The Escalation of Gamer Gate The Gamer Gate controversy is a polarized debate that occurred between many individuals, many of whom are associated with the video game industry. Initially sparked by feminist criticisms of video gaming, Gamer Gate eventually escalated into a fiasco of hateful tirades, threats, and violence. In this paper, we hope to illuminate the factors which contributed to Gamer Gate evolving into its final form and Gamer Gate’s ultimate impact onto the industry that birthed it. To objectively describe the components of this extremely polarized conflict, we must sift through the bountiful amounts of opinionated material related to the matter, until we can depict Gamer Gate’s progression in an unbiased manner.

What is Gamer Gate?
The phrase Gamer Gate can refer to multiple things. The overall controversy known as Gamer Gate, in essence, is a polarized debate that began with criticisms of the videogame industry's misogynistic culture. In response to these claims, individuals amassed under a Twitter campaign of the same name to slander critics of the videogame industry and those that spread those claims. Eventually, slander became threats and these threats metamorphosed into a fiasco of indistinguishable muckraking that shook the video gaming industry to its core. Advocates of Gamer Gate and its crusading supporters rally against a supposed unethical reporters. They engage in a variety of extreme actions against anyone or anything they deem to be their opposition.

The Role of Feminism and Sexism
For many years, gaming was considered to be a “boy” activity. Many young boys would spend hours playing video games like Mario Kart or Super Smash Bros. Lately, there has been a shift in that dynamic as there are more women who are a part of the gaming community. There has been a recent spike in the percentage of female gamers; the number