored in a sense but you went on and said censorship is about cutting removing of content.
Cutting is part of censorship as to tone down the violence also the shower scene was tone down too.
For people infor the edit was violence scene.
I agree with lone Steven that Anita is a hypocrite.
No-one here question the point of the difference between arkham city & arkham knight why catwoman suit is zip up to impease pressure groups ahh that it I shall called SJWs pressure groups. :p
MOVE
I love this site. So many different and elaborated views on games and subjects that I find important to this industry – ideas and ideals that are influenced by political movements and zeitgeists. This is why I keep coming back to this place.
MrYd
I only come back because every so often it challenges me with maths questions before I can post.
MOVE
Well, that too….
The Lone Steven
I come here because of the smutty news articles.
TheShepanator
Gamergate IS and ALWAYS HAS BEEN about ethics in video game journalism.
The hate rants directed at Zoe Quinn and her gang were a complete side issue.
There’s so much confusion because a lot of the people spouting hate also supported gamergate, plus Zoe Quinn and others were quick to say gamergate is the hate organisation itself (even though it isn’t).
Gamergate started because Zoe Quinn’s depression quest was receiving reviews and recommendation from game reviewers that happened to be close personal friends of hers. Then it was found a whole bunch of other developers and game reviewers were doing the same.
Of course she’d rather kick up a storm to distract people instead of just ignoring the trolls (The only way to actually make them stop!)
alistair6969
Yes common sense at last but others here don’t really agree saying gamergate are trolls & no right for insults meaning they rather forces of attack to Zoe Quinn & Anita by minority not seeing the bigger picture.
Didn’t Phil fish cause insults to Twitter members but that okay we talking about trolls ganging up on woman.
If people like censorship in games just say so if you offended by ecchi do not buy it tone it right down it won’t be called ecchi any more please look up echhi in Wikipedia.
hazelam
if gg is about ethics, why does it always attack any mention of sexism, better representation of minorities, or racism?
why do gamergaters attack articles that state nearly half of gamers are women?
why is talking about the social impact of games and gaming “unethical”?
alistair6969
But you know what more disgusting about this site is no-one here said how bad journalists are it was them who told gamers are dead. It was them who said gamers are like terrorist IS.
Kotaku, rock paper, gamastura are SJW sites do they forces of gameplay or questionable content?
No bad score if ecchi games present I’m all for extreme violence with ecchi games side by side it’s called free market.
But instead you forces about the terms of SJW saying gamergate are trolls minority are trolls.
This site is one sided no wonder I don’t comment much. It people like here that censorship is here to stay.
But you know what good come out of this a new trend Asia release of English/Chinese subtitles games post gamergate moe chronicics, & moe crystal will this site cover those games No.
Did this site review Monpiece well did you?
If you didn’t what that makes you?
Tuffcub
We didn’t get a review code, we can only review what gets sent.