GamerGate Question List - Neutral

Neutral Questions

Interview Questions

Starter Questions
1. Tell me about your GamerGate experience?
2. Can you define what GamerGate was?

Gamers Are Dead
1. Do you consider yourself a gamer? If so, what does that mean to you?
2. On August 28th, 2014 ten competing publications all published articles on the same day calling for an end to the gamer identity. These ten articles were followed nine additional articles on other mostly gaming sites over the next few days, also calling for an end to the gamer identity. Do you have any thoughts on these articles?

Games Journalism
1. What do you think about games journalism?
2. How responsive to calls for reform do you think the games press was?
3. Were there any games journalism reforms you would have liked to see happen?
4. If you were the editor-in-chief of a gaming website and some of your employees were accused of ethical violations, what would you have done?
5. Do you think there is still a role for good games journalism in the world? What does that look like to you?
6. Some GamerGate supporters believed that pressuring advertisers to pull out would be a good way to convince gaming publications to initiate ethical reforms. What did you think of this strategy?
7. In September 2014 it was revealed that nearly 150 games journalists from competing publications were in a mailing group called GameJournoPros. What did you think of this revelation?
8. Do you have any thoughts on DeepFreeze?
9. In August 2015, Michael Koretzky, a regional director for the Society of Professional Journalists, hosted the SPJ Airplay conference. The idea of the conference was to have journalistic ethics experts meet with GamerGate supporters to discuss their concerns about games journalism and the way the media covered GamerGate. The second half of the conference was interrupted by bomb threats, forcing the convention center to be evacuated. Do you have any thoughts on this event?
10. Why do you think the media largely didn’t cover SPJ Airplay?
11. Do you have any thoughts on the SavePoint panel at SXSW or the GamerGate panels at Arch Anime and Natsucon?
12. Have you seen the recently released Airplay Documentary?
13. Do you have any thoughts on the Kunkel Awards?

Creative Freedom
1. Some GamerGate supporters say they got involved to advocate for what they saw as artistic freedom. The right of artists to make the art they want without fear or censorship or shoddy localizations. What did you think of this aspect of the conversation?
2. What do you think of the argument that video games can cause and/or reinforce sexist attitudes?
3. What do you think of the argument that video games cause violence?
4. Some political activists believed that using social media campaigns to demand artists change artistic elements of their work was a good thing, like #ChangeTheCover. Some in GamerGate thought that this was going too far and/or could have a chilling effect on artists. Do you have any thoughts on this tactic?
5. Where do you think the lines are between criticism and a censorship campaign?
6. Do you have any thoughts on the removal of content from some foreign games when they are localized?

Games and Politics
1. Some people have argued that GamerGate was mostly or entirely right-wing. Do you think that was accurate?
2. Do you want to talk about your political views or philosophy?
3. Have your politics changed since GamerGate? Due to GamerGate?
4. Are you okay with gaming sites criticizing games through a political or religious lens, such as a Marxist, feminist, Christian, or other lens?
5. Do you think there can be any value in analyzing games or other works of art through a political lens?
6. Some people say that GamerGate was the “first battle of the culture war,” do you have any thoughts on that framing?
7. What do you think of framing of GamerGate or the reaction to it as being a moral panic?
8. What do you think of the framing of GamerGate as a battle between those who believe in enlightenment liberal values and those who don’t?

Interactions with the Other Side
1. Did you interact with any pro-GG people? What was that like?
2. Did you interact with any anti-GG people? What was that like?
3. How could the GamerGate conversation have been more productive?
4. Do you have any thoughts on NotYourShield?
5. Discussion of GamerGate was widely censored online. Why do you think that was?

Harassment
1. Why do you think some people claimed that GamerGate was about harassment or hating women?
2. Do you have any thoughts on the studies done on GamerGate and harassment, such as the Women Action Media study, the Newsweek/BrandWatch study, and The Nimbus study?
3. What do you think of the GamerGate Anti-Harassment Patrol?
4. Do you think most GamerGate people did a good job condemning harassment?
5. You don’t have to answer or talk about it, but did you experience any harassment during GG, from either side or from third party trolls?
6. Why do you think the media largely didn’t cover harassment against GamerGate supporters?
7. Do you have any thoughts on ZachAttack?
8. Do you have any thoughts on the CON Skype Leak?
9. Do you have any thoughts on GGRevolt?
10. Do you have any thoughts on the burgersandsfries stuff?
11. What do you think of the term sea-lioning and how some critics of GamerGate used the term?
12. Can you define what harassment is?

Media Coverage
1. What do you think about how the media covered GamerGate?
2. If you were going to cover GamerGate as an act of journalism, how would you have done it?
3. Did anyone in the media reach out to you for an interview to discuss the movement?
4. Are there any specific articles or videos you want to discuss?
5. Did the media’s coverage of GamerGate increase or decrease your trust in the media?
6. If a journalist who got GamerGate wrong in your eyes is reading this now, what do you want them to reconsider?
7. What do you think the media can learn about how they covered GamerGate?
8. Have you seen the Wikipedia article about GamerGate?
9. Would you like to see “the narrative” on GamerGate change to be more neutral and/or positive?

Light Items
1. What’s your favorite video game?
2. Do you want to talk about the friendships you made during GamerGate?
3. Do you have any thoughts on Vivian James or other GamerGate related art projects?

Reflections
1. What was your favorite moment during GamerGate?
2. If you could have changed one thing about GamerGate, what would it be?
3. What would you personally have done differently during GamerGate?
4. Let’s say it’s 10 years from now and an online movement is looking to GamerGate for guidance for their movement, what advice do you have for them?
5. What have you personally learned from GamerGate?
6. What do you think of the decentralized and leaderless nature of GamerGate?
7. Would you want to do a GamerGate reunion, sort of a big meet up once every ten years or something like that?
8. Have you ever thought about writing a book or other project related to GamerGate?
9. What do you think GamerGate being successful would look like?
10. Was GamerGate successful in your eyes?

Closing Questions
1. If you could do it all over again, would you?
2. What do you think of this interview project?
3. Some people reading this might hold a positive view of GamerGate, do you have anything you want to say to these people?
4. Anything you want to say to people who hold a negative view of GamerGate?
5. Can you explain GamerGate to any Cetaceans who might be reading or listening  to this?
6. Anything else you want to talk about regarding GamerGate?