What is Gamergate?

• A. A 2014 internet harassment campaign by various (mostly male) gamers who attacked a (mostly female) group of gamers and developers, doxing and swatting them and forcing them to abandon their homes and jobs.
• B. A form of phishing attack exploiting social media.
• C. A policy recommendation on online privacy.
• D. A type of hate speech.

Answer: (A)

Gamergate refers to a 2014 online harassment campaign that emerged from parts of the gaming community. It involved some male gamers targeting a group of women in gaming—developers, journalists, and others—through coordinated doxxing, swatting, threats, and intimidation meant to drive them from their homes and jobs. While some framed it as a discussion about ethics in game journalism, the movement quickly became a vehicle for misogyny and abuse, showing how online spaces can be weaponized to silence critics. It is not about phishing, not a privacy policy recommendation, and while it used hostile rhetoric, it is best understood as a coordinated harassment campaign rather than simply a type of hate speech.