Crash Override: How Gamergate (Nearly) Destroyed My Life

by Zoe Quinn

store and turned to the internet for answers. Hopefully, somewhere out there was a fan shrine covered in Under Construction gifs that could help me out.

My world exploded in size again, but this time the new universe was real. Kind of. I’m part of a uniquely timed generation in relation to the internet and games. Old enough to remember a time without them but young enough to be early adopters, eagerly looking forward to dying of dysentery in The Oregon Trail* in third-grade computer class. In a lot of ways, I grew up as the internet did.

(-:

My teenaged obsession with shock sites like Rotten.com started a lifelong hobby of spelunking through the weird pockets of the internet. This exploration taught me a lot (and, uh… SHOWED me a lot) and exposed the fact that internet culture is essentially a magnificent patchwork of specific subcultures—good,

Being part of a mob makes it harder to stop and reflect on your actions. Are we criticizing poor behavior and larger issues, or are we personally attacking a stranger? Are you bringing attention to and analyzing a specific problem, or are you chiming in on the issue of the day for high fives and likes? Are you calling for accountability and reform, or are you just trying to punish someone—and do you have any right to punish anyone in the first place? Does the retribution you’re calling for actually make sense?