It's the first time a group of diverse, intelligent, cunning people have shown teeth. Gamergate is centrist, dare I say apolitical; its continued existence is a threat to the status quo. I can't speak for the rest of the world, but here in the USA, left-right politics has swallowed up all nuance and compromise. In an environment of increasingly knee-jerk reactions and paranoid suspicion, high-ranking politicians have been able to nakedly betray the trust and responsibility of their roles to line the pockets of corporate insiders...

The ability of gamers to stand together in spite of our differences- to be united by our love for games- represents the antithesis of the fear and divisive hatred that has rendered US politics impotent. It is all-hands on deck to shame or intimidate us into silence- to censor us. The left sees us as a boogieman, the right falsely sees us as a weapon to be assimilated into their "culture war". Gamers are neither... gamers have been outsiders from the outset. Decades of being looked down upon, insulted and derided have made us a cynical bunch. Many of us (if not most of us) have been victims of physical or verbal abuse, bullying, and it has damaged our trust in the tribe.

It's been a mystery that the activists of the civil rights movement seemingly evaporated after the end of segregation... that they haven't been replaced by a similar young, motivated group. Where did they go? I think I know. Out of a sense of futility-of powerlessness in the face of an increasingly bleak future, young people turned inward towards games. Gaming became our "safe space". A place where we could explore, grow, adventure, form friendships, struggle, and overcome. It was our training ground, our cradle.

Gamers just want to have fun... but the absurdity of "real life" has broken down our door. Fanatics obsessed with self-image and pushing an agenda in defiance of free expression and the pursuit of happiness, are at our throats.

Gamers were the sleeping giant, the silent majority. And while most people may not be gamers, what we represent -a group that transcends the lies and division- has the fanatics scared shitless. Ethics is the deathknell of the status quo- the cash cow that has let these fake social justice warriors skim off the top of society's misplaced trust.

Don't lose vision, gamers. Keep grinding. There will be more bosses, new raids, but we will win the same way we always have. Innovative strategies, self-organization and cross-coordination, and sheer unadulterated nerve. We won't stand for being bullied or looked down on again. No one understands the nature of social injustice better than people that have suffered it.

You are not alone- we are united in our love for games. You aren't weak- we are the backbone of the internet, we are at the forefront of technology and popular culture. We are intellectuals, we are technicians, engineers, experts. We aren't hopeless- we have hope in a future free from corruption. We have faith in ourselves, in our potential. We are gamers.

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