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I read NKB's take to be more on the nature of the criticism. Hepler is a writer so probably doesn't need to play videogames to do her job (seems her thing was more TTRPG's). Calling her "Hamburger Helper", though I laughed when I first heard it, isn't helpful. The reddit post about Pagliarulo was actually unhinged and completely hyperbolic, but people bought it anyways because most probably didn't watch the video.
Zoe getting caught lying about her mother dying multiple times has got to be a stark wakeup call to people still somehow on the militant anti-GG side. Sadly, it comes rather late in the video, and I'm not sure how many will see it. They're already trotting out bogus reasons to dismiss it and not watch it in the spaces that lean anti-GG but still have enough context to care.
I hope the video didn't disappoint you too much because there wasn't enough new information! That's why I listed some revelations for me, because I wasn't sure how much other people around here would find it redundant.
He didn't really touch on the possible McIntosh ghost-writing, but I agree it's interesting. I think an important core argument of the video is that Zoe was an abuser who got away with it because of bad norms people pushed in an influential left-wing in-group. Zoe really came across as an Anita knock-off, only elevated because she found herself proclaimed a kind of group mascot, a symbol for their cause, and thus unquestionable. However, he also notes that many on her side were probably just deceived, which I think is fair, though people should take this as a lesson to do their due-diligence before joining a cause.
In the end, I think the stakes were pretty small and I'm not sure either side can really say they won. I'm not really sure how influential Gamergate has been in the wider culture. For example, I think Trump's two elections were overdetermined, and thus didn't need Gamergate to happen. I think it's more interesting as a study of human dynamics and as an example of what goes wrong when you try to push any system that does not allow criticism (it gets weaponized by bad actors).
Can the pro-GG side say they won? Some outlets are more conscious of disclosures, but now everyone thinks pro-GG people were just a bunch of CHUDs, and I would guess that in most professional circles, it would be more of a liability to be seen as pro-GG compared to anti-GG. Some anti-GG people at the top were able to grift and profit, but I remember that one quote from someone who said something like "joining the anti-GG movement was the worst decision I ever made." This makes me wonder if anyone but those at the top of the anti-GG pyramid really benefited. Certainly the ones who fell prey to Quinn's likely abuse didn't. Also, as far as history goes, NKB and others have the receipts. I wouldn't be surprised if the historical position on this issue changed once time has depoliticized things.
Strong disagree. It's like saying a script-writer doesn't need to watch movies to do their job. Specialization is good and all, but I think it helps a lot to have familiarity with, and appreciation for, the greater whole. Doesn't justify personal attacks especially about something as irrelevant as her weight. It's not like it's her fault bioware hr thought she was a good fit for the company.
It would certainly help her do her job, but it's not evidence of incompetence on its own. I'm not sure about her exact responsibilities, but people adapt stories from books into games and movies all the time, even if the author of the book was from a time before games and movies. To be a good writer, you need to write stories and elements of stories (characters, dialogue) that people appreciate. I think it's possible to write such elements alongside other writers and have it become part of a game without really enjoying the game-playing itself. Also, she didn't say she refused to play the game or anything, just that she didn't really enjoy it. You can do good work even if you don't enjoy something - in fact, that's what most people have to do. I'm not saying I would've hired her, but again, it's not evidence of incompetence alone.
Still, I think this is something people can reasonably disagree on, and I don't have an opinion on if the game was good or bad because I haven't played it. Just making a general point.
Also, is making games journalism obsolete really what anti-GG wanted? A bunch of them were actually in the industry, right?
I wouldn't be so sure about "they write the history books," at least not forever into the future. As time goes on, historians will want to know what actually happened, and because NKB and others did a good job of documenting as much as they could, they will be able to find it. They will look past the headlines and contemporary wikipedia page. They will see Zoe Quinn's documented misbehaviors. They will see an industry in its infancy struggle to develop ethical norms - it's a tale as old as time. Over the long run, issues depoliticize, and people are able to apply a more balanced view of history. I hope and believe that will happen here.
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