2014: Go F*ck Yourself - Destructoid

It's a shame that all of this had to start with the entire Zoe thing, it was going to happen eventually, the suspicion of foul play and collusion in the gaming media has been growing steadily over the past decade.
The revelation of the Game Journo Pro mailing list alone should be damning enough, the journalists writing positively about developers that they were friends or even roommates with, even donated money to on patreon...
And then we're not even talking about all the trips and gifts larger studio's use to bribe gaming media figures if they don't use an embargo or hold review copies hostage instead.

But because it all started with Zoe it stopped being just a 'gamer' issue, it became a feminist issue, a Social Justice problem even.
Gaming Media just played up the harassment, sexism and controversy resulting in white knights and zealots immediately taking up their cause.

And the gaming media figures walk away Scott free and if you voice criticism on them now you will quickly be leaped with those dirty 'gamergaters' and treated like you were suspected to be a communist during the red scare.

It was something that needed to happen and would have happened eventually. And despite everything it helped show to many how rotten and hypocritical some game journalists and websites they trusted have become.
How some websites and journalists (looking at you Kotaku) post articles for no other reason then to bait clicks, others that are to busy pushing their own political ideas or ideologies trough their reviews and critique and some just use their influence and fame for free swag and to exchange favors with devs both big and small.

Like the Great War it was both tragic yet completely inevitable that this was to happen eventually, especially in the way that it did.
If only the catalyst could have been something not related to the gender of individuals.

At least we can be secure in the knowledge that this has given rise to new, improved gaming websites and entrenched the increasing popularity of Youtube personalities who so far have shown to be far more honest and modest in their opinions and critique on the games they play.
Not to mention it has helped hasten the demise of the glorified blogger journalism that had taken over the gaming media which turned many news sites into nothing but tabloids.

This year has been terribly depressing as someone who primarily identifies myself with my gaming hobby but at least some good things have come out of it.

/r/Games Thread Link - destructoid.com