I don't think she's tearing gaming down. I think she's profiteering from real issues and keeping the pot stirred to line her own pockets. And her followers, like any /v/ or /pol/ (gamergate if you want to shorthand it) drone out there go out their way to stifle and troll her critics. I have no issue with the topics she brings up, I have issue with how she does and the question of her ethics. And the divisive way she handles it.
Bull. Fucking. Shit.
Nobody's out there "stifling" her critics. I'll note she's being
invited to all these interviews because people are concerned about what's happening--they've heard about all the threats and harassment and they want to reach out to her, because this is not something anyone should have to endure. Some of the other women facing this kind of abuse have also been interviewed for TV shows, print publications, and magazines because guess what? The behavior of GooberGoats is
appalling. Sarkeesian did not create this mess. She did not cause this reaction. Remember, the only reason she was targeted was because one of her videos came out while the Quinn "scandal" was still burning hot, in the first couple weeks of this whole debacle. The trolls weren't getting the kind of reaction they wanted from Quinn so they turned on Sarkeesian instead because she released one of her hated videos, giving them a concentrated dose of
zomg feminism to attack. Exactly what about her reaction to this has been inappropriate?
What we're facing with women in gaming is not something that can be fixed either immediately or merely by changing the gaming industry. The first step is we've got to change the perception of computers/games as a career choice for young women and we've got to change the overall image of gaming as a worthless hobby. Inclusion can't happen when both sides (as it is now) are dedicated to being divisive and playing blame games.
The only people who think what Anita Sarkeesian does is "divisive" are GrabbyGeese. Everyone else sees that she's doing some pretty run-of-the-mill feminist critique of video games that wouldn't be terribly notable if not for the
absolutely bugfuck crazy reactions it gets from self-proclaimed gamers.
So we need to start small, in the online communities; make personal choices to be more inclusive at the community level; rather than prove out the screaming points both sides are using.
"Both sides." "Screaming points." What did you do, read about this on CNN.com and decide that it's a "both sides" issue?
Should women be allowed to create and play games without receiving rape and death threats? Let's hear both sides!
Praise good, skilled women players; give 'em equal chances in the guilds/teams to advance up the ranks. And offer to help the ones that aren't' skilled, help them get on par with the rest of the players so they can hold their own and improve. Stuff that you can't code into a game or meet a HR hiring quota with.
People already do this, of course. They just don't do it enough. Thanks for bringing up "quota" nonsense, though. That's always a sure sign someone is arguing in good faith.
Gamergate attacks her, she attacks them, both feed off it. It's a sick back and forth they're both benefiting from. And frankly men and women are hurt by it,cause it divides the community unnecessarily along sexes; when all that should matter is skills.
How on Earth can you construe her calling attention to the threats she's received as "attacks"? People say stuff like "I'll fucking rape and murder you, you bitch" and she gets on stage and says "it's really upsetting and terrible that this happens" and you call the latter an "attack." What the fucking hell.
And I'm not a feminist, I'm a humanist: Level the playing field for everyone.
Feminists do believe in an equal playing field. They just recognize that, between men and women, men hold many advantages women do not, advantages which are built-in by society and not based on reality.
Of course, trying to erase "feminism" is essentially the same as trying to erase the notion that women have different experiences at all. It's exactly like white people saying they don't see race the second a black person brings up racism.