The video game conference PAX East is coming to Boston this weekend, but one local gaming company will be conspicuously absent. Giant Spacekat , which is staffed by women, says it’s skipping Pax East after receiving dozens of death threats. It’s the latest twist in the bizarre scandal known as “Gamergate.”
It all started when people went online and criticized a female game designer name Zoe Quinn both personally and professionally after her game “Depression Quest” came out. And the harassment quickly escalated. Quinn was threatened with violence, her personal information was posted online, and when others defended her, they were harassed as well.
Among those defenders was Brianna Wu, the co-founder of video game company Giant Spacekat. As a result, she, too says she was harassed. Ultimately, her company decided to skip its planned appearance at this weekend’s convention.
Amanda Warner , the other co-founder of Giant Spacekat Productions, and Nina Huntemann , a professor of media studies at Suffolk University and the co-founder of Women in Games Boston, discussed the struggles many women face in the gaming industry.
