The latest turn in the Gamergate sage: Zoe Quinn (previously) outed their former partner, game dev Alec Holowka as a sexual and emotional abuser, which prompted others to come forward with their own stories of abuse at Holowka's hands, which led to Holowka being kicked out of his Night in the Woods game project -- and shortly thereafter, Holowka committed suicide. Read the rest
Zoë Quinn, creator of punk games, knows more than most about the sharp end of online harassment. But she also knows what it takes to fight back, an important skill now that the same playbook used against her is wielded broadly by abusive reactionaries of all stripes.
So I can't wait to read her book, Crash Override: How Gamergate (Nearly) Destroyed My Life, and How We Can Win the Fight Against Online Hate, which is finally available for preorder. The release date: September 5, 2017.
Update: Quinn stresses that it's not just about that one particular campaign:
I want to mention the book isn't about GamerGate. GamerGate is more of a lens. I talk about the systems of online abuse & my time with Crash https://t.co/7EXvOGyDKL
— zoë “bi fieri” quinn (@UnburntWitch) April 4, 2017
The entire 2nd half of the book is all about trying to fix the structural issues with online abuse, and what we can do as individuals too
— zoë “bi fieri” quinn (@UnburntWitch) April 4, 2017
I could've written a book about GG in particular, but that wasn't the one I wanted to write. I wanted to write something more useful.
— zoë “bi fieri” quinn (@UnburntWitch) April 4, 2017
Here's the blurb, from Amazon:
Read the restYou've heard the stories about the dark side of the internet-hackers, anonymous hoards attacking an unlucky target, and revenge porn-but they remain just that: stories. Surely these things would never happen to you.
Zoe Quinn used to feel the same way.
Gamergate bogeywoman Zoe Quinn is making a new punk game, in collaboration with Amazon deep weird porn-writer (and table-turning, MRA-confounding Hugo nominee Chuck Tingle, and It. Looks. Awesome. Read the rest
