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Zoe Quinn is an independent game developer with a national reputation. She's a speaker in demand all over the country and she's an artist. But she became globally known last year for being a victim of extreme cyber bullying that became known as GamerGate, after creating a game that was at odds with the macho and often violent seam that runs through much of the gaming world. It's unfortunate, she told Vice magazine last year, "I don't want to be known for being harassed."
The game, Depression Quest, was an interactive game that deals with the struggles of depression, which Quinn has suffered from since her teens. The game was originally released in February 14, 2013, but was pulled off the market due to backlash.
Re-released last year, the free game is both popular and controversial; internet trolls (prompted by a blog written by an ex-boyfriend) have accused Quinn of trading sex for a positive review with a magazine writer, an accusation that lacked any proof. Calls were made to her father's house calling her a "whore," photos were sent to her with threats attached, posts urged her to commit suicide, and there were even online discussions about what murder weapons attendees might bring to her next event.
One year ago, she was âdoxed,â a slang term for having your personal informationâeverything from home address, Social Security numbers, bank detailsâpublished on the internet so that trolls can harass the subject. Quinn was so threatened that she moved from Boston to Seattle, hoping for a reprieve. Wrote The Daily Dot: "Ultimately, it seems likely that the noise surrounding this incident will serve as yet another example of the ways in which gaming culture continues to be a threatening place for women."
Quinn is one of many victims in a stream of GamerGate outbreaks that have also targeted feminist blogger Anita Sarkeesian (death threats caused her to cancel a speech at Utah State University last year) and game developer Brianna Wu.
Quinn will be speaking at TechFestNW this week about cybernetics, something she's been working on since 2014, when she had a chip and magnet implanted in her hand so she can interact with Near Field Communication devices. But GamerGate is never far behind, which is why she created Crash Override Network, a support group to help those who have been victimized by online harassment. Her latest move? A security fob worn around her neck allowing only personal access to her laptop.
Want to find out more about Quinn before seeing her at TechFest? Here's an Aug. 17 live chat with The Seattle Times. Here's a post about best practices regarding two-factor authentication when setting up stuff like email accounts. And watch her first video interview after the initial GamerGate backlash from late 2014.
WWeek 2015