Beyond those conservatives and libertarians in the alternative media that were warning about the invasion of woke ideology for many years, the very first group of "normies" to recognize the progressive threat to their subculture was gamers. And, to their credit, they brought attention to the issue in a more effective way than the alternative media ever did.
The conservative sphere has always dismissed video games, movies, and the hobby game world as "stuff for kids" and this was a fatal error. Instead of standing guard and keeping leftists away from the kids, the cultural Marxists were allowed to run rampant throughout the media industry. They effectively blitzed the space and within a five year period they took over almost everything the west sees and hears from movies to games to comics and commercials.
They did have extensive help, though. Through ESG programs, government agencies,NGOs and international conglomerates used vast amounts of cash to manipulate every aspect of media and incentivize the spread of woke ideology. The meaning of ESG (Economic, Social, Governance) is meaningless and doesn't explain at all what it actually does. At bottom, ESG was about progressive dominance of the cultural conversation.
Their strategy was to saturate media with leftist talking point to create the perception of false consensus. To make the majority of people believe that most people are in support of far-left politics, and that there's something wrong with you if you're not also onboard. Even some feminists called out the campaign as malicious.
In terms of video gaming, the industry is far larger and far more pervasive than movies and television. It's not surprising that leftists sought to target games first with feminist propaganda, anti-masculinity propaganda, anti-west propaganda, DEI, CRT, etc. Gamers were not enthusiastic and they took to social media to expose the takeover.
First and foremost, Gamergate called out gaming journalists and their extreme bias in favor of woke ideology, not to mention their open disdain for young men and the male-centric foundation of gaming in general. Gaming journalists lorded over a tiny niche market of news and commentary but they exploited associations with the wider corporate media to spread disinformation. They used this influence in tandem with leftist activists to attack any game company that was not conforming to the woke message. This was the beginning of "cancel culture" - It largely started within the games business.
Gamers also called out the ideological hijacking of games in general, including forced diversity standards, the "uglyfication" of female characters and the addition of obesity activism, the incessant use of gay and trans propaganda and the injection of leftist messaging within storylines often aimed at young children, etc.
Gamergate was attacked relentlessly for simply telling the truth: That gaming was being colonized by progressive activists who hate games, who hate gamers, and who only wanted to use gaming as a vehicle to deliver DEI brainwashing to the masses. At first, the media claimed that this was a conspiracy theory and there was no leftist agenda. Then, when they were fully exposed, they admitted there was an agenda but claimed it's a "good agenda" and anyone who opposes it is a sexist, racist fascist.
Most of the culture war simply involved making the public aware of the leftist intrusion and the money behind it. Once that became widely known fact, the activists were fighting a losing battle. Today, Gamergate has officially won the culture war as gaming journalists face mass layoffs in the midst of industry buyouts.
Polygon, a media company founded in 2012 that is notorious for its leftist crusades against gamers, has been sold to Valnet, owner of Game Rant and a host of other publication. The company has subsequently been gutted. Most of the journalists involved along with the editor-in-chief are departing or they are being fired.
This follows a series of layoffs within the industry of some of the most vile feminist journalists ever to pretend to play games. Many have taken to social media to e-beg for cash from followers, beg for work from other outlets, and complain about how they will now have to get real jobs in retail and service. It's hard to imagine a more fitting end for a group that tried to ruin the lives of so many for the sake of political supremacy.
It should be noted that the surge in media layoffs in recent months follows the shutdown of funds flowing from government agencies like USAID. It's hard to say if there's a connection, but if DOGE delivered the finishing death blow it's only because these organizations already lost millions of readers through through their own arrogance.
And yet, to this day most of the activists involved in the bloodletting still refuse to acknowledge the real reasons why they are so despised. They blame the economic climate, though, there are numerous gaming advocates on YouTube and elsewhere that are wildly successful. The market is there, it just doesn't want Polygon and its peers.
Other activist journalists blame a climate of "racism and sexism" for the death of their platforms. They still haven't learned; this is the attitude of zealotry that put them in the crosshairs of gamers to begin with. At bottom, leftists in the gaming world tried to fight and defeat the free market, and they lost.
The culture war is now nearing an end. The death of woke is ringing like funeral bells. Gamers should be applauded for enduring years of slander and playing a key role in winning the fight.
