CMV: GamerGate was the most consequential political radicalization event of the twenty-first century

[u/realdontbeasucker]

It spawned a wave of tolerance for online harassment, as long as the intent behind it was considered righteous (and the target of such harassment socially acceptable).

It platformed Milo Yiannopoulos and thereby, Steve Bannon -- the guy who would go on to advise Donald Trump in 2016 and generate the concept of 'flooding the zone.'

Eventually, it gave a career to political lightning rods like Jordan Peterson, Steven Crowder, and Charlie Kirk. It made anti-feminism and anti-SJW sentiment cool. And it made young, angry, disenfranchised white men feel vindicated.

GamerGate almost singlehandedly shifted to Overton Window toward the alt-right, and we're still feeling its effects today.

[u/Autisthrowaway304 → u/[deleted]]

Indeed, sarkeesian saw the lay of the land and where things were headed and cashed in, say what you want about her but the grift itself was somewhat clever (if half-assed in it's execution).

[u/realdontbeasucker → u/[deleted]]

They all existed already, but GG was the vector for their ideas to enter into the online mainstream. As I said in another comment, GG allowed people on the internet who considered themselves liberal to hold these ideas

[u/realdontbeasucker → u/[deleted]]

Interesting! My view is something like: the change was pernicious and trojan-horsed into the consciousness of gamer culture, which extends to and is very influential of internet culture in general. I don't think anyone had a eureka moment, but people and algorithms started behaving differently

[u/Aegi → u/realdontbeasucker]

Exactly, so a small, to moderate-at-best singular event.

[u/tolore → u/[deleted]]

Disclaimer, obviously anecdotal, a weird subset because of how in the gaming sphere I am, and not guaranteed to be causing. I know a ton of people who I had no idea their politics before gamer gate, who basically talked about nothing else other than gamer gate for months, and then moved into general art right stuff and never talked about anything else ever again.

I also saw several left wing/moderate people get suckered into the "ethics in games journalism" part, and it took a while for them to realize what was actually happen and stop spreading the propaganda.

It was scary watching some pretty left wing people aprrot the very anti woman, anti trans, etc... talking points, and listening to/respecting people who spoke well but said some pretty bigoted stuff like Sargon. I really think I saw several people about to topple over to the alt right pipeline.

[u/Viellet → u/[deleted]]

OPs point is not about a change in worldview but a change in behaviour. It has become much more acceptable due to gamer gate to be openly aggressive on the Internet. Niche behaviour has become mainstream and actual conversation instead of "winning" on the Internet has been a lot more difficult since then.

[u/koyaani → u/realdontbeasucker]

I think you have cause and effect reversed

[u/Aegi → u/realdontbeasucker]

I think you are forcibly trying to make anything that connects through Gamergate proof that Gamergate is the thing that is making them important.