The idea for this assignment, taught in a junior-level composition/gender studies course at Ohio University, came to us while Gamergate was at its nadir. The loosely organized social media campaign attacked game developer Zoe Quinn and her Twine based game, Depression Quest, for its fundraising via the platform Patreon and because they felt–although this was proven to be false–that Quinn had received undo praise for the game because of her romantic involvement with a games journalist. At the heart of this attack was a construction of “gamer” as an essentialized identity; one that is male, socially conservative, and anti-feminist. The…
Author: Andrew Smart
Matthew Vetter, Sarah Einstein
Andrew Smart is a PhD candidate in the Department of English at The Ohio State University and one of the founders of the Rhetoric, Politics, and Gaming Series. His research explores the role of didactic art in American culture.